The AC Phoenix: More than a Newspaper, a Community Institution -- Issue No. 2014, June 2014

THE
TRUTH
WILL SET
YOU
FREE
NEWS
YOU
CAN
USE
In Our 31th Year Issue No. 2006 June 2014 Associate Consultants Serving the Triad FREE
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Authority for Regional Transportation (PART)
It’s time to Share the Ride with North
Carolina’s FREE rideshare matching website
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sharetheridenc.org can find existing groups
who have open seating. With rising gas
costs, why not get started today towards
Koch Brothers’ UNCF
Gift Is Worst Symptom
of HBCU Financial
Crisis By JL Carter Sr
David and Charles Koch
David and Charles Koch have given hundreds
of millions of dollars to restoring and
maintaining the fine arts, finding a cure for
cancer and conservative politics. A $25 million
gift for them could easily be considered
a light ask on a slow day.
Unless the United Negro College Fund
is asking for it. Now, one of the nation’s
richest and most influential companies
with political leanings that weigh heavily
against the mission and the culture
of historically Black colleges and universities,
is one of the largest benefactors
to our most vulnerable institutions.
he gift breaks down into $6.5 million in
unrestricted support for the 37 UNCF
member schools, with $4 million set aside
saving money and finding the perfect
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No I in TEAM or
Global
Everyday is an
Opportunity to Learn
specifically to fill in gaps created by PLUS
Loan/Pell Grant changes - at most, just over
$175,000 for each institution. The other
$18.5 million is earmarked for 3,000 merit
based scholarships to African-American
students in financial need who show an
By Dr. Ada M. Fisher
[continued on page 12]
Dr. Ada M. Fisher
The 2014 NBA Championship final game
between the San Antonio Spurs and the
Miami Heat was the best basketball I’ve
seen since my beloved Celtics of the sixties.
The Spurs passed the ball looking
Lift Cap On Opportunity Scholarship
RALEIGH – More than 100 parents and
children from across the state joined Parents
for Educational Freedom in North Carolina
(PEFNC) President Darrell Allison, House
Speaker Thom Tillis, Senate President Phil
Berger, and a bipartisan group of state
lawmakers to stand in support of lifting the
cap on Opportunity Scholarships at a
for the open man so fast it was if they were
handling coals on fire. The humbleness and
graciousness of their players was refreshing
and energizing for it isn’t about the individual
talent if players can function as a team.
Call me old fashion if you like, but I believed
this generation of basketball players was
over paid and under talented until I watched
the 2014 Spurs play, as one announcer called
it, “exquisite” basketball. I know many think
that Michael Jordan is the best to ever play
basketball, with which I take issue. Kobe
Bryant may think he is the center of the
Lakers and one of the greatest as well. But,
. . .
Teams start with talent on the floor, on the
bench and in their administration particularly
from good coaches. The Red Auerbach
coached Boston Celtics of the 60’s were collectively
and consistently the best to play
the game, particularly without the padded
shoes, training facilities and other advantages
of today’s athletes. Phil Jackson’s triangle
offense also requires super star players,
three being dominate, to know their role and
not carry the entire load. But Greg Popovich
was onto something a bit different from the
others as he took it to a new level using
[continued on page 12]
press conference yesterday.
With a lottery for eligible families
scheduled for June 25, and with more
than double the number of applicants
than slots available, families are urging
all legislators to increase the number
of Opportunity Scholarships to include
every eligible family that applied before
it is too late.
“A quality education is far too important
to be left to a lottery and those who
fail to gain a winning ticket should
not be relegated to another year in an
underperforming school,” said Parents for
Educational Freedom in North Carolina
(PEFNC) President Darrell Allison. “When
almost 85 percent of low-income children
fail to read and write at grade level as
measured by End-of-Grade tests, it is
clear why applications flooded into the
state from more than 4,000 low-income
family households in 95 counties. We
must do better for these families and I
Inside This Issue
[continued on page 12]
A Woman`s Long Journey To Lose
100 Pounds 3
North Carolina A&T To Offer MBA
Beginning Fall 2014 6
Talking About America`s Original Sin
Remembering Maya Angelou 13
|
Don Lemon Ask; Is Redskins The New
N-Word For Native Americans? Kevin
Hart Weighs In 14
Ruby Dee Dies At 91 14

