VOL. XLI Number 26 Jan. 17, 2018 www.milwaukeecommunityjournal.com 25 Cents BULK RATEU.S. POSTAGE PAID

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSINPERMIT NO. 4668

W I S C O N S I N ’ S L A R G E S T A F R I C A N A M E R I C A N N E W S P A P E R

Trump the latest member of the racist presidents’ club!

PULSE OF THECOMMUNITY

Photos and question by Yvonne Kemp“With all the changestoday, MLK daysmeans a great personwith a great vision tohelp others is beingrecognized. Also, thereis the hope of healingAmerica. So, we cele-brate him for his great-ness and acts ofunconditional love. Without MLK, America wouldnot be where it is today.”

ShanilahFrierson

“Dr. King, one of themost influential leadersto make an impact onAmerica, left a legacythat will never be forgot-ten. Dr. King’s words ofwisdom and everlastinghope has left future gen-erations with hope. Hislegacy means a lot, notonly to myself, but theother advocates and leaders that make America whatit is today. American wouldn’t be America withouthim.”

Isaiah Gordon

“With all of thechanges today, bothgood and bad, MartinLuther King, Jr. Daymeans that there is stillhope to improve to-morrow. It means thatoptimism exists andthat there is always alight at the end of adark road. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day meansthat all change can be positive.”

DestinyScott-Dyson

Milwaukee Health DepartmentCommissioner Bevan Baker, thehighest ranking appointed AfricanAmerican city official, resigned lastweek after mismanagement was re-vealed in the department’s ChildhoodLead Poisoning Prevention (CLPP)program.

The resignation was announced Fri-day by Mayor Tom Barrett during acity hall news conference.

The CLPP program is responsiblefor handling approximately 3,000 an-nual cases submitted to the city byhealth care providers that show ele-vated lead levels in Milwaukee chil-dren.

However, the mayor said there areno health department records to showit sent out letters to approximately8,000 families of children with ele-vated lead levels dating back to 2015.

He added the children who testedpositive should have also received re-sults from the testing clinic.

The mayor said he or the city can’tsay with certainty to residents that allof the families of the tested childrenreceived those letters.

As a precaution—it is unclearwhether or not the mismanagementoccurred consistently—Barrett saidthe city will send approximately8,000 letters to the affected families,even those who received test results.

Barrett hinted there might havebeen a break-down in the computerprogram that generates the letters,though he did not elaborate. Themayor said he learned of the problemlast week Thursday from a health de-partment staff member.

Though the mismanagement doesnot rise to the level of criminal activ-

ity, the mayor said there will be dis-ciplinary action. However, he de-clined to discuss personnel mattersbeyond Baker’s resignation.

Former health commissioner PaulNannis will serve as interim head ofthe department while the city con-ducts a national search for a newcommissioner.

Baker served as commissioner ofhealth since 2004. Before his ap-pointment, he served as the depart-ment’s chief operating officer from2001 to 2004.

In a joint statement, the CommonCouncil said it intends to investigatethe matter and that they hold themayor accountable for what hap-pened.

“This is an egregious public healthfailure that was in direct noncompli-ance with procedures put forth byCommon Council resolution,” thestatement notes.

“We will move forward to hold theexecutive branch accountable for thisvery serious failure and we will in-vestigate in depth to determine whatprocesses, procedures, or other mat-ters, if any, have been ignored, notcomplied with, or have been mishan-dled by the Health Department. Theprotection of our children must re-main our highest priority.

“This marks a new day in the Com-mon Council’s dealings with this ad-ministration with regard to policy, ingeneral, and with appointments, inparticular,” the statement warned.“We will exercise a new level ofscrutiny and we will demand a newlevel of accountability.

Health Commissioner BevanBaker resigns amidst revelations of mismanagement in lead prevention program

Services held for noted educator and Fire and PoliceCommissioner Robert Harris

Funeral services were held Mondayat All Saints Catholic Church forRobert Harris, Jr., the first AfricanAmerican high school basketball ref-eree in Wisconsin and the secondAfrican American to serve on theMilwaukee Fire and Police Commis-sion, where he played a key andvocal role at a pivotal time in theCommission’s history.

He was 90.Harris dedicated his life to educa-

tion and improving the lives of Mil-waukeeans.

He was remembered as an advo-cate, mentor, leader, and model ofcommitment to community. He wasalso known for his generosity.

