Local News
CBA Meeting Highlights Contracting Opportunities
Posted on 22. Feb, 2012 by citizen in Chatham, Local News
Chatham Business Associaton's vice chairman Joseph Caldwell addresses the membership body Feb. 14 . (L to R) CBA Vice Joseph Caldwell, board members John Griffin and Montel Gayle along with Alderman Michelle Harris (8th). (Photo by Thelma Sardin)
Access to contracting opportunities for business owners was at the top of the agenda at the Chatham Business Association’s monthly meeting last Tuesday morning.
Members were provided information on how to place bids to secure construction contracts for the build-out of two new charter schools in Chicago.
UNO Charter School Network (UNO) used the CBA meeting as a platform to invite minority business owners to apply for contracting opportunities. The organization manages nine charter schools in Chicago and is the largest direct-service charter school management firm in Illinois.
“Our approach to our project is to try to be as inclusive as we can,” said Andrew Alt, vice president of real estate and facilities for UNO. He added that the organization prides itself on ensuring there is a high level of participation among M/WBE enterprises and smaller corporations.
Representatives from architecture firms currently working with UNO on the project gave brief presentations of the schools’ floor plans and features. One of the new schools will be located on the city’s Northwest side while the other will be built on the Southwest side.
CBA President Marino Orlandi thanked UNO for sharing their business opportunities with its members.
“This is a very important first step in a partnership and we appreciate you coming out,” said Orlandi.
Ald. Michelle Harris, who gave opening remarks at the meeting, told the Chicago Citizen that business owners should also engage in building relationships with the surrounding residential community.
“When the residential community is in love with us and knows us on a personal basis, you’re more likely to get greater support,” said Harris. “It’s really important that as a business community, in CBA we start to embrace the residential component so they get to know who we are as businesses, what services and products we can deliver, [and] how that can start to support us and make us a more productive business community.”
CBA Vice Chairman Joseph Caldwell shared a special message for area business owners. “Those of you who are contractors, if you were called here this morning and asked to come in…it’s because we want you to take advantage of the opportunities.”
The vice chairman also emphasized the importance of jobs at the meeting’s closing.
“We talk about jobs in our community and how important they are and of course you’re here this morning because we want to create jobs,” said Caldwell. “We need jobs in our community, we need jobs in the City of Chicago, we need jobs in the United States of America.”
By Thelma Sardin
Twitter:@thelmasardin
AT&T Salutes African American Executives
Posted on 21. Feb, 2012 by citizen in Chatham, Local News
During Black History Month, AT&T is recognizing the accomplishments of its African American executives. Derrick F. Hamilton is Vice-President, U-Verse Field Operations. (Photo: AT &T)
In honor of Black History Month, AT&T is proudly honoring high-ranking African Americans within the company.
Derrick F. Hamilton is Vice-President, U-Verse Field Operations and manages the installation and restoration of AT&T U-Verse product in several Midwestern states including Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.
Hamilton assumed his current position in April 2008. Prior to his move to U-Verse Field Operations, he supervised Switched Telephone Service, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Internet, and U-Verse in Illinois and Lake County, Indiana. He also oversaw Network Dispatch Centers, POTS Provisioning Centers, and the Six Sigma Business Unit Program Management for the Midwest Region.
Hamilton came to AT&T in 1991 and has held numerous positions in network operations, network services staff, project reengineering and systems implementation.
The astute professional earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from California State University, Los Angeles and a MBA from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Before coming to AT&T, Hamilton worked as an engineer at Hughes Aircraft Company.
Hamilton a quintessential executive, and his wife Joni, who is a pediatrician, reside in Chicago and have two children.
Bronzeville Twins Proudly Excel in Science and Technology
Posted on 21. Feb, 2012 by citizen in Hyde Park, Local News
Catherine Boyd-Carney (left) and twin sister Carolyn Boyd (right) both have successful careers in science and technology. (Photo Courtesy of Carolyn Boyd)
There is an extreme demand for African Americans who are well-versed in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) disciplines; especially in today’s global economy.
