February 2017
Mothers in1 Poetry
Chicago Street Journal Chicago’s Museum Mother Founder of DuSable Museum What Will We Tell Our Daughters? By Benita Diop Dr. Margaret Burroughs #BlackFemaleChemist #WOCinScience — Page 6 — Page 10
— Page 14
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In Honor of Our Mothers The Constant Fight Against Disrespect Of The Black Female
Congresswoman Maxine Waters Comments like conservative TV talk show host Bill O’Reilly’s public denigration of U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters with a “joke” left Black women fuming and responding. Advocates and activists weren’t laughing when Mr. O’Reilly referred to Rep. Waters’ hair as a “James Brown wig,” during a March 28 interview on the show Fox & Friends. That same day April Ryan, White House reporter for the American Urban Radio Network was disrespected by Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who told her to stop shaking her head during a Q&A. Black women fired back immediately, some through the hashtag #BlackWomenAtWork,
which was created by Brittany Packnett. Black women used Twitter to post stories about micro-aggressions in the work place and Black female empowerment. “When the white woman who gets your job gets less grief for pornographic photos than you got for baring your arms,” read one post on Twitter. “Appeared in suburban court in suit looking for my client. Judge says ‘Have a seat. Your lawyer will be here shortly,’” read another. “My boss: your hair is making too much statement. Me: Susan’s has 4 different colors. My boss: yes but it’s not an afro,” said another Tweet. Mr. O’Reilly backtracked afterward, saying he respected Rep. Waters for being sincere in her beliefs and saying making a joke about her hair was dumb. Mr. Spicer had not issued a public apology at press time. “I am a strong Black woman, and I cannot be intimidated, and I’m not going anywhere,” Rep. Waters said. Ms. Ryan, who tweeted “Lawd!” for her initial response, has since been hired as a political analyst for CNN. The mistreatment of Rep. Waters and Ms. Ryan shocked some, but these instances are just part of relentless, historical, and unapologetic disrespect on Black women and girls in American society, said educators and advocates. Last year, comedienne Leslie Jones of the Ghostbusters movie remake and Saturday Night Live star, was attacked online and called an ape, among other vile and racist insults. The hateful attacks sparked the hashtag #LoveforLeslieJ by the movie’s director Paul Frieg, and BlackMenSupportLeslie, by activist Blake Simmons. These ugly attacks were preceded by verbal assaults on former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama and her two young daughters before
President Barack Obama even took office. “When I got your request for an interview regarding the attack on Black women, I said which attack, because you know what? It was a rough, rough week for Black women,” said Janette Robinson Flint, founder and executive director of Black Women for Wellness. The founder of the L.A.-based organization said Ms. Ryan “didn’t even give Sean Spicer a good head shake,” not to mention Mr. O’Reilly totally disrespecting a distinguished congresswoman with a long track record. It also brought to mind the cases of missing Black girls in Washington, D.C., she added. And, said Ms. Robinson Flint, “Then, I thought about in Chicago, where they raped a young Black girl, live streamed it on Facebook, and nobody called 911.” “First and foremost, it is the Black man’s responsibility to protect his woman,” stated Dr. Ava Muhammad, national spokesperson for the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. The disrespect of Black women and girls is occurring as Donald Trump’s presidency is imploding, and in the context of the fall of America, as the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, patriarch of the Nation of Islam, warned would take place, she said. “America is at an end. She is being dismantled, and as a last desperate attempt to push back on judgment, to push back on God’s will, we are experiencing at the end the same criminal and vicious actions that America engaged in at the beginning at 1555, which is snatching and subjugating our young girls,” Min. Muhammad stated. .
What’s coming up in the Chicagoland area. CSJ Chicago Event’s Calendar — Page 4
Freedom from Seasonal Allergies Introduction to German New Medicine.
Kimberly Saxon — Page 9 Designing Destiny Through Fashion Preneurship
Continued on Page 4
Melody Boykin — Page 11
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February 2017 2 May 2017
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CPS Stats and Facts
Does Anti-Black Racism Matter? Rearing its head is a new buzz word known as “Anti-Black Racism.” And it’s taking off to the point that Toronto officials put together 77 recommendations to address the issue including: Training for all city staff to combat anti-black racism. Provide public education on how anti-Black racism is a trigger for mental illness for Black people. Apply an anti-black racism lens to city’s complaint process. Outreach to recruit and hire black people to increase the number of Black employees at the city of Toronto. According to the Toronto Sun, Black Lives Matter – Toronto wanted no parts of the conversation about it or the creation of the plan. Will this be coming to a city near you soon and will Black Lives Matters care?