Page 2 June 2014 The AC Phoenix

Page 3 June 2014 The AC Phoenix
One Woman’s
Courageous Journey
to Lose 100 pounds
By John Raye
Peggy McDougal
[continued from page 1]
There are many people who would be
happy to lose 10 or 15 pounds. At a laundry
mat, last week, one woman overheard
talking to her friend about losing weight
said, “Girl, I’d be happy if I could just lose
6 or 7 pounds!”
But don’t say this around Peggy McDougald,
a long time Bunnlevel, North Carolina
business entrepreneur and community
leader, whose long term, weight loss
goal, staggers the imagination.
She wants to lose a solid 100 pounds from
her five-feet, three inch frame.
McDougald, once described by some,
as a “fine young thang”, also once had a
coke-bottle sized physique and tipped
the scales at a head-turning 135 pounds.
But that was, as she said, “many moons
ago”.
Today, her once, movie star size waist
line, has ballooned to as astounding, 244
pounds, a weight that matches or exceeds
some NFL pro football players.
“But that’s good when you consider what
I used to weigh”, she said. “I was once
up to 276 pounds”. Standing a just a few
inches over 5 feet, you can imagine what
she once looked like. “But I’m determined
to lose this weight and regain my
good health”, she said.
Widely known for her leadership skills
and community service projects, McDougald
was once so small that few people
believed that she was pregnant.
“In my 20’s my weight was steady between
110-115. In my 30’s it was still
pretty steady at 115-125. Lord yes, when I
was pregnant no one thought or believed
I was pregnant because I didn’t look like I
was carrying a baby” she said. “I was always
real small”.
After child birth, some women often gain
weight. However, this didn’t happen to
McDougald.
“I started to gain all of this weight after a
bad auto accident in 1992. They started
me on steroids, and I was in my early 40’s.
That was when I first started to blow up.
Anyone who’s been on steroids, like prednisone,
knows exactly what I’m talking
about”, she said.
A self-described, “hard worker who can’t
resist helping people”, McDougald managed
to lose most of the weight, but
some six years ago, got sick again, and
afterwards started to regain most of the
weight she had lost. So far, she’s successfully
battle a number of life threatening
situations including heart disease. Currently
she wears both a pacemaker and
difibulator.
“A pacemaker keeps your heart beating at
a constant pace. The difibulator restarts it
when it stops. In the last four years, my
heart has stopped twice. But thank God,
I’m still here”, she said.
Many people facing such severe health
challenges would, perhaps, limit their active
participation in community affairs,
but McDougald is just the opposite; she
thrives on developing and participating
in community-based projects, and issues.
“God didn’t put us here to sit, wait and
watch things happen”, she noted. “Things
won’t get better until we make them better,
which is why I believe in the philosophy
of self-help. You cannot help other
people without ultimately helping yourself”,
she declared.
So, some two weeks ago, McDougald
embarked on her latest mission, and one
of her greatest challenges--- being overweight
and morbidly obese. She started
a weight management-weight control
program, especially formulated to help
overweight or obese individuals lose,
manage and control their weight.
“I’m on a proven weight loss program.
All I have to do is follow the plan. It’s all
laid out for you, plain as night and day.
It’s a three-part program that begins with
a 9-day cleanse… and the first step is to
detox, clean out your body. This is why
part one is called the Clean-9 program,
and so far, I’ve lost 12 pounds and I feel
pretty good”, she said.
McDougald, the long time founder of the
Golden Eagles Awards, a prominent program
that salutes and recognizes community
leaders, has set goals and time
tables to achieve her weight loss dream.
“I have both short term and long term
goals for getting this weight off of me.
My ideal weight is to get back to 137
pounds. Short term, I want to be under
200 by the end of September or no later
than the end of October. I plan to lose 10
pounds a month until May 30, 2015.
Her weight loss program calls for a limited
amount of daily physical activity which she
has to monitor carefully because of her
heart condition.
“People say that I am a hard worker, and
am always trying to help someone. Well, I
believe in helping others and I try not to
let anyone down because I know people
believe and trust me”, she said.
“I’m on a journey to lose 100 pounds. Now,
I am not foolish enough to believe it will
be easy. I also don’t expect it to be quick.
Things that come quick don’t last. This is
where my faith comes in. I’m going for a
total lifestyle change because my life depends
on it. I definitely don’t want to be
confined to a bed for the rest of my life”,
she said.
More than 22 individuals have joined
McDougald’s efforts on what is being described
as a “national campaign to reduce
and eliminate obesity in the USA”. It is estimated
by the CDC that within the next
few years, 4 out of every 5 Americans will
be overweight or obese. Already, it is the
major cause of all catastrophic illnesses
and diseases including diabetes, kidney,
cancer, stroke and heart disease.
“I know I am overweight. Actually, I am
obese. Nobody has to tell me that because
I can see it myself. However, I am not about
to sit around, complaining and whining
about it. I want a healthy body, and I intend
to have one”, she said. “This is why I
am on this special weight loss program. I
know all too well what being over weight
can do to you”.
“And I know that I can best help others by
first helping myself. Losing this weight will
help set me free from the limits that bad
health has placed on me. I know that I can
help someone else gain their freedom
from bad health”, she said.
McDougald is reaching out to others to join
her weight loss caravan. “I am a mother
and grandmother and if I can knock off 100
pounds with this special weight loss plan,
then there is no excuse for anyone else not
being able to do the same. You just have to
be sick and tired of being sick and tired of
being fat, tired and overweight”, she said.
“I want people to know that I am serious
about losing this weight, which is why I
freely give out my contact information
(910) 729-9159 including this big fat photo
of myself to anyone serious about improving
their health. Like the old folks used
to say…if I can help someone, somewhere,
then my living will not be in vain”, said Mc-
Dougald.
--John Raye, a life-health coach, is an 8 year
cancer survivor. He lives in Kernersville, NC.
(rayeandrosie@ aol.com (336)782-8383
Just Do It!
Bruce Mallatratt
Presents
June 28, 2014
(And the Last Saturday of
Every Month!)
Red River Grill
247 West Kings Highway
Eden, NC 27288
8:00 – 11:00PM
July 19, 2014
Highlander Restaurant,
Lodge and Pub
2500 Riverside Dr.
Danville, VA 24540
9:00PM – 12:00AM
September 20, 2014
Riverfest
Washington St.
Eden, NC 27288
Time TBD

Page 4 June 2014 The AC Phoenix
Harnessing the Promise:
How to Accelerate
the Potential of the
‘My Brother’s Keeper’
Initiative
Dr. Brian Smedley and Jermane Bond
Dr. Brian Smedley
Dr. Brian Smedley
Relative to their white peers, boys and men
of color face deeply inequitable life circumstances
and outcomes, as measured by disparities
across a range of sectors, such as
education, employment, health and reproductive
health, and juvenile and criminal
justice involvement. Today President Obama
announced the Task Force Report for the
White House “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative,
which aims to build public- and private-sector
partnerships to improve life opportunities
for boys and men of color.
This represents an historic and vitally important
opportunity to mobilize stakeholders
and take action to embrace our young men
- but its success hinges on our collective ability
to understand how we as a nation have
responded to this population, and how we
address their needs going forward.
A host of historic and contemporary factors
contribute to inequitable opportunities for
boys and men of color, resulting in adverse
health behaviors, constrained access to
resources, and shortened life expectancy.
Persistent residential segregation-an enduring
legacy of de jure and de facto Jim Crow
policies and practices that are reinforced by
current housing discrimination and housing
policies-concentrates these young men
in high-poverty communities, where there
are few jobs and few role models that pres-
ent boys with reasons for optimism about
their lives.
Residential segregation also exposes boys
and men of color to high levels of crime,
as well as domestic and neighborhood
violence, which inhibits the development
of healthy relationships, successful coping,
and conflict-resolution skills. Deepening
school segregation consigns a disproportionate
share of boys of color to failing
school systems that struggle to prepare
youth for educational excellence and
advancement. In contrast, many of these
schools employ policies and practices that
increase the likelihood of school dropout
(e.g., through draconian school disciplinary
policies) and non-persistence.
And many boys and men of color, deprived
of opportunities for full participation in
the economic and political life of their
communities, find themselves seeking
income through the underground economy,
thinking only in terms of short-term
needs, and starting families with partners
with whom they are poorly prepared to
raise children.
To address limited opportunities for men
of color, in 2005 the Joint Center for Political
and Economic Studies launched the
Dellums Commission to analyze obstacles
commonly confronted by young men of
color, and to identify effective policies
and practices that could help them enjoy
a more successful path in life. The Commission
was chaired by former Oakland
Mayor Ronald V. Dellums, a social worker
by training who served with distinction
as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from 1971 to 1998. The other
members of the Commission included a
diverse group of state legislators, judges,
educators, human rights activists, corporate
executives, religious leaders, and representatives
from the African-American,
Latino, American-Indian, and Asian-American
communities.
The Commission sought to address actionable
solutions, directing their attention
on a new way forward, beyond diagnosis,
organizing ideas and policies to form
an urgent agenda. They commissioned
a series of studies by leading experts to
identify national, state, and local policies
in the areas of health and mental health
services, juvenile justice and criminal justice,
and family support and child welfare.
The result of these studies was a comprehensive
policy agenda and a powerful
group of recommendations designed to
ignite reforms that would enhance the
well-being of communities of color and
demonstrate that government, business,
communities, and individuals can work
together to eliminate barriers faced by
boys and men of color.
Building on the success of the Dellums
Commission, we must re-ignite our efforts
to implement effective policy change by
building coalitions that will unite labor,
industry, science, public health, religious
leaders, philanthropists, foundations,
and elected officials in a consortium to
improve life opportunities for boys and
men of color. Advancements in opportunity
for boys and men of color at local
and national levels will occur only when
we comprehensively address the major
forces impeding progress: inequitable life
opportunities structured along geographical
and racial lines (e.g., residential and
school segregation); inadequate public
demand for action, buttressed by explicit
and implicit negative views and biases
against the population (e.g., as reinforced
through news media, entertainment, and
popular culture); and a lack of leadership
opportunities for boys and men of color
that can help them elevate their voices in
civic discourse, mentor succeeding generations,
and change cultural norms and
practices among their peers.
Given rapid demographic shifts, our
nation needs to harness the talents and
leadership of boys and men of color if we
are to remain a strong, vibrant democracy.
My Brother’s Keeper is an important step
toward this goal. Let’s use this moment
to build a new future for our young men.
ACT® Changes Set for
2015 - Good News for
Students: ACT Adds
Context But Doesn’t
Change Content
New York, NY — The following statement
is from Christine Brown, Executive Director
of College Admissions and K12 programs,
Kaplan, regarding today’s announcement
by the ACT on the addition of new scores
and indicators that will, according to the
announcement, “describe student performance
and predicted readiness levels in
categories such as STEM, career readiness,
English language arts and text complexity,
giving students a greater and more specific
understanding of both their preparation
for success after high school and how
to better meet their goals.”
“Adding dimension to the ACT score adds
context without changing content - both
of which are great for students. The test
isn’t really changing, which is a good thing
for students who are looking for a familiar
test. By the same token, the new scores
will help students better relate their ACT
performance to real world potential.”
“A key reason students find the ACT attractive
is that it’s always been more aligned to
high school curriculum. The SAT is moving
in that direction, but for most students,
the ACT looks more like what they learn
in schools. The new scores give students
an added lens on how their performance
in Math, Science, Reading and Writing
applies more broadly.”
About Kaplan, Inc.
Kaplan, Inc. (www.kaplan.com) is a leading
international provider of educational and
career services for individuals, schools,
and businesses. Kaplan serves students of
all ages through a wide array of offerings
including higher education, test
preparation, professional training, and
programs for kids in grades K through 12.
With nearly 400 locations in more than 30
countries, Kaplan serves more than one
million students each year. Kaplan is a
subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company
(NYSE: GHC) and its largest division. In
2013, Kaplan reported $2.2 billion in revenue.

