VOL. 101, NO. 13 EIGHT PAGES THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021 PRICE 75 CENTS

COMMENTARY

Crump Wants White Woman Who Attacked Black Teen Over Cell Phone Prosecuted

GSU to Receive $87 Million in Debt ReliefThrough Coronavirus Act

onna Taylor, George Floyd,

and Jacob Blake.

On December 29, 2020, a

spokesperson for Manhat-

tan District Attorney Cy

Vance, Jr., confirmed that

the office was investigating

the assault on Keyon Har-

rold Jr., the son of jazz

trumpeter Keyon Harrold.

The incident, which the

senior Harrold captured on

cellphone video, occurred

on December 26 at the Arlo

Hotel, a boutique four-star

hotel in New York’s Soho

section.

While the Harold’s were

grabbing breakfast, the still-

unidentified white woman

lashed out, tackled, and

scratched the innocent teen,

accusing him of stealing her

phone.

When the elder Harrold

stepped in with his camera

recording the incident, the

woman allegedly assaulted

the Grammy-winner as

well.

She then confronts a hotel

manager and accused Har-

rold, Jr., of stealing her

phone and again lunges at

the youth.

“Take the case off, that’s

mine,” the angry woman

yells in the video. “Liter-

ally, get it back,” she de-

mands of the hotel manager.

A few minutes later, the

woman’s missing phone

was returned by an Uber

driver, who noted that she

mistakenly left it in the car.

“I am furious!!!” the elder

Home Value Disparities Between Races Are Still Pronounced, but Shrinking

Typical values for Black-

and Latinx-owned homes

still lag behind overall U.S.

home values, but the gap is

narrowing. A new study

shows homes owned by

Black and Latinx house-

holds are worth 16.2% and

10.2% less, respectively,

than the typical U.S. home -

- gaps that have closed by

about 4 percentage points

from their widest points fol-

lowing the Great Recession.

Homes owned by non-

Hispanic white and Asian

families, meanwhile, have

typical values 2.9% and

3.7% higher than the typical

U.S. home.

While inequity in home

values continues to persist,

the data show them steadily,

albeit slowly, converging.

Since homeownership is the

single largest driver of

wealth for many house-

holds, the value and appre-

ciation of a home is

extremely impactful for

families.

Before the Great Reces-

sion, the gap between

Black-owned home values

and all home values was

about 15%, but grew to

20% by March 2014. Simi-

larly, Latinx-owned homes

saw the largest home value

gap in May 2012 at 14% --

2 percentage points larger

than before the housing

bubble. Now, nearly a

decade later, home values

for Black- and Latinx-

owned homes are back at

pre-bubble levels, and con-

tinue to narrow despite the

current economic crisis.

One reason for the wide

gap is that the housing bust

hit communities of color es-

pecially hard. Subprime

loans were targeted to take

advantage of the most vul-

nerable communities, and

the ensuing wave of fore-

closures hurt homeowner-

ship and home values

disproportionately for

Black and Latinx home-

owners. Fast forward 12

years, and homeownership

rates and home values are

still recovering for these

communities. While home

value growth turned posi-

tive for U.S. homes in Au-

gust 2012, it took an

additional two years for

Black and Latinx homes to

see this same growth.

by Stacy M. Brown

NNPA -- Civil Rights At-

torney Ben Crump said,

“enough is enough.” The

famed lawyer has de-

manded that New York

prosecutors bring charges

against a white woman who

viciously attacked a young

African American teen in a

hotel lobby after she falsely

claimed the youth stole her

iPhone.

“As this year of racial

awareness is drawing to a

close, it’s deeply troubling

that incidents like this one,

in which a Black child is

viewed as and treated like a

criminal, continue to hap-

pen,” stated Crump, who in

2020 represented the fami-

lies of Ahmaud Arbery, Bre-

We Were Guinea Pigs for the U.S.: It Isn't Just Tuskegeeticed into the study with the

promise of lifetime health

care, who suffered. Dozens

of wives were also infected

because they didn't know

their partners had syphilis.

At least 19 children were

born with syphilis because

they were untreated. There

was no known treatment for

syphilis when the study,

which was supposed to last

just six months, began in

1934. Penicillin was the

widely accepted remedy in

the late 1940s, but none of

the men in the study were

offered it. The study is re-

ferred to as the "Tuskegee"

experiment, but it really

needs to be called the

United States Public Health

Service experiment. Our

government initiated and

funded this abomination

and used Tuskegee as its

base for this putrid study.

This was not the first

time, though, and it is not

likely to be the last when

Black bodies were experi-

mented on for white com-

fort. During enslavement,

"doctors" often purchased

enslaved people to experi-

ment on them. After Recon-

struction, when Black folks

died from being over-

worked, often their relatives

were not told of their de-

mise, but nearby medical

schools used their bodies to

teach medical students

about anatomy.

It was legal in 32 states to

sterilize Black women (and

others considered "mar-

ginal") without their per-

mission. In Alabama, in

1973, the Reif sisters, aged

12 and 14, were involuntar-

ily sterilized in a federally

funded clinic. An Essence

magazine writer broke the

story with the help of a

whistleblower. The offend-

ing physician seemed to

think the girls were men-

tally deficient and incapable

of caring for the children

they had not yet conceived.

That was their decision to

make, not his.

Between 1929 and 1976,

at least 7000 people were

sterilized in North Carolina

by judicial order. Thou-

sands more were sterilized

by order of local judges.

The state set aside $10 mil-

lion in 2014 to pay some of

the oppressive state policy

victims, but many don't

qualify because they lack

documentation. Those ster-

ilized were treated as guinea

pigs.

J. Marion Sims, known as

the "father of gynecology,"

perpetuated some of the

more chilling experiments

on Black women's bodies.

He performed sterilizations,

unnecessary C-sections, and

more on Black women and

worked on them until he

could perfect the technique

to use on white women.

Sims performed many of

the painful operations with-

out anesthesia. In other

cases, Black women were

given so much mind-numb-

ing morphine that they be-

came addicted. Sims is

credited with inventing the

specula, a tool routinely

used in most gynecological

exams. Actually, he used a

spoon, and then improved

on it, for the examinations.

Sims had quite the career,

serving for a time as Presi-

dent of the American Med-

ical Association. There was

a statue of him in New

York's Central Park and

tributes to him all over the

by Dr. Julianne Malveaux

People who don't know

Black history have probably

heard more about the

Tuskegee syphilis "experi-

ment" in the last month than

they have in their whole

lives. The chattering class

has used the debacle of al-

lowing hundreds of Black

men live with untreated

syphilis to monitor its ef-

fects to explain the resist-

ance that many Black

Americans have to accept-

ing the COVID vaccination,

thus imperiling the possibil-

ity of "herd" immunity.

It wasn’t just the men, en-

be avoided."

Clyburn was responding

to reports that Biden is ex-

pected to receive Secret

Service protection with a

new team that is more fa-

miliar to him; replacing

some agents amid concerns

that they may be more polit-

ically aligned with outgoing

President Donald Trump.

Biden's protection was also

heightened after he was

elected in the wake of cred-

ible threats to both him and

Harris. However, it is not

clear whether her protection

will be strengthened more

than usual for a vice presi-

dent.

President Obama began

receiving unprecedented

levels of Secret Service pro-

tection as a candidate due to

threats on his life. He was

reportedly assigned a Secret

Service detail at the presi-

dential level a year and a

half before his 2008 elec-

tion.

Secret Service alliances

with Trump may be ex-

treme. For example, some

members of Trump’s detail

reportedly urged their col-

leagues not to wear protec-

tive masks during trips in

order to please Trump, de-

spite the massive numbers

of deaths and infections due

to Covid 19.

Clyburn's concerns come

at a time of heightened ten-

sions where thousands of

Trump supporters were ex-

pected to gather in Wash-

ington on January 6 to

challenge the Electoral Col-

lege certification of Biden

and Harris as president and

vice president.

by Dr. Barbara Reynolds

(TriceEdneyWire.com) -

Amidst post-election strife

that has reached historic

levels, U.S. Rep. James

Clyburn, (S.C.) says he is

deeply concerned about the

safety of President Elect Joe

Biden and even more so

Vice President Elect Ka-

mala Harris.

