By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware

Every Black Christian worshiper has heard this phrase at one time or another: “Oh, you can do better than that.” It’s often said in reference to the vim and vigor of the phrases of praise offered by the congregation–or the lack thereof. 

“You can do better than that” is repeated, as if what’s being uttered is never good enough for the recognition of God’s blessings. As if more vigorous praise is a more acceptable offering with an added benefit for the “praiser.”

And maybe rightfully so. For many people of faith, praise is more than just a spiritual practice — it’s a tool for better health. From the familiar call to “do better than that” in expressing praise to the quiet strength of individual worship, faith and wellness have long been intertwined. 

”I’ve seen it close up, that people of faith health quicker and require less pain medicine, even if they have had a more extensive disease,” says Baltimore-based licensed practical nurse Tammy Saunders.  who’s been a nurse for years and is now a consultant. 

Referring to her work on a cancer unit, she said, “I’ve always been meticulous about getting meds to my patients on time and often, more often than not, more women than men, would not need the medicine at that time. They’d ask for help going to the bathroom or answering some other need, but it would be almost time for the next dose before they needed more meds.” 

Saunders added, “And I wasn’t even saved then to understand what was going on. I just easily recognized the difference.”

What Exactly Is Praise?

Not to be confused with worship, praise is a show of appreciation for what God has done. Worship is the acknowledgment of God’s essence, the “isness” of God. 

Churches often establish a sort of praise character — some loud, others not so loud. And within that collective praise is the added expression of all the arts, instruments, dance, singing, artistic expression and even reading of scriptures of praise. 

This generally describes the time of “praise and worship” in the average Black church, if there is such a thing as an average Black church.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, many traditional Black churches began to exchange choirs for “praise and worship” teams who led the entire church in a section of congregational singing of repetitive choruses in lieu of hymns with three to five stanzas and the gospel hymns that had previously been the mainstay and staple of church music. As an addendum to the singing, congregants are encouraged to lift their voices with chants of phrases like “Praise the Lord,” “Hallelujah,” “God is good,” and “We bless you Lord,” — or whatever else flows out of the heart and soul.

And studies seem to highlight the correlation between the utterances of praise and the health of the praisers.

The Praise and Health Connection

A 2017 study, “Church Attendance, Allostatic Load and Mortality in Middle-Aged Adults” suggested that “people who attend services at a church, synagogue or mosque are less stressed and live longer.” 

The study used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. Researchers found that middle-aged (ages 40 to 65) adults—both men and women—who attend church or other houses of worship reduce their risk for mortality by 55 percent.

One of the researchers, Vanderbilt professor Marino Bruce — who is also a Baptist minister — wrote that they “found that being in a place where you can flex those spiritual muscles is actually beneficial for your health.” 

In “Neurophysiological Benefits of Worship,”  Michael Liedke, a nurse practitioner, suggested that worshiping God causes an increase in BPNF, a neurotransmitter that helps grow healthy brain cells. “Every morning, we wake up with 300 million more brain cells. When we worship, gamma waves are created in our brain that can actually help us feel the presence of God.”

Psalm 22:3 says God inhabits the praises of his people, and “we actually get a physical boost as these gamma waves fire in our brains while we worship,” he wrote.

According to Liedke, gamma waves do more than just make us feel better, they actually increase our intelligence, too. 

“Research has shown that as you worship, you increase in wisdom, and there’s an increase in your capacity to understand the goodness of God,” he wrote. “So your relationship with God deepens as you worship him. As you worship, your brain is comprehending wisdom from the living Word helping grow your capacity to understand that God absolutely adores you. Interestingly, just seven minutes of worship every day will change your brain.”

This article was originally published on WordinBlack.com.

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By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware

Overview:

Since the 2020 election, far-right vigilantes have begun appearing at polling places, threatening poll workers and voters, usually in Black communities. Coupled with strict voter I.D. laws and criminal penalties for voter fraud, voting can be an uncomfortable experience.

For decades, voting for president every four years was as easy and safe as picking up a loaf of bread from the supermarket: show up to the polls, cast your ballot, and move on with the rest of your day. Then, the 2020 election happened. 

There were lies about election fraud and strict voter ID laws some say are racist. Vigilante “poll monitors,” some of them armed, menaced voters and poll workers, often in Black communities. Intimidating new rules were imposed that all but declare a blue vote in a red state may not be counted. 

It’s enough to make a faithful voter wish for divine intervention. Faiths United to Save Democracy, however, could be the next best thing. 

A nonpartisan, multi-racial, interfaith organization, FUSD is an organization designed to help and protect voters on Election Day. It dispatches trained, non-partisan volunteers —  poll chaplains — to help ensure free and unhindered access to the polls for members of vulnerable communities. 

Armed With the Law

Together with “peacekeepers” — lay volunteers trained with the chaplains —  they support voters, explain the rules or help them report irregularities, including electioneering, harassment and intimidation. The goal: help people navigate rules that could make it more difficult for Black people, young people, the elderly and differently abled to cast a ballot and have it count.

FUSD’s voter protection campaigns this year will take place in the South, including Alabama, Florida and Texas, along with Ohio and several key swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. 

The organization was created in the wake of the 2020 election to “protect the sacred freedom to vote of vulnerable citizens” because of “wide acceptance of political violence and the increase in anti-voting laws,” Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, a clergywoman and activist, said in a letter to new team members.

Amen, says Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, pastor of the Second Episcopal District of the AME Church in Washington, D.C. 

“We’re going to watch and pray that there be no intimidation, no obstruction, and no challenges,” he says. “We just want to keep the peace. We are 100 percent non-partisan in nature.” 

With early voting already underway in more than a few states, Faith United to Save Democracy and partner organizations — including the NAACP, Latino Christian National Network, the National Council of Churches, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, and the Nation’s Mosque — have dispatched some of the peacekeepers and poll chaplains they’ve trained since summer. 

While some right-wing poll watchers show up with loaded guns, the FUSD teams are armed only with knowledge of election rules and laws, nonviolent intervention tactics, a voting-rights hotline, and, of course, prayer. The need for peacekeepers and poll chaplains is clear, according to an FUSD press release. 

Fighting Chaos with Witness

Since the 2020 election, “voters have faced increasing barriers to exercising their right to vote,” according to the FUSD statement. “Nearly 400 voter restriction measures in 49 states, from ID laws to limited access to mail voting, have been proposed or passed. These laws erect barriers that disproportionately limit people of color, the elderly, and the poor from being able to vote.”

At the same time, “increasingly violent rhetoric and events throughout the 2024 election,” including election fraud conspiracies and death threats to poll workers, “have given voters credible concern about violence or intimidation at the polls,” according to the statement.

To counter those developments, “trained poll chaplains and peacekeepers will be deployed to cities and polling sites in areas of greatest need in this critical time for the future of our democracy,” according to the FUSD statement.

Though trained together, peacekeepers will be inside polling places as helpers while poll chaplains will stand outside to assist voters as needed. The task is simple, says Dr. James Perkins, pastor emeritus of Detroit’s Greater Christ Baptist Church.

“Be on time, let your presence be known, and be helpful as needed,” he says. “And keep the number of the hotline handy, just in case it’s needed.”

“The involvement of poll chaplains and Peacekeepers is essential in actively safeguarding the vote in local communities,” says Rev. Moya Harris, director of racial justice at Sojourners, a faith-based social justice nonprofit and FUSD member. “This is integral to our call as people of faith — to combat chaos with love and witness.”

This article was originally published on WordinBlack.com.

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More than 15 million Christians are not registered to vote so organizations are working to energize and register the faithful.

By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
Word in Black

For many generations, Christians have been encouraged to participate in the political system in spite of the “Be in the world, but not of the world” scripture used by many to remain aloof. The Black church, especially, has been the center of prayer and protest, and of Jesus and justice.

The upcoming general election in this country — one tasked with “saving the soul of the country,” as President Joe Biden put it — demands the attention of everyone of good faith to make the country better in whatever way they see fit.

”Don’t complain, Vote” is among the many slogans on front lawns around the nation, along with those who profess the candidate of their choice. According to Voter Registration Sunday, a campaign to foster increased voter registrations, more than 15 million Christians are not registered to vote. 

So, organizations of varied faiths have aligned themselves to encourage participation by the myriad members of their combined groups.

From Sunday service to virtual organizing

For some, the message will be emphasized every Sunday through the Nov. 5 presidential election.

“I’m preaching about lessons from the Daughters of Zelephedad (Numbers 27) when women’s rights and human rights were on the line,” says Ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook regarding her Sept. 29 sermon at Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Gastonia, North Carolina. She says democracy and women’s rights are on the line for history’s sake. 

“These women woke up, spoke up, got up, and acted upon their conditions. As a result, all the laws were changed to reflect rights for everyone,” she says.

”That’s what this Sunday is about, to do our one ‘Black job’ and go out and vote, to make a difference throughout the land.”

The website Vote Your Faith, which facilitates registration, offers information and a comprehensive tool kit that outlines how to sponsor a voter registration Sunday event at one’s house of worship.

In July, the coalition Faiths United to Save Democracy began training volunteers to “provide a calming and moral presence for vulnerable voters at in-person polling sites,” according to their website. They did so mainly because the last election, vehemently protested by the Republican candidate for president, was the scene of potential voters being denied access to the polls and of perfectly safe voting places being called unsafe, not to mention the voter identification laws enacted since that election. 

“Increasingly violent rhetoric and events throughout the 2024 election has given voters credible concern about violence or intimidation at the polls,” according to the FUSD site. Trained poll chaplains and peacekeepers will be deployed to the most vulnerable polling places. At this point, targeted states are Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin during early voting and on Election Day, Nov. 5.

“God intends for all creation to thrive. The current state of politics emphasizes the importance of protecting the vote for all people, especially for people of faith. It is crucial to ensure safe access to the polls in all communities,” said Rev. Moya Harris, director of Racial Justice at Sojourners.

“The involvement of poll chaplains and peacekeepers is essential in actively safeguarding the vote in local communities. This is integral to our call as people of faith — to combat chaos with love and witness.”

This article was originally published by WordinBlack.com.

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By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware 
Word in Black 

When I became curious about the work of the Holy Spirit in my life, it was Rev. Cecelia Williams Bryant, who started a class at Bethel AME Church in West Baltimore called Power for Living. When my interest in spiritual healing was piqued, it was Rev. C, as she is called, who started a Saturday morning class on healing. I wasn’t even a member of Bethel, but when the hand of God began to tug at my spirit with a call to ministry, there she was again, hosting a “Behold the Woman” conference in a downtown arena. 

It was as if she had been assigned to my case and I’m sure I’m not alone. I’m also sure I was not alone in wondering who would pray for us, who would gather us for prayer, when we learned she had eased out of time into eternity.

It was she who easily summoned the world together in prayer. It was she who prayed before kings and queens, bishops and potentates. 

I was deeply saddened to learn of her Sept. 26 death. 

“Rev. Dr. Cecilia Bryant was a commanding disciple who stood deep and strong in her faith and family, as she remained deeply dedicated to the cause of salvation,” Maryland Rep. Kweisi Mfume said in a statement sent to the AFRO. “As an advocate for community healing and mental health awareness, she committed her whole life to spreading the word of God as a liberating and annointing force to everyone she met. She will be dearly missed but never forgotten.”

A steadfast relationship with God

It was clear to everyone that Rev. C held a special place in the heart of God and could summon his attention to whatever situations we faced; and we could therefore expect relief because of her relationship with the Lord.

This relationship began years ago through the praying heart and hands of her mother, and flourished throughout her youth and even more in her relationship with Bishop John Richard Bryant to whom she was married for 55 years.

Together they changed the whole scene at Bethel AME Church. 

“The AME church was typically a quiet type of a service, very solemn,” Wanda Watts, director of the Wattsline who joined Bethel AME in 1977, told the AFRO, “and he changed that with choirs that sang contemporary music, and a different way of praising than AME had been accustomed to.”

She said he became everybody’s bishop. 

“If you’re Baptist, he’s still your bishop.”

The community began to come into Bethel AME church. They came in dashikis because that was the mode of the day. They came in jeans. They came in sandals. They came with wraps on their heads. They came happy and they came high– but they came to Bethel AME. And they were well served until the ministry demanded the couple be elevated to bishop and district superintendent.

A spiritual visionary

“Rev. C was an extraordinary spiritual leader and visionary whose impact spanned the globe. As a spiritual director, missionary and women’s empowerment leader, she embraced a calling to bring healing to the nations,” according to a statement from New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, where her son, Dr. Jamal-Harrison Bryant is pastor.

“Her leadership awakened the African and Diasporic Church to critical issues such as health, ecological wellness, development, culture and peace. She co-founded the AME Church in India with her husband and was the founder of the AME Church in the Ivory Coast.”

Bishop Walter S. Thomas, of New Psalmist Baptist Church in Baltimore, called her a spiritual lighthouse always pointing to safe haven and referred to the precious love with which she raised her children and stood beside her husband as they did their kingdom work. 

“There was such a vibrancy and zest for life that exudes from her and it was born out of her wonder for God,” he said, adding that “she’s missed already.” 

Rev. C preached on prayer, wrote books on prayer, summoned groups to prayer, called seasons of prayer, but most importantly she was a determined intercessor

Nurturing generations in ministry

Her children in ministry are almost innumerable.

 “I met her when I was 17-years-old, at Emerson College, while attending St. Paul AME Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I’d never seen a dynamo Black Christian team, with afros and dashikis and anointing, male and female,” says Former Ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook.

“About 40 of us became senior pastors out of that era, leading congregations throughout the nation and she and Bishop John have always been there for us and with use. For those entering ministry in the 1980s, there were no female role models except Rev. C.”

The faith community can hardly stand the thought of letting her go, even if it is into the arms of God. Many regards of sweet peace have been offered through all the social media platforms, with remembrances of that special touch.

“Last year she sent me prayers for a challenge our family was going through, texting regularly. And for the past few weeks we changed roles and this time I sent her prayers and covered her,” Johnson Cook says. 

“I don’t even have words to describe how I feel, only to say, I thank God for her; her ministry, her devotion, her marriage, her motherhood and her love.”

A homegoing service will be held in Baltimore at Bethel AME Church, 1300 Druid Hill Avenue, on Oct. 5. A wake will take place at 10 a.m., with the funeral service beginning  at 11 a.m.

This article was originally published by Word in Black.

The post Dr. Cecelia Williams Bryant: ‘She lived what she preached’ appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.

By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
Word in Black

Overview:

One in 6 Black men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, a potentially deadly disease. However, early detection and treatment can be life-saving.

A member of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Houston, Dewayne Charleston is comfortable talking openly about his belief in God. That faith was put to the test in 2009, when a doctor’s visit ended with a grim diagnosis: stage 4 prostate cancer.

Prognosis: incurable

“I never thought I would be the type of person who would get cancer,” he told KPRC-TV, a local TV station, in a recent interview. “I knew then that I was in for a journey.”

Charlston’s first step on that journey was prayer, together with his physician in his office. He continued to lean on faith through surgeries, treatments and therapies. At one point he told God he would dedicate himself to educating Black men like himself and fighting the disease “if You give me more years.” 

Now, 15 years after he was first diagnosed, Charleston has kept his promise with the Dewayne Charleston Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching other Black men about prostate cancer and supporting those who have been diagnosed. He also connected it to his bedrock faith with a cancer screening at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church on Sept. 21.

To honor Charleston, the church has announced it will include prostate health in its health ministry. Congregants are being encouraged to mark the occasion by wearing blue on the second Sunday in September. 

Charleston “has lived and thrived with metastatic prostate cancer for more than 15 years and created his foundation to bring national awareness to the need for African American men to have annual PSA tests,” according to the church’s website. “If you have not had a PSA done this year be sure to get tested at Wheeler.”

Disparities persist

It’s an important message for Black men: according to the National Institutes of Health, 1 in 6 Black men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, compared with one in eight White men. Making matters worse, Black men are less likely to be covered by insurance or enroll in clinical trials than White men. 

Perhaps most importantly, Black men die from prostate cancer at twice the rate of White men, according to the NIH. 

Charleston is attempting to counter that narrative with his namesake foundation. Aimed at Black men, the Charleston Foundation’s mission, according to its website, is “to help you re-imagine your life and to win the battle against prostate cancer. To share with you personal experiences, clinical trials. beneficial diets and exercise routines, effective treatments, implants, and the advocacy organizations that will help you to live a full and happy life.” 

But he also wants to change the bigger picture, in which Black men are more likely to get diagnosed with the disease, and have worse outcomes, than Whites. 

“Decreasing the racial disparity gap will not only benefit men of color, but will make the cost of medicine and treatments more efficient,” according to the foundation’s website. “In other words, use the treatments best targeted by genes and risk levels and not by color.”

In addition to his foundation, Charleston is also affiliated with the nonprofit Prostate Health Education Network’s Survivor Network (PHEN), which  provides resources and support for  individuals who have been diagnosed.

Spreading the Gospel of good health

The Charleston Foundation also partners with churches like Wheeler Avenue Baptist as well as other organizations to spread the gospel about prostate cancer testing and early detection. Their website offers a range of resources for churches to share with their membership and the surrounding community. 

“We have collaborated with PHEN over a number of years to raise prostate cancer awareness, and we are excited to partner with PHEN to provide educational resources to our churches to support our members and communities in the fight against prostate cancer,” Rev. Dr. Natalie Mitchem, executive director of the AMEC Health Commision said in a statement. “Our goal is to save lives by increasing vital knowledge about this deadly disease.”

Despite the diagnosis and lack of a cure, Charleston has persevered in part by changing his lifestyle — including a healthy diet and plenty of exercise — and by participating in clinical trials, which are structured programs in which the medical industry tests new, cutting-edge medications on volunteers.

Charleston took an aggressive approach to his treatments and experienced a great level of success. As such, he was able to continue his active lifestyle, including a recent trip to Ghana to volunteer at the local schools. He’s still living with the disease, but it hasn’t slowed him down.

Ultimately, Charleston wants to serve as an example for men, inspiring them to take better care of themselves before it’s too late. 

“Don’t be like me,” he said in the TV interview. “Don’t go 10 years — with insurance — and don’t get tested. Don’t eat fried chicken at gas stations. Take care of your health. Take care of your marriage. Take care of your family. All that begins with good health.”

This article was originally published by WordinBlack.com.

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By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
Word in Black

It’s no secret Black people in the United States disproportionately occupy Death Row — making up about 14 percent of the populace but 40.05 percent of people awaiting execution. And given that men are nearly 98 percent of the people facing capital punishment, incarcerated Black men are more likely to face death by the state than any other group.

Marcellus Williams, 55, is one of those men, and he’s scheduled to be executed Sept. 24 in Missouri. The prosecutor in his case filed a motion to vacate his conviction due to “overwhelming evidence that Marcellus Williams’ trial was constitutionally unfair, including revelations that the State contaminated the most critical evidence in the case—the murder weapon,” said Williams’ attorney, Tricia Rojo Bushnell. The courts, however, denied the motion.

As such, the case has reignited heated debates about racial injustice and the death penalty — and now faith leaders in the state are joining the fight to get clemency for Williams.

Life instead of death

On Sept. 19, in a letter to Missouri Gov. Michael Parson, 69 faith leaders from Christian, Jewish and Muslim backgrounds asked for mercy for Williams.

“We are advocating for life without parole and that Marcellus will remain in prison, with the message that his life can remain open to redemption, mercy, and the healing power of God and that he will continue to serve the Muslim community,” the faith leaders wrote.

The group pointed out that Williams himself is a faith leader at Potosi Correctional Center, where he is incarcerated. Now known as Khalirfah ibn Rayford Daniels, Williams became an imam and serves his fellow Muslim prisoners at the facility.

“With lifetime imprisonment, Marcellus will have a chance to continue his service to the religious community that he leads as an Imam,” wrote the faith leaders. 

They pointed out that Williams works with “a group of men, many of whom have been abandoned by society and in desperate need of guidance and strength,” and provides “a vital network of support for the prisoners.” 

Members of the Mid Missouri Fellowship of Reconciliation (Mid-MO FOR) a nonprofit organization for “people from many faiths, and no particular faith — all coming together to support nonviolence and justice,” have also advocated for clemency for Williams.

On Sept. 18, they hosted a gathering at the University of Missouri School of Law to discuss the Williams case. One of the speakers was Michelle Smith, co-director of Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty, who said, “Killing someone is final. We should make sure, as a state, as a community, as a government, that there are no questions.” 

The NAACP is also calling on Parson to halt Williams’ execution, noting that the death penalty has been “historically applied in a racially disparate manner,” particularly in Missouri. 

“Killing Mr. Williams, a Black man who was wrongfully convicted of killing a White woman, would amount to a horrible miscarriage of justice and a perpetuation of the worst of Missouri’s past,” NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson and Missouri State Conference President Nimrod Chapel Jr. wrote in an open letter to Parson.

“Put simply, Mr. Williams did not commit the murder for which he was convicted. The prosecutor knows it, and the citizens of Missouri know it,” they wrote.

Accusations of corruption

In 2001, Williams was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle, a former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter. 

