Study Finds Black Women Murdered by Men Are Nearly Always Killed by Someone They Know

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September 11, 2014

Study released to mark 20th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act, and in advance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Black women murdered by men are nearly always killed by someone they know and the most common weapon used is a gun, according to the new Violence Policy Center (VPC) report When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2012 Homicide Data.
The annual report is being released during the week marking the 20th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which was signed into law on September 13, 1994. The study also comes in advance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October.
This year’s report applies to 2012, the most recent year for which data is available. The study covers homicides involving one female murder victim and one male offender, and uses data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Supplementary Homicide Report.
The report finds that Black women face a disproportionate share of fatal domestic violence in America. In 2012, 468 Black females were murdered by males in single victim/single offender incidents, at a rate of 2.46 per 100,000. For white females murdered by males, the rate was 1.00 per 100,000.

Here are some of the report’s findings related to black females murdered by males:

· Where the relationship could be determined, 92 percent of Black females killed by males in single victim/single offender incidents knew their killers. Eleven times as many Black females were murdered by a male they knew than were killed by male strangers. Of the Black victims who knew their offenders, 56 percent were wives, common-law wives, ex-wives, or girlfriends of the offenders.

· Firearms, especially handguns, were the most common weapons used by males to murder Black females. When the murder weapon could be identified, 57 percent of Black female victims were shot and killed with guns. Within that group, 76 percent were killed with a handgun.

· In homicides where the age of victims was reported, 10 percent of Black females were less than 18 years old and four percent were 65 years of age or older.

· The vast majority of homicides of Black females murdered by males were not related to any other felony crime. Most often, Black females were killed by males in the course of an argument. In cases where the circumstances could be identified, 86 percent were not related to the commission of any other felony.

“The vast majority of Black women murdered by men are killed not by an unknown assailant, but by someone they know — most often an intimate partner,” states VPC Legislative Director Kristen Rand. “Our report shows that Black women suffer a disproportionate share of fatal domestic violence. Twenty years after the passage of the Violence Against Women Act, a great deal of work remains to be done.”
“Despite progress in several states that have recently passed bipartisan bills to help keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, the shocking number of Black women murdered by intimate partners in 2012 shows how far we have to go,” says Sue Hornik, executive director of States United to Prevent Gun Violence. “The 20th anniversary of VAWA is a fitting time to call for action in the states and on Capitol Hill.”
Nationwide, across all races, 1,706 females were murdered by males in single victim/single offender incidents in 2012, at a rate of 1.16 per 100,000.
The study also ranks each state based on the homicide rate for women murdered by men. Below are the 10 states with the highest rate of females murdered by males in single victim/single offender incidents in 2012:

Rank State Homicide Rate, Females Murdered by Males

1          Alaska                         2.57 per 100,000
2          South Carolina            2.06 per 100,000
3          Oklahoma                   2.03 per 100,000
4          Louisiana                    1.92 per 100,000
5          Mississippi                  1.89 per 100,000
6          Nevada                       1.83 per 100,000
7          Missouri                      1.73 per 100,000
8          Arizona                        1.70 per 100,000
9          Georgia                       1.66 per 100,000
10        Tennessee                  1.60 per 100,000

The study calculates the rate of women murdered by men by dividing the total number of females murdered by males in single victim/single offender incidents by the total female population and multiplying the result by 100,000. The rate of Black women murdered by men is calculated by dividing the total number of Black females murdered by males by the total Black female population and multiplying the result by 100,000. This is the standard and accepted method of comparing fatal levels of gun violence.