"We have to be more con-

cerned about Harris than

any of the other vice presi-

dents in our nation's his-

tory," Clyburn said during a

Zoom conference with jour-

nalist Richard Prince's Jour-

nal-isms Roundtable. "That

Kamala is the first woman

and the first black vice pres-

ident is an issue that cannot

(Please See RELIEF, Pg. 4)

(Please See GUINEA PIGS, Pg. 4)

(Please See SAFETY, Pg. 4)

(Please See PROSECUTED, Pg. 4)

The Shreveport Sun - New Office Hours In compliance with Governor John Bel Edwards’ statewide stay-

at-home order, in an effort to combat spread of COVID 19, The

Shreveport Sun office will have reduced operating hours.

Until further notice, new office hours:

Monday, Tuesday & Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Shreveport Sun contact numbers: (318) 631-6222, office; (318)

635-2822, fax; NEWS RELEASES by email: sunweekly@aol.com

or ADS: sunweeklyads@ aol.com.

~The Management

GRAMBLING, La. --

Grambling State Univer-

sity will recieve a direct fi-

nancial benefit from

passage of the Omnibus

Appropriations and Emer-

gency Coronavirus Relief

Act, which includes the

Historically Black Col-

leges and Universities

(HBCU) Capital Finance

Debt Relief Act.

Approximately $87 mil-

lion in debt relief will

come to Grambling State.

The total includes $80

million for student hous-

ing and $7 million for the

natatorium and intramural

facilities.

Over the past four years,

GSU leaders have played

a big role in lobbying for

debt relief by presenting

to congressional leaders,

and working with national

advocacy partners. The

strategy started in 2016

with refinancing its debt

through the HBCU Capi-

tal Financing Program that

yielded annual savings of

$1.2 million. This action

fueled a 100% improve-

ment in the fiscal health

score of the institution.

Combined with recent

news of its 10-year reaffir-

mation by SACSCOC,

this additional financial

achievement places

Grambling State on a sus-

tainable path for contin-

ued growth and

development.

“We are grateful to

Thurgood Marshall Col-

lege Fund and the mem-

bers of our congressional

delegation for their advo-

cacy,” said Grambling

State University President

Rick Gallot. “The relief

package will be a great

benefit for institutions like

Grambling State and

many others who work

daily to develop the next

generation of game-

changers.”

“Retirement of this debt

opens the door to a new fi-

nancial future for

HBCUs,” said Martin

Lemelle, Executive Vice

President and Chief Oper-

ating Officer at Grambling

State University. “It will

enable us to sustain our

operations and invest in

the next generation of stu-

dent success.”

In addition, the Om-

nibus Appropriations and

Emergency Coronavirus

Relief Act was endorsed

by the Thurgood Marshall

College Fund (TMCF),

United Negro College

Fund (UNCF), and the

National Association for

Equal Opportunity in

Higher Education

(NAFEO).

“The HBCU community

has celebrated many leg-

islative victories over the

past few years and this is

the biggest victory yet,”

said Dr. Harry L.

Williams, President and

CEO of TMCF. “The allo-

cation of $1.7 billion in di-

rect aid to HBCUs, PBIs

(Predominantly Black In-

stitutions) and other MSIs

(Minority Serving Institu-

tions) discharging of over

$1 billion in HBCU Capi-

tal Finance Program debt,

increase in Title III aid

and Pell is Congress

demonstrating once again

its bipartisan support for

our institutions and their

students. After this chal-

lenging year on so many

fronts, this infusion of re-

sources and relief sends a

clear signal that the future

is bright for HBCUs and

PBIs.”

The legislation also in-

cludes the largest expan-

sion of the Pell Grant

program in a decade; sim-

plifies the Free Applica-

tion for Federal Student

Clyburn Concerned About Safety Of Vice President Kamala Harris

PAGE TWO, THE SHREVEPORT SUN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

Recovery for African States Could Be Dimmed by Debt, Analyst Says

Shreveport-Bossier African American

Chamber of Commerce Announces New Board

(TriceEdneyWire.com/GI

N) – As the year winds

down, analysts are speculat-

ing about the biggest chal-

lenge facing Africa in the

new year. It’s not what you

might think.

If you guessed Covid-19,

you’d be wrong, says Alex

Vines, director of regional

and security studies at the

London-based Chatham

House. It’s a four letter

word – a polite one – and

it’s Debt.

African debt will become

a greater global concern in

2021 as many African states

remain the world’s poorest

and most fragile and have

been hard hit by the eco-

nomic and financial costs

imposed by the pandemic,

writes Vines in a recent ed-

itorial.

There’s $5.4 billion owed

in 2020 but which could be

postponed. That however is

a fraction of the $13.6 bil-

lion in interest and principal

owed by sub-Saharan

African states to creditors.

Pile that on top of $20-bil-

lion in private obligations,

much of it owed to Chinese

commercial creditors or Eu-

robond repayments.

“2021 will be a slow re-

covery year for many

African states, with in-

creased unemployment and

growing debts and reduced

liquidity to provide public

services,” Vines writes in

the Mail & Guardian. “A

few countries are likely to

struggle - particularly Zam-

bia, which in November be-

came the first debt defaulter

of the Covid-19 era. Angola

and Namibia are also badly

exposed. Zimbabwe is al-

ready in debt arrears and is

not eligible for debt relief.

A number of African

states, such as Angola,

Congo-Brazzaville and

Equatorial Guinea, have

been hit by a sharp down-

turn in demand for their

main export – oil. Angola

will in 2020 have reached a

debt to GDP ratio of just

short of 120% - a lot of debt

but little income.

Prior to Covid-19, sub-

Saharan Africa’s 48 coun-

tries included several of the

world’s fastest-growing

economies and a burgeon-

ing middle class, but also

remained mired in some re-

gions by debt, conflict and

protests, and plagued by

elites clinging to power.

Civilian-led reform

movements toppled regimes

in Algeria and Sudan in

2019 followed by messy

transitions. Youth-led

protests have clashed with

government security forces,

pushing for accountable

government, such as the

#EndSARS Movement in

Lagos or the 11 November

(Independence Day)

demonstrations in Luanda.

More protests should be

expected in 2021.

The year 2020 will, of

course, be remembered for

the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many African countries

have handled the public

health effects of coron-

avirus well compared with

neighboring continents,

with some 55,000 related

deaths and 2 million recov-

ered out of a population of

just over a billion - thanks

to quick action and leader-

ship by the Africa Centres

for Disease Control and

Prevention, by public sup-

port and a youthful popula-

tion.

Despite these challenges,

2021 could be an important

moment for a fresh start,

with debt forgiveness offer-

ing greater pan-African

prosperity and resilience for

future generations. The

African Development Bank

agrees. “Africa is still a

prime investment destina-

tion despite COVID-19,”

said Tetsushi Sonobe of the

Asian Development Bank at

a recent webinar. “Invest-

ment opportunities still

abound in Africa.”

The Shreveport-Bossier

African American Chamber

of Commerce has an-

nounced new leadership of

its board of directors.

Brittney Dunn, Owner of

B&D Tax & Accounting

Services and CPA, will

serve as the 2021-2023

Chairman of the Board, suc-

ceeding Taylor Jamison

who will serve as Immedi-

ate Past Chairman. The

newly appointed board

leaders officially assumed

their duties on January 1,

2021.

The Chamber also wel-

comed the following busi-

ness leaders to its board of

directors:

Darius Spells, Owner of

Red Barn Cajun Crawfish

and Seafood Market;

Martha Cotton, U.S. De-

partment of Defense;

Meagan McDuffy, Cen-

terpoint Energy;

Taylor Jamison, Execu-

tive Director of Strategic

Action Council;

Candice Battiste, North

Louisiana Organizer of the

Power Coalition;

Damien Chapman, Owner

and Chef, Orlandeaux’s

Café;

Kalli Combs, Creative Di-

rector and Founder of So-

cial Pal Kal;

Brandy Evans, Vice Pres-

ident of Communications at

the Shreveport-Bossier

Convention and Tourism

Bureau’

Micheal Laffite, Owner of

Shreveport Haberdashery;

Slyvester Marshall,

Owner of The Social Circle;

Tarayl Taylor, Owner of

Triple T BBQ LLC;

Lenora Wilson, Agent at

New York Life.

A press release reads,

“The leadership of the

chamber board is important

now more than ever as

many small businesses look

for direction during this

pandemic. Small businesses

have had to shutter their

doors and seek new oppor-

tunities to produce a profit.

The Shreveport-Bossier

African American Chamber

of Commerce plans to work

with local and state govern-

ments to meet the needs of

small minority business

owners with a strategic plan

in the coming year.”

The African American Pa-

rade Celebration for Febru-

ary 6, 2021 will be

presented differently this

year because of COVID-19.