Carolyn Boyd and Catherine Boyd-Carney, 29, are an exceptional set of twins. Both of them are enjoying successful careers in the STEM industry. In 2006, the twins earned bachelor’s degrees from University of Illinois at Chicago.
Carolyn received a degree in Electrical Engineering and Catherine received a degree in Chemistry.
Carolyn works in technology for a Fortune 500 company as a Software Configuration Management Consultant. Her job requires her to provide technological solutions for her company’s clients.
“I’m never doing the same thing over and over again. It’s always changing. I would say every 60 to 90 days I’m doing something different, that’s the good thing about it. I don’t get bored,” she told the Chicago Citizen.
The engineer said she originally did not have an interest in STEM.
“It wasn’t a love, I just knew I was good at it,” she said. “I got introduced to this; I didn’t know what I wanted to do in life. It caught me at an early age.”
Carolyn added that a field trip to a technology company ignited her interest in pursuing the career.
“I wanted to be outside of the norm, you really did not see that many [Blacks] in the industry,” Carolyn said.
Catherine is a cosmetic chemist at a local ethnic hair care company. She develops relaxers, shampoos, conditioners, and moisturizers.
Unlike Carolyn, Catherine has always been interested in STEM. “I was always intrigued by the sciences,” she said.
Catherine said their involvement in science summer camps as children enriched her curiosity for the field. In fact, a family friend informed their parents about a program at Chicago State University called Pre-Freshman Engineering Program (PREP). The girls were involved in the program 6th through 12th grade.
“We were in there with some serious kids who had already had in their mind that they were going to do engineering,” said Carolyn. “Some were ahead of us, some weren’t but it was an opportunity to learn.”
The dynamic duo are members of the National Society of Black Engineers. They’ve both held leadership roles in the organization. The PREP program took them to their first NSBE convention and Carolyn found this to be really inspiring. She said it was amazing to see so many African Americans who were working and successful in STEM.
Carolyn has advice to students who may be interested in a STEM career.
“Don’t get intimidated by what people say,” she said. “Some people may find it hard and if it’s hard for you, it’s up to you to seek help. STEM is challenging from beginning to end. The stuff that you learn in high school, you’re going to need those principles for college. Make the best of the time that you have and really just know that it’s not going to come easy. You have to be humble and know when you need help.”
Catherine also admits that STEM careers can be difficult but are fruitful with hard work and determination. She said developing study habits early is the key to success. The chemist added that many people begin STEM programs but drop out due to ill-preparedness.
“You have to be able to designate time to really focus because we have a lot of minorities that start out [seeking] these type of degrees but don’t finish,” she said.
Catherine and Carolyn both drew on family support to complete their education and see their parents as role models. The twins were born to 19-years-olds in 1982.
“My mother was pregnant during senior year of high school,” said Catherine. It took a little longer but their mother did earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing. While there mother took care of them, their father earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting. The twins say their parents conquered enormous obstacles to ensure they would have great futures.
Today, their parents have been married 30 years and they have a younger sister, Tawanna.
“They had to raise a family and both still managed to obtain bachelor’s degrees and put three kids through college,” said Catherine. “They are my idols, I’ll say that.”
The impressive twin siblings currently reside in Bronzeville.
By Thelma Sardin
Twitter: @thelmasardin
Robert Jordan: Chicago’s Premier Newsman
Posted on 21. Feb, 2012 by citizen in Local News, South End
Jordan started his college career as a pre-med major but said he’s always had an interest in journalism.(Photo Courtesy of Robert H. Jordan, Jr.)
For over 30 years, Robert H. Jordan, Jr. has been one of the most prominent figures in Chicago television news. Jordan is a weekend anchor for WGN-TV’s News at Nine on channel nine in Chicago. He also reports, writes, and produces for the station’s weekday newscasts.
Jordan first arrived at WGN in 1973 from WSM-TV in Nashville. He left channel nine in 1978 for CBS News Midwest Bureau but then returned to WGN in 1980 where he has remained ever since.
