AN AFRICAN AMERICAN wwPw.afampointOofview.com INT Our CommOunity NeF wspaper V IEfebW ruary 1, 2012 CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT WORKS By Frederick A. Hurst ic development by appointing an out - sider to the director position and Don 688 Boston Road was his choice . “IF WE ARE FACING IN THE Of the many smaller industrial RIGHT DIRECTION…” cities that fell into blight and dysfunc - “We are moving in the right direction and we tion from the 60s through the 80s must keep pressing forward! So, I urge all of Providence, as Eversley points out, is you – parents , students, teachers and adminis - probably one of the best examples of trators – to refresh and reinvigorate our com - economic revival . Its revival began in mitment to teaching and learning as we late 90s. One of the major early devel - approach the last leg of the 2011-2012 school year.” opments was the demolition of an old By Dr. Alan J. Ingram – 6 unwieldy downtown train station and its replacement by a smaller one that MARSHALL G. JONES: HE NEVER left many acres available for develop - GAVE UP ment. Another was the uncovering of “Marshall Jones was raised by an aunt and the underground Providence River uncle on a duck farm on Long Island. His which allowed for the creation of father, who was in the Navy, was not part of walkways and bridges and leisure his life until Marshall was an adult. His moth - Don Eversley, Director of Planning and Economic Development space that made downtown more er moved to New York to get a better job when he was three. Marshall’s uncle, a mentor for the City of Bridgeport appealing. Soon Providence began to of sorts, told the youth: “When you grow up, on Eversley leaves his a working model of at least one of the dramatically expand its commercial work with your mind, not just your hands. Do Bridgeport, Connecticut job as activities that is making Bridgeport office space and downtown residential the best you can in school. Then you will be Director of Planning and thrive . housing and capped it off with a successful and have a good life.” DEconomic Development each day and , Don was working in the Bronx multi-use downtown mall located on By Carroll G. Lamb – 7 heading home, exits his commuter train County Economic Development the major bus line that featured shops, at his station at the corner of Lexington Department when he was recruited in movie theatres and more. HEART ASSOCIATION COMBATS Avenue and 125th Street in Harlem, 2004 by the reform-minded mayor of Providence residents and subur - STROKE IN AFRICAN AMERI- New York . He rises each week-day Providence, Rhode Island to become banites as well were attracted to CANS… morning and travels by train in the its economic development director. “African Americans are twice as likely to have downtown frequenting not just the opposite direction to his Bridgeport job Former mayor Buddy Cianci had just a first-ever stroke compared to Caucasians, and mall but the many businesses that cardiovascular disease, including stroke, is the to which he brings the unique perspec - gone to prison and the new mayor grew up around it to service the visi - leading cause of death for African-American tive of a seasoned outsider and provides wanted to change the face of econom - continues to page 5 men and women, killing nearly 100,000 annu - ally in the United States.” By Nikki Burnett – 12 CALL TO THE CAUSE ‘REVERSE RACISM’ DOES NOT By Kirk Smith, President & CEO, YMCA of Greater Springfield EXIST, THE ‘RACE CARD’ IS NOT IN THE DECK AND ‘POST RACIAL become silent about things that mat - lege graduates is down to 4 percent, AMERICA’ HAS NOT BEEN BUILT ter.” As I think about the education these facts are incredibly distressing . YET crisis here in Springfield, these words Recently, many of us experi - By Rev. Talbert Swan II – 13 ring very true to me. enced significant hardships due to the Not a day goes by that I am not snow storm that left so many without MY LOVELY LADY LUMPS power for extended periods of time. “I have not sucked in my stomach in four reminded of tremendous achieve - months. I consume carbohydrates with no ment disparities that exist from one For many, this was a time of great dif - regret. My waistline has completely disap - school district to another within our ficulty, accompanied by an ambitious peared and I have never felt cuter. “ region. Whereas our high school stu - response – even outrage – among By Lynnette Johnson – 28 dents in Wilbraham and Hampden people in positions of power who are graduating at an impressive rate pulled out all the stops to attract the COOKE GILCHRIST: A MAN OF of 97 percent, their peers in help we needed to get our communi - PRINCIPALS WHO STOOD Kirk Smith, President & CEO, ty members back on their feet. We AGAINST RACISM Springfield are dropping out of school YMCA of Greater Springfield experienced the best of what can hap - “Are you now asking yourself, who the heck at a rate of 53 percent! Considering he great Dr. Martin Luther pen when a community comes was “Cookie Gilchrist?” If you don’t know I that the unemployment rate for high will gladly tell you… “ King, Jr. once said , “Our lives school dropouts stands at an alarm - together in the face of disaster . By Reginald Grant – 31 Tbegin to end the day we ing 15 percent, while the rate for col - continues to page 26 ",%) (!,%) +*%).