The prosecution’s case hinged on witness testimonies and circumstantial evidence. However, DNA found on the murder weapon did not match Williams — a fact that has cast significant doubt on his conviction.

Despite these findings, Missouri courts have repeatedly upheld his conviction and death sentence.

According to the Innocence Project, “The State destroyed or corrupted the evidence that could conclusively prove his innocence and the available DNA and other forensic crime-scene evidence does not match him.” The organization notes, “There is far too much uncertainty in this case to allow Mr. Williams to be executed, particularly when the victim’s family believes life without parole is the appropriate sentence.” 

In January 2024, after an independent review of Williams’ case, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell moved to vacate his conviction. However, the circuit court denied the motion, stating there was insufficient evidence of innocence and that claims of racial bias in jury selection and ineffective assistance of counsel had been previously adjudicated. Bell is now appealing the decision to the Missouri Supreme Court, according to Williams’ filing for a stay of execution in the U.S. Supreme Court.

“We will continue pursuing every possible option to prevent Mr. Williams’ wrongful execution,” Bushnell, his lawyer, said. “There is still time for the courts or Governor Parson to ensure that Missouri does not commit the irreparable injustice of executing an innocent person.” 

This article was originally published on WordinBlack.com.

The post Marcellus Williams: Faith leaders join the fight to stop his execution appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.

By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
Word in Black

Overview:

In “Our Confession of Evangelical Conviction,” faith leaders are attempting to roll back the growing link between fundamentalist Christianity and conservative dogma.

In a step unlike any in recent memory, a group of evangelical Christian leaders has issued a confessional document urging the faithful to separate religion and politics, warning against “political idolatry and its messengers” and rejecting “the false idols of power, wealth, and strength rather than the true God.”

Signed by an array of influential pastors and faith leaders, the statement titled “Our Confession of Evangelical Conviction” seems designed to extract their brand of Christianity from conservative politics and left-vs.-right culture wars. It also is framed as a reminder to avoid blurring the lines between the church’s core values and political dogma — or any candidates. 

“We reject the false teaching that anyone other than Jesus Christ has been anointed by God as our Savior, or that a Christian’s loyalty should belong to any political party,” according to the statement. 

In announcing the document with other leaders on Sept. 9, Pastor Raymond Chang, president of the Asian American Christian Collaborative, said the confessional is intended to address the “deep political syncretism that has long taken hold of the evangelical church in the U.S.” 

That school of thought “has conflated partisan politics with evangelical Christianity,” he said. “It’s time to recalibrate and unite in our shared commitment to Jesus beyond the divisions of politics.”

Though it speaks in generalities, the document seems aimed at politicians in general, conservative politicians specifically — and Donald Trump, the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nominee, in particular. 

The former president is wildly popular among evangelical Christians, despite a public record that includes three marriages, two impeachments, the Jan. 6 attempt to overthrow the 2020 election, a multimillion-dollar civil judgment against him for rape and a criminal conviction linked to paying hush money to an adult film star.

Though Trump is not a regular churchgoer, a majority of conservative voters chose him at the ballot box, and an astonishing 80 percent of them voted for him in 2020. Some pastors and conservative politicians have even referred to the former president as ”God’s imperfect messenger” or “the chosen one”— a viewpoint that accelerated after Trump survived an alleged assassination attempt while campaigning in July. 

For his part, Trump has clearly returned the love. Speaking to a convention of evangelicals in July, the former president promised that if he was re-elected, “you won’t have to vote again, my beautiful Christians.” 

“Christians get out and vote. Just this time,” he said. “You won’t have to do it anymore.” 

The leaders who announced the confessional represent thousands of churches and more than 4 million evangelical Christians. They also announced a commitment to worship and pray together for the week Sept. 8-15.

The tenets of the “Confession of Evangelical Conviction” are to give allegiance to Jesus Christ alone; to lead with love, not fear; to submit to the truth of the Scripture; to believe the Gospel heals every worldly division; to commit to the prophetic mission of the church; to value every person as created in God’s image; and to recognize Godly leaders by their character..  

Dr. Christina Edmondson, co-founder of Truth’s Table, one of the many partner groups, said the statement of faith helps address her concern about Generation Z “because they are concerned about us. They don’t recognize the church that raised them.”

Evangelical Christians are defined as believers who “take the Bible seriously and believe in Jesus Christ as savior and Lord.” The term “evangelical” comes from the Greek word “euangelion,” which means the good news or the gospel. Thus, the evangelical faith focuses on the good news of salvation brought to sinners by Jesus Christ, according to the National Association of Evangelicals.

“In a political realm filled with fear, we have an opportunity as Evangelicals to lead through love rather than fear,” said Karen Swallow Prior, an evangelical Christian author, professor and speaker. “I’m excited about this statement and the vision it casts, cutting across partisan lines to show the world what the church truly is.”

Skye Jethani, author, speaker, and co-host of “The Holy Post” podcast, agrees: “The Confession is designed to hold up a mirror to those who read it. We believe in a God who raises people from the dead, and we certainly believe that God can free Evangelicals from their captivity to political idolatry.”

”Through this revival, we are calling on the church to turn away from fear and divisions and place our faith solely in Jesus Christ,” said Dr. Dan Boom, president of Trevecca Nazarene University and board chair for the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.

This article was originally published on WordinBlack.com.

The post Trumped: Evangelical leaders want followers to worship God, not politics appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.

Each year, a Brooklyn church honors their enslaved African ancestors by looking to the past while trying to improve the present.

By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
Word in Black

Overview:

At a time when some governments and schools are resisting or eliminating the teaching of Black history, St. Paul Community Baptist Church centers it with eight days of programming, sweeping in self-care and healing from generational trauma.

Each year, St. Paul Community Baptist Church in Brooklyn sets aside time to mark history and remember how enslaved Africans brought to America suffered during the Middle Passage. The mid-September observance is called The MAAFA, a Swahili term that denotes disaster, terrible occurrence or great tragedy.

While other cultures commemorate their history, people of African descent in this country are often encouraged to forget theirs, to the extent that history pages are edited and books are forbidden in public schools in some states. This will never happen as long as St. Paul is insistent on honoring the folks who endured and the people who belong to them.

Over eight days, the church will hold seminars and workshops for teachings and discussion not only about the history, but about the trauma that has transcended generations — and is the backdrop for current issues of pain and deprivation that pervade the African- American community.

The Rev. Dr. David Brawley, lead pastor of SPCBC, says this year’s celebration – coming amid what experts say is the most consequential presidential election in our lifetimes – seems particularly relevant. With Vice President Kamala Harris poised to make history as the first woman of color elected to the White House — but conservative judges and politicians intent on rolling back civil rights protections —  the stakes are high.

“In a year marked by national uncertainty and mounting threats to our democracy, we find ourselves at a critical juncture,” Brawley says. “The dangers posed by certain federal policy proposals remind us of a time when the voices of Black people were silenced, and our human rights were denied.” 

Yet the  challenges “deepen our resolve to fully embrace our cultural identity and fortify our community,” says Brawley, describing the theme of this year’s celebration. “Our focus on ‘Reclaiming the Village, Restorying Our Past’ is not just a theme but a necessary response to the times. It is a resolute commitment to preserving our heritage and empowering future generations to carry it forward.”

The event, which runs from Sept. 14 to Sept. 22, is centered, in part, on health and healing. 

Sessions and events include: 

Trauma and health: How the generational trauma of slavery continues to affect the mental and physical health of descendants of the enslaved, contributing to disparities with whites in chronic health conditions like  hypertension, mental health disorders and chronic stress.

Community healing practices: Creating  a space where art, spirituality, and community come together to facilitate collective healing, an approach that has proven beneficial in managing trauma.

Relevance to current health crises: Connecting  ongoing conversations around racial disparities in health care to the long-term effects of racism and historical trauma on community health.

The week  includes a theatrical production, “The MAAFA Suite…A Healing Journey.” The play explores trauma, ongoing pain and oppression of Africans in America and their descendants living in a White society. 

“The MAAFA Suite is a profound exploration of our shared history, crafted to evoke deep emotions and catalyze healing,” Brawley says. “Each year, we step into the sacred space of remembrance using art as a tool to honor our ancestors and ignite transformative healing within our community.”

The healing intent of the play, he adds, “lies in its ability to create space for both mourning and hope for Black people living in America. It is a spiritual journey that confronts painful truths of slavery and hundreds of years of oppression, while offering a path toward reconciliation and renewal.

“In a world that continues to be divided, this production reminds us that healing is not only possible but necessary for our individual and communal survival.”

The play, he concludes, “is not just a production–it’s a journey of reclamation and renewal.”

This article was originally published on WordinBlack.com.

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The fatal shooting of Warren Curtis Grant, 15, rocked Joppatowne, a suburban neighborhood near Baltimore. Then the faith community stepped in.

By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
Word in Black

When news broke that a 16-year-old boy shot and killed a 15-year-old schoolmate in broad daylight in a nearby high school last week, Rev. Stacey Nickerson, pastor of Salem United Methodist Church of Upper Falls, Maryland, was horrified. But she also knew she had to help heal a community traumatized by gun violence.

So Nickerson, whose church is about 20 miles northeast of Baltimore, did what ministers do best: she wrote, she listened and she leaned on personal relationships. 

”I heard about the incident through social media and checked in with our media manager who lives near the school and has ties there,” says Nickerson. Then, she called neighboring faith leaders to get them on board. 

“I raised the question: As we face the tragedy of a school shooting in our own community, how do we show that we value our young people?” she says. “I also challenged us to think about the opportunities we have to nurture young people as they discover and pursue their life’s purpose.”

The result is a grassroots, ad hoc coalition of churches and ministers who lifted up Joppatowne High School, its students and its teachers in prayer, coupled with small but meaningful gestures of support. That included writing encouraging notes to teachers, gathering a collection of snacks for the school and buying lunch — comfort food — from a local Italian restaurant. 

The coalition came together not long after reports that Warren Curtis Grant, 15, was found with a gunshot wound in a bathroom at Joppatowne High. Authorities say Grant died after another student, a 16-year-old, allegedly pulled a gun after the two fought in the bathroom on Sept. 6.

The suspected gunman, Jaylen Prince, was taken into custody not long after the shooting. Although he is still a minor, authorities released Prince’s identity because he is being charged as an adult.

As a result of the gunfire, Harford County public schools officials shut down Joppatowne for several days. The school reopened on Sept. 12 with extra security measures in place.

Within hours of Grant’s death, a group of neighbors, religious leaders and community members came to the school and prayed, according to local TV station WMAR. 

“It’s just been a sad day,” Daniel Mele, senior pastor at nearby Towne Baptist Church, told the station. Several members of the church’s youth group attend Joppatowne High.

Mike Nolan, founder of Harford County-based Breathe 379, said he was there to pray “for the community, and the rest of the kids and teachers.”  

Salem United Methodist, Nickerson’s church, doesn’t have young members who attend Joppatowne, but three catch their morning bus at JoppaTowne to commute to Havre de Grace High School. 

Still, Nickerson, the pastor, was deeply affected by the incident and wanted to find ways to help. The first was a message on social media to let the community know Salem United Methodist stands with Joppatowne High.

”We actually have a working relationship with Magnolia Elementary and Middle schools, but haven’t worked with Joppatowne in the past,” Nickerson says. She noted that the faith community included in prayer Apalachee High School in Georgia, scene of the country’s latest mass school shooting. 

Because the shooting happened two days before Sunday worship, “our youth Sunday School class talked about their experiences and feelings,” Nickerson says. She said Sept. 8 was “Rally Day,” when the church hails the start of a new school year for its young worshippers. 

“I had planned to speak on the prophet Jeremiah with a focus on him being called by God at a young age,” Nickerson says. Because the shooting happened just days before, she says, “I was able to add to my focus some things that addressed the incident and our opportunity to respond.”

Nickerson invited Salem members to wear purple on Sept. 9 to show their support, then connected to a partner in faith.

“I reached out to Pastor Adam Shellenbarger of Joppatowne Christian Church because he is very active in the schools. He shared with me some of what is being planned and I plan to participate,” Nickerson says.

The next day, Nickerson emailed her congregation with additional opportunities to show support, including donating snacks for teachers and staff along with notes of support, and making donations to Sapore Di Mare, a local restaurant that is donating lunch to the school on Sept. 13. 

Nickerson says a group of alumni is sponsoring a get-together at Joppatowne Christian Church on Sept. 25 to write notes as well. 

She says she will also deliver those notes in coordination with what others are doing, and that Salem will continue to be involved with JoppaTowne in whatever ways they are able. 

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The future of the National Baptist Convention USA, the nation’s largest Black Protestant organization, is clouded by problems related to declining membership and financial struggles of its member churches.

By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
Word in Black

Overview:

With membership upwards of 5 million, the National Baptist Convention USA wields considerable political clout, and was a key stop for aspiring Democratic presidential candidates like Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden.

On the surface, the annual meeting of the National Baptist Convention USA, which wrapped up this week in Baltimore, has been the picture of unity and fellowship. Thousands of members of the nation’s largest Black Protestant organization worshiped, sang, heard guest lectures and even rolled up their sleeves for a blood donor drive. 

Beneath the surface, however, the NBCUSA, as it’s known, is grappling with a leadership crisis — a critical issue that has sharply divided the church, brought simmering tensions into the open and laid bare structural challenges that could threaten the organization’s influence.

The stakes are so high for the august organization that Dr. Jerry Young, the outgoing, two-term NBCUSA president, didn’t sugarcoat his feelings in remarks opening the conference. Young spoke of perilous times, “when we have knowledge without character; when people want to worship but don’t want to obey.”

The NBCUSA, he says, has “preachers who want theology, but no doxology.”

It was a stark reminder of the scope of issues before the Nashville-based organization, which counts between 5.2 million and 7.5 million members nationwide, and wields such political clout that it has become a must-stop for aspiring politicians. 

The organization’s largest, most immediate issue is its presidency: NBCUSA bylaws prevent Young from running for a third term. But only one candidate, Rev. Boise Kimber of Connecticut, has been approved as a presidential candidate.

Yet rank-and-file members have not coalesced behind Kimber, for various reasons. Opponents are organizing for a majority “no” vote against him, but the move would create an extended leadership vacuum for the nation’s oldest Black religious organization, with no clear path forward. 

At issue are new restrictions, based largely on congregation size and financial status, that determine which churches can submit NBCUSA presidential nominees. But many member churches face aging, dwindling congregations, while others — in a post-pandemic era, where in-person worship is declining — are struggling to fill their coffers as well as their pews. That includes several churches which nominated presidential candidates, but saw their favorites disqualified because of the financial and membership restrictions. 

The election will be held before the end of the conference and the outcome is likely to pit the NBCUSA membership against itself. (By the time of this story’s publication, Kimber was elected as president.)

“In a season where denominations are more needed than ever, we’re more divided,” Rev. Breonus Mitychell, Nashville pastor and NBCUSA board member, told USA Today. “And because of our division, people are feeling like you’re not essential anymore.”

Leadership issues aside, NBCUSA attendees heard from a variety of notable speakers, including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, the state’s first Black governor and a rising star in the Democratic Party. Given the NBCUSA’s strong record on social justice, Moore, an Army combat veteran, touted the state’s aggressive plan to create affordable housing, but he also talked about his faith. 

“Before I left for Afghanistan, my grandparents gave me a little Bible and on every mission I put that Bible in a pocket over my heart,” he said. “In it, my grandfather wrote, ‘Have faith, not fear,’ an inscription that has guided his life. 

Conventioneers also heard from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

This article was originally published on WordinBlack.com.

Rev. Boise Kimber elected president of largest Black Protestant denomination in U.S.

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By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
Word in Black

In March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced houses of worship nationwide to shut down, both the ministry and congregants adapted to a new, supposedly temporary reality. Like schools and offices, church services would be conducted remotely, streamed over the internet into homes on pandemic lockdown. 

When asked, around 9 in 10 parishioners insisted they would return to in-person worship, as soon as the pandemic ended. They missed the handshakes and hugs of in-person fellowship, the resonant sound of the choir, the feel and smell of hymnals. 

More than three years after the official end of the pandemic, however, about a third of regular churchgoers haven’t returned to the pews — and only about 2 in 5 Americans regularly participate in church services at all.

A survey shows the situation is a bit more acute when it comes to the Black church, according to Pew Research Center. 

“While 13% of Protestants who belong to historically Black churches say they attend church in person and don’t regularly watch services virtually, most say they join services both in person and virtually (37%) or only watch remotely on screens (20%),” according to the Pew report, issued last June.  

The data illustrates a conundrum for faith leaders struggling to meet the new reality of a hybrid method of worship. 

“Pastoring the virtual church creates an accountability and connection challenge,” says the Rev. Jamal Brown, pastor of Family Restoration Worship Center in Philadelphia. “It’s not dissimilar from the traditional congregation challenges,” but the church as well as the individual bears responsibility for the decline of in-person worship.

Virtual worship “offered people an opportunity to hide from the responsibility of giving time, talent and tenth,” he says, referring to donations and tithing. “However, embracing the virtual church also exposed deficits in the church systems. What existed pre was enhanced in the post virtual church.”

Jason E. Shelton, a sociologist and professor and director of the Center for African American Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington, put a finer point on it in a February interview with Christianity Today.

“The future does not look good for organized religion in Black America, especially the historic traditions,” he said. 

“The Baptists are still the largest, but they’re losing people,” he said. “The Methodists are really down small. The Pentecostals are losing, but they’re not losing nearly as many since they’ve always been small.” 

The numbers are part of an overall trend of declining church worship in the U.S. According to Gallup, 42 percent of U.S. adults regularly attended church services two decades ago; now, that number has slipped to around 30 percent. 

Reasons for the dropoff in attendance vary, according to a Pew Research Center poll. Some former churchgoers are still worried about contracting COVID-19; others say they’re facing new physical challenges that keep them from going to church in person; still others say they prefer worshiping from the comfort of home. 

One can hardly argue with the modern comfort and convenience of watching Sunday home worship services, streaming live over a platform like Zoom or Facebook. Yet data from Lifeway Research found that 91 percent of those polled not long after churches shut down said they would return to the pews when the pandemic was no longer a problem.

But “as of the fall of 2022, the average church had 85% of its pre-COVID attendance numbers,” according to the study. A year later, Pew reported 27 percent of U.S. adults faithfully watch services online, compared with roughly a third who regularly attend church in person. 

Among Black parishioners, 2 in 10 prefer to watch worship services online at home, according to Pew.

Part of the reason for the dropoff is “continuing concern about COVID-19, which struck Black communities with particular force,” according to Pew. At the same time, however, “viewers who are members of historically Black Protestant churches are more likely to say they feel like active participants in these virtual services than are viewers who belong to some other faiths.”

Realizing what’s at stake, faith leaders are taking steps to draw their flock back into the pews. Some are reaching out to absent congregants in person; others are holding social events. One minister found that offering water baptism was a draw to some. 

For Shelton, the University of Texas sociologist, the decline in in-person worship is a worrisome trend for the Black church, an institution with a long, storied history in the community. 

“The church has always been the vessel that we as Black people have used to have community and solidarity,” he said. “It’s the church that connects , so as the nones” — Black people with no religious affiliation — “fall away from that, what does that mean for the community? What does that mean for Black music? What does that mean for Black politics? And what does that mean for the long-standing legacy of racial discrimination in this country?”

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By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
Word in Black

Six years ago, I was in Turks and Caicos celebrating my 50th wedding anniversary, walking the entire expanse of the resort and having a great time with the entire family — children, grands, and even great-grands. I had no thought of infirmity of any type. Nothing was slowing me down. 

By 2021, both hips needed surgery, but it was considered cosmetic and had to wait. In the interim, we tried physical therapy and injections. Neither worked. So, in March 2022, I went in for what was to be a typical hip replacement, and the plan was that six weeks later, I’d have another typical hip replacement and get on with my life. Not so much.

It’s 2024. I’m walking with a cane, and I’m grieving the mobility I enjoyed until then. Although I’ve lost too many friends too soon, I chose to mention this loss because it’s often overlooked when we think about grief. 

Grief is all around us. We grieve individually, and we grieve collectively. And it’s compounded by our shared social media culture.

So, what do we do with all this grief? 

I spoke with my favorite counseling psychologist, Toni Boulware Stackhouse, who started her practice, Life Matters Wellness, in 2020 during the pandemic when people were going stir-crazy from being locked up with too many relatives in too little space.

Challenging the Prosperity Gospel

In response to my question of how the church can be more helpful in the grief process, our conversation immediately went to the “prosperity gospel,” which seems t

o suggest, depending on the teacher, that anyone who is on firm ground in their faith should have everything they need and want, and not hurt, be ill, or suffer loss of any kind. She said that’s the problem. 

“One of the things the church can do is be more realistic about the fact that loss and death are parts of life. As much as there will be birth, there will be death. It’s the cycle of life. And that doesn’t speak to people dying prematurely, or prematurely in our sight,” Stackhouse says. “I think the thing with the church is we try to over-spiritualize some things. And we try to make people feel like, in a lot of instances, if you can’t accept things, if you feel like you gotta grieve, or you feel sad, or depressed, or you are anxious, then you are not spiritually mature. Or something is wrong with you. And that’s not true.”