Because of his mother’s illness andfather’s work responsibilities, Harriswas raised in the Milwaukee CountyChildren’s Home and then in fostercare.

A Korean War veteran, Harris wasa Golden Gloves boxer and ArmyOlympic Welterweight Champion ofthe Pacific.

After initially being denied en-trance to the University of Wiscon-sin-Milwaukee School of Educationbecause he was Black, Harris even-tually became the School of Educa-tion’s first African American student.

Harris received both bachelor’s andmaster’s degrees at UWM, and com-pleted a Ford Fellowship doctoralprogram at UW-Madison.

He was later appointed to theUWM Board of Visitors, where heremained an emeritus member.

His wife, Mary Ann, and daughtersPatrice and Roberta recalled storiesof Harris’ impact as an educator andcoach, recounting the countless timesmen approached and thanked him forplaying a pivotal role in changing thecourse of their lives.

Harris’s professional and personalcontributions to the community arereflected in the roles he served:Board chair and director of the Mil-waukee Police Athletic League, prin-cipal of St. Thomas Aquinas School,

principal at Milwaukee Urban DaySchool, associate director of the HerbKohl Milwaukee Youth Foundation,assistant professor at the Universityof Wisconsin-Milwaukee, supervisorof Milwaukee Public Schools Recre-ation and Community Education Di-vision, assistant principal at WestDivision High School, teacher withMilwaukee Public Schools, footballcoach at North Division HighSchool, a member of the board of di-rectors for Messmer High School andthe Central City Catholic Schools.

Harris was also co-chair of arts,recreation and culture task force forMilwaukee Goals 2000.

Among the many honors Harris re-ceived were: 2002 FBI Director’sCommunity Leadership Award, 2002UWM Alumni Citizenship Award,2004 Fellowship Open Award foroutstanding community service,2004 YMCA’s Men’s Club award forcontributions to the community andWisconsin’s youth, the 2009 GreaterMilwaukee Foundation’s William C.Frye Award for making Milwaukee abetter place, and the 2014 inductioninto the North/Lincoln Hall of Fame.

Harris is survived by his wife,daughters, and foster daughter An-drea Dean, grandson TroneyShumpert, three great-grandchildrenand a host of loving relatives andfriends.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:QUESTION OF THE WEEK:“With all the changes that have“With all the changes that havetaken place in our nation, whattaken place in our nation, what

does Martin Luther King Day meandoes Martin Luther King Day meanto you?”to you?”

“As I reflect on MLKDay, I am gratefulfor all of the thingshe’s done to betterthe Black commu-nity, and how hepaved the way forother leaders and ac-tivists to have avoice. The issues thatare happening in 2018 shows us how far wehave come, but also how far we have to go toreach his dream.”

JordanDinsmore

Honoring The Drum Major for Peace!Community events honor Dr. King

Compiled by MCJ Editorial Staff

(continued on page 6)

Bevan Baker

Robert (Bob) Harris, Jr.

Compiled by MCJ Editorial Staff

Dr. Gregg Carr (pictured above in the center), a professor and chair of African American Studies atWashington, D.C.’s Howard University (a Historically Black College/University) was the keynotespeaker at the 17th annual Kingfest celebration held at the Wisconsin Black Historical Society/Mu-seum. He was presented proclamations from Milwaukee County and the city by County SupervisorSupreme Moore Omokunde (second from left) and Ald. Milele Coggs (far right). Also pictured areWBHSM founder and director Clayborn Benson (far left) and the Kingfest founder Janette Herrera.

The Milwaukee Frontiers Club held its annual Dr. Martin Luther King Award Luncheon at the Wis-consin African American Women’s Center, 3020 W. Vliet St. Pictured above are members of theclub and awardees—all from North Division High School (seated, left to right): Nigiana Howard,Diamond Dickerson, Tamara LeFlore, Dyanna Wright; standing (left to right): Ammishaddai Jack-son, Elijah Hem, Terrill Wallace, and Christopher Williams.

Members of Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Sorority put Dr. King’s words into action by doinga day of service at the Repairers Of The Breach homeless shelter. The sorors providedfood for the homeless at the shelter.