Summer Internships They say that the sky’s the limit. But, if you’ve got ambition, you may be able to touch the moon. There are over 1000 Summer Internships listed on Linkedin and if you look, we’re sure that you can find more. According to Forbes, these are a few things to remember when applying for a summer internship. Double- and Triple-Check Your Resume. First things first, you need to have a clean and clear resume. Experience Comes in Many Forms. Summer Internships - Not Just for Summer Anymore. Get Applications in on Time. Bring Your "A" Game to the Interview. Emphasize Flexibility. Ask About Full-Time Positions. Go to Linked in and start applying: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/summer -intern-jobs-chicago-il Remember, that a NO simply means to apply for the next one and the next. Keep it pushin’ until you get a YES!
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THE CONSTANT FIGHT The African American Policy Forum devoted several days to discussing the challenges and the triumphs of Black women during “Her Dream Deferred 2017,” a conference held March 27-31 in Los Angeles. The gathering included a March 27 discussion on “Afro-Colombian Women: Resistance at the Intersection of Racism, Sexism, and War” and the next day was devoted to “Say Her Name: An Evening of Arts and Action.” Sessions March 29 focused on “LaTasha Harlins: The Victimization of Black Girls,” while March 30 centered on “The Not So Silver Screen: Black Women in Media.” The last day was devoted to “The New Frontier: Black Women and Tech Activism.” The African American Policy Forum’s “Her Dream Deferred” series aims to raise awareness about the various ways Black girls and women are constrained and targeted. The tragic death of Latasha Harlins decades ago remains relevant to the plight of Black women today. Her death was captured on surveillance camera. The 15-year-old Black girl was shot in the back of the head after going into a liquor market to buy a bottle of orange juice on March 16, 1991. Soon Ja Du, a 51-yearold Korean store owner ultimately charged with 1st degree murder, claimed she was trying to steal the juice. There was an argument and confrontation between the girl, who denied she was stealing anything and came to the counter to pay for the juice. When the child turned and walked away, the Korean merchant shot her in the back of the head. The jury convicted Ms. Du of voluntary manslaughter and recommended a maximum 16-year sentence. Judge Joyce Karlins, who is White, overrode their decision. The judge sentenced Ms. Du to six months probation. Soon Ja Du, 51, left, leaves court with her husband Billy Hong Ki Du in Los Angeles, Nov. 24, 1992. The U.S. Justice Department investigated Mrs. Du on whether she could be charged with a federal crime in the shoot-
Chicago Street Journal ing death of Black teenager Latasha Harlins. Mrs. Du was in court seeking permission to return to her native Korea for an indefi nite period of time. “Latasha’s case is critical to the way we in Los Angeles think about the vulnerability of Black girls,” said Prof. Kimberlé Crenshaw of Columbia and UCLA Law during a panel discussion at the Hammer Museum. “One of the things that strike me is the way in which anti-Black bias, right, anti-Black girl bias, is embedded in the jury’s verdict, and is embedded in the judge’s decision to grant Soon Ja Du probation,” said Priscilla Ocen, Loyola Law School associate professor. “There’s no question that Soon Ja Du shot Latasha Harlins intentionally,” said Prof. Ocen. “The jury found that Soon Ja Du was reasonably provoked by Latasha Harlins. That means that she was provoked by Latasha Harlins’ mere presence in the store, by her attempt to make a purchase, that she was so threatened by her and the jury found this to be reasonable,” Prof Ocen observed. “This 15year-old, Black girl, this 5’6” Black girl is a walking threat because she had the audacity to be alive, to be a child, and to enter that store.” Prof. Brenda Stevenson, UCLA historian and author of “The Contested Murder of Latasha Harlins: Justice, Gender and the Origins of the L.A. Riots,” agreed that the judge never considered the girl a victim. “She (Judge Karlins) talks about Latasha as did the defense attorneys, as if she wasn’t even female, as if she was male—she was strong, and she’s hardhitting,” Prof. Stevenson said. “And she insults everyone in the courtroom by saying that if Latasha had lived, that she probably would be before her as for assaulting Mrs. Du. … She really resonates with Mrs. Du as a victim, and she never considers the vulnerability of Latasha as a child, as a girl, as someone who’s just going about her business early Saturday morning. Somebody catches her, assaults her, and she responds to it,” Prof. Stevenson said. Instead of Ms. Du, imagine
