VOL. 1 NO.3 FREE PUBLICATION

TH

E

CONSUMER ADVOCATE

An NNRA Publication. Visit www.myiqinc.com

BY H. LEWIS SMITH

Let Bankruptcy Be Your Personal

Bailout:Call 718-222-3155 fora FREE Consultation

Brian Figeroux, Esq.

Figeroux & AssociatesAttorneys at Law

CALL NOW: 718-834-0190Visit our website at www.falaw.us

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Tel: 718-363-7788

continued on page 8

PresidentObama's MissionImpossible

Upon Barack Obama's election to

president of the United States,

euphoria, jubilation and an aura

of disbelief simultaneously enveloped the

Black community. Perhaps, it could even

be said that many saw him as a Messiah

and the primary power-holder to make

life and living better for Blacks.

Seemingly, Black became complacent

and blinded by the historical, unprece-

dented election of America's first-recog-

nized Black President, thinking him the

cure to all the issues ailing the communi-

ty. Needless to say, since that historical

moment, President Obama and the rest of

America now have to deal with reality.

America's powerful, prominent white

ruling elites the true rulers of the country,

who are controllers of world banks and

financiers of national elections — they

who maintain true, constant power

regardless of who is actually president

will not discontinue their greedy,

exploitative and suppressive practices

merely because of President Barack

Obama's presence. Because many don't

realize this truth or just need someone to

blame for America's current condition,

The Math Behind “Class Warfare”— A Middle Class Under Attack

President Obama said recently

that his proposal would bring

taxes for millionaires in line

with those paid by the middle class.

This “is not class warfare; it’s math,”

he stated. But he could have easily

been referring to math that hasn’t

favored working-class and middle-

class households for most of the past

30 years.

To be among the bottom 90 percent

of income earners in the United States

is to be under siege in an economic war

in which the top 10 percent have been

winning all of the territory.

That nine in 10 Americans have

National Urban League HelpingMortgage Scam Victims

...see page 4

Civil Rights Leader Shuttlesworth Dies

...see page 2

First Lady Michelle Obama’s FightAgainst Obesity...see page 14

Why Are So Few Men of ColorGraduating High School?

...see page 6

Broken Black Relationships, WhereIs the Love?...see page 13

BY ISAIAH J. POOLE,

NEW AMERICA MEDIA

continued on page 10

A Letter From Recently Executed Troy Davis...see page 7

IN THE NEWS 2

Civil Rights Leader Shuttlesworth Passes: The

Man Most Feared by the Southern Racist

Howard K. Smith, commentator for

the May 1961, nationally televised

documentary, Who Speaks for

Birmingham, called Rev. Fred L.

Shuttlesworth “The man most feared by

the Southern racist,” and further said of

him: “No history written on the Civil

Rights Movement would be complete

unless it included the name of Rev. Fred

Shuttlesworth. Rev. Shuttlesworth has

given more of himself for the ‘Cause of

Freedom’ than any man living today.”

Shuttlesworth who was bombed, beat-

en and repeatedly arrested in the fight for

civil rights and hailed by the Rev. Martin

Luther King Jr. for his courage and energy,

died on Wednesday, October 5, 2011. He

was 89. In his 1963 book "Why We Can't

Wait," King called Shuttlesworth "one of

the nation's most courageous freedom

fighters...a wiry, energetic and

indomitable man."

Fred Shuttlesworth (born Freddie Lee

Robinson on March 18, 1922) was a civil

rights activist who led the fight against

segregation and other forms of racism as a

minister in Birmingham, Alabama. He

continued to work against racism and for

alleviation of the problems of the homeless

in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he took up a

pastorate in 1961. He returned to

Birmingham after his retirement in 2007.

Shuttlesworth, a former truck driver

who studied religion at night, became pas-

tor of Bethel Baptist Church in

Birmingham in 1953 and soon was an outspoken leader in

the fight for racial equality. "My church was a beehive,"

Shuttlesworth once said. "I made the movement. I made

the challenge. Birmingham was the citadel of segregation,

and the people wanted to march."

He survived a 1956 bombing, an assault during a 1957

demonstration, chest injuries when Birmingham authori-

ties turned fire hoses on demonstrators in 1963, and count-

less arrests. "I went to jail 30 or 40 times, not for fighting

or stealing or drugs," Shuttlesworth told grade school stu-

dents in 1997. "I went to jail for a good thing, trying to

make a difference."

Shuttlesworth was apparently personally fearless, even

though he was aware of the risks he ran. Other committed

activists were scared off or mystified by his willingness to

accept the risk of death. Shuttlesworth himself vowed to

"kill segregation or be killed by it".

Even after moving to Cincinnati, where he was a pas-

tor for 47 years, Shuttlesworth visited Alabama frequent-

ly and remained active in the movement in Alabama. He

moved back to Birmingham in February 2008 for rehabil-

itation after a mild stroke. That summer, the once-segre-

gated city honored him with a four-day tribute and named

its airport after him; his statue stands outside the

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

And in November 2008, Shuttlesworth watched from a

hospital bed as Sen. Barack Obama was elected the

nation's first African-American president. The year

before, Obama had pushed Shuttlesworth's wheelchair

across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma during a com-

memoration of the Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights

march.