Birmingham African American Leaders Go ‘Back to School’ to Give Back in Volunteer Day of Service

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Birmingham Times

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September 11, 2014

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Schools                                                                         History Makers
Green Acres Middle School                                Rev. Calvin Wallace Woods, Sr.
South Hampton Elementary School                        Rev. Gwendolyn Webb
Malachi Wilkerson Middle School                                   Joe Dickson
John Herbert Phillips Academy                                  Jeanette Jones

Follow The HistoryMakers on Facebook and Twitter.
CHICAGO – What does service mean in the African American community? To Reverend Calvin Wallace Woods, Sr., it means advocating for human and civil rights, while spreading a diligent message of faith, for over fifty years. To social activist Gwendolyn Webb, it means using the civil rights activism of her childhood to inspire a decades-long fight against racism, poverty, violence, and domestic violence. It means advocating for minorities’ rights to civil rights activist Joe Dickson, or breaking barriers for women in science to biologist Dr. Jeanette Jones.
On September 26, these four leaders will join hundreds of other African American HistoryMakers across the nation for a day of service during the 5th Annual Back to School With The HistoryMakers program, as they return to classrooms to encourage students to COMMIT to excellence and finishing their education. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is chairing the nationwide effort with the goal of having more than 400 Black leaders go “back to school” in 61 cities and 30 states. The program puts HistoryMakers in direct contact with over 25,000 students across the nation, to inspire them with their life’s stories and to encourage youth to strive for excellence. The theme of the day is “COMMIT.” The HistoryMakers will personally recount their own school experiences, reflect upon the struggles they encountered on their paths to success and, most importantly, encourage students to COMMIT to their education.
“It makes a difference to hear a message of positive choices from successful, caring adults whom the students can relate to,” says a teacher from the program. The HistoryMakers Founder and Executive Director, Julieanna Richardson, states, “By bringing these living leaders into today’s educational system, we are raising awareness about the achievements of the accomplished African Americans in local communities and bringing these leaders into schools to see things firsthand, while providing important role models for today’s youth. ”
Richardson is encouraging educators everywhere to use The HistoryMakers’ digital archive (http://www.thehistorymakers.com/digital-archive) to enrich their students’ exposure to the contributions of African Americans across the globe. This year, schools participating in the event will receive a free one-year membership for the digital archive, which includes extensive and easy-to-access interviews with over 700 HistoryMakers. In addition to providing schools with access to this unique educational tool, Back to School With The HistoryMakers is also taking a crucial step towards transforming the nation’s political and social landscape, according to Richardson.
“It is important that the community talks; intergenerational dialogue is important, because something has been lost,” says Richardson. “Students should see role models and understand their stories, or else there will be more Missouris.”
Among the HistoryMakers participating that day in Birmingham schools:
Rev. Calvin Wallace Woods, Sr. began working with Reverends Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ralph Abernathy in 1962. The following year, he participated in the March on Washington. In 1965, Woods protested Birmingham’s voter registration procedures under the leadership of Reverend Edward Gardner. At the age of 72 in 2006 he took over leadership of the Birmingham SCLC. Rev. Woods will go back to Green Acres Middle School.
Rev. Gwendolyn Webb participated in the Children’s Marches in Birmingham in 1963, playing a key role in the desegregation of the city. She later became a pastor and founded Foot Soldiers International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the eradication of racism, violence, domestic violence and poverty. Webb will go back to South Hampton Elementary School.
Joe Dickson formed his own real estate and construction company during the 1970s before becoming president of the Alabama Republican Council for a number of years. He was asked to work for the former governor of Alabama, Guy Hunt, as the assistant of minority affairs in 1988. Dickson began working with the Birmingham World newspaper in 1987, and in 1989 returned to run the paper. He will go back to Malachi Wilkerson Middle School.
Dr. Jeanette Jones became the first female appointed as the vice president of research and development at Alabama A & M University, and was later named director of that institution’s Center for Biomedical, Behavioral and Environmental Research. In 2004 she was reappointed as a member of the U.S. Army Science Board under U.S. Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey. Jones will go back to John Herbert Phillips Academy.