Page 5 June 2014 The AC Phoenix
Marking A Big Loss
By William Spriggs
William Spriggs
This week marked the loss of a powerful
voice in Maya Angelou. Fortunately,
many in the nation paused to notice her
loss. Dancer, actress, poet and teacher,
Angelou captured everyone’s attention
because of her ability to talk honestly
out of her own pain and to get people
to empathize, to share in the human
experience.
Recently, Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote a telling
piece for The Atlantic on reparations.
As Coates notes, he leaned on the work
of many people in writing the piece,
including his experience studying history
at his alma mater Howard University.
What he did better than others, however,
was weaving his argument through the
personal experience of current residents
of a Chicago neighborhood.
It was a great attempt to personalize a
history of bad policies that others had
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
A Creative Mind, 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
previously described in abstract form. But
perhaps his most telling passage was this:
“In America there is a strange and powerful
belief that if you stab a black person 10
times, the bleeding stops and the healing
begins the moment the assailant drops the
knife.” This is a concept rooted in memory
and a sense of who can claim to be harmed,
to have a sense of being wronged, to mourn,
a sense of humanity. The passage is potent
because it is a powerful way to explain the
lack of empathy for the plight of African
Americans.
That is one of the reasons Angelou was such
an important voice, because not everyone
could weave more than a century of biased
policies through the lives of one family, as
Coates did, and not everyone could be as
poetic and powerful as Angelou in bringing
empathy to African American lives. But there
is a far deeper damage than the case Coates
makes about reparations that flows from
America’s inability to empathize with the
position that bad policies have left African
Americans in.
At his commencement address to Howard
University’s graduation in 1965, President
Lyndon B. Johnson said, “Negro poverty is
not White poverty. Many of its causes and
many of its cures are the same. But there
are differences-deep, corrosive, obstinate
differences-radiating painful roots into the
community and into the family and the
nature of the individual.
These differences are not racial differences.
They are solely and simply the consequence
of ancient brutality, past injustice and
present prejudice.” Johnson’s speech that
June day was meant to elicit empathy for
African- Americans, to connect them as
worthy to claim the American Dream. And,
to do this, he makes clear reference to a
history of policies with malice; “not the
result of racial differences”-differences in
character, culture or morals.
Now, whenever America goes into
recession, the fault lines of the policies
of the past create crevices into which
hundreds of thousands of African-
Americans fall-compounding poverty
through the loss of incomes and savings.
But, rather than focus on bad policy, it
quickly becomes a story about issues of
character, as Congressman Paul Ryan did
in explaining American poverty.
The inability to dissect bad policies and
to then quickly divert attention to the
victims of the policies does not just harm
African-Americans. It hurts America. The
lack of empathy, the sense that letting
Wall Street run amok, removing the wage
floor from beneath workers, denying
workers their right to organize, lowering
investments in our schools and colleges
have no consequences, leaves Americans
with blameless politicians and business
elites.
Five years into a recovery that has only
finally restored the number of jobs that
were in place five years ago, but leaves
millions unemployed and the incomes
of the median family still lower and the
poverty rate higher, and thousands still
with homes lost to the financial “games” of
Wall Street, is not really recovery. Lack of
empathy is part of the ability of Republicans
to vote against extending unemployment
benefits or to cut Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits or fail
to extend Medicaid coverage as more than
half of America is still making up income
losses. They feel no responsibility for those
left struggling.
It isn’t enough for Americans that we have
passed new regulations for Wall Street if
we don’t have policies to undo the harm
those policies caused. Americans deserve
to be made whole. As long as we limit the
narratives and stories we may tell, we will
limit the policy options we can discuss.
And our current “memory” defines who is
suffering and who gets to make claims on
policy-not the 99 percent.
My House is not Your
Home
By Raynard Jackson, NNPA Columnist
Raynard Jackson
Since the economic crash of 2008, I think
everyone has had to make adjustments
– except the federal government –
including cutting back on discretionary
spending, fewer weekends at the beach,
eating out less, etc. What I like about
Americans is that when times get hard,
we have a tendency to reach out to help
those around us who are less fortunate.
We will share a loaf of bread with a
neighbor. We will give a bag of groceries
to a needy member of our church. We
will pay the fees for our child’s friend to
attend summer camp.
Those we have some connection to will
always be on the receiving end of our
largess when we have the wherewithal
and after we have fulfilled the obligations
we have to our families. This is the
America I love and cherish. But this love
is becoming somewhat diminished in
light of recent numbers on the level of
homelessness among children in the U.S.
There are two groups in the U.S. that we
should never allow to suffer – children
and senior citizens. Children are pure,
innocent and totally dependent on us
adults. Senior citizens have paid their
dues to society and paved the way for us
to enjoy the privileges we have.
But those aren’t the only two groups we
should be concerned about. A record 1.16
million students in the United States were
homeless last year, according to new data
from the U.S. Department of Education.
These were students from K-12 for the
school year 2011-12, the latest numbers
are available. This was a 10 percent
increase from the previous school year.
According to the federal government,
there were 55.5 million students enrolled
in school during this period, meaning
about 2 percent of all students were
homeless.
The states with the largest increases
of homeless students were: California,
New York, Texas, and Florida. What is
interesting about those states is they
are the same states with the largest
population of people in the U.S. illegally.
The Obama administration has actually
encouraged a flood of illegal children
to trek across Central America through
Mexico into the U.S. because they have
made it perfectly clear that they will not
enforce our immigration laws. This public
declaration has put our own kids at dire
risk.
According to Reuters, “An estimated
60,000 such children will pour into the
United States this year, according to the
[Obama] administration, up from about
6,000 in 2011. Now, Washington is trying
to figure out how to pay for their food,
housing and transportation once they are
taken into custody.
The flow is expected to grow. The number
of unaccompanied, undocumented
immigrants who are under 18 will likely
double in 2015 to nearly 130,000 and
cost U.S. taxpayers $2 billion, up from
$868 million this year, according to
administration estimates.”
So, if these are the numbers the Obama
administration is using, they are probably
conservative.
[continued on page 6]

