www.africanamericanvoice.netApril 2014

April 2014Special Supplement

Black Health

By Julianne Hing

(ColorLines) - Racism is a powerful enough force that it can wear down a man’s body. Those are the findings, at once common-sense and ground breaking, in a study led by University of Maryland epidemiologist David Chae which examines the relationship between white blood cell telomere lengths and experiences with racism.

The study, “Discrimination, Racial Bias, and Telomere Length in African American Men,” that was published in the February 2014 issue of the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, is the first of its kind to explicitly measure the role that racism-related factors play in the aging process.

It’s in the BloodChae and his team gathered 95

black men between the ages of 30 and 50 in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2010, and measured black men’s white blood cell telomere lengths. Telomeres are repetitive sequences of DNA that sit like the plastic protective caps at the ends of shoelaces. When white blood cells replicate, DNA sequences at the very ends get chewed away, and telomeres are there to be, as Chae explains, “the sacrificial lambs” to protect the more crucial DNA from being damaged. (Telomeres are the glowing white dots at the end of

chromosomes, pictured below.)

Telomere length is associated with mortality and age-related diseases like dementia, heart disease and Alzheimer’s—the shorter they are, the higher the risk, which is why they’re seen as a good indicator of physiologic age. Studies have shown that telomeres are also sensitive to psychosocial stress, which can speed up their depletion. “You could have two 35-year-olds who are of course the same age chronologically, but at a cellular level they might be very different depending on what they’ve experienced in life,” says Chae.

People start out with roughly 8,000 base pairs and they wear down at a rate of 50 to 100 every year. Among black men who had internalized strong anti-black biases, those who experienced high levels of racial discrimination had on average 140 fewer base pairs

of telomeres than those who reported low levels of racial discrimination. The combination of high levels of external racial discrimination and internalized anti-black attitudes was a toxic mix.

Researchers found, on the other hand, that there was a slightpositive relationship between experiences of discrimination and telomere length in black men who had strong pro-black biases. That is, a positive racial identity could act as a kind of psychological buffer against the ravages of racism.

Testing the UnconsciousTo get results, researchers surveyed

subjects and asked them to gauge their experience with being discriminated against in nine venues, including criminal justice, education, health care, work and housing. To measure unconscious attitudes, researchers separately used the Implicit Association Test. This test flashes images of black and white people in front of respondents, and measures how quickly respondents associate each face with positive and negative characteristics. The faster the response, the more deep-seated the association.

In the U.S., national studies have found that 70 percent of respondents have an implicit anti-black bias—and roughly half of African-Americans do. It’s seen as a rough proxy for determining unconscious bias, and depending on the

subject, internalized racism.“Racism and racial discrimination is

an assault on one’s self-concept,” Chae explains. “And it involves not only physical acts but also the internalization of an ideology that posits that some groups are better or worse than others.” Scientists theorize that when a black person has strong anti-black attitudes, the racism they encounter in their daily life can feel deserved, and that cumulative psychological toll can impact telomere length.

But it’s not helpful to think of internalized racism as simply an individualized symptom of structural racism, says Brian Smedley, director of the Health Policy Institute at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. It’s deeply embedded in the larger apparatus of racial inequity, and is its own layer of oppression. Think, for instance, of the classic, heartbreaking doll study originally conducted by Kenneth and Mamie Clark in 1939. Researchers put a white doll and black doll in front of black children and asked them to identify the dolls’ race, and point to which was the nice one, and which was the mean one. Children as young as three years old identified the white doll as good, and the black doll as bad.

The Realness of Racism“What our and others’ research shows

Study: In Black Men, Internalized Racism Speeds Up Aging

Images from Black Star Project

Continued on S2

"Wisdom is Wealth." - African Proverb

The African American Voice keeps the communities informed about issues that impact Black communities.

www.africanamericanvoice.netS2 April 2014

BLACK HEALTH

Kim Farmer - Mile High Fitness

Kim has owned Mile High Fitness, LLC for 9 years. She has successfully grown the company and currently manages personal trainers and group exercise instructors and their classes and clients. Kim’s wellness experience ranges from managing fitness classes and services for corporate locations, providing exercise programming for healthy and unhealthy populations and teaching group exercise classes.

Kim Farmer

Mile High Fitness Historical PerspectiveKim has served many nonprofit

organizations with her health and wellness expertise and freely gives her time to community based, public health efforts. Her strong organizational, planning and networking skills have made her a well sought after health professional in her community. She has helped many people get and stay on track for optimum health through her articles, books, and many speeches. She has experience designing fitness services in wellness centers, private gyms, and

recreation centers and in small studio spaces with single clients for individual training, and multiple clients for group training.

Kim is passionate about helping her clients and participants achieve their wellness goals and she stays educated and trained on the latest training and teaching techniques.You may reach Kim at kfarmer@milehighfitness.com or visit her website at www.milehighfitness.com.

is that racism is not some abstract artificial concept, but is part of the lived and social experience of African Americans in today’s society—and that it has real effects on the body,” says Amani Nuru-Jeter, a professor at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health and co-author of the study. Researchers say their findings can help explain some of the well-known racial health disparities in the U.S. For example, according to the Center for Disease Control, blacks in the U.S. have a life expectancy four years shorter than the rest of the country, and have diabetes at double the rate of whites. Black men in particular have a life expectancy that’s six years shorter than white men, and black men are 60 percent more likely than white men to be diagnosed with prostate cancer.

What’s more, says Nuru-Jeter, “racism is a particular form of stress reported by over 75 percent of African Americans,” so the public health implications are huge.

What scientists have found is that racism influences people’s physical health in all these indirect ways—affecting access to health care, decent work, housing, healthy food and safe places to exercise. And it can have more direct consequences, typically by creating more stress in people’s lives. Think about what happens to your heart rate and blood pressure when someone treats you harshly or unfairly, cutting you off on the freeway or pushing you out of the way to get onto the subway. We have physiological reactions to stress. Now, imagine it’s racism we’re talking about—something that people can experience “on a routine, chronic, everyday basis,” Chae says. “It wears

out our biological systems because they are being continually engaged … and it can lead to this accelerated physiological wear and tear.” Studies have shown that blacks’ telomere lengths burn off at faster rates than people in other racial groups.

So What Do We Do?When it comes to the public health

interventions, Chae says the clear implication is that society needs to address systemic discrimination. “There needs to be greater enforcement of anti-discrimination legislation,” in areas like housing and employment he says. Furthermore, policies like stop-and-frisk, even those which are facially neutral, “can negatively impact health.”

It might be tempting to prescribe black people who have anti-black biases some kind of racial identity bolstering treatment, but says Chae, telling people to address their internalized oppression

“is not my first line of treatment because it puts the burden on those who are victimized.” Racism may manifest itself on the individual level, but that doesn’t make it the right place to focus.

“It’s quite right that we should be concerned with individuals but we will not change the dynamic, that unconscious thumbprint of society, until we change the broader social structure in our systems and understandings of difference and how we value different groups,” Smedley says. “Race and racism are not limited to internal, individual dynamics.”

Julianne Hing Black Star Project blackstarproject.org blackstarjournal.org

Study: In Black Men, Internalized Racism Speeds Up Aging

Continued from S1

If you feel bloated or fatigued after eating or you have low energy during the day, it may be due to your diet. The food you eat plays an important role in the ability of your body to function correctly. A nutritional and healthy diet should include foods that are easily digested and maintain the properties necessary for natural energy. Eating a diet that consists of primarily raw foods or plant based food items will be beneficial for a number of things, including weight loss, increased energy and healthier skin.

Energy Rich FoodsFoods that are rich in energy properties

include raw, whole and natural foods. Raw energy rich foods are plant-based

foods, such as vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts and beans that are eaten uncooked and in a natural state. Raw foods are typically grated, blended, juiced or dehydrated as opposed to cooking, boiling or roasting them. Eating meals that consist of various raw fruits and vegetables, such as leafy greens, bananas and whole, natural grains will give you the energy you need to get through the day as well as help you sleep more soundly, so you will wake up feeling energetic.

Weight Loss and Healing FoodsEating a diet that consists of foods such

as nuts, sunflower seeds and beans, are extremely beneficial for detoxification. When foods are cooked, some of the

enzymes your body needs to fight free radicals and to kill harmful bacteria are destroyed. Raw foods are often referred to as the life force of food, because they play an important role in helping the body absorb vital nutrients as well as help you preserve the enzymes you need for a healthy digestive process. The nutrients in raw foods help build a strong immune system and increase energy. One of the most important factors when trying to lose weight is to do it in a safe and healthy manner. Plant-based foods are naturally low in calories, so weight loss is one of the best benefits of eating a plant-based diet, because you are reducing processed and high calorie foods.

Once you adjust to eating a plant based diet you will begin to notice a change in your overall health, the appearance of your skin and an increase in energy. It is important to note that if you are not used to eating raw foods, including fruits and vegetables, it may be slightly difficult to adjust to the lack of processed sugars and high calorie foods, but it will be well worth it in the long run.Contributors: Kim Farmer of Mile High Fitness. Mile High Fitness offers in-home personal training and corporate fitness solutions. Visit www.milehighfitness.com or email inquires@milehighfitness.com

Healthy Benefits of Eating a Diet High in Plant Based Foods

www.africanamericanvoice.netApril 2014

APRIL 2014 FREE

The Voice of African Americans in Colorado

KEEPING THE COMMUNITY INFORMED SINCE 1991

African Proverb:

"One who causes others misfortune also teaches

them wisdom."