There were a multitude of events honoring the birth of civil rights Icon Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. aroundour city and in our community in which individuals were honored for upholding his principals or who puthis words into action with community service. —Photos by Yvonne Kemp

AKA perform service at Repairer Of The Breach

Howard University history professor speaks at Kingfest

Milwaukee Frontiers recognize student achievers

The Milwaukee Community Journal January 17, 2018 Page 2

Feel the PULSE of YOUR Community ONLINE! Go to

milwaukeecommunityjournal.com

The Milwaukee Community Journal January 17, 2018 Page 3Free Ice-FishingClinics for Kidsat 6 Park Lagoons,February 10

Members of local fishing clubswill teach children the basics of ice-fishing at the 27th Annual Ice-Fish-ing Clinics for Kids, Saturday, Feb.10, from 9 a.m.–3 p.m., at six Mil-

waukee County Parks lagoons.Children age 15 and under are in-

vited to hands-on clinics featuringsafety on the ice, use of ice fishingequipment, fish identification, reg-ulations, and knot tying. Some lo-cations will offer cleaning andcooking demonstrations.

Fishing equipment will be fur-nished. The indoor instructionalcomponent of the program will goon no matter what the weather; the

ice-fishing component is dependentupon the weather and ice condi-tions at the park.

Sessions run continuouslythroughout the day, with the lastsessions beginning at 2 p.m.

Young children must be accompa-nied by an adult. Parents are re-minded to dress their children inwarm layers.

Registration is not required forfamilies, but groups of 20 or more

are asked to contact the WisconsinDNR.

Parks hosting clinics are the fol-lowing: Brown Deer Park, 7835 N.Green Bay Road; Dineen Park,6901 W. Vienna Ave.; HumboldtPark, 3000 S. Howell Ave.;

Kosciuszko Park, 2201 S. 7th St.;McCarty Park, 8214 W. ClevelandAve.; and Scout Lake Park, 5902W. Loomis Rd. (wheelchair acces-sible).

Clinics are presented by the Mil-waukee County Parks, the Wiscon-

sin DNR, the Wisconsin Council ofSport Fishing Organizations, andthe Hunger Task Force Fish Hatch-ery.

For more information, or forgroups of 20 or more, call the Wis-consin DNR at (414) 382-7923.

The Milwaukee Community Journal January 17, 2018 Page 4

RELIGIONRELIGION Bishop James Schuerman toCelebrate Respect Life MassIncludes ‘Diaper Drive’ for Children in the Community

On January 22, Bishop James T. Schuerman will celebrate the Archdiocesan Respect Life Mass at Blessed SaviorParish, 8545 W. Villard Ave., Milwaukee. The evening begins at 6:30 p.m. with a Rosary for Life, Mass celebratedat 7 p.m., and a closing reception to follow.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has declared January 22, the anniversary of Roe V.Wade, a national day of penance for violations to the dignity of human life caused by abortion, and prayer, for thefull restoration of the legal right to life.

In addition to Mass, we are collecting disposable diapers to assist families raising newborns, infants, and toddlers.Bring donated diapers to the Mass on January 22. The Christ Child Society will distribute these diapers in the com-munity.

The evening is sponsored by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s Catholic Social Justice Ministry & Dignity of theHuman Person. If your media outlet is interested in covering this Mass, or learning more about pro-life efforts insoutheastern Wisconsin, please contact Robert Shelledy, (414) 758-2286, shelledyr@archmil.org.

Families served by:Northwest FuneralChapel O’Bee, Ford

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Quality Service...a tenured tradi-tion sincere concern at your time

of need. Offering pre-need, atneed and after-care services tofamilies in Milwaukee, Racine,

Kenosha and other communities throughout our state.

In Loving Memory

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Milwaukee6630 W. Hampton Avenue

Milwaukee, WI 53218Telephone: (414) 462-6020

Fax: (414) 462-9937

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J.C. Frazier, Funeral Director

“You are lovedmore than youwill ever know bysomeone whodied to knowyou!”—Romans 5:8

Even in the back row,the audience at St. AnnCenter for Intergenera-tional Care-Bucyrus Cam-pus was feeling the vibeof the annual MartinLuther King Jr. Day cele-bration. From the stirring rendi-

tion of “Lift Every Voiceand Sing,” performed bythe staff, clients and chil-dren at the all-ages daycare, to a heartfelt readingof the “I Have a Dream”speech, the program hon-ored the life and legacy ofthe civil rights leader onhis 89th birthday.“When I was a child in