Last year’s successful Back to School With The HistoryMakers program sent over 300 of our HistoryMakers into schools in 61 cities and 30 states, including stage and television actress T’Keyah Crystal Keymah, stage and television actor the late James Avery, and singer Otis Williams. Many of the HistoryMakers have now adopted a school, one of the goals of the initiative.
The HistoryMakers, the nation’s largest African American video oral history archive, is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit dedicated to recording and preserving the personal histories of well-known and unsung African Americans. It was announced this year by James Billington, the Librarian of Congress that the Library of Congress will serve as the permanent repository for The HistoryMakers Collection. Added Billington, “The HistoryMakers archive provides invaluable first-person accounts of both well-known and unsung African-Americans, detailing their hopes, dreams and accomplishments – often in the face of adversity, this culturally important collection is a rich and diverse resource for scholars, teachers, students and documentarians seeking a more complete record of our nation’s history and its people.” To date, the organization has interviewed over 2,000 HistoryMakers, with the goal of creating an archive of 5,000 interviews (30,000 hours) for the establishment of a one-of-a-kind digital archive.
For more information, visit The HistoryMakers website at www.thehistorymakers.com, and  The HistoryMakers Education page at http://www.thehistorymakers.com/education.

MAJOR AFRICAN MUSIC ARTISTS TO PERFORM PRO BONO FOR PLAD’S STOP AFRICA LAND GRAB CONCERT — SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21ST AT THE WARNER THEATRE IN WASHINGTON, DC

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Birmingham Times

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September 11, 2014

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(Washington, DC) Performing for the first time ever in DC – The legendary Mbilia Bel from the Democratic Republic of Congo, artist producer Didier Awadi from Senegal, emerging artist Hanisha Solomon from Ethiopia, Ray-Son from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the incredible Simply Chrysolite and Naledi Ya Tshawane who both hail from South Africa! PLUS a Special Appearance by the international star Femi Kuti from Nigeria. For more details, visit www.landgrabawarenessconcert.com. Tickets are available at The Warner Theatre’s web site (www.warnertheatredc.com) and through www.ticketmaster.com.

The Partnership League for Africa’s Development (PLAD) Presents the STOP Africa Land Grab Concert to bring awareness to the on-going massive land acquisition in Africa by foreign investors. Land grabbing has been defined by Oxfam as the contentious issue of large-scale land acquisitions; the buying or leasing of large pieces of land in developing countries, by domestic and transnational companies, governments, and individuals. While these large-scale land deals are supposedly being struck to grow food, often the land is used to grow profitable crops – like sugar cane, palm oil, and soy – often for export instead. Would this create a serious food security problem for Africans? Many believe so.

These African music stars have traveled from Africa to Washington, DC to participate in the concert pro bono in support of raising awareness of what now appears to be a “a new scramble” for Africa’s natural resources. They will also participate in the consultative group discussion. Proceeds from the concert will be used for a public awareness campaign in Africa that will encourage the inclusion of the local population in the decision-making processes regarding the management of land for sustainable development in Africa.