Page 6 June 2014
Talking About
America’s
Original Sin
By Clarence B. Jones
Clarence B. Jones
It was inevitable; and, unavoidable.
Sooner or later, the 24/7 invisible and unacknowledged
issue in every American
household would move from the shadows
into the sunlight of morality and
human decency once again: a national
DISCUSSION about REPARATIONS for the
successor generation of African-Americans
whose ancestors, as slaves, provided
centuries of unpaid labor toward the creation
of the national wealth of the United
States.
“250 years of slavery, 90 years of Jim Crow,
60 years of separate but equal, 35 years of
state-sanctioned redlining. Until we reckon
with the compounding moral debts
of our ancestors, America will never be
whole. THE CASE FOR REPARATIONS.” This
is the cover article by Ta-Nehisi Coates in
the June 2014 issue of The Atlantic magazine.
“American prosperity was built on two
and a half centuries of slavery, a deep
wound that has never been healed or fully
atoned for... Until America reckons with
the moral debt it has accrued -and the
practical damage it has done-- to generations
of black Americans, it will fail to live
up to its own ideals.”
The magazine article, like the UK movie
director Steve McQueen’s Academy
Award-winning motion picture 12 Years
a Slave, has provoked widespread social
media discussion about the institution of
slavery and the continuing historical consequences,
TODAY, of that legacy.
It has become a “rite of political passage”
or measure of political maturity or sophistication
among the so-called “Joshua
generation” of African-American leaders
to dismiss the issue of “reparations” as
part of an outdated lexicon used by an
earlier “Moses generation.” Among the
current Obama generation of political
leaders, advisers and Democratic campaign
speechwriters, “reparations” is no
longer deemed “politically relevant.” Understandably,
the magnitude of the current
annual rate of unemployment is immediately
more meaningful.
In previous blogs we mentioned that I
teach a 15-week course, “From Slavery
to Obama,” in the College of Arts & Sci-
ences at the University of San Francisco.
Economic data recited by Mr. Coates in
his article is also referenced in our course.
“In 1860, slaves were an asset were more
than all of America’s manufacturing, all of
its railroads, all of the productive capacity
of the United States put together.”
Mr. Coates also cites Yale historian David
W. Blight who wrote: “Slaves were the single
largest, by far, financial asset of property
in the entire American economy.”
The recent book Capital in the Twenty-
First Century by French economist Thomas
Piketty revealed to us the magnitude
of the current disparity of wealth that
has occurred in he United States during
the last decades of the 20th century and
the current 21st century. He reminds us
that one family, the Waltons, who control
the retail giant WalMart, now owns
more wealth than the bottom 48 million
families in America combined. Wealth
inequality is back to the levels of wealth
disparity portrayed in The Great Gatsby.
The article by Coates, the movie by Steve
Queen, and the Piketty book, collectively,
provide us with an opportunity to reflect
about a potential “national reckoning”
that might lead to a” healing renewal” and
a reclamation of America’s soul related to
the historical consequences of the legacy
of slavery upon current 21st century
America.
On June 4, 1965, President Lyndon B.
Johnson delivered the Commencement
speech at Howard University, a “historically
Black College.” During the course of
his address the president said:
“You do not take a person who, for
years, has been hobbled by chains and
liberate him, bring him up to the starting
line of a race and then say, ‘you are free to
compete with all the others,’ and still justly
believe that you have been completely
fair. Thus it is not enough just to open the
gates of opportunity. All our citizens must
have the ability to walk through those
gates.”
In the April 29, 2014, 6-2 Supreme Court
decision in Schuette vs. The Coalition To
Defend Affirmative Action, Justice Sotomayor,
in her dissenting opinion, wrote:
“In my colleagues’ view, examining the
racial impact of legislation only perpetuates
racial discrimination... The way to
stop discrimination on the basis of race is
to speak openly and candidly on the subject
of race, and to apply the Constitution
with eyes wide open to the unfortunate
effects of centuries of racial discrimination.”
(Emphasis added)
So, what does it say about us as a nation,
when, on the one hand a mere DISCUS-
SION of the issue of reparations is characterized
as “out of hand” by the same
people who celebrate, in real time, today,
the presence of Confederate flags and
other memorabilia of slave owning states
at their political rallies, in addition to their
prominent display of personally carried
guns?
“Reparations would mean the end of yelling
‘patriotism’ while waving a Confederate
flag. Reparations would mean a revolution
on the American consciousness, a
reconciling of our self-image as the great
democratizer with the facts of our history.”
Moreover, what does it say about our
Congress that for 20 consecutive years a
proposal by Congressman John Conyers
from Michigan, merely to create a commission
to study the issue of reparations
cannot get sufficient votes in committee
to bring the proposal to the floor of
the House for consideration and debate.
Not a commission to consider paying any
reparations; only a committee to STUDY
the issue.
Thomas Jefferson, a slave owner, wrote
about the institution of slavery: “I tremble
for my country when I know that God is
just.”
North Carolina A&T To
Offer MBA Beginning
Fall 2014
By Staff Reports
North Carolina A&T State University
will offer the MBA beginning this fall,
following approval from the UNC
General Administration. The program
will be a renamed, reclassification of the
university’s current master’s of science in
management.
A&T officials say the MBA program will
enhanced the appeal of the university’s
graduate program imprint in the region,
and will serve as a solid foundation
for training and career placement for
graduates in key fields of business, human
resources, and science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM).
“This is an excellent opportunity for
North Carolina A&T to showcase its
wealth of knowledge and expertise. This
MBA program will prepare more qualified
and highly marketable employees who
understand the business process,” said
Joe B. Whitehead Jr., provost and vice
chancellor for academic affairs at North
Carolina A&T State University.
Great is Thy
Faithfulness
My House is not Your
Home
By Raynard Jackson, NNPA Columnist
[continued from page 5]
away from our homeless children to take
care of those noncitizens who are in the
country illegally? Really? I am totally with
humanitarian aid, but not at the expense
of my own U.S.-born children.
The problem has gotten so bad that
the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) has set up an emergency shelter at
Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio,
Texas that can hold 1,000 illegals. That’s
right, we are housing illegals on military
bases; but our own children are living on
the street or in a homeless shelter. We
Americans are the most generous, kind,
giving people on the face of the earth;
but enough is enough. Let’s take care of
our own first.
America doesn’t have an immigration
problem. We have an enforcement
problem. There is nothing wrong with
the laws on the books; we need to simply
enforce them. The interesting thing
that my open borders and pro-amnesty
friends will never discuss publicly is this:
America accepts more legal immigrants
into the U.S. annually than the total of all
the other nations of the world combined.
So, I will not allow those who disagree
with me to dismiss me as xenophobic,
heartless, without compassion, etc. Show
me a parent who will take away from his
family to give to a total stranger and I will
show you an unfit parent. Because you
are in my house does not make it your
home.
Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of
Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a
Washington, D.C.-based public relations/
government affairs firm.

