By Juanita Bratcher

The beginning of my college years began at Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the “father” of the Civil Rights Movement, years earlier had led  a boycott against the city’s transportation system, triggered by Rosa Parks who refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man.

I was a young woman at the time, just out of high school, and was eyeing a professional music career – not a journalism career – as my career goal. I was gung ho on being a professional singer since I had been the lead singer of New Mt. Zion Baptist Church’s Junior Choir, the church I attended, and I had been nourished by my mom, other relatives, the pastor of the church and several members who encouraged me to pursue a career path goal as a professional singer. A lot of my enjoyable times were spent singing in the church choir and going on visits to other churches where the choir would perform various gospel songs.

My mom, Tommie Sean Pickens-Forte, served as “Mother of the Church” at New Mt. Zion Baptist Church for many years and had been a member for 50 years at the time of her death in November 1995.

After finishing high school, I was ready for college. I had looked forward to the college years just after entering high school. When I graduated from Spencer High School and ready for college, I had a series of talks and numerous conversations with a neighbor and good friend – Laron Butts – whose relentless talks never let up in trying to convince me to attend Alabama State University. Nonetheless, I had not made up my mind yet on which college I wanted to attend and continued in my efforts to look over brochures and applications from other colleges. However, that didn’t matter to Laron, and it didn’t stop him in his effort to convince me that I should attend college in Montgomery, Alabama. He was already enrolled there and had been there for about two years.

I finally made my choice. I decided to attend Alabama State University. My friend Laron was happy about my decision.

My mom and I took the trip to Montgomery, Alabama together (my father Benjamin Pickens died when I was in about third grade), a distance away from Columbus, Georgia where we lived. I enrolled at the university and lived in the campus Dormitory. And during the time we were there, Laron and I were a good support system for each other. Some of my most memorable and impressionable days were spent in Montgomery, Alabama.

Being there, gave me the opportunity to attend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s church. Many of the college students would make it their business to attend Dexter Avenue Baptist Church on Sunday. It gave us a chance to see upward mobility African Americans in action, to study them and their mannerisms because we thought they were good role models for us – young impressionable college students. There were times we would get a glimpse of Dr. King on campus. What a priceless historical treasure to have been in Montgomery, Alabama where the Civil Rights Movement stirred the conscience of America and had a direct effect on cities across this nation.

Watching the Dedication Ceremony on various television stations memorializing Dr. King’s life and legacy at the National Mall, Sunday, October 16,  where the 30-foot granite sculpture of Dr. King stood, I thought about those days at Alabama State University, and living in Montgomery, Alabama.

In hindsight, I now know that it was the right place for me to be. It was a good feeling to be there where the Civil Rights Movement had fired up the country and woke up the “sleeping giant” in the aftermath of the 1955 marches in Montgomery, Alabama, against the city’s transportation system, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a protest triggered by Rosa Parks, a Black woman, who refused to give up her seat on a city bus to a white man. Park was arrested.

I’m truly grateful of my having been there. It was an inspirational and memorable time in history and in my life; and I’ll never forget as with hundreds of thousands of others. It was astonishingly historical and now has its place in the annals of history. And it will certainly inspire generations to come.

The National Mall
Washington, D.C.

11:51 A.M. EDT

Thank you very much. Thank you.

An earthquake and a hurricane may have delayed this day, but this is a day that would not be denied.

For this day, we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s return to the National Mall.  In this place, he will stand for all time, among monuments to those who fathered this nation and those who defended it; a black preacher with no official rank or title who somehow gave voice to our deepest dreams and our most lasting ideals, a man who stirred our conscience and thereby helped make our union more perfect.

And Dr. King would be the first to remind us that this memorial is not for him alone.  The movement of which he was a part depended on an entire generation of leaders.  Many are here today, and for their service and their sacrifice, we owe them our everlasting gratitude.  This is a monument to your collective achievement.

Some giants of the civil rights movement –- like Rosa Parks and Dorothy Height, Benjamin Hooks, Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth –- they’ve been taken from us these past few years.  This monument attests to their strength and their courage, and while we miss them dearly, we know they rest in a better place. 

And finally, there are the multitudes of men and women whose names never appear in the history books –- those who marched and those who sang, those who sat in and those who stood firm, those who organized and those who mobilized –- all those men and women who through countless acts of quiet heroism helped bring about changes few thought were even possible. “By the thousands,” said Dr. King, “faceless, anonymous, relentless young people, black and white…have taken our whole nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the founding fathers in the formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.”  To those men and women, to those foot soldiers for justice, know that this monument is yours, as well.

Nearly half a century has passed since that historic March on Washington, a day when thousands upon thousands gathered for jobs and for freedom.  That is what our schoolchildren remember best when they think of Dr. King -– his booming voice across this Mall, calling on America to make freedom a reality for all of God’s children, prophesizing of a day when the jangling discord of our nation would be transformed into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.