BlackNews.com

President Obama Outlining Mission To Fight Islamic Militants

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Birmingham Times

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September 11, 2014

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By JULIE PACE, AP White House Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama outlined in an address to the nation Wednesday night an expanded military and political effort to combat Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, possibly including airstrikes in Syria, officials said.
The president also urged Congress to quickly give him authority to arm moderate Syrian opposition forces fighting President Bashar Assad.
But administration officials said Obama pressed forward with other priorities without formal authorization from lawmakers. That could include wide-ranging airstrikes in Iraq and perhaps Syria as well. Other elements of Obama’s plan included increased support for Iraqi security forces, as well as military and diplomatic commitments from partners in Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere.
After an hour-long discussion with congressional leaders Tuesday, the White House said Obama told lawmakers that he “has the authority he needs to take action” against the Islamic State militants. The White House added that the president still would welcome action from Congress that would “aid the overall effort and demonstrate to the world that the United States is united in defeating the threat.”
For Obama, a sustained U.S. intervention in the Middle East is at odds with the vision he had for the region when he ran for president on a pledge to end the war in Iraq, where the role of American fighting forces drew to a close nearly three years ago. The timing of his announcement Wednesday night was all the more striking, scheduled in prime time just hours before anniversary commemorations of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Among the president’s most urgent priorities is seeking authorization from Congress to arm more moderate elements of the Syrian opposition fighting Assad. The president asked lawmakers earlier this year for a $500 million train-and-equip program, but the plan stalled on Capitol Hill.
The U.S. already has been running a smaller CIA program to train the rebels, but Obama is seeking approval for a more overt military effort that could involve staging training locations in countries near Syria.
With Obama ruling out sending U.S. ground troops into combat in Iraq or Syria, bolstering the capacity of the Iraqi security forces and Syrian opposition will be crucial to efforts to root out the Islamic State militant group, which has moved freely across the blurred border between the two countries. U.S. airstrikes could help give the forces in both countries the space to make gains against the extremists.
Administration officials said Obama also sees a congressional authorization for a Syrian train-and-equip message as sending a strong signal to allies who are considering similar efforts. Secretary of State John Kerry traveled to the Middle East on Wednesday for discussions in Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
Germany has decided to send assault rifles, ammunition, anti-tank weapons and armored vehicles to Kurdish forces in Iraq fighting the Islamic State, breaking with Berlin’s previous reluctance to send weapons into conflicts. The deliveries haven’t started, but last week Germany sent a first planeload of military equipment such as helmets, protective vests, field glasses and mine-searching devices to Iraq.
On Capitol Hill, there was little consensus on the scope of Obama’s authority to broaden the campaign against the Islamic State extremists. While some lawmakers said the president has the power he needs under the Constitution, others were seeking a more central congressional role in the effort.
“I think it is to his advantage and the country’s advantage to have Congress buy into that,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said before joining other Republican and Democratic leaders in the Oval Office on Tuesday for a meeting with Obama.
An aide to House Speaker John Boehner said the Ohio Republican expressed support for efforts to increase the effectiveness of the Iraqi security forces and for equipping the Syrian opposition. Boehner also said he would support the deployment of U.S. military personnel to Iraq in a training and advisory role and to “assist with lethal targeting” of Islamic State leadership, according to the aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the private meeting by name.
The U.S. is already launching airstrikes against Islamic State targets inside Iraq, undertaken at the invitation of the Iraqi government and without formal authorization from Congress. But the mission has been limited to strikes that help protect American interests in the region and prevent humanitarian crises.
U.S. officials said Obama was expected to loosen those limitations and open a broader counterterrorism campaign against the militants in Iraq. Following the Islamic State group’s shocking beheading of two American journalists in Syria, Obama began more seriously considering extending strikes into that country.
People who have spoken with Obama in recent days said it appeared likely he would take that step. At a private dinner Monday with foreign policy experts, Obama emphasized the importance of viewing the Islamic State as one organization, not two groups separated by a border. Administration officials and others familiar with Obama’s thinking spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to be identified.
Obama’s spokesman has said the president is willing “to go wherever is necessary to strike those who are threatening Americans.” However, Obama has continued to rule out sending U.S. troops into ground combat operations in the Middle East.
In a shift for a war-weary nation, new polls suggest the American people would support a sustained air campaign. A Washington Post-ABC News poll released Monday showed 71 percent of Americans support airstrikes in Iraq, up from 54 percent just three weeks ago. And 65 percent say they support extending airstrikes into Syria.
Taking that latter step would raise legal and geopolitical issues that Obama has long sought to avoid, particularly without formal congressional authorization.
Unlike in Iraq, Obama would not be acting at the invitation of a host government. However, some international law experts say airstrikes could be justified as a matter of self-defense if Obama argues the Islamic State group poses a threat to the U.S. and its allies from inside Syria, whose government is unwilling or unable to stop it.
Another possibility: Although the U.S. has said it will not coordinate with Assad, his government could give back-channel consent to American attacks. Obama would still have to contend with the notion that American airstrikes against the militants were helping Assad, who has overseen Syria’s bloody civil war. The U.S. has long called for Assad to leave power, and the Islamic State group is one of the groups inside Syria that is seeking to oust him.