She often references for her clients the scripture that details Jesus’ walk toward the hill of his death and describes him as being exceedingly sorrowful. 

“So when we go through, we use cliches like, ‘I’m blessed and highly favored,’ rather than tell the truth that we’re devastated or in pain. What we have created in the culture of the church is that it’s not OK for you to be not OK, and we need to reverse that,” she says. “The church needs to be the place where we can be and feel whatever we need in that season.

“That speaks to the humanity of Jesus because he came to walk the earth so that he could be an example for us, right? And show us that it’s okay to be human. He knew what he was going to do. He still felt the grief of the process. And the Bible describes it as exceedingly sorrowful. Those words sound like depression, right?” 

Many of Stackhouse’s clients come for more specific situations only to discover the real problem is grief.  For those who find grief to be their current reality, she suggests tools to help get through.

“I tell people to make space for it. When you feel like you need to cry, cry. If you feel like screaming, cussing, whatever it is that you feel like doing, allow yourself to do it because that means you need that release from your body. Grief has stages, and grief also has moments — unpredictable moments,” Stackhouse says.

“Journaling is good, voice or writing. Find ways to keep the legacy or memory of the person, especially for the younger ones in the family. Take up a craft or a hobby of the loved one you’ve lost and keep it going,” she says. “If the person was a gift giver, then give the same kinds of gifts.”

She also encourages people to talk about their loved ones and share memories with those who are also experiencing the loss, allowing them to do the same.  

The Weight of Youthful Grief

Rev. Therm James Jr. ministers to the “cradle to college” crew — between 150 and 175 young people at his church, New Macedonia Baptist Church, in Southeast Washington, D.C. In addition to his gifts and extensive professional training on the subject of grief, this doctoral student is, unfortunately, an expert.

When he was 13, his mother was killed in an automobile accident, and he went through all the expected stages of grief. He argued with God and questioned God’s keeping people addicted to and abusing drugs but taking his mother, “who was always singing and shouting, praising and living a good life.”

He was taken aback when one of his young men said, “Pastor TJ, all this stuff you’re talking about growing up, but who says I’m going to grow up?”

“And it hit me in a different way, hearing ‘I’m not going to be here for a long time, so let me just have a good time,’” he says. “With all the loss they’ve experienced, they raise the question, ‘Who’s to say I’m not next?’”

James says we used to have to pick up the paper to find out what was going on. “But now, every day you’re on your phone, you’re checking out Murder Ink, which houses all the bad things that happen in Baltimore City.”

He says every so often, he just has to disconnect from it. 

Faith in the Midst of Loss

“I see people who look like me, who have murdered people who look like me, and it plays on my emotions. It’s not normal. What we’re trying to make normal is just not normal,” James said, mentioning a recent Bible study on the theodicy of God, when bad things happen to good people. Or what happens when everything goes wrong.

“Job did everything right, and everything went wrong,” he says. “I try to help them understand we just can’t understand God, but that it’s alright to be angry with God. Faith will sustain you, but it always doesn’t feel fair.”

James’ bottom line is, “It’s OK to be angry with God, but just don’t stop talking.”

This article was originally published on WordinBlack.com.

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By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
Word in Black

Modern grandparents seem to customize their titles, not preferring the “grandma” and “grandpa” of the past. Some want to be called “Glamma,” “Nanee,” or “Pop” or even by their first names — which makes sense since most look nothing like the grandparents of previous decades. 

But no matter what they’re called, their influence remains strong. And this year, churches and community groups are stepping up to celebrate their contributions. So as Grandparents Day approaches on Sept. 8, faith communities nationwide are finding creative ways to honor the elders who play a pivotal role in family life.

The day “is an appreciation acknowledgement for grandparents who are caregivers. Not to mention, share wisdom, love, and family history with members of the family and friends,” according to the website of the 107-year-old Pilgrim Baptist Church in Omaha, Nebraska.

Just as the age and appearance of grandparents has gotten increasingly younger, the role of grandparents has changed so much in the last few decades too.

“I look at the adults who were children when I came having their own children, the cycle of life coming full circle,” says Rev. Stephen Russell, pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in northwest Baltimore. 

His congregation has a substantial number of seniors, like most congregations these days. 

And over the 18 years he’s spent as pastor there, Russell has seen “the integral role grandparents continue to play in the family.”

He referenced Paul’s advice to his young mentee in the familiar text in II Timothy 1:5.

“Paul told Timothy to hold onto the faith given to him, first, by his grandmother and then his mother, Lois. They have a unique position, parenting in both generations,” Russell says. “Paul was letting Timothy know the importance of that guidance. It’s just great to give special space and salutation to our grandparents.”

The History of Grandparents Day

National Grandparents Day was officially enacted by President Jimmy Carter in 1978, although its roots began in 1969, when 9-year-old Russell Capper decided to write a letter to President Richard Nixon. Capper suggested a special day be set aside to honor his and all other grandparents in this country. He received a response from Nixon’s secretary that the president couldn’t declare such a day, but could only act on a congressional resolution authorizing him to do so.

Almost a decade later, Congress finally acted, and President Carter signed a proclamation declaring National Grandparents Day on the first Sunday after Labor Day each year. 

The Catholic Church actually celebrated World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly on July 28, the Sunday nearest the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, Jesus’ grandparents. Pope Francis, who declared the first of these days in 2021, chose a line from Psalm 71 as the theme for this year: Do not cast me off in my old age.

“By cherishing the charisms of grandparents and the elderly, and the contribution they make to the life of the Church, the World Day seeks to support the efforts of every ecclesial community to forge bonds between the generations and to combat loneliness,” the Pope said in a statement.

A Blessing From God

“Grandparents are a blessing from God,” says the Rev. Lorraine Heigh, who will be the guest preacher on Sept. 8, when residents of Resorts of Augsburg —  a nursing and assisted living facility in Lochearn, Maryland — will be honored with citations signed by Adrienne Jones, the first Black and first woman speaker of the Maryland General Assembly. 

“They play a pivotal role as the foundation of family passing down cultural values and instilling valuable lessons in life with love and compassion to enrich the lives of their grandchildren,” Heigh says.

The event was planned and is being carried out by Augsburg’s chaplain, Eric T. Campbell, who is determined that the “resident grandparents not just know they are not forgotten, but realize how much they are appreciated by their families and by the Augsburg family.”

And in “recognition of their incredible contributions…and profound impact,” Calvary’s grandparents will receive citations from the members of Baltimore’s City Council, signed by Sharon Middleton, the church’s designated representative.

A Global Day of Prayer

The significance of Grandparents Day goes beyond individual congregations, though. The Christian Grandparenting Network designates the September observance as a global Grandparents’ Day of Prayer. The network emphasizes the need for spiritual guidance in an increasingly complex world.

“We recognize the desperate moral and spiritual climate our grandchildren must navigate in a world hostile to truth,” according to their website. Perhaps at no other time in human history is a call to prayer more urgently required than it is today.”

So whether through prayer, celebration, or simple recognition, faith communities are united in their appreciation of grandparents. Their lived experience, wisdom, and unwavering support are not just vital to their families but also foundational to the strength and growth of the community.  

This article was originally published on WordinBlack.com.

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By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
Word in Black

As the national conversation around reparations gains momentum, communities across the United States are taking action to address the enduring legacy of slavery and systemic racism. And one Midwestern faith-based organization, the Justice League of Greater Lansing Michigan, is turning talk into action by addressing the racial wealth gap.

Founded in 2021, the organization is all about repairing the deep wounds left by slavery and systemic racism. White members of area churches committed to healing their relationships with the Black community and making amends for racial harms. Because of that, the “reparations will be committed mainly from predominantly white Houses of Worship as part of their efforts to repair the breach caused by centuries of slavery, inequality of wealth accumulation, and the failure to live into God’s Plan,” according to the Justice League’s website.  

Indeed, the Justice League’s commitment to making things right resulted in them raising a reparations fund of more $400,000, built by payments from area churches and individuals who’ve taken a proactive approach to social justice. And so in early August, the Justice League handed out $5,000 scholarships to 10 college-bound high school grads. 

Recipients were selected based on their 500-word essays that examined the racial wealth gap or generational wealth in America and how that gap has affected their families. Academic grades counted for 25 percent of the total score and finalists were also interviewed.

“A common thread in their essays is that discrimination today has resulted from years of social injustices, and it continues to limit African-American families’ access to basic wealth builders–education, higher paying jobs and home ownership,” says Willye Bryan, founder and vice president of the Justice League. “This doesn’t allow for generational wealth building, nor does it allow for closing the racial wealth gap.”

When he thinks of generational wealth, scholarship winner Zachary Barker, who’s headed to Michigan State University, wrote that, “I think of families like the Rockefellers, Gateses, and Buffets. Recently, some famous Black people have achieved billionaire status like Michael Jordan, Jay Z, Lebron James and Oprah. But the rest of us are still struggling to get by.”

Olivia Burns, who will attend Michigan State University’s Honors College, is a Black transracial adoptee who was exposed first-hand to the racial wealth gap. She wrote about the relative wealth in her White parents’ household compared to her Black biological family’s household.

“Both my adoptive parents went to college paid for by their parents and received bachelor’s degrees,” Burns wrote.  “Neither of my biological parents nor siblings have had the opportunity to attend college, and most were barely able to finish high school because they had other responsibilities like working or providing childcare for my younger siblings. Today my adoptive family owns their homes and no one in my biological family owns their homes.”

Marvin Deh, another scholarship winner who’s also off to Michigan State, reminded us that legal racial segregation was only two generations ago ‚ and so the racial wealth is still very much ongoing.

“Most of our grandparents can describe what it was like to be African-American back then and the struggles they had to face,” Deh wrote. “They couldn’t build generational wealth when the world was actively pulling the rug from underneath them. There’s only been two generations to be given a ‘fair’ chance and enough time to build upon …. On paper the odds are ‘fair’ but in reality we still have to face racism, police brutality, injustice, systematic oppression, lack of influence, stereotypes, and societal pressure.”

“This is not charity and it’s not designed to make you feel better about giving a check,” Bryan said in an interview last year. Along with raising funds for the scholarships, the Justice League hopes to address other systemic barriers to wealth creation by supporting Black home ownership and entrepreneurship.

As J’Kyla Hobbs, who will be attending the University of Michigan, put it: “Investing in affordable housing, improving access to quality education and healthcare, and reforming the criminal justice system are critical steps toward building a more equitable society.”

This article was originally published on WordinBlack.com.

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By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
Word in Black
Residents of Flint, Michigan, still don’t drink the water. 

They drink bottled water. They use filters to purify the water that flows from their faucets. But after 10 full years, and much assurance from political leaders, they still don’t trust that the quality of their water — once so contaminated it was compared to an Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site — is now safe enough for their consumption.

Therefore, the churches of Flint still don’t regularly conduct baptisms. Not yet.

“For many years since the inception of the problem, we did not baptize at all,” says Bill R. Quarles, deacon at First Trinity Missionary Baptist Church in Flint. “We had one about eight months ago, but we still don’t baptize on a regular basis.”

It’s a stark departure from their faith, given the importance of baptism in religious ceremonies. But it also indicates the degree of trauma inflicted on the church by the Flint water crisis a decade ago, and a desire to keep congregants safe.

The problem, however, is much more than just the loss of the baptism ritual. 

In 2014, Flint had a population of just under 99,000 people. By 2022, the most recent year U.S. Census Bureau data is available, only 79,854 residents remain in the city. 

“Five Black churches have closed in the last three months,” says Rev. Derrick Aldridge, senior pastor of Second Chance Church. And due to the inability to easily cook with water, First Trinity still has no fellowship meals, which is a hardship in Baptist churches.

Roots of the crisis

On April 25, 2014, not long after officials switched the city’s water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River in a cost-saving move, residents began to complain the water looked filthy, smelled foul, and tasted of chemicals. Officials insisted the water was safe, but those who could afford it switched to bottled water. 

Further testing, however, revealed that the water contained dangerous levels of bacteria and lead, leaching from the city’s aged, decrepit water system. The crisis became a national scandal: a majority-Black city with a 40.1 percent poverty rate became a high-profile example of environmental racism. 

Then-Gov. Rick Snyder sent in the National Guard to distribute bottled water to poor residents while local, state, and federal government officials bickered about how to solve the problem, who was to blame — and who would pay for it. 

As the crisis dragged on for many months, officials eventually agreed on a plan to overhaul Flint’s water system, gradually upgrading pipes, enhancing the filtration system and making the water safe for all. By then, however, residents had come down with mystery illnesses, strange rashes, and hair loss, and tests revealed children had alarmingly high levels of lead in their blood. 

While the water crisis disrupted everyday life, from doing dishes to learning loss in schools, not much attention was paid to how it affected the city’s faith community. 

The toll on Black churches

Quarles, of First Trinity Missionary Baptist, has been closely involved with the church for over 42 years. He says he has worked tirelessly to find solutions when people’s lives and health were threatened by unfit water.

Through their Flint Water Relief Mission, Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia, partnered with First Trinity for over two years, providing 20,000 cases of water to Flint residents. “They sent teams to work with us, and we’re still in touch,” Quarles says.

Nowadays, the church is still “blessed to have partners, so we have water boxes that hold and filter water before it’s given out in 2- or 5-gallon containers,” he says, which they do every Wednesday and Thursday.

Some churches joined in the distribution of bottled water to poorer residents, and churches served as repositories of important information and updates. They also helped bring people together, forging resiliency in a time of crisis. But not much thought was given to how it changed the ritual of baptism. 

Redefining baptism

Flint-area pastors collectively reflected on and developed principles around baptism in the city. In a 2022 paper published in “Sacramental and Liturgical Theology of Healing and Crisis Rites,” the pastors wrote that “Baptismal faith and identity were expressed in networks of solidarity that both facilitated church parking lots piled high with pallets of water and sustained those who sat around countless tables in tense rooms demanding accountability and justice.”

They “found themselves examining their own understanding of baptism — what it is, what it means — during a time when the water was a sign of dehumanization and environmental racism.” 

As a result, “The call to pastoral care rapidly expanded outward as folks recognized a need to act beyond the church walls,” according to the paper. 

Significance of baptism

Most churches celebrate new membership with some form of baptism, christening, or drizzling. For Baptists, full immersion is the most often employed method — dipping the new member’s entire body into a water-filled tank, or a nearby body of water. But if the water is not clean enough, most pastors look for alternatives.  

While salvation is not dependent upon baptism — baptism is an outward sign of an inward transformation — it is quite important in the life of the church and of the family. Fully immersing a candidate in water symbolizes a formerly sinful person’s metaphorical death and resurrection into a new life in faith. 

Faith-based calls for accountability

Despite an ongoing, massive overhaul of the city’s water system, Flint’s faith community is still not sure their water is safe enough for baptism, one of the church’s most sacred rituals. 

Aldridge, of Second Chance Church, says baptism “was a big deal, like a bar mitzvah.” Families would gather to celebrate the event, with meals and fellowship with the congregation. 

Since the water crisis emerged, Aldridge says, baptism “has lost momentum and is now disconnected from the church’s purpose.”

Fortunately for Aldrige, his church building gets water from a different source.  But he is frustrated that, a decade after the first cup of dirty water was drawn from the Flint River, no one has been held to account for the problem. 

“Someone needs to take responsibility,” he says “Someone needs to be held accountable. The people of Flint need to be made whole again.”

This article was originally published by Word in Black. This story is part of “Flint’s Still Fighting,” Word In Black’s series about the decade-long water crisis, and the struggles and triumphs still transforming the majority-Black city.

The post ‘Take Me to the Water’ is not being sung in Flint churches appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.

By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
Word in Black

From helping businesses with recruitment or workforce development, to aiding folks who need help tailoring their resumes and prepping for interviews, Hennither Gant has it covered. The Baltimore-area resident and founder of Career Image Solutions, has spent the past 12 years bringing her human resources expertise, entrepreneurial expertise, and common-sense approach to her work.

“Through insightful consultations and assessments, we collaborate closely with our clients to uncover their professional identity and chart a course toward rewarding career paths aligned with their values and goals,” she tells Word In Black.

Gant’s drive is rooted in her faith. 

“I love God, all things business and HR is my vehicle to bring change in the world,” she says on her website. Indeed, her enthusiasm for effective hiring strategies and integrity-based leadership in the workplace makes her a sought-after coach, panelist, and trainer. Word In Black caught up with her to find out more about how faith drives her work, and her approach to bringing the best out of everyone.

Q: What tools do you use to place people in the appropriate jobs?

Hennither Gant: Through an initial discovery call and a series of questionnaires focusing on their passions, work history, aspirations, and work habits, I guide individuals towards suitable career paths. By delving into their intrinsic motivations rather than simply following trends, I strive to align them with roles that resonate with their true calling. Sometimes, I incorporate personality assessments to gain deeper insights.

Q: Do people who already have a job often come to you because they are not satisfied with their job?

HG: Absolutely! It’s a common scenario. I often advise professionals that the optimal time to seek a new role is when they’re currently employed. Interestingly, dissatisfaction with the current job often stems from a deeper disconnect rather than surface-level grievances. Through coaching, we unearth that individuals may not be in touch with their authentic selves and aspirations. Taking the time for self-reflection often reveals their true desires and directions.

Q: In your dealings with employees, do they seek people who are spiritually gifted, or naturally gifted in certain areas?

HG: Yes, many employers, particularly smaller ones, emphasize desired personal attributes alongside technical skills. These qualities often include self-motivation, intuition, emotional intelligence, effective communication skills, solution-oriented mindset, and strong work ethic. I have particularly found that working professionals who are confident in who they are and know what they want, tend to stand out among the crowd of other applicants. Employers recognize the significance of holistic traits in potential hires beyond just technical proficiency.

Q: From your experience, what’s the value or outcome of having job satisfaction? Mentally, emotionally, and socially.

HG: Numerous studies consistently highlight the profound impact of job satisfaction on various aspects of well-being. It intricately links to mental and emotional health, productivity, and even physical well-being. Chronic dissatisfaction at work can elevate stress levels significantly. Considering that a considerable portion of one’s life is spent at work, aligning with meaningful pursuits can foster fulfillment and happiness, positively influencing other areas of life, including social connections and personal relationships. A helpful strategy is to reassess your life every 3 to 6 months, posing the question: “What should I stop, start and continue?”

This article was originally published by Word in Black.

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By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
Word In Black

Bishop Leah Daughtry was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., into a family where church was their life, which is the definition of a preacher’s kid. She began teaching Sunday school at 13 but carries none of the usual “PK” cynicism. “Usher, church administrator; being a preacher’s kid in a smaller church, you had to do all these things. We didn’t get to sit and wear pretty clothes,” she says. 

But a PK component emerged when asked if she’s ever cleaned the church bathroom.

“Yes, Ma’am, the bathroom, the kitchen, sweep the floor, make the bulletins in the old days with the mimeograph machines,” she says when I interject, having to clear mistakes on the bulletin master with a razor blade. She continues, laughing, “Buy the chicken, fry the chicken, serve the chicken, raise the money, count the money, take the money to the bank.”

Daughtry had no expectation of formal ministry until the call came in 2000. And she answered in a wholehearted way. 

She is now the presiding prelate of that church, a Pentecostal Assembly founded in 1929 by her grandfather, Bishop Alonzo Daughtry. It’s formally called The Church on the Mount, but the national fellowship of churches is called The House of the Lord.  

That fellowship describes its mandate as prophetic, political, pastoral, priestly, pedagogical and programmatic. 

A church full of registered voters

“We believe in the small church model, which is biblical,” she says. “It’s important that the shepherd be able to count the sheep. Know them by name. Know what their conditions are. There’s no need to go through lots of layers to get to the shepherd.” 

The members of The House of the Lord are educated in the necessity of voting and required to register; they are enlightened about the issues.

“We give them tools to make assessments for themselves. We don’t tell them who to vote for. They don’t have to vote, but they do have to register. When candidates come to speak, they know they’re addressing a church full of registered voters.”

So they immediately see the dichotomy in a platform that declares itself pro-life but has no care about the quality of the child’s life once it’s here.

“Abundant life in all its phases. Food. Shelter. Water. Good schools. Safe streets,” the Bishop says. 

“I want to be clear that I am not fighting for abortions. I’m pro-choice, but not pro-abortion. That’s between the women and their God. Everyone has a God-given right and a God-given ability to make personal decisions, including who you want involved in those decisions, but definitely not the government.”

She said we should have autonomy over our being and personhood. We are endowed with the right and freedom.

The bishop responds to the revisionist history being propagated. “The boldness of the lie is quite stunning,” she says. “That people learned skills, had housing. What housing? Our responsibility is to challenge the lie. It’s just a lie.”

And her tone softened as she recalled the family history that recorded her then fourth-grade-age grandmother having been raped, and chosen as the bed partner for the slave master. He legally claimed the son as his own, but who would deny the violence perpetrated upon a child?

Bishop Daughtry says the same force wants to make decisions for us — basic life decisions and choices: “It is the same force that made decisions over our grandparents. People outside myself make decisions. It’s the same demonic force.”