Inside this Issue:12 Facts About Black People - 7

Over 100,000 African American Parents Homeschooling

their Children - 9

Malcolm X and Global Black Struggle - 12

By Adanya

March 16, 1827, prominent African American business owners, Samuel Cornish and John Russwurm, founded the first Black-owned and operated Newspaper, the Freedom’s Journal in New York City. The paper gave a voice to help abolish slavery, and exposed racism and discrimination in the United States of America. In honor of the ancestors, and to celebrate Black Press Week, the African American Voice hosted a Community Round Table discussion at the Colorado Springs Hillside Community Center.

On March 22, 2014 Black Press Week

was celebrated by the Black and Latino communities. This event, sponsored by James Tucker the publisher of the African American Voice, united Black and Brown communities in Colorado. Tucker set the tone by speaking about the role of the Black Press. Not much has changed since the 19th century, as the African American Voice continues to expose racism and discrimination.

The first speaker was June Martinez, a Colorado native who shared her experience of growing up Latina in Colorado. Ms. Martinez was born in Alamosa, where she grew up with a majority of Spanish people. They were the majority in her town, where she was identified as Spanish.

She did not know discrimination until she relocated to Colorado Springs in 1969. When she arrived Colorado Springs, she was no longer identified as Spanish, but as Mexican. Her family did not come from Mexico; she actually comes from a multi-cultural family. This experience made her very aware of the discrimination dynamics in Colorado Springs. Her family raised here to treat everybody equally, and Ms. Martinez felt she did not deserve the treatment that she received in Colorado Springs.

Ms. Martinez began to get involved in Politics. She was discouraged from voicing her views from a cultural perspective and encouraged by her

peers to identify herself as one of them, which was the white majority. She was often told by her peers, “You’re one of us, you’re White.” She would climb up the ladder, but then be pushed back down. She felt she had a right to talk about different cultural groups because she was exposed to many cultures that made up her family. She backed away from politics, after she started her family. She got involved once again at the time Senator Obama was running for President. She believes in striving for justice for all. Ms. Martinez states, “How can we have peace, if we don’t have justice?”

The next speaker on the panel was Candice McKnight, President and CEO of the African-American Historical and Genealogical Society of Colorado Springs. Ms. McKnight, a third generation native of Colorado Springs shared deep historical history of the Colorado Spring area from a personal experience. In fact, the area where the roundtable discussion was being held was once a lumber yard, where they use to hang Blacks. The information made the audience aware of the Black struggle and evolution of people striving to make progress in Colorado Springs. She brought several books highlighting historical achievements of the first Black professionals in education and influential Blacks in surrounding areas. Through studies in her own genealogy,

Blacks and Latinos Continue Struggle for Equality

Continued on page 11

Photo, Katrina Miller | Blackat Video Productions | BlackatVideoProductions.com | 720-629-2593

Fountain Valley Chamber of Commerce Business Spotlight for the Week of March 24, 2014: African American Voice! (See more on page 11).

Continued on page 19

Ada Anagho Brown Roots to Glory Tours

Founder and President

Colorado Springs, CO – The African American Voice will hold the 23rd Annual Juneteenth Caribbean Heritage Fair, including a Civil and Human Rights Dinner, parade, entertainment, food and speeches, the weekend of Friday, June 20, Saturday, June 21 and Sunday, June 22 at the Hillside Community Center. This event allows the community to experience Colorado’s Black Culture.

Although President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation took place in 1863, the last groups of slaves were free in Galveston, Texas on June 19,

1865. There are 42 states, including Colorado that recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday. Juneteenth is celebrated the third Saturday during the month of June. June is also National Caribbean American Heritage Month. The event will celebrate contributions of Caribbeans in the United States.

The Civil and Human Rights Dinner will take place on Friday, June 20, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Black Communities United for Progress (BCUP) plans to honor Dr. James Tucker during the dinner.

Fred Bland, community leader, says, “It is fitting to recognize Dr. Tucker at an event that commemorates this historical time in history where so many lives were affected. Though he’s been leading this celebration for 23 years, this will be the first time this dinner honors him for the broad range of work he offers the community.”

Ada Anagho Brown, founder and president of Roots to Glory Tours, will be the keynote speaker at the Civil and Human Rights Dinner. She is from

Juneteenth Caribbean Heritage Fair Slated For June 20-22

www.africanamericanvoice.net2 April 2014

BLACK COMMUNITES UNITED FOR PROGRESS

Caribbean African

We are Black!

Support the Black Press!Call 719.528.1954 or email

james.tucker@africanamericanvoice.net

Advertise to share your products and services with

the Black Community.

Roots to Glory Tours(410) 429-0804www.rootstoglory.com

� e mission of Roots to Glory Tours (RTG) is to bridge the gap by guiding, introducing and being a part of the experience of discovery and reconnection for African

Americans as they embrace their long lost families.

www.africanamericanvoice.net 3 April 2014

COMMUNITY NEWS

ADL Condemns Acts of Vandalism Targeting East African Immigrants in Fort Morgan

Denver, CO, (ADL) - Responding to reports of vandalism against members of the East African immigrant community living in Fort Morgan, Colorado that have included reports of broken car windows and racial slurs painted on vehicles, Scott L. Levin, Mountain States Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League, issued the following statement on March 3, 2014:

“ADL condemns acts of vandalism that target any community and send a

message that they are not welcome in Colorado. Hate crimes have harmful effects that extend far beyond the individual victims. When a person is targeted for a crime because of his or her race or national origin, the entire group of people who share that victim’s characteristic may feel intimidated, vulnerable, and unsafe. Here, it is especially heinous that such acts allegedly targeted immigrants who had sought refuge in this country from

violence in their home countries. We applaud law enforcement in Fort Morgan for taking these incidents seriously and investigating them as possible hate crimes. If officials determine that bias-motivated crimes were committed, we urge them to prosecute the perpetrators to the full extent permitted under Colorado’s hate crimes law.”

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs

and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.

Scott L. Levi Regional Director Mountain States Region Anti-Defamation League (303) 830-7177 x215 denver.adl.org

Tubman-Hilliard Global Academy 6th, 7th and 8th Graders.

Betty Funderburke (L) & Elinora Reynolds (R) with Tunda Asaga - THGA Principal (C).

TOP: Trini McGill - Sepia President, Elinora Reynolds - Sisters Enterprise Co-Founder, Annette Sills-Brown - TheEduCtr Executive Director.BOTTOM: Betty Funderburke - Sisters Enterprise Co-Founder, Linda Hailey - Sepia Secretary.

February 25th, members of the Sepia Historical Club and Sisters Enterprise made a surprise visit to the Denver’s Tubman Hilliard Global Academy (THGA) in order to “gift” each student with a commemorative President Barrack Obama bottle filled with educational and tasty treats. The LEARN & SHARE condensed program that was conducted by Toastmasters Betty Funderburke and Elinora Reynolds included a historical overview of the life of Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. and other notable Blacks. The program also included an informal question & answer period to discover how much the bright & brilliant elementary and middle school students at Tubman-Hilliard Global Academy already knew. To no surprise the Sepia, Sisters and TheEduCtr members & representatives, THGA students (ages 4 thru 14) successfully and collectively answered all questions, thus passing the test consisting of 100+ questions. To validate that the Sisters Funderburke & Reynolds were at the right place, Tubman-Hilliard students provided the

following answers when asked what they wanted to be when they grew up: actress, professional athlete, dancer, doctor, engineer, lawyer, microbiologist, pediatrician, President of the USA, psychiatrist, singer, surgeon, video game designer and veterinarian.

Located in the historic Douglass building in the heart of Denver’s Five Points Community (on the corner of 29th and Curtis Street), THGA’s mission is to provide an academically challenging, creative and culturally-grounded education with a focus on preparing students K-8th grade for the leadership and service of their local and worldwide communities, while utilizing the best learning technologies and tools. Mr. Tunda Asaga, principal said that he thoroughly enjoys watching his children grow and glow with a focus on their technologically relevant curriculum.

The SEPIA HISTORICAL CLUB, (founded by the late Julia Henson in 1983) represents one of the city’s oldest non-profit community organizations that serve youth and seniors in the metro

Denver community. Based on Sepia’s mission to foster moral, intellectual, cultural and spiritual training/outreach to youth and seniors, this organization of progressive women recently partnered with Sisters Enterprise and TheEduCtr. Sepia’s history includes membership affiliation with the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs Colorado Chapter. Founded by the Sisters & Toastmasters Betty Funderburke & Elinora Reynolds, SISTERS ENTERPRISE will celebrate its 10th year as a local non-profit in 2014 when they will once again salute notable Coloradoans for rendering “random acts of kindness” during their 10th Annual Back Home Gospel Shout Out Program in June,

2014. Dr. Annette Sills-Brown serves as Executive Director of TheEduCtr, a nonprofit organization composed of a group of veteran educators with over 20 years of experience in promoting and advocating for excellence in education. In addition to sponsoring educational workshops that empower educators and parents to become advocates for at-risk students, TheEduCtr’s popular Salute to Excellence program is held once every year to increase awareness of outstanding Black educators and their work in the State of Colorado. On March 7th the DoubleTree by Hilton at 3203 Quebec Street in Denver, 28 Colorado educators were honored.

For more information about Tubman Hilliard Global Academy, 2890 Curtis Street, Denver, CO 80205, contact Mr. Tunda Asaga at (720) 542-8238, Email: tubmanhilliardglobalacademy@gmail.com or visit http://thgacademy.org. Sepia Historical Club, Sisters Enterprise or TheEduCtr can be reached at (303) 324-5927 or visit www.theeductr.com.