He was 84 when he retired as the pastor of Greater

New Light in 2006. "The best thing we can do is be a ser-

vant of God," he said in his final sermon. "It does good to

stand up and serve others."lFor more information about the life and work of Reverend L.

Shuttlesworth visit www. fredshuttlesworthfoundation.org

ABOUT US 3

THE CONSUMERADVOCATE TEAM

Publisher

I.Q. INC.

Editor-in-Chief

Pearl Phillip

Contributors

H. Lewis Smith

Isaiah J. PooleMarc H. Morial

Jorge Rivas

Starla Muhammad

John Benjamin

Marilyn Silverman

Praim Samsoondar

Legal Advisor

Brian Figeroux, Esq.

Graphic & Website Designers

Praim Samsoondar

Samantha Rosero

Lana Delgadillo

Marketing Executives

Marilyn Silverman

Trudy Peynado

Marie Wright

Chantal Figeroux

Corporate Office

26 Court Street, Suite 701

Brooklyn, NY 11242

Tel: 718-771-0988

Fax: 718-222-3153

Email: cariaweekly@aol.com

Website: www.myiqinc.com

The Consumer Advocate is a publica-

tion of the New American Chamber

of Commerce (NACC), a 501 (c)(6)

organization established to promote,

advance and facilitate the success of

New American businesses. While

every effort has been made to ensure

the accuracy of this publication, it is

not intended to provide legal advice

as individual situations will differ and

should be discussed with an expert

and/or lawyer.

Get your phone ringing off the hook!

Promote your business, product or service with us.

Call now at718-771-0988 or visit

www.myiqinc.com

FORECLOSURES & BANKRUPTCY 4

National Urban League HelpingMortgage Scam Victims

Doris Tinson is just one of a grow-

ing number of American home-

owners, desperate to save their

homes from foreclosure, who are being

duped by mortgage loan scam artists.

Doris was falling behind on her refi-

nanced high mortgage payments and was

looking for help. On the way home from

church she saw a sign in the median

promising loan modification for a fee.

But after forking over $2,000 of her hard-

earned money, after months of waiting for

action, and finally receiving a notice that

her house was being sold, it became clear

that Doris was the victim of a scam.

"The thought of my home being taken

away is consuming, I can't get to sleep at

night, and it’s the first thing I think of

when I wake up." said Tinson of Los

Angeles.

As the mortgage crisis sweeps the

nation, it is unfortunately being accompa-

nied by a rise in mortgage fraud. But you

don’t have to be a victim. The National

Urban League’s network of U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban

Development (HUD) approved housing

counselors has been offering FREE mort-

gage counseling services for years. Last

year, Urban League affiliates provided

housing counseling to over 42,000

clients, including more than 15,000

clients who benefited from default miti-

gation and foreclosure prevention coun-

seling.

The Urban League is also part of a

coalition with the federal government,

and some 235 community-based partners

in the “Loan Scam Alert Campaign,” a

nation-wide effort that is empowering

homeowners to protect themselves

against loan modification scams, find

trusted help, and report illegal activity to

authorities.

Scam artists may pose as lawyers or

real estate agents, promising loan modifi-

cations and charging large fees – then dis-

appearing without helping anyone but

themselves. If you are a homeowner fac-

ing foreclosure, you may unknowingly

become a victim of such a fraud, costing

your home, thousands of dollars and a

damaged credit score.

The first thing you should know is

that you should never have to pay for

counseling. If anyone requests money up

front or guarantees they can keep you in

your home, these are warning signs of a

scam and they should be reported. There

BY MARC H. MORIAL, PRESIDENT & CEO

NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE

are no promises that anyone can give you.

But trained counselors from HUD-

approved counseling agencies will work

with you and your lender to get the best

results at no cost. HUD lists these six

warning signs of a foreclosure scam:

n Beware of anyone who asks you topay a fee up front in exchange for a coun-

seling service or modification of a delin-

quent loan. Assistance from a HUD

approved housing counselor is FREE.

n Beware of anyone who guaranteesthey can stop a foreclosure or get your

loan modified. Nobody can make this

guarantee.

n Beware of people who pressure you tosign papers immediately, or who claim

they can “save” your home if you sign or

transfer over the property deed.

n Beware of a company that claims toprovide “government-approved” or

“official government” loan modifica-

tions. They may be scam artists posing as

legitimate organizations.

n Beware of a company or person youdon’t know who asks you to release per-

sonal financial information online or over

the phone.

n Beware of anyone who advises you tostop paying your mortgage company and

pay them instead. Never make a mortgage

payment to anyone other than your mort-

gage company/lender. l

To learn more or to report a scam visit

http://www.iamempowered.com/loan-

scams

RECESSION & JOBS 6

Why Are So Few Young Men of ColorGraduating High School?

There’s a new way to look at data

released earlier this summer on the

challenges young men of color

face in school. Earlier this summer, the

College Board released a new report that

offers more detailed insight into what

holds many of these young men back in

school. The association, which is made up

of more than 5,900 educational organiza-

tions that sell standardized tests like the

SAT, studied four different groups:

African Americans, Asian Americans and

Pacific Islanders, Hispanics/Latinos and

Native Americans. The research spans the

course of their journeys and detours from

kindergarden to college.