there’s a Black shopkeeper in Beverly Hills who mistakenly assumes “Muffy” was stealing, and handles things similarly, Prof. Crenshaw said. “I think that the shopkeeper exception would not apply. Now she’s the angry Black woman, hair-trigger temper. We don’t get the whole story about the maternal instinct, looking after her son, being a hard worker. That’s not part of the background interpretive frame that ever gets applied to Black women,” Prof. Crenshaw argued. She added, “There’s the constant conversation about the school to prison pipeline. There’s constant conversation about violence. There’s constant conversation about teachers who underinvest in Black youth, but for the most part, that conversation has focused on Black youth who are boys. And it turned out that the community didn’t really know about how Black girls actually have been marginalized.” The marginalization includes Black girls being 2.7 times more likely than White girls to be referred to the juvenile justice system from other social service agencies such as schools, mental health facilities or the child welfare system, according to the Black Women’s Roundtable, a D.C.-based civic engagement network. Black girls are often accused of committing “technical” violations such as truancy, running away, underage drinking and being “hard to control.” Such violations make up onethird of offenses that lead to the incarceration of Black girls, according to the organization’s “Black Women in the U.S., 2017: Moving Our Agenda Forward in a Post-Obama Era” report. The fourth annual study found Black women and girls are 40 percent of sex trafficking victims, compared to Whites (25.6 percent), Hispanic (23.9 percent), Asian (4.3 percent) and other (5.8 percent).
On Tuesday, June 13, the Sherman Park Branch Library located at 5440 S. Racine, will host a Job Skills Training Fair. Community residents will have an opportunity to meet one-on-one with representatives and gather information about some life changing #FREE job training programs. ****** Want to spend some time hanging with and supporting future artist? Join Urban Art Retreat on August 26 for their Annual Art Festival. See Page 7 for details or visit them @ www.UrbanArtRetreat.com. They’ll also be hosting a summer program that includes gardening, workshops, field trips, carpentry, fiber art, art gallery shows and much more. Send events to ChicagoStJournal@gmail.com
Reprinted from TheFinalCall.com. By Charlene Muhammad National Correspondent
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1955 or 2017 What’s the Difference? Tough Question #1
Imagine that you are a Black man and the year is 1955.
You’re walking down the street in the community known as Bridgeport in Chicago and four white men pull up beside you in a Chevy. Are you afraid? The year is 1964 and you are a young Black man driving down a dark road on your way to Meridian, Mississippi with two Jewish associates, when you see the bright lights of a car in your rear view mirror. Then, you see a flashing red light and know that it is a police vehicle. Do you feel safe or are you forever regretful? As a Black man in the year 2017, you’re driving through Chicago’s Englewood community and you quite appropriately stop at a stop sign. Before you can pull off, four Black men pull up next to your car. Are you scared? Where do you as a Black American feel safe? Where do you feel threatened? Why are we still afraid? Haven’t we been afraid long enough?
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February 2017 6 May 2017
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What Shall I Tell My Children Who are Black?
Survive. And survive he must! For who knows? Perhaps this black child here bears the genius To discover the cure for... cancer Or to chart the course for exploration of the universe. So, he must survive for the the good of all humanity.