Mississippi, Black peoplehad to sit in the back ofthe bus,” an adult clienttold a wide-eyed group offour-year-olds from thecenter’s childcare pro-gram. “Now we can sit any-

where we want to, and wecan take that bus just asfar as we want to go. Mar-tin Luther King, Jr. madeit so.”Inspired by King’s

words, several of theclients shared dreams theyhad for themselves andMilwaukee. One dreamedof being able to walkagain. Another dreamed of

being independent andgetting her own apart-ment. Winning the Power-ball was on more than onelist.A highlight of the pro-

gram was an energeticperformance by Our Na-tion for Youth Arts &Healing (ONFYAH). Ranging in age from

four to 19, the talenteddance and drummingacademy thrilled the audi-ence with the traditionalAfrican Dundunba dance,demonstrating strengthand courage. “We love putting smiles

on people’s faces,” saidthe group’s Artistic Direc-tor Jo’Niece Monk. “It’sour way of keeping Dr.King’s dream alive.”

All Ages Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.

“We love putting smiles onpeople’s faces...“It’s our wayof keeping Dr. King’s dreamalive.”—Artistic Director Jo’Niece Monk

The 7 Biggest Mistakes Pastors MakeWhen Turning SermonSeries into Books

CHARLOTTE, N.C., /Christian Newswire/ -- Afterproducing and publishing more than 200 Christian books,Neil Eskelin, president of LifeBridge Books, offers hisadvice to ministers who have a sermon series they wantto see published as a book.

Here are the five most common mistakes:1. Their writing lacks "you" power. Since the goal is to

help readers, try to use the word "you" ten times as oftenas "I."

2. They forget they have a personality. To develop a re-lationship with the reader, sprinkle your manuscript with

personal stories--at least one or two per chapter.3. They fail to grab the writer's attention. After writing

a chapter, pull out the best illustration and move it to thebeginning. Start strong.

4. They need to use a thesaurus. If you are writing onfaith, vision, or any particular theme, don't use the sameword over and over in successive sentences or para-graphs. Find synonyms to get your point across. Also, ifyou use an unusual word, once or twice in a book isenough.

5. They need to give the reader a break. We see far toomany long passages. Readers are easily bored, so keepsentences and paragraphs short. Also, we like to use asubheading on at least every other page.

6. Their title lacks life. The book we produced for au-thor Benny Hinn was originally to be titled, "The Personof the Holy Spirit." We changed it to "Good Morning,Holy Spirit," and it sold several million copies. The newtitle had imagination and life!

7. They design their own book cover. Get a pro to pro-(continued on page 6)

The Milwaukee Community Journal January 17, 2018 Page 5

PERSPECTIVESPERSPECTIVES

THETHEMILWAUKEEMILWAUKEECOMMUNITYCOMMUNITYJOURNALJOURNALPublished twice weekly,Wednesday & Friday3612 North Martin LutherKing Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53212Phone: 414-265-5300 (Advertising and Administration) • 414-265-6647 (Editorial) • Website: communityjournal.net • Email: Editorial@communi-tyjournal.net/Advertising@communityjournal.net

Opinion and comments expressed on the Perspectives page do not nec-essarily reflect the views of the publisher or management of the MCJ. Let-ters and “other perspectives” are accepted but may be edited for contentand length.

Patricia O’Flynn -PattilloFounder, PublisherRobert J. Thomas, Co-FounderAssoc. PublisherTodd Thomas, Vice PresidentMikel Holt, Founding Editor, Associate PublisherThomas E. Mitchell, Jr., Managing EditorTeretha Martin, Terri’s InnovativeComputers: Billing Clerk, Pro-

duction assistance, tech-supportColleen Newsom,Classified Advertising SalesLeaderJimmy V. Johnson, AdvertisingSales Mike Mullis, Advertising Coordi-nationYvonne Kemp, PhotographerKim Robinson, PhotographerBill Tennessen, Photographer

No, Isaac Newton (Farris), there’s no uncertainty. No misunderstanding. Andno misquoting. Donald Trump is a racist.

You may be Martin Luther King, Jr.’s nephew, and maybe you’re named aftera genius, but your comments about Trump being misunderstood and ignorant(“not a racist in the traditional sense,” whatever that means), proves that bloodlines don’t always carry positive DNA traits, and merely naming a child aftersomeone of superior intellect doesn’t make them smart.