A native of Atlanta, Ga., Jordan grew up during the heart of the Civil Rights Movement.
“When I was growing up there were no Blacks in television,” Jordan said. “They [Blacks] were mostly in the entertainment field or occasionally on the ‘Ed Sullivan Show’ or you might see Blacks in movies but they were generally in sort of denigrating roles as maids or chauffeurs or as tap dancers or comedians. Never in real meaty roles that were actually characteristic of what real life in Black America was like.”
In terms of race relations, Atlanta was more progressive than other Southern cities during the civil rights era however, but there was still segregation there and the city was often times the backdrop of many civil rights demonstrations. Jordan remembers the Ku Klux Klan being active in Georgia and also remembers Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Ralph Abernathy and other civil rights activists crusading against the organization.
The newsman began college in 1961 and says during that time the movement was in its “hey day.” He attended Morehouse College during the extraordinarily historic time while King, was an instructor there.
After earning a bachelor’s degree from Morehouse, Jordan earned a master’s degree in speech from Northeastern Illinois University and a bachelor’s degree in general studies from Roosevelt University. The scholar also holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy of Education from Loyola University in Chicago Jordan said he decided to enhance his education with advanced degrees because he feels that education is an ongoing process.
“I wish I had stayed in school even more, I would have gotten more degrees throughout my life,” he said. “I think that going and getting a Ph. D was something I wanted to do to look into television from a scholastic standpoint.”
An ardent journalist, Jordan has written articles for the Chicago Tribune and he’s even channeled into a creative side of his craft by writing two screenplays. The television news anchor is also contemplating teaching one day.
“I thought that I may want to teach on the college level or even the high school level,” he said. “I wanted to be prepared just in case that opportunity came along.”
Jordan has influenced an entire generation of journalists, including his daughter, Karen Jordan.
Karen is an anchor/reporter at ABC 7 Chicago. She often accompanied her father on weekend news assignments as a child. “She would ride around in the crew car with me and go to stories when I was reporting in the streets and that went on for years,” said Jordan.
Jordan’s wife is a teacher and the couple assumed Karen would follow her mother’s footsteps when she majored in English at Spelman College. During her junior year at Spelman, Karen told her parents that she wanted to attend the prestigious Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University for a master’s degree. “She had good grades and got in on her own and that was the first we knew she was interested in journalism,” said Jordan.
The proud father said it is an “honor” that his daughter decided to become a journalist. “I smile every time I see her on the air,” he told the Chicago Citizen.
When asked about the celebration of Black History Month, Jordan commented that it’s important that ethnic groups have a source of pride. In addition, he said that for so long the accomplishments of African Americans were not celebrated and Black History Month serves as a time of reflection. Jordan believes that the observance also serves as a time to inform youth that they can accomplish great things.
“I think it’s important even today that young people realize that if you apply yourself in the right manner and work hard and study hard you can do wonderful things,” he said. “If you stay away from the temptation of the streets and the lure of the slick [and] easy life you can sail to enormous heights.”
by Thelma Sardin
Twitter: @thelmasardin
Tuskegee Airman Fears For Future Of Black history
Posted on 16. Feb, 2012 by citizen in Hyde Park, Local News
Liaison Pilot Maj. Welton I. Taylor, a Tuskegee Airman, speaks to a group of children at Bronzeville Children’s Museum Feb. 1.
Liaison Pilot Maj. Welton I. Taylor, 92, made an appearance at the Bronzeville Children’s Museum Feb. 1, as a part of its Black History Month celebration.
After speaking to a group of 3-year-old children from the Edward W. Beasley Child-Parent Center, Taylor addressed an adult audience.
He expressed his frustrations towards the lack of information surrounding African-American contributions to U.S. history.
Taylor recalled teaching students at the University of Illinois in 1948. He said after diligently searching through a textbook that would highlight African-Americans, he was only able to come across a single sentence.
“The U.S. History book at that time said nothing about black people,” said Taylor. “I didn’t see a damn thing except a sentence that said ‘one of the problems of the Civil War was negro slavery.”