Sadly, the results weren’t surprising.

It found that nearly half of young men of

color age 15 to 24 who graduate from

high school in the U.S. will end up unem-

ployed, incarcerated or dead. Of the five

groups studied, Native American males

with high school diplomas were the least

likely to be enrolled in secondary educa-

tion programs.

“At a time when our nation is commit-

ted to reclaiming its place as the world

leader in higher education, we can no

longer afford to ignore the plight of our

young men of color,” said Gaston

Caperton, College Board

President, shortly after the

report was released in

June. “As long as educa-

tional opportunities are

limited for some, we all

suffer.”

The good news it that

the report offers detailed

data on how to help curb

the problem. It’s got a

host on initiatives that are

already in the works.

“At a time when our

nation is committed to

reclaiming its place as the

world leader in higher

education, we can no

longer afford to ignore the

plight of our young men of

color,” said College Board

President Gaston Caperton

in a written statement. “As

long as educational

opportunities are limited for some, we all

suffer. We rise as one nation and we fall

as one nation. But if we keep working

hard — if we keep listening to each other

and to our students — we can soften our

landings and reach historic new heights.”

According to The College Board,

their report provides the most compre-

hensive data, research findings and rec-

ommendations to date to improve the

educational experiences and pathways of

young men of color.

Recommendations outlined in the

study include both public policy changes

for policy makers and institutional

changes for colleges and universities that

include summer bridge programs, hot-

BY JORGE RIVAS, COLORLINES

lines that help students get all questions

answered and transportation services to

schools. l

You can download the entire report,

watch video interviews from young male

students of color and examine research

findings yourself by visiting young-

menofcolor.collegeboard.org.

NACC Empowerment Seminar Series

THOUGHTS 7

A Letter From TroyDavisBelow is a letter from Troy Davis who

was executed on the night of September

21, 2011, in the state of Georgia, in one

of the most controversial death penalty

cases of the century.

Iwant to thank all of you for your efforts

and dedication to Human Rights and

Human Kindness. In the past year I

have experienced such emotion, joy, sad-

ness and never-ending faith. It is because

of all of you that I am alive today. As I

look at my sister Martina I am marveled by

the love she has for me and of course I

worry about her and her health, but as she

tells me, she is the eldest and she will not

back down from this fight to save my life

and prove to the world that I am innocent

of this terrible crime.

As I look at my mail from across the

globe, from places I have never ever

dreamed I would know about and people

speaking languages and expressing cul-

tures and religions I could only hope to one

day see first-hand. I am humbled by the

emotion that fills my heart with over-

whelming, overflowing joy. I can’t even

explain the insurgence of emotion I feel

when I try to express the strength I draw

from you all; it compounds my faith and it

shows me yet again that this is not a case

about the death penalty; this is not a case

about Troy Davis; this is a case about jus-

tice and the human spirit to see justice pre-

vail.

I cannot answer all of your letters but I

do read them all; I cannot see you all but I

can imagine your faces; I cannot hear you

speak but your letters take me to the far

reaches of the world; I cannot touch you

physically but I feel your warmth everyday

I exist.

So thank you and remember, I am in a

place where execution can only destroy

your physical form but because of my faith

in God, my family and all of you, I have

been spiritually free for some time and no

matter what happens in the days and weeks

to come, this movement to end the death

penalty, to seek true justice, to expose a

system that fails to protect the innocent

must be accelerated. There are so many

more Troy Davis. This fight to end the

death penalty is not won or lost through

me, but through our strength to move for-

ward and to save every innocent person in

captivity around the globe. We need to dis-

mantle this Unjust system city by city, state

by state and country by country.

I can’t wait to stand with you, no mat-

ter if that is in physical or spiritual form. I

will one day be announcing,

"I AM TROY DAVIS, and I AM FREE!"

Never Stop Fighting for Justice and We

Will Win! l

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION 8

many Americans, regardless of ethnicity,

now see Obama as an ineffective leader.

His popularity, according to the polls,

has suffered as a result. Can he rebound

from the unfavorable opinions? Yes, he

can. Will he rebound? Possibly! Although

he has some overwhelming odds to over-

come, it is premature to label the presi-

dent as an ineffective leader. Obama finds

himself in a situation unlike that of any

preceding president. George Bush left the

incoming president a gargantuan mess to

clean up, and as a result, no matter the

efforts Obama puts forth, he is damned.

For Obama to turn around the current

state of America in his first four years

serving in office is asking a great deal of

anyone in his position and, honestly, it

would be a miracle if he could somehow

make all necessary fixes AND see the

upward effects of the changes within his

first term. Was his becoming president

equivalent to taking on a mission impos-

sible?

Obama still has a steady race-mix of

black and white supporters. Yet, because

people are unable to tangibly see his

efforts result in positive, huge wins or

improvements in society — as it takes

power and momentum to turn around a

huge ship in high-tide waters, it seems as

though the ship is slowly sinking.

Whimsical voter apathy comes with the

territory of being president. However,

when Obama was elected as president,

Black America was sending praises up as

far as the eye could see and the sense of

hope or cultural confidence seemed to fill

every breath of air.