In fact, sir, 45IQ is not only a racist, he’s a bigot, and as such holds member-ship in the most powerful political fraternity in the world.

In other words, President 45IQ is in good company.The fraternity of racist presidents includes early American “heroes” like

Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and even Abe Lincoln.In fact, chances are most members of the POTUS fraternities of the 18th and

19th centuries were racists. As were several elected after the invention of thetelephone, including Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Dwight D.Eisenhower.

That stain on the American fairy tale is not readily known, readily acknowl-edged in the His-story books or on Fox News, the Disney Channel or BET.But in truth, there was a time when being a racist was part of the litmus testfor the presidency. And that belief overshadowed a public pronouncementagainst slavery.

That might sound like a contradiction, but the truth is you can be both “lib-eral” and racist.

In other words, you can morally object to the institution of slavery, yet philo-sophically believe the enslaved are inferior beings.

Still need to clean off your lenses to see the truth? Read on…By most estimations, America is defined by the eloquent words of Thomas

Jefferson.Jefferson is considered the architect of democracy, one of the pillars of our

Republic and an icon for independence, equality and justice.Jefferson publicly opposed slavery, but he was in fact a slave owner, a di-

chotomy that can’t be discounted or wished away, but a fact that validates mypoint.

In fact, by today’s social paradigm, Jefferson would have been considered arapist as well as a racist.

During his era, however, it was not against the law to rape a Black slave---male or female--- because they were not considered “fully human”, or as mostAmericans at the time were propagated to believe, we were of an inferior race,along with Native Americans, Asians and Latinos. (Not to mention polar bears,elephants and buffalo (soldiers).

As Jefferson wrote in his White Supremacist handbook, ‘Notes on the Stateof Virginia’:

“I advanced it, therefore, as a suspicion only, that the Blacks, whether orig-inally a distinct race, or made distinct by time or circumstance, are inferior tothe Whites in the endowments of both body and mind.”

In case you don’t understand colonial English, Jefferson’s remarks made hima racist.

In the same book, he took Trump’s racist comments about shi..holes’ to thenext level by referring to African nations as “barbaric.”

There are those who for political and cultural reasons want to project thefounding fathers as unblemished heroes of the highest moral integrity. Theywant only for you to know Jefferson opposed slavery and envisioned a countrywhere all men are created equal.

He did. But Africans were excluded in Jefferson’s template because we wereinhuman--we were chattel, animals.

Thus, Jefferson’s opposition to slavery in general, and to the Slave Trade Actof 1807 was consistent with that philosophy and contradiction.

As, truth be told, while he fought the slave trade, he supported a domesticslave enhancement policy as an alternative that enriched slaveholders throughbreeding. Maybe that explains why he forcibly impregnated Sally Hemming’sso often. Slave babies were worth big bucks. Even if they were your own.

As TJ noted in 1820, “I consider a woman who brings children every twoyears as more profitable than the best man on the farm.”

Since most early American presidents were slave owners, it goes withoutsaying—but I will anyway—they were bigots.

James Madison, James Monroe and, of course, George Washington, wereamong the presidents who built empires literally off the raw backs of Africancaptives.

And I assume it’s no coincidence that Trump’s favorite and most admiredpresident was Andrew Jackson, a slaveholder whose place in history is definedby the Battle for New Orleans and the Indian Removal Act.

During his tenure, Jackson not only espoused racial superiority over Africans,but enacted policies of genocide against Native Americans.

Jackson was also, at one time, the head of the U.S. Army, and it was in thatcapacity that he led troops to massacre run-away slaves and Seminole Indiansat the battle of Fort Negro.

Never heard of it? You know what they say about hiding the truth fromAfrican Americans in books…If you read enough, you’ll find it. But had Jack-son had his way, you wouldn’t be able to ignore today the greatest gift a gov-ernment can provide---free education.

But Jackson’s Hitler endorsed policies paled in comparison to the acts of Lin-coln’s vice president, Andrew Johnson.

As president, Johnson set back civil rights 1,000 years, and for African Amer-icans, he was the worst POTUS in American history.

He not only rescinded crucial aspects of Reconstruction, but also propagatedpolicies that led to a Nazi-like paradigm against people of color.

He essentially created a state of neo-slavery and oppression in the south aspart of a deal to reunite (make America great again) the nation after the CivilWar. He did so fully cognizant of how history would portray him. And hesmiled at that thought.