A Capitol Hill start

“My first vote was for Jesse Jackson for President in 1984. In my junior year of college, I interned for U.S. Rep., the Rev. Ed Townes of New York,” she says. 

She says working on Capitol Hill for those four years gave her an on-ramp into the Washington political establishment through his values lens, which reflected her own values and showed that faith and politics could be intertwined without losing their parameters. 

She also worked for Democratic National Committee Chair Ron Brown and had a hand in logistics for the 1992 convention. She was also an administrative assistant for Alexis Herman, the first African American to be Secretary of Labor

Trump surprise? Not. 

Bishop Daughtry says she’s not surprised that Trump is once again the Republican front-runner. 

“Because this country is what it is. We’ve never really repented for the sins of slavery, racism, sexism. When you dehumanize God’s creations, making them less than you…you commit a sin. Because our country refuses to deal with the sin of racism and sexism at its core, we’ll keep coming back to the consequences…Trump is one of the consequences,” she says. 

“My deeply held faith drives me to believe that every single human being is a person of worth, in whom God has invested His own time and His own breath to bring into being. I am compelled therefore to love and care for God’s handiwork — my sisters and brothers on this earth — and to see them as reflections of God’s love, grace and joy.”

For Bishop Daughtry, voting means choosing the person who represents her and her values. “Trump in no way represents my values. I don’t want my young nephews spending four years looking at him as a leader, as president or thinking his views are OK.”

What about the young people who are threatening to withhold their vote from the Biden administration because of Gaza?

“I’m really disappointed in the administration and the way it’s managed Gaza. There are 30,000 innocent dead people, people who had absolutely nothing to do with Hamas. They just happened to be living where Hamas is the political party in power,” she says. 

“And our country is funding the weapons Israel is using to kill Palestinians. They’re pushing them from Gaza to Rafa. Where are they going to end up?”

She prays every day and works every day to get the current administration to do the right thing, 

“I’m devastated at what’s going on in Gaza. But I’m also concerned about what’s happening on the South Side of Chicago, what’s happening in Bed Stuy. In Oakland. In Atlanta,” she says. 

“Trump ain’t going to help with none of them. If Trump was president now, Israel would have obliterated Palestine by now. That’s what he said.”

What have I done?

What have I done? That expression of regret is what Bishop Daughtry wants no voter to feel the morning after any election. Regret at having chosen the wrong candidate, or no candidate at all for the wrong reason. Everyone’s worst nightmare. 

There has been much conjecture as to the number of votes that will be lost because of the way the Biden administration has acted during the war in Gaza.

“The Democrats are my party, and I support them. I don’t support everything that they do.  And I definitely don’t support the way they’ve handled the situation in Gaza,” she says. 

“I was happy to hear President Biden say he was going to build a port city so the U.S. and other countries could provide food, clothing, medicine, and other essentials of which they are currently deprived.”

But what if Trump had been president when this happened? “Israel would have obliterated Palestine by now. He said out of his own mouth that Israel should just get it over with.”

And, says Daughtry, “President Biden said something no recent president has said, that there needs to be two states. The Palestinians should be able to govern themselves, without oversight of Netanyahu.”

A missed opportunity

Some people, especially Christians, say they’ll vote for the House and Senate, but not the top of the ticket.

“They should read Project 2025. It’s the Trump manifesto. It states what they plan to do if they get another go at the White House,” the Bishop says. “They’re going after everything they want with executive orders, all that don’t require congressional approval.”

She says they’re planning to deport Muslims, and half her family members are Muslims. 

“I’m concerned. They’re going to overturn laws — replace them with new laws. The top of the ticket matters,” she says.

Not voting is a missed opportunity.

“And you end up with, ‘Oh my God, what did I do?’”

This article was originally published by Word In Black.

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By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
Word In Black

I met Sister Mothyna James Brightful when she interned at the Baltimore AFRO during her senior year at Morgan State University, and it was evident she had a calling: ministering to women. Raised in a Christian family, her spirit responded to Islam in a profound and transformative way. For her it answered deep-seated questions and it fit her journey like a tailored cloth. 

She’s a wife, mother, sister, friend and entrepreneur who exudes the peace she’s found — especially when she’s doing the work of helping women find their sea legs in whatever calling beckons them. So we asked Sister Mothyna to share with Word in Black how she practices her faith through the season of Ramadan.

In 2024, both the Christian holiday of Easter and the Jewish holiday of Passover will take place during the Muslim season of Ramadan,  a time for praying, fasting and fellowship. 

Word In Black: As Christians, we fast during Lent in an attempt to better experience the sacrifice Jesus must have felt as he journeyed toward his crucifixion. How is Ramadan different?

Sister Mothyna: Our fast is distinct in that we aim to find greater peace, not only for ourselves but also to share it with everyone we encounter, including family, friends and co-workers. Sometimes people have habits they want to break, so this is a great time to do that — and not just with food. It could mean spending less time watching TV or cutting back on sweets. Some are working to spend more time with loved ones. It’s really about becoming the best version of ourselves. Ramadan isn’t a health fast. There are health benefits, but it’s a spiritual fast. People compare it to intermittent fasting, but intermittent fasting is designed for health. Ramadan is obligatory for all Muslims although there are provisions for those who are unable. We submit to the instruction in the Holy Quran in our desire to get closer to God.

WIB: What else should we know?

SM: During Ramadan we aim to read what’s called a 30th of the Quran every day. You can pick up a Quran and many of them are now separated into 30 parts. So, you have a section that you read, called the Juz, every single day and that should become the dominant part of your discussion throughout the course of your day. By the end of Ramadan, you would have read the entire Quran.

WIB: I love this. I need to get one. 

SM: It’s beautiful. I have in my home three different Bibles, plus a biblical annex, plus a metaphysical dictionary, and a Bible dictionary. And then I have about four or five Qurans. I believe that when we seek to align our minds and our beings with God, it does require us to study, because if you think about it, every prophet that I can think of had to study and align themselves with God.

So for example, Prophet Muhammad, peace of blessings of Allah be upon him, was considered an ignorant man because he didn’t know how to read. When he received a revelation from Allah, he recited it to people. So at first it was our recitation. And then it was written down. And guess who was entrusted to hold the written works? Women. 

WIB: Do people eat before sunrise?

SM: Some people do that meal which is called suhoor. Most make sure they have water before the fast begins each morning. People who are diabetic can’t go as long without food. People who have to take their meds, it is permissible. Some people want to have their coffee.

WIB: I forget how much Ramadan is affected by the calendar as well as the season. 

SM: Yes. It begins in the evening of March 10 and ends on April 10. The times will be exact according to the new moon, as the Islamic calendar is Lunar.

WIB: So tell us about that evening meal. 

SM: Culturally a lot of Muslims will break their fast with a date because they’re highly nutritious. It’s a good way to reactivate the body. I also like to drink something warm, like tea or room temperature water. You break your fast. Then you go pray because just like you break your fast at the prayer time, you start your fast, in theory, at prayer time. You break your fast as a family — as friends. And you pray the same way as a group.

WIB: Give me a typical meal.

SM: That is really very culturally driven, I try to have a balanced meal, meaning we have some soup, some vegetables, maybe some couscous. But later in Ramadan, your stomach shrinks so you can’t eat as much.

WIB: How does observing Ramadan affect your work day?

SM: I get up and work out in the morning before the sun comes up. I also kickbox two days a week, and that’s like 5:00 a.m. I know a sister who says the first three days are always the most difficult for her, so she reduces her work day.

WIB: And this is something everyone can do?

SM: There are provisions for women who still receive their menses. You don’t fast during that period. Breastfeeding mothers shouldn’t fast. If you’re sick, you shouldn’t fast. You can make up those days another time or you can do an act of kindness like feeding someone. And that will absolve you of that particular day. 

This article was originally published by Word In Black.

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By Rev. Dorothy Boulware,
AFRO Special Projects Editor

Often when I saw J.D. Howard at the front counter of the AFRO building on Charles Street I would duck into my office and wait for his voice to go away. I rarely won that battle because before I knew it, he’d be in my office trying to convince me to print and pay for something we really had no interest in.

He sometimes won. And he always did really good work.

J.D. had that gut instinct that knew what angle to take to get all the subjects in the photo. 

He knew just how much light was needed. He knew how the people should be situated in the photo. 

He knew who should be left out of the photo– and he wasn’t always particularly diplomatic in saying so.

But he was in high demand: every church, every sorority and fraternity wanted J.D. to photograph their events. 

Every family wanted J.D. to cover the celebration of life services for their loved ones, because he was undeniably the best.

And no one could dispute that, looking at the photo he took of the Million Man March in Washington D.C. on October 16, 1995.

He told me he found a building that was open and he paid somebody to let him get upstairs on the highest floor and aim his camera to capture as many of those men as he could. 

And his photos still rate among the best, because very few thought to do the same. 

J.D. did weddings and graduations. J.D. did marches and conventions. 

J.D. shot openings of buildings. 

Eventually he expanded his business, to also capture the stages of building construction from beginning to end.

And he didn’t work alone. His partner was his wife, Geraldine, who preceded him in glory, was the one we called when we couldn’t find him. 

She was the one who would remind him he had a job to do and that the AFRO was looking for him.

And when we called his phone, it was Geraldine’s name that popped up. 

Everybody who worked at the AFRO, knew J.D. Howard and we were sad when he had to stop taking our photos. 

“J.D. was the definition of indefatigable,” said Sean Yoes, former AFRO writer and editor. “He was always moving towards the next assignment, or the next shot. He was passionate about his work and he was passionate about his people– the two were inextricably linked.  

“Perhaps more importantly, J.D. was just a good brother,” Yoes said.

AFRO production manager, Denise Dorsey, also has fond memories of the legendary photographer. 

“Mr. Howard was a character–in a good way–and genuine. That is what I liked about him. An excellent photographer, he was always very passionate about his work. And never one to mince words.”

James Howard, son of J.D. Howard, spoke with the AFRO about his time with the publication. 

“My father’s relationship with the AFRO spanned decades, and it was one of the entry points through which he established himself as one of Baltimore’s most prolific photographers,” said James Howard. “It was marked by periods of creative tension at times, the collaboration resulted in some of his finest work, and produced many images that AFRO readers still talk about to this day.“

No doubt about it – we are certainly glad J.D. Howard came our way.

Services for J.D. Howard took place on Feb. 6 with viewing from 4-7 p.m., and a wake at 11 a.m. on Feb. 7. The funeral took place immediately after the wake at 11:30 at March Funeral Home, 4300 Wabash Avenue in Baltimore City. 

Howard is survived by his two sons, James Howard Jr. and Lester Howard; granddaughters Latavia Watson and MaKayla Howard; two brothers Theodore and Victor Howard and two sisters Kay Collins and Phillis Dogget. 

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By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware,
Word in Black

I can’t use her name, even if I could remember it after all these years. What I do remember is the visceral pain I felt as I listened to my seminary classmate confess that her husband assaulted her physically, emotionally, and sexually on a regular basis. Most days. But always on Sundays. Just before she was scheduled to assume her role as pastor, just before she had to preach the good news of Jesus Christ. 

I felt foolish telling her what I thought was obvious. You are in no way obligated to stay in an abusive relationship. She seemed relieved. It was as if she’d never heard it before.

And she was not alone then. She is not alone now. Many Christian women stay in abusive relationships because they feel it would be unchristian to leave, or because they don’t find the kind of support they need in their church. Or any other church.

Brittney Guary’s story is different, although it’s all one horror story. She could see the warning signs before her relationship was consummated in marriage, but she forged ahead with her plans. In fact, the church offering premarital counseling encouraged her to get married and not worry about the signs that should have dissuaded her.

“I should have known when I saw so much porn around him. It seemed to be an obsession, but he always pushed aside the suggestion that it was a problem. Just like he pushed aside my questions regarding the often naked women in his phone who were starred as favorites,” she tells Word In Black.

She didn’t even fight so much when the physical and emotional abuse was limited to her instead of their children.

“I couldn’t make plans for myself. I couldn’t withdraw money from the bank, but he could without explanation. I finally realized I was losing my voice.”

It wasn’t even when he began to purchase and store large guns with night vision scopes and silencers.

“More than $10,000 would disappear from the same account I couldn’t touch, and he would always minimize his behavior as if I were imagining what was going on,” Guary says.

And when she went to their church for guidance, she was advised to hang in there and maintain her household.

But she did find what she needed.

She found a church that helped her gather strength to get away.

At that point, she wasn’t staying anyway. He’d finally made a move she wouldn’t tolerate.

“He picked up our son by the arm and threw him against the wall. I wasn’t going to allow him to abuse our children. It was bad enough what he’d done to me.”

When she confronted her husband about his abuse of her, he’d always apologize. When she confronted him on his abuse of their son, he’d say he hadn’t been exposed to children and didn’t know how to handle them. There was always an excuse. 

“I just knew I had to get away. I couldn’t take a chance on what he might do next.”

Her new church helped her do everything she needed to get away. “They counseled me and assured me while God does hate divorce, he certainly doesn’t hate the people involved, and he definitely didn’t want me to stay in that situation,” Guary says.

She did get away, and, when she’s telling her story that she captured in her book “Breaking Free: Healing from Abuse and Trauma,” the number one question she’s asked is, “How did you get away?”

She’s happy to respond because she’d love to be the reason another woman breaks free. And there are so many that need that help.

The Black Women’s Health Project determined that domestic violence is the number one health issue facing Black women: “The data tells a painful truth: 40 percent of Black women will experience domestic violence across their lifetimes, compared to 30.2 percent of White women.”

One has to wonder, if 1 in 3 women will report being abused in their lifetime, how many cases are going unreported? That’s a question asked on the website of Shine a Light on Domestic Violence, a faith-centered ministry that provides domestic violence education, as well as support and resources for victims. Shine a Light calls itself a safe place and also offers training to churches and other entities that would want to be safe places, too. 

The Black church gets passing and failing grades in its treatment of domestic violence or intimate partner violence (IPV). In her article “Domestic Violence: In Praise and Rebuke of the Black Church,”  Carolyn Morgan, chairperson of the Women of Color Task Force for the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence, explains how while the church has proven to be the supportive, healing place as promised, it has the tendency to commit some unforgivable sins when it comes to IPV.

“Women in the Black church are most often the victims of DV and abuse, and women comprise the majority count of Black church membership,” Morgan wrote. “Men in the Black church are most often the perpetrators of DV and abuse, and men comprise the majority count of Black church leadership. In part, this dynamic contributes to what commonly follows for Black women seeking help from the Black church.”

Morgan ultimately suggested to Black church helpers:

• Do not advise her to stay and pray and allow God to work it out
• Do not meet with her and her spouse or partner together
• Do not tell her to keep the abuse a secret
• Do not suggest to her what has worked for you

And ultimately, do not blame the victim because she hasn’t changed her abuser’s behavior. 

This article was originally published by Word In Black.

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January 26, 2024 — Word In Black, a groundbreaking collaboration of 10 legendary Black news publishers and a program managed by Local Media Foundation, has received a $300,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to establish a religion and social justice desk.

This funding will allow Word In Black to delve into the intersection of race, religion and social justice within the Black community, as well as the Black youth perspective. These stories will humanize what audiences are experiencing and offer religious-based solutions.

Word In Black has hired an award-winning journalist and editor, the Rev. Dorothy Scott Boulware, for this new position. She has worked at the AFRO American News Co. for more than 20 years, beginning as a reporter and progressing to managing editor of the 131-year-old publication. She also served as editor of the Mustard Seed Magazine, a lifestyle magazine for young adults with Christian values. 

Alongside her journalism career, she served as an urban pastor for 17 years, and as a charter professor for the Determined Biblical and Theological Institute of New Shiloh Baptist Church of Baltimore. She’s a graduate of Wesley Theological Seminary (M.Div.), Coppin State University (B.S.-English/ journalism), and Leadership Baltimore County, 2021.

“We are grateful to the Luce Foundation for funding Word in Black’s religion and social justice reporter. The AFRO is especially pleased that our special projects editor and former managing editor, the Rev. Dorothy Boulware, has been tapped for this important position. Dorothy is a talented writer who is a perfect fit for this position,” said Dr. Frances “Toni” Draper, CEO and publisher of The AFRO in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and chair of the Word In Black board of directors. 

“Developed in response to the Luce Foundation’s recent request for proposals for projects seeking to advance public knowledge on democracy, race, and religion in America, Word in Black’s new initiative will support journalism that examines the role of religion in African American life and explores how Black faith communities put their spiritual understandings of justice and democracy into practice in a diverse range of social, cultural, and institutional contexts,” said Jonathan VanAntwerpen, program director for religion and theology, Henry Luce Foundation. “We are delighted to have the opportunity to support this effort, which will build upon an innovative media collaboration that seeks to amplify the voices of Black Americans by sharing stories about African American communities across the country.” 

About Luce Foundation 

For more than 80 years, the Henry Luce Foundation has invested in knowledge makers and ensured that their work informs public discussion. This commitment to public knowledge derives from its founder. Henry R. Luce created Time magazine to disseminate the most important news, ideas, analysis, and criticism to a mass audience.

About Word In Black

Word In Black is a groundbreaking collaborative representing 10 legendary Black news publishers. Word In Black promises to confront inequities, elevate solutions and amplify the Black experience by reporting, collecting, and sharing stories about real people in communities across our country. We believe that by joining forces and providing a platform to examine these experiences in one place, we can shape how the nation understands and addresses systemic issues of race, justice, and equity.

About Local Media Association and Local Media Foundation 

Local Media Association brings all media together to share, network, collaborate and more. More than 3,000 newspapers, TV stations, radio stations, digital pure-plays, and research and development partners engage with LMA as members or constituents of our programs. As a 501(c)(6) trade association, LMA is focused on the business side of local media. Its programs and labs focus on revenue growth and new business models. LMA helps local media companies develop their strategies via cutting-edge programs, conferences, webinars, research and training.

Local Media Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable trust, serves as the innovation and transformation affiliate of LMA. Incorporating our four strategic pillars — business transformation, journalism funded by philanthropy, industry collaboration, and sustainability for publishers of color — LMF helps provide local media companies the strategies and resources for meaningful innovation and impactful journalism projects.

The post Word In Black adds religion reporter with funding from Henry Luce Foundation appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.

By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
Word In Black

A student who misbehaves in Houston, Texas, might find himself in the library — or what used to be the library.  Nowadays, students looking for reading resources from a library would find no librarian, only a few books, and the space occupied by students who are in trouble. They might find what used to be the library is now an in-school detention center.  

This is the situation that has captured the attention of the social justice ministry of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Houston.

“With all of the challenges that face Brown and Black children, their education should not be subjected to these sorts of roadblocks,” the Rev. Dr. Angela Ravin-Anderson, head of the ministry, tells Word In Black.  

She says their first instinct was to put a stop to the detention libraries as soon as possible.

“So we began a writing campaign to make our voices heard, to let the powers-that-be know they don’t know what they’re doing. We went to the school board meeting and presented close to two thousand letters we’d collected at church.”

Ravin-Anderson says there was such an outpouring of support at the church that they’ve now started a second campaign.

“We know how critical it is for children to be on point with reading by third grade, so we were very concerned.”

Rev. Ravin-Anderson says books would be in the library, although the librarians would not be there.

“How do you associate something fun with someplace you go when you’re in trouble? The libraries were reconfigured into detention centers.”

Houston neighbor Sandra Thomas initially thought it might be a good idea when she heard about it, but that soon changed.

“It was presented to me as a way to keep children in school, where they’d be safe, rather than send them home because they misbehaved,” Thomas says. “But when I realized it meant the librarians were losing their jobs and the children would be left to their own devices for help with their reading, that was an entirely different story.”

She says it was a real shock to the entire community.

Wheeler Avenue’s outrage is equally shared by the Houston branch of the NAACP.

“Nelson Mandela stated that the clearest depiction of a nation’s character is seen in how it treats its children. That needs to sink in deeply because what we are witnessing presently in HISD are actions towards our children that are beyond egregious,” said NAACP Houston President Dr. James Dixon, according to the Houston Defender.

“The thought of closing and repurposing libraries in schools is not only insulting, but it’s also repulsive,” Dixon said. “It reveals a measure of disrespect and disregard for our children’s need to have access to the best and most functional libraries and schools available. And that includes professional staff.”

This article was originally published by Word In Black. 

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By Rev. Dorothy Boulware, AFRO Managing Editor,
Dorothy@Afro.com

How fortuitous to be reviewing the AFRO book, The Thing I Love About Baltimore, at the eve of our 130th anniversary; seeing it was created to celebrate our 126^th anniversary.

So much was going on that year, so much being criticized and celebrated, so much being denigrated and . It was unbelievable that just before its release — as if timed to be a marketing gift — the then-president denigrated the city and its Congressional Representative, the late Elijah Cummings, who had consented to write the book’s foreword.

The smack back had already been created, and we resounded with the voice of many, The Thing I Love About Baltimore.

Rep. Cummings said he couldn’t possibly have refused the AFRO’s request.

“All too often, the press reports events and decisions in our lives that are difficult, dangerous and shocking. In contrast, the AFRO decided to reach out to the people of Baltimore and ask us to tell our neighbors and the world what we love most about our home town,” he said. 