Wife Defends Ray Rice, Slams Media

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Birmingham Times

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September 11, 2014

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In this May 23, 2014, file photo, Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, right, speaks alongside his wife, Janay, during a news conference at the team's practice facility in Owings Mills, Md. A new video that appears to show Ray Rice striking then-fiance Janay Palmer in an elevator last February has been released on a website. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) — In this May 23, 2014, file photo, Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, right, speaks alongside his wife, Janay, during a news conference at the team’s practice facility in Owings Mills, Md. A new video that appears to show Ray Rice striking then-fiance Janay Palmer in an elevator last February has been released on a website. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

A day after a new video surfaced showing Ray Rice hitting his then-fiancée in the face in a hotel elevator, prompting the Baltimore Ravens to release the running back and the NFL to increase his suspension from two games to indefinite, Janay Rice defended her husband and criticized the media.
“I woke up this morning feeling like I had a horrible nightmare, feeling like I’m mourning the death of my closest friend,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “But to have to accept the fact that it’s reality is a nightmare itself. No one knows the pain that the media & unwanted [opinions] from the public has caused my family. To make us relive a moment in our lives that we regret everyday is a horrible thing.
“To take something away from the man I love that he has worked his a** off for all his life just to gain ratings is horrific. THIS IS OUR LIFE! What don’t you all get. If your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, take all happiness away, you’ve succeeded on so many levels. Just know we will continue to grow & show the world what real love is! Ravensnation we love you!”
ESPN’s Josina Anderson spoke to the Rices by phone Tuesday. Asked how he was doing, Ray Rice responded, “I have to be strong for my wife. She is so strong. … We are in good spirits. We have a lot of people praying for us and we ‘ll continue to support each other.”
Rice added, “I have to be there for [Janay] and my family right now and work through this.”
After that, Ray handed his phone to his wife. “I love my husband. I support him,” Janay Rice said. “I want people to respect our privacy in this family matter.”
TMZ Sports released the video that showed Rice assaulting his wife on its website Monday. Earlier Tuesday TMZ reported that sources connected with the Revel Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City told TMZ Sports no one from the NFL asked the casino for the video of the couple in the elevator from the Feb. 15 incident. Instead, the league apparently relied on previously released video that showed Rice dragging his fiancée – who is seemingly unconscious – from the elevator before determining that he would serve a two-game suspension. The penalty was levied in July.
The Ravens said Monday that they’d not seen the video released Monday by TMZ Sports, either. Asked why the team wasn’t able to view the video sooner, coach John Harbaugh told reporters at a Monday night news conference: “I don’t know why that would be a hard thing to understand. It wasn’t available. It wasn’t there for us. It wasn’t something that we ever saw or had access to.”
The Associated Press reported Monday night that it had viewed a higher-quality video provided by a law enforcement official, and that Rice and Palmer could be heard shouting obscenities at each other. According to the AP, after she collapses, he drags her out of the elevator and is met by some hotel staff. One of them can be heard saying, “She’s drunk, right?” And then, “No cops.” Rice doesn’t respond.
The video, which is slightly longer than the TMZ version and includes some audio, was shown to the AP on condition of anonymity because the official isn’t authorized to release it.