It is right that we honor that march, that we lift up Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech –- for without that shining moment, without Dr. King’s glorious words, we might not have had the courage to come as far as we have.  Because of that hopeful vision, because of Dr. King’s moral imagination, barricades began to fall and bigotry began to fade.  New doors of opportunity swung open for an entire generation.  Yes, laws changed, but hearts and minds changed, as well. 

Look at the faces here around you, and you see an America that is more fair and more free and more just than the one Dr. King addressed that day.  We are right to savor that slow but certain progress -– progress that’s expressed itself in a million ways, large and small, across this nation every single day, as people of all colors and creeds live together, and work together, and fight alongside one another, and learn together, and build together, and love one another.

So it is right for us to celebrate today Dr. King’s dream and his vision of unity.  And yet it is also important on this day to remind ourselves that such progress did not come easily; that Dr. King’s faith was hard-won; that it sprung out of a harsh reality and some bitter disappointments. 

It is right for us to celebrate Dr. King’s marvelous oratory, but it is worth remembering that progress did not come from words alone.  Progress was hard.  Progress was purchased through enduring the smack of billy clubs and the blast of fire hoses.  It was bought with days in jail cells and nights of bomb threats.  For every victory during the height of the civil rights movement, there were setbacks and there were defeats. 

We forget now, but during his life, Dr. King wasn’t always considered a unifying figure.  Even after rising to prominence, even after winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Dr. King was vilified by many, denounced as a rabble rouser and an agitator, a communist and a radical.  He was even attacked by his own people, by those who felt he was going too fast or those who felt he was going too slow; by those who felt he shouldn’t meddle in issues like the Vietnam War or the rights of union workers.  We know from his own testimony the doubts and the pain this caused him, and that the controversy that would swirl around his actions would last until the fateful day he died.

I raise all this because nearly 50 years after the March on Washington, our work, Dr. King’s work, is not yet complete.  We gather here at a moment of great challenge and great change.  In the first decade of this new century, we have been tested by war and by tragedy; by an economic crisis and its aftermath that has left millions out of work, and poverty on the rise, and millions more just struggling to get by.  Indeed, even before this crisis struck, we had endured a decade of rising inequality and stagnant wages.  In too many troubled neighborhoods across the country, the conditions of our poorest citizens appear little changed from what existed 50 years ago -– neighborhoods with underfunded schools and broken-down slums, inadequate health care, constant violence, neighborhoods in which too many young people grow up with little hope and few prospects for the future.

Our work is not done.  And so on this day, in which we celebrate a man and a movement that did so much for this country, let us draw strength from those earlier struggles.  First and foremost, let us remember that change has never been quick.  Change has never been simple, or without controversy.  Change depends on persistence.  Change requires determination.  It took a full decade before the moral guidance of Brown v. Board of Education was translated into the enforcement measures of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, but those 10 long years did not lead Dr. King to give up.  He kept on pushing, he kept on speaking, he kept on marching until change finally came.

And then when, even after the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act passed, African Americans still found themselves trapped in pockets of poverty across the country, Dr. King didn’t say those laws were a failure; he didn’t say this is too hard; he didn’t say, let’s settle for what we got and go home.  Instead he said, let’s take those victories and broaden our mission to achieve not just civil and political equality but also economic justice; let’s fight for a living wage and better schools and jobs for all who are willing to work.  In other words, when met with hardship, when confronting disappointment, Dr. King refused to accept what he called the “isness” of today.  He kept pushing towards the “oughtness” of tomorrow.

And so, as we think about all the work that we must do –- rebuilding an economy that can compete on a global stage, and fixing our schools so that every child — not just some, but every child — gets a world-class education, and making sure that our health care system is affordable and accessible to all, and that our economic system is one in which everybody gets a fair shake and everybody does their fair share, let us not be trapped by what is.  We can’t be discouraged by what is.  We’ve got to keep pushing for what ought to be, the America we ought to leave to our children, mindful that the hardships we face are nothing compared to those Dr. King and his fellow marchers faced 50 years ago, and that if we maintain our faith, in ourselves and in the possibilities of this nation, there is no challenge we cannot surmount.

And just as we draw strength from Dr. King’s struggles, so must we draw inspiration from his constant insistence on the oneness of man; the belief in his words that “we are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.”  It was that insistence, rooted in his Christian faith, that led him to tell a group of angry young protesters, “I love you as I love my own children,” even as one threw a rock that glanced off his neck. 

It was that insistence, that belief that God resides in each of us, from the high to the low, in the oppressor and the oppressed, that convinced him that people and systems could change.  It fortified his belief in non-violence.  It permitted him to place his faith in a government that had fallen short of its ideals.  It led him to see his charge not only as freeing black America from the shackles of discrimination, but also freeing many Americans from their own prejudices, and freeing Americans of every color from the depredations of poverty.
    