Founder and Former State

Representative Barbara

Norton stated at a press con-

ference at Praise Temple

Baptist Church on Decem-

ber 22, 2020 while standing

with the African American

Parade Committee; Jan

Elkins the Community Proj-

ect Manager for KTBS TV

3 CW 21, Shreveport Police

Department, the City Mar-

shal and Caddo Parish Sher-

iff officers. The parade will

be shown on February 6,

2021 at 11:00 a.m. with seg-

ments from the past 10

years and more. Norton

said, “We are very con-

cerned about keeping citi-

zens’ lives safe. We will be

announcing more informa-

tion on how families and

citizens can get involved in

the parade celebration on

February 6, 2021 with more

information to come.”

African American Parade Celebration MovingForward With Changes for 2021

PAGE THREE, THE SHREVEPORT SUN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

Your 2021 Business Planby Tyra Jones, MBA/PA

As we began the first full

week of January, the major

buzz is about the stimulus

bill. Business owners have

another opportunity to catch

up on payroll and other

business expenses with this

bail-out. However, what

plans are put in place to se-

cure a concrete future for

your business?

Have you set S.M.A.R.T.

(Smart, Measurable, Attain-

able, Relevant and Time-

based) goals for your entity,

or will you just wing it like

you did last year? Remem-

ber, if you do what you’ve

always done you will get

what you’ve always gotten.

Reach out to speak with

professionals who are fo-

cused on growth for busi-

nesses.

In our industry of busi-

ness our company, JA Con-

sulting and Corporate Tax

Solutions, spans across a

plethora of growth services

that most CPA’s don’t cover.

This is why we partner with

other CPA firms to offer an-

other way of thinking when

it comes to planning for

themselves and their clients.

In your industry, what types

of collaborations do you

employ that allows you to

have growth conversations

as opposed to conversations

about the past?

Are you even networking

with other business owners

who have professionally

written business plans, mar-

keting plans, and have hired

professionals to maintain

growth in their businesses?

When we network, we usu-

ally don’t get the best out of

the connection because we

just don’t have a clear plan

for ourselves. This transfers

over into not knowing what

to say, ask, or even build

from. Because I am com-

mitted to uplifting our

black-owned business com-

munity, here are a few tips

on how to meticulously

plan for the new year and

beyond.

1. Write your business

plan or have a professional

to write it. If you use it as a

guide on a monthly basis,

you will see the progress in

your business and have

processes as to how to

measure them. I also sug-

gest that you have a finan-

cial plan. The financial plan

will assist you with under-

standing how to move funds

around to have the best re-

turn on investment. You

may need to have several

conversations with a finan-

cial analyst.

2. Know who your com-

petitors are! You may be

able to learn from their mis-

takes and successes.

3. Know your numbers!

You should know how

much production it takes to

generate your weekly rev-

enue goal and at what per-

centage of productivity you

are operating. To give you a

point-of-reference, a good

percentage of productivity

is 85%. If you’re operating

at 50% productivity, you’re

wasting half the day not

bringing in revenue that you

said you wanted to make.

Manage your time properly

to ensure you and your em-

ployees are operating at

least an 85% minimum pro-

ductivity and watch your

revenue increase.

4. Find out now how to

better manage your ac-

counting and bookkeeping.

Again, connect with profes-

sionals who are versed on

growing companies and

have access to resources

you need according to your

business plan. This person

should not only have access

to your business plan, but

they should be planning for

your success by using it

and/or adding to it.

5. Plan your estate! Most

business owners do not

have a Will. Your entity is

synonymous to real estate

that appreciates over time.

Your asset becomes “aged”

after two years. Thereafter,

you have an asset worth at

least $100k and in some

cases $250k, contingent

upon the upkeep of the tax

filings, financial statements

and other assets owned by

the entity. How do you in-

crease the value of a real es-

tate property? Build on it!

The same goes for your en-

tity. Build on it by establish-

ing its business credit as

well. The value of what you

have can very well be

willed to your children and

your grandchildren. How-

ever, if we don’t know the

value of what we have es-

tablished or choose to put

off this process, we lose

more than we realize. There

are companies who will cre-

ate your Will at no cost.

Again, ensure that you con-

nect with professionals who

have access to these types

of resources and who

wouldn’t mind helping you

to access them.

6. Lastly, look into estab-

lishing a Trust to protect

your assets from creditors

and lawsuits. Once you

have your asset, it’s in your

best interest to protect it.

This should be a healthy

part of your business plan.

Business owners usually

don’t think about most of

the components of a busi-

ness plan, which is why

having a well written plan is

crucial to the success of the

business. Start 2021 strate-

gically! Use your stimulus

funds properly. Understand

that there are two parts to

your business, operations

and the “business of your

business.” Know that it’s

common to hire the proper

assistance to manage the

“business of your business.”

This includes taxes and

everything financially re-

lated. It’s ok to ask for help.

You can make 2021 pro-

gressively different for your

business.

(Tyra Jones can be con-tacted at: 346-308-6634,www.jonescorporatesolu-tions.net or email atinfo@jonescorporatesolu-tions.net).

by Tyra Jones, MBA/PA

Shreveport BusinessesOn The Move

Boston Red Sox Hire Bianca Smith as First Black

Woman Coach in Baseball Historylayed.

He added that he felt un-

comfortable with the idea of

his family living in Boston if

he had signed there.

“That’s why I got the no-

trade clause, the list of

teams, and I put Boston in

there,” Hunter added.

“I love Boston. I wanted to

play there. It just hit me that

I can’t have my wife and my

kids in this area,” he contin-

ued.

“There is no way I can do

that because I don’t ever

want them to go through

that, and if they do, I don’t

know what I would do, and I

would be the angry Black

guy, and that wouldn’t be

good.”

Hunter’s comments

prompted the Red Sox to

issue a statement acknowl-

edging his experience.

The team noted that, in

2019, there were seven re-

ported incidents of fans

using racial slurs at Fenway

Park.

In 2017, Baltimore Orioles

star outfielder Adam Jones

said he was on the receiving

end of racial slurs at Fenway

Park no less than 100 times.

Fans even threw bags of

peanuts at him, Jones said.

But the hiring of Smith is

barrier-breaking. She joins a

list of female professional

baseball coaches, including

Rachel Balkovec of the New

York Yankees, Rachel

Folden of the Chicago Cubs,

and Christina Whitlock of

the St. Louis Cardinals.

Last year, Alyssa Nakken

of the San Francisco Giants

became the first on-field fe-

male coach in Major League

Baseball.

She once served as an in-

tern for the Texas Rangers

and Cincinnati Reds.

Smith also played softball

at Dartmouth from 2010-12

before working as director of

baseball operations at Case

Western Reserve University

from 2013 to 2017 and as an

assistant coach with the Uni-

versity of Dallas in 2018.

“It’s a meaningful,”

Crockett said of Smith’s

hire. “Meaningful thing for

the organization.”

NNPA -- Bianca Smith, an

African American woman,

has made baseball history.

Smith, who most recently

served as an assistant base-

ball coach and hitting coor-

dinator at Wisconsin’s

Carroll University, was

named a coach in the Boston

Red Sox minor league sys-

tem.

Smith, 29, becomes the

first Black woman to coach

in professional baseball.

She will work with the

team’s infielders at the Red

Sox minor league facility in

Fort Meyers, Fla.

“She was a great candidate

coming in,” Red Sox vice

president of player develop-

ment Ben Crockett told the

Boston Globe.

“She’s had some really in-

teresting experiences and

has been passionate about

growing her skill set and de-

velopment herself.”

That Smith’s historic hir-

ing happened in Boston, a

city where angry mobs vio-

lently attacked school buses

carrying Black children to

previously all-white schools

in the 1970s, could be a sign

of racial progress.

The Red Sox have had a

history of racism at Fenway

Park.

In 2019, four fans hung a

banner that read “Racism is

as American as Baseball,”

from the famed Green Mon-

ster.

Last year, retired baseball

star Torii Hunter told ESPN

that he was called the N-

word several times by fans

as young as “little kids.”

He later said that he had

heard more racist remarks in

Boston than any other city.

“When I went to Boston, it

was so consistent. After a

while, I just kind of shoved

it off, and I went out and

played. I played with aggres-

sion, though,” Hunter re-

Would you like to

advertise in

The Shreveport Sun?Please call the office for

more information at:

(318) 631-6222

Take a Stand Against Gun Violence Terrorizing

Our Streetsby Jesse Jackson

Gun violence spiked across the country

in 2020, the most violent year in decades.