The NFL repeated Tuesday that authorities did not make available the video of the assault, despite a claim by TMZ.com that the league did not ask the hotel for it. In statements, the league said it had asked New Jersey State Police for it, and had “reached out multiple times to the Atlantic City Police Department and the Atlantic County prosecutor’s office.”
The Ravens reached their decision to release Rice in a quick meeting between Harbaugh, owner Steve Bisciotti, general manager Ozzie Newsome and team president Dick Cass, according to Harbaugh.
“The Baltimore Ravens terminated the contract of RB Ray Rice this afternoon,” the team’s statement read.
Bisciotti first saw the video on television and decided almost immediately that Rice had to be released, a source told ESPN’s Ed Werder. Bisciotti called a meeting to confer with other members of the organization’s hierarchy. Newsome called Rice to inform him of the team’s decision. Harbaugh also spoke to Rice, while Bisciotti contacted NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
The source said that Rice admitted to the Ravens from the start that he was guilty of striking Janay and, for the most part, accurately described what they eventually saw on the video. But the brutality of the assault when seen on the security video made a different impression.
“His description was not too much different – except it looks more violent when you see it,” a team source said. “He’s a likable guy, and he’s done so many things the right way in his career, but he’s paying for what he did and the fact there was a video. You can’t erase the video.”
The source insisted the Ravens had requested copies of the video through multiple sources without success. At one point, a police officer who had seen the video described what it contained to Ravens officials.
“We hadn’t seen the video,” the source said. “The video changes the perspective.”
The Ravens are not expected to further address the situation.
The NFL’s two-game suspension of Rice was widely criticized as too lenient.
A spokesperson for the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office told ESPN’s Don Van Natta on Monday: “Mr. Rice received the same treatment in the court system that any first-time offender in similar circumstances has received. We have no comment beyond that.”
Rice’s lawyer, Michael Diamondstein, declined to comment when contacted by the AP.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who, in 2010 was the first player suspended under the NFL’s personal conduct policy, said Tuesday he would pray for Rice and his wife. The Steelers visit the Ravens on Thursday.
Rice, 27, was charged with felony aggravated assault in the case and in May was accepted into a pretrial intervention program that allowed him to avoid jail time and could lead to the charge being purged from his record. Rice hasn’t spoken often to the media since his arrest, but on July 31 he called his actions “inexcusable” and said this is “something I have to live with the rest of my life.”
He added: “I know that’s not who I am as a man. That’s not who my mom raised me to be. If anybody knows me, they know I was raised by a single parent, and that was my mother. I let her down, I let my wife down, I let my daughter down. I let my wife’s parents down. I let the whole Baltimore community down. I let my teammates down. I let so many people down because of 30 seconds of my life that I know I can’t take back.”
On Monday, teams were notified that any contract with Rice would not be approved or take effect until further direction is provided by Goodell, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
The executive director of the NFL Players Association, DeMaurice Smith, told SI.com that the video is disturbing and jarring.
“The video is really all the information I’ve seen. I did learn on the way over to the facility about Mr. Rice being released, and have not yet talked to [Goodell] about any other discipline,” Smith said, according to the report. “I did hear that [Rice had been suspended], but I tend to rely on the commissioner and learning all the facts first-hand. That’s what we’ll do, and once we know what those facts are, that will dictate our next steps.”
Information from ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter and The Associated Press is included in this report.