And so at this moment, when our politics appear so sharply polarized, and faith in our institutions so greatly diminished, we need more than ever to take heed of Dr. King’s teachings.  He calls on us to stand in the other person’s shoes; to see through their eyes; to understand their pain.  He tells us that we have a duty to fight against poverty, even if we are well off; to care about the child in the decrepit school even if our own children are doing fine; to show compassion toward the immigrant family, with the knowledge that most of us are only a few generations removed from similar hardships. 

To say that we are bound together as one people, and must constantly strive to see ourselves in one another, is not to argue for a false unity that papers over our differences and ratifies an unjust status quo.  As was true 50 years ago, as has been true throughout human history, those with power and privilege will often decry any call for change as “divisive.”  They’ll say any challenge to the existing arrangements are unwise and destabilizing.  Dr. King understood that peace without justice was no peace at all; that aligning our reality with our ideals often requires the speaking of uncomfortable truths and the creative tension of non-violent protest.

But he also understood that to bring about true and lasting change, there must be the possibility of reconciliation; that any social movement has to channel this tension through the spirit of love and mutuality. 

If he were alive today, I believe he would remind us that the unemployed worker can rightly challenge the excesses of Wall Street without demonizing all who work there; that the businessman can enter tough negotiations with his company’s union without vilifying the right to collectively bargain.  He would want us to know we can argue fiercely about the proper size and role of government without questioning each other’s love for this country — (applause) — with the knowledge that in this democracy, government is no distant object but is rather an expression of our common commitments to one another.  He would call on us to assume the best in each other rather than the worst, and challenge one another in ways that ultimately heal rather than wound.

In the end, that’s what I hope my daughters take away from this monument.  I want them to come away from here with a faith in what they can accomplish when they are determined and working for a righteous cause.  I want them to come away from here with a faith in other people and a faith in a benevolent God.  This sculpture, massive and iconic as it is, will remind them of Dr. King’s strength, but to see him only as larger than life would do a disservice to what he taught us about ourselves.  He would want them to know that he had setbacks, because they will have setbacks.  He would want them to know that he had doubts, because they will have doubts.  He would want them to know that he was flawed, because all of us have flaws.

It is precisely because Dr. King was a man of flesh and blood and not a figure of stone that he inspires us so.  His life, his story, tells us that change can come if you don’t give up.  He would not give up, no matter how long it took, because in the smallest hamlets and the darkest slums, he had witnessed the highest reaches of the human spirit; because in those moments when the struggle seemed most hopeless, he had seen men and women and children conquer their fear; because he had seen hills and mountains made low and rough places made plain, and the crooked places made straight and God make a way out of no way.

And that is why we honor this man –- because he had faith in us.  And that is why he belongs on this Mall -– because he saw what we might become.  That is why Dr. King was so quintessentially American — because for all the hardships we’ve endured, for all our sometimes tragic history, ours is a story of optimism and achievement and constant striving that is unique upon this Earth.  And that is why the rest of the world still looks to us to lead.  This is a country where ordinary people find in their hearts the courage to do extraordinary things; the courage to stand up in the face of the fiercest resistance and despair and say this is wrong, and this is right; we will not settle for what the cynics tell us we have to accept and we will reach again and again, no matter the odds, for what we know is possible.

That is the conviction we must carry now in our hearts.  As tough as times may be, I know we will overcome.  I know there are better days ahead.  I know this because of the man towering over us.  I know this because all he and his generation endured — we are here today in a country that dedicated a monument to that legacy. 

And so with our eyes on the horizon and our faith squarely placed in one another, let us keep striving; let us keep struggling; let us keep climbing toward that promised land of a nation and a world that is more fair, and more just, and more equal for every single child of God.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.

By Juanita Bratcher

Occupy Chicago protesters were staked out in the heart of the Chicago Loop, right dab in the middle of Chicago’s financial district at LaSalle Street and Jackson Boulevard, a strip with such occupants as the Federal Reserve Bank, the Chicago Board of Trade, Bank of America, Continental Illinois Bank Building, and Burling Bank, among others.

I visited the site on Wednesday, October 12, at LaSalle & Jackson, where the sounds of music were blasting through the airwaves with a commanding presence of drum beats permeating through the environment. There was a diverse crowd of protesters, mostly young yet, they were seemingly determined and energetic about their cause, unlike the Tea Partiers that were mostly mature adults and oldsters, and predominantly white. They occupied both sides of the street and in large pockets a way down the street on both ends. There were no mob or disorderly people (as had been described by some Right Wingers) embedded in the financial district during my visit there. And despite some reports that the protesters are disorganized and lack an agenda, they have a 12-part agenda in place and a cadre of signs that pointed out their grievances.