Sepia Historical Club, Sisters Enterprise & TheEduCtr Celebrate Black History Month With Gifted Children at Tubman Hilliard Global Academy

Veteran Owned Business Since 1991 To place an ad or for more informati on, call: 719.528.1954

www.africanamericanvoice.net4 April 2014

OPEN LETTER TO ELIJAH CUMMINGS

James TuckerPublisherPhone: 719.528.1954james.tucker@africanamericanvoice.net

Undray TuckerAssociate Publisher

Howard Smith (Independent Contractor)

Layout and Graphic Artist

Reginald WatsonWebmaster

Columnists:Kim FarmerTanya Ward JordanChenelle A. Jones, Ph.D.Charlene Crowell

The Black Press CreedThe Black Press believes that America can best lead the world away from racial and national antagonism when it affords to all people – regardless of race, color or creed – their human and legal rights. Hating no person and fearing no person, the Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back.

Th e African American Voice is published monthly by Th e African American Voice Newspaper, Inc. Th e contents of this publication are copyrighted by Th e African American Voice Newspaper, Inc. Reproductions or use of content in any manner is prohibited without prior written consent.

Keeping the Community Informed Since 1991!

African American VoiceP.O. Box 25003Colorado Springs, CO 80936

Contact us at 719.528.1954 or info@africanamericanvoice.net

Tanya Ward Jordan

The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings United States House of Representatives 2235 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515

Subject: Enforcement of the Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002 (No FEAR Act)

Dear Representative Cummings:

The Coalition For Change (C4C) is taking a stand to bring about change in the workplace for federal employees including the many thousands of constituents in your district at the United States Social Security Administration (SSA) in Maryland. We again request that you stand with us.

At our initial meeting in May 2013, we were encouraged that you would support and present to the President our concerns about the agencies’ failure to comply with the Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002 (No FEAR Act). As you are aware, the Act was intended to reinvigorate the federal agencies longstanding obligation to provide a work environment free of discrimination and retaliation. Unfortunately, employees who engage in whistleblowing or expose civil rights violations continue to suffer in an abusive retaliatory federal climate. Therefore, during the meeting we had ask you, and you agreed, to share with the President the critical need for mandatory discipline for public officials who break civil rights laws.

Since our meeting with you, we have been in regular contact with your staff providing information they requested and additional documentation to support our position. At our must recent meeting with staff in February 2014, C4C learned that you are no longer interested or willing to support legislation for mandatory discipline. For this reason, we ask: What incentives do agencies have to stop breaking the law, if our lawmakers are not willing to enforce the law? The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) admits it has no enforcement power. Moreover, the U.S. Social Security Administration openly admitted that the agency had not complied with the No FEAR Act. In a letter, dated August 22, 2013, in reply to a Freedom of Information Act request, SSA stated: “SSA did not prepare reports for FY2004 thru FY2010.”

Three (3) class action cases are pending at the SSA headquarters in Woodlawn, Md. Burden v. Barnhart, EEOC Case Nos. 120-99-6378X; 120-99-6379X; 120-99-6380X; Taylor v. Colvin, EEOC Case Nos. 120-2003-0304X, 120-2003-0305;Agency Case Nos. SSA-03-0224, SSA-030208; Jantz, et al. v. Astrue, EEOC NO. 531-2006-00276X Agency No. HQ-06-2518SSA.

The EEOC, which is to enforce civil rights laws, states: “while the EEOC orders agencies to consider discipline, we have no authority to issue discipline.” Todd A Cox, of the EEOC, made the statement in a letter dated May 13, 2011 to C4C member, veteran Isaac Decatur who was a victim of “blacklisting” and race discrimination at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. NOTE: Mr. Decatur successfully proved that VA officials retaliated against him; yet not one of the guilty officials ever faced disciplinary action for breaking Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and No FEAR Act of 2002.

Because no mandatory exists to hold officials accountable, taxpayers continue to bear the cost related to litigation and government inefficiencies. Present and former federal employees routinely contact the C4C to report workplace abuse. In recent months, we have received more claims of abuse within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). We brought concerns about such VA abuses to your staff during our last meeting. Recently C4C members, along with the nation, watched the much publicized exchange between you and Chairman Darrell Issa during the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing held on March 5, 2014. Our members especially took note of how swiftly the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) convened, how decidedly the CBC found Chairman Issa’s behavior to be “abusive” and how speedily the CBC sought resolution after finding that the Chairman had violated various House rules.

As the ranking member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, victims of federal workplace abuses look to you and the CBC to timely address civil rights violations brought to your attention. We also look for you to champion the federal employees cry for help by holding hearings and promoting measures “to hold managers accountable for their conduct and unlawful acts of discrimination / retaliation.” Please note, when we met with you and your staff C4C came to the table with solutions to the problems. It has been over a year since we began communications with you and your staff. Disappointingly, we are no further along now than we were a year ago. For this reason we would like to hear from you to learn what specific measures your office will take to ensure that: 1) agency officials, who are found guilty, are held accountable for breaking the No FEAR Act; and 2) agencies, such as the SSA, are held accountable for not complying with provisions of the No FEAR Act.

In closing, please know we are willing to help the administration move forward with change; however, we need your support. Therefore, we ask that you acknowledge receipt of our correspondence and advise us accordingly. I can be reached either by phone (1-866-737-9783) or by email at c4c@coalition4change.org.

Sincerely,

Tanya Ward Jordan, Founder The Coalition For Change, Inc. (C4C)

U.S. House of RepresentativesMaryland's 7th district

The Coalition For Change, Inc. (C4C) coalition4change.org

www.africanamericanvoice.net 5 April 2014

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In an amended lawsuit filed March 11 against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a former employee who is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a Coalition For Change, Inc. (C4C) member, tells of alleged discrimination, retaliation, destruction of veterans’ patient records and how the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), an agency which is supposed to protect federal employees from reprisal for whistleblowing, failed to take action.

Washington, DC (PRWEB/C4C) - The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Case No. CV 13-6030-ODW), alleges that the U.S. Marine Corps veteran Oliver Mitchell was removed from his job at the Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Greater West Los Angeles Medical Center after his efforts to timely schedule patient exams and to expose the destruction of medical records.

According to the February 25, 2014 article in the Washington Examiner Department of Veterans Affairs purged thousands of orders for diagnostic medical tests en masse to make it appear as if its

decade-long backlog had been eliminated.The suit claims that Mitchell once

worked as a Patient Services Assistant in the VA’s Imaging Service, Radiology Section and that he was allegedly asked to destroy medical requests for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and computed tomography (CT) scans.

The lawsuit alleges that in November 2008 VA officials schemed to hide the medical request records backlog of veterans waiting for care; and in June 2009, Mitchell filed a complaint of reprisal for whistleblowing with the OSC disclosing: the VA backlog, patient wait time, death threats received, improper handling of medical request by Service Chief, improper gender discrimination by immediate supervisor and the providing of MRI and X-Ray exams for non-veteran patients.

The lawsuit further details allegations of reprisal Mitchell reportedly endured after refusing to destroy veterans’ patient records and after filing multiple complaints with the VA and the OSC. In the complaints Mitchell expressly alleges his work station was moved

to a storage closet, he was placed on endless reassignments, denied job training, subjected to forced mental health evaluations, wrongfully placed on absence without leave (AWOL), threatened with gun violence, and threatened with force by the VA Police. (Mitchell v Shinseki, VA EEO Case Number 2 00P-0691-2009102570, VA EEO Case No. 200P-0691-2011-101903, VA Office of Inspector General Case No. 2010-02453-HL-052, and OSC Case No. MA-09-265).

An accounting of what allegedly transpired after Mitchell blew the whistle on VA has also been captured on his

blog entitled: A Whistleblower’s Story. It details how VA officials allegedly conspired to book newer patients first even after recognizing it was not good health care.

Mitchell, a member of the Coalition For Change, Inc. (C4C), disclosed in his recently filed complaint that the OSC failed to investigate his claims of VA abuse. Mitchell provided C4C with an email reply, dated 2013, from the OSC. The email from the OSC revealed the investigative agency would not be taking any action on Mitchell’s allegations.

About The Coalition For Change, Inc. (C4C)

The Coalition For Change, Inc. (C4C) is a Washington, DC based civil rights volunteer organization and support group comprised of present and former federal employees who have been injured or ill-treated due to workplace discrimination and /or reprisal. C4C recently produced a YouTube video to expose how an internal broken workplace system harms the public. The video is entitled --Veterans Affairs Dishonoring America’s Veterans and Civil Servants.

Janel Smith Vice President The Coalition For Change, Inc. (C4C) coalition4change.org

Lawsuit Alleges that Federal Investigative Agency Refused to Probe Claims Involving Destruction of Veterans’ Healthcare Records

Oliver Mitchell

Photo from PRWEB

Standing up for Veterans

March 20, 2014

The Honorable Bernie Sanders 332 Dirksen Building Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Chairman Sanders:

The Coalition For Change, Inc., (C4C) writes to you about the retaliatory culture within the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The department’s failure to act in accordance with The Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002 adversely impacts its’ ability to effectively provide timely health care and benefits to our nation’s veterans. The Act, established in 2002, was intended reinvigorate the federal agency employers’ longstanding obligation to provide a work environment free of retaliation from whistleblowing.

On February 24, 2014, the Washington Examiner released an article entitled: Veterans Affairs purged thousands of medical tests to ‘game’ its backlog stats. The story precipitated from U.S. Marine Corp veteran and whistleblower, Oliver B. Mitchell’s disclosure of how the VA destroyed a ten-year backlog of medical requests for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and computed tomography (CT) scans.

Mr. Mitchell is a C4C member and a former employee with the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Los Angeles California. Since first bringing the matter to the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) in 2009, Mr. Mitchell who is now homeless, reports that he has suffered much reprisal. Unfortunately, the OSC failed in its duty to fully investigate Mr. Mitchell’s claims about VA officials retaliating against him as well as the VA’s destruction of veteran patients’ records.