Now that progress isn't occurring as

the original plan or as quickly as most

would like to see, Black America has

become most disenchanted with the pres-

ident. Before being "completely done"

with the president, though, Black

America should examine the validity of

their dissatisfaction with the president.

To piggy-back on a phrase from JFK,

ask not what President Obama can do for

the Black community, but what can the

Black community can do for itself? The

answer: PLENTY, if only it would. The

community spends almost one trillion

dollars a year of which only roughly 5%

of the monies remain in the community.

Black America seems to refuse to take

control of its own destiny, but yet points

an accusing finger at President Obama for

not making all right within the Black

community. It would help immensely if

Black America ever learns to hold itself

accountable for its own actions, and look

to no one but ITSELF to promote and

control its own destiny.

Mumblings that Obama is doing more

for every other group or movement than

for Black America have been made. To be

candid, Black America no longer has any

clout with that same sob song — even the

Gay and Lesbian community have more

clout today than Black America does

because they are willing to be active for

their rights and community. They take

advantage of their right to freedom of

speech to have their voices heard and

laws passed in their name. The gay and

lesbian community respects themselves,

demands respect from others — and gets

it, and wields enormous political clout.

Rather than waiting to be handed

something, Black America must realize

that nobody owes them anything. The

only responsibility the president has is to

ensure that opportunity is available and

that there is a truly level playing field for

all. It's up to each person then to take

advantage of the opportunities presented

and work just as hard as the next person

to have their vision realized and obtain

their piece of the American dream.

On another note, how can Obama or

any other president take Black America

seriously when Black America fails to

take itself seriously? It seems as though

Black America has evolved into a three-

ring circus, displaying no self-respect or

dignity whatsoever — for there is

absolutely nothing respectful or dignified

about being self-anointed n**gahs.

Black America's self-respect, dignity,

honor and pride has been replaced with

denigrating their women, and disrespect-

ing, demeaning and degrading their race

with use of the vile, sinister and damnable

term n**gah. The promotion and accept-

ance of violence, drugs or any self-

destructive mannerisms are tolerant from

within. Black rappers and hip-hop busi-

nessmen have the audacity to join the

Jews in protecting their image against

anti-Semitic assaults; yet, they still help

to assault their own image with the use of

the N-word.

People with such a tolerant or con-

President Obama's Mission Impossible continued from page 1

continued on next page

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION 9

flicted mindset are in effect saying that

Blacks are not to be held to civilized stan-

dards of conduct and principled expecta-

tions that might be enforced by others.

The anesthetized, barely conscious peo-

ple — along with our intelligentsia, will

argue that there are greater things to

worry about than use of the N-word.

However, it is safe to disagree. What

is a greater concern than the self-inflicted

demolition of a people's image on the

world stage? As well, if it's not such a big

deal to stop using the term, why not tack-

le this small issue and just stop using the

term? PERIOD!

On August 22, Maxine Waters chided

an Obama official for being timid in his

reluctant use of the word "black" when

she challenged him with, "Let me hear

you say black." A similar challenge needs

to be made to Black America: "Let me

hear you STOP using the vile and vulgar

n-word, n**gah."

The continued demise of Black

America today is nothing less than a

betrayal of Black ancestors' struggles

paid with blood, sweat and tears.

Previous generations gave their lives to

make possible the so-long denied free-

doms and opportunities that are being

routinely squandered present day. Blacks

absolutely refuse to hold one another

accountable for anything. It seems as if

the common consensus is, "so what if we

trash, demean and degrade ourselves?"

Then naively wonder and vocally ques-

tion why the community gets no respect.

It is abundantly clear that some parts

of the country have been disproportion-

ately impacted by the unemployment cri-

sis — that part being Black America. This

dismal statistic would be the case no mat-

ter who resides as president simply

because the community continues to be

apathetic, helpless, and to hold victim

mentalities.

In order for the Black community to

truly experience change, a precedent or

standard is first going to have to be estab-

lished from within to overcome adversity.

Expecting change to occur in any other

fashion will result in Black Americans

still playing the victim or race card 100

years from now.

The Black community as a whole

must discard the 18th-century slave men-

tality, become self-sufficient, and regain

control of its own destiny. It can be done,

it's been proven: Blacks achieved this feat

during the early 1920's (Tulsa City,

Oklahoma) and in the 60's. And it can be

done again. To affect change, Blacks

must initiate and be the change that they

seek. When Blacks think and act in a pos-

itive fashion — AS A GROUP — positive

things happen exponentially.

H. Lewis Smith is the founder and

president of UVCC, (the United Voices

for a Common Cause, Inc.) (www.the-

unitedvoices.com); a writer for the New

England Informer Online, Staff Writer for

ThyBlackMan.com, and author of "Bury

that Sucka: A Scandalous Love Affair

with the N-Word." Follow him on Twitter

at www.twitter.com/thescoop1 l

continued from previous page

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FINANCE & TAXES 10

The Math Behind “Class Warfare”— AMiddle Class Under Attackbeen struggling for decades is a direct

consequence of policies that have stacked

the deck in favor of corporations and the

wealthy. Those policies range from the

tax breaks highlighted in Obama’s

address, to the decline in wages and ben-

efits received by rank-and-file workers,

as unions have lost power.