Page 7 June 2014 The AC Phoenix
Alone we can do so little; together we can do
so much”.- Helen Keller

Page 8 June 2014 The AC Phoenix

Page 9 June 2014 The AC Phoenix
Tennessee’s Unwilling Volunteers
By jmcgill769
Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana,
Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North
Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina,
Texas, Virginia and now Tennessee are the
states of which I have spent at least one
night in an extant slave dwelling. To make
up for lost time, the state of Tennessee
really came in big with the Tennessee
Historical Commission taking the lead
in hosting the Slave Dwelling Project
and the Tennessee Wars Commission
under the leadership of Fred Prouty
underwriting the event. The overnight
stays would include a symposium, Civil
War living history and overnight stays at
Clover Bottom, The Hermitage and Belle
Meade Plantation.
The symposium included Dr. Bobby
Lovett formerly Dean of the College of
Arts and Sciences at Tennessee State
University and retired Professor of History
whose presentation was titled Slavery in
Tennessee. He was followed by Mr. John
Baker, a recipient of a national award from
the American Association for the State of
Local History whose presentation was
titled: The Washingtons of Wessyngton
Plantation: Stories of the Washingtons of
Wessyngton. Mr. Steve Rogers is a senior
staff member of the Tennessee Historical
Commission, his presentation was titled
Clover Bottom and the John McCline
Slave Narrative.
My host, the Tennessee Historical
Commission, felt the substance of the
Slave Dwelling Project worthy of me
presenting with scholars who are well
knowledgeable of how the institution
of slavery was applied in the state of
Tennessee. No one in the audience
seemed to mind as each scholar far
exceeded the allotted fifteen minutes for
their presentations.
Masion at Clover Bottom
County slave prior to and during the early
days of the Civil War.
Clover Bottom has numerous out
buildings with conditions of various
stages of deferred maintenance. The slave
cabin of which we would stay is made
of wood and shows evidence of people
living in it far beyond emancipation.
Surprisingly, the ceiling height was
higher than any that I have seen to date.
Sharing the space with me would be
Patrick McIntyre, Executive Director of
the Tennessee Historical Commission,
Dan Brown, (Local Government
Assistance/Certified Local Government
Program), and Kathryn Sikes, Assistant
Professor of Historical Archaeology Public
History Program Middle Tennessee State
University. Kathryn was determined to
stay because she had a 6:30 am flight to
Boston, Massachusetts the next morning.
Kathryn will also lead a team that will
conduct archaeological digs on the site,
all in an effort to interpret the presence of
the enslaved on the site.
When I woke up the next morning,
Kathryn was gone while Patrick and Dan
were outside assessing the situation and
making plans for future collaborations for
the Slave Dwelling Project.
What surprised me the most about the
Hermitage was once I checked in on
facebook, I began to get a lot of messages
that referenced The Trail of Tears.
That morning we were all entertained by
a flock of wild turkeys that came as close
as fifteen feet within our presence.
Tennessee’s stay numbers two was a
success.
The First Hermitage May 23 2014
Marsha Mullin, Vice President of Museum
Services & Chief Curator
The First Hermitage has a peculiar history
for a slave dwelling. Today it consists of
two log buildings but at one time there
were at least four buildings there; three
log buildings and a two room brick cabin.
The original building on the property,
probably built around 1798, was a two
story log farm-house. In its farmhouse
form it was the home of Andrew and
Rachel Jackson from 1804 to 1821. They
lived there during the War of 1812 and
when Jackson led the victorious American
troops in the Battle of New Orleans.
The two room log building, the second
built in the enclave, was constructed
around 1805 to serve as a kitchen and
a slave dwelling for some of the nine
slaves Jackson brought with him when
he moved to the Hermitage property.
Sometime later a third log building, no
longer standing, was built.
this would mean about 50 individuals
lived at the First Hermitage.
Those fifty people were on my mind as
we slept in the kitchen/slave dwelling
log building. We had six people sleeping
in the two rooms of the cabin which left
enough personal space for each of us.
In Jackson’s day there could have been
twelve people living there. We kept all the
doors open for ventilation. What would it
have been like in winter with the doors
shut and fires in the two fireplaces? The
cabin has no windows so it must have
been stuffy in some places and drafty in
others at the very least. We also had the
luxury of electric lights which of course
Jackson’s enslaved workers did not. The
overseer’s house, also no longer standing,
was less than 100 feet away. No space, no
privacy, and constant supervision…
The night had some aspects of a camping
trip with a lightning bug display at night
and an invasion of wild turkeys flying out
of their roosts in the nearby trees at dawn
the next morning. Our conversational
topics ranged widely. But we frequently
drifted back to those people who lived in
these small cabins more than 150 years
ago. We could re-enact only a little of
their experience. But it was enough to
give me a lot to think about.
The day continued with a Civil War living
history encampment conducted in front
of the slave cabin that I and three others
would stay that night. I was reunited with
my friend and fellow Civil War reenactor,
Norman Hill. The attendance was lacking
but it was a pleasure for me to don the
Civil War uniform and fall in to Norm Hill’s
formation.
The symposium along with the overnight
stay at Clover Bottom was filmed by The
Renaissance Center for a public service
documentary which is currently in
production.
Clover Bottom
Clover Bottom is currently the home of
Tennessee Historical Commission. The
Mansion was built in 1853 near Nashville’s
first horseracing track for Dr. James and
Mary Ann Hoggatt, who owned sixty
slaves. It burned in 1859, and was rebuilt
that same year (using some of the original
walls) in the magnificent Italianate style.
The property was the home of John
McCline, whose autobiography “Slavery
in the Clover Bottoms” provides a rare and
detailed account of the life of a Davidson
Stay number one in the state of Tennessee
was a success.
Slave Cabin at the Hermitage
Slave Cabin at the Hermitage
The cabin of which we would spend the
night was called the First Hermitage
and built of logs. It is currently used as
display space for the visiting public. I
would be joined by five other people for
the overnight stay. Our night was full of
rich conversation about slavery and was
highlighted by viewing the many fireflies
that were present. Throughout the stay,
we could hear the sound of carpenter
bees munching away at the logs that
composed the cabin which was a matter
of obvious concern.
Masion at the Hermitage
Mansion at the Hermitage
In 1821, Jackson moved into his new brick
mansion about three hundred yards south
of the First Hermitage buildings. At that
time, we believe that he had the first floor
removed from the farmhouse, leaving the
three room second floor and loft to stand
as a slave cabin for his increasing number
of enslaved individuals. He had a two
room brick cabin (no longer standing)
added to the compound of three log
buildings sometime after he and Rachel
moved to the mansion. These additions
were needed to house Jackson’s growing
number of enslaved workers.
By 1845, at the end of Jackson’s life, he
owned about 150 enslaved men, women,
and children who lived in three different
areas on The Hermitage. This compound
was the middle of the three. There was
a group of slave dwellings closer to the
mansion and a third group farther away.
If the enslaved were divided evenly
among these three groups of buildings,