He must and will survive. I have drunk deeply of late from the fountain of my black culture, sat at the knee of and learned from mother Africa, discovered the truth of my heritage. The truth, so often obscured and omitted. By Margaret Burroughs And I find I have much to say to my black children. I will lift up their heads in proud blackness with the story of their fathers and their father's fathers. What shall I tell my children who are And I shall take them into a way back time black of kings and queens who ruled the Nile, Of what it means to be a captive in and measured the stars and discovered the laws of mathematics. this dark skin? I will tell them of a black people upon whose backs have been built the What shall I tell my dear one, fruit of wealth of three continents. my womb, I will tell him this and more. of how beautiful they are when everywhere they turn And knowledge of his heritage shall be his weapon and his armor; they are faced with abhorrence of everything that is black. It will make him strong enough to win any battle he may face. The night is black and so is the boogyman. And since this story is so often obscured, Villains are black with black hearts. I must sacrifice to find it for my children, A black cow gives no milk. A black hen lays no eggs. even as I sacrifice to feed, clothe and shelter them. Storm clouds, black, black is evil So this I will do for them if I love them. and evil is black and devil's food is black... None will do it for me. What shall I tell my dear ones raised in a white world A place where white has been made to represent all that is good and pure and fine and decent, where clouds are white and dolls, and heaven surely is a white, white place with angels robed in white, and cotton candy and ice cream and milk and ruffled Sunday dresses and dream houses and long sleek cadillacs and Angel's food is white... all, all... white. What can I say therefore, when my child Comes home in tears because a playmate Has called him black, big lipped, flatnosed and nappy headed? What will he think when I dry his tears and whisper, "Yes, that's true. But no less beautiful and dear." How shall I lift up his head, get him to square his shoulders, look his adversaries in the eye, confident in the knowledge of his worth. Serene under his sable skin and proud of his own beauty? What can I do to give him strength That he may come through life's adversities As a whole human being unwarped and human in a world Of biased laws and inhuman practices, that he might
I must find the truth of heritage for myself and pass it on to them. In years to come, I believe because I have armed them with the truth, my children and their children's children will venerate me. For it is the truth that will make us free! By Margaret Burroughs
If in your lifetime you crossed paths with Dr. Margaret Burroughs, then you were truly blessed. During my first year at Kennedy-King College, I was graced with her presence on one very unforgettable day. She walked into the Humanities Departmental Office all excited because they were getting ready to break ground for the DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago. And, that was exciting news. Even at 18 years of age, she was the first person that I can recall meeting who had ever traveled to African. She brought every student worker in that department a small gift from African. The impression on my young mind was more than she could ever know. But, wasn’t that the walk that she walked during her lifetime? She left an admirable impression upon our people and the world. Thank you Dr. Burroughs. Sonja Cassandra Perdue Associate Publisher
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“I Don’t Hate The Player. I Hate The Game!" A political analysis of politics in Chicago in 2017, Barack Obama of whom most of us for the most part all have liked has been backing and endorsing Rahm Emmanuel of whom is just the water carrier for some much bigger players. In this scenario, former Daley operatives like David Axelrod and others of whom I won't name here are to be found all over the place in this political equation I'm just describing here. Many voters don't like what the mayor is doing but don't want to go against Obama's endorsement and therefore simply take themselves out of the game totally by not voting which reduces the voter turnout. The overwhelming majority of voters in the mayoral, and in a recent state representative and Aldermanic election with Obama selectively making endorsements allows a very small number of voters mustered up by the well-oiled and financed New Democratic Machine to outnumber a very smaller number who vote in opposition. In the old days you didn't have such a powerfully charismatic figure like Barack to come in at the calling of the New Democratic Machine and endorse their candidate. Back in the day we just went toe-to-toe and head to head in the streets during the course of a political campaign and on Election Day. What is interesting about all of this is that there is a completely new city that has been built in the South Loop with thousands of
resident newcomers many of foreign origin and Whites from the southwest side like 12th Ward and others who were able to sell their houses to Latinos instead of having them demolished for code violations with accelerated demolition which has happened to many black homeowners. There is gigantic development around McCormick Place and the old Mercy Hospital site along with the proposed Barack Obama Presidential Library and the Tiger Woods Golf Course all taking place in close proximity to the south lakefront.
Now, according to the preliminary 2015 United States Census Bureau data there are only 871,000 Black people left in Chicago and probably as of now 2017 there are less. Now some people are looking at me like I'm crazy; a person who gave his heart and soul every single day during both Obama's election campaign to become President who now is saying "I don't like his support of Rahm Emmanuel.," but I don't think that he even had a choice in the matter. For the record I am far from crazy just very informed. I do the research and a
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Chicago Native Son on behalf of the city that I was born and raised in and its people, I'd rather lose on the right side of History than than win on the wrong side . Now don't get it twisted. Barack Obama is a man I have a great deal of respect for many of the good things that he was able get done while he was President. I don't hate the player. I hate the game! More on this to come.
By Lionel B. Nixon .