“Baltimore is a complex city and community that exemplifies all that is both good and troubling about our country. As such, we are a living, breathing window into the heart and soul of America as we live through an historic time. It is no accident, therefore, that Baltimore has always been, and remains, at the center of our nation’s continuing struggle for civil and human rights.”

AFRO Publisher, Dr. Frances “Toni” Murphy Draper is a lifelong resident who attended public schools and sent her to them as well. 

“Things were different then, you might say. True, Yet, I still have a long list of things I love about Baltimore. At the top of my list, are the people who live here; the people who take pride in their neighborhoods; the people who support the Orioles and the Ravens no matter what; the hard-working people who go to work every day to support their families; the resilient, remarkable people of Baltimore who have the faith to believe in Baltimore’s future as a viable, vibrant city.”

The late Baltimore singer, Brenda Alford, called the city “a sister I miss so much till it aches when I’ve been away too long and that special teacher…who taught me to live, love laugh, work, pray and navigate a multitude of settings and situations.” She said it is “a solid old house with good bones.”

She actually wrote a song about Baltimore and shared it at the book’s launch. 

“I’ve been on the road too long. Too many nights away from home.

Last night I spent the night in Baltimore and woke up feeling better than I’ve every felt before. The rhythm of the city was dancing in my feet. I knew I had to get there, and you’d be there to greet me.”

With more poetry, KYAIR Butts, 2019 Teacher of the Year, said, “At the corner of destiny and faith you’ll meet the Baltimore I love. Baltimore is a city that has historically presented people two choices much like life: love or fear: the path you choose determines how you’ll ultimately come to like or love Baltimore.” While not a native Baltimorean, he called his chapter a “note of love to the city that took me in and allows me to present my best self to others each and every day.”

And his first statement, “I love that Baltimore dares to risk being seen in all of its glory. Take a minute and stand at the corner of North Avenue and Howard and you can hear the low hum of beauty personified.”

He said, “I love the potential that today offers and tomorrow promises. I love that this city has seen all and weathered all to come back stronger.”

The Thing I Love About Baltimore is on sale on Amazon.com.

For Ladonna Speaks, it’s Port Discovery where she plays heartily and has fun with her cousins.

For Shakeem Blake, it’s the food. “It’s the best! I like eating it and the smell of the grease because it’s different than any other chicken in the world. I loved it the first day I tasted it. It is “delishous,” mmm. That was the tastiest day ever.” Shakeem must have met a chicken box!

For Haiven Spence, it was the Aquarium; “when I first saw it, it felt like victory. What I love about it is all the beautiful seas animals,” and her favorite part is the touching station.

These are three of the six young authors who, at the time were in Ms. Shannon Brown’s third grade class at Robert W. Coleman Elementary School

The Park Heights girl and one of the 11 Foremans, MESHELLE the Comedienne said she wished there had been only one thing she loved about Baltimore. She said her bird’s eye view of the two worlds she would come to know and navigate fluidly. “I knew the Preakness was something special, but had no clue it was a national, yet international phenomenon, a jewel in the Triple Crown no doubt. All I knew, is that a ton of fancy dressed ‘’White folks’ would pay top dollar to park in our backyard.”

What she learned from the two starkly different cities: “how to feel comfortable in my own skin, no matter where my life’s journey would take me. While there are some moments I now look back on and realize there were plenty of inappropriate racial undertones and blatant stereotypes laced in inequities, there are so many moments of pure childhood bliss. So much that I endeavored to give my three children as much of my Baltimore as possible.”

We are denizens of a mid–sized southern “town” that often imagines itself as a big northern city. This dynamic and world view has created some unique and distinctive traits that persist to today.  We’re very parochial- it takes a long time for “outsiders” to be drawn to our bosom to a place of trust. High school affiliation far outweighs what college or university you attended. What neighborhood you claim as home is more important than your socio-economic status. And yes, what side of town you claim as yours is to this day a matter of acceptance in some circles.

This was the perspective of the late Bishop Douglas I. Miles, pastor, teacher and former AFRO columnist.

“I love the resiliency of Baltimoreans in the face of tremendous odds that dare us to move from what we are to what we can be, what it should be and what it must become. I see it in faith institutions that could have exited the city but chose to stay to serve underserved communities and to give resources to move us forward. I see it in business leaders who continue to invest in themselves and the other institutions that keep this city alive and vibrant. I see it in educators who could move to other jurisdictions facing fewer challenges, yet come to work day after day believing in their students even when the system sometimes fails them.”

There is much to love about Baltimore, despite its flaws: the signature marble steps, form stone fronts and up high cornices; snowballs, the lighting of the Washington Monument, the singing of the Morgan State choir, lacrosse teams, Arabbers, barber shops and beauty parlor chatter, lake trout, chicken boxes, the AFRO American Newspaper and the Reginald Lewis and the Great Blacks in Wax museums. We love Mother Mary Lange and the Oblate Sisters of Providence founded in Baltimore.  There are many highly favored churches, synagogues and mosques. And consistently there is the annual New Year’s Eve Interfaith Service the Jesuits host at St. Ignatius Church.  

Ralph and Dana Peterson Moore

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By Rev. Dorothy Scott Boulware
AFRO Managing Editor

The thing about Dr. Kaye, as she knows, is that, when asked about important things she’s accomplished, she lowers her head in a manner that might suggest shyness or a reluctance to talk about herself.

Anyone who knows her knows that’s not the case.

She really lowers her head in reverence and humility because she knows what an honor it is to serve in ways that reach the heart of the server and the served.

From her father’s mother in Lexington, S.C., who offered a then-unrecognized glimpse of land wealth and privilege, to her mother’s mother, who put bell hooks in one hand and a microphone in the other to remind the future professor to use her voice and not allow herself to be silenced. Not even by her parents. “If they won’t listen, write it down.”

This granddaughter is a mystical outcome of generations of Black wealth and wisdom, who communicated to their children and grandchildren, loudly enough that current generations can hear when the effort to teach is tantamount.

It is for this reason that Dr. Karsonya “Kaye” Wise Whitehead, founding director of The Karson Institute for Race, Peace and Social Justice at Loyola, has been chosen by the AFRO as one of its two Baltimore Newsmakers for 2021.

Body, mind and soul, she seeks to serve with excellence.

“I begin my day at 4:30 with a workout with Chauncey “the Trainer” (Whitehead, no relation). It gets me energized and poised to be creative the entire day.”

She also writes during those early morning hours and makes plans, courtesy of a stop at Starbucks.

“Few people are there so early, and I can hear and see clearly.”

Her fondest achievement is her marriage of 23 years and the two sons and (bonus) daughter she shares with her husband, Johnnie.  

“I wasn’t sure I even wanted to be married and now I can’t imagine my life without my family.”

And in these “empty nest” hours, with both sons away in college, the self-termed #Blackmommyactivist longs for them and thinks about the sons from other mothers who also belong to her.

Such as Michael.

She met him during her 2019 “hello” Facebook challenge. She’d speak to the children as they passed her house on the way to school. They wouldn’t return her greeting. Not the first day. Not the second day. But on the third day, Michael said, “Good morning.”

And on the fourth day, Michael brought friends he’d instructed to also say, “Good morning.” 

And she found they didn’t have gloves or scarves. And she went to the school to thank Michael and took copies of 1619 for every student.

She’s now in partnership with City Neighbors School, spending time with teachers every week.

And it became a thing. And they were intertwined in the experiment that motivated the “Good morning,” Maya Angelou suggested in her 1993 poem, “On the Pulse of Morning.”

Of course, her most recent gift to her father, Bishop Carson E. Wise Sr., is the institute that bears his name. When she broke the news to him, she encountered an unusual response.

“He’s a pastor bishop and rarely ever speechless. But he was at that moment,” Dr. Kay said. “He couldn’t believe I was honoring him in this way. He’s big on tradition and giving people their flowers while they are with us.”

And she says it goes beyond merely honoring her father, but speaks to the nameless, faceless people who’ve done the work to hold us up.

“We need to start naming things for the people who’ve invested in us. The fathers, the grandmothers, the aunts and uncles. We need to put their names on our institutions.”

The purpose of the institution is to promote conversation.

“There won’t always be race problems, at least I hope not, but there will always be people seeking peace and justice in our world,” she said.

“I wanted to create a place where generations coming after us could talk it out.”

And just as her father instructed, she has created the job she always wanted.

“I’ll be able to work solely as executive director at least until 2025 when I return to the classroom.

And she fights for justice on Today with Dr. Kaye, 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, on Morgan State University’s radio station, WEAA FM. She talks about all those things that make people who love Baltimore a little crazy. 

She helps people understand things they can do to improve the community of Baltimore.

1. Adopt a local school. See what resources teachers and students need. Give time and supplies.
2. Attend community association meetings. Meet your councilperson. Pick up the trash. Stay aware.
3. Know who’s directly involved in determining the direction of Baltimore City.

“Let’s talk solutions. Let’s come to the kitchen table.”

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By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
AFRO Managing Editor
Editor@afro.com

Urban children often have to face so many obstacles to reach their goals, personal and professional, it’s a wonder that any make it. Children in Baltimore have issues including after school safety, food insecurity, public and domestic violence, in addition to the wide availability of drugs and the draw to gangs. . 

Alicia Wilson allowed none of these to block her path.

She said it was her faith and the intervention of people from sometimes surprising places and positions.

One day, “We were in the hallway at Mervo (Mergenthaler High School) playing games after school. We had to wait for my mother to take us home. Mr. Pryor asked to see the report cards we’d just received. When he saw I had all 100s, he wanted to know whether or not I was going to college,” Wilson said.

“I told him probably at some point when I could afford it.”

Curious about her ability, he took her to the College Bound officer in the guidance office and garnered for her a fee-waived SAT.

She, of course, made the highest score the school had seen – 1200.

She was immediately introduced to a program called College Bound.

It supplied her with exposure to successful people and to endless possibilities.

So while she refused to be blocked on her path, she has also done the same for the young people she’s encountered. More than 100, but who’s counting?

For her, mentoring is the thing.

And for that reason, Alicia Wilson is chosen to be one of the AFRO’s two Baltimore Newsmakers of the Year, 2021. 

She completed an undergraduate degree in political science at UMBC and a Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. 

She’s currently vice president for economic development at Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Health System.

She just can’t help helping.

In addition to her work, she meets with mentees, individually and in groups. She lets nothing get in her way.

“Someone gave $25 so I could take that SAT test. Who gave it? I owe somebody a whole lot of money and a whole lot of thanks.”

And she pays that perceived debt forward every day.

That chance after school encounter set her up for an incredible future.

“I had the opportunity to intern at a law firm at 15. I was introduced to colleges early on,” Wilson said. “I met Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, president of UMBC, when I was just 16.”

She also met those she calls the “juggernauts” of the legal industry.

Sherilyn Ifill, now president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Tom Perez, currently running for governor of Maryland.

“Exposure is so important. I saw things and I had faith that I could be and do.”

And she understands the battle is not always with the children only.

“Many times we have to do a lot of work with the parent, helping them become comfortable with the concept of college.”

And she has a ready answer when people ask why she stays in Baltimore, when she could be successful anywhere she chose.

“Baltimore has its challenges, but it has so many reasons to be here,” she said as she listed some of the selfless men and women doing good work. The late Bishop Douglas Miles, also a founder of College Bound, was one of her mentors. She added AFRO Publisher and CEO Frances “Toni” Draper.

“Baltimore is a city that you can do so much for, if you continue to be positive about it.”

She’s doing a few important things herself. Too many to list.

One of them is working with charitable organizations. And she was recently elected chair of the CollegeBound Foundation, the first African-American and the youngest board chair in the foundation’s 30-year history.

She said you can build relationships, really deep relationships with people.

“I love the city, the brick and the mortar.”

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By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
AFRO Managing Editor

Waves of happiness filled the social media air as people responded to the familiar voice and face that graced the virtual final broadcast of Associated Black Charities Equity First/A Speaker Series.

First in the series was Kesha Boyd, executive director, multicultural video and entertainment with Xfinity Consumer Services. Then, Michele Fuller, CEO, president and founder of Minerva Global Business Solutions. The third speaker was Clarence Wooten, entrepreneur in residence at X, Alphabet’s the moonshot factory and co-founding general partner at Revitalize.

And on Nov. 30, Giving Tuesday, the speaker was Oprah.

Colen called it an “outstanding program, excellent master class,” and thanked ABC CEO Diane Bell-McKoy for such a “wonderful and thoughtful” experience.

Don was thrilled at having Oprah “bring back great memories of her days and experiences in Baltimore.” He said she gave, “tremendous lessons and advice in her words.”

Janet, who said she’d been a Communications student at Morgan in 1979, said, “We love your story,” and that Oprah had been a great inspiration to her and to Black Baltimore.

Oprah is always eager to talk about her beginnings and how many people helped her along the way to where she is now. She paraphrased a line from “Our Grandmothers,” by Maya Angelou; “I come as one, but I stand as 10,000.” That line echoed throughout conversation and media the next day.

Oprah definitely won the night, but it wasn’t about Oprah. Not totally.

The purpose of ABC’s most recent vehicle is to raise funds so that Baltimore frontline workers are not relegated to low salary positions, but trained for those that bring about advancement and thrivable wages for everyone.

“We have got to get the word out that people in Baltimore are not stupid. They are not unproductive. They are not,” Bell McKoy said.

“Our people are deserving of training and access that allows them to grow in their chosen fields and become homeowners, entrepreneurs and whatever else they desire for themselves and their families.”

And this year’s speaker series is just one of the ways to make that happen.

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#AFRONews@Noon
#PleasureDoingBusinessWithYou
#TheMooreReport
#TheChickenBoxx

By Rev. Dorothy Boulware
AFRO Managing Editor

Once again, the AFRO is doing something brand new; an entire week of firsts, as we launch a podcast, a Baltimore column, a text service and AFRO News@Noon all while celebrating the first anniversary of our highly successful live show, The Chicken Boxx.

The week will begin with the AFRO newsroom opening on Facebook at noon, Oct. 4, for news talk; a discussion of what’s hot, what’s imperative, what’s earth shattering and what’s actually fun in the community. Journalists will be on hand to discuss their stories and the interesting experiences and people they encountered along the way. 

This innovative, interactive show will be hosted by News Editor Jessica Dortch with regular participation by D.C. and Digital Editor Micha Green, Alexis Taylor and other AFRO writers and editors.

Megan Sayles (Courtesy Photo)

Monday’s show is live, but followers can expect new and breaking stories on AFRO.com at noon every day. Just search the hashtag, #AFRONews@Noon.

“Nearly 130 years ago, my great grandfather, John H. Murphy Sr., had a vision that the AFRO would grow from a bi-weekly publication to a weekly publication and eventually to a daily source of news and information for our community. Well, that day has arrived and we are proud and excited to premiere three new digital offerings: AFRO News@Noon, The Moore Report and the podcast, ‘Pleasure Doing Business With You,’” said AFRO Publisher and CEO Frances “Toni” Murphy Draper.

“These are in addition to our popular Facebook live show, The Chicken Boxx; live celebrity interviews and the many other things we offer via social media and AFRO.

Megan Sayles, a member of the Report for America Corps, a recent graduate of UMCP and the newest member of the editorial team is the host of “Pleasure Doing Business With You,” to be released Oct. 5.

“I’ve always wanted to have a podcast and the fact that the AFRO has afforded me the creative space to produce it means so much to me,” said Sayles. “If you’d asked me five years ago if I would be hosting my own podcast fresh out of college, I would have told you, ‘no way.’ I do not take this lightly and I’m excited to recognize young Black entrepreneurs who are paving their own paths to success.”

Texting “AFRO” to 410-936-5002 will open access to yet another new service, and garner information exclusive to subscribers.

“Connect with the AFRO team directly by signing up for our free text message service. We will share the stories we think you absolutely need to read, reveal behind-the-scenes notes about our reporting process, and tell you about upcoming events and interesting things to check out,” according to Dana Peck, director of Digital Services.

“We also want to hear from you! Text us back with your questions and feedback.”

It’s just that simple.

On Oct. 6, the inaugural edition of The Moore Report will be posted online. Ralph Moore is a signature Baltimorean with a world class education. He’s a justice fighter, an avid reader and warm fuzzy grandfather of four. He and his wife, Dana Petersen Moore could single handedly save the world if loving made it so. His most recent pieces have included;

*Honoring the life of Tupac Shakur: A poet, a prophet and a beloved son…

*HBCUs make upward mobility happen for Blacks

*The Ten Bears: Not a fairy tale, a storybook team

*Bishop Douglas I. Miles:  His work continues to speak for him

On Thursday, The Chicken Boxx, which always runs at noon, will have a lively discussion, as always, including sharing all that’s going on at the AFRO.

The AFRO is approaching its 130th year of presenting the most salient news for and about African Americans and these actions are mere steps along the way to a still unimagined future.

While maintaining the important emphasis on the legacy edition that is printed weekly, the attention of the AFRO team is intently focused on the multiple social platforms that have garnered awards and acclamation.

“The launch of premiere week illustrates just how committed our team is to create new and engaging content for our readers,” Sayles said. “News is constantly adapting and changing, and the AFRO is dedicated to keeping our content fresh.”

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Dorothy S. Boulware

By Dorothy S. Boulware

On the morning of September 11, 2001, I stood in the office of the AFRO editor, Willie Givens, former Liberian Ambassador to London. It was no different than any other Tuesday morning. We were creating layout sheets, by hand; reserving space for photos with large Xs and indicating space for text with curling lines. Printing headlines and attaching photos. We haven’t done this in years. No pages (dummies) are walked to production; they are computer generated and the entire production process is accomplished by email from our homes.

But this particular Tuesday, as we concentrated on whatever page was being marked at the moment… I can almost see the page in my hand as I turned toward the file cabinet in the corner that held the 12 inch television that kept us abreast of breaking news at all times…I saw an airplane flying into a building. Huge clouds of smoke emerged. I tried to figure out what on earth was happening on Good Morning America that morning.

It actually looked more like a scene from a bad movie…with the expectation of King Kong climbing up the side to rescue the building from further attack. It wasn’t that kind of movie. It wasn’t movie at all. It was a scene that couldn’t have been imagined by most Americans before that moment.

I certainly couldn’t have imagined such a thing. And at the same moment I realized I was looking at cold reality. I also realized this country would never be safe again. War had always happened in some other place. Our soldiers were always going to other places to rescue other people. And then returning.

But on that morning, war landed in our safe space and life would never be the same.

And on that morning, before I could begin to recuperate, re-gather myself, another attack…and yet another. The Twin Towers. The Pentagon.

And the (s)heroes on United Flight 93 who made a conscious decision to be crashed rather than have the planned attack on The Capitol be successful.

I read about the fire fighters, learned the name of FDNY Chaplain Mychal Judge, who went into the buildings as other tried to escape. I read about those who decided a leap was their best plan of attack from the burning building.

And the nightmares that ensued…as I was awakened multiple times, multiple nights…finding myself in that horrible place of decision…actually feeling what my mind thought that must have felt like.

That office is always my first thought of 9-11. It was probably the smallest in the building. Mr. Givens and I looked at each other in disbelief, each trying to make sense of what we were seeing.

And as we did, or not, the print process never missed a beat.

Dorothy S. Boulware is managing editor of The AFRO.

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Former radio show host and entrepreneur Tom Joyner used fun at his unique Sky Shows and the Fantastic Voyage cruises to make money for students at the nation’s HBCUs. (Photos courtesy of Black America Web)

By Rev. Dorothy Boulware
AFRO Managing Editor

The excitement was high in whatever city that was bracing itself for the arrival of Tom Joyner, Sybil Wilkes, J. Anthony Brown and the rest of his team, for the monthly Friday morning spectacular – the Sky Show.

Who knows where the name originated but the fun was palpable, the crowds were overflowing and the school of the month received funds for students who needed the extra help to stay in school. Many of them were older with families of their own. But for that day, they became the center of the HBCU universe because Tom Joyner was on campus, and Tom Joyner called them out by name.

The famous radio host, dubbed the hardest working man in town, became aware of the struggle and formed the Tom Joyner Foundation in 1998, and donated every dollar raised to one of the nation’s HBCUs and continues to do so to this day. Money came from corporate sponsors like Allstate and Denny’s, like 

Joyner said it all started in 1996. “We started out doing voter registration, and we wanted to party with a purpose. We thought, ‘OK, we’ll take this show on the road,’ and we chose some cities where there were some tight elections going on, where we thought that if we had a good voter registration drive, we could make a difference in that local election,” Joyner told the N.C. News & Record in a 1999 interview.  

“The mission was to register people to vote and now it’s grown to what you see today. We’re still registering people to vote. But instead of sitting at a desk with a bunch of microphones, we’ve gone to a full-blown production with an old school band and dance contests and giving away money and raising money for historically black colleges and universities. It’s evolved into this.”

And then the annual cruise was added, the Fantastic Voyage for 20 plus years now. It has easily become the largest donor to the foundation. Entertainers and headliners donate their time so nothing is taken away from enhancing Black scholarship.