NAACP Applauds Dept. of Justice Decision to Investigate the Ferguson Police Force

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Birmingham Times

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September 11, 2014

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BALTIMORE, Md. – United States Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. has announced that the U.S. Department of Justice will launch a broad civil rights investigation of the Ferguson, Missouri Police Department. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division will conduct the investigation and follow a similar process which it uses to investigate police departments across the country. In light of this development, the NAACP has released the following statements.

From Cornell William Brooks, President and CEO:
“We at the NAACP applaud Attorney General Eric Holder for taking this important and necessary step of launching a new investigation into the Ferguson police department. The life of an unarmed 18-year-old teenager was cut short by an armed police officer whose job was to serve and protect. The NAACP Missouri State Conference filed five federal lawsuits over the last five years against St. Louis County police officers, claiming excessive force. Local NAACP leaders have been working closely with federal authorities and are heartened by this decision.”

From Mary Ratliff, NAACP Missouri State Conference President:
“The Missouri State Conference strongly supports the decision by the U.S. Department of Justice to launch a civil rights investigation of the Ferguson Police Department. A comprehensive review of policing practices across the greater St. Louis metropolitan area is sorely needed.”

From Adolphus Pruitt, President of the NAACP St. Louis City Branch/Vice President NAACP MO State Conference:
“I commend the Department of Justice for launching this investigation. We hope that it brings some resolution to the number of complaints the NAACP Missouri State Conference have in front of the Justice Department about various police departments in St. Louis County.”

Renasant Offers Free Small Business Workshop

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Birmingham Times

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September 11, 2014

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BIRMINGHAM, AL – Renasant Bank will host a FREE workshop for small business owners on September 18 from 9:30 to 11:00 at the Birmingham Central Library. The topic will be How Do I Make Money with My Website. The session will be led by Andrea Walker, Corporate Communications Manager, Walter Energy. She will share strategies to effectively utilize your company’s online presence to gain more customers and make the most of your website.

To register, please visit: http://movetogreaterservice.com/smallbiz

This is the second in a free six-part entrepreneurial success series that Renasant Bank is hosting to help small businesses succeed. Series topics include Financial Management, Networking and Relationship Building, Social Media, Tax Information, Business Plan Components, Human Resources and Access to Capital.

Renasant staff and local experts are leading these valuable learning sessions throughout the Birmingham and Shelby County communities. The event is co-sponsored by Birmingham Public Library System and Trudy Phillips Consulting. Complimentary refreshments will be served.

Tracey Morant Adams, Senior Vice President Small Business and Community Development Director said of the series, ‘This free series is part of Renasant Bank’s continuing commitment to further the success of small business owners and entrepreneurs in our area. We are pleased to provide valuable tools and insight to help our local community businesses thrive and flourish.”

Future sessions include:
Oct. 23, 2014   Financing, Lending Sources and Credit                   Pratt City Library
Nov. 20, 2014 Self-employed & Small Business Tax Workshop        Woodlawn Public Library
Jan. 15, 2015   One-Page Business Plan with Financial Projections Alabaster City Hall
Feb. 12, 2015 Contract Employees vs. Full Time Employees             Avondale Public Library

To register for any of the sessions, please visit: http://movetogreaterservice.com/smallbiz

Birmingham Dance Celebrates their 4th Year Anniversary

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Birmingham Times

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September 11, 2014

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Birmingham Dance celebrated their 4th Anniversary by participating in a series of events. In addition to community service, dancing at local events and continuous dance training, one of the events that BD participated in is the annual KIDS Christian Music Center Summer Camp. They learned theatre, choir, handbells and dance in a Christian setting; while the younger children participated in the ORFF program with Mr. Joe Jenkins, Sr. This was a two-week camp which began on Monday July 21st and ended on August 2nd from 5-9:30 p.m. with Founders, Drs. Daniel and Gwendolyn Cason. Free evening meals were served and over 200 children were in attendance.
This year in addition to a finale program, with the Summer Music Camp, there was an additional program at Central Park Baptist Church and many of the children danced with a “live” orchestra. “That was an exciting opportunity for me, said BD member, Anthony,” some dancers never experience dancing with a live orchestra.” The intermediate/advanced dancers of Birmingham Dance also participated in a Master’s Dance Class at Carver Theatre with Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA) graduate and college student, Katherine Michelle Files, who now resides in New York, on Saturday, August 2nd at 2 p.m. “I really enjoyed Ms. Files, she was very personable and made us feel comfortable,” mentioned BD member, Sabre.
Then on August 16th, BD organized their 4th Annual Dance Recital. Several groups attended this spectacular event! A rapper by the stage name of “4-Given” opened up with vivacious, rhythmic rhyme. Mime Selections were performed by Anderson “A.J. Womack, Prophetic Praze, Eternally Grateful, Shady Grove Mime Team, The Anointed One and Alabama All Star Mime Team. Vocalists and choirs represented were Erika Williams (Sistas with Voices), Tikara Henderson, Minister Timothy King, Pastor Wayne Dansby, Shady Grove CME Church Praise Ensemble, 1st Missionary Baptist Church of Hueytown Choir and of course, Birmingham Dance was present to execute a couple of beautifully, choreographed selections. “All of the artists were superb and to see them exhibit their gifts in the level of excellence that was shared was breathtaking,” stated Dr. Berry, we share the gospel of Jesus Christ through dance. The program was hosted by Donald Shepherd, founder of the STRAP Foundation at HIS Word Ministries,1200-20th Street North in Birmingham where Apostle Merlin and Co-Pastor Patricia Taylor are Pastors. “Birmingham Dance is an awesome dance team, and the STRAP foundation will do whatever they can to help the children…at the end of the day, it’s not about us…it’s all about the children,” says Mr. Shepherd.
Staff of Birmingham Dance that participated in this grand dance recital event were Dr. Janice Baskin Berry (Founder/Director), Mattheus Rhoden (Assistant to the Director), Sabre Baskin (President), and Bianca J. Upshaw Wilson (Board of Director). Other Members of Birmingham Dance included Anthony Williams, Psalm Baskin, Sahlace Baskin, Seraph Baskin, Aubri Rutledge, Tessley Rutledge, Terri-Michael Fleming, Tikara Henderson.
If you would like to connect with this Community Praise Dance Team or become a part of this ministry next Spring 2015, visit our social media (Facebook and Instagram) @ Birmingham Dance or our website at
www.BirminghamDance.net.