The Racial Wealth Gap?

One way to get a sense of the conse-

quences is to go to an Economic Policy

Institute website, stateofworkingameri-

ca.org. There, an interactive chart

answers the question, “When income

grows, who gains?”

This handy chart shows that between

1994 and 2000, the richest 10 percent of

Americans gained 71 percent of income

growth. What remained was spread

among the lower 90 percent.

Look at what happened from 2002 to

2007, the period featuring the tax cuts of

George W. Bush: The bottom 90 percent

received only 13 percent of the income

growth, while those at the top banked 87

percent.

As a whole, African Americans and

Latinos have fared the worst.

Recent data from the 2010 U.S.

Census show that in the past decade the

median income of African American

households dropped 14.6 percent, while

Latino household income fell 10 percent.

The result underscores a record racial

wealth gap, the Pew Research Center

reported in July. Pew found the median

wealth of white households ($113,149) is

now 20 times that of black households

($5,677), and 18 times that of Hispanic

households ($6,325).

The disappearing middle class, the

increasing concentration of wealth at the

top and the widening wealth gap between

white people and people of color coin-

cides with a series of policies champi-

oned by the very lawmakers who are

invoking the “class warfare” charge

today.

One particularly pernicious inequity

involves capital gains, money made by

selling stock and other assets. That

income is taxed at a much lower rate than

earned income. It is how billionaire

Warren Buffet, who earns all of his

money through capital gains, pays taxes

at a lower rate, usually 15 percent, than

his secretary, whose paycheck — likely

taxed at 25 percent — -is most, if not all,

of his or her income.

To his credit, Buffett has called for a

higher tax rate on such income. President

Obama’s “Buffett rule” would require

millionaires to pay taxes at a similar rate

as the people who work for them—a sim-

ple principle that has promoted the loud-

est cries of “class warfare.”

What’s driving this “class warfare”

language is the continuing defense by

conservative ideologues of a worldview

that idolizes society’s “haves” and belit-

tles, if not outright scorns, society’s

“have-nots.” That view is at the core of

the writings of the late Atlas Shrugged

author Ayn Rand, a chief inspiration for

such conservatives as Rep. Paul Ryan,

(R-Wisc.,) who led the fight this year to

replace Medicare with a voucher for pri-

vate insurance and who is a chief defend-

er of maintaining the status quo for the

wealthy.

“Job Creators” Did Little

Out of that ideological context comes

the constant exaltation of corporations

and the rich as “job creators,” even

though these members of the moneyed

class did precious little hiring — at least

not in the United States — with the tax

cuts they received from the Bush admin-

istration in 2001 and 2003.

Between 2003 and 2007— following

the economic “dot-bomb” slump — job

growth was at the slowest pace of any

previous economic recovery this century.

Those meager employment gains were

more than wiped out by the 2008 eco-

nomic implosion caused by Wall Street.

The combination of policies that

President Obama has sent to Congress in

the past two weeks at the very least draws

the correct contrast between policies

designed to rebuild the middle class and

have working people share in the fruits of

economic growth and policies that would

continue to push wealth upward.

If anything, the United States needs

bolder, more far-reaching policies that

would move the nation toward more equi-

table, sustainable growth.

It’s no surprise that people who can

look down on economically struggling

households and command “shared sacri-

fice” from the comfort of their mansions

are pushing back against the bottom 90

percent.

The message from those standing up

for their interests says, “If you share the

sacrifice, you also have to share the pros-

perity.”

Progressive activists are now working

on the strategy to overwrite the “class

warfare” mantra of conservative law-

makers with the principle of shared bene-

fit.

That will be a dominant theme of the

“Take Back the American Dream” con-

ference in Washington in October, led by

the Campaign for America’s Future and

Van Jones’ Rebuild the Dream move-

ment. As President Obama said, it is

math; specifically, making the economic

math work for working people again. l

Isaiah J. Poole is the editor of

OurFuture.org, the website of the

Campaign for America’s Future.

continued from page 1

NAME OF PAGE HERE # BUSINESS MATTERS 11

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BY PRAIM SAMSOONDAR

COMMUNITY FOCUS 12

Becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen

is not easy, but it is possible if you

do your homework and carefully

follow the rules. In the past 10 years, more

than 500,000 people became naturalized

citizens of the United States, obtaining

numerous rights, benefits and privileges,

including the opportunity to vote in U.S.

local, state and federal elections.

If you are here legally and would like

to become a U.S. citizen, it's important to

know that the process can take years. If

you are living in the United States illegally

(often referred to as being an "illegal

alien"), the path to citizenship is much,

much more difficult.

In both cases, seeking legal help from

an experienced attorney who specializes in

immigration law is critical because of

numerous changes being proposed to

immigration laws in statehouses across the

country.

Here are some tips on how to

become a naturalized U.S. citizen:

Paths to citizenship. A person can

become a U.S. citizen at birth or after

birth, by applying for "acquired" citizen-

ship through parents or naturalization.