February 2017 8 May 2017
Chicago Street Journal
Chicago Street Journal
Freedom from Seasonal Allergies — Introduction to German New Medicine
In
2010, I began a new journey which allowed me to learn about our ability to heal naturally at an entirely new level. With that, it brings me great pleasure to share with you German New Medicine (GNM), the wonderful work of Dr. med. Ryke Geerd Hamer. Before I begin, I would like you to temporarily set aside all that you have learned about sickness, health, disease, and allow your mind to be open to receiving something new. GNM is not another theory but a new medical paradigm which for the first time provides not only an explanation for why we become “sick,” but provides the science to support it. GNM provides a solid foundation that works beautifully with any healing modality that supports the body’s natural ability to heal. In this article, I want to provide just a brief introduction to GNM in hopes that you will research further and learn how to use this new paradigm not only for yourself, but extend this new learning to your family, friends, or clients if you are a practitioner. I would like to begin with a discussion on who Dr. Hamer is and then explain the first (of five) biological law. In 1979, Dr. Hamer was diagnosed with testicular cancer after his son died of a tragic accident. He wondered whether his diagnosis had anything to do with the shocking news since he had never been seriously ill. Dr. Hamer was head internist at an oncology clinic at the University of Munich, Germany where he began to research his patients’ history. He soon found that each of his patients, without exception, had also experienced some type of emotional distress prior to their diagnosis of cancer. These findings are not new to the alternative medicine community and has been well established that emotional distress appear in the body. However, GNM takes the mind-body connection to an entirely new level where the psyche, the brain, and the correlating organ, three components, operate as one unit. Taking his research further, he found that cancers and all diseases are controlled from a specific area in the brain and linked to a particular conflict shock. Dr. Hamer refers to his findings as the “Five Biological Laws of the New Medicine.” These biological laws are based on natural laws that apply to every living organ-
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ism tied to the science of embryology. The first biological law states: “Every ‘disease’ originates from a conflict shock that occurs simultaneously in the psyche, the brain, and on the corresponding organ.” In GNM, a conflict shock is an emotionally distressing event that catches us off guard or occurs totally unexpected, something for which we were not prepared for. Dr. Hamer refers to a conflict shock as a Dirk Hamer Syndrome (DHS) in honor of his son Dirk, whose tragic death lead him to do the research. A DHS does not have to be a big or traumatic event, it can be as small as receiving a text message stating that your dinner plans you were looking forward to have been cancelled unexpectedly. At the moment the DHS occurs, our subconscious is very alert and recording items that it feels is causing the distress. For those with seasonal allergies, something emotional distressing occurred when pollen or ragweed was around; therefore the subconscious mind recorded pollen, for example, as causing harm. Perhaps the DHS was a distressing move or an argument on a nice spring day could be the start of one’s seasonal allergies. Each time the person comes in contact with that “allergen” they react with the healing symptoms, in our example, sneezing. Dr. Hamer calls this a “stink” or “scent” conflict which translates into “being fed up” as in this situation “stinks.” Based on scientific evidence, Dr. Hamer found that a stink conflict affects the nasal mucosa causing cold like symptoms (e.g., stuffy/runny nose, sneezing) the moment the conflict is resolved. Using another example, if the emotional distress occurred indoors around dust, then the person would be “allergic” to dust. I am free, not only of seasonal allergies of 25 years, but of many other aliments (e.g., lactose intolerant, gluten sensitivities) using the new paradigm/GNM as the foundational knowledge to resolve my issues by letting my subconscious mind know that everything is okay now. With that, I challenge you to research further, the remaining biological laws on the official GNM web site at www.LearningGNM.com. Written by Kimberly Saxon, MS, BCH Kimberly Saxon is a board certified hypnotist and holds a Master's Degree in Psychology specializing in Health from Walden University. he attends German New Medicine (GNM) classes taught by Caroline Markolin, Ph.D. and continues to study GNM to include advanced GNM training in Austria and Canada, while applying the new medical paradigm in her daily practice. http:// learninggnm.com/documents/ kimberly_saxon_calendar_2.php
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Their vision is “To create a world where all youth have a safe home, are valued, supported, and provided with everything they need to reach their full potential.” Don’t we all wish that for every child? Know a teen that is between the age of 14 to 24, who is struggling and in need of resources? Don’t just say something, do something. Call Teen Living Programs @ 312.568.5700 or visit their website @ www.tipchicago.org.
February 2017
10 May 2017
What Will We Tell Our Daughters? To my black daughter, Being a black woman in America will always be a constant struggle. Never be afraid of a struggle. Struggle merely means to become free of restraints. A fulfilling life is only sufficient if it's free of restraints. If you are not free of restraints you cannot have a fulfilling life. People will always try to paint a different picture of you - paint your own picture! They will always try to beat a different a different beat - dance to the beat of your own drum!