When I asked Vormarr Wyrd the reason why he was staked out at the site, he said it was a cause that he had believed in for a very long time. “I’m very happy that finally it has actually gained representation in the cause instead of, you know, just being something that I believed in, probably what some other people believed in, but it wasn’t like (with) organization in terms of exactly around these particular issues today.”

Wyrd was not an organizer of the event, he pointed out, explaining that this was his first time participating in Occupy Chicago. “I found out from the news. This is actually the first day that I’ve come out here to it. I’ve been out here since four in the morning, and it’s almost Noon now.”

How will he spend his time while there? “I will look at our signs, play on the drums, and talk to people.” He seemed proud to note that the sign he was holding up was made by him – “Vikings against corporate plundering.”

Explain your sign, I asked: “Well, I consider myself a Viking, at least spiritually speaking…and I’m against corporate plundering. I’m against corporations plundering people and plundering in general; but I’m not against corporations perse. I just think they need the whole structure. Corporations need to be changed completely. For instance, the fact that currently corporations are considered like a person but at the same time, how do you hold them accountable, really? You can’t. The only thing they really do generally is fine corporations…a lot of times they don’t care if they’re going to get fined for things.

“If a person does something illegal they’re held accountable for it,” Wyrd continued. “But how do you hold a corporation accountable when they have like so much money? So this whole corporate person – like you know, in abstract – has become something that has become very abused.

“Also, you have situations that started in recent years where they consider corporations can donate money to a certain political candidate as being free speech because of their person…that’s basically not good because all of the politicians are bought by the corporations. Corporations have a lot more money than most individuals other than the likes of wealthy individuals. And it shouldn’t be that wealthy individuals or corporations have more impact – their money upon government officials than regular people. And no matter what Party they are, those government officials are going to do the will of the corporations and the wealthy instead of take care of the issues that are important to the regular people.”

How would you move this economy away from the status it is in right now, and how would you do it? I asked.

“Well, there’s a 12-point (proposed agenda by Occupy Chicago) you saw there. That would be a good start right there. Also, very importantly, I would say abolish the two-party system; that’s really a very, very big problem…they’re not all that different as Democrats and Republicans. They’re really both a problem nowadays. They’ve kind of lost their way as far as actually being of any value in terms of like helping the country. Maybe in a sense they should do away with the whole party system in general and just have politicians run as individuals so it’s not this whole thing where the ‘A’ Team versus the ‘B’ Team; you know, the two teams fighting against each other. Each politician should run on their own particular individual platform instead of it being about Parties.”

How would you describe Washington at this point, specifically the U.S. Congress?

“Dysfunctional. Totally dysfunctional. Basically, it’s under the control of corporate interest and not really concerned with the other 99% of the people – the regular people that are not like the ultra wealthy.”

William Wright, another protester, was at Occupy Chicago with a guitar in tow. He had been playing the guitar but was told he wasn’t allowed to play. “I was playing but they won’t allow me to play,” he said, explaining that “you have to go three blocks that way if you want to play.”

But there’s music blasting away and the drums are playing, I said. Why not music from your guitar?

“They have a drum circle but we’re not allowed to play. They think that I’m trying to make money, but it’s not about that. People were coming up and tipping me. A guy came up and just threw like $67 on me and said, ‘there you go man, thank you.’ But it’s not about that, I’m about you. I’m not about me.”

And you’re protesting for what reason? I asked.

“Where’s our money going? Where’s all the money gone? It’s just like evaporating. It’s ridiculous; there’s got to be some accountability for our taxation because I pay my taxes, so where’s all the money going? Our country’s broke? We look like idiots.”

If you were in charge and asked to give solutions to put this economy back on the right footing, what would you suggest?

“I would lower the taxes on the corporations so we could open more businesses. People are just getting tired of working six days a week and only get Sunday off. It just doesn’t make any sense, you know. This is the greatest country in the world. Why don’t we just work four days, have three days off, enjoy each other, spend time with each other and love each other. It’s getting to the point where it’s just ridiculous.”

On Saturday, October 15, about 200 Occupy Chicago protesters camping out at Grant Park were arrested because they would not leave the park at its 11 p.m. closing time. They had been told by Chicago police that they had to leave at closing time. They did not leave and arrests began at 1 a.m.

What do Occupy Chicago protesters want?