According to U.S. Citizenship and Immi-

gration Services, naturalization is the

Important Tips for Becoming a U.S. Citizen

process by which a foreign citizen is

granted U.S. citizenship after fulfilling

certain requirements set forth in the Immi-

gration and Nationality Act.

Meet basic requirements. According

to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Serv-

ices, the basic requirements for becoming

a U.S. citizen through naturalization

include being at least 18 years old; being

a permanent resident for five years (or less

in some situations); being a person of

good moral character (i.e., no legal trou-

ble); having a basic knowledge of U.S.

history and government; and being able to

read, write and speak basic English (with

several exceptions to this last rule).

Here legally; want to stay. If you are

from another country and are living in the

U.S. legally, first and foremost, you must

obtain and maintain your green card (also

known as a permanent resident card),

which allows you to live permanently in

the United States, to work in the United

States and travel abroad for a certain

period of time. As a green card holder, the

opportunity to apply for U.S. citizenship

will be granted after you have established

a permanent residence for at least five

years (three years if you're married to a

U.S. citizen).

What happens to your old citizen-

ship? You do not lose your citizenship in

your native country when you become a

U.S. citizen. A person who becomes a U.S.

citizen through naturalization may keep

his or her original citizenship. It is impor-

tant to consider the decision to apply for

U.S. citizenship carefully. While dual citi-

zenship does have some advantages, it can

also raise difficult issues since you will

have legal rights and obligations in two

countries.

If you're here illegally. If you entered

the United States without proper documen-

tation, or did not enter through a valid U.S.

Customs checkpoint, you are living in the

United States illegally, making it next to

impossible to be eligible for citizenship.

The key is to return to your country of cit-

izenship and start the process to becoming

a U.S. citizen there. If you have been ille-

gally in the U.S. for more than 180 days,

and you leave to pursue legal status and try

to re-enter, you may be barred from return-

ing for three years. If you have been in the

U.S. illegally for over one year and then

leave, you may not be able to return for 10

years. There are a few very narrow excep-

tions to the general rule that you must

return to your home country and start the

process there, and this is where you should

get the help of an experienced immigration

attorney.

Get legal help. If you're an immigrant

in the United States, and are in search of

legal help, contact an organization such as

The Immigrant's Journal Legal & Educa-

tional Fund, Inc, a non-profit organization

that can assist immigrants with the follow-

ing legal issues: deportation/removal

defense, family-based petitions, natural-

ization applications, change of status,

VAWA (Violence against Women Act)

self-petitions, appeals, employment/work-

place issues and youth representation.

Avoid scams. Each year, the U.S.

Department of State conducts a lottery to

make diversity visas (DVs) available to

50,000 immigrants who have legally

entered the United States. Through the

Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery pro-

gram, immigrants from under-represented

countries have the opportunity to obtain a

green card and establish permanent resi-

dence. Unfortunately, online scammers

often target people who apply for this pro-

gram through fraudulent websites and

emails, so beware. l (ARA)

FAMILY MATTERS 13

Broken Black Relationships, Where is the Love?

Is there a systematic assault on Black

marriage? Seemingly every week a

new poll, study or blog reports disheart-

ening statistics and commentary on the

abhorrent conditions of Black men and

Black women in the United States, adding

fuel to the often fiery discussion of male-

female relationships and its effect on the

disappearing intact traditional Black family.

Poverty, unemployment, health dispari-

ties, incarceration and financial hardships

cut across racial lines, especially among the

nation's poor and working class. All are

contributing factors to decreasing marriage

rates, say analysts.

Marriage across-the-board has declined

among Blacks, Latinos and Whites since

1960. Marriage among 30-to 44-year-old

Whites has dipped from 87 percent in 1960,

to 65 percent in 2007, according to a recent

brief released by the Economic Policy

Institute (EPI). During the same time there

was also a decrease among U.S.-born

Latinos from 84 percent to 54 percent with

the biggest drop among Blacks from 71

percent to 37 percent, a 34-percent

decrease.

Data suggests that Black men and

women would like to get married. In 2008,

72.5 percent of Black people reported they

will likely get married according to the

National Survey of American Life, says

EPI. In 2010, 65 percent of Blacks said a

child needs a home with both a mother and

father.

Marriage prospects among Blacks suf-

fer because of a shortage of Black males,

with 21 percent fewer Black males than

Black females ages 30-44 years old not in

prison or other institutions, reports EPI.

The disproportionate number of unmar-

ried Black women is being used as justifi-

cation by some in advocating the push for

professional Black women to marry non-

Black men.

If Black women “limit themselves to

Black men,” most will either remain

unmarried or wed to a less-educated man

who earns less than they do, argues

Professor Ralph Richard Banks, author of

the recently released book, “Is Marriage

for White People? How the African

American Marriage Decline Affects

Everyone.”

The matrimonial dip is not unique to

any racial group but because Black men are

imprisoned and jailed at higher rates, and

suffer higher rates of unemployment, cou-

pled with a declining share of good jobs,

this results in the “collateral consequence”

of marriage decline, reports EPI.