Chicago Street Journal
You have joy. So claim it! It's yours, it's always been yours, and it will always be yours! Love the world! Everyone is a reflection of yourself. Love yourself enough to love the world. If you do not love the world, you do not love yourself. Everyday make it your ethical duty to become a more free, more loving, more warm, more cooperative and a more affirmative personality. It is merely what we do, but what we are that influence our worlds.
Being black is a blessing; our lips, our nose, our varying complexions, our originality, our crea- God bless you. tivity, our enthusiasm, our joy, our families, our communities, our cultures, our heritage, our ancestors; they are all phenomenal things to be constantly grateful for ! Always aim to live a carefree and fulfilling life. Recognize that confusion does exist in the world, always try to channel it out and find your voice. Once you honestly, truly find that voice, you'll know that you can accomplish anything! It'll guide you through life if and only if you find your peace. Never allow anyone to silence your voice. You have peace. You have intelligence. You have creativity.
By Benita Diop Aspiring writer, poet and entrepreneur and owner of Digerati Holdings LLC. #BlackFemaleChemist #WOCinScience
Chicago Street Journal
Designing Destiny Through Fashion Preneurship By Melody Boykin (Black Fashion America) Mother and fashion preneurship for Tamika Ivy is quite a colorful mix. As a mother for the last twenty odd years of four daughters and one son, her life is filled with precious moments with her children both in the home and the market place. Tamika, a current health care administrator at UIC (University of Illinois Chicago) department of pediatrics, loves working around children as well as creating and designing clothing for them. As a true mompreneur/fashion preneur all in one, whichever way we term it. Tamika is a true role model for women and girls in her community but especially for her youngest daughter Cierra Ivy who often assists her with her home based children’s wear boutique. As the owner of a local fashion boutique MB Boutique , nicked named “Mika and Bub” after her and her husband, she knows the importance of infusing hard work and dedication to make your dreams come true and the value of one day passing down a legacy to her daughter. Tamika remembers her own mother’s strengths, wisdom and principles as
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a business owner that has allowed her to keep the memory of her mother alive as well as strive to new heights in entrepreneurship. Having lost her own mom at a young age, Tamika is adamant about involving her daughter in her current business. The savvy fashionista, founded her Boutique in July of 2015 and it is a home based clothing boutique that seeks to provide quality clothing at affordable prices in a broad range of sizes and versatility. She wanted to be a blessing in the world of fashion, and she is doing just that with her business motto as “ At Mb clothing, we don’t just style you-we put you on your own runway” in her words “ I believe that when you look good you're better able to do good.” Tamika’s new found love of children’s wear was added to her boutique just six short months ago. She and her daughter Ciera are the creative minds behind the brand due the frustration of retail prices offered in mainstream stores for kids. Their focus is to offer affordable kids fashion with prices ranging anywhere from $25-50. Tamika’s unique ability to cut and sew, which stems from the training she received from both her late mom and classes taken during her high school years at Dunbar Vocational High School are an integral part of the kids clothing. You can find her reconstructing all readymade kids clothing with unique trendy cut outs and sewn on appliques to offer unique fashions to her little fashionista clients. Tamika explains that her daughter Ciera is “very knowledgeable” of the latest fashion trends when helping her pick out the clothing to be sold on their online website www.https:// mbclothingboutique.com/. Ciera duties in assisting her mom including organizing outfits, color coding and pairing the clothing as well as taking photos to be placed on the website. Tameka is teaching her daughter step by step the operational duties
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Dear Supporters: Please accept this formal departure as Chairman of Black Wall Street Chicago. This will be formally accepted by the body of the BWSC Summit XXIX Saturday May 20, on its 10th Anniversary, and in honor of Malcolm X whom the organization was founded. Can the Woodlawn and South Shore districts sustain the Obama Presidential Library? We will be happy to announce the new chair during the Summit which you are encouraged to be present and address the agenda. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the knowledge and experience I have gained being its chair. I am very grateful for the time I have spent and the professional relationships I've built. It's been a pleasure working for you, and will continue to do so in our paths to sustain and increase African American businesses. To address the body and your presence please go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/1019063008226091/ Sincerely,
Ron Carter