Taylor said he believes little has changed with textbooks in the present day.
Photograph shows members of the 332nd, from left to right: Robert W. Williams, Ottumwa, IA, Class 44-E; (leather cap) William H. Holloman, III, St. Louis, Mo., Class 44-?; (cloth cap) Ronald W. Reeves, Washington, D.C., Class 44-G; (leather cap) Christopher W. Newman, St. Louis, MO, Class 43-I; (flight cap) Walter M. Downs, New Orleans, LA, Class 43-B. (Source: Photographer's notes and Tuskegee Airmen 332nd Fighter Group pilots.)
“We only have one paragraph about the Tuskegee Airmen in those textbooks,” he said. “It’s like they don’t know anything about us [African-Americans] before Martin Luther King Jr.”
Melvin Knazze, board member of the Chicago-Dodo chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, agreed with Taylor.
He told the audience at the museum, “It’s sad that people are under the impression that nothing happened with black people between slavery and the Civil Rights Movement.”
Knazze served in the U.S. Navy and said that he was able to live out all of his dreams growing up.
“When I grew up, I didn’t have anyone who looked like me to look up to in aviation, “said Knazze. “That’s why it’s important to for children to know the history of the Tuskegee Airmen.”
The museums’ vice president, Pia Montes, decided to reach out to the airmen to give children a sense of inspiration. Because of the recent release of the film, “Red Tails,” she thought it would be a great idea to have real Tuskegee Airmen speak at the museum.
“Many of the children have seen the film with their parents so I thought it would be a great idea to provide them with an opportunity to see them in person,” said Montes. “To have the first African-American military airmen visit the first African-American children’s museum really made an impression on the children for Black History Month.”
Sheba Cresswell, an instructor at Beasley, was proud that her students were afforded the opportunity to meet the airman.
“It was amazing for the children to see living history,” said Cresswell. “This was my first time meeting a Tuskegee Airman, so I learned a lot of information as well.”
Spreading the knowledge of African-American achievements is one of the main missions of the Bronzesville Children’s Museum. Peggy Montes, founder, strives to fill in the gaps that are missing from the curriculum at schools.
When asked about how he felt about his visit to the museum, Taylor said that he hoped that he made an impact on the children and how they feel about themselves.
“Everyone needs to see ‘Red Tails’ and learn more on their own about the accomplishments of African-Americans,” he said.
The Bronzeville Children’s Museum is the first and only African-American children’s museum in the country. It was founded in 1993 by educator Peggy A. Montes, a civic, cultural, and women’s rights activist, who saw the need for a “children friendly” museum. The museum is designed to educate children about the contributions and culture of African-Americans through interactive exhibits.
SOURCE: Bronzeville Children’s Museum
Cunningham Making Run For State’s High Court
Posted on 16. Feb, 2012 by citizen in Chatham, Local News
Ill. First District Appellate Court Judge Joy Cunningham (shown) told a group of Black Press reporters at a recent media roundtable discussion, that her bid to be elected to the Supreme Court of Illinois is winnable but only with support from the Black community. The meeting was held at Josephine's Hardtimes Restaurant at 436 E. 79th St. in Chicago. Photo by John Alexander
Illinois First District Appellate Court Judge Joy Cunningham is seeking a higher calling.
In the March 20 election, she is looking to be elected to the Supreme Court of Illinois. If she succeeds, Cunningham would be only the second African American in the history of the state to be voted into the high court and the first African American woman.
Cunningham told a group of Black Press reporters at a recent media roundtable discussion that her bid is winnable, but only with support from the Black community and electorate in Cook County. The meeting was held at Josephine’s Hardtimes Restaurant at 436 E. 79th St., where about a half dozen Black media outlets attended.
“If we galvanize the Black community I can win this election,” she told the Chicago Citizen in a one-on-one interview. “I am very confident that if African Americans understood what’s at stake, that I could win this race. And what’s at stake is basically our future.”