Occupy Chicago has a 12-point proposed agenda:

1. Pass HR1849 reinstating Glass-Steagall – a depression era safeguard that separated the commercial lending and investment banking portions of banks. Its repeal in 1999 is considered the major cause of the global financial meltdown of 2008.
2. Repeal Bush tax cuts for the wealthy
3. Fully investigate and prosecute the Wall Street criminals who clearly broke the law and helped cause the 2008 financial crisis.
4. Overturn Citizens United v. U.S. – a 2010 Supreme Court decision which ruled that money is speech. Corporations, as legal persons, are now allowed to contribute unlimited amounts of money to campaigns in the exercise of free “speech.”
5. Pass the Buffett rule on fair taxation, close corporate tax loopholes, prohibit hiding funds offshore.
6. Give the SEC stricter regulatory power, strengthen the Consumer Protection Bureau, and provide assistance for owners of foreclosed mortgages who were victims of predatory lending.
7. Take steps to limit the influence of lobbyists and eliminate the practice of lobbyists writing legislation.
8. Eliminate right of former government regulators to work for corporations or industries they once regulated.
9. Eliminate corporate personhood.

10.  Insist the FEC stand up for the public interest in regulating private use of public airwaves to help ensure that political candidates are given equal time for free at reasonable intervals during campaign season.

11.  Reform campaign finance with the passage of the Fair Elections Now Act (s.750, H.R. 1404).

12.  Forgive student debt – The same institutions that gave almost $2T in bailouts and then extended $16T of loans at little to no interest for banks can surely afford to forgive the $946B of student debt currently held. Not only does this favor the 99% over the 1%, it has the practical effect of more citizens spending money on actual goods, not paying down interest.

What their signs are saying:

“To Million-Billionaires 1%: It’s time to pay your fair share”

“Top 1% owns 50% of all stocks, bonds and mutual funds. They pay 15% tax on that income. What is your tax rate?”

“99% withdraw your money from the multi-national banks. Support our local community banks.”

“Cheer up Congress. I’m sure your approval rating would be higher than 11% if they polled corporations.”

“83% of the top 100 U.S. corporations paid $0-zero federal income taxes. Wall Street needs adult supervision.”

“People before profits.”

“People are not disposable. Our future is on Main Street not Wall Street.”

“Before they fire one more teacher, make the corporations pay their fair share.” www.usuncut.org

“Vikings against cooperate plundering”

“Just cause you’re in a suit doesn’t make your part of the 1%.”

“What are we teaching our kids? It’s wrong to lie, steal, or cheat unless you work for corporations!! Reform Wall Street.”

“Give back our homes.”

“The 99% are too big to ignore anymore.”

“It’s not a recession$$$ it’s a distribution problem.”

“I am a small business owner. Where is my bailout?”

“Tax the top. We all should pay for the USA. Today’s tax burden is the lowest since 1950.”

“Give back our jobs. Stand up Chicago.”

“Stop foreclosures now.”

“Seeking a complex fundamental philosophical change in the social, political and economic infrastructure of the 99% our country.”

“Our government’s agenda should be to benefit its people.”

“Now or never.”

“Your freedom has been repoed”

“Balance the budget, tax Wall Street.”

“Solidarity.”

“Liquidate the Fed.”

“Stop corruption.”

 Schneider is Running to Create Jobs in Illinois 10^th Congressional District & End Congressman Dold’s Wrong-Headed Agenda in Congress

 (From the Office of Brad Schneider, Democratic candidate for Illinois’ 10^th Congressional District)                

Deerfield, IL—Congressman Robert Dold showed his true colors last night by voting for extreme legislation that so severely limits women’s health and gambles with their lives and infringes upon the right to choose. Even though the consequences of this bill are so dire that it has been decried as the “Let Women Die Act,” and President Obama has threatened to veto it, Congressman Dold supports this push by the partisan Tea Party fringe to wreck havoc on women’s access to necessary, life-saving care. In response, Brad Schneider, Democratic candidate for Illinois’ 10^th Congressional District, issued the following statement:

“Congressman Robert Dold’s vote for this outrageous attack on women is a tragedy,” Brad Schneider said. “Illinois families didn’t send Congressman Dold to Washington to support an extreme ideological Tea Party agenda to undermine women’s health. But Congressman Dold refused to break with the extreme elements of Republicans and Congress to stand up for women’s health even when this extreme agenda puts their lives at risk.

“Congressman Dold should focus on what Illinois needs right now: creating jobs. Since coming to Congress, Dold has done the bidding of Congressional Republican leaders and taken extreme positions from ending Medicare to ending necessary women’s emergency care. We deserve better than Congressman Dold’s Tea Party antics. We need strong leadership to stand up to the distractions in Washington and get down to business rebuilding our economy, and I am running to do just that.”

Planned Parenthood also decried the bill Congressman Dold supports as a dangerous attack on women. Cecile Richards, President of PPFA said, “This bill is a collection of dangerous ideas that will undermine women’s health. Most devastating, the bill eliminates protections for patients seeking care in emergency circumstances, and would allow a hospital to deny lifesaving abortion care to a woman, even if a doctor deems it necessary.”