Growing up in Cleveland in a predomi-

nately Black neighborhood with plenty of

two-parent households, Prof. Banks saw the

drastic decline in Black marriages first-

hand. He is married to a Black woman he

has known since elementary school and has

three sisters but says while Black women

have achieved tremendous success, they are

more likely than others to be unmarried.

Nearly 7 in 10 Black women are unmarried

and college-educated Black women are

twice as likely as their White counterparts

to be unwed, he says.

“Even as Black women are doing really

well in other ways, they have good jobs,

they have education; you know they are

thriving in many ways but then in this one

way life hasn't quite come together as

they've imagined it would,” the Stanford

law professor told The Final Call.

College-educated Black women will

often have more in common with their

Asian, Latino or White classmates than

with the Black guy they grew up with who

did not go to college, argues Prof. Banks.

This factor, along with the poor economic

and educational realities of many Black

men, is why Black women should date out-

side of their race, says the author of the

controversial new book.

“I'm African American; I have three

boys who will be young Black men in not

too many years. So of course I want a world

where they can thrive. It's a tragedy that we

have as many Black men in jail as we do.

That there are so many that are jobless,

they're underperforming educationally.

That's a failure that's everybody's fault,”

says Banks.

Banks argues Black women do not

marry because they have too few choices,

and Black men because they have too

many. Further, he insists, somehow the

commitment Black women have to Black

men “weakens” the Black family.

Professor Banks says that federal and

state programs are needed to address the

many problems plaguing Black men but

that his book “is about what to do in the

meantime.”

The effect of declining marriage is

based in the root cause of the legacy and

system of White supremacy which has

strategically undermined the family in the

Black community and skewed the God-cen-

tered reality that serves as the foundation of

BY STARLA MUHAMMAD, FINAL CALLa strong marriage and to suggest that Black

women “look elsewhere” is insulting,

argues Black marriage advocates.

“There absolutely is an ongoing assault

on Black marriage because there is an

assault on the Black family because the

Black family is the base of wealth and

reproduction. The Black family provides

stability, self-love and self-acceptance,”

says Ava Muhammad, a student minister

and attorney for the Nation of Islam and a

national spokesperson for Minister

Farrakhan.

“In order to destabilize the family you

want to start at its root, which is mar-

riage,” Muhammad told The Final Call.

The concept of family runs in opposition to

a society dominated by White supremacy

and an economic ideal based on “free”

labor when chattel slavery was outlawed,

adds the popular author and lecturer.

“Law enforcement policies that con-

tribute to higher Black incarceration rates

deflate the size of the Black workforce and

the pool of marriage-eligible Black men,”

notes the “Reducing Poverty and

Increasing Marriage Rates among Latinos

and African Americans” EPI policy brief.

“If 2010 unemployment and incarceration

rates for Blacks and Whites were the same,

almost two million additional Blacks would

have been in the American workforce.”

Current policies in America's criminal

justice system have ensured that significant

numbers of the potential Black workforce is

in prison and upon release, it is more diffi-

cult to find work, adds EPI. The ability for

a man to be in a position to support a fami-

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ly before he gets married is an important

factor across all racial lines, says the report.

“You have two things going on simulta-

neously. You have the Black man being

bombarded with media images and con-

cepts which continually inflict on his brain

this idea that his own woman is undesir-

able. On the side of the woman, you have

her now being bombarded with this idea

that the man is incapable,” says

Muhammad.

Why would you look outside of your

own kind because of employment and level

of education? she asks. “That makes no

sense at all because level of education and

jobs, they are an effec; they're not a cause

of anything,” says Muhammad.

Muhammad says that the many success-

ful Black marriages that exist must be pro-

moted and there must be an end to pretend-

ing there are no successful ones.

“Let's talk about the millions who have

worked and struggled to keep their mar-

riages together at a time when 50 percent of

all marriages across-the-board are doomed

for failure,” she says.

“More importantly, this is why we have

to become self-contained as a community.

We're not able to focus on one another

because we're too fixated on attempting to

follow, copy and please the children of our

slave-masters. And as long as we are with

them, we're going to be ruled by them

because we're not focusing on self-develop-

ment; we're focusing on what they think,”

says Muhammad. l

HEALTH MATTERS 14

First Lady MichelleObama MakesHeadway with HealthyFoods

Calorie by calorie, First Lady

Michelle Obama is chipping away

at big portions and unhealthy food

in an effort to help America slim down.

In the year and a half since she

announced her campaign to curb child-

hood obesity, Mrs. Obama has stood

alongside Wal-Mart, Olive Garden and

many other food companies as they have

announced improvements to their recipes

— fewer calories, less sodium, better

children's menus.

The changes are small steps, in most

cases. Fried foods and French fries will

still be on the menu, though enticing pic-

tures of those foods may be gone. High-

sodium soups, which many consumers

prefer, will still be on the grocery aisle.

But the amount of sodium in each can

will gradually decrease in some cases,

and the taste of their low-sodium variety

will be improved.

On Thursday, the First lady joined

Darden Restaurants Inc. executives at one

of their Olive Garden restaurants in

Hyattsville, Maryland, near Washington,

to announce that the company's chains are

pledging to cut calories and sodium in

their meals by 20 percent over a decade.

Fruit or vegetable side dishes and low-fat

milk will become standard with kids'

meals unless a substitution is requested.