Although he retired from the morning show in December 2019, he continues to raise funds for African-American students at HBCUs. It’s his mission.

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Dr. Peggy Wall

By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
AFRO Managing Editor

Dr. Peggy Wall was the kind of woman who’d host a “crazy faith” retreat and dare the women to acknowledge their gifts, ignore their dings and step out — Girlfriend it’s time — on crazy faith and be who they were created to be. 

And many women and men are so much the better for having at least embraced the whole possibility.

It was that spiritual “moxy” and the enveloping love that made Dr. Wall a “stand out” person in the kingdom of God and her unexpected death, on June 20, has left many in disbelief. 

“Dr. Wall was indeed a treasured vessel whose anointing oil blessed multiple generations, changing the trajectory of men, women and boys and girls’ lives for generations to come,” said her friend, the Rev. Dr. Leah White, pastor of Greater Faith Baptist Church in Baltimore. 

“Her testimony was one of the divine love and grace that she found in Jesus.”

This statement is heard repeatedly in reference to Dr. Wall.

“I came to know her as ‘Aunt Peggy’ in the early 1990s when she founded Immanuel Temple AME Church and my aunt, the Rev. Adella Holt, was with her. From the classroom to the pulpit to the board room, she gave of herself tirelessly,” said the Rev. Stephanie M. Atkins, pastor, Waters Memorial AME Church in Philadelphia. 

Some of her students from Bethel Christian School are my beloved nieces to this day and I am witness to how these little girls have grown into responsible women, mothers and leaders from her influence in their lives during their formative years.’

In that same Imani Temple, was found the young drummer who was encouraged to keep at it. 

He followed her instruction and today, he’s pastor of the Empowerment Temple AME Church in Baltimore.

“I met her as a young child at Bethel where my father worked in security. That was my first encounter with her,” said Pastor G.J. Barnes. 

“And when she founded Immanuel Temple, my dad was one of the first five members to join. I was probably 10 years old.”

That was just the start of their relationship which has continued throughout. 

“At that point I was really excited to be participating in church and she was good with me being the drummer.”

Pastor Barnes watched as ministers of music came and went, knowing he was too young and inexperienced for the job at that time. But Dr. Wall also saw his enthusiasm and arranged some sessions with other church musicians when he showed he was also interested in and not bad at the keyboard.

“Within two years I jumped from the drums to the keyboard and became minister of music.”

Dr. Wall spoke to him about a call on his life when he was around 15.

“I really didn’t know what that meant then, but she created a structured environment into which I could grow. She took me to leadership conferences that had a youth component. And by 17, I could accept my call because I understood it better and she would from time to time invite me to bring a word,” Pastor Barnes said.

And he acknowledged many others into whose lives she sowed.

“She really was the quintessential representation of the word ‘empowerment,’ providing resources, training, encouragement and confidence.”

She had come from humble beginnings but had not let that deter her progress; she was not going to let others do less. Professionally, she rose from a classroom teacher to a master teacher, to a trainer of teachers and ultimately to the level of regional supervision. 

Pastor Barnes is just one who has the living legacy of Dr. Wall engraved on his being, having been raised through the “pedagogy of faith, excellence, compassion and affirmation,” referenced by Dr. Wall’s spiritual parents and mentors, Bishop John R. and the Rev. Dr. Cecelia Williams Bryant. “Her legacy is evident in the souls transformed by her ministry of hope and possibility, and in the mourning of the women she “sistered,” the men she encouraged and the community she loved.

Many people spend their whole lives working and wanting treasure, tributes and trophies, said Bishop Vashti McKenzie, presiding prelate of the 10th Episcopal District of the AME Church. “However, Dr. Peggy Wall served her whole life preparing the next generation of leaders. She lives in the students she taught and those she encouraged and inspired. She lives in the hearts of those whose lives were saved under her prophetic preaching.  She lives in the hearts of those who witnessed the work the Lord did in her and through her.”

Dr. White said every room she (Dr. Wall) entered was instantly transformed into a place of joy, peace and hope. “She leaves a testimony and witness of a woman of Kingdom Excellence.”

The boards and committees on which she served are too numerous to list; as are the “firsts” she accomplished in her total ministry. Most likely, her greatest pride would be the 11 ordained sons and daughters, who currently pastor or serve on ministerial staffs and the many other “spiritual children” for whom she prayed. 

“As a spiritual daughter in the gospel of Jesus Christ, she shouldered with us the weighty visions of prophetic kingdom impact. We together with all the people of God celebrate her life,” the Bryants said. Dr. Wall was 76 when she died. 

Services for Dr. Wall include:
Public viewing
3-6 p.m., July 16

Memorial Service
6-8 p.m., July 16

St. John AME Church
810 N. Carrollton Avenue
Baltimore, Md. 21217

Home going Service
10-11 a.m., July 17
Funeral
11 a.m., July 17

Empowerment Temple AME Church
4217 Primrose Avenue
Baltimore, Md. 21215

The post Dr. Peggy Wall had a ‘crazy faith’ and a loving heart appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.

Aretha Franklin

By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
AFRO Managing editor

It was 1972 when Aretha Franklin filmed the movie, “Amazing Grace,” over a two-night period at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, accompanied by the Southern California Community Choir. It was her hope that this project would propel her into the movie arena as a star. The album took off like crazy and to this day is arguably the best selling gospel album ever. It did that. But it never accomplished the vision she had for herself.

While Rolling Stone magazine allowed that each of Aretha Franklin’s albums has “at least one moment of genuine, incontestable human inspiration — but two many have only that one, or perhaps two at most,” it had to admit that “Amazing Grace” was quite different.

“She delivers more than anticipated.”

What she delivered that no one could have anticipated was the singing of that glorious hymn that has delivered more than its share of goose bumps and whatever other terms are used to describe that moment when you know you’ve transcended your former space.

But that’s wasn’t the first time Amazing Grace was heard, and certainly not the last. I imagine the entire world jumped to its feet when then-President Barack Obama started an a cappella rendition at the globally viewed funeral of the Rev. Clemente Pinckney, one of the nine who had been slaughtered during gathering at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., where Rev. Pinckney was pastor.

You see, you can’t sing Amazing Grace unless you can hit four different notes on the first syllable, A…maze, the second gets its singular tone and the rest takes care of itself. And he did so that day. He did it perfectly. After everyone recovered from the realization that this president, this Barack Obama was the real thing – a Black man with the courage to seize the air without instrumental backing, and just trust God that everyone would join in. And we did. With awe and familiarity. It wasn’t our first time.

It was a moment never to be forgotten, but Amazing Grace has found itself in many of those moments; in church worship, in prayer settings, as sermon endings.

It’s one of those hymns that makes up for a less than stellar sermon ending, for the story that was forgotten, for the analogy that didn’t quite make the mark…

It often surfaces at the end of a family gathering, raised by the one who doesn’t want the evening to end. It’s often sung at the home going service of a loved one and everyone, churched and not churched, knows the words. It often surfaces in worship planning when a song that captures the true meaning of grace is required.

But you really have never experienced Amazing Grace if you haven’t stood in the darkened symphony hall following a performance by the Soulful Symphony, founded by Darin Atwater; and had him silence the musicians and with the gesture of his baton, release every voice in the house —trained and untrained, young and old, native and non native, baptist and not — to lift this oldest of hymns, syllable by syllable, verse by verse, until voices faltered and failed, signaling surrender with tears to the overwhelming power of the moment as God walks through the house.

How sweet the sound!

Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
AFRO Managing editor

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The post Amazing Grace: ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fear relieved’ appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.

Rev. Dorothy Boulware (Courtesy Photo)

By Rev. Dorothy Boulware
AFRO Managing Editor

On May 25, 2020, people began to protest vehemently in the light of the murder of George Floyd, 46, by former police officer Derrick Chauvin; while onlookers begged him to stop and fellow police officers stood by, as if giving silent assent.

It certainly wasn’t the first time police in this country have been accused of “allegedly” murdering young Black men and women while detaining them for things as innocuous as selling loose cigarettes, in the case of Earl Garner; or a traffic stop, in the case of Sandra Bland.

Or what in the case of Brianna Taylor, 20, as she slept in her house in Louisville, KY.

It wasn’t the first time. 

But this time, feet started to march in Minneapolis, the city of Floyd’s murder. And with the same energy of a domino effect, feet started marching in neighboring cities and in neighboring states. 

In spite of the fact that law enforcers tried to discourage the protests; feet began to march with determination. They marched in most of the 50 states of this country. In inner cities and in counties. In rural areas and in town centers.

As if marching could make a difference.

Signs went up in the hands of the marchers. Signs went up in front yards of homeowners. Signs went up even on cars and vehicles.

Feet marched with determined cadence. All over the world. They marched in solidarity with Black people who’ve been crying for justice in the face of police brutality. Forever. Black people who’ve watched their young and old people slaughtered by those sworn to protect and serve. Forever. Children and grandchildren. Aunts and uncles. Screaming for justice, screams that fell on seemingly deaf ears.

Feet began to march once they saw the video of the vicious murder Derrick Chauvin perpetrated on George Floyd without regret, and with a seemingly defiant look that refused to recognize the humanity of the man he was killing over the span of 9 minutes and 29 seconds…the humanity of a man who repeatedly declared his inability to breathe…the humanity of a man who ultimately resolved that only his mother would hear him and relieve him of the pain and terror of dying he was experiencing in those moments.

The humanity of a man that 17-year-old, Darnella Frazier, had the courage to video with her iPhone, a video that could not save his life, but ultimately motivated the feet to march.

As if marching could make a difference.

New feet were needed because the feet of historic marchers were exhausted. New feet. Newly motivated feet. Newly convinced feet. Feet that finally believed what their eyes had seen without equivocation.

New feet that could take a shift or two and relieve the feet that have been marching since 1920 when the NAACP posted the banner in New York City to proclaim, “A Black man was lynched today.” 

Been marching past picnics that killed them and polling places that denied them.
Been marching past schools that denied them and
Been marching past hotels that wouldn’t accommodate them;
past hospitals that wouldn’t treat them
Past churches that wouldn’t worship with them
Past businesses that wouldn’t employ them
Past communities that wouldn’t welcome them
Even past water fountains that refused to quench their thirst
As if marching could make a difference.
In the land of the free and the home of the brave.
And these new feet couldn’t stomach the hypocrisy of it all.

So these feet marched throughout the rest of May and throughout June and the entirety of July. And August and September. October. November. December. Marched right into the new year and every day leading up to the of Derrick Chauvin’s trial. And stood outside the trial every day, demanding justice or else.

New feet that were willing to march, having unwittingly joined the society of mothers who wail at the murder of children who didn’t journey to earth through their wombs. The society of mothers whose hearts continue to be broken each time a child is tied to their souls through the shedding of his blood and leaching of his life.

A Black man was lynched today. A year ago. Yesterday. And tomorrow.

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(Screenshot from Saturday Night Live’s Youtube Channel) In character as T’Challa from the Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman gives the correct answer concerning potato salad as he finally understands “Black Jeopardy.” (Screenshot from Saturday Night Live’s Youtube Channel)

By Rev. Dorothy Boulware
AFRO Managing Editor

Yes we have rules for everything and everybody. Rules for behavior in Big Mama’s house. Rules of proper conduct for “in person” church. Rules for butting or rather, not butting into grown folks’ conversations. And we have rules for going to a cookout, a Black family cookout. Granted they’re not written, but you’d better ask somebody if you don’t know.

Comedians have joked about our cookouts.

Even Chad Bozeman (as T’Challa) joked on Saturday Night Live’s version of Black Jeopardy. When presented with this $400 answer, Your friend Karen brings her potato to your cookout, in the category of White people, T’Challa replied:

“This woman is Caucasian right? And she has her own recipe for potato salad. I understand. It is noble that she would volunteer to cook for everyone. And although I’ve never had potato salad, I sense that this White woman does not season her food. And if she does it’s only with a tiny bit of salt. And no paprika. And she will probably add something unnecessary like raisins. Something tells me I should say,

‘Aw hell naw Karen, Keep your bland a— potato salad to yourself.’”

Potato salad is one of the items that prompts a lot of questions. Usually whispered. Who made the potato salad? Do you know her? Does she wash her hands? Have you seen her house? Who she hang with?

All of these answers are required before eating unknown potato salad. Or macaroni and cheese. Especially macaroni and cheese. Not the boxed kind. The kind that starts with a roux. And if you don’t know what a roux is, please don’t bring any mac and cheese to the next cookout.

Cookout or barbeque. Some prefer one over the other. Picnic? Absolutely never!!! Check out a Black history book. So what are the rules of your family’s barbecues? The funny thing is that when the question was posed to family, friends, FB friends and AFRO staff, the answers were quite similar.

*Don’t disrespect Big Mama.
*Don’t pack take-home dishes before everyone eats.
*Don’t come empty handed (unless we have eaten, or not eaten, your food before)
*Don’t put raisins in anything that’s not dessert. Seriously. Even if you are newly Black.
*Don’t bring your new girlfriend when you know your Ex is always invited.
*Don’t act as if you don’t know your kids when they act like heathens.
*Don’t ask who made the potato salad…not out loud anyway.
*Don’t gossip. Seriously?
*Don’t bring uninvited guests.
*Don’t touch the food without washing your hands (using sanitizer).
*Don’t show up late and empty-handed with your three starving kids.
*Don’t call it a picnic.
*Don’t show up and not eat.
*Don’t act like you’re too good to eat the chitterlings (chit’lins).
*Don’t act like you’re too good to do the Electric Slide.
*Don’t put anything “bought” on the table.
*Don’t have everyone asking why the macaroni tastes funny when you know it’s vegan.
*Don’t come with only off brand sodas and try to leave with five “to go” plates
*Don’t take anything that doesn’t belong to you (Didn’t we learn this in kindergarten? Along with ‘keep your hands to yourself’)

And for future reference, check out these sites:
The Caucasian’s Guide to Black Barbeques. Adequateman.deadspin.com
The Caucasian’s Guide to Black Barbeques. Neguswhoread.com
A Negro’s Guide to Surviving a White Cookout. Theextraordinarynegroes.com
11 Black Cookout Commandments Just in Case Y’all Don’t Know how to Act. Blavity.com

And for those who don’t know, infractions of the rules will cause the “Black” card to be rescinded, which means future barbecue invitations will not be forthcoming.

So in conclusion, for those seated in the back (might be too much for a t-shirt):
What you not fid’na do at a Black cookout is show up late, empty handed, or with store bought food and uninvited guests, dragging three starving misbehaving children; and pack up “to go” plates before everyone eats, even one for the girlfriend you brought, knowing full well Big Mama was inviting your ex, and then act like you’re too cute to eat or do the Electric Slide. You and your vegan mac and cheese making, off brand soda bringing, too cute to eat chitlins along with that potato salad with raisins, touching food without washing your hands, self! Did you say picnic? You must be crazy!!!

The post What you not fid’na do at a Black family cookout appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.

Megan Sayles (Courtesy Photo)

By Rev. Dorothy Boulware
AFRO Managing Editor

The AFRO is thrilled to welcome Megan Sayles, a Report for America journalist, who will come on board, June 1, to cover the business beat. She’s graduating in May from the University of Maryland with dual undergraduate degrees in multi platform journalism and government and politics. Additionally, she’s had varied experience in the field from being copy editor to staff writer, and she’s eager to be a member of the Black Press.

“Tightened budget belts have made scarce the “beat” writers of past decades, those who could immerse themselves in every aspect of the community of commerce and enterprise, of large corporations as well as smaller cottage industries,” said Dr. Frances “Toni” Murphy Draper, AFRO Publisher and CEO.

“It is exciting to have that dedicated person, equipped with the best of technology and social media, to chronicle the rebuilding of businesses that have suffered the blow of the pandemic, while honoring those who have stood the test of time and offered their support.

On April 27, Report for America announced the placements of some 300 journalists for its 2021 reporting corps. The cohort, which includes a number of corps members returning for a second or third year, will join the more than 200 local news organizations across 49 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam.

The corps is diverse—with 135 journalists of color—at 45%, more than double the percentage found in the majority of America’s newsrooms. By better reflecting their communities, Report for America’s partner newsrooms will be better positioned to gain the trust of their audiences, amidst the national reckoning on race.

These reporting positions come at a critical moment, when many local newsrooms are closing—leaving a vacuum of trusted, accurate information that is being filled by partisan news sites and online disinformation that threaten our democracy.

“The crisis in our democracy, disinformation and polarization, is in many ways a result of the collapse of local news,” said Steven Waldman, co-founder and president of Report for America. “We have a unique opportunity to reverse this decline by filling newsrooms with talented journalists who not only view journalism as a public service, but who can make trusted connections with the communities they serve.”

Report for America is a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. It is an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, a nonprofit journalism organization.

The post Megan Sayles to join AFRO staff in June appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.

(By Faizal Ramli_Shutterstock)

Compiled by Rev. Dorothy Boulware

How did you become a wealth guru? 

Actually it was by accident. It was just based on my first wanting to be of service to my community. First of all I hadn’t been exposed to investing at all until I worked for Merrill Lynch, and was told I was clearly over qualified for the position I was in, and should get my broker’s license. I was just fascinated as I began to study for it and realized all I didn’t know. Once I learned I just literally wanted to tell the whole world about it. 

I really did do everything I could to share what I’d learned, from speaking engagements, to speaking to the community, and having my first radio program with Cathy Hughes at WOLB. 

Then I started writing books, with the mission of wanting to educate about investing and how to build wealth.

What is a healthy foundation that attracts wealth? 

I would submit that wealth is not attracted as much as it is a function of your knowledge, beliefs,  attitudes and behaviors.

By eight years old, we’ve already formed our beliefs and habits around money, a direct reflection of our environment and the way our family handled finances. It’s inherited. People go through several years of formal education, go to college and come out with multiple degrees, even with a PhD and have no knowledge of how the investment market works.

Our lack of wealth can be traced to our exposure to how to manage money. Here’s what I’ve learned. There is this stereotype of Black women being spendthrifts and wanting designer bags and shoes and whatever. It’s just not true. Most Black women are very conservative and thrifty and risk aversion. And it’s directly correlated to the lack of knowledge. Ignorance breeds fear. So we focus on not losing what we have, rather than gaining more.

What are the first steps you suggest to someone who wants to be transformed in their way of thinking about money?

Start with creating the life you want. First things we do in WealthyU is have them create their wealth vision. Ten years from now…what does your life look like? What’s important to you…financial security, health, getting out of debt?

Then look at where you are. Take a financial snapshot..Where are you today? Make an accounting of debt. What is your net worth? And I tell them, it’s not that serious. It’s everything you own compared to everything you owe. And then you return to focus on where you want to be.

Fundamentally, a shift  occurs…all financial decisions are then based on whether or not it increases your net worth. Having a wealth mindset is to focus on how you can increase your net worth. Therefore you make different decisions.

Which is the most difficult step the process?

The most difficult step is taking that accounting. Many times people will have rubber bands of credit cards. People will get a bill consolidation loan and then run the cards back up again. The most difficult thing is the acknowledgement of where they are.

It’s the most essential part. Making the decision to change our behavior.

Some women invest in coaching – two sessions and gone. Shame. Acknowledging that we don’t know as much as we should. 

Wait. Maybe the most difficult aspect is asking for help because it requires us to say we don’t know and we can’t figure it out. And then…there’s the shame of being ignorant.

Until we find out we’re not alone. That’s why community is so important. We experienced significant growth in our FB group during COVID. No matter where you were on the economic strata; everybody at every level had the same fear – fear of death – of our own mortality.

Last March, I could see that people who had been in coaching were having a tough time. We went live for almost a month explaining the financial markets – why they were up and down. We had a 21 day challenge, a 5 day challenge – now you know you should have an emergency fund

Launched WealthyU Society

Learned the importance of community and being around like minded people who have the same aspirations.

Other aspect was that we’ve always been told to save for a rainy day. When COVID hit, we met a tsunami – created a sense of urgency around the need to have a plan to achieve financial stability…a cushion

The silver lining of COVID was the acknowledge that we don’t control everything.

Need to become more intentional about their money…finding money wasting…got real. People began to recognize what’s really important.

How do we train ourselves to be savers/ givers?

Deciding what you want. Money is only a tool to help you achieve certain objectives. What do you want to save for? So much of the focus was on investing. We changed from Money Works, our radio show to WealthyU because wealth is really about well being. The ability to take care of our needs without worry.

Is philanthropy an early step in the transition?

Absolutely. I focus primarily on Black women. My mission to help a million Black women to get to a million dollars net worth. To impact the economic well being of our overall community.

I know that investment literacy is inherited. If I teach a million black women to invest, they will continue to teach through generations. We can leave a legacy but it needs to be intergenerational.

Paying it forward to the next generation.

In addition to that, we’ve always been givers, beginning with tithing. Churches do more than any other charitable organization in the world. We tithe. We are great givers. Black folks give larger percentages of income to their community than anyone else.

What elements would you add to the public school curriculum, and at what levels, to change the way our children think about wealth?

We teach reading, writing and arithmetic. We learn to add and subtract in kindergarten. You know how you have those three jars labeled, spend, save and give.? Add a fourth, invest. Plant a seed and watch it grow in the future.