By Kathy Mulady

Equal Voice Newspaper

(http://www.equalvoiceforfamilies.org/?p=2110)

Arkansas – On a recent morning, a small crowd gathered in the freshly swept parking lot of the Lambrook, Ark., post office, a simple brick building with white trim. Word had spread quickly through the rural community of fewer than 100 residents that a meeting was being called that evening to talk about the U.S. Postal Service’s proposed plan to close the post office.

Frustration and anger flared across the beleaguered town that has already lost its school, farms, jobs and businesses to policies pushed by distant decision-makers with little regard for life in Lambrook and little explanation except the need to save money.

“They don’t understand what life is like out here. How can they even consider closing our post office?” says Pam Loveless, a Lambrook resident who remembers when it was a thriving town with six times the population.

Like Lambrook, rural communities throughout the country are fighting for survival as the federal government, states and cities, all buckling under failed economic recovery and fears of another recession, look to communities with the least voice to make their cuts.

“Now we have our federal government about to deliver the knockout punch by closing our post offices,” says Renee Carr, with the Arkansas Rural Community Alliance. “Any more of this, and rural communities across America will be down for the count.”

The postal service has proposed closing nearly 3,700 post offices nationwide. Arkansas, with 179 locations on the list, is hit harder than any other state. The closure plan, based on activity and revenue, disproportionately affects poor and isolated towns, whose residents depend on the branches for their mail, money, medicine and news. Local postmasters have been told little and warned not to talk about the closure with customers.

Arkansas State Sen. Missy Irvin (R-Mountain View) says she has contacted postal officials, but still doesn’t have an answer as to why so many post offices in her state are on the proposed closure list.

“We are a rural state, we are not a wealthy state. We don’t have broadband access,” says Irvin “It is puzzling that they would pick on us, and honestly that is the way people here feel

“It is their point of contact to the outside world,” she says.

Irvin proposes that the postal service give residents a chance to save their post offices.

“The post office representatives should come out here and say ‘We need you to drum up business.’ Tell the community what they have to do to improve the economic condition of the post office; give them a stake in it.”

Ironically, the post office closure list was released around the same time President Obama unveiled the White House Rural Council for strengthening America’s poorest communities with jobs, libraries, health clinics and broadband Internet access.

No one is holding their breath.

Throughout the country, millions of Americans have seen their towns wither as libraries, grocery stores, roads and bridges succumb to the weak economy and government deficits. Foreclosed homes stand vacant in every neighborhood.

But no communities have been hit harder than those with the least to lose.

Arkansas is the second poorest state in the country, right behind neighboring Mississippi. The average income is $38,500. Families in rural communities live on less than $20,000 a year – often much less. A farm worker may make as little as $13,000.

“It is discrimination. They are closing more post offices in Arkansas than in any other state,” says Mary Nell King, a retired postmaster from Humnoke, population 284. “They think we are backward and no one here will oppose them.”

Communities on the east side of the state, in the rich farmland of the Arkansas Delta, are predominantly African-American, clusters of families with deep roots, some going back to the Civil War.

In the fall, cotton, once the state’s premier crop, bursts in the fields. Now, more fields are planted with rice and soybeans. Forty-acre family farms are unable to compete with corporate mega-farms. Mechanization stole jobs, and workers fled to the cities.

Cotton gins that used to hum day and night are silent, standing like rusted battleships in empty fields. Walmart, Tyson Foods and the state government are the biggest employers now.

Rural communities like Lambrook, once lively with shops, gas stations, banks, schools and movie theaters, are barren. Store window panes are cracked, porches splintering and roofs rusted and sagging.

When Pam Loveless drives to the grocery store in Helena, she takes along an ice chest so her frozen food won’t thaw or the milk sour on the 47-mile trek back home.

Some rural school children, even kindergarteners, board the bus at 6 a.m. for the 50-mile trip to school, returning home after dark.

The dawn-to-dusk commute, longer than most adults would tolerate, is the result of statewide consolidation of small schools seven years ago. Scores of rural schools were closed, theoretically to save money and improve education. Many contend it has done neither.

“It makes me burn to know what was done to those kids and those communities. It is inhumane to allow children to ride two hours each way on the bus,” says Lavina Grandon, policy and education director for the Arkansas Rural Community Alliance. “There is such an anti-rural bias.”

“All they told us is that the state has to cut costs,” says Lambrook resident Clyde Williams. “The department of education won’t come out here to talk to us.

“They know we are here, but they don’t care,” he adds.

Rural populations tend to be low-income, elderly and disabled, and many small-town residents receive their prescription medications by mail. They worry that if their post office were to close, they would have to drive to the closest town with a post office or pay a neighbor to make the trip.

The postal service is facing an $8.3 billion budget deficit this year. Besides closing branches, Postmaster General Pat Donahoe has suggested ending Saturday mail delivery and raising the price of stamps.