Page 10 June 2014 The AC Phoenix
Great is Thy
Faithfulness

Page 11 June 2014 The AC Phoenix
New AARP Survey
Assesses the Issues
that Matter Most to
African-Americans
50+
all people with enough information to
make the right choices for themselves
and their families.”
Among the survey’s findings:
* While the majority of African-Americans
50+ considered all of the social issues
AARP asked about as being important,
access to quality health care (91%),
financial security (91%) and health care
information (89%) were seen as most
important.
North Carolina Housing Services
& Management Corporation
750 Bethesda Rd
Winston-Salem. NC 27103
Office Phone: 336.725.9760
Office Fax: 336.725.0460
WASHINGTON - An AARP survey released
today shows that health care, education,
financial security and the digital divide
are among the most important social
issues for African-Americans aged 50 and
older.
The national survey, which included
phone interviews with 650 respondents,
demonstrates that while many older
African-Americans are optimistic that the
country is moving in the right direction
when it comes to issues such as health
care, education and the digital divide,
they are significantly less optimistic
about finances, employment and
workforce discrimination. Lower levels
of optimism related to finances and
employment could directly impact their
future retirement security.
“In light of rapid population growth
among multicultural communities,
studies such as our African-American
Social Issues Survey allow AARP to
address the unique resource and service
needs that have resulted from the
demographic shift,” Edna Kane-Williams,
AARP Vice President, Multicultural
Markets and Engagement. “We realize
that decisions like knowing when to
claim retirement benefits, making health
care choices, seeking employment and
financial planning can be complex and
different for everyone. AARP is working
to provide
* When respondents noted more than
one issue as extremely or very important,
they were asked which of the issues
was the single most important one.
Access to high quality healthcare was
overwhelmingly viewed to be the single
most important social issue-by one
third (32%) of those who gave multiple
responses.
* HAVING A FINANCIALLY SECURE
RETIREMENT WAS CONSIDERED THE
SECOND MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE
(CITED by 16% of those with multiple
answers), while access to high quality
education was the third most important
issue (cited by 14% of those with multiple
answers).
* Optimism is lowest for employmentrelated
issues, with employment
discrimination based on age (44%) and
race (45%), access to better employment
opportunities (48%) and having a
financially secure retirement (a byproduct
of employment) garnering
lower optimism levels relative to health,
technology and education-related issues.
Complete survey results can be viewed
here.
AARP currently offers extensive resources,
including free webinars on Social Security
and retirement planning, employment
search and networking through Life
Reimagined for Work, health care
information through the AARP Health
online portal and technology training
at AARP TEK. To learn more about these
and other AARP tools and resources, visit
www.aarp.org.
From Whence We Came

Page 12 June 2014 The AC Phoenix
Lift Cap on
Opportunity
Scholarships
by JL Carter Sr
[continued from page 1]
could think of no better way of doing
so than by providing the families who
applied this option for the fall semester.”
“I am proud to stand with the families
that applied for their child to receive an
Opportunity Scholarship,” said Speaker
Tillis. “I congratulate them on their
determination to improve their child’s
education by pursuing the additional
educational options that the Opportunity
Scholarship Program provides and am
committed to making sure that all of
the families who are eligible to receive
a scholarship are able to this coming
school year.”
“Giving parents the opportunity to
make decisions for their kids is what the
General Assembly ought to be about,”
said Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger.
“I look forward to having the opportunity
and capacity, this year, for every student
who is eligible for the lottery to go to the
school of their choice.”
Speaker Tillis and Senate President Berger
were also joined by national educational
and Civil Rights Leader Dr. Howard L.
Fuller. Fuller is a Distinguished Professor
of Education at Marquette University,
former Superintendent of Milwaukee
Public Schools and Chairman of the Black
Alliance of Educational Options (BAEO).
“Expanding quality educational options
for low-income families is a crucial part
in our commitment to advancing the civil
rights that we fought for and continue
to fight for today,” Fuller said. “This is not
about traditional public schools versus
public charters schools or private schools.
It’s about helping our low income families
in North Carolina find the right school
that is going to work for them. It’s a fact
that the majority of the schools that these
families are zoned to are not working for
them.”
Representative Marcus Brandon,
D-Guilford and Sen. Ben Clark,
D-Cumberland also attended and spoke
in support of expanding the Opportunity
Scholarship Program.
“I will fight to the end of my days to make
sure that the kids in my community and
across North Carolina have the same
access to quality education as any other
child,” said Representative Brandon.
“Parents, please continue to share your
story and tell your legislators that you are
not a statistic - you matter. Your reality is
truly not your destiny.”
Senator Clark added, “Far too many of our
low-income children fall short of their
potential. The Opportunity Scholarship
Program provides additional options
that are optimized to the needs of an
individual student.”
The Opportunity Scholarship Program,
which was signed into law in July 2013,
created scholarships of up to $4,200 for
approximately 2,400 children from lowincome
and working-class families to
attend a private school of the parent’s
choice. To qualify, a child must be
currently enrolled in a North Carolina
public school and must reside in a
household that qualifies for federal Free
and Reduced Lunch (about $44,000 for a
family of 4).
Over 4,000 student applications were
received for just 2,400 Opportunity
Scholarships.
No I in TEAM or
Global
By Dr. Ada Fisher
[continued from page 1]
his entire squad with what many had seen
as very pedestrian players. “Pop” was the
sixth man as chess master maneuvering
his pieces (players) where they needed to
be.
Tim Duncan had a championship for
every decade he’s played, Popovich
paced and coached the sidelines like few
others and the accuracy in shooting set a
record.
But on the 2014 championship court
was a sense of change in basketball
which again as with baseball is sending
a message to black kids who will find
black athletes losing lift behind a more
international team which may look just
as black as many. Nowhere was that
reflected more than on the San Antonio
Spurs outfitted with players -- Aron
Baynes (Australia), Marco Belinelli (Italy),
Boris Diaw (France), Tim Duncan (Virgin
Islands), Manu Ginobili (Argentina), Patty
Mills (Australia, Aboriginal Origins), Tony
Parker (France), and Tiago Splitter (Brazil).
It felt like the Spurs time and maybe this
is a forbearing of a more global world in
which we had better prepare our kids
and our nation for an increasing level
of competition as others want the high
paying opportunities usually reserved for
us. Our jobs aren’t always going overseas,
sometimes folks are coming here and
taking them.
Dr. Ada M. Fisher is a Physician Medical
Director of a Fortune 500 Corporation,
author, gifted public speaker, licensed
teacher for secondary education in
mathematics and science, previously
elected school board member, Author
and is the NC Republican National
Committee Woman.
Sense Conservative Prescriptions
Solutions Good For What Ails Us,
book I from Amazone.com publishers.
Koch Brothers’
UNCF Gift Is Worst
Symptom of HBCU
Financial Crisis
By JL Carter Sr
[continued from page 1]
interest in entrepreneurship, economics
and innovation. When asked about potential
cultural dissonance with the gift, UNCF
President and CEO Michael Lomax put us
doubters collectively in our places.
“Criticism is a small price for helping young
people get the chance to realize their
dream of a college education, and if I’ve got
to bear the brunt of someone else’s criticism
to ensure that we have the resources
to help those students, then I can handle it,
and I can take the heat.”
Then he took the airwaves to defend the
gift.
So HBCU students, alumni and
administrators are put into the greatest
trick bag; do you take money from
someone who wants to give the
impression of support for Black people
without the troublesome task of directly
doing so, or do you turn the much-needed
money down to support cultural dignity
and moral standing? It is a question that
HBCUs, real and fictitious, have faced
before.
UNCF, Thurgood Marshall College Fund
and other advocacy organizations are
trading good name and good mission for
millions in support of students, because we
don’t have enough political and economic
autonomy to do otherwise. Advocacy
organizations, Black-owned media
operations, non-profits, fraternities and
sororities have to find places as modern
sharecropping hubs for countercultural
partners and politics, sometimes outside
of the general realm of awareness of the
HBCU community, and often at the price of
their own branding and market presence.
It’s hard to blame Lomax for partnering
with the Kochs, or TMCF President and
CEO Johnny Taylor for partnering with
Bacardi, when the first bullet point
on their respective job descriptions is
“get that money.” Their responsibility is
keeping their individual jobs and ensuring
that students are able to collectively go to
college – in that exact order.
And the way to do that is the daily spin
of the Rolodex of fast food and liquor
conglomerates, hair care impresarios,
automotive makers, insurance dealers, and
opportunistic sharks on both sides of the
political aisle; hoping that they can garner
enough support so that HBCUs can have
revenue streams from tuition and fees that
will keep them open and operating for
another 36 months.
We read the coverage of HBCUs and believe
that our institutions are in trouble; the
advocacy executives see the enrollment
data and the endowment numbers and
know how certain and dire the HBCU
situation really is. They are the watchmen of
the HBCU doomsday clock, and they realize
that every federal policy change and every
dollar they are compelled to turn away for
moral reasons brings the hand of death
closer to midnight.
Of all the timeless HBCU adages, the ‘we do
more with less’ is perhaps the most accurate,
most destructive descriptor of the culture.
$25 million will be viewed as a windfall
to 37 HBCUs; meanwhile, Huntington
Bank in Ohio invested five times that in
The Ohio State University for scholarships
and community development around the
institution.
So what makes us angrier? $25 million
from conservative business owners who
fix elections, suppress voters and shape
policies which negatively impact million of
Black folks nationwide? Or the fact that our
schools can’t afford to tell the Koch brothers’
where to shove it?
Contact her at P. O. Box 777; Salisbury,
NC 28145; DrFisher@DrAdaMFisher.
COM Pending book Common