Chances to be on the state’s highest court are few and far between so Cunningham said she is working to seize the current opportunity. There are seven justices on the Illinois Supreme Court, with Justice Charles E. Freeman being the first and only African American. She is hoping voters understand the historic opportunity at hand.
“This is really important. It’s more important than who sits on the board of the Water Reclamation District, who is the county assessor, who is your alderman,” she said. “This may be our last chance to elect an African American justice to the Ill. Supreme Court. The opportunity … may not come up again in our lifetime. It sounds dramatic but it’s true.”
The vacancy on the state’s high court is due to former Chief Justice Thomas Fitzgerald’s 2010 retirement. Mary Jane Theis was appointed to his seat, but now she has to be elected to it. Theis, Cunningham and Aurelia Pucinski are vying for the spot. As Illinois election rules go, the Supreme Court candidates only need to win in Cook County to get the seat.
Cunningham is putting part of her aspirations in the hands of a group of voters she knows traditionally don’t always turn out to the polls. Further, the dizzying list of judges on election ballots often leaves judicial races to unpredictable chance when voters don’t know anything about the candidates.
“A lot of people simply just vote party,” said Ronald Stamps, a 52-year-old South Side voter who usually casts absentee ballots. He told the Chicago Citizen he has been “guilty” of doing that.
Cook County Board of Election results show that some voting numbers in the last two elections were starkly different. In Thornton Township, for example, which includes the south suburban towns of Harvey, Riverdale and Dolton, voters cast 45,495 ballots in the 2008 primary; in the 2004 primary, only 30,275 votes were cast. That scenario repeated in most of Chicago’s Black wards where Chicago Board of Elections data indicates that in places like the 20th Ward 21,904 votes were cast in the 2008 primary, more than double the amount in the 2004 election where only 8,137 votes were counted.
Cunningham said she needs more money in her campaign coffers to help pull off a victory. State campaign finance reports show that at the end of 2011 her campaign had over $139,000. But her incumbent competitor had five times that amount. Records indicate that Theis had over $609,000 at the end of last year.
Another $300,000 “would really put us in good standing,” Cunningham told reporters.
But Cunningham said her greatest assets are her judicial diversity and her ability to relate to “ordinary people.”
She hails from Harlem, New York where she worked in a low-wage position at a local hospital and got a nursing degree. Then she worked nights as a nurse to pay for her law degree from Chicago’s John Marshall Law School. She practiced law in the health care industry before moving to the public sector where she served as an assistant attorney general and circuit court judge.
“I come from a common background with ordinary people,” she said. “I would submit that someone who grew up in Glenview or Northbrook has a different perspective than someone who grew up in Englewood, or in my case, Harlem.”
Those are the kinds of distinctions that Ronald Stamps said should be chief deciding factors.
“Judges are very import because one of our biggest problems … is sentencing and how people are getting sentenced for certain crimes,” he said. “ I think that a lot of time because of the lack of Black judges, the charging and sentencing don’t level out. It’s not equal. It’s not fair in many cases.”
He added that judicial elections should not be taken lightly or be solely based on race.
“You can’t have an affirmative action program for court judges,” he said. “I would rather have a judge who’s qualified and who doesn’t have blinders on in that position (instead of) one just because she’s Black.”
Ultimately, Stamps he said he would support Cunningham, if he feels she’s qualified.
By Rhonda Gillespie
Sheryl Lee Ralph’s Crusade Against HIV/AIDS
Posted on 16. Feb, 2012 by citizen in Local News, Weekend
Sheryl Lee Ralph tells the Chicago Citizen why she became an HIV/AIDS activist and what can be done to spread awareness in the African-American community. (Photo Courtesy of Sheryl Lee Ralph)
During its ongoing Black History Month coverage, the Chicago Citizen is profiling African-American greats who are making history as they live their everyday lives. Today we are honoring Sheryl Lee Ralph because of her brilliant work in the arts and spirited HIV/AIDS awareness activism. The Chicago Citizen recently caught up with Ralph to find out more about her ongoing mission to promote HIV/AIDS awareness.