Attached is a letter dated March 17, 2014 from Mr. Mitchell requesting to testify before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. C4C fully supports Mr. Mitchell’s request. We hope that the Committee will hear Mr. Mitchell’s first-hand account of instructions that he received regarding destroying medical documents and his claims of subsequent acts of reprisal for the his disclosure.

In closing, C4C hopes that you will respond favorably. Veteran Oliver Mitchell’s testimony may provide some invaluable insight to aid in the strengthening of accountability measures within Veterans Affairs.

Sincerely,

Tanya Ward Jordan, President and Founder The Coalition For Change, Inc. (C4C)

www.africanamericanvoice.net6 April 2014

CALENDAR

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BLACK MEDIA

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By Chenelle A. Jones, Ph.D.

Media outlets are constantly bombarding the general public with negative images of African Americans. These images often perpetuate irrational fears, negative stereotypes, false ideologies, and inaccurate perceptions. In fact, when typing “black people” into a google image search bar, many of the results render racists stereotypes including caricatures salivating over fried chicken and mug shots of Black men. These images, commonly known as microaggressions, are birthed from implicit and explicit racist ideologies. The problem however, is that they do not describe the majority of African Americans. Far too often, they overshadow the good that is being done in the African American community.

In addition, many of these negative images are used to convince the nation that the problem in America lies with the African American community when in reality, African Americans are not the problem. They have made great progress over the years. The following list sheds some light on the accomplishments of African Americans, and includes a few positive facts about Blacks in criminal justice.

1. Majority of African Americans are NOT incarcerated. There are approximately 44.5 million African Americans in the U.S., of which, nearly 825,000 are confined in a local jail, state, or federal prison. That is 1% of the entire African American population.

2. There are more African Americans in college than in prison. In 2012, the U.S. Department of Education reports there were nearly 3.7 million African Americans enrolled in college. That

Chenelle A. Jones, Ph.D.

12 Facts About Black People that the Media Will Never Reveal

is more than four times the amount of African Americans confined in a local jail, state, or federal prison.

3. There are more African Americans with advanced degrees. In 2012, the U.S. Department of Education reports nearly 1.6 million African Americans held advanced degrees. That is more than double the number of African Americans incarcerated.

4. There are more African American business owners. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, there were nearly 2 million Black-owned business in 2012, that’s nearly triple the number of African Americans incarcerated.

5. There are more African Americans who served in the military. According to the U.S. Census, there were nearly 2.4 million Black veterans in 2012, that’s triple the number of African Americans in prison.

6. The number of African Americans in state and federal prisons is decreasing. In fact, from 2011 to 2012, there has been a 5% decrease in the amount of African Americans in state and federal prisons.

7. Arrest rates for African Americans are decreasing. Over the last 17 years, total arrests for African Americans have decreased by nearly 25%, violent crime arrests have decreased by 25%, and murder arrests have decreased by 54%.

8. Homicide rates in major cities are decreasing. In 2013, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles all reported lower homicide rates than years past. In fact, both New York and Chicago reported record low homicide rates.

9. Once released from prison, most African Americans are not rearrested within a year. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 77% of all African Americans remain free of a new arrest and 76% of African American men remain free of a new arrest with a year.

10. African American drug abuse violations are decreasing. According to the Uniform Crime Report, drug abuse violations among African Americans have decreased 11% over the last 17 years, compared to a 12% increase among White Americans.

11. More African Americans are filling judicial positions. Although there is still a lot of room for improvement, the American Bar Association reports a 4% increase in the amount of African American judges from 1990 to 2013.

12. More African Americans are filling policing positions. Although there is still a lot of room for improvement, the U.S. Department of Labor reports the percentage of African Americans in policing positions increased from 13.6% in 2008 to 14.2% in 2013. This is important because diverse police departments are essential to developing positive police/community relations.

It is important to recognize the collective accomplishments of African Americans in criminal justice. Far too

often, the public is fed news of record high crime rates, black criminality, and other fallacies that influence the ways in which many African Americans are perceived. Unfortunately, these perceptions are resoundingly negative. It’s time for African Americans to use their collective voice to combat these fallacies, recreate positive images, and speak to the good works of the community.

Chenelle A. Jones, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences Ohio Dominican University jonesc12@ohiodominican.edu

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www.africanamericanvoice.net8 April 2014

COMMENTARY

Phone: (303) 204-0903www.facebook.com/comeunitypeacedrummerz

email: peacedrummerz@yahoo.com

By Charlene Crowell

Today, middle class households feel the same financial stress that low-and- moderate income families have borne for years, says new research by the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED), a national nonprofit organization working to alleviate poverty and create economic opportunity. In its report, Treading Water in the Deep End, CFED analyzes the financial security of American households and public policy responses to the financial crisis.

“As millions of Americans struggle to save for emergencies, investing in their futures is increasingly out of reach”, states the report.

Liquid asset poverty is defined in the report as a household budget that is so tight that any unforeseen expenditure such as a car repair or medical expense cannot be managed without incurring debt. The financial insecurity of America’s liquid asset poor is CFED’s

focus of findings.The report found that the majority

of the nation’s liquid asset poor are employed (89 percent), White (59 percent) and have at least some college education (48 percent). Even among middle-income households - those earning $56,113-$91,356 - 25 percent of these consumers do not have enough savings to cover living expenses for three months.

Further, the majority of consumers in 37 states and the District of Columbia do not have credit scores high enough to eligible for the lowest available lending rates for short-term credit. In Mississippi, over 69 percent of consumers have subprime credit scores – the worst in the nation.

The highest levels of liquid asset poverty are concentrated in nine Southern states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. In Alabama, over 62 percent

– almost two out of three consumers - do not have a personal financial safety net. Nevada is the only state outside of the Deep South with one of the ten worst rankings for liquid asset poverty.

As CFED analyzed state and local policy responses in the wake of the nation’s financial crisis and recession, it created a policy scorecard that measured state responses to 67 policy areas. State and local concerns with growing economic inequality launched programs to raise the minimum wage, encourage long-term college savings plans and courted unbanked consumers to become a part of the financial mainstream.

For lifting 9.4 million people out of poverty in 2011, the report praised the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). In addition to this federal program, 25 states and the District of Columbia enacted their own versions of EITC that ranged from 3.5 percent to as high as 40 percent of the federal credit.

“For the first time, these rankings allow us to draw a line in many states between the strength of policies and outcomes for family economic security”, states the report. The data shows that policies aimed at decreasing poverty and creating more opportunities for low-income families can make a real difference.”

Even with these public initiatives, growing costs of higher education continue to lead to even high levels of student debt. According to the report, the average student debt for college graduates grew from $27,150 in 2011 to $29,400 in 2012.

Additionally, both employer-sponsored retirement plans and homeownership levels respectively dropped a percentage point from 2010 to 2012. Nationwide in 2012, retirement plans slipped to 44 percent.

For consumers of color, CFED’s report reads much like the familiar financial refrain of earlier research:

Two out of three households of color are liquid asset poor, lacking a financial cushion to respond to financial emergencies;

Only 42 percent of consumers of color were homeowners; while White homeownership now stands at 72 percent; The median net worth for consumers of color amounted to $12,377 – only one-tenth of the median net worth of White consumers - $110,637.

The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) advocates that homeownership remains the best investment vehicle to help low-wealth families to build wealth and grow into the middle class. Research by the University of North Carolina Center for Capital found that families who received responsible, low-down payment mortgages are successfully repaying their loans and amassed an average $21,000 in home equity even during the financial crisis.

“Without improved policies at all levels of government that help families earn more, save more, and build more assets, the yawning income and wealth inequality gap in the United States will widen, rather than narrow,” CFED concluded. “Inaction consigns millions to persistent financial insecurity, diminishing their economic future and the future of the nation as a whole.”

Charlene Crowell Communications Manager Center for Responsible Lending charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org 919-313-8523 www.responsiblelending.org

Public Policy Reforms Can Help Close the Nation’s Wealth Gap Report finds policy responses tied to building financial assets

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www.africanamericanvoice.net 9 April 2014

EDUCATION

Photo, New America Media

Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu

(NAM) - We hear so much about the plight of Black children and their low test scores. We have not heard that African American children who are homeschooled are scoring at the 82% in reading and 77% in math. This is 30-40% above their counterparts being taught in school. There is a 30% racial gap in schools, but there is no racial gap in reading if taught in the home and only a 5% gap in math.

What explains the success of African American students being taught by their parents? I believe that it’s love and high expectations. I am reminded of Booker T. Washington High School. They were honored several years ago for producing the greatest turnaround as a Recovery school.

The principal had the opportunity to pick and choose her staff and emphatically stated, “If you want to teach in this school you must love the students”. Researchers love promoting that the racial gap is based on income, marital status, and the educational background of the parents. Seldom, if ever, do they research the impact of love and high expectations.

Since the landmark decision, Brown vs. Topeka in 1954, there has been a 66%

Over 100,000 African American Parents Homeschooling their Childrendecline in African American teachers. Many African American students are in classrooms where they are not loved, liked, or respected. Their culture is not honored and bonding is not considered. They are given low expectations - which helps to explain how students can be promoted from one grade to another without mastery of the content.

There are so many benefits to homeschooling beyond academics. Most schools spend more than 33% of the day disciplining students. And bullying has become a significant issue. One of every 6 Black males is suspended and large numbers are given Ritalin and placed in Special Education. These problems seldom, if ever, exist in the Homeschool environment.

Another major benefit is the summer months. Research shows that there is a 3 year gap between White and Black students. Some students do not read or are involved in any academic endeavor during the summer. Those students lose 36 months or 3 years if you multiply 3 months times 12 years (grades first -12) Homeschool parents do not allow academics to be forsaken for 3 months.