19,000 were killed in shootings, the high-

est death toll in 20 years (and that does not

include gun suicides). Mass shootings —

defined as four or more shot in an incident

— also rose drastically to over 600.

Chicago’s 769 homicides in 2020 were,

according to ABC News, “more homi-

cides than in all but one year in more than

two decades.”

The 4,033 shooting victims were also

drastically higher. The spike in Chicago

was echoed in other big cities like Detroit,

Washington, D.C., New York and Atlanta

and in smaller cities like Grand Rapids,

Michigan, and Rockford, Illinois. In all

these cities, the victims are disproportion-

ately people of color.

The new year started off where the old

ended, with 30 people shot and five killed

in Chicago over the holiday weekend. We

are killing one another in larger numbers

in the midst of the national pandemic. The

experts agree on the underlying causes.

The COVID-19 economic devastation in-

creased misery, anger, and fear. More and

more found themselves under harsh pres-

sure, unable to keep the roof over their

heads, get adequate schooling for the

young, secure decent health care and ade-

quate food. The pandemic also caused a

severe cutback in violence prevention pro-

grams, in conflict de-escalation services.

The George Floyd murder and recurrent

police violence exacerbated the tensions.

And most important of all, of course, is

America’s perverse addiction to guns. The

year 2020 witnessed record sales of guns

across the country. There are 5 million

new gun owners in America. Sensible gun

regulations have been blocked at the fed-

eral and state level. In too many instances,

state legislatures have blocked the efforts

of cities to regulate guns.

Guns are not made in Chicago. There are

no gun ranges. Guns are brought in across

state lines. The result is, frankly, absurd.

The ban on assault weapons, weapons de-

signed to kill people in large numbers in

warfare, has been repealed. States across

the country allow open carry and camou-

flaged carry. Protesters surrounded the

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“Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch forth her

hands unto God.” Psalm 68:31.

nied pain medication and

was described as "intimidat-

ing" by the medical staff, il-

lustrates how the medical

establishment treats too

many Black people.

Having said all that, I’ll

still be standing in lines

soon as my number is called

for the COVID vaccination.

I prefer the Pfizer vaccina-

tion from the research I've

done, but I'll take the Mod-

erna if available. Why? I'm

over 60, diabetic, and thus

at high risk for getting

COVID. I want to travel

again, get on a plane, and

see my mama and my

friends. I don't know about

eating out – my culinary

skills have improved. But I

know that my limited expo-

sure to the world has gotten

on my last nerve.

We were their guinea

pigs, and the medical estab-

lishment has been negligent

toward Black people. By

now, though, enough white

people have had the vacci-

nation that by some wicked

irony, they are my guinea

pigs. Get the vaccination if

you can … medical racism

notwithstanding. Black

folks are twice as likely to

die from COVID as white

people. Protect yourself!

(Dr. Julianne Malveaux is

an economist and author.)

country. Blessedly the Cen-

tral Park statue was taken

down in 2018, after several

protests. Why was it there

in the first place?

In her book, Medical

Apartheid: The Dark His-

tory of Medical Experimen-

tation on Black American

from Colonial Times To

The Present (Doubleday,

2006), Harriet Washington

details the many ways

Black bodies were guinea

pigs for white experiments.

That’s not all. The Institute

of Medicine has docu-

mented that black folk with

broken bones are less likely

to get pain medication than

whites. And the very recent

COVID death of African

American physician Dr.

Susan Moore, who was de-

GUINEA PIGS(Cont. From Page One)

The hotel issued an apology and called the Harold’s’ ex-

perience “inexcusable” before offering that “more could

have been done to de-escalate the dispute.”

Crump remained furious.

“Compounding the injustice, the hotel manager defaulted

to calling on 14-year-old Keyon to prove his innocence,

documenting that we have two justice systems in America

and that Black people are treated as guilty until proven in-

nocent,” Crump exclaimed.

“We strongly urge Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance

Jr. to bring assault and battery charges against this woman

to send the message that hateful, racially motivated behav-

ior is unacceptable. This is what it will take to drive change.

We also call for a civil rights investigation into the Arlo

Hotel for its implicit bias in its treatment of Keyon.”

Harrold, who counts Prince, Common, and Dr. Dre as in-

fluences, wrote on Instagram.

“We see this crap happening all the time, but it hits dif-

ferent when it hits home!!! I typically try to keep things

positive, but nothing about this video is positive.”

PROSECUTED(Cont. From Page One)

Aid (FAFSA) to ensure students get the support they need;

and restores Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated persons.

The expanded Pell Grant program will result in hundreds

of thousands of students becoming newly qualified and

millions of current recipients receiving larger awards. Ad-

ditionally, the bill restores Pell Grant eligibility for students

defrauded by their institutions.

RELIEF(Cont. From Page One)

Trump has encouraged the Proud Boys among other

White Supremacists groups to join the protest. Recently,

these groups were engaged in violence in the District. This

included several knife attacks, arrests and the defacing of

Black churches where Black Lives Matter posters were

ripped from their buildings.

SAFETY(Cont. From Page One)

PAGE FOUR, THE SHREVEPORT SUN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

Michigan legislature armed with rifles and

guns.

Others threatened and began to plot an

armed kidnapping of the governor,

protesting her sensible COVID restric-

tions. At Donald Trump’s calling, the

streets of Washington, D.C., will be filled

with protesters, many of them armed. This

is yet another example of how a rabid mi-

nority — dispensing lots of cash and

armies of lobbyists — can spurn the will

of the majority. The majority of Ameri-

cans want sensible gun control laws.

Now, however, there is a yawning parti-

san divide with Democrats and Independ-

ents supporting stronger gun control and

Republican support waning. With gun vi-

olence spiking and political disputes turn-

ing into armed confrontations, it is past

time for real leadership to step forward.

Mike Bloomberg, the former mayor of

New York, has shown the way. As a pres-

idential candidate, he put forth a sensible

comprehensive reform agenda. As a pri-

vate citizen, he has helped to support

groups calling for reform. He understands,

more than most, that gun violence takes

far more victims than those who die.

It is a major public health crisis, leaving

thousands permanently disabled and in

need of care. The incoming administration

inherits staggering catastrophes that it

must address. Surely one of these is the

growing gun violence that terrorizes our

streets. This administration should push

America to make a real choice about gun

violence. Do we want to allow more and

more violence, to witness political dis-

putes turning into violent exchanges of

gunfire? Or will we make a commitment

to making our streets safer with police not

having to worry about being outgunned by

the violent. Banning assault weapons

should be a no-brainer.

Cracking down on the shipping of guns

across state lines is another. Real invest-

ment in violence prevention services must

be increased. Our schools should be teach-

ing the practice and praising the courage

of nonviolence. From its endless wars to

the spiking gun violence on its streets,

America leads the world in violence. This

is not a race we want to run or to win. It is

time for the majority to be heard.

PAGE FIVE, THE SHREVEPORT SUN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

Guest Opinion

by Njeri Camara

Following the national

election and success of the

Biden/Harris ticket, Vice

President Elect Kamala

Harris made the statement,

speaking of Middle East

politics that she would do

everything within her

power to “make sure that

the Palestinians had their

own state.” This statement

was not seen as positive for

her to express concern for

the needs of the Palestinian

people when America is a

staunch supporter of Israel.

Rather, her statement was

used to cast doubt on her

loyalty to America. This is a

perfect example of a leader

looking at what has been a

problem of the human con-

dition and making a com-

mitment that within her

power she would do some-

thing about that condition.

Local attorney and former

city councilman Thomas

Arceneaux, who is no

stranger to civic affairs in

Shreveport, and served as a

council member under the

second term in our new

form of government, wrote

an opinion editorial “The

freedom to go forward” that

was published in the Satur-

day, January 2, 2021 edition

of The (Shreveport Times).

Great thoughts on how we

continue moving forward

with the freedom to do so.

The question was “if your

freedom to go forward is

the wrong forward.” Do we

keep going forward, in the

wrong direction? We keep

ourselves divided as a com-

munity, and he asked the

question “Why do we have

a problem with healthy pub-

lic discourse on matters that

impact us all as a commu-

nity?” We would rather

allow ourselves to remain

separated by belief systems,

ideologies, traditions, party

politics, or race, and con-

tinue with the freedom to go

forward wrong direction.