False Humility Doesn’t Please God!

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Birmingham Times

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September 11, 2014

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Many Christians hold the mistaken view that God is pleased when we put ourselves down. How could that be, when we are His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10)? To criticize ourselves is to criticize the workmanship of God. As the saying goes, “God doesn’t make junk!” Many of the great men and women in the Bible initially tried to use false humility to excuse themselves from the commission God had for them. Each time, the Lord rebuked them. For example, God wasn’t impressed with Moses’ humility when he claimed he wasn’t eloquent enough to lead the Israelites. From our perspective, Moses was just being humble. From God’s perspective, Moses was actually doing the very opposite of true humility – he was placing his own evaluation of himself above God’s. While hiding under the guise of modesty, nothing could be more proud and presumptuous.
Rather than being pleased by Moses’ excuses, “the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses.”
When God called Jeremiah, a similar conversation took place (Jeremiah 1:4-10). Like Moses, Jeremiah had an excuse for why he could not possibly fulfill the awesome call of God on his life. But, as He had done in response to Moses’ pleas of inadequacy, God told Jeremiah to quit sucking his thumb: “Prepare yourself and arise!” Contrary to what we might expect, the Lord never seems very impressed when we tell him how inadequate we are. Paul made it clear that he had learned this very lesson: “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant” (2 Corinthians 3:5-6).

Another excerpt from: “Elephants in the Church” by Bishop George G. Bloomer…Thanks to all my readers. Please mail all topics to be discussed to: 1024 Ethel Ln B’ham. AL 35235 or text…205-276-9019…Phone will not accept voice… Remember, there is still time in the summer to get out and do you for Jesus! Manifest Christ in the midst of great darkness; He will shine through you!
Have a great week!

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) to Present Author Talk and Book Signing with Media Personality Tavis Smiley

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Birmingham Times

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September 11, 2014

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The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) will present an author talk and book signing with media personality Tavis Smiley, author of DEATH OF A KING: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Final Year on Saturday, September 20, at 10:30 a.m. The program will be held in BCRI’s Abraham Woods Community Meeting room.
Following the presentation, Smiley will be available to sign copies of his new book about the renowned leader and visionary. This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required at www.bcri.org and seating is limited. The BCRI gift store is offering a special discount on the book from September 16 to September 20.
According to publisher Little, Brown and Company, DEATH OF A KING paints a powerful portrait of a leader and visionary in a narrative different from all that have come before, told in the present tense and with pace and power. Here is an exceptional glimpse into King’s life—one that adds a nuanced new view of Dr. King’s legacy as an American hero. King’s somber reaction to the Newark riots that began in July of 1967, the strain that his work put on his marriage to Coretta, the chilling last twenty-four hours of his life—all are brought to life in exquisite, haunting detail.”