*"0!%1 +# !. 1* "!,/,3 ",%) (!,%) +*%).*"0!%1 +#!.$,!! "!,/,3 COVER AN AFRICAN AMERICAN POINT OF VIEW AN AFRICAN AMERICAN PointofView 688 Boston Road, Springfield, MA 01119 CALL TO THE CAUSE Phone: (413) 796-1500 Fax: (413) 796-6100 C E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.afampointofview.com BUSINESS & FINANCE C Point of View is a monthly news journal with an African American orientation. It is dis - Business & Workforce Development ................................................. 16 tributed free to select locations in Hampden and Hampshire counties and in Connecticut. Financial Cents ................................................................................. 9 Letters, articles and comments appearing in the newspaper reflect the opinions of the con - Financially Yours ............................................................................... 9 tributors and do not constitute an endorsement by POV and are subject to editing. POV CLASSIFIED...................................................................................... 32 assumes no responsibility for photos, articles, letters, press releases or unsolicited mate - COMMUNITY rials. Decisions as to the editing and publishing of material are based on space availabil - O Community Focus ............................................................................. 17 O ity and the discretion of the publisher and editor. Distribution locations are listed on our web site. POV assumes no financial responsibility for failure to publish an advertise - Community Information ................................................................... 13-14 ment, incorrect placement or typographical errors in its publication. Advertisers are sole - Community Perspectives ................................................................... 13 ly responsible for the content of their advertising and claims and offers contained within Congratulations Corner ..................................................................... 33 their advertising. POV reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason. No portion Events ............................................................................................... 33 of this publication may be reproduced without written permission. Latin@ Groove ................................................................................. 12 PUBLISHER: Frederick A. Hurst EDITOR: Marjorie J. Hurst N Leadership: Pioneer Valley ................................................................. 25 N CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: THIS ISSUE EDITORIAL Artist Square Group Gallery Rosemary Tracy Woods Inhale Music < Exhale Life Heshima Moja AF-AM Newsbits ............................................................................. 4 Black Sports International Reginald Grant Inspirational Thoughts Willette H. Johnson Business & Workforce Dev. Larry Martin Inventor of the Month Carroll G. Lamb From the Publisher’s Desk ................................................................ 24 Children’s Book Corner Terri Schlichenmeyer Latin@ Groove Magdalena Gómez Letters to the Publisher ..................................................................... 24 Community Focus Jamina Scippio-McFadden Leadership: Pioneer Valley Marla Michel EDUCATION Community Information Hampden Bank and Let’s Talk Urban Felisha Bradshaw T Education & Hope ............................................................................ 7 T Caring Health Center Life’s Challenges Dr. Sweets S. Wilson From the Superintendent’s Desk ....................................................... 6 Rebuilding Together Mama’s Boyz Jerry Craft Hartford Public Schools .................................................................... 8 United Way of Pioneer Medical Moment Dr. Shirley Jackson Inventor of the Month ...................................................................... 7 Valley Whitaker YMCA and Dunbar Men’s Fashion Jeffrey S. Clemons,Sr. Parent & Community Engagement ................................................... 6 Community Center Our Love Azell Cavaan FEATURES E Community Perspectives Rev. Talbert W. Swan II Parent & Community Patricia Spradley Morocco: A Country in Transition? ..................................................