On Friday, January 1,

2021, retired businessman

and historian Chris Chan-

dler held a press conference

at the Riverview Park in

Downtown Shreveport, an-

nouncing the process and

delineating reasons for a re-

call of Mayor Adrian

Perkins. I heard it on the

news, and I was activated to

hear him. I wanted to know

his position. It was interest-

ing to hear the opinion of

someone else who does not

seem to be fearful of the

consequences one may suf-

fer for taking bold steps

against people in power.

Mayor Adrian Perkins is the

man of power in the City.

Mr. Chandler took a bold

step and presented interest-

ing and valid points well

worth entertaining.

I am not writing this arti-

cle to suggest to the com-

munity that Mr. Chandler is

correct or that he is incor-

rect. This article is meant to

stimulate healthy dia-

logue/discourse as sug-

gested by Mr. Arceneaux

and to enlist your input and

participation in helping

shape the narrative for mov-

ing forward.

The Systemic Justice Pol-

icy Institute believes that

engaging the process of a

recall is worthy of public

discourse to achieve the

needed 31,691 handwritten

signatures, should the cam-

paign be successful.

Personally, I have my

very own two-year collec-

tion of data on what I per-

ceive as “lack of interest in

or concern for the public

trust” exhibited by the cur-

rent city administration. I

have written formal letters

making legitimate requests

and inquiries into the sys-

tem processes of the City of

Shreveport and other things

of the Mayor’s office since

2019. To date, I have not re-

ceived any reasonable, re-

spectable, or responsible

response in writing or oth-

erwise.

So, I beg to ask the ques-

tion: “Who Are We, Shreve-

port?” Do we know who we

are as a City? What is our

identity? What are we

known for? Is it good? It is

helpful? Can we capitalize

on it? What are the advan-

tages offered by assets and

resources (I-49, I-20, Port,

Regional Airport, KCS, UP

Railways) to help restore

our economy and build to-

ward our future for a Smart

City? Are we smart enough

to do that? Do we have the

capacity or ability to assess,

analyze, and make hard de-

cision for ourselves? Is it al-

ways important to get

outsiders to tell us what we

should do? Or, Are we too

busy trying to protect the

current system as it exists?

Does the current system

benefit you? Is it working

for you? Is it not working

for you? I really want to

know! Are we tired of peo-

ple using our public sys-

tems as their private

systems come up for them,

their four and no more? Or,

are we a City on the Grow

with all things good work-

ing for us, and we are just

fine?

July 2020, saw the Na-

tional Congress for Sys-

temic Justice and the

Systemic Justice Policy In-

stitute emerge from in-

volvement with

investigating the wrongful

deaths of black men in the

custody of the Shreveport

Police Department in the re-

cent past. During the

process we learned the

biggest hindrance to the

needed change in the Police

Department, was existing

laws, rules/regulations, and

policies. The Systemic Jus-

tice Policy Institute exists

for the purpose of review-

ing, analyzing and challeng-

ing laws, rules/regulations

and policies that cause dis-

parate treatment.

We attempted to get citi-

zen and community input

for establishing a “City of

Shreveport Citizens Bill of

Rights.” The Bill of Rights

would list assertions of

what you CAN expect to re-

ceive, experience, or have

opportunity to experience in

this community. In other

words, the process will help

us to answer the questions:

“Who Are We, Shreveport?

What do we hope to be-

come in the future? How do

we see ourselves in 5, 10,

15, 20 years? Will there be

a wider divide between the

generations? Will we con-

tinue to alienate those who

are not like us? Who Are

You? Are you ready for

change?

Our effort is to provide a

forum in which these really

serious issues, matters, con-

cerns can be openly dis-

cussed without fear of

retaliation or retribution be-

cause of a person’s perspec-

tive. The information and

data collected will hope-

fully, help Mayor Adrian

Perkins either respond to

the questions of Mr. Chan-

dler; plead his cause as to

how Chandler is wrong; or

capitulate to the Chandler

Recall Petition and resign.

The process is important

because it will galvanize

and neutralize the incessant

gaslighting that occurs.

Gaslighting: a term refer-

encing a process/system uti-

lized by the “invisible

empire” for decades to

make people with a differ-

ent opinion or belief feel

that something is wrong

with them simply because

they believe differently.

We will begin holding

weekly forums through

ZOOM. Each Sunday after-

noon at 3:00 p.m. we will

host a panel discussion on

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Philadelphia Seventh Day Adventist

Saint Abraham Baptist Church

Saint Mary Baptist Church

Saint Paul UMC

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Union Springs Baptist Church

Allendale Baptist Church

Faith United Methodist

Lake Bethlehem Baptist Church

Mount Canaan Baptist Church

New Friendship B.C. (Frierson, LA)

New Hope B.C. (Vivian, LA)

Old Union Baptist Church

Rose of Sharon

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issues of concern for the

City and beyond. We em-

brace anyone who is inter-

ested in being part of this

community of practice for

change. We are not con-

cerned about your race, eth-

nicity, age, orientation,

gender, disability … but we

want all the diversity we

can get. I like a lot of differ-

ent stuff in my salad, my

soup, my gumbo and my

stew.

Persons interested in par-

ticipating in the Zoom

meeting forums can do so

on a volunteer basis and

agree to abide by the Code

of Conduct established for

this platform. If interested

in serving as a panelist, you

will be able to speak across

the Zoom meeting as an ex-

pert in your area. If you just

want to participate, do so

simply by following the

login process to join the

meeting. Complete the form

and a link to the Zoom

meeting will be sent to you:

https://forms.gle/QxDu-

jYGSaso8kaKG8.

(Njeri Camara isFounder/National Directorof The Systemic JusticePolicy Institute. Email: el-dercamara@ncsjpolicyin-stitute.org; (318)317-5918).

Who Are We, Shreveport?

PAGE SIX, THE SHREVEPORT SUN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

~Advt.~ The Sun Religious News ~Advt.~

There is a horrendous noise in the air, and

the sound is heard from the White House to

the church house. The echo is that “we are

tired; we are weary of hearing the growing

numbers of COVID-19 deaths, the grow-

ing numbers of unemployment claims, and

the closings of businesses nationwide. We

are tired of the political parties bickering,

and hassling over money due to taxpayers.”

This is the cry of the world as this pandemic

ushers in the end of the year.

God, who is the Omniscient One, has al-

ready established rest for His people. We

know that the Coronavirus showed up sev-

eral months ago, (to be exact, January

2020) packing

with it a spirit of fear, and because of it,

people have since gone into hiding. Now

people are tired of hiding, especially behind

masks. It’s alright to hide, as long as you

are hiding in Christ. Colossians 3:3 states:

“For you are dead, and your life is hid with

Christ in God.”

See you are already dead, so death should

not frighten you. When you are you in

Christ, you will not get weary or worn, you

will instead be refreshed. The Prophet Isa-

iah states: “Even the youths shall faint and

be weary, and the young men shall utterly

fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall

renew their strength; they shall mount up

on wings as eagles; they shall run, and not

be weary; and they shall walk, and not

faint,” Isaiah 40:30-31.

Sometimes the reason for our being ex-

hausted is that we get too involved in the

battle. You know when we are bent on fix-

ing the impossible ourselves, without God’s

help. In

II Chronicles 20:17, God tells the Is-

raelites: “Ye shall not need to fight in this

battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see

the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah

and Jerusalem.” It is God’s desire for us to

sit down, be refreshed, and see His mighty

Hand work on our behalf. And when we are

refreshed, we can be about the business of

winning souls to Christ. We cannot fight the

problems that lie before us without God, be-

cause the battle is not ours, it’s the Lord.

(Dorothy Gilliam, DRE, is an authorand teacher. Her book, “Life’s Lessonsfrom the Master’s Table” can be obtainedby email: fredg35@juno.com).

‘Rest for the weary’By Dorothy Gilliam, DRE

Life’s Lessons…..

Paradise Baptist Church1706 Hollywood Ave. -- Shreveport, LA 71108

Ph. (318) 636-5356 or Fax (318) 636-1728

Rev. Robert Hudson, Pastor

Discipleship Class - 8 a.m.

Sunday School - 9:15 a.m.

Sunday Morning Worship - 10:30 a.m.

and (5th Sun.) 8 & 11a.m.

Bible Study (Monday) - 6:00 p.m.

Youth Bible Study (Monday) - 6:00 p.m.

Teacher’s Meeting (Wed.) - 6:00 p.m.

Prayer Meeting (Wed.) 6:30 p.m.

Bus Ministry Transportation (318) 636 -5356

and leave message on answering machine.