Finally, in the homeschool environment, parents are allowed to teach their children values. Large

numbers of parents are teaching their children faith based morals and principals. And many are teaching their children with the Africentric curriculum SETCLAE. These children are being taught truths like, Columbus did not discover America; Abraham Lincoln did not free the slaves; Hippocrates was not the father of medicine and that African history did not begin on a plantation, but on a pyramid.

Until public schools give more love, higher expectations, better classroom management, greater time on task throughout the entire year, values and the

SETCLAE curriculum, we can expect to continue to see an increase in African American parents homeschooling their children.

Article link: http://newamericamedia.org/2014/03/over-100000-african-

american-parents-are-now-homeschooling-their-children.php

Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu African American Images africanamericanimages.comNew America Media newamericamedia.org

“I chose UCCS because I wanted to stay close to home. For someone coming out of high school who is looking

for strong academic programs, UCCS is a great choice. Students here really want to do more with their lives and I love

that the professors want to see you succeed in whatever you choose to do. UCCS is a special place.”

— Rhian Sanders,Sophomore in Business Administration

Reaching higher to achieve success.

To Reach higher: www.uccs.edu | 800-990-UCCS (8227)

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www.africanamericanvoice.net10 April 2014

COLORADO SPRINGS COMICS: ED BILLINGS

Reprinted with permission from Ed Billings

"I'm correcting a typo...James Tucker is NOT a civil rights advocate!!!"

"Tucker is a hypocrite...he salutes Ida B. wells as a hero in his March issue of his "rag" paper but purposely fails to acknowledge that she was one of the influential founders of the NAACP!"

Rita Lewis, EsqDenver NAACPPresident

www.africanamericanvoice.net 11 April 2014

BLACK PRESS

she shared with the audience the fact that all African Americans were not product of the slave trades. McKnight states, “This is our land. This is where our ancestor’s blood was shed.”

She is now in phase-one of the Black museum located at 1620 West Bijou in Colorado Springs. There will be Genealogy classes taking place September 13 and 20, 2014. The museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Monday and Friday by appointment only.

The second part of the roundtable discussion was to generate involvement among people in the community. Christine Mendias, an Instructor at various Colleges and Universities in Colorado Springs, who also serves on the state board of directors for the Colorado Latino Forum, shared her experience as a Latino born and raised in Colorado Springs. Ms. Mendias reflected on a personal experience of discrimination where she asked an Instructor in High School for guidance and was told, “Don’t worry about it, your kind don’t go on

to College.” She then dropped out of school, and she had seven siblings who dropped out as well. Ms. Mendias teaches sociology, and she informed the audience of the labeling theory which states, you take on the role that you are labeled, or you go against it. Ms. Mendias went against it, and got her Associates, Bachelor’s and Master’s degree, and she will be working on her PhD.

She still sees the same discrimination issues taking place in the school system today. She hears stories from her students, which instructors continue to say the same things to Black and Latino students which are a direct result of the high dropout rates among Ethnic students. Mendias states, “We have to understand why, and continue to take action.” Throughout the year, Mendias and the Colorado Latino Forum will be working on recognizing leaders in Colorado and in the United States. She made reference to the march that will take place March 30 highlighting the legacy of Cesar Chavez. Students never hear about him in the classroom, but the march will bring awareness to his contributions to the struggle for equality.

A local African native and Colorado business owner Jerome Ajavon, Owner of Trends of Africa and Alterations concluded the panel discussion. He informed the audience of his upcoming event, the 3rd-annual Shades of Brown a Celebration of the African Diaspora. Mr. Ajavon has been a Colorado business owner for 12 years. He has seen the south side of town grow, and he was looking for something to bring the community together. There were 500 to 700 hundred people who attended his event the previous year. This year, 2,000 people are expected to gather at the Mission Trace Shopping Center, located near South Academy and Hancock. The event will take place on June 7th, 2014 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mr. Ajavon expressed that it is time for the community to come together and support one another. He states, “If we come together, we can make it happen.”

Black Press Week concluded with the Ethnic Groups sharing like experiences and unifying to bring about change. Together the struggle continues. Collectively they continue to honor their ancestors, fight for justice and equality

The Black Press CreedThe Black Press believes that America can best lead the world away from racial and national antagonism when it affords to all people – regardless of race, color or creed – their human and legal rights. Hating no person and fearing no person, the Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back.

187 Years Later: African American Voice Makes History

Reverend Samuel Cornish and John Russwurm, the editors of Freedom’s Journal proclaimed in the first issue:“Too long have others spoken for us .. . We wish to plead our own cause.”

Blacks and Latinos Continue to Struggle for Equality

Continued from page 1

In Honor of Our Ancestors - Freedom's JournalBy Elliot Partin

Freedom’s Journal was the first African American owned and operated newspaper in the United States. A weekly four column publication printed every Friday, Freedom’s Journal was founded by free born African Americans John Russwurm and Samuel Cornish on March 16, 1827 in New York City. The newspaper contained both foreign and domestic news, editorials, biographies, births and deaths in the local African American community, and advertisements. Editorials deriding slavery, racial discrimination, and other injustices against African Americans were aimed at providing a counter weight to many of the white newspapers of the time period which openly supported slavery and racial bias.

Freedom’s Journal was not born solely out of the perceived need to defend African Americans as much as a desire within the black community to create a forum that would express their views and advocate for their causes. Russwurm and Cornish placed

great value on the need for reading and writing as keys to empowerment for the black population and they hoped a black newspaper would encourage literacy and intellectual development among African Americans. Relatedly the newspaper sought to broaden its readers’ awareness of world events and developments while simultaneously strengthening ties among black communities across the Northern United States. Subscriptions were $3 per year and Freedom’s Journal at its peak circulated in eleven states, the District of Columbia, Haiti, Europe, and Canada.

In September 1827 Russwurm became sole editor of Freedom’s Journal following the resignation of Cornish over differences regarding African American colonization of Africa. Russwurm had begun to promote the colonization movement lead by the American Colonization Society which wanted to free African American slaves and offer them the opportunity of transport back to Africa. The paper’s support of colonization, however, was unpopular with its readers and subscriptions began

to decline. With the loss of circulation in March 1829, Freedom’s Journal was forced to cease publication.

Soon afterwards, John Russwurm decided to immigrate to Liberia, the area established on Africa’s western coast to receive those recruited by the American Colonization Society. Russwurm became governor of Liberia’s Maryland Colony. Samuel Cornish returned to publishing in 1829 and attempted to revive Freedom’s Journal under a new name, The Rights of All. The newspaper folded in less than a year. Despite its two

year lifespan, Freedom’s Journal made an enormous impact on antebellum African American communities. By the beginning of the American Civil War, three decades later, there were over 40 black-owned and operated newspapers throughout the United States.

Article Link: http://www.blackpast.org/aah/freedom-s-journal-1827-1829Article reprinted with permission

from Blackpast.org

Elliot Partin Blackpast.org

Every week we offer the opportunity for one of our members to highlight their business to our Chamber by being our “Business Spotlight“. The Business Snapshot gets your business featured on our website, gives you the opportunity to highlight your business in the Chamber

Office display room, as well as getting you mentioned in our Chamber Chat which is published in the Fountain Valley News. To get on the schedule for the Business Spotlight contact our office manager at 719/382-3190.

Week of March 24, 2014 is African

American Voice Newspaper, Inc.The African American Voice is the

recognized voice for Black Communities United for Progress. We are concerned about connecting with the ancestors and uniting all communities for the common good of humanity; regardless of race, color, religion, creed, situation, or circumstance.” “The African American Voice is the only Black publication that brings together Blacks in Colorado from various parts of Africa, the Caribbean and the Americas to network and

share their rich heritage. As Blacks in America, we share a common culture and play a major role in ongoing community building. As organization leaders, business owners, educators and other important contributors, we share a common belief that working together will benefit our communities and state.

Visit our website at: www.africanamericanvoice.net

and make progress for a better future. Tucker also added information about the Juneteenth Caribbean Heritage Fair that will be held June (see cover story).

“We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community…Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.” –Cesar ChavezContact information for panel speakers:Candice McKnight: aahgscs@aol.com 719.385.7920 Ext. 202Christine Mendias: christine1mendias@gmail.com 719.217.6194Jerome Ajavon: trendsofafrica1@yahoo.com 719.591.0810James Tucker: james.tucker@africanamericanvoice.net 719.528.1954June Martinez - Colorado Latino Forum www.coloradolatinoforum.org (303)-722-5150

"Thanks for all that you do in advancing the cause of those of us in the "Black Communities" - Tanya Ward Jordan

www.africanamericanvoice.net12 April 2014

MALCOLM X

By Abayomi Azikiwe

In March 1964, Malcolm X announced his official departure from the Nation of Islam. He had spent 12 years working on behalf of the organization led by Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm had been suspended and silenced for 90 days after he delivered an address at the Manhattan Center on Dec. 1, 1963, entitled “God’s Judgment of White America.”

This rally, organized by the NOI, was planned well in advance of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22 in Dallas. Muhammad had ordered all his ministers not to speak directly about the assassination since the country was still in a state of shock and mourning.

When Malcolm X was asked about the assassination, he noted that the U.S. government and its leaders had engaged in targeted assassinations of foreign leaders, specifically pointing to the murder of Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba. The U.S. played a prominent role in the destabilization of Lumumba’s government in 1960, as well as his kidnapping, torture and execution in January 1961.

