Spike Lee's Wayne County "Malcolm X" aims to increase ¢ donors and save 50 Turns 20 page 9A lives page 7A TELEGRAM Volume 69 Number 20 WEEK OF DECEMBER 13 - DECEMBER 19, 2012 The NAACP is still relevant today Senate Democrats speakout "Right to Work" passes By Gina Steward - Telegram Publisher Despite Thousands of protestors Youth members of the NAACP with President Yvonne White Michigan State Conference Representatives from NAACP bers were trained on various the tone for the day. chapters from around the issues and the representa- Rutledge, who had been in state came to Ypsilanti on tives present were energized Lansing and not initially Saturday for the Michigan and encouraged to go out and allowed entrance into the State Conference. During the continue the work of the Gallery shared the happen- annual state meeting at the NAACP. ings of Thursday and how the Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle elected officials were handling Crest, president Yvonne A surprise visit by themselves. He expressed White presented awards to Congressman John Dingell his discontent with how the members of the year, mem- and State Representative David Rutledge helped to set NAACP page 7A Photo by Bishop Walter L. StarghillJr Drum major’ inscription on Thousands of protesters travel to Lansing Lansing - Michigan Senate anti-worker legislation. In passing MLK Memorial to be removed Democrats continued to voice the Right to Work bills today, the their support of Michigan workers House Republicans proved that The controversial “drum protesting at the Capitol today they are just as deaf to Michigan major” inscription on the and decried the Michigan House workers when they are right out- Martin Luther King Jr. of Representatives' passage of side their door as they have been Memorial on the National Mall so-called Right to Work legisla- to them back in their districts the in Washington will be tion. The Senate passed Senate last two years. Passing these removed rather than replaced Bill 116 and House Bill 4003 late bills is an act of war on under a plan announced last Thursday, and the bills were Michigan's middle class, and I finalized and approved by the Tuesday by federal officials. hope the Governor and the House today. These bills now go Republican legislators are ready to Governor Snyder for his signa- for the fight that is about to Interior Secretary Ken ture into law, a move that he has ensue." Salazar announced that the already publicly stated is a fore- decision followed consultation gone conclusion. Senate Minority Floor Leader with a “range of stakeholders” Tupac A. Hunter: "Michigan who agreed with the move. Senate Democratic Leader Republicans continued to show Gretchen Whitmer: "I have been how out of touch they are today, The quote in question — one proud to stand with Michigan as the House Majority ignored workers every step of the way, of more than a dozen on the the thousands of workers protest- and I was proud to sit down with ing all around them and passed site — is inscribed on one them in the Capitol today to MLK Memorial page 3A protest this unjust and malicious Right to work page 2A PICK UP YOUR TELEGRAM IN ONE OF THE DOWNRIVER LOCATIONS. DEARBORN HEIGHTS, DELRAY, DETROIT, ECORSE, INKSTER, LINCOLN PARK, MELVINDALE, RIVER ROUGE, ROMULUS, TAYLOR, WAYNE, WESTLAND AND WYANDOTTE Informing * Educating * Empowering * Uplifting Page 2A THE TELEGRAM NEWSPAPER WEEK OF DECEMBER 13 - DECEMBER 19, 2012 WORDS FROM THE PUBLISHER Right-to-Work CALL TO ACTION from page 1A Right to Work legislation that will Snyder administration and leg- Why should I be tested for HIV? hurt our working families and our islative Republicans over the last economy. These bills are just the two years, but with the House By Gina C. Steward - Publisher latest in Governor Snyder and Majority's passage of the so- the Republican Majority's efforts called right-to-work legislation with HIV is unaware of their the U.S. to undermine the earning power today, Michigan Republicans infection. of Michigan's middle class. We have turned their backs on *While blacks represent will continue to stand up for Michigan workers for good." Despite increases in the total approximately 14% of the U.S. Michigan workers and make sure number of people living with population, they accounted for the concerns outside the Capitol Senator Hoon-Yung Hopgood: HIV in the U.S. in recent years, almost half (46%) of people liv- are raised on the inside as well." "Michigan voters cherish their the annual number of new HIV ing with HIV in the U.S. in 2008, ability to collectively bargain for infections has remained rela- as well as an estimated 44% of Senator Glenn S. Anderson: their right to fair wages and ben- tively stable. However, new new infections in 2009. HIV "As a former auto worker and efits. It's a sad day when our vot- infections continue at far too infections among blacks overall union member, I am disgusted by ers' voices are silenced by their elected officials for the sake of high a level, with approximately have been roughly stable since this all-out assault on the working their own political agenda." 