The AC Phoenix: More than a Newspaper, a Community Institution -- Issue No. 2020, February 2015

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Page 4 February 2015 The AC Phoenix TV Premiere: Mississippi Inferno New York, – This year marks the 50th anniversary of the passage of one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation in American history, the 1965 Voting Rights Act. A new Smithsonian Channel Black History Month two-part special, MISSISSIPPI INFERNO reveals the essential role played by black landowners and black independent farmers as a real driving force behind the passage of this legislation. Narrated by actor, director and political activist Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon), the two-part special premieres Monday, February 16 with MISSISSIPPI INFERNO: SEEDS OF REVOLT at 8 p.m. ET/ PT, followed by MISSISSIPPI INFERNO: DEEDS OF DEFIANCE at 9 p.m. ET/PT. This past November President Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to slain civil rights activists James Chaney, Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman, who were murdered by the Ku Klux Klan during 1964’s historic voter registration drive. MISSISSIPPI INFERNO reveals that a second “triple murder” was being planned by the KKK – only the next three targets were not “outside agitators,” but three black landowners who allowed civil rights workers to stay in their homes. This group of black landowners and independent farmers were willing to risk their land, their homes, and their lives by using their land as collateral to obtain property bonds to get hundreds of civil rights workers out of jail. MISSISSIPPI INFERNO features compelling first person accounts of the courage and resourcefulness of the families who jeopardized their land and their lives for social justice. Their story has been largely ignored and yet they were key to the success of the civil rights movement. They not only provided safe havens and food, but even armed protection to the outside volunteers who were otherwise committed to non-violence. control of 10,000 acres of some of the most fertile land in the state and become independent farmers who a generation later became leaders of the civil rights movement in Mississippi. MISSISSIPPI INFERNO is produced by Thunk It Media in association with Mentorn Media for Smithsonian Channel. David Shulman is the producer and director. Joy Galane and David Royle serve as executive producers for Smithsonian Channel. Smithsonian Channel, owned by Showtime Networks Inc. and the Smithsonian Institution, is where curiosity lives, inspiration strikes and wonders never cease. This is the place for aweinspiring stories, powerful documentaries and amazing entertainment across multiple platforms. Smithsonian Channel combines the storytelling prowess of SHOWTIME® with the unmatched resources and rich traditions of the Smithsonian, to create award-winning programming that shines new light on popular genres such as air and space, history, science, nature, and pop culture. Among the network’s offerings are series including Aerial America, L.A. Frock Stars, Secrets, Mighty Ships, Mighty Planes and Air Disasters, as well as criticallyacclaimed specials that include Civil War 360, 9/11: The Heartland Tapes; The Day Kennedy Died and the Peabody winning MLK: The Assassination Tapes. Find out more at www.smithsonianchannel.com. Why African-Americans are in Desperate Need of Mortgage Help By Marcia Griffin For African-Americans, the mortgage landscape is particularly harrowing. According to sociologists from Rice and Cornell Universities, African-Americans are 45 percent more likely than Whites to go from owning their homes to renting them. There are many factors contributing to this startling statistic. Among them: * African-Americans are more likely to lose their homes to foreclosure. * African-Americans have been more targeted by predatory lenders. * African-Americans have less wealth to put toward homeownership in the first place. During the Great Recession, between 2007 and 2010, wealth for Blacks dropped by an average of 31 percent, home equity dropped by 28 percent and retirement savings dropped by 35 percent. During that same period, Whites lost only 11 percent in wealth, 24 percent in home equity and actually gained 9 percent in retirement savings. So are African-Americans destined to fall further behind? Not if they are aware of the statistics and trends and how to overcome them. For example, in inner cities, conveniently located houses will go to non-minority people who can afford the down payment and have excellent credit. Meanwhile, African-Americans will be pushed further and further out, making it increasingly difficult to get to work plus; stuck with sky high rents and slum landlords. Already, Wall Street investors have bought thousands of foreclosed homes once owned by African-Americans. They are now the owners and we are the renters. This is the scheme. Rents are predicted to go up 20 percent per year. To make matters worse, when investors sell the properties, African-Americans are not the buyers. The mortgage approval requirements are exceedingly high. Today, the average mortgage denial has a 722 credit score. The average score for the people we serve is 630. Since 96 percent of African-American wealth is in our homes, we lose. * Non-profit counseling and credit assistance for distressed homeowners and prospective homebuyers is available, but rarely marketed. A lot of this is valuable, free information from experts in mortgage and credit fields. * In many states, there is government home buying money that goes unused. This money is also not marketed. Call your Department of Housing as soon as possible. * Limit the financial information you get online. Speak to a professional over the phone or in person so you can check out their credentials. * Without some guidance and information the mortgage process can be confusing, difficult and misleading. One wrong decision and thousands of dollars can be lost. So get the information you need. Marcia Griffin is founder of HomeFree- USA, a leading intermediary for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, committed to turning around home-ownership rates for African-Americans and other minorities. For more information: marciaghfusa@ msn.com; 202 288 8510; or call toll free: (855) 493-4002. Also visit HomeFreeUSA. org; Twitter: @marciahomefree Willing to risk it all, they changed the course of American history. Powerful southern white officials may have been worried more about African- Americans using the “cotton vote” to take over agricultural committees which controlled millions of dollars in federal crop subsidies than they were about black enfranchisement. Also told is the story of an independent farmer and teacher, Robert Clarke J.R., who came to own the land on which his great-grandparents were enslaved and became the first black candidate elected to a state-wide office in Mississippi since Reconstruction. The film also reveals how a New Deal era experiment in land reform enabled over 100 families of sharecroppers to gain Marcia Griffin Buying a house or a piece of property to call your own is part of the American Dream. But, if you’re African-American, that dream is becoming further and further out of reach. Whether you’re a renter trying to buy your first home or a homeowner looking for a modification to avoid foreclosure, it has become more difficult than ever to get approved for a loan and just as challenging to understand the nuances of what lenders are looking for. While these statistics and trends are grim, they are certainly not insurmountable. With goal-oriented financial education and information, thousands of homeowners have achieved their financial goals in recent years. Not only that, but many families have achieved 0 percent foreclosure rates - a remarkable feat in the recent economy. Here is some valuable information that could lead in that direction: * Remember, the mortgage industry is in business to make lots of money by any means necessary. The less you know, the fewer your options and the more you can be taken advantage of.