Malcolm said the Kennedy assassination was a “case of the chickens coming home to roost,” a common phrase in the African American community suggesting that deeds committed against others will come back to haunt the perpetrators. At the conclusion of the 90-day suspension, the national headquarters of the NOI in Chicago sent word that the punishment for ostensibly violating discipline would be extended indefinitely.

Malcolm X called a press conference where he announced not only his departure from the NOI but also the establishment of another organization, the Muslim Mosque Inc. This religious group would also involve itself in electoral politics and community organizing.

For several years before his split with Muhammad and the NOI, Malcolm X had sought to build alliances among African Americans, Africans from the continent, and Muslim nations and communities outside the U.S. At his “Message to the Grassroots” speech in Detroit on Nov. 10, 1963, just three weeks prior to his suspension from the NOI, he said that genuine independence struggles were bloody and that the people of Algeria, Kenya, China and other countries only gained their independence and sovereignty because they were willing to engage in armed struggle. (Recording by the Afro-American Broadcasting Corporation in Detroit)

Malcolm X returned to Detroit in April 1964 to deliver his legendary “Ballot or Bullets” speech. “It’s freedom for everybody or freedom for nobody,” Malcolm X declared. He said that if African Americans were willing to fight on behalf of U.S. imperialism against armed revolutionaries in Vietnam and Korea, then there should be no problem with them taking up guns to defend themselves against the Ku Klux Klan and other racists in this country.

Travels to Mecca, African StatesIn May 1964 Malcolm X embarked

upon the hajj, the religious pilgrimage

that Muslims strive to have in their lifetime. Under the NOI, the hajj was not mandatory, and therefore the organization lacked what was perceived as authenticity in Islamic communities in the East.

After making his religious pilgrimage, he added El-Hajj to his existing Muslim name, Malik Shabazz, stressing his acceptance within the orthodox Muslim faith. During this trip Malcolm also traveled to several African states, including Egypt, Nigeria and Ghana.

He returned to the U.S. in June and founded a new political group, the Organization of Afro-American Unity. The group was patterned on the Organization of African Unity, the continental organization of independent states formed the year before in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Malcolm set out for the Second Annual Summit of the OAU in Cairo, Egypt, in July 1964 to make a direct appeal to African leaders for solidarity and support in resolving the plight of African Americans under U.S. national oppression.

In an eight-page memorandum to the African heads of state in Cairo, Malcolm X, writing on behalf of the OAAU, wrote: “Our problem is your problem. No matter how much independence Africans get here on the mother continent, unless you wear your national dress at all times when you visit America, you may be mistaken for one of us and suffer the same psychological and physical mutilation that is an everyday occurrence in our lives.”

He continued, “Our problem is your

problem. It is not a Negro problem, nor an American problem. This is a world problem, a problem for humanity. It is not a problem of civil rights but a problem of human rights.”

Malcolm went even further, saying that the racist apartheid regime of South Africa at that time was less of a threat than the racist U.S. regime. He wrote, “America is worse than South Africa, because not only is America racist, but she is also deceitful and hypocritical. South Africa preaches segregation and practices segregation. She, at least, practices what she preaches. America preaches integration and practices segregation. She preaches one thing while deceitfully practicing another.”

Lessons from Malcolm X’s LegacyOn his second visit to Africa and

the Middle East in 1964, Malcolm X stayed outside the U.S. for four months, stopping over in France and England on his way back to enhance relations between African Americans and the African Diaspora in Western Europe.

After returning to the U.S., his speeches during rallies for the OAAU

were often held at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, N.Y. He shared platforms with members of the Pan-African Students Organization of the Americas and other African leaders such as Tanzanian revolutionary Abdul Rahman Mohamed Babu, a Marxist and Pan-Africanist who advocated socialism as the only solution for the continent.

Malcolm X met with Che Guevara during his visit to the United Nations

in December 1964. Guevara sent a statement of solidarity to an OAAU meeting that was read by Malcolm X.

On the eve of his assassination in February 1965, Malcolm attempted to enter France again but was denied entry. The French government would not provide a specific answer about why he was being denied admission.

Upon returning to the U.S., Malcolm’s home was bombed in the early morning hours of February 14. He subsequently traveled to Detroit and delivered a speech encompassing themes of Pan-Africanism and internationalism.

In one of his final addresses, delivered at the Corn Hill Methodist Church in Rochester, N.Y., on February 16, Malcolm said that, “In no time can you understand the problems between Black and White people here in Rochester or Black and White people in Mississippi or Black and White people in California, unless you understand the basic problem that exists between Black and White people — not confined to the local level, but confined to the international, global level on this earth today.”

Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21 before he was able to address an OAAU audience at the Audubon Ballroom. Although his assassination had been attributed to members of the NOI, many since then believe that the federal government was behind his death in response to his uncompromising militancy and his political evolution toward revolutionary Pan-Africanism and internationalism.

In addition to seeking the assistance of African governments and national liberation movements in the struggle of African Americans, Malcolm X, like William Patterson, Paul Robeson and W.E.B. Du Bois of the Civil Rights Congress in 1951, sought to take the plight of African Americans before the United Nations, seeking sanctions against the U.S. for crimes against humanity. Malcolm X also said that through his travels he keenly observed that the countries making the most progress were moving toward socialism and the liberation of women.

These words hold true today. The African and Middle Eastern communities in Europe have exploded in urban rebellions in the same way they developed inside the U.S. after 1963.

Until the system of international racism and economic exploitation is confronted by oppressed peoples collectively, on a global level, there will not be a solution to the crisis. Youth today must study the works of Malcolm X and apply the lessons of his life and struggles to the monumental challenges facing the workers and oppressed in the 21th century.

Articles copyright 1995-2014 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution

is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.

Abayomi Azikiwe Workers World www.workers.org

Sent to the African American Voice by Phyllis Lucero

Malcolm X and Global Black Struggle

Malcolm X

Photo, Workers World

"America is worse than South Africa, because not only is America racist, but she is also deceitful and

hypocritical. South Africa preaches segregation and practices segregation. She, at least, practices what she preaches. America preaches integration and practices segregation. She preaches one thing while deceitfully

practicing another."

www.africanamericanvoice.net 13 April 2014

ANCESTORS

Born 1919, grandson of a slave Played with Negro League greats

Like Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige Tangled in the forces of fate.

Called to the Dodgers in forty-seven “Major league breakthrough” they said

Receiving no miracles from heaven The Ku Klux Klan wished he was dead.

A rookie tossed to a sea of hate Fastballs thrown at his face

Ordered not to retaliate As headlines circulate

About politics and civil rights Equal opportunity fights

While a lonely dark knight Wears number forty-two.

In America

Threats, insults… intimidation Practical jokes…humiliation

Bigots battle integration Shouting “Nigger” for agitation

To shake the concentration of forty-two

Against odds no one could hide His wife Rachel close by his side Understood the pain, the pride

And the earthquake inside of forty-two

If you walked a mile in his shoes Could you taste rejection and abuse

What price would he pay … win or lose Would there be others like forty-two

Struggling through turbulent times Game by game with the Brooklyn nine

Gradually his role is more defined Most valuable player…one of a kind

Once locked out, but has opened doors For Campanella and many more Like Hank Aaron and Willie Mays

Thrilling the crowds…spectacular plays

His perseverance and dedication Give inspiration to the game

Deserving of a standing ovation Honored in the hall of fame… number forty-two

Tony Weaver

Tony Weaver twdollars@yahoo.com

By Sommer P.

Most people know her solely as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s wife, but there’s a reason why a powerful man married and started a family with the late Coretta Scott King.

Born on April 27, 1927 in Marion, Alabama, Coretta came from a family of strong-willed people. Her father, Obadiah “Obie” Scott, was the first African American in her hometown neighborhood to own a truck. Her sister Edythe was one of the first African American students to attend Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Coretta’s maternal grandfather owned a 280-acre farm because many people mistaken him to be a White man — his mother was of Black Native American ancestry and conceived him with her slaveowner.

Below are five things you may not have known about the late Coretta Scott King:

1. She’s a descendant of the Mende people of Sierra Leone. A DNA analysis found that Coretta descended from the Mende people, which is one of the two largest ethnic groups in Sierra Leone. They live in villages of 70 to 250 people and are very strict about keeping the traditions of their tribe a secret. In fact, the Mende people believe the greatest sin a man can commit is to giveaway the secrets of his tribe.

2. She wasn’t born into slavery, but she picked cotton. Although Coretta’s family owned a farm since the American Civil War, they were not wealthy. Coretta and her three siblings were forced to pick cotton in an effort to help the family sustain during the Great Depression.

3. She was a gifted musician and loved to sing. Coretta transferred from Antioch College to the New England Conservatory of Music on scholarship, studying voice and violin.

4. She criticized the Civil Rights Movement. Coretta clashed with

her husband about her role. She was thoroughly committed to the Civil Rights Movement and wanted to be a public leader, but Martin wanted her to focus on raising their four children. In an interview with New Lady magazine in January 1966, she criticized the sexism of the movement. “Not enough attention has been focused on the roles played by women in the struggle. By and large, men have formed the leadership in the civil rights struggle but…women have been the backbone of the whole civil rights movement,” she said.

5. She chose an open casket funeral for her husband so that their children would know he wasn’t coming back. Coretta made the tough decision to leave her husband’s casket open with the hope that their children would know upon viewing his body that he would not be coming home.

Sommer P. Naturally Moi naturallymoi.com

Black History: Coretta Scott KingNumber 42

www.africanamericanvoice.net14 April 2014

CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATORS

Charlita SheltonUniversity of the Rockies

President & CEO

Happy HaynesDenver Public Schools

President, Board of Education

Rico MunnAurora Public Schools

Superintendent

Civil Rights Act of 1964An act to enforce the constitutional right to vote, to confer jurisdiction upon the district courts of the United States of America to provide injunctive relief against discrimination in public accommodations, to authorize the Attorney General to institute suits to protect constitutional rights in public facilities

and public education, to extend the Commission on Civil Rights, to prevent discrimination in federally assisted programs, to establish a Commission on

Equal Employment Opportunity, and for other purposes.

Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights ActNo person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color, or

national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving

federal financial assistance.

Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights ActProhibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or

national origin.

"Most notably, I would like to communicate that fifty (50) years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which was to put an end of employment discrimination, no mandatory discipline exists within the federal government to hold public officials accountable."

- Tanya Ward Jordan, President, Coalition For Change

Landri TaylorDenver Public Schools

Board Member - District 4

Michael Hancock City of Denver

Mayor

• Black students will continue to suffer and will face the same issues tomorrow as a result of institutional racism and civil and human rights violators ignoring the laws.

• Civil and human rights protection in Colorado is non-existence for Blacks. (students, parents, teachers, workers, etc).

• Black leaders must demand school board members, administrators, and other institutions receiving federal tax dollars obey the law.

• Real Black leaders must hold Black sell-outs accountable and expose them for misrepresenting Black communities.

• Racism and inequality and the need for Black leaders to stop talking and take action by demanding that civil rights laws are enforced.

• Black leaders must lead by example and stop riding on the coat tails of the ancestors. See more civil rights violators on line at www.africanamericanvoice.net.

Martin Luther King, Jr. January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968

50 YEARS LATER - Civil Rights Act of 1964Why is it important for Colorado Black leaders to stand up and stop talking about issues? Why is it important for Colorado Black leaders to stand up and expose racism, discrimination, and civil rights violators. Are handpicked Black leaders supporting Civil Rights violators? Who are the Black leaders and what they stand for? Why are they afraid to say Black in public and address real Black issues?

Did you know? Most civil rights organizations, ministers, pastors, preachers, and "community leaders" don't care about the poor and Black people. Is this "Religious Response to Poverty" discussion another example of mis-education and failure of religious leaders and "community leaders" to properly address civil rights issues?

Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI & VII) is legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.

Why don't ministers and "community

July 2, 1964 - President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the 1964 Civil Rights Act as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and others look on.

leaders" stand up and take action for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?

True or False: Colorado civil rights organizations, ministers, pastors, preachers, elected officials, Colorado Civil Rights Commission and community leaders support civil rights violators.

It is time for action.Where do most churches get food to

donate to the poor?Where do churches get most of their

money to help the poor?Black community: How many pastors,

preachers, ministers, or religious leaders receive money from the El Pomar Foundation? How much money? What do they do with the money? How do they account for it? Are pastors, preachers, ministers, or religious leaders controlled by institutions giving them money?

Past or present, we must fight for civil rights! We must always be a real voice for justice and don't sell out Blacks, Latinos, Native Americans, Asians and the poor.James TuckerBlack Communities United for Progress

50 Years Later: 1964 War on Poverty - Campaign to Alleviate Poverty

Darryl GlennEl Paso County Board of County

CommissionersCommissioner, District 1

Rosemary Harris LytleColorado/Montana/Wyoming

State Conference NAACP President

Henry D. Allen Jr.Colorado Springs NAACP

President

CSM Steven O. GreenGarrison Command Sergeant Major

Fort Carson

CSM David M. ClarkCommand Sergeant Major

Fort Carson

Jim MasonColorado Springs School District 11

Board Member

www.africanamericanvoice.net 15 April 2014

CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATORS

Closing Doors for Future Generations

Patricia YatesThe Independence Center

CEO

Elaine NaleskiColorado Springs School D-11 Board

Vice President

Jill TiefenhalerColorado College

President

Trudy HodgesCASA of the Pikes Pikes Region

Executive Director

Lt. General Michelle D. JohnsonAir Force Academy

Superintendent

Steve Bach City of Colorado Springs

Mayor

Major General Paul J. LaCameraFort Carson

Commanding General

Lloyd Lewis Arc Thrift Stores

CEO

Jerry ForteColorado Springs Utilities

CEO

Scott BlackmunUnited States Olympic Committee

CEO

“I pledge allegianceto the Flag of the United States of America,

and to the republic for which it stands,one Nation under God, indivisible,

with liberty and justice for all.”

Civil Rights Violators QuizWhat is the Civil Rights Act of 1964?

What is Title VI of the Civil Rights Act?

What is Title VII of the Civil Rights Act?

Define malice.

Is a Civil Rights Violator an example of malice?

What is the Bill of Rights?

Define the Thirteenth Amendment.

Define the Fourteenth Amendment.

Write a brief paragraph about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Write a brief paragraph about Dred Scott.

Matt MayberryColorado Springs Pioneers Museum

Museum Director

Margaret SabinPenrose-St. Francis Health

President & CEO

George HayesMemorial Hospital

CEO

Steven ChavezDepartment of Regulatory Agencies

Civil Rights Division Director

Doug PriceColorado Springs Convention

& Visitors BureauPresident & CEO

Joseph GarciaState of Colorado

Lieutenant Governor

LuAnn LongColorado Springs School District 11

President

Tom BoasbergDenver Public Schools

Superintendent

www.africanamericanvoice.net16 April 2014

HISTORY

By Tiara Williams

The Fugitive Slave Acts were two federal laws that permitted the capture and return of runaway slaves to their slave owners. Many of us watched the recently released 12 years a slave, the story of Solomon Northup, who was a free man forced into slavery. Most people do not understand how these laws made it “legal” for this to happen to Northup. He was lucky to get out of that situation alive, but there were many slaves who were not as fortunate – there were thousands of Solomon Northups who never found their way to freedom.

These acts were among the many atrocities that occurred during the Black Holocaust. It also adds fire to the debate about reparations for these traumatic experiences, which occurred just a few decades ago. Because of laws like these, whites were able to make huge profits from slaves, which have been passed down to this day. This is one of the major reasons for the wealth gap between blacks and whites

Here are 8 facts that you may not know about The Fugitive Slave Acts:

8. The passage of act resulted in thousands of free blacks being illegally captured and sold into slavery.

7. Southern slave owners and lawmakers were making fortunes from slavery, and with money came the power to convince Congress to pass laws on their behalf. They argued that the slave debate was driving a wedge between the north and the south—Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793.

6. Abolitionists called the act the “Bloodhound Law” because dogs were used to track runaway slaves.

5. Officers who captured fugitive slaves received bonuses or promotions for their work. This gave them an incentive to capture blacks free or not. This can be compared to the most recent War on Drugs, where police officers are being paid large bonuses to stop, frisk and arrest mostly African American men, who are then an economic engine for private prisons. The financial

incentives are nearly identical.4. Slave owners did not need evidence

that they owned the slaves prior to the capture, they only had to supply an affidavit to a Federal marshal to capture an escaped slave. Slave owners had a huge incentive to lie because slaves allowed them to build millions of dollars in wealth through the benefits of free labor. This wealth has been transferred from one generation to the next, and now many wealthy families around the country can trace their financial holdings to the era of slavery.

3. This did not stop leaders from helping slaves to freedom. Harriet Tubman saw this law as just another complication in her activities. She continued to free slaves, and it is said that she never lost a passenger.

2. Many slaves found refuge in Canada. The neighboring country became a major destination for runaway slaves; the black population of Canada increased from 40,000 to 60,000 between 1850 and 1860.

1. Any abolitionist aiding a runaway slave by providing food or shelter was subject to six months’ imprisonment and a $1,000 fine. This did not stop the courageous people that continued to welcome slaves and usher them to freedom.

Financial Juneteenth lessons from this article:

1) Never believe that slavery is disconnected from the present. It wasn’t that long ago. If you take the age of your parents and multiply it by three (or four), you are probably somewhere near the slave era. This is just a few generations back.

2) Many of the atrocities that occurred during slavery, which did tremendous psychological and economic damage to African Americans, are similar to the same processes used to enslave African Americans today in the prison industrial complex. To make this point more clearly, the 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution says that slavery is allowed to this day if a person has been convicted of a felony.

Similar to the Fugitive Slave Acts, this implies that any African American who has a label placed on their head due to an arbitrary law (such as the crack-to-powder disparity) can then be made into a slave. So, when someone says that prison is modern day slavery, they aren’t exaggerating: The constitution says that it is.Tiara Williams Financial Juneteenth financialjuneteenth.com

Publisher’s Note: Blacks continue to pay taxes and don’t receive the same economic benefits as Whites...Civil Rights Violators reap the benefits of Blacks tax dollars.

How Fugitive Slave Laws Made People Rich, Past and Present

Image from Financial Juneteenth.

By Lesley Williams

I was looking at the many, many children’s books my daughter and nieces and nephews were given this year and I got to thinking: why are so many “classic” books for African American children so depressing?

You know the ones I’m talking about. Sounder. Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry. A Hero Ain’t Nothing But a Sandwich. All well written books, but the impression you get from them is that there’s nothing to African American life and history but slavery, lynchings, and urban despair. Is that what we want our kids to think?

Aren’t there any books that show African American life as, well...fun?

If you want to find some wonderful,

upbeat, and yet true to life stories for your children, a great place to start is www.brownbabyreads.com, a web community, book club and database for African American children’s literature.

I invite you to try my personal list, Non Depressing African American Children’s Books:

www.evanston.bibliocommons.com/list/show/73880648_crankylibrarian/98337154_non-depressing_african_american_childrens_books.

I found a lot of them in Rand and Parker’s collection, and they were all books that my daughter and I actually enjoyedLesley Williams Black Star Project blackstarproject.org

Why are so many “Classic” Books for African American Children so Depressing?