50,000 Americans becoming the early 1990s. men and women of Michigan. infected with HIV each year. Unionized Michigan workers Senator Bert Johnson: "The We have just completed our (Every 9.5 minutes someone is have fought for a century to ESTIMATED RATE OF Republicans controlling state second year of providing HIV infected with HIV) By risk improve working conditions and government have shown that awareness to our community. group, gay, bisexual, and other NEW HIV INFECTIONS, build Michigan's middle class. they care nothing for transparen- The good news is that each men having sex with men 2009, BY GENDER Republican policy makers and month more people are stop- outside wealthy special interests cy, or the voice of the middle (MSM) of all races remain the AND RACE/ETHNICITY class. There was no discussion, ping by the Telegram Business behind the push for so-called population most severely no deliberation, no thought to the Center to have a FREE HIV 'Right to Work' legislation are affected by HIV. effects of these bills. This was an test. We want to thank Ms. focused only on destroying organized labor and are wholly act of pure greed on behalf of Sharon Boyd from the Wayne *MSM accounted for 61% of all Governor Snyder and County Health Department for misguided if they think it will help new HIV infections in the U.S. improve Michigan's economy. Republican lawmakers. They are coming out each month and not in 2009, as well as nearly half Make no mistake about it, as only deepening the divide only testing people but also (49%) of people living with HIV President Obama said yesterday, between the haves and the have- educating them about the pro- in 2008 (the most recent year passage of this legislation is nots." tecting themselves so that they national prevalence data is about politics, not economics." will not contract this preventa- available). Senator Virgil K. Smith: "The ble disease. Senator Steve Bieda: "I'm pernicious attack on the middle *CDC estimates that MSM strongly opposed to these bills. class by this legislature is turning The articles that we run each account for just 2% of the U.S. The way this legislation was back the hands of time to the sharecropping days. When rich month about HIV are designed male population aged 13 and passed is an embarrassment. men who owned everything to inform our readers about older, but accounted for more When collective bargaining laws new statistics, new information were strengthened in Michigan in extorted cheap labor from men than 50% of all new HIV infec- Prejean J, Song R, Hernandez and events that are going on as 1965 it was done not only with and women who had nothing. tions annually from 2006 to A, Ziebell R, Green T, et al. it relates to HIV. We received a bipartisan support, but nearly This degradation of rights is bad 2009. In 2010, MSM accounted (2011) Estimated HIV Incidence for every worker in Michigan, lot of calls about the map that unanimously and signed by for 61% of HIV diagnoses. in the United States, 2006- whether they belong to a union or was posted in the November Governor George Romney. The 2009. repeal of those rights was done not." 29th issue of the Telegram that *In 2009, white MSM account- shows the level of HIV cases by single-party rule that attempt- ed for the largest number of Our goal for next year is to dou- Senator Rebekah Warren: per city. This week's issue I ed to silence any opposition. Say annual new HIV infections of ble the number of people that what you will about this legisla- "Today is a sad day for Michigan wanted to share more informa- any group in the U.S. (11,400), were tested in 2012 year. I tion, but we should all be families. Over the course of just a tion from the www.aids.gov followed closely by black MSM always tell people, "I don't need ashamed of the process by which few days, we have witnessed yet and www.cdc.gov/hiv websites. (10,800). to know your status, but you do. it passed." another devastating attack on the *Young, black MSM were the It only takes about 15 minutes middle class without any commit- The impact of the HIV/AIDS tee debate or public discussion. only risk group in the U.S.