HIV/AIDS is an epidemic disproportionately affecting African-Americans. Fortunately, there are many people working the frontlines to educate and inform others about the prevention of the disease. Renowned actress and singer Sheryl Lee Ralph travels the country educating and informing the masses about the treacherous illness.
Ralph’s movement to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS started when she was an original company member of the Broadway musical “Dreamgirls,” in the 1980’s. Ralph said although she was riding high from the show’s success, she also dealt with the death of many friends.
“I saw people just dropping dead of a mysterious disease and people just didn’t want to do anything about it,” Ralph told the Chicago Citizen. “That’s how I became involved.”
HIV/AIDS is heavily stigmatized in the African American community. When asked how Blacks can overcome the shame of the disease, Ralph said that more attention should be given to the epidemic. “If we don’t start singing the song ‘We Shall Overcome’ we will wish we had,” the actress said. “Maybe it’s because it’s one more thing that we have to deal with as if it’s not difficult enough being Black in America…This disease is silently killing people, it’s silently taking over people’s lives.”
Ralph added that the silence must be broken to save lives.
The artist suggests that if someone is afraid they have HIV, they should stop living in fear. “People are afraid of their own past behavior, that’s what their afraid of,” said Ralph. “They’re afraid of themselves.”
According to the City of Chicago’s website, there are more than 22,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Chicago. The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently observed National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on Feb. 7 through several community outreach programs.
“HIV health disparities persist among African Americans, both locally and nationally and CDPH has taken a focused approach by targeting our efforts on the most vulnerable communities affected by HIV,” said Dr. Bechara Choucair, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health. “HIV is preventable. That is why it is so important to know your status, HIV testing and condoms are free and available throughout the City.”
In 1990, Ralph founded the nonprofit, Divinely Inspired Victoriously Aware (DIVA) Foundation as a living memorial to the many friends she lost to HIV/AIDS.
The foundation focuses on HIV/AIDS awareness, testing, erasing stigma, lowering of the HIV infection rate especially as it pertains to women, girls and young people and the development of new and effective programs to combat the disease using the arts.
“My DIVA Foundation is founded on the principles that arts can be transformative,” Ralph told the Chicago Citizen. “The arts can simply move people to feel and become aware of things that they wouldn’t under other circumstances.”
Ralph was awarded the first Red Ribbon Award by the United Nations for her unique use of the arts in HIV/AIDS activism. She also holds the distinction of being the first and youngest female to graduate of Rutgers University. Ralph graduated from the prestigious university at the age of 19.
Black and Latina women are disproportionately affected at all stages by the HIV infection compared with women of other races/ethnicities.
Ralph said this may be in part because some women of color may feel a need to settle for partners who engage in risky sexual behaviors instead of choosing a partner who statistically is less likely to have the disease.
“If we loved ourselves more, if we felt better about ourselves, we wouldn’t do some of the things we do and wouldn’t put ourselves in situations to be hurt, infected [and] to be the last ones helped,” she said.
Ralph is anticipating the release of her memoir “Redefining Diva.” Due out in March, the book captures Ralph’s life lessons from fame to personal growth. It has already received rave reviews.
“Sheryl Lee Ralph is a true D.I.V.A. She uses her powers for good not evil,” said Wendy Williams, daytime talk show host. “This book is truly an inspiration to all who read.”
The book is available for pre-order at amazon.com
Overall, Ralph is working hard to destroy the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS in the Black community. She is also working to uplift and encourages all women of color.
“We need to realize that we can do better, must do better,” she told the Chicago Citizen. “We owe it to ourselves and to our children.”
If you are concerned about your HIV/AIDS status, log on to www.hivtest.org to find a testing location near you.
By Thelma Sardin
Twitter:@thelmasardin
Plane To Commemorate Historic Black Pilots
Posted on 15. Feb, 2012 by citizen in Hyde Park, Local News
Maj. George S. “Spanky” Roberts at the controls of a P-51 Mustang. Roberts was the first African American accepted for U.S. Army pilot training. He later commanded the 99th Fighter Squadron and the 332nd Fighter Group. (U.S. Air Force photo) The National WWII Museum which is located in New Orleans is refurbishing a P-51 Mustang similar to those flown by the Tuskegee Airmen in WWII. The museum’s plane was not flown by the Tuskegee Airmen but is being restored to resemble an actual “Red Tail” plane.