Antioch Baptist Church“The Mother Church” - Founded 18661057 Texas Ave., Shreveport, LA 71101

Bruce C. Carroll, Sr., Pastor

Sunday School 9:30 a.m.

Worship Service - 11:00 a.m.

Communion (Each 2nd Sun. morning)

Bible Study/Prayer Meeting - Thurs., 11:30 a.m.

Office Phone (318) 222-7090

“Each One Reach One” -- Matthew 28:19-20

Crusaders Temple Church of God In Christ321 Boisseau Ave. * Shreveport, LA 71101

Phone (318) 222-3777

Elder George Mason, Jr., Pastor

Sunday School – 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Morning Worship – 11:30 a.m.

1st Sunday – Women Day - 11:30 a.m.

3rd Sunday – Youth Day - 11:30 a.m.

4th Sunday – Communion - 11:30 a.m.

Weekly Service

Prayer & Bible Study – Tues., 6:00 p.m.

Pastor’s Aide & Worship Service - Fri., 7 p.m.

“A Church Where Everybody Is Somebody”

BeSafeand

Blessed

Obituaries

Uneeda H. WestUneeda Henderson West was born

on May 18, 1928 in Longwood, LA to

Nathaniel Howell Cobb Henderson and

Eva Lee Dixon. She was the eldest of

six children; three of them preceded her

in death (Juanita Henderson, Nathaniel

Henderson and Carvin Henderson).

She was educated in the public school

system of Shreveport, LA and gradu-

ated from Central Colored High School.

She was a proud graduate of Gram-

bling State University, Grambling, LA

with a Baccalaureate Degree in educa-

tion. She was a member of the Gram-

bling State University Alumni

Association. She later earned a Mas-

ter’s Degree in education from Emporia

State University, Emporia, KS.

She was united in holy matrimony to

Rev. Webster Curtis West on June 7,

1953 and was married for 61 years until

his death. They reared three children

(Theodore Hogan, Leo Hogan and

Jacquelyn Ledbetter). She was the First

Lady of several churches in Louisiana

prior to moving to Kansas City Kansas

in 1960 when Rev. West was called to

the pastorate of the King Solomon Bap-

tist Church. While in Kansas City, Un-

eeda taught elementary and middle

school in the Kansas City Kansas Pub-

lic School System USD 500, and retired

after more than 30 years in May 1992.

After 33 years in Kansas City she re-

located back to Shreveport, Louisiana

when Rev. West was called to the pas-

torate of his home church, Antioch Bap-

tist Church, and remained there for 21

years until his death in 2015.

She relocated back to Kansas City

Kansas after his death and united with

the Guiding Star Baptist Church where

the Rev. David Lee was her pastor. She

loved the Lord, her church, her pastor

and first lady. She lived a full, fruitful,

and faithful life.

She leaves to cherish her memory

maternal sons Theodore Hogan (Elsie)

and Leo Hogan; maternal daughter

Jacquelyn Ledbetter Calloway (Kelvin);

brother Estis L. Henderson; sister Yerta

Henderson Durham; Caregiver and

Family friend Alice Marshall Darnell;

four grandchildren, one great grand-

child, and a host of nieces, nephews,

cousins, and friends.

Graveside services and interment for

Uneeda H. West will be Saturday, Jan-

uary 9, 2021 at 11:00 a.m., Lincoln Me-

morial Cemetery, 6915 W. 70th St.,

Shreveport, LA 71129.

(Funeral services were held Decem-

ber 26, 2020 at the Guiding Star Mis-

sionary Baptist Church, Kansas City,

Kansas.)

***“Therefore we are always confi-

dent knowing that while we are athome in the body, we are absentfrom the Lord … We are confident, Isay and willing rather to be absentfrom the body and to be present withthe Lord.” (2 Cor. 5:6-8)

******

Wiley ShepherdSunrise: May 26, 1939

Sunset: Dec. 29, 2020

Mr. Wiley Shepherd was born in

Heflin, Louisiana to Joe and Lusendy

Shepherd. He passed away at the age

of 82 in Dallas, Texas. He was a loving

father, grandfather, and great grandfa-

ther. Mr. Shepherd will be missed by

friends and family.

Open Visitation will be Friday, Janu-

ary 8, 2021 from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

at Good Samaritan Funeral Home.

Graveside Service will be held at

11:00 a.m. on January 9, 2020 at

Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Dub-

berly, Louisiana.

Due to Covid restrictions, a Celebra-

tion of Life Memorial Service will be

held at a later date and time.

by Valerie Fields Hill

and Allana J. Barefield

Digital media and televi-

sion journalist Roland S.

Martin has much to cele-

brate: He has turned 52 and

his popular digital newscast

recently celebrated its sec-

ond anniversary. And there’s

more. Martin’s daily pod-

cast, #RolandMartinUnfil-

tered, recently reached

675,000 YouTube sub-

scribers – a significant mile-

stone for both the veteran

journalist and for the varied

online platforms on which

the show is streamed.

Martin’s podcast is

streamed live five days a

week on Facebook and

YouTube with multiple re-

broadcasts. It also can be

viewed on the iHeartPodcast

Network and other digital

networks. Over the last 30

days, the #RolandMartin-

Unfiltered podcast has been

viewed 9.2 million times, a

10 percent increase over the

prior 30-day period, accord-

ing to SocialBlade.com, an

industry outlet which tabu-

lates viewership of pro-

grams on YouTube, Twitter,

Facebook and Twitch.

SocialBlade.com projects

that Martin’s podcast will

reach 110 million views by

the end of the year, accord-

ing to data the outlet pub-

lished Friday on its website.

Meanwhile, as of Nov. 6,

subscription sales to

#RolandMartinUnfiltered

were up a whopping 44 per-

cent for the last 30 days, So-

cialBlade.com published.

Some industry watchers said

rising interest in Martin’s

podcast is no surprise:

Viewers increasingly are

choosing to get their infor-

mation from digital sources

– not from television.

“More and more people

are depending on YouTube

for their news,” said Hanaa’

Tameez, a staff writer at

Nieman Journalism Lab, a

Harvard University-based

research laboratory which

studies new ways to deliver

news and information to

viewers, readers and listen-

ers. “For the most part, a lot

of people are equally de-

pendent on cable news as

they are on YouTube,” said

Tameez, 25.

Black viewers, she said,

increasingly are less inter-

ested in network television

broadcasts because produc-

ers fail to consistently in-

clude diverse guests or offer

content of interest to minor-

ity viewers. As a result,

African American con-

sumers have shifted to

watching online digital con-

tent, said Tameez, who

worked at the Star-Telegram

in Fort Worth as a diversity

writer covering social equity

issues in 2018 and 2019.

“For communities of color

and marginalized people,

there is distrust with legacy

media or traditional news

outlets,” she said. “They

have poorly covered or ig-

nored communities all to-

gether or have gotten stories

wrong or only go into their

communities for crime or

violence.” Tameez said in-

creases in paid viewer sub-

scriptions to shows such as

#RolandMartinUnfiltered

also can be attributed to re-

latability: Black viewers re-

late to reporters who don’t

perpetuate racial stereo-

types.

Recent research supports

her point of view. According

to a recent study, the State of

Consumer Engagement, 74

percent of Black viewers

watch ethnic media occa-

sionally and 44 percent

watch frequently. The find-

ings were conducted by

New York based Horowitz

Research.

Adriana Waterston,

Horowitz’s senior vice pres-

ident of Insights and Strate-

gies, said in a news release

announcing the results of

the study that the country’s

social environment con-

tributes to the increasing

popularity of multicultural

podcasts like #RolandMart-

inUnfiltered. “With the so-

ciopolitical climate so

charged – from Black Lives

Matter to COVID-19’s dis-

proportionate impact on di-

verse communities …

targeted multicultural media

provides coverage and per-

spective that more directly

reflects the needs of the

communities they serve,”

she said. “On the entertain-

ment side, while representa-

tion and relevancy are

always improving in main-

stream media, there’s still a

long way to go. Targeted

media offers an authentic

voice.”

While traditional televi-

sion networks may have left

a void for Black viewers,

Martin was the ideal jour-

nalist to fill it: an author and

popular lecturer, Martin has

built a career delivering his-

torical and social perspec-

tives that reflect the myriad

and nuanced opinions of

African American audi-

ences.

On the show Martin as-

sembles a panel of experts,

Black experts, on any and

every topic. Scholars, econ-

omists, scientists, college

presidents, elected officials,

activists; you name it and

they show up to answer the

tough questions and provide

perspectives missing from

the so-called “mainstream.”