Said Johnson prior to the Civil War: “If you liberate the Negro, what will bethe next step? Blood, rape, and rapine will be our portion. You can’t get rid ofthe negro except by holding him in slavery.”

Johnson temporarily changed his tune to become Lincoln’s vice president,but after Abe’s assassination, he said,

“As for the negro I am for setting him free but at the same time I assert thatthis is a white man’s government…If whites and blacks can’t get along togetherarrangements must be made to colonize the blacks (that is, send them toAfrica).”

Speaking of “Not So Honest Abe,” he represents the greatest contradictionand misrepresented president in American His-story.

Prior to his election to the nation’s highest office, Abe proclaimed, “Negroequality! Fudge! How long, in the government of a God, great enough to makeand maintain this Universe, shall there continue knaves to vend, and fools togulp, so low a piece of demagogism as this.”

If that quote was not enough to alter your assumptions about the “great eman-cipator,” consider this: “I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been infavor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the whiteand black races, that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters orjurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry withwhite people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical differencebetween the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the tworaces living together on terms of social and political equality.

“And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together theremust be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other manam in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.”

Now you could infer from that quote that Lincoln was merely being political,saying any and everything to everybody to get elected, as most candidates do.But the reality is, you can speak with forked tongue as the Natives used tosay—and be assumed to be liberal one minute, and racist the next.

Lincoln, Jefferson and other “founders” of this great country did so. Easily.

SIGNIFYIN’By Mikel Kwaku Oshi Holt

Trump the newest memberof the racist presidents club!

MILLENNIAL VOICESMy MillennialResolutions

As the New Year approaches rapidly, now is the time for a lot ofMillennials to begin their annual reflecting about the changesthey would like to make. New Year’s resolutions for a lot of peo-ple are a way to motivate themselves to accomplish more thanthe year before, a promise to themselves of sorts. For me, thisyear I have compiled a list of not only resolutions for myself butalso for the world in general as we approach 2018.

World PeaceI hope to see a world that’s willing to change, not just spiritually

but also with the way that we treat one another as individuals. Ihope to see a world that accepts each other for who we are, andnot just for what we look like. We are all human, we all deserverespect and love as human beings. NO MORE BULLYINGPLEASE.

Taking Mental Illness SeriouslyI hope that in 2018 we take mental illness more seriously. It

seems that it’s usually disregarded, unless it’s someone from ourown family that’s suffering. Mental illness, especially in our com-munity, is something to be taken very seriously and to be treatedwith the respect it deserves. If you know someone who suffers

from a mental illness, be the hand and ear that they need, not theone that avoids them.

Taking care of the Physical body and Spirit I personally hope to take better care of my body whether men-

tally, physically, or spiritually. Drinking more water, working out,praying, practicing the art of meditation and relaxing in order tosoothe the soul, are all essential tips to getting it done.

Success in All EndeavorsI wish nothing but success and prosperity to everyone in the

world. To all that are graduating soon, or maybe have a new busi-ness venture upcoming, you have my undying support. I alsopray for everyone, I hope that you all have a great New Year andyou all remain safe throughout it. —Quardeay Julien

Your Growth Matters in 2018!At last, 2018 has arrived. We’ve made it through an-

other year and it’s time to celebrate. This is the time ofyear where everyone craves for a fresh start. Why? Sim-ply because we have been given a new beginning.Last year, we experienced many difficulties, highs and

lows. There were days that we were overwhelmed withthe things that didn’t go quite as planned. There weredays when we just wanted to give up; days that felt likethings couldn’t be any worse.But the great part about all of the chaos of 2017, is the

fact that we made it through. It’s over. It’s done with.What’s more important is focusing on right now. What’simportant, is the fact that now is the time to give yourselfanother chance.I believe one of the biggest hurdles of going into a new

year with new goals is our unwillingness to give up thethings that held us back the previous year. Setting goalsis tremendously important when it comes to prepping fora new year, but the problem typically lies in our unwilling-ness to sacrifice. If we truly want to see a new year with a new and better

outcome than before, we have to be willing to give upsomething that held significance to us. This could be aperson, friend, activity, habit, or even environment. Eitherway, the sacrifice has to come from a place of value.As cliché as it sounds, if you want to see different re-

sults, you have to be willing to do something different.So, I ask you, in 2018, what are you willing to give up?What were the things that held you back in 2017? Whatkept you going in 2017? What will keep you going in2018? Did you make your list of goals a reality last yearand if not, why not? Dig deep into your current lifestyle to find the activities

that need to change. In 2017, who did you give your timeto, knowing they didn’t deserve it? What did you giveyour energy to that wasn’t so beneficial? Who did youkeep around you, that pushed you to complete yourgoals?Begin to think about these questions so that you can

set the bar strong this week. Self-reflection is imperativefor execution. So, don’t be afraid to take an honesty mo-ment for yourself. Your personal growth matters! —LaShawnda S. Wilkins