Images from Black Star Project

www.africanamericanvoice.net 17 April 2014

MOUNTAIN REGION BLACK ECONOMIC SUMMIT

(Denver) – This year’s Mountain Region Black Economic Summit (MRBES) will be information packed for professionals working to position themselves for the lifestyle they want.

An award-winning author, an attorney-turned “face reader” and a host of accomplished business leaders are slated to share their key to success with more than 500-750 attendees at the 9th Annual MRBES Success Summit & Expo on May 30, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Marriott DTC in Denver, Colorado. The theme is “Connect2Success.”

Presented by the MRBES, the event has been labeled “the premier multicultural business leadership conference in the West.” It features a full-day economic empowerment summit comprised of workshops and panel discussions designed to promote financial literacy and stimulate action toward building and sustaining wealth in the Black community and communities of color overall. Attendees include business owners, legislators, corporate professionals, organization leaders and youth from all over the region.

This year’s luncheon guest is Wil Haygood, author of “The Butler: A Witness to History” of which the movie,

“Lee Daniels’ The Butler” is based. Greg Moore, editor of the Pulitzer Prize- winning Denver Post, will interview Haygood during the luncheon, the first such format for the Summit.

“Wil Haygood is a great fit as our luncheon speaker,” says MRBES Founder Carla Ladd. “He’s a professional journalist employed by a major newspaper who has been able to turn his passion for writing and history into a multi-faceted successful business. What he will share with fellow journalist Greg Moore promises to be fascinating and revealing.”

The Summit’s learning modules include, “Make Your Money Work For You: Beyond the Basics” and “Creative, Cost Effective Ways to Grow Your Business." Mac Fulfer, an attorney who initially became interested in face reading for the purpose of jury selection, will share how professionals can use face reading to establish deeper communication with every person they meet. The author of Amazing Face Reading has presented more than 1,500 talks on face reading to Fortune 500 companies, the American Bar Association, doctors, psychologists, teachers, the military, social workers, auditors and realtors, to name a few.

During the Summit’s networking events and expo, corporate buyers and procurement specialists will also have the opportunity to tap into the vast entrepreneurial pool of minority businesses in Denver and the Rocky Mountain region.

Other prominent professionals have headlined the MRBES in past years, including Dennis P. Kimbro, author of Think and Grow Rich, Judge Glenda Hatchett, Farrah Gray (the youngest African-American to earn one million dollars and author of Reallionaire: Nine Steps to Becoming Rich from The Inside Out), Ed Gordon, formerly of BET and NPR, and former NASA astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison.

To become a sponsor or to register, email cdladd@mrbes.org or call 720.924.1254. For tickets or vendor opportunities, contact Ladd at 720.924.1254.

2014 Sponsors/Partners: Xcel Energy • Comcast • Denver Office of Economic Development • US Bank • Wells Fargo Bank • Morgan Stanley • RTD • Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Denver

Wil Haygood, Author of “The Butler” to Headline Economic Success Summit One-Day Summit Promotes Financial Literacy to Communities of Color

Wil Haygood

Photo, Ohio Dominican University

Your Business Card Ad Here! Call 719.528.1954$75 per month or 3 months for $150

Buy 2 get 1 month free!

www.africanamericanvoice.net18 April 2014

NATIONAL

NETWORKSupport the businesses that support our community!Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition

655 BroadwaySuite 775Denver, CO 80203jreiskin@ccdconline.orgwww.ccdconline.orgLike us on Facebook:www.facebook.com/CCDC.CO

Direct Line: (720)-961-4261

Direct Private Fax: (303)-567-6582

Organizational Line: (303)-839-1775

Organizational Fax: (303)-839-1782

Julie Reiskin, Executive Director

All your protection under one roof.®

One call is all it takes to get the insurance you need. Auto, home, business, health, life and more, I’m ready to help.**Some products not available in every state.

Cheryl J Branch Agency

315 S Santa Fe Ave

Fountain, CO 80817-1794(719) 382-4900 Bus

Monday - Friday 9:00AM - 5:00PMcbranch@amfam.com

American Family Mutual Insurance Company and its SubsidiariesAmerican Family Insurance CompanyHome Office — Madison, WI 53783

amfam.com

© 2008 002134 — Rev. 11/08

www.africanamericanvoice.net 19 April 2014

JUNETEENTH CARIBBEAN HERITAGE FAIR

Cameroon, and moved to the United States in 1975. Her company is dedicated to facilitating the return of African Americans to the motherland. The movement began in 2010, when many African Americans were interested in tracing their DNA. After tracing their DNA, they were interested in returning to their country, to explore the heritage of their ancestors.

She will discuss the need for African Americans to return to their place of origin, and return to the continent. When referring to the journey back to the motherland, Brown says, “A lot of people gain more confidence. Young people gain confidence in who they are, and that they come from such a rich and diverse culture. I see in the senior citizens and the retirees, they have a sense of completion. They’ve done something their ancestors wanted them

to do.”Saturday, June 21, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

there will be a neighborhood parade, entertainment, food and speeches provided by vendor and supporters. The featured vendors and supporters including: AFAN Band, Bessie Coleman Fly Girls, Artist Dareece Walker, Mama’s Heavenly Salsa and Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club. Sunday, June

22, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. will be a repeat of the events that took place on Saturday. To learn more about Juneteenth Caribbean Heritage Fair 2014 visit www.nationaljuneteenth.us. To inquire into volunteer opportunities, call 719.528.1954 or visit www.africanamericanvoice.net. To support the Civil and Human Rights Dinner call Mr. Fred Bland at

719.634.4298.About Juneteenth Caribbean

Heritage FairThe Juneteenth Caribbean Heritage

Fair is open to the public and citizens are encouraged to participate and learn about the Black cultures in Colorado. Learn more about Juneteenth at www.nationaljuneteenth.com.

Ca r

i b

b e a n A me r i c an

Heritage Month

Colorado

Juneteenth Caribbean Heritage Fair Slated For June 20-22

Contiued from page 1

www.africanamericanvoice.net20 April 2014

JUNETEENTH CARIBBEAN HERITAGE FAIR

Hillside Community CenterFountain Park

925 South Institute StreetColorado Springs, CO 80903

Juneteenth CaribbeanHeritage Fair 2014

www.africanamericanvoice.net | www.nationaljuneteenth.com

Ca r

i b

b e a n A me r i c an

Heritage Month

Colorado

Experience Colorado Black Culture

Mama’s Heavenly SalsaAFAN Band

Featured Vendors and Supporters:

Bessie Coleman Fly Girls

Buffalo SoldiersMotorcycle Club

ArtistDáreece Walker

June 20-22

Comm

unities

Families

ThemeDefi ning our Heritage:

www.africanamericanvoice.net S3 April 2014

BLACK RESOURCES

Just Say NO to NAACP and CEA!True or False? CEA Invests teachers

dollars into the school to prison pipeline.

True or False? NAACP supports Civil and Human Rights violators.

See Civil Rights Violators on pages 15-16

Black Autonomy Network Community Organization (BANCO) (269) 925-0001 www.bhbanco.org

Your Black World – Your Source for All Black News www.yourblackworld.net

National Black Chamber of Commerce (202) 466-6888 www.nationalbcc.org

National Juneteenth Observance Foundation www.nationaljuneteenth.com

African American Voice Newspaper, Inc. (719) 528-1954 www.africanamericanvoice.net

Blackonomics www.blackonomics.com

Black Veterans of America (612) 401-7673 www.blackvetsofamerica.org

The Empowerment Experiment www.eefortomorrow.com

LeFlore Communications, LLC (414) 438-1534 www.leflorecommunications.comToothbrush Hygiene Helper, LLC www.toothbrushhygienehelper.com

The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (202) 238-5910 www.asalh.net

Coalition For Change, Inc. (C4C) (866) 737-9783 www.coalition4change.org

Radio Show WTWG AM 1050 (622) 328-1050 www.wtwgam1050.com

The NorthStar News & Analysis www.thenorthstarnews.com

Department of Veterans Affairs - Office of Inspector General 1 (800) 488-8244 www.va.gov/oig/hotline

WVON 1690AM "Voice of a Nation!" (773) 247-6200 www.wvon.com

Black Agenda Report www.blackagendareport.com

All Voices www.allvoices.com

The Black Star Project (773) 285-9600 www.blackstarproject.org

Roots to Glory Tours (410) 429-0804 www.rootstoglory.com

African Ancestry (202) 723-0900 www.africanancestry.com

Equal Justice Initiative (334) 269-1803 www.eji.org

Black Lawyers for Justice (202) 434-4528 www.blfjustice.org

Colorado Committee on Africa and the Caribbean (303) 329-5881 www.tinyurl.com/coloradocommittee

NAACP Legal Defense Fund (Not affiliated with NAACP) (212) 965-2200 www.naacpldf.org

The Last American Plantation (404) 913-7005 www.thelastamericanplantation.com

Liberation News (202) 234-2828 www.pslweb.org/liberationnews

National Black Justice Coalition (202) 319-1552 www.nbjc.org

Northeast Denver Islamic Center / Masjid Taqwa (720) 941-3819 www.northeastdenverislamiccenter.com

Mile High Momentum Institute (720) 204-2210 www.milehighmomentum.com - www.mmimindset.com

Black Star Project (773) 285-9600 www.blackstarproject.org

Chenelle A. Jones, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice Ohio Dominican University jonesc12@ohiodominican.edu

Pinkney to Pinkney Show (269) 925-0001 www.blogtalkradio.com/rev-pinkney

Colorado Black Arts Movement (720) 216-2383 www.coblackarts.org

www.africanamericanvoice.netS4 April 2014

SHADES OF BROWN

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