Part of the budget problem, according to postal officials, is the Internet. The ease of paying bills online, sending documents and even birthday greetings by email has cut into post office profits.

However, rural communities, where the most post offices will be closed, are the least likely to have Internet service. Few families have or can afford a computer or the smartphones carried by their urban counterparts.

“We need the post office. It isn’t something you want, it is something you need, like water,” says Leon Harris, who bought the grocery store in rural Sherrill, Ark., hoping to revive the town where he grew up. “No one has access to high-speed Internet here; we only have dial-up, and it is crazy slow.”

Postal union leaders and other critics of the proposed closures say the Internet isn’t the problem. The deep deficit was manufactured in 2006 when the outgoing Republican Congress required the post office to prepay 75 years of pension payments, pensions for employees not hired yet, maybe not even born yet.

U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., said he would rather not close the post offices, but understands that changes have to be made.

“With regard to those changes, he has urged the postal service to be fair and remember that the rural post offices need as much service as large town post offices,” said Clermon Acklin, a spokesman for the senator.

Thousands of postal workers nationwide would lose their jobs under the closure plan. In Arkansas and across the country, rural families say they don’t see how closing their small post offices, usually with one or two employees in a modest leased or rented building, is going to save any money, much less billions.

But it is clear that the cost to small farmers, home-business owners and those determined to revive their rural communities will be significant.
“It will be devastating – the final nail in the coffin,” says Carr, with the Rural Community Alliance. “Our post office is one of the last things we have going for us. Not everyone is on the Internet. People really rely on the post office.”

Tiny unincorporated Fox, in Stone County, Ark., lies deep in the northern Ozark Mountains. Stone County is among the poorest counties in the nation. The predominantly white community has a median household income of $22,000. Families that have been there for generations live down long, winding gravel and dirt roads where UPS and FedEx refuse to venture.

Some folks in Fox are artists and entrepreneurs with home businesses that rely on the post office; others are elderly or disabled.

The next-nearest post office is about 18 miles away – mountain miles that can take 40 minutes to drive and are impossible in winter.

Fox residents have fought for their community before – they won the battle to keep their school – and they are girding to save their post office.

“It’s a catastrophe for someone like me,” says Bill Amos, a war veteran who is blind. He receives his medicines by mail at the post office, a short walk from his modest home. “There are a lot of old people here who are pretty much homebound. What will they do?”

Back in Lambrook, more than 20 people attend the community meeting about their post office, anxious to hear details and then disappointed by the lack of information and empathy from Terry Shepherd, a post office representative from out of the area.

Shepherd passes out survey forms and urges residents to contact their legislators with any concerns.

“This is your chance to comment. I promise you, your opinions and comments will not be taken lightly,” she says. “You can go online for more information.” Groans fill the room.

“If you don’t have a computer, we have a smartphone app,” she quickly adds. Eyes roll. Shepherd continues: “Write down your comments, give them a snapshot picture of Lambrook, Arkansas. Send them a letter.”

Lambrook’s Pam Loveless has another idea.

“Tell the decision-makers and policymakers to come here and share my life, see how I live, then make your decisions,” she says.

(A Message from the Better Business Bureau)

Chicago, IL – If you’re looking for a job, you may see ads for staffing agencies that promise results. Many of these services may be legitimate and helpful, but others may misrepresent their services, promote out-dated or fictitious job offerings, or charge high fees in advance for services that may not lead to a job. The Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and northern Illinois (BBB) advises job seekers to take precaution when using staffing agencies to find a job.

“Staffing agencies can be an excellent source for finding contract, temporary, and full-time positions,” said President & CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and northern Illinois Steve J. Bernas. “But be sure to research the agency you are working with before you hand them money or confidential information. This can filter out illegitimate companies and scams from the job search.”

If an agency has something to hide it will use vague language and fail to clearly indicate specific details about the job. Fortunately, people are using the BBB for free referrals and to research companies before selecting a staffing agency. There has been a 27% increase in inquiries about placement services in the past 12 months, at 9,748 inquiries compared to 7,634 for the previous 12 months.

The BBB recommends job seekers take these steps:

• Be cautious of any company that promises to get you a job or offers an exceptionally high salary. If the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Phony employers might brag about exceptionally high salary potential and excellent benefits for little experience in order to lure unsuspecting job hunters into their scam
• Be skeptical of any employment-service firm that charges first, even if it guarantees refunds.
• Get a copy of the agency’s contract and read it carefully before you pay any money. Understand the terms and conditions of the agency’s refund policy. Make sure you understand what services they will provide and what you’ll be responsible for doing. Stay away from high-pressure sales pitches that require you to pay now or risk losing out on an opportunity.
• Be cautious about purchasing services or products from a firm that’s reluctant to answer your questions.
• Be aware that some listings sound like they are jobs when they’re selling general information about getting a job.
• Research the company or organization mentioned in an ad or an interview by an employment service to find out more details on the type of company that you may be placed at.