Page 13 June 2014 The AC Phoenix
Open Your Gifts
By John Raye
same kind of gifts, the same as no one has the same
set of fingerprints.
However, many mis-directed and mis-guided
people simply drift through life. And it’s easy to
drift when you don’t know how to open your gifts.
Even worse is to be unaware of your gifts.
But the late S.B. Fuller, the godfather of door-todoor
selling, said it best: “every man is born with a
spark of divinity, but it’s up to him to fan that spark!”
And Fuller certainly did fan his spark! Though
armed with only a 3rd grade education, he became
the first African-American male to become a selfmade
millionaire.
John Raye
No one is born with an empty, open, closed or
locked up mind. A baby begins life, it is said, with
only two fears—the fear of loud noise, and the fear
of falling down.
Everything else is instilled, picked up or acquired
from others.
So for the most part, we are products of our environment.
We become, more or less, like the people
we spend most of our time with-- association brings
on assimilation.
It’s hard, perhaps, impossible to be, “like Mike”, if you
have never seen, heard, read or met Mike!
As a child, I grew up watching western movies and
one day found myself wearing a pair of brand new
cowboy boots.
Now cowboy boots are not made for people with
big feet, especially big wide feet, and I was beautifully
endowed with both.
So, here I am, tip-toeing around like I’m walking
on cotton, because the narrow cowboy boots put
blisters and bunions on my toes. But I desperately
wanted to be a cowboy, much like Roy Rogers, Gene
Autry, Lash LaRue, Bob Steele, Wild Bill Elliott, etc.
Then too, I was a short little fellow and the cowboy
boots made me look and feel taller.
Reality, however, can quickly clean and clear up a
misguided imagination. Enough bunions, blisters
and corns on my toes, soon dashed the cowboy
fever from my mind. It’s hard to look cute when
your feet are talking back to you!
So, it wasn’t long before I went back to wearing a
regular size 12 ww pair of shoes. I may not have
looked better, but my feet sure did feel better!
My mother used to preach that an idle mind “was
the devil’s workshop.” This means we must not
allow our minds to remain open, polluted and unresponsive
with stuff and mess because an empty
mind seeks pleasure rather than responsibility. So
be aware of this tell-tell fact: we move, act, live and
behave in response to the images, ideas, thoughts
and beliefs instilled in our minds.
Also, it’s a very good thing to know that our minds
have to be nourished, stimulated, cultivated and
developed if we are to reach our full potential. All
of us are blessed, exclusively, with special talents
and gifts. And no one has, or ever will have, the
Nothing endures
but change.
Through patient self-analysis, Fuller discovered
his gifts and with a steady resolve, made them a
productive force in his life and also in the lives of
thousands of others around the USA.
But what about you? What are you doing with
your gifts?
Here’s a quick reality check: if you don’t honor,
employ or open your gifts, eventually, they will
dry-rot or be taken away from you! Much like social
workers who remove children found living in abusive
situations.
There is nothing so pathetic as to see an emptyheaded
man or woman drifting aimlessly through
life completely oblivious about their gifts, or hovering
far below their god-given potential. Wasted
potential, in the end, gives birth to a wasted life!
Still, it’s never too late to realize your gifts; be it one
or many-- all are made to be open. However, be
mindful of this reality: time and chance happens to
us all---when time is up, chance is also up!
In Theodore MacManus now famous 1915 Cadillac
ad, “The Penalty of Leadership”, we were introduced
to another reality:
“That which is good or great makes itself
known—no matter how loud
the clamor of denial. That which deserves
to live—lives!”
You may have heard the expression that “your gifts
will make room for you! I believe this to be true…
but only when such gifts are opened and deployed.
Gifts that remain unopened have no use…no value!
And any useless thing is soon discarded or tucked
away to be--out of sight or out of mind! You don’t
know your gifts? Well, ponder and reflect again
on this great truth: “that which is good or great—
makes itself known!”
Go open your gifts…and make yourself known!
--John Raye, a life-health- business coach, is an 8
year cancer champion. He lives in Kernersville, NC
(rayeandrosie@aol.com) (336) 782-8383
Remembering
Maya Angelou
A. Barry Rand, AARP CEO
A. Barry Rand, AARP CEO
When I learned of Maya Angelou’s passing
this morning, I remembered something
she once wrote in Letter to My Daughter
-”Try to be a rainbow in someone else’s
cloud.”
Maya Angelou spent her entire life being a
rainbow in someone else’s cloud. Through
her 31 books, her poetry, her personal
appearances and her other writings, she
spread her legendary wisdom throughout
the world, inspiring everyone who had the
good fortune to come into contact with
her personality and her work.
A former Poet Laureate of the United
States, she was one of the great voices of
contemporary literature and a remarkable
Renaissance woman. An educator, historian,
best-selling author, actress, playwright,
civil-rights activist, producer and director,
12 of her books became best-sellers. She
was nominated for three Grammy Awards,
and she received more than 50 honorary
degrees from colleges and universities
world- wide. She achieved ultimate recognition
in 2010 when President Obama
bestowed on her the Presidential Medal
of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian
honor.
Maya Angelou was a long-time friend
of AARP and of people 50+. She entertained
and enlightened audiences at our
National Event & Expo for many years as
our members listened in on her intimate
conversations with luminaries such as
Quincy Jones, Norman Lear, Whoopi Goldberg
and others. “At 50,” she told us, “you
become the person you always wanted
to be.”
This too, shall pass
In 2010, I had the distinct honor and pleasure
of presenting Maya Angelou with
the AARP Andrus Award, our association’s
highest honor. Then 82, her body was frail,
but her mind was sharp and her spirit was
strong. She was certainly a rainbow in all
of our clouds that evening.
Then, when AARP Foundation President,
JoAnn Jenkins, asked her to lend her
voice to an AARP Foundation video, she
didn’t hesitate-masterfully and eloquently
speaking for and to the nation’s most vulnerable
and often forgotten older Americans.
Maya Angelou once remarked, “When I
try to describe myself to God I say, “Lord,
remember me? Black? Female? Six-foot
tall? The writer? And I almost always get
God’s attention.”
On this day, Maya Angelou has God’s full
attention. And though we mourn her passing,
we will forever know that she remains
a rainbow in all of our clouds.