“Everyone knows Roland

Martin,” said Faith Jessie,

28, a reporter at New York’s

Newsday. “He was one of

the few Black faces to be

able to reach a national au-

dience. He’s one of Black

journalism’s legends.”

Jessie said she and her Gen-

eration Z peers consume

much of their content from

digital sources, such as

#RolandMartinUnfiltered.

None of them watch televi-

sion or cable, she said. “I

haven’t had a cable bill

since high school,” Jessie

said, laughing. “The internet

gives us access to millions

of eyeballs.”

Martin is happy to appeal

to Jessie’s generation – and

her African American demo-

graphic. His podcast is de-

cidedly aimed at Black

viewers. “We are 23 years

away from America being

the nation of a majority of

people of color and the

world can’t be shown

through a White prism,”

Martin said in his interview

with Texas Metro News. “It

can’t be done that way.”

Martin began the Unfil-

tered podcast in 2018. Prior

to doing so, he was host for

four years of TV One’s

News One Now, a cable tel-

evision news program that

featured political stories of

interest to African Ameri-

cans. The show folded on

Dec. 21, 2017.

When that door closed,

Martin opened another in

2018: #RolandMartinUnfil-

tered. As creator of his own

show, Martin is the sole on-

air anchor and the undis-

puted star. He is an outsized

personality: Martin delivers

immediate coverage on each

day’s socially sensitive top-

ics, from politics to race,

from gender to religion.

His sources and guests

hail from the White House

to state houses and from

Washington, D.C. to Holly-

wood.

Martin doesn’t bite his

tongue: His commentary

often is loud, cutting and de-

livered with street style, bru-

tal honesty. The show’s

programming engages

African American viewers,

who type in their own obser-

vations on guests’ commen-

tary – as if they themselves

are part of a given broad-

cast.

According to Social-

Blade.com, an average of

nearly 314,000 viewers

tuned in daily over the last

30 days via their cell

phones, laptops, tablets or

other devices to watch the

Unfiltered live streams.

“I just love the show,” said

Robert James, 57, of

Farmerville, LA. “Some of

the racial issues that he

brings up during the show

resonate with me.” James, a

husband and father of two

adult daughters, who works

as an automobile salesman,

said he tunes in to #Roland-

MartinUnfiltered about

three times per week. The

show is “not like everybody

else’s” and “it speaks to our

Blackness.”

Martin’s show appeals

broadly to African Ameri-

cans who live in rural towns

as well as those who live in

the nation’s urban centers.

Martin, himself, is a favorite

of many Black news

sources, political figures and

entertainers.

National Urban League

President Marc Morial has

described Martin as “one the

most important voices in

Black America today.” “His

insight and no-nonsense ap-

proach to bringing news and

opinion to, for, and about

Black America is a welcome

alternative to the sameness

of many other journalists,”

Morial told Black Enterprise

in an article on Martin last

year. “His voice is re-

spected, vital, and essen-

tial,” Morial said. Martin

grew up in Houston, the

great-grandson of Haitians

who moved to Louisiana.

His mother’s family later

moved West to Texas.

A 1987 graduate of Jack

Yates High School-Magnet

School of Communications,

Martin attended Texas

A&M University and grad-

uated with a bachelor’s de-

gree in journalism. He also

earned a master’s degree in

Christian communication at

Louisiana Baptist Univer-

sity and Seminary.

Martin worked stints as a

reporter at the Fort Worth

Star-Telegram and the

Austin American-States-

man. He moved into news-

room management at

Black-owned publications,

including as editor at the

Dallas Weekly and Houston

Defender; publisher of Dal-

las-Fort Worth Heritage, a

Christian-focused monthly

newspaper, and editor of the

historic, long-running

Chicago Defender.

Along the way he has

been recognized four times

with an NAACP Image

Award. Fellow communica-

tors celebrate Martin for his

awareness of and sensitivity

to issues affecting Black

Americans. They also ap-

plaud him for leading new

pathways along the un-

charted digital frontier.

In recent months, Martin

has been encouraging

emerging journalists to join

him on the digital front

lines. Jessie, a Newsday re-

porter, is among those heed-

ing the call. Jessie launched

Newsday’s digital news

show just prior to the Presi-

dential election, streaming

on Roku, Apple TV and

Newsday.com. Martin in-

spired her, she said, to make

the leap from print media

content development to dig-

ital content development.

Named NABJ’s 2013

Journalist of the Year, Mar-

tin said he wants emerging

journalists to keep chasing

their dreams and to disman-

tle any fears of the digital

landscape. The opportuni-

ties, he said, are endless.

He’s one half of a power

couple, married to Rev.

Jacquie Hood Martin and

they are raising their nieces.

What’s on the horizon for

him? Martin wants to morph

his show into a network and

bring additional personali-

ties into its fold. “People are

just looking for a shot,” he

said. “They are looking for

an opportunity and I think

you have to create the space

for them to have an opportu-

nity. “That’s what’s it all

about,” Martin said, “that

I’m able to build something

that’s sustainable, and then

for it to grow and flourish.”

24

PAGE SEVEN, THE SHREVEPORT SUN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

African Maternal Health Groups SeeBetter Times for Women Under Biden

Roland Martin Makes Strides with Digital Newscast

Maternal health program in Nigeria

The Sun Classified/Legal ADsCADDO PARISH

COMMISSION

NOTICE OF SPECIAL ELECTION

Pursuant to the provisions of a resolution adopted

by the Caddo Parish Commission (the “Governing

Authority”), acting as the governing authority of

Caddo Parish, Louisiana (the “Parish”), on January

7, 2021,

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a special elec-

tion will be held within the Parish on SATURDAY,

APRIL 24, 2021, and that at the said election there

will be submitted to all registered voters in the

Parish qualified and entitled to vote at the said

election under the Constitution and Laws of the

State of Louisiana and the Constitution of the

United States, the following propositions, to-wit:

CHARTER AMENDMENT PROPOSITION NO.

1 OF 3

Shall Article III, Section 3-07(A) of the Home Rule

Charter for Caddo Parish, entitled

“Commission Meetings and Rules.” be amended

to add the following at the end of Section

3-07(A):

(A)... In the event of a national declaration of dis-

aster or emergency, a state declaration of disaster

or emergency, or a local declaration of disaster or

emergency, within or affecting the geographical

boundaries of Caddo Parish, the Commission shall

meet via teleconference, video conference, or any

technical digital means, to the extent allowed by

law, to conduct all Caddo Parish Commission busi-

ness, until it is declared to be safe for all to return

to in-person meetings by a majority of the commis-

sioners?

CHARTER AMENDMENT PROPOSITION NO.

2 OF 3

Shall Article III, Section 3-07(H) of the Home Rule

Charter for Caddo Parish, entitled

“Commission Meetings and Rules.” be amended

to read as follows:

(H) The president shall be the head of the parish

government for ceremonial purposes, for purposes

of military law, and for purposes of The Louisiana

Homeland Security and Emergency Assistance and

Disaster Act, but shall have no administrative du-

ties with regard to the parish administration?

CHARTER AMENDMENT PROPOSITION NO.

3 OF 3

Shall Article V of the Caddo Parish Home Rule

Charter be amended by deleting Section 5-05.2

pertaining to the Department of fleet services?

Said special election will be held at each and every

polling place in the Parish of Caddo, which polls

will open at seven o’clock (7:00) a.m. and close at

eight o’clock (8:00) p.m., in accordance with the

provisions of La. R.S. 18:541.

The polling places at the precincts in the Parish are

hereby designated as the polling places at which to

hold the said election, and the Commissioners-in-

Charge and Commissioners, respectively, shall be

those persons designated according to law.

The estimated cost of this election as determined

by the Secretary of State based upon the provisions

of Chapter 8-A of Title 18 and actual costs of sim-

ilar elections is $200,000.

The said special election will be held in accordance

with the applicable provisions of Chapter 5 and

Chapter 6-B of Title 18 of the Louisiana Revised

Statutes of 1950, as amended, and other constitu-

tional and statutory authority, and the officers ap-

pointed to hold the said election, as provided in this

Notice of Special

Election, or such substitutes therefor as may be se-

lected and designated in accordance with La. R.S.

18:1287, will make due returns thereof to said

Governing Authority, and NOTICE IS HEREBY

FURTHER GIVEN that the Governing Authority

will meet at its regular meeting place, the Govern-

ment Plaza Building, 505 Travis Street, Shreve-

port, Louisiana, on THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021,

at THREE-THIRTY O’CLOCK (3:30) P.M., and

shall then and there in open and public session pro-

ceed to examine and canvass the returns and de-

clare the results of the said special election. All

registered voters of the Parish are entitled to vote

at said special election and voting machines will

be used.