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House Club Tour Pub Crawl returns to South Side CHICAGO, IL The House music community is all a buzz about the return of the House Club Tour(HTC) Pub Crawl. This is the 3rd year that the organizers House Club Tour, LLC, have designed a fun-filled, safe tour around Chicago’s south side to showcase the diversity of sound within the House Music genre. On Wednesday, June 28, 2017, HCT will kick-off the holiday and the House music season as thousands of House crawlers are expected to “Get on the Bus” and celebrate the different sub-genres of House Music played throughout the city of Chicago with a talented group of selected DJs. Some of the different sounds include Afro House, Classic House, Chicago Old School, Down Tempo Disco, Funk, Global House, Latin, Studio 54, Underground, and Vinyl. Last year over 1500 House Music lovers attended this exciting event creating a successful response to pre-sale tickets. Organizers have added more venues and buses that will depart from various locations rotating every 30 minutes. Southside businesses participating include Family Den, Bassline, Blu 26, Baderbräu Brewery, Truth Resturant, Norman's Bistro, Promontory, Frances Cocktail Lounge, Murphy's Lounge, Renaissance Bronzeville, The New Dating Game, Red Pepper Lounge, and Lemelle's Luxury Lounge. WHO: House Club Tour, LLC WHAT: 3rdAnnual Chicago House Club Tour Crawl WHEN: Wednesday, June 28, 20167 WHERE: Chicago Southside- South Loop- Morgan Park CONTACT: www.houseclubtour.com ABOUT HOUSE CLUB TOUR, LLC House Club Tour, LLC, founded by House music industry veterans Dana Divine and Ronda Flowers, kicks-off the holiday and house music season with Chicago’s 3rd Annual Chicago House Club Tour Pub Crawl. These busloads of house music fans visit venues throughout the city. Based off the popular Jazz Club Crawl that brings music loving tourists to Chicago, this event showcases Chicago’s hottest house music DJ’s, clubs, and celebrities. Transportation will be provided via buses to various venues throughout the city. Seats are limited and VIP packages are available. The House Club Tour Mission: To promote Chicago-based businesses by captivating audiences through active promotion, superior talents, and memorable events through the unity of pure House Music. Ronda Flowers is a pioneer on the house scene, as well as the Founder of RFK Promotions, a creative, social marketing & promotions company that specialize in events for urban professionals. RFK events feature Chicago’s legendary DJs and live bands that have captivated audiences for more than 25 years, specifically on the Chicago-born house music. Dana Divine is a veteran WGCI radio personality, the CEO of record label Tri-M Entertainment, and a versatile, multi-talented, and proven songwriter and recording artist. A native of Chicago, Illinois, Dana began her music career working with industry superstars such as R. Kelly, Will Smith, and Billy Ocean. The co-author of the house music classic Brighter Days, Dana Divine has penned over 35 recordings with three #1 Billboard singles. Her songs have been licensed for Sony PlayStation, BET Television, and BBC television in the UK. Her music is featured in movies, soundtracks, and stage productions across the nation. “Wouldn’t it be great to bring the World to Chicago’s south side for one night, and give them a sample of real House? We are excited to kick-off this fabulous weekend!” Rhonda Flowers “Party-goers attending can be responsible and save money on parking. Get on the bus!” Dana Divine
February May2017 2017
13
When I think about black women I think about all the great black sheroes, warriorettes and soldierettes who came to wake us up and shake us up. I mean women like Nzinga, Queen Amina, Makeda, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Coretta King, Myrlie Evers, Betty Shabazz, Angela Davis, Kathleen Cleaver, Francis Cress Welsing, Ida B. Wells, Fannie Lou Hamer and many more who stood up gallantly to lift up and push forward the race in spite of obstacles. We should never forget the sacrifices they all made in the face of oppression, racism, brutality, and hate. At the same time, we must never forget the many every day black mothers who make effort to feed clothe and shelter sons and daughters who sometimes don't appreciate their SHE-ROIC efforts. And as men we must also learn to respect and treat our women with love and honor raising them up on the queenly thrones they belong on and reject the abuse and exploitation they daily experience in this misogynistic society. That is not only my message for Mothers day but for every day because every day is a special day for women. Peace.
February 2017
14 May 2017
Chicago Street Journal
Mother’s in Poetry Mother’s Day By Carol Matthews A Mother loves right from the start. She holds her baby close to her heart. The bond that grows will never falter. Her love is so strong it will never alter. A Mother gives never ending Love. She never feels that she has given enough. For you she will always do her best. Constantly working, there's no time to rest. A Mother is there when things go wrong. A hug and a kiss to help us along. Always there when we need her near. Gently wipes our eyes when we shed a tear. So on this day shower your Mother with Love. Gifts and presents are nice but that is not enough. Give your Mother a day to have some peace of mind. Be gentle, be good, be helpful, be kind. Happy Mothers Day.