Page 5 February 2015 The AC Phoenix Don’t Take Away the Ladder to Success for Aspiring Minority Small Business Owners By Djenane Bartholomew Franchising is a unique business arrangement. Golden Corral provides a known brand which includes a logo, advertising and marketing, and specifications on everything from the 160-item buffet/salad bar to the The Chocolate Wonderfall fondue dipping fountain. Instead of the challenge of starting a business from scratch, with franchise ownership our customers know what to expect when they walk through our doors. Just the same, we are the bosses in the best sense of the word. We recruit, hire and train our staff. We are responsible for maintenance and watch the receipts so we can compete in our local community marketplace. We are responsible for schedules, wages and encouraging the members of our team to do their best work. It has been a pleasure to see people grow professionally. In fact, we have now employed the children of our employees and many see working for us not merely as a job but as a career. from all walks of life, we would likely see large corporations consolidating operations with big, regional companies created by buying up small business operations like ours. These challenges will have a negative impact on the independent, entrepreneurial spirit that has helped fuel America’s growth and economic recovery, and has paved the way for thousands to achieve their dreams of running their own businesses and serving their own communities. Live the way you want to be remembered An Associate Consultant’s Newspaper Established in 1983 Rodney J. Sumler, Publisher Jerome Johnson, Managing Editor Dwight A. Jones, Editor Ann F. Sumler, Finance Director Advertising Constants Chenita Johnson, Gerald Green ACM Graphic Design Ideas expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher or staff. (336) 635 4096 Fax (336) 635 4567 e-mail: acphoenix@bellsouth.net This small business franchise model, which has worked so well for my family and other minority entrepreneurs, is in danger of being upended. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is trying to change the definition of “joint employer.” . Dexter and Djenane Bartholomew own in Kentucky and two in New Jersey. The couple has been married for 17 years and sponsors several community youth organizations at their home in New Jersey. Djenane, who is a registered nurse, also volunteers at a mobile clinic each year on a trip to her native Haiti. Every day my husband and I make decisions that affect the lives of 450 people and their families. It’s a lot of responsibility but above all a labor of love. It is all part of being local franchise owners and living our American dream. The franchise model has been a gateway for millions of people over the years to achieve small business ownership, many of them from racial or ethnic minority groups. It is important to not only preserve, but to strengthen this business model. My husband came from Grenada and worked for UPS for over 20 years. As a young man, he had the foresight to invest in a property in Brooklyn which grew in value over the years. Blessed with some money when we sold it, we considered how to invest our good fortune into a new livelihood and soon discovered that franchising was the way to go for us. We started with Subway sandwich shops, then added Dunkin’ Donuts and Popeye’s Chicken and Buscuit but migrated to casual sit-down dining that did not include alcohol. The folks at Golden Corral shared our values and this began our journey to ownership, which ended with seven Golden Corral locations, five in Kentucky and two in New Jersey. This is more than just a technical issue. If Golden Corral is considered a joint employer, my husband and I would lose control over the day-to-day issues at our restaurants. If Golden Corral and their locally-owned franchise owners morph into one big employer, we could lose our restaurants - and with it the hard work and money we’ve put into them - altogether, as Golden Corral could be forced to assume direct control over the day-to-day operations of our restaurants. This would be a tragedy for us and our employees because they are not just part of our businesses, but part of our family. I also worry about aspiring entrepreneurs who might be looking at owning a franchise themselves. Why would men and women looking at franchising consider it if the core of what makes it a proven and workable business model is removed? This would prevent jobs from being created and businesses expanded, in an industry that has been growing faster than the general economy in recent years. What’s more, according to a 2007 report from the International Franchise Association, 20.5% of franchised businesses were owned by minorities, compared to 14.2% of non-franchised businesses. A little more than ten years ago they made up just five percent of franchise owners. Franchising works for people who may have faced barriers to succeeding with their own businesses and policymakers should encourage this trend. If the franchise model is shattered by the NLRB’s revised definition of joint employer, instead of an economy populated with small business operators
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The AC Phoenix: More than a Newspaper, a Community Institution -- Issue No. 2020, February 2015

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