Inclusive Unity in 2018 for the Black Community

The Black community is often seen as one that is in need ofunification. Many describe this lack of unification as the keyissue that is holding the community back from truly succeed-ing.

When we consider what this success looks like, we con-tribute certain factors such as buying from more black ownedbusinesses and lifting one another to that definition.

For 2018, adding inclusivity to that definition of unity wouldbenefit the Black community. We should uplift all Black peo-ple, and do away with excluding those who don’t fit a moreconservative and religious mold.

To thrive as a community, one must realize that their commu-nity is made up of a broad range of individuals. Unity withoutinclusivity is just exclusivity.

We should uplift our single mothers without shaming themfor their single status. We should do away with homophobictendencies as black folks exist in all forms, and not just as het-erosexuals.

Let’s embrace those who don’t attend church or have reli-gious beliefs. Those who choose to embrace their sexualitywithout slut shaming them.

The Black community has come a long way and has sur-vived the Jim Crow era and slavery. Let’s continue to build onour community’s foundation by adding those who may be liv-ing on the outskirts of what’s considered to be an acceptablelifestyle.

When we hear the word, “Woke”, it’s often the black commu-nity that is at the forefront of this movement. Our ‘wokenes’stems from our first hand understanding of police brutality andthe residual effects of systematic racism.

If we are to continue to remain as a united force againstthese and other issues that plague our community, we aregoing to need everyone, and not just those who most closelymatch our own ideals. —Sarah Thomas

(continued on page 6)

The Milwaukee Community Journal January 17, 2018 Page 6

And, not surprisingly, the Americancancerous DNA was passed down totheir successors in the 20th century.

For “political” reasons, most didn’thang their white sheets on publichooks. But that didn’t mean they were“hiding” their agendas.

Take President Woodrow Wilson forexample.

He invited bigoted friends to theWhite House in 1915 for a screeningof “Birth of a Nation” (originallycalled the “Clansman,” as in KuKlux). That film was considered to bethe preeminent propaganda messagefor White Supremacy at the time.

Calvin Coolidge signed an immi-gration bill that would have madeTrump proud. He said afterwards that“America must be left to Americans.”I don’t think he was referring to Na-tive Americans.

Incidentally, the bill was authoredby a reported Klansman who hap-pened to be a Democrat.

FDR is considered a champion ofthe left for his advocacy of the NewDeal, minimum wage, social securityand unions. But he did everything inhis power to exclude Black Ameri-cans from those programs.

And of course, Roosevelt’s execu-tive order interning Japanese “Amer-icans” in prison is considered bymany as one of the most flagrant actsof bigotry by an American president.

Roosevelt did not believe Black

Americans were intelligent enough tofly planes in WWII. It was his wife,Eleanor, who forced him to launch theTuskegee Airman.

FDR’s policy in WWII kept mostBlack army troops segregated and inthe supportive roles out of fear the“nigras” would run from battle.

Nonetheless, FDR’s leadershipstopped German from becoming theofficial language of the United States.

Dwight D. Eisenhower once toldChief Justice Earl Warren that hecould appreciate why racist southern-ers who opposed school desegrega-tion didn’t want to have their “sweetlittle girls sit in school alongsidesome “big black buck”. (A five-year-old big buck? Sign him up, I say.)

Many would be shocked by my rev-elations and accusations. But I’m notsorry for bursting your “His-torical”bubble, particularly as we approachBlack History Month.

But it should be taught in February(January, July and September as well)that most early American presidentswere slave owners, which is thepenultimate example of White Su-premacy.

Slavery built this country. Bigotsoversaw that construction.

It was necessary, at least to some so-called Christians, to justify the en-slavement and cruel and inhumantreatment of African captives by as-serting that they were inferior crea-tures. Thus, by any definition, thosewho held slaves were White Su-

premacists, and those who turnedtheir backs, including clerics, wereaccessories before, during and afterthe fact.