The truth is that we see bias in everything in the system itself.

It’s not that we don’t seek out this help – to learn how to invest – every day we reach out to receive services at a financial institution. And we are turned away.That still happens today. Every day.

If you’re going to get that knowledge…we’ll invest in our formal education, pay tuition; we  have to begin to invest in our own personal and self development. Investment literacy. Knowledge about how to invest is the best return on investment you’ll ever make, to paraphrase a Ben Franklin quote.

Black folks are wired for investing because we are the influencers and the trendsetters…the same skills needed to be successful investors

Log onto WealthyU.com to join the free FB community. Free challenges every week. Wind down – interviews. Highlight WealthyU success stories. Double pension savings. 

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Aisha Butler is never far from the camera she needs. Some of her best work.

By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware
AFRO Managing Editor
Editor@afro.com

Like every other entrepreneur who’s endured the pandemic, Aisha Butler has had to regroup and redefine her method; but she says it’s the smiles she sees through the lens that keep her going with this art that first caught her eye about 15 years ago.

The Baltimore-based creative specializes in portrait and product photography primarily but she’s willing to venture out wherever she’s needed. Even around the world to make a picture happen.

Aisha Butler is never far from the camera she needs. Some of her best work.

“I’ve been as far as Paris and Cancun,” Butler says. “I’m open to whatever opportunities come my way.”

And she continues to adapt to the imposed changes, so she can continue to grow her business.

Aisha Butler is never far from the camera she needs. Some of her best work.

“We were closed in the beginning. Client bookings had temporarily slowed down. And then, after reopening, we had to quarantine a couple of times because of the possibility of exposure,” Butler said. 

Her main source of inspiration is her grand baby, but she’s also lifted by family, looking at past photos or while watching a movie or television show. Or sometimes merely by conversation.

Aisha Butler is never far from the camera she needs. Some of her best work.

When asked about her favorite photographer, besides her husband of 13 years, she mentioned Glenford Nunez, who was first based in Baltimore. “I watched him get started and now he just soars in photography.”

With adjustments needed to continue safely, Butler also soars while strictly enforcing consistent hand washing and social distancing. “I’m usually working alone, but sometimes, I have an additional photographer and a makeup artist; and we have to be careful.”

But slowing down never means stopping. She’s organizing better, a piece she said was needed, and outsourcing her work to editors who use high end editing programs. 

“We are also working on getting new laptops that will help us do more of that work ourselves,” said Butler, adding, “We’ve also moved into a larger studio.”

“We bought our son and his wife a photo shoot for their third wedding anniversary.  Aisha was amazing to work with….so warm and friendly and very accommodating,” Penny Gibson said. “She was just as excited as I was to be doing this for my son and daughter-in-law. They both said that was the best photo shoot they’ve ever had! And the photos were absolutely beautiful!”

As Butler said, her best marketing tool is “word of mouth” advertising, and there’s no end to the custom nature of her photo shoots.

“Aisha Butler and her photography gifts create a studio experience of peace and transformation. Her gentle spirit is one of love, care and passion,” words of another very satisfied customer, Teresha Sutton, who says Butler clicks until she knows her clients are comfortable in the body that God gave them.”

Wow. And there’s an added bonus. Sutton says Butler and her photographer husband flow so well together. “I try to schedule a photo shoot with Aisha at least once a year.”

High praise indeed from some of Butler’s best marketers.

“A photo shoot can vary from client to client. Some may only include me, my camera, my client and a good time,” Butler said. 

Sounds like there’s always an abundance of the latter.

For more information, contact Aisha Butler at aisha.jazzystudios@gmail.com.

The post Black photography with a pinch of inspiration appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.

By Rev. Dorothy Boulware
AFRO Managing Editor
editor@afro.com

A recent AP report said seniors in Washington D.C. are “lagging behind” in vaccination numbers, especially those who live in the poorest and “Blackest” parts of the District. 

Almost every report says African Americans, as well as other minorities, are significantly behind in vaccination numbers.

JHU’s Coronavirus Resource Center reports that over 94% of Marylanders have not received even an initial dose of a vaccine. The same is also true for Baltimore residents.

Does that mean they’re refusing the vaccine in mass numbers?  Or that they have been unable to access the vaccine?

The latter is much more feasible since conversations online and in person are peppered with questions about locations for the shots. Those who have them are questioned about how they got them, how long it took and whether or not there were after effects.

The challenge of getting an appointment is more than a notion. And those who do snag appointments, find themselves sharing a time slot with hundreds of fellow residents. Callers regularly hear messages that nothing is available for the next three days, or at all. And the response is the same whether from retail pharmacies or medical facilities.

”I have gotten permission from African American Senior Citizens to create an email address so I could register seniors for the vaccine, said Wanda Best, who just wanted to help as much as possible. “So far that has worked. These individuals are in their 80s, without computer access or family members in the immediate area. The anxiety these individuals were experiencing was heart wrenching. They were from zip codes 21217 and 21218.”

Marvin “Doc” Cheatham, president of the Matthew Henson Neighborhood, has also been centering his energy and that of his team on securing appointment for the seniors 80 and above.

“So many of them are certainly not on the Internet and some find it difficult to follow the instructions given on those phone calls,” Cheatham said. “We’ve been trying to get as many of them scheduled as possible.”

His concern is that distribution could have been planned differently.

“Vaccines were counted by the number of residents rather than the number of health facilities in communities,” he said. “Our residents would have been served differently with all the healthcare facilities and workers in zip codes 21217 and 21215.”

He said he didn’t know too many people who are actually refusing the vaccine, just those who are trying to get registered.

“M&T Stadium opens as a mass vaccination site on Feb. 25, but Marylanders are already experiencing a hiccup in the appointment scheduling process,” Cheatham said. “Expedient, equitable and accessible, significantly improved rollout plans must be urgently effectuated, especially in Baltimore City where there has been a great failure.”

Baltimore’s mayor, Brandon Scott, agreed with the need for efficient distribution.

“Equitably distributing the vaccine is key to ending the pandemic. Yet the State’s response and vaccination efforts have been challenging to say the least, leading to frustration and confusion,” Mayor Scott said, adding, “My administration remains committed to a coherent, collaborative, and equitable approach to the vaccination process and will continue to work hard to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our residents through a framework of equity.”

The central question about lack of desire or lack of access remains unanswered.  But for those who want the vaccine, resources are available.

Online help is available on Facebook. Maryland Vaccine Hunters has as its goal, to “Get shots in arms,” and welcomes everyone interested in finding a vaccine. Stories are shared of having to travel over 400 miles, or long wait lines for folks over 70 and of crashing or freezing websites. But specific instruction is being given for successful calls. The members are not only seeking information for themselves, but are offering assistance to anyone who asks.

And the success stories abound. Many who’d been trying seemingly forever, get through quickly using the helpful hints shared on the page.

For more information, visit @MarylandVaccineHunters on Facebook.

The post 500,000 dead and counting: Where are the vaccines? appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.

By Rev. Dorothy Boulware
AFRO Managing Editor
dboulware@afro.com

Erricka Bridgeford, co-founder of the Baltimore Ceasefire Movement has emerged as a powerful advocate against violence and homicide in our city and beyond; Ceasefire weekends have been a welcome respite from murder and mayhem in Baltimore since August 2017.

Bridgeford will spend part of the November 2019 Ceasefire weekend with AFRO Baltimore Editor Sean Yoes at the Baltimore Book Festival on Nov. 3. Yoes, who also writes the “Race and Politics” column for the newspaper, is author of, Baltimore After Freddie Gray: Real Stories From One of America’s Great Imperiled Cities. He will interview Bridgeford in front of an audience at the book festival’s Inspire Stage at the World Trade Center’s Observation Level, 401 E. Pratt St., at 2 p.m., discussing the plight of the city as we approach the fifth anniversary of Freddie Gray’s death and subsequent Uprising.

During this Ceasefire Weekend Erricka Bridgeford, co-founder of the Baltimore Ceasefire Movement sits down for a conversation about the plight of our city, with AFRO Baltimore Editor Sean Yoes at the Baltimore Book Festival on Nov. 3. (Courtesy Photos)

“Nobody has done more in Baltimore in the last two years to quell the violence that has plagued us for so long,” Yoes said. “There is nobody I would rather talk to about this than Erricka.”

The Baltimore Ceasefire Movement officially began Aug. 2017 and each Ceasefire weekend– there are four each year: February, May, August and November– has registered a significant decrease in violence during the 72 hour period.

Yoes’ book written in 2018, chronicles the years since the death of Gray, who died while in police custody on April 19, 2015 and the subsequent Uprising, which was sparked the day of his funeral on April 27, 2015.

“…In real life I have survivor’s remorse. And every time somebody is like, `Oh, you’re so great, you’re so good’ I’m great on the backs of all the people that I buried,” Bridgeford told the AFRO two years ago in the midst of the first November 2017 Ceasefire weekend. “I get to be great because I’m burying people and I need to do something with that pain. And I need people to understand that I’m not nothing that you’re not, I’m Baltimore. Nothing is more Baltimore than me,” added Bridgeford, who was named “Marylander of the Year,” by the Baltimore Sun in 2017 for her work with Ceasefire. 

“If you see greatness when you look at me, that’s because I’m just a mirror. So, I need you to understand what you are, you deserve life…you deserve your chance in the sun.”

The post Yoes To Interview Bridgeford During Balt. Book Festival appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.

Everyone wants to be known as a person for all seasons, one who embraces life fully and makes the world a lot better just by having been present.

It seems Carl Edward Murphy Smith was such a man; maybe not in his own sight, but in the hearts and minds of his family.

Carl Edward Murphy Smith

“I think of him first, as a man of mystery,” said Qiana Smith Gabriel, daughter of Smith, who died Dec. 15 after a lengthy illness.

“He was anything you could think of but nothing you’d actually expect of a man who matured in the 60’s,” she said. 

“And when he would tell his stories, I’d always respond, ‘No you didn’t do that. No you weren’t there.”

Gabriel still finds it hard to believe the impact her father had, as a businessman, a registered lobbyist and much more. 

“Can you believe him skiing in the Swiss Alps, traveling for business meetings in Berlin? With White people? And it wasn’t as if he was trying to pass, with his six foot tall self, sporting a huge Afro,” she added.

In fact, his son, Blair Carl Smith, called his father the “most well travelled man I knew.”  

He seemed to be a larger than life figure to everyone who knew him.

Marsha Rose Joyner said she and Carl Edward had a lifetime together from the time they were little children in the 1940s WWII Baltimore until his last days in hospice.

“Our mothers, Elizabeth Murphy Oliver and Ida Murphy Smith Peters, respectively, worked at the AFRO, so every day we went to the Mission Helper’s day school on Bethel Street. The nuns would walk us to public school 122 in the morning and pick us up at the end of the day,” Joyner said.

“Although I’m the oldest of the Murphy great grandchildren, Carl Edward was the tallest so he became my protector.”

He was much more than a mere cousin, it was said of Smith who had the distinction of having been the among the oldest of the Murphy cousins. “He was the big cousin we all looked up to, “ said the Rev. Dr. Frances “Toni” Draper, pastor of Freedom Temple AME Zion Church in Baltimore. “He was a faithful friend who cherished our family.”

AFRO publisher and cousin, Jake Oliver, called him “our idol. He was the giant we all wanted to grow up to be.”

Another cousin, Robert Murphy Matthews Sr. called him, “our go-to guy for Murphy family history,” also remembering Smith as “all our babysitter.”

The African-American community is largely familiar with the Murphy family through the AFRO-American Newspaper, the longest, continuously operating, family owned Black publication in this country. 

Smith is the oldest great grandson of AFRO founder, John H. Murphy Sr., the ex slave who started the paper in 1892 and decreed that members of the family would always find employment with the family business.

He also had the distinction of being the only grandson for 10 years. This gave him plenty of time to shadow his grandfather, then AFRO publisher, Dr. Carl Murphy Sr. who often intervened within the community to mobilize leadership on behalf of the community at large.

“As a boy, he’d sit in on AFRO board meetings and take the minutes,” Blair Smith said. “I’m sure this gave him the insight and maybe even the courage to go travel the world for business or just on his own.”

Smith’s mother was the company’s first Mrs. Santa and the entertainment editor, just a couple of the hats she wore.

His sister, the Right Rev. Vashti Smith Murphy McKenzie, also pursued a career in communications and media, and ministry before becoming the first woman to serve as bishop in the AME Church.

But beyond family, his impact was felt in the business world through his expansive career with Verizon, formerly Bell Atlantic. He retired as a registered lobbyist and external affairs manager in Annapolis.

And as someone who cared deeply about the community, especially the African-American community, Smith was a founding member of 100 Black Men of Maryland, a member of The Rotary Club of Baltimore, and a Golden Heritage member of the NAACP. He was also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

“He loved his fraternity,” said Blair Smith, also a Kappa.

“He pledged in 1959 and I in 1987, and he was there for my going over ceremony,” Blair Smith said.

“He often spoke to how Kappa community service had been a huge influence in his life, fraternity brothers, line brothers in particular.”

The Frederick Douglass High School graduate attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison after earning his undergraduate degree in history and political science at Morgan State University where his grandfather, as chair of the board of regents presented his diploma. Smith often touted it as one of his proudest moments. 

By no means the end of his education, Smith embraced lifelong learning with membership in Leadership Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties as well as being an executive exchange fellow assigned to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at the Wharton School. He also participated three years in the St. John’s College Executive Seminar series.

His education really paid off, according to Gabriel.

“My dad was the smartest man I’ve known. Throughout my life I could ask him any question on any topic and he knew something of value about it,” she said.

“Even as I got older, I would challenge him and Google his answers, but he was always right.”

She said he was simply amazing on so many levels.

“I don’t know how I’ll move through life without him.”

Joyner said, as well, how empty her mornings are, without their morning texts.

“While I miss him, I’m grateful the suffering is over.”

A Celebration of Life service will be held beginning at 11 a.m. for the family hour, with the service following at noon, Jan. 6, 2018 at Payne Memorial AME Church, 1714 Madison Ave., Baltimore, MD 21217.  

An additional memorial service was held in St. James, North Carolina on Thursday January 4, 2018.  In lieu of flowers donations may be made to The First Tee at http://www.thefirsttee.org./

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By Rev. Dorothy Boulware

Singer, reality show co-star and now, solo recording artist, Traci Braxton, stopped by the AFRO, Oct. 6.

The Braxton sister who’s “second to the oldest,” who thought her personal dream had expired, finds herself singing a song to encourage others to keep theirs going.

Her first album, Crash and Burn which dropped Oct. 7, is the outcome of a struggle that taught her that it doesn’t matter what your parents think, it really doesn’t matter what friends and family members tell you. Even if you crumble or fall, it’s not the end.

“I can still start something new,” Traci said.

And it’s new and it’s different.

“I have a different sound from my sisters. It’s a distinctive sound with a style from Mary J. and Jill Scott,” Traci said. “I’m a round the way Girl. Like ‘What’s up. What’s up.”

She said the new collection reveals more about Traci, set apart from her siblings.

“I sing about what I’m going through relationship wise, what other people are going through too.”

One of the songs was written by her brother Michael for their parents when they were going through a divorce.

“It was actually written for Toni to record, which she did, but it was never published.” Traci asked Michael for permission to sing it and was a little taken aback when she realized permission would have to come from Toni.

“But she was so helpful to me. She coached me in singing it,” Traci said. “To have a six-time Grammy winner to tell you what to do with a song; that made it so rewarding. It was an emotional and grateful feeling all at the same time.”

Crash and Burn has taken a while to materialize, having to be scheduled around the filming of the popular “Braxton Family Values,” reality show.

When asked what she wants people to know about her, Traci said, “I’m more than what meets the eye. Besides being funny and crazy, I’m very passionate. And I do finish things.”

Her reference was to a couple of times going to cosmetology school and also not finishing college yet.

But it’s all good and it’s all happening in good time. She talked about how much the television show has improved upon their relationships.

“There was so much going on between the sisters all the time, there wasn’t really room for the guys,” she said.  The spouses didn’t get a chance to be spouses. It was hard for the guys to try to get together and we didn’t promote that at all,” Traci said. “It had always been about us. We pushed them aside proclaiming every day Sisters’ Day.”

She said, “Doing the show made us realize that and create boundaries that make for stronger family ties. We needed to pay attention to our individual families and create our own traditions.”

She said the same boundaries also became the basis for much of their bickering, which actually increased.

“Boundaries cause problems. We hadn’t realized how much we’d invaded each other’s space.”

It was destined to happen. She said her manager heard her singing to herself one day as she walked through the office.

“He said, ‘Girl get in this office right now. Stop playing,’” Traci said. He was furious with me.

“’Two more days and you’re gonna lay that song down. You’re going to waste a dream,’” he told me.

And as soon as the 24 songs were done,” I was signed the same day.”

Help us Continue to tell OUR Story and join the AFRO family as a member – subscribers are now members!  Join here! 

The post Traci Braxton Starts Something New With ‘Crash and Burn’ appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.

One of the signs of the times is that seniors who thought they would be retiring at a certain age are continuing in established careers or even starting second careers because of changes in the economy. Maybe they aren’t ready for a rocking chair, but many are interested in slowing down, just not so much. Jobs are not nearly as available in past decades; employer-employee loyalty is a dying concept, and some pension funds have been decimated.

So some are job hunting instead of enjoying retirement parties. Some are struggling to hold onto jobs that require more than they’d like to invest. Some are seeking training and looking to start second careers.

James Hamlin, on the other hand, is working on his third career, having already spent 35 years at United Parcel Service (UPS) as a corporate executive and worked with the team determined to revitalize Pennsylvania. And he’s not tired yet, in fact he said he likes the hard work he’s embraced in establishing The Avenue Bakery; hard work, he says, is all he’s ever known.

When asked why a bakery, Hamlin said the community master plan in Baltimore called for one.

“I looked around the community and what seemed to be missing was a bakery,” said Hamlin, who attended Edmondson High School and Coppin State University.
So, to balance the array of services the community offered, comes The Avenue Bakery, a place that’s usually filled with people doing a lot of praying about the distribution of the calories they’re about to consume.

“I have been baking for years and owned the Bakers Hardware property and needed to do something with it,” he said, adding that the bakery wasn’t his original plan.

And while it is already successful, it is moving toward the achievement of a much larger goal than just be a sweet stop on The Avenue.”The goal is to bring people back to Historic Pennsylvania Avenue and become a starter for the Royal Theater project,” Hamlin said.

Well it’s a real benefit to the community because if you come into the 2200 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, you will first of all be drawn toward the bright orange awning and the paintings of cookies and rolls vividly displayed on the parking lot in front of The Avenue Bakery, home of Poppay’s rolls. It’s a distinctive place in a neighborhood fighting its way from decay to renewal.

When you go into the bakery, you are met with all kinds of aromas that sound a danger alarm. A wiser person would walk away very quickly. The daily fresh-baked, yeast roll smell is just overpowering, not to mention the various other desserts, pies and cakes made to order in all types of flavors and sizes. Those “Poppay rolls” are largely attributable to Hamlin’s grandfather who enjoyed baking and was always searching for new recipes to delight his family.

And family is what keeps Hamlin going many family members pitch in including Brenda, his wife of almost 45 years, who can usually be found serving with a smile at the front counter.

A hot roll and a history tour. Once you’re past the bakery window, the walls are a tour of Black history in Baltimore. Photos of entertainers who graced the Royal Theater; photos of people dancing and partying at the Arch Social Club which is now in its ninth decade; photos of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The bakery also houses a community room to be used for meetings and gatherings of all kinds. And then behind the building, and on the side, are historical murals including the AFRO and the marquee from the Royal Theater, a stop on the Chitlin’ Circuit, and other sites from storied Pennsylvania Avenue.

Sandtown’s Simply Black and gospel group Serenity are featured in A Taste of Sandtown@The Avenue Bakery, 2 to 6 p.m., June 1 at 2229 Pennsylvania Avenue, for the benefit of the Royal Theater revitalization project. For more information, visit theavenuebakery.com, email theavenuebakery@gmail.com or call 410-225-3881.

The post Third Career and Counting appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.

Beauty. You know it when you see it and everyone wants some. Beauty in our homes. Beauty on the landscape. Beauty on ourselves. Americans spend billions every year to get their share. Beauty is easy to spot, but it’s a difficult to put it into words. What’s your definition of real beauty?

That question –and the responses to it– became a documentary, Beauty in America, produced by Notre Dame of Maryland University students Tya Kelly and Lauren Mlynski and recently screened in their April 30 StuDocs Film Fest.

Spurred by the Dove commercials that feature real women, filmmakers posed the question of women of various ages and hues. Their responses were in some ways predictable. Some women expressed disdain at being portrayed in pop culture as “materialistic and shallow,” at being stereotyped as business women or housewives or even “hot chicks.” One affectionately recalled a time when women had “hips and legs and rear ends.”

So the prevailing definition was of persons feeling comfortable in their own skin, with their own lives and choices and having no need to conform to fleeting styles and trends.