Langston Hughes' Mother to Son Well, son, I'll tell you: Life for me ain't been no crystal stair. It's had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor -Bare. But all the time I'se been a-climbin' on, And reachin' landin's, And turnin' corners, And sometimes goin' in the dark Where there ain't been no light. So boy, don't you turn back. Don't you set down on the steps 'Cause you finds it's kinder hard. Don't you fall now -For I'se still goin', honey, I'se still climbin', And life for me ain't been no crystal stair. @@@@@ Mother's Love by Unknown Poet Her love is like an island in life's ocean, vast and wide A peaceful, quiet shelter From the wind, the rain, the tide. Tis bound on the north by Hope, By Patience on the West, By tender Counsel on the South And on the East by Rest. Above it like a beacon light Shine Faith, and Truth, and Prayer; And thro' the changing scenes of life I find a haven there.
The Mother by Gwendolyn Brooks Abortions will not let you forget. You remember the children you got that you did not get, The damp small pulps with a little or with no hair, The singers and workers that never handled the air. You will never neglect or beat Them, or silence or buy with a sweet. You will never wind up the sucking-thumb Or scuttle off ghosts that come. You will never leave them, controlling your luscious sigh, Return for a snack of them, with gobbling mother-eye. I have heard in the voices of the wind the voices of my dim killed children. I have contracted. I have eased My dim dears at the breasts they could never suck. I have said, Sweets, if I sinned, if I seized Your luck And your lives from your unfinished reach, If I stole your births and your names, Your straight baby tears and your games, Your stilted or lovely loves, your tumults, your marriages, aches,
and your deaths, If I poisoned the beginnings of your breaths, Believe that even in my deliberateness I was not deliberate. Though why should I whine, Whine that the crime was other than mine?-Since anyhow you are dead. Or rather, or instead, You were never made. But that too, I am afraid, Is faulty: oh, what shall I say, how is the truth to be said? You were born, you had body, you died. It is just that you never giggled or planned or cried. Believe me, I loved you all. Believe me, I knew you, though faintly, and I loved, I loved you All.
Mother’s Love by Nin Andrews On the island where I grew up, the cooks were the most revered members of society, admired alongside the priests, the painters, the architects of the governor’s mansion. Cooking, it was said, was a rare form of magic, transmitted from angels to women on earth. That is why my mother, a chef in her own right, was so renowned. My mother baked a special pastry in those days that she sold from a kiosk on the plaza in the middle of the town each day at noon. In the early mornings she woke before dawn and rolled out the dough made from rice flour mixed with wine. Her long black hair pulled back in a bun, her bare arms waving like wings, she swooped around the kitchen like a crazed bird, mixing and rolling the thin dough, brushing it with almond oil and a paste of nuts, fig syrup, and lychees—a white translucent fruit that tastes of music and summer rain. Sometimes, if the mood struck her, my mother would add a touch of cinnamon and a little something else. It was that something else everyone loved. No one knew what it was or why. (Only I, her son, was allowed to spy on her and see what it was, but to this day, I won’t tell a soul.) My mother would only say that everything has an essence without a name, that that is our special additive, our gift to life. But there were rumors that her pastries were enchanted. For certain men, it was said, her pastries would inspire such desire, that with each bite, they would feel greater and greater greed. Before these men could stop themselves, they would be down on their knees, weeping and begging for more. More! Please, please, more! they cried. You could hear their voices above the noisy crowds in the town like the moans of lonesome hounds. Some men had to be stopped from competing with the pigeons that pecked at the crumbs on the city streets. Others had to be taken away by police. Still others accused my mother of crimes, insisting she was a witch and part of the female conspiracy whose sole purpose was to keep the men hungry, desperate, deprived. But my mother said some men are just born with too much greed. They can never be satisfied. It is the curse of the male species. She was too busy to notice me then, crawling beneath her counter, licking the crumbs from the floor and my sticky fingers and knees. If I didn’t lick quickly enough, tiny yellow bees would swarm around me, nestling into the crevices of my skin, dancing their tiny feet up and down as if to an invisible beat before stinging me again and again.
February 2017 May 2017
Chicago Street Journal
15
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