Uncle Isaac would have you believethose who say Trump’s declarationsthat poor African nations were“sh..holes” isn’t by itself racist. Buthis belief that Whites from Norwaywould be a better fit for citizenship is.

Isaac also tried to explain away 45’sstatement by suggesting he’s an elitistwho looks down on everyone, and hispositions are not about race, but class.

I agree, he is an elitist and a chau-vinist and a narcissist, and can’t relateto the conditions of the poor, women,minorities, the elderly, veterans, col-lege students, middle class, homosex-uals, activists, rappers, dogs and cats.

But he’s also a racist, and as presi-dent is in a prime position to followin the footsteps of Johnson by settingback civil rights another 1,000 yearsand creating an atmosphere of hateand animosity. He could very well, asmany fear, start a second Civil War.

I have lived among racists my entirelife; it’s hard to navigate withoutbumping into them. Some look likeme.

Racism, as defined in the Holt Dic-tionary, is the belief that your race issuperior to another, or that theirs is in-ferior by virtue of intellect, or status.Bigotry is the exploitation of a racistagenda.

In other words, you’re a racist if youlook down on the ants and a bigot ifyou step on them.

I don’t confuse racism with preju-dice. The guy who fears his propertyvalues will go down if a Black personmoves next door is prejudice. That

same person who believes we arepathologically predisposed to crime,lazy, or intellectually inferior as re-flected in the academic achievementgap is a racist. And if he tries to phys-ically stop a Black person from datinghis daughter, or fights for a law to baninterracial marriage, he’s a bigot.

Trump, 45IQ, has the power to dothat. Or believes so.

And even if he’s not a racist, orbigot in the “normal sense,” as King’snephew is trying to convince peopleas he seeks to become the TokenWhite ‘House Negro,’ 45IQ is dan-gerous by virtue of his elitism, igno-rance and immaturity.

How he will be portrayed in “His-story” is unknown. We will put hispicture above the definition of racist

in ours, because he epitomizes thatnoun (which I hope doesn’t soon be-come a verb).

And had your uncle survived thesupreme act of racist bigotry, his as-sassination, he would have told youso Isaac.

Shem Hotep.

Health Commissioner Baker resigns amidst revelations of mismanagement in lead prevention program

The city’s website notes as of 2015, 11.5 percent of Mil-waukee children tested were reported to have blood leadlevels at the reporting threshold of five micrograms perdeciliter.

The city reports that since 2003, the number of childrentesting positive at the five micrograms per deciliter levelhas declined by 70 percent.

The major cause of elevated lead levels in Wisconsinand other cities is caused by lead paint and Milwaukee,going back to the administration of former Mayor JohnNorquist, has made great strides combatting that problem.The more recent problem cities have discovered — in thewake of the Flint crisis — has been elevated lead levelsdue to lead pipes used in older neighborhoods and homes,though experts are still debating over how serious theproblem is.

In June of 2017, Gov. Scott Walker announced that 35municipalities received a total of $13.8 million to removelead service lines. Of those municipalities, Milwaukee re-ceived the largest award at $2.6 million.

Later that same year, the Common Council beefed-upthe city’s existing recommendations with a resolution re-

lated to lead exposure and safety. The strengthened resolution clarifies who is at risk for

lead exposure and how early and often children shouldbe tested. It also clarifies the most effective means to pro-tect people from lead in water.

Prior to the resolution’s passage, the Health Department(MHD) considered children under six and pregnant orbreastfeeding women to be at risk from lead exposure;the resolution added women of childbearing age (15-45)to that pool.

Previously, MHD followed guidance from the Wiscon-sin Department of Health Services regarding how oftenyoung children should be tested for lead exposure. DHSrecommends children be tested three times before the ageof three and children under six be tested if they have hadno prior tests, or have a history of lead exposure or highrisk of exposure.

The resolution directs health providers to test “infantsand children up to the age of six” at least once a year. Italso recommended a NSF/ANSI Standard 53 certified fil-ter, which removes 99 percent of lead, as “the most thor-ough means of lead-water safety.”

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Signifyin’(continued from page 5)

The Milwaukee Community Journal January 17, 2018 Page 7

The Milwaukee Community Journal January 17, 2018 Page 8