The Tuskegee Airmen broke racial color barriers in the United States military during World War II. And now as the box office hit “Red Tails” depicts the strength of the courageous fighter pilots, the National WWII Museum is going a step further to highlight the accomplishments of the brave men.
The National WWII Museum which is located in New Orleans is refurbishing a P-51 Mustang similar to those flown by the Tuskegee Airmen in WWII. The museum’s plane was not flown by the Tuskegee Airmen but is being restored to resemble an actual “Red Tail” plane. Its refurbishment will be completed by early 2013 and according to museum curators, the plane’s tail will be painted red.
The Ricketts family, owners of the Chicago Cubs has pledged $500,000 towards the plane’s restoration.
Todd Ricketts is a museum board member and recently told the Chicago Citizen that it’s important for the airmen to be recognized.
“It’s really a story that needs to be told and I think the museum is in a good spot to tell it,” Ricketts said.
Ricketts finds it interesting that despite the racial injustice the pilots faced, they still were willing to fight and die for their country.
“The history of Blacks in the United States up until that point would have been one where the country didn’t treat them that well and they still felt that sense of duty,” he said.
“African-Americans’ experience in World War II was a fight for two victories,” said the National WWII Museum’s president and CEO Dr. Gordon H. “Nick” Mueller. ”The first was to defeat the Axis. The second was for equal rights. The museum feels it must always convey the story of this double victory so that young generations know and understand the challenges these Americans faced. Our P-51 will serve as a touchstone for that effort.”
The exhibited plane will be part of a display illuminating the airmen’s role in WWII and how the P-51 contributes to the war’s rich history.
The National WWII Museum needs a total of $1 million to complete the renovation.
“I will be calling people and knocking on doors for the next few months to get exposure for the museum to raise the rest of those funds,” Ricketts told the Chicago Citizen.
Prior to 1940, Blacks were not allowed to fly planes for the military.
As a result of a public outcry from Civil Rights organizations and the Black Press, a training squadron was created in Tuskegee, Ala.
The pilots were known as the “Tuskegee Airmen” because they trained at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama and their successes launched integration of the military in 1948.
Twitter:@thelmasardin
Sources: National WWII Museum, nps.gov
By Thelma Sardin
DuSable’s Carol Adams Honored as Community Champion
Posted on 15. Feb, 2012 by citizen in Hyde Park, Local News
DuSable Museum President/CEO Dr. Carol Adams, second left, was honored Sunday at Life Center Church of God In Christ in recognition of Black History Month. The church's Pastor T.L. Barrett Jr., left, made the presentation as the assistant pastor Dr. Wynetta Frazier, right, read Adams' bio. The church called Adams a "shero" in the community. Photo by Rhonda Gillespie
DuSable Museum President and CEO Carol Adams, Ph.D., was honored Sunday by a Washington Park church for her work over the years as a state official, educator and local broker of several community initiatives.
The former head of the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) was called a “shero” as the Life Center Church of God In Christ presented her with its Black History Month medallion of excellence and certificate of achievement. The former Chicago Housing Authority administrator was also recognized for her leadership at the housing agency where she started a program, Museums and Public Schools, which partnered public housing communities with the city’s museums. She was also praised for her work with other agencies, as well as for her academia leadership as director of African American Studies at Loyola University and stints at Northeastern Illinois University as research and executive directors of the school’s Center for Inner City Studies.
“Dr. Adams helped to bring about the convergence of art and education in Chicago, particularly in the museum and public schools,” said Wynetta Frazier, Ph.D., one of the church’s assistant pastors.
She pointed to Adams’ efforts over the years that brought nearly $400 million in sum to a number of higher education institutions.
“Dr. Adams has a proven track record in the field of grantsmanship, so all of us who think that we can write a few proposals we need to learn from her,” said Frazier.