My first definition of beauty was, “Beauty is as beauty does,” an axiom of a foster parent, the repetition of which made me think I must have been really homely. This theory was heavily supported by my uncle, who upon first sight, decided I should be called “George.” No explanation. A 7-year-old girl should be called George and “George” me he did until I was about 13 when he announced that I had become too pretty to be called George any longer.

Anyway, beauty is more than a passing concern that encompasses the outside as well as the inside. The AFRO asked the question, “What’s your definition of beauty?” and received interesting responses.

Well known artist Joyce J. Scott, daughter of the late Elizabeth Talbot Scott, famed quilt maker, said beauty is, “a place so vast a space ship could traverse only a dew drop of continence, a song so sweet , you taste it. Mom’s embrace at day’s end knowing you have spun the biggest spider web, trapping all the joys required for your dream’s consumption.”

Beauty.
“I believe beauty is a feeling and state of mind. A person or image can be beautiful if it uplifts people and makes them feel better than they did before their encounter with that person, “said Mona M. Rock, public relations manager for Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. “ I work every day to be beautiful, not just with my clothes or makeup, but with my energy.”

Beauty.
“It’s something internal that’s compelling. It has a magnetic appeal that draws in audiences unknowingly. It’s more than physical. It exudes in the artistry of poetry. The miraculous birth of a child and in all the creations of Earth,” Latondria Spence said. “Therefore I define beauty as God, God is pure beauty.”

Beauty
Poets have strained for centuries to craft their own definition.
John Keats said, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.”
Emily Dickinson said, “The Definition of Beauty is…That Definition is none.”
Liv Tyler said, “There is no definition of beauty, but when you can see someone’s spirit coming through, something unexplainable, that’s beautiful to me.

Beauty
“It is,” said a character in the movie [As Good as It Gets], “why cavemen chiseled on walls.”

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_beauty2.html#SskulbsbfRqwkv5o.99
Dru Hill sang of their hope to possess beauty.

The defining conversation is ongoing.

The post Film Fest Fuels Beauty Talk appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.

The event is simply the way the American Diabetes Association, in partnership with Playworks and Baltimore City Public Schools, has chosen to remind the community that everyone needs to get moving, children included, to stave off the epidemic of obesity that has plunged one in four African-American children into type II diabetes, a category formerly reserved for overweight adults.

Today, almost one in every three children in the nation is overweight or obese. The number rises to 40 percent in African-American and Hispanic communities, according to the Let’s Move Campaign website.

“Stop Diabetes” is both the intent and the mantra of the ADA’s 2011 campaign to begin March 22 with a week of activities starting with a rally in Annapolis and a meeting to encourage Maryland legislators to do their part in mandating, as much as possible, healthier habits in state schools.

“Our intent is to raise the level of awareness about the seriousness of diabetes in our community and the need to look at systems and policies that can improve the lives of those living with diabetes and also to prevent diabetes,” said Shawn McIntosh, ADA director of programs and advocacy.

“Our specific bill is HB 168, which has been stuck in the House Ways and Means Committee for six years now, and we need to get it out of committee so the entire House can vote on it.”

House Bill 168 was introduced six years ago by former NFL player and current state delegate, Jay Walker (D-Dist. 26), to make a place in every Maryland school for physical education, much of which succumbed to ongoing budget woes. “Many parents do not realize that PE was taken out of many school systems. Parents often say we had PE every day,” said Walker, who represents Prince George’s County. “

“Well in some school systems students participate in PE only once a week. This is unacceptable and we are doing a tremendous disservice to our kids.“

The bill requires “that a public school student in elementary school be provided a daily program of physical activity totaling at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week, including at least 90 minutes of physical education; that the program of physical activity for a specified category of student be consistent with a specified plan for the student; public elementary schools to designate a specified group to plan and coordinate specified activities,” according to the legislative website synopsis.

“One in every three children born after 2000 will develop diabetes,” McIntosh said. “We need people to get involved, to join the Stop Diabetes movement – they can take the risk test on our website, attend workshops and take control of their own lifestyle behavior changes.”

She said people can also volunteer to help ADA spread the word.

The week of activities abounds with opportunities for health information on diabetes and other conditions, instruction on healthy cooking, a workout with Ravens fitness trainer Monte Sanders and a Spin-A-Thon at Gold’s Gym.

For more information on Stop Diabetes Rally Week activities visit https://sites.google.com/site/stopdiabetesmaryland or to take the risk test, visit diabetes.org or call the Baltimore office at 410-265-0075.

The post Stop Diabetes! appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.

The vision coming to fruition includes remembering or learning the wealth of Black history resident in Baltimore and finding ways to improve life for current residents.

Tourism is a $3 billion industry and Baltimore is not fully vested, according to TRTCHC president and CEO James Hamlin. “We’re not taking advantage of our heritage, nor are we protecting it,” Hamlin said. “Too many of us are unaware of the treasure we have in the city, especially the West Baltimore area.”

Hamlin said the planners, including the Mayor’s Office of Baltimore Heritage, the Pennsylvania Avenue Renewal Committee (PARC) and other community leaders, easily composed a list of 70 sites that deserve retrospection and education.

“But limited funding demanded that we narrow the sites to 25,” Hamlin said, referring to tour stops along the official Heritage Trail identified by the planning committee.

“Who knows the origin of Shake and Bake’s name? Or who paved the way for minority participation in government contracts? Who knows where Thurgood Marshall lived?” Hamlin said, rattling off questions with rapid fire. “We have such a rich history that we need to respect so we can move forward.”

Planners have involved the younger generation by instituting an essay contest, “Poetry in Motion,” that is available to parents and teachers to encourage their budding writers. The first step is to choose one site along the trail – preview at www.pennsylvaniaavenuebaltimore.com – as the subject of their composition, so the lessons continue beyond the designated weekend. Winning pieces of those submitted by the Sept. 30 deadline will be displayed on MTA buses.

The subject could be The Royal Theater that showered hospitality on the best of the best because of its eminence as one of only five stops on the Chitlin’ Circuit, which had to be successfully completed to mark a performer’s preparedness for the “Big Time.”

The Royal joined the Apollo in Harlem, the Regal in Chicago, the Earl in Philadelphia and the Howard in Washington, D.C., and was the venue of the first talking motion picture in 1929, {Scar of Shame,} which boasted an all-Black cast. Though it was demolished in 1971, it lives as a “cinema treasure” on the website of the same name. And it lives in the hearts of those who remember its glory days and the pleasure they experienced.

“There were electrifying performances by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Jackie Wilson and James Brown, and the young shoe-shiners popping rags in time with the sound of music from nearby jukeboxes,” Hamlin remembered on the committee’s website. “On The Avenue, you could greet national celebrities face-to-face, as they visited a network of African-American businesses, including clothiers, barbers and musicians in preparation for the next show.”

The Cadillac Parade has its own celebrity status. It was premiered in 1946 and was held consistently until 1972. Since its 1996 revival, it has engaged and re-engaged those luxury vehicle aficionados who would drive nothing less. Registration is still open for anyone who wants to be included in the festivities. And the younger ones won’t be left out.

“Did you know that Morgan’s dormitories used to be on Pennsylvania Avenue?” Hamlin asked, still putting that history out there. “We’re embracing that bond by inviting fraternities and sororities to participate in the parade. We need them to get the history too and to share it with their children and grandchildren.”

The committee also wants to involve Elks, Masons and veterans’ groups. “We need the entire community,” Hamlin said. Including the faith community.

Pastors in the Upton neighborhood are positioning themselves and their congregations to have a discernible impact where they serve. They will convene for worship at 3 p.m., Sept. 5, at Pennsylvania and Lafayette avenues, with the music ministry of The Singing Sensations under the direction of Dr. Hollie Hood-Mincey. At that time, the alliance will make an important announcement.

“We will use the occasion to announce ‘5 Churches, 2 Commandments, 5,000 Families,’ a program through which we will support five schools and provide food to 5,000 families within the community,” said the Rev. Dr. Alvin Hathaway Sr., pastor of the historic Union Baptist Church on Druid Hill Avenue. Other pastors are the Rev. Drs. Lester A. McCorn, Pennsylvania Avenue AMEZ; Douglas Summers, Providence Baptist Church; Frank Madison Reid III, Bethel AME and S. Todd Yeary, Douglas Memorial Community Church.

“Persons from our churches will participate in the schools as hall monitors and provide tutoring services. We will also assist in lowering household electricity costs,” Rev. Hathaway said. “An additional goal is to increase employment of our neighbors on the large number of capital improvement jobs that are in close proximity.”

He said this is the beginning of their work together. “More initiatives will follow.” In concert with the beginning of the Pennsylvania Avenue Heritage Festival that is envisioned by its planners to become a national event over time.

Sept. 3 Unveiling of the Heritage Trail with entertainment by The Spindles.
Sept. 4 The Cadillac Parade at noon, followed by the Panama Band and much more throughout the evening.
Sept. 5 A faith-based service with performance by The Singing Sensations.
For more information or to register for the parade, visit www.royaltchc.com or call the office at 410-795-2346.

The post History and Vision Intersect on The Avenue appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.

Kenneth Oliver made history in 2002 when he became the first African American to be elected to Council. Now finishing his second term as the representative of the Fourth District, Oliver is quick to rattle off those accomplishments that make him proud of the work he’s done:

*The only regional park in the county with indoor ice skating, soccer;

*Senior housing in Woodlawn;

*Additions to Cedar Mill;

*Police substations in Randallstown;

*Opening of the brand new Windsor Mill;

*And the largest community center in the county.

He also volunteers that his detractors discount this list, which is just a sampling of the one on his Web site. “They say I haven’t done anything. I don’t know what they’re looking at when they say that,” the councilman said.

“If you look at the [4th] district, over the last 30 years nothing was done, until the last eight years. …

“I initiated discussions with the Liberty Road Business Association about an apartment complex and we’re working on developing three vacant automobile dealerships into mixed use developments or office complexes.”

But this work has not exempted him from a challenger in this election. “Some don’t know, some don’t know about my personal involvement and many just don’t read,” he said. “I can’t understand why there would be an effort to unseat me when there will be four brand new councilpersons as it is. Why not make an effort to add more African Americans to the Council, rather than unseat the only one?”

He has already received the endorsement of the Teachers Association of Baltimore County (TABCO).

County NAACP President Pat Ferguson, clarifiying that as a non-profit the organization cannot make an endorsement, said there are “definite concerns related to how effective he has been as a leader” and “the adequacy of his overall response to the needs of the broader community.”

Add to the doubt about his political performance his guilty plea in 2009 related to the misuse of campaign funds and this can only multiply whatever factors make him appear vulnerable.

And the race is on in the Fourth District.

Penny McCrimmon is running against Oliver, as is attorney Leronia Josey. This is McCrimmon’s third run for this seat. Josey said she’s running out of necessity, because of what she calls “inexcusable neglect” and her “disappointment in the performance of our current councilmanic representative.”

She would be new to the council but not to local politics. She’s monitored developments in the community while serving on the Parole Commission, the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, Coppin Development Foundation, Leadership Maryland and the Frostburg Board of Visitors.

She says the district currently has a need for:

* Enhancing public education by re-engaging parents and holding principals and teachers accountable;

* Revitalizing commercial and economic development; and

* Using incentives to attract businesses to the county and to stimulate job creation.

Josey is perhaps best known for her service as general counsel for Bethel A.M.E. Church for 15 years, two of them as chief operating officer. She has received endorsements from the Baltimore County 10th District Democratic Club, and the Stonewall Democratic and Northwest Catonsville Political clubs. She calls herself an experienced problem solver who is committed to re-connect with and re-engage the county community.

Penny McCrimmon had not responded by AFRO press time.

The post Who Will Be the Voice for the Black District on the Council appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.

That part is clear, but the next step awaits explanation.

The tax becomes effective with July 24 beverage deliveries. According to the official city Web site, distributors are responsible for seeing that the taxes exacted from their retail customers are paid to the city coffers. The site further instructs retailers to require the appropriate certification from their distributors, because retailers are liable if those taxes aren’t paid.

Initial contact with a few retailers revealed many of them either didn’t know how they would be affected by the tax or were noncommittal about the whole thing.

“I think someone from the city is coming to talk to us this week,” said Kevin Brown, owner of Station North Arts Café, located on the 1800 block of North Charles St. “We actually serve between 75-100 drinks per day so we’re definitely affected.” Brown said they make their own purchases at the wholesalers rather than having a regular delivery to his establishment that serves an average of 130 customers per day.

New Haven Lounge owner, Steve Covington, sees the new tax as a “necessary evil” and is happy to help in providing support for schools, jobs and whatever other services are preserved through the additional revenue. “Personally, we’ll probably absorb the additional cost and not pass it on to our customers,” Covington said.

But he finds the process somewhat confusing. “I haven’t received information as to how it all works, but how can the retailers be responsible if the distributors don’t pay?”

Covington said he’s confident, however, it will all be worked out and he’s sure it won’t in any way hurt business at the New Haven in Northwood Shopping Center.

Although the expected income is only half the originally desired $11 million, there’s no doubt many city employees are grateful for the dollars that promise to save jobs and preserve much needed services.

With the June 24 passage of the highly debated beverage tax, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings Blake thanked the Council for “approving almost all of my Comprehensive Plan to fix the worst budget crisis in the City’s modern history with more than $70 million in tough spending cuts and $42.9 million in new revenue.” Her statement said the plan would fully fund the city’s “obligation to public schools, maintain every single police officer, reduce firehouse closures, and keep all community libraries open all without raising property taxes.”

Consumers will not be taxed on beverage purchases but in most cases will see an increase in the prices.

The post Retailers Have Mixed Feelings on Beverage Tax appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.

For example, All Souls Unitarian Church in the District is certified by their denomination as a “green sanctuary” based on their ongoing transformation as a “church that honors the Earth and justice in its church life,” according to their Web site.

In Baltimore, travelers on Garrison Boulevard will be drawn to the outside bulletin board of Forest Park Community Church that bears the motto, “Step up and go green for Jesus.” Church secretary, April Smith, confirmed it as the theme for their annual Vacation Bible School for children ages 3 to 16. “It’s a collection of lessons, arts and crafts, and other experiences to help children to be ecologically responsible” she said.

The package, produced by Urban Ministries in Chicago, instructs students to “reduce, reuse and recycle.”

And speaking of recycling, the Rev. Heber Brown III, pastor of Pleasant Hope Baptist Church on Belvedere Avenue, launched a recycling program last year and recently renovated the bathrooms with motion-sensing lights and low-flow toilets to save money and be better stewards of energy. This young pastor leads by example, so many beyond his immediate reach share his exploits on his Faith in Action blog and on Facebook. Rev. Brown says his work is a little easier because many of his members grew up on farms “down the country” and over the years have gotten away from their agricultural upbringing.

“By starting a vegetable/herb garden at the church, we’re not only giving our elders opportunities to re-live past experiences, but they are also teaching and learning from the younger people who are interested in growing and eating healthy and organic food,” Rev. Brown said.

Not only that, but “our green team led us in having Earth Day Sunday, for the first time, and we were encouraged to walk or ride bikes to church,” he said. “And after morning worship we had a workshop on home energy efficiency and worm composting.”

New Psalmist Baptist Church has formalized their pursuit in a unique ways that benefit the church as well as the community. Each Sunday a challenge is issued to the congregation to make simple lifestyle changes that add up to huge differences in the long run. A list of possibilities is offered and members are encouraged to attempt three in a week.

Wash laundry in cold water – save $60 a year

Adjust thermostat by 3 degrees – save $200 a year

Turn lights and electronics off when leaving a room – save $40 a year

Purchase smart power strips for computers, televisions and audio equipment – save $100 a year

Drink tap water instead of bottled water – save $260 a year

The project started with reminding the ministers of their responsibility to care for God’s creation and practical ways to save money in the process, according to Joi Dudley, director of media relations and promotions at New Psalmist and WEAA “Gospel Grace” radio host.

“We used Serve God Save the Planet by Matthew Sleeth, Go Green Save Green by Nancy Sleeth and It’s Easy Being Green by their daughter, Emma Sleeth,” Dudley said. The church, pastored by Bishop Walter S. Thomas for more than 30 years, also partnered with Baltimore Gas & Electric to host workshops for the entire community.

“The Go Green workshops are part of New Psalmist’s seven-year plan to care for God’s creation, which includes networking to improve water conditions in Africa and provide educational and hygiene supplies for its students.

“In fact, Bishop Thomas and a singing aggregation from the church traveled to Windsor Castle in London in November, 2009 to receive an award for the plan,” Dudley said. “It was presented by His Royal Highness, The Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, and His Excellency Ban Ki-Moon, secretary general of the United Nations.”

Their work was also most recently noted in the July issue of O magazine.

Dudley went on to list the many ways their new edifice will reflect their “greening:”

Formed partnership with local nursery to replant new trees in Baltimore Metropolitan area

Converted boulders to 8,000 tons of rock used as sub-base for the parking lots

Installed energy saving light fixtures in the sanctuary and on the parking lots

Adjusted work crew’s hours to those of natural lighting

Added a HVAC system that will help to conserve energy

Positioned the building to take advantage of the sun and the shade.

And the workshops will resume after the move and “we’ll also have a garden to teach members how to grow their own food.”

For more information online, visit:
www.newpsalmist.org
www.creationcare.org
www.creationcareforpastors.org
www.sustainlane.com/creation-care
www.nccecojustice.org
www.churchesgogreen.org

The post Going ‘Green’ for Jesus appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.

These are just a few of the distinctive marks that compose the imprint of the Rev. Dr. Harold A. Carter Sr. who, with a 45-year tenure as the fourth pastor of New Shiloh Baptist Church, has out served his predecessors of whom he was in awe with at the beginning. What once seemed to be an eternity, he now characterizes as “seeming to be only a moment.”

What everyone surely knows about him? He is, heart and soul, passionate for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the work it accomplishes in birthing souls into the kingdom.

“It’s what still excites me about ministry – the people,” Rev. Carter said. “It energizes me to see them have their lives turned around and to see them become engaged in ministry work.”

No surprise to anyone who’s heard him preach with his own “down home” cadence, the occasional riff that reveals the tenor voice that could have taken him other places, and the tears that flow as he recounts the salvation story one more time.

One can only imagine the void that would have been created in the faith community had the young Mr. Carter not encountered the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he was choosing between the many careers his sound education and upbringing could have afforded him.

It was Dr. King who convinced him to answer the call that had reverberated in his heart with no hint of diminishing. It was Dr. King who told him that nothing else would bring him the fulfillment of doing what he’d been created to do. And what would New Shiloh have done without this son of teachers who was summoned from Selma, Ala., to serve for what would add up to at least 45 years?

As much as he is excited by people, he is dismayed at the dearth of energy in the young people who come now to the church, not seeking salvation, holiness, liberation, family development or inspiration for a better life, but looking for a “packaged ministry that will suit their needs or give them comfort.”

“Today, it’s whether or not they like it and if not they’ll find another place. Unfortunately, the vision of the church has been ‘dumbed down’ so much that people are not really sure what the church stands for,” Rev. Carter said. “Sometimes the leaders don’t even know. You have to be skilled in marketing as well as evangelism.”

He said the conversation has to be about what the church has to offer. “We have a school of music; we have this or that for the young people,” he said. “It has nothing to do with their primary need for God.”

As much as culture was his friend when he began ministry, it now operates as a formidable foe. “Even now you can hardly hear a sermon that doesn’t make reference to what a grandmother or grandfather of faith might have said. I started out with the advantage of that culture and preached to people who’d had that advantage also,” Rev. Carter said. “There was a time when everyone had at least a passing acquaintance with songs out of our Blackness, but there’s not that common language anymore. Today, in many respects, culture is a repressive weight.”

He also addressed the uphill battle to engage those who’ve somehow gotten caught in the “prison outside the normal culture.”

“It takes a lot to bring them to the realization that we’ve all come from the same place and our aim is to assist in whatever ways we can. But you can’t force it.”

Rev. Carter’s father, the Rev. Dr. Nathan Mitchell Carter Sr., taught preachers for 55 years at Selma University, and would undoubtedly be proud of his son’s pastorate at New Shiloh. “Oh my God, he’d be so proud.” But what would the senior Carter think about the Black church today? “He’d be troubled by the numbers of sinners to whom no one is witnessing, troubled by the loss of sanctity of the Sabbath Day and certainly he’d be dismayed by the loss of consecration.”

If there were just one thing Rev. Carter could do to change the direction of the church, speaking universally, it would be to institute a return to biblical standards of knowing the life of Christ. “Gathering young people in particular to grow up with a solid standard of Christianity.” Referencing recent studies concerning the decline of faith in young people, the pastor said they merely reflect what’s happening in the lives of their parents and teachers.

“But in the face of it all, I still have great faith in the renewal of the Christian faith. I don’t know how it’s going to break out, but it will.”

The anniversary celebration continues with a banquet, 6:30 p.m., May 28 in the church banquet hall with Juanita J. Abernathy as the keynote speaker, and a concert by the Choral Ministries of New Shiloh, 6 p.m., May 30. For more information, call the church at 410-523-5306 or visit newshilohbaptist.org.

The post New Shiloh Pastor Talks Faith, Future appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.