Mrs. Obama said Darden's announce-

ment is a "breakthrough moment" for the

industry. The company owns 1,900

restaurants in 49 states, including Olive

Garden, Red Lobster, Long Horn

Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama

Breeze and Seasons 52.

"I believe the changes that Darden

will make could impact the health and

well-being of an entire generation of

young people," the first lady said.

McDonald's, Burger King and more

than a dozen other restaurants have also

said this summer that they will revamp

children's menus. Changing recipes and

menu items is good business for the

industry because consumers want wider

choices — chefs and food manufacturers

say consumers are demanding more

healthy food than ever before.

Nutrition advocates and food industry

representatives say that the first lady

embraced the issue just as consumers

began to demand healthier foods and

advocates were making headway in get-

ting the industry to make foods healthier.

They say she has been a key catalyst in

getting lawmakers and companies to

jump onboard.

"There's been more progress on nutri-

tion in the last several years than in the

whole previous decade," says Margo

Wootan, a leading nutrition advocate and

lobbyist with the Center for Science in

the Public Interest who has been working

on the issue for almost 20 years. "There is

a lot of momentum in addressing obesity

right now and the first lady adds signifi-

cant momentum to that movement."

Wootan says Mrs. Obama and her

staff have done more than just public

appearances, working behind-the-scenes

with industry and Congress to affect

change.

"She does more than use the bully pul-

pit," says Wootan.

The landscape has certainly changed

for the food industry since President

Barack Obama took office and the first

lady launched her campaign. In that time,

Congress has passed laws to improve

school lunches, improve food safety and

require calorie labeling in restaurants, all

with industry support. The administration

has proposed new food marketing rules

for children and the food industry has

come at least part of the way with their

own proposal to limit marketing to kids.

Major companies have launched a joint

effort to cut calories and put more nutri-

tion information on food labels.

The first lady's effort has had "a dra-

matic impact on manufacturers, restau-

rants and retailers," says Scott Faber, a

lobbyist for the Grocery Manufacturers

Association, which represents all of the

major food companies. "Until the first

lady launched her initiative there was no

one American who was inspiring this gen-

eration of kids and parents to do more to

have a healthy lifestyle."

Mrs. Obama's participation with

Darden Restaurants was her latest appear-

ance with retailers and other private-sec-

tor players in support of her anti-obesity

campaign. In January, she stood with

Wal-Mart, the nation's largest grocer, as it

pledged to reformulate thousands of

products it sells to make them healthier

and to push suppliers to do the same.

This summer, the first lady applauded

as Wal-Mart, Walgreens drugstores and

several regional grocers committed to

help eliminate "food deserts" by opening

or expanding in rural and urban areas that

don’t have easy access to healthy foods,

including fresh fruits and vegetables.

One in three U.S. children is over-

weight or obese, putting them at greater

risk of developing diabetes, heart disease

or other health conditions. Mrs. Obama

has said her goal is to help today's young-

sters become adults at a healthy weight by

eating better and getting more exercise.

In a speech to the National Restaurant

Association one year ago this month, the

first lady asked members to "actively pro-

mote healthy foods and healthy habits to

our kids."

Dawn Sweeney, CEO of the associa-

tion, said that was an "acceleration point"

for many restaurants that were already

starting to change their menus.

"Certainly the focus she has put on

food and healthy living has been a great

boost to create even broader consumer

interest," Sweeney said. l (BlackNews)

15

You're Driving Along and Suddenly

You're Hit! What Do You Do Next?

1. Stay at the Scene of the Accident

and Wait for the Police and/or EMS to

Arrive

The most important rule for all car

accidents is that you NEVER leave the

scene of an accident until it is appropriate

to do so.

2. Check on All Drivers and

Passengers

Before checking property damage,

make sure that everyone else involved in

the accident is okay. Be sure to get med-

ical attention for anyone who may need

it. If a person is unconscious or com-

plains of neck or back pain, DO NOT

MOVE THEM until qualified medical

personnel arrive.

3. ALWAYS Call the Police

Especially if the accident involves

significant property damage, physical

injury, or death, you may need to call the

police. Ask that a police report be filed in

situations where law enforcement offi-

cers do arrive at the scene, and obtain the

name and badge numbers of any respond-

ing officers.

4. Exchange Information

Talk to the drivers of any other vehi-

cles involved in the accident. Be sure to

get their names, phone numbers, address-

es, drivers' license numbers, license plate

numbers, and basic insurance informa-

tion. If there are passengers in any of the

vehicles, obtain their names, telephone

numbers, and addresses as well. When

talking to drivers of other vehicles, you

should try to be cordial and cooperative

in determining that everyone is okay and

in exchanging basic information.

5. Talk to Witnesses

Ask every witness what he or she

saw. Get their names, telephone numbers

BY JOHN BENJAMIN

or addresses, if possible. Write down

what they tell you and, if they agree, sim-

ply get their name and phone number so

that you, your attorney, the insurance

company, or the court can contact them

again.

6. Take Pictures — Property Damage

Estimate

Take photographs of any damage to

your vehicle as soon as possible after the

accident. Having photographic proof will

help your insurance adjuster. l

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