The faith leader said time wouldn’t permit her to tell of all Adams’ work and accomplishments. But, in short, the Fisk University alum received a master’s degrees from Boston University and University of Chicago, has vitae that spans decades — putting her in key positions within a number of schools and agencies — and lays out her community involvement.
She was appointed DHS secretary in 2003. After her former boss, convicted Gov. Rod Blagojevich, was kicked out of office and a new administration took over, Adams became a casualty of efforts to remove Blagojevich’s state agency appointees.
Adams initially accepted an offer by Gov. Pat Quinn to be a state representative in Johannesburg, South Africa but abandoned the offer shortly after it was announced in Oct. 2009.
Months before that, she was on a short list to become president of Chicago State University. The selection process made headlines as she and the former city colleges Chancellor Wayne Watson, Ph.D., vied for the post. Adams wasn’t chosen.
After heading the state’s largest agency and its over 14,000 employees, Adams accepted an appointment that put her at the helm of a cultural and historic icon. She began her current position as president and chief executive officer of the DuSable Museum of African American History in November of 2009.
She was flanked by children of the church Sunday as she gave the congregation at Life Center Church an open invitation to visit and support the museum. For the sake of the youth everywhere, Adams urged the worshippers to support the historic institution.
“When children know their heritage, they know who they are and when you know who you are, you know how to act,” Adams told the congregation. “We have to…celebrate ourselves, bring unity to our families because it (is) key to everything else that (is) happening in our community.”
By Rhonda Gillespie
SS, SSI recipients:No more paper checks as of March 2013
Posted on 15. Feb, 2012 by citizen in Local News, South Suburban
Starting in March 2013 the U.S. Department of the Treasury (shown) will cease sending paper checks and will move to a full electronic payout of monthly governmental benefits. The move from paper checks is designed to save the government money.
The state of Illinois is to be commended for the number of Social Security and Supplemental Security Income recipients now receiving their monthly benefits through direct deposit, according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury — which issues the benefits.
But even with 91 percent of the state’s recipients on board with the electronic disbursement, the Treasury Department is still concerned about the 225,000 people still getting paper checks; the clock is ticking for them to make the switch. In just over one year from now, the Treasury will no longer issue paper checks for federal benefits, including Veterans Affairs payouts.
Starting March 2013 the Treasury will cease sending paper checks and will move to a full electronic payout of monthly benefits. A spokesman for the federal agency told the Chicago Citizen that the move from paper checks is designed to save the government money.
Tim explained that it costs $1 for the Treasury to issue recipients paper checks and less than a dime to disburse the benefits electronically.
“The primary reasons are cost savings,” he said. “And we make it really easy for people to sign up” for direct deposit.
He added that notices had been sent to recipients last year letting them know that the time for switching over was drawing near. The Treasury Department contends that paper checks also put recipients’ money at possible risk for theft and fraud — which also costs the government money.
A study sponsored by the department found that people age 62 and older in Illinois and 13 other Midwestern states who get federal benefits are most concerned about protecting their money with over 33 percent surveyed saying they had been a victim of identity theft or know someone who has been. This adds to the Treasury’s push for direct deposit.
“Just last year, more than 540,000 Social Security and SSI paper checks were reported lost or stolen and had to be reissued, while an estimated $93 million worth of Treasury-issued checks were fraudulently endorsed,” said David A. Lebryk, commissioner of the Treasury Department’s Financial Management Service.
Tim explained that recipients could have funds electronically deposited into their own bank account or loaded to a pre-paid debit card, including one issued by the Treasury Department. As the government is concerned about its own bottom line, he said the department is “very sensitive to consumer protections and fees.”
Benefits loaded through financial institution or pre-paid cards other than the government’s is subject to the rules of the respective institution. But the government’s Direct Express card offers one free ATM withdrawal and a fee of 90 cents for each one after that each month.
For people still receiving paper checks, they can log on to www.GoDirect.org for more information on making the transition to electronic deposits.
by Rhonda Gillespie