For more information on businesses you can trust, visit www.bbb.org

 Illinois Teacher of the Year to be named

Springfield, IL – Nearly 200 award recipients will be recognized Saturday, Oct. 22 for their outstanding service to students statewide at the 37th annual Those Who Excel/Teacher of the Year in Normal. This year’s program recognizes 198 exemplary teachers, administrators, student support personnel, educational service personnel, community volunteers, board members and teams. The evening program will culminate with the naming of the 2011-12 Illinois Teacher of the Year.

“The exceptional individuals being recognized this year represent the thousands of dedicated staff members across Illinois who are committed to providing our students with the best learning opportunities every day,” said State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch. “I am pleased to have the opportunity to publicly recognize these individuals who work tirelessly to help all students reach their full potential.”

Candidates are nominated by their local school districts or members of their communities. The nomination includes a brief nominee biography, his or her philosophy on education, professional development, community involvement and their views on the state’s most pressing educational needs. Letters of recommendation are also required.

A committee of peers chooses the award winners. The committee represents statewide education organizations and includes former award winners.

The categories for recognition are:

• Classroom teacher
• School administrator
• Student support personnel
• Educational service personnel
• School board member and/or community volunteer
• Teams, which recognizes groups of teachers and/or administrators; citizen committees; civic organizations; parent organizations; school boards; booster clubs and others that have a significant impact on teaching and learning in a school or district.
• Early Career Educator

All levels of awards will be presented at the banquet. They are:

• 44 recipients of the highest award level, Excellence.
• 71 recipients of the Award of Merit.
• 82 recipients of the Award of Recognition.

All teachers receiving an Award of Excellence are also among the nine finalists for the 2011 Illinois Teacher of the Year. For a list of the finalists, please visit: http://www.isbe.net/news/2011/sept14.htm

The Teacher of the Year serves as Illinois’ ambassador for the teaching profession and represents Illinois in the National Teacher of the Year program sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers, ING and Target.

Annice Brave, an English and journalism teacher at Alton High School in Alton Community Unit School District 11, won the 2010 Illinois Teacher of the Year and became a finalist in last year’s National Teacher of the Year competition.

The Bloomington-Normal Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, 201 Broadway St., Normal, will host this year’s banquet. Due to overwhelming demand for the annual event, tickets are sold out.

A complete list of local recipients by county can be accessed at: http://www.isbe.net/pdf/those_who_excel11-12.pdf

Prophet-Z, Hy-Lyfe Digital Recording Artist

Brooklyn, NY (BlackNews.com) — Armed with a unique sound, Prophet-Z has come to spread a message to Dancehall and Reggae fans that good music still exists.

Hy-Lyfe Digital recording artist, Prophet-Z (pronounced Prophet-Zee), is releasing his 5-track Reggae/Dancehall EP, entitled TVM2, under 21st-Hapilos Digital Distribution. He created quite a buzz in the underground music scene. The release of TVM2 created much anticipation from Reggae/Dancehall fans.

TVM2 will keep your head bopping with up-tempo, high-energy music. TVM2 is jam-packed with heavily influenced synthesizers, heavy bass lines driven melodies and hard-hitting drums. Musical productions from around the world, contributed to make this EP a success. Enagee Brooks (Jamaica), Marek Bogdanski (Poland), Jimmy Jump (Canada), and Yung Global (New York). Prophet-Z displays his lyrical versatility on every track. He captures the mood of the music in his lyrics making it memorable and easy to sing along.

No stranger to the music scene, Prophet-Z began performing at the tender age of 6. Over the years he honed his craft to include an eclectic mix of Reggae, Dancehall, Hip Hop and R&B. Currently residing in New York City, Prophet-Z displayed his talent and versatility on a string of singles and mixtape projects. This gained him much attention from musical peers. In this latest effort, Prophet-Z plans to give music lovers a taste of something new, before releasing his official album.

Hy-Lyfe Digital Inc. is an independent record label dedicated to the promotion of positive music in all genres, through online web service avenues. Just shy of two years old, Hy-Lyfe Digital has three offices stationed in Toronto, New York and Jamaica. Prophet-Z is the first act to be signed to the label and one of few talents to emerge from the labels roster.

TVM2 is available via iTunes and can be accessed at www.WellSharp.com.
For more information contact:

Miggy-B
Hy-Lyfe Digital Inc., Chief Creative Officer
(416) 892-9647
hylyfedigital@gmail.com

Amaz Namyh
Hy-Lyfe Digital Inc., Logistics Coordinator
(347) 613-6087
hylyfedigital@gmail.com

Damien Storm

Dark Arts Media, Management
(347) 679-4758
damienstorm@gmail.com