Page 14 June 2014 The AC Phoenix
Don Lemon Asks: Is Redskins The New
N-Word For Native Americans? + Kevin Hart
Weighs In
By Don Lemon
Don Lemon and Kevin Hart
An offensive word that many people hate
and think should be banned.
New York State, New York City, New Jersey,
and eastern Pennsylvania.
Half of Senior
Home Accidents
are Preventable, ER
Doctor Survey Says
aggressive enough in their protests, but
at lHome Instead Senior Care of Winston-
Salem and surrounding areas Offers Free
Home Safety Checks and Easy Fixes to Reduce
Accidents; Ensure Safety of Seniors
Nearly 20 million seniors ages 65 and older
visit the emergency room each year with almost
a third of the visits related to injuries*,
many of which are sustained in the place seniors
are meant to feel the safest: their home.
In fact, 65 percent of senior homes have at
least one potential safety issue, according to
adult children of seniors surveyed by Home
Instead, Inc., franchisor of the Home Instead
Senior Care network. However, almost half
of all home accidents by seniors (48 percent)
can be avoided according to a recent
survey of emergency room doctors.**
ommendations for inexpensive modifications
that could ensure the safety of older
loved ones are also available at www.
makinghomesaferforseniors.com.
These free safety checks and support resources
are part of Home Instead Inc.’s
broader Making Home Safer for Seniors
program. To request a free home safety
check or the home safety checklist,
please call the local Home Instead Senior
Care office at 336-760-8001.In fact, many
of these Blacks spend more time supporting
amnesty for illegals than they do issues
devastating the Black com
Ruby Dee Dies At 91
Others say not so fast, there’s nothing
wrong with using the word, especially
when we’re talking about a group of people
we hold dear, like, even love.
Sounds like I’m talking about the n-word,
which has been debated, discussed and
reported countless times, but I’m not.
This time it’s the dreaded r-word, Redskins,
as in the Washington football team.
For years now there’s been a push to force
the team to change its name.
Some fans, and of course Native Americans
find the term racially offensive.
Others say it’s just the name of a team,
lighten up, it’s a tradition.
But, just this week the United States Patent
and Trademark office stripped the
team of its trademark protection, calling
the team’s name “disparaging to Native
Americans.”
That means the team’s profits from the
word will probably shrink because others
can now legally use it to sell products
and/or merchandise.
Small victory for those who wanted the
name outright banned because it doesn’t
mean the team has to relinquish the
name; the owner has vowed he wouldn’t’.
Last summer when I when I researched
and then hosted an hour long special on
CNN about the n-word, for historical context,
I started by reporting on the history
and origin of the word.
Let’s do the same now for Redskin.
According to the Oxford Dictionary the
first recorded use of the word was in the
late 17th century in reference to Algonquian
people, one of the largest Native
American groups who lived in Southern
Originally the term was not a reference
to their skin color, but to the color of the
face and body paint they used in ritual
traditions.
But according to Oxford, “through a process
that in linguistics is called pejoration,
by which a neutral term acquires an unfavorable
connotation or denotation, Redskin
lost its neutral, accurate descriptive
sense and became a term of disparagement.”
Redskins, Red man and Red Indian were
all used by Brits and Americans to distinguish
between Indians from India and socalled
Indians or Native Americans.
It is very similar to the way Negro became
the pejorative N-I-G-G-E-R to distinguish
Africans living in Africa from Africans living
in the United States.
Either way you cut it, no matter the origin
a word, if over time it has become a slur, a
dig or an insult, should you use it, even if
it is the name of your favorite team?
My personal opinion is no, but you decide.
At the very least though, before you defend
using it, you should probably know
where it came from and what it means.
These preventable home hazards, such as
throw rugs or loose railings, can be particularly
harmful, leading to falls and injuries
that can impact seniors’ ability to live independently.
However, the majority of seniors
(85 percent) haven’t taken any steps to prepare
their homes for their changing needs
as they grow older.
“The home should be the safest and most
comfortable place for aging seniors,” says
Shannon Hodge of the Home Instead Senior
Care office serving Winston-Salem and surrounding
areas. “It is critical for families and
seniors to invest the time in identifying the
necessary home safety modifications to ensure
it stays that way.”
Senior home safety experts recommend
that adult children of seniors take at least
one day each year to perform a thorough
safety check of their parents’ home. To help
families accomplish this goal and help seniors
reduce the risk of injury in their own
homes, the Home Instead Senior Care office
serving Winston-Salem and surrounding areas
is offering free home safety checks conducted
by local senior care experts throughout
June. The safety checks will be provided
at no cost on a time-available basis.
“An annual safety check can help seniors
avoid dangers that could threaten their
independence,” said Hodge. “When we go
into homes, we see a lot of red flags that are
easily overlooked by those who are familiar
with the home. Most of the time, these are
relatively easy and affordable fixes—and
they could be the difference between a trip
to the emergency room and staying safe at
home.”
The most common issues found in seniors’
homes are tripping hazards, bathrooms
without assistive equipment, such as grab
bars on the shower or tub, and storage that’s
too high or too low. A free home safety
checklist, online safety assessment and rec-
Morning by Morning New Mercies I See.
Legendary actress and cancer survivor
Ruby Dee, who has been seen in strong
roles for over four decades, died June 11,
2014 in New Rochelle, N.Y. She was 91. The
death was confirmed by a family member,
who declined to answer any questions
pending the release of a statement.
The Cleveland-born, New York-raised
actress and activist — winner of an Emmy,
a Grammy and a Screen Actors Guild
award, among others — not only starred
on Broadway (“Take It From the Top!” “Two
Hah Hahs and a Homeboy”), film (Spike
Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” and “Jungle
Fever”), and TV (“All God’s Children,” “Feast
of All Saints”), but, with her husband and
collaborator Ossie Davis, was a major
figure in the Civil Rights movement.
In 2005, Dee and Davis received the
National Civil Rights Museum’s Lifetime
Achievement Freedom award. Davis died
in February of that year.
Dee’s first film role came in 1949, in the
musical drama “That Man of Mine.” She
played Rachel Robinson in “The Jackie
Robinson Story” in 1950, and costarred
opposite Nat King Cole, Eartha Kitt and
Cab Calloway in “St. Louis Blues”.
Dee’s absence from the stage never
dimmed her status as a trailblazer. Accepting
her best actress Tony Award on June
8, Audra McDonald heralded a number
including women, including Dee, saying,
“I am standing on Lena Horne’s shoulders. I
am standing on Maya Angelou’s shoulders.
I am standing on Dianne Caroll and Ruby
Dee.”

Page 15 June 2014 The AC Phoenix

Page 16 June 2014 The AC Phoenix