THUS DONE AND SIGNED at Shreveport,

Louisiana, on this, the 7th day of January, 2021.

ATTEST:

President

Clerk

The Shreveport Sun

December 24, 31, 2020, January 7 and 14,

2021

1030-20

CADDO PARISH COMMISSION

The Caddo Parish Commission introduced the fol-

lowing zoning ordinances on Thursday, January 7,

2021. There will be a public hearing on these zon-

ing ordinances on Thursday, January 21, 2021, via

Zoom teleconference, at 3:30 p.m. Any citizen who

wishes to express views in support, or in opposi-

tion, to these ordinances may do so by calling dur-

ing the public hearing section of the agenda at

(318) 226-6596, or by filling out a Citizens Com-

ment card by going to http://www.caddo.org/Form-

Center/Commission-Clerks-Office-9/Citizens-Co

mment-Card-63.

Ordinance 6021 of 2021, in regards to Zoning Case

20-15-P, an ordinance to amend Volume II of the

Code of Ordinances of the Parish of Caddo, as

amended, the Caddo Parish Unified Development

Code, by amending the zoning of property located

on the east corner of Ellerbe Road and Stewart

Drive, Caddo Parish, La., from R-1-7, Single-Fam-

ily Residential District to C-1, Neighborhood

Commercial District, and to otherwise provide

with respect thereto

Ordinance 6022 of 2021, in regards to Zoning Case

20-12-P, an ordinance to amend Volume II of the

Code of Ordinances of the Parish of Caddo, as

amended, the Caddo Parish Unified Development

Code, by amending the zoning of property located

on the north side of N. Market Street approxi-

mately one thousand one hundred sixty five feet

northwest of Roy Road Extension, Caddo Parish,

La., from R-A, Rural Agriculture District to C-1,

Neighborhood Commercial District, and to other-

wise provide with respect thereto

Ordinance 6023 Of 2021, in regards to Zoning

Case 20-16-P, an ordinance to amend Volume II of

the Code of Ordinances of the Parish of Caddo, as

amended, the Caddo Parish Unified Development

Code, by amending the zoning of property located

on the east side of Greenwood Springridge Road,

approximately seven hundred feet north of

Meadow Creek Drive, Caddo Parish, La., from R-

A, Rural Agriculture District to R-A (PUD), Rural

Agriculture Planned Unit Development District,

and to otherwise provide with respect thereto

The Shreveport Sun

January 7, 2021

001-21

(TriceEdneyWire.com/GI

N) – Maternal health groups

worldwide are hoping that

the election of Joe Biden

will lead to a lifting of the

so-called “global gag rule’

which cut off much-needed

maternal health services in

many parts of the develop-

ing world.

“I am excited and hopeful

that things are going to be

better,” said Nelly Munya-

sia, executive director of

Reproductive Health Net-

work Kenya. Her network

promotes health services,

including offering informa-

tion about abortion.

“We are going to access

funding and we are going to

save the lives of women and

girls,” she says, before ex-

plaining how tough the past

four years has been.

Current US policies re-

strict access to safe abortion

not just by attaching anti-

abortion conditions to for-

eign aid. The United States

also imposes its rules on

how medical providers and

non-profits spend their own

funds, and on how they care

for and advise their clients.

The so-called global gag

rule led to more pregnan-

cies and lower contracep-

tive use among women in

African countries reliant on

U.S. foreign aid, according

to a study published in the

Lancet Global Health jour-

nal.

“Our findings suggest

how a U.S. policy that aims

to restrict federal funding

for abortion services can

lead, unintentionally, to

more – and probably riskier

– abortions in poor coun-

tries,” said Nina Brooks, a

researcher at Stanford Uni-

versity who co-led the

work.

Stanford University’s

Eran Bendavid, who co-led

the study, said its findings

had probably captured only

a partial view of the pol-

icy’s harm to maternal

health, since knock-on ef-

fects of risky abortions

were not measured.

“Because abortions are an

important cause of maternal

mortality, the increase in

abortion uptake might also

increase maternal deaths —

and possibly disproportion-

ately given that abortions

under the policy could be

less safe,” he said.

When organizations reject

U.S. funds, they often have

to reduce the scale of their

programs — years of work

to earn the trust of margin-

alized communities are also

lost when clinics close and

there are often no other ex-

isting programs to replace

the services.

Past versions of the global

gag rule have shown that

the policy does not reduce

the number of abortions and

has instead increased unsafe

abortions. It also has nega-

tive impacts on maternal,

newborn, and child health.

President-elect Joe Biden

is expected to repeal the

Mexico City Policy – also

known as the ‘global gag

rule’ as one of his early acts

in office.

(GLOBAL INFORMA-TION NETWORK createsand distributes news andfeature articles on currentaffairs in Africa to mediaoutlets, scholars, studentsand activists in the U.S.and Canada.)

24

PAGE EIGHT, THE SHREVEPORT SUN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

Donald Trump Spent Almost a Year Playing Golf During Presidency

by Lauren Victoria Burke

NNPA -- President Donald

Trump has spent 307 days,

almost a full year, golfing

during his presidency. The

total is likely to be the most

golf outings of any president

in history. Additionally,

Trump is likely to be collec-

tively viewed by historians

as one of the worst presi-

dents in American history.

Almost a year of time

spent on golf courses was

punctuated recently as De-

cember became the worst

month for deaths and infec-

tions in the COVID-19 pan-

demic in the U.S. Many in

conservative media made a

point of mentioning time

spent playing golf by Presi-

dent Obama. But Trump has

now far surpassed Obama

and any other President in

time spent on golf courses.

In 2017, Trump spent

three months’ time — 91

days — on the golf course.

In 2018, Trump spent 75

days playing golf. In 2019,

Trump spent 87 days on a

golf course and in 2020,

Trump spent 54 days play-

ing golf — even during the

deadliest year for the U.S.

since World War II which

featured 291,557 fatalities.

The pandemic was dispro-

portionately deadlier for

African American commu-

nities.

In only ten months in

2020 over 330,000 Ameri-

cans died in the coronavirus

pandemic and over 19 mil-

lion were infected. In De-

cember, an average of over

1,5000 people died daily in

the U.S. due to coronavirus.

Over 70,000 deaths are pre-

dicted by the end of Decem-

ber.

President Trump never de-

veloped a national strategy

for the coronavirus pan-

demic that may have in-

cluded a testing and tracing

plan. Recent legislation

passed by Congress did not

include aid for state and

local governments to circu-

late vaccines and deal with

coronavirus treatment.

“So, while a plan to

slightly reduce suffering of

vast numbers of Americans

is being debated by Con-

gressional leaders, the Pres-

ident is in Palm Beach, VP is

in Vail, Secretary of Treas-

ury in Cabo San Lucas.

While many Americans are

in medical centers or quar-

antine, VP Pence, chief of

the President’s Covid-19

task force, has reportedly

had himself flown from DC

to Vail skiing resort in Col-

orado for vacation. Pence’s

Colorado vacation — defy-

ing the national pandemic he

was assigned to help thwart

— is your tax dollars at

work,” wrote historian

Michael Beschloss on De-

cember 24. On December

27, Vice President Pence

was in Vail, Colorado skiing.

Enroute to the golf course

in Florida near Mar-a-Lago,

one onlooker held a sign that

read “Crazy F***”. During

the worst pandemic to hit the

U.S. since the influenza pan-

demic of 1919, President

Donald Trump has been on

the golf course over 280

times during his presidency

at a cost of over $100 mil-

lion.

After January 20, 2021

both Trump and Pence are

likely to have plenty of time

for vacation. The COVID-

19 crisis is predicted to get

worse in January 2021 as

former Vice President Biden

prepares to take over as

president.

On December 28, Biden

publicly stated that Trump’s

team is making the transition

of power difficult and put-

ting up “roadblocks.” Call-

ing the moves irresponsible,

Biden said it, “all of it

makes it harder for our gov-

ernment to protect the

American people,” that is,

“nothing short of irresponsi-

bility.”

After January 20, 2021 both Trump and Pence are likely to have plenty of time for

vacation. The COVID-19 crisis is predicted to get worse in January 2021 as former

Vice President Biden prepares to take over as president. (Photo: President-elect Don-

ald Trump walks to take his seat for the inaugural swearing-in ceremony at the U.S.

Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 2017. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)