Black women students at Alverno receive Kente cloths during special ceremonyFormer Milwaukee County Supervisor Lee Holloway proudly bestowed a Kentestove around the neck of his niece Roxanne Hendon (pictured at far left). Hol-loway was standing in for his late brother and Hendon’s father, Charles Holloway.The moving scene took place at Alverno College where the Bestowing of the Kenteceremony took place at the college’s Sister Joel Read Conference Center after theregular commencement exercise. The ceremony is held during both the winterand spring commencement exercises. The Kente is regarded as a symbol of pres-tige and is reserved for important and special occasions. For Black Alverno stu-dents (pictured at left after the ceremony) it exemplifies the characteristics ofresourcefulness, improvement, endurance, perseverance and achievement. It alsosymbolizes their rite of passage and celebrates their graduation. (Photos by Yvonne Kemp)

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OMMUNITYOMMUNITYVOL. XXXVIII Number 23 January 1, 2014

2013 Salvation Army Christmas Family Feast a Success!

PASTOR STEVE SEARCY:“Because it brings the community to-gether to enjoy the most festive mealof the year.”

SHELIA ORR: “Because most peo-ple don’t have a family or the oneswho do don’t have enough food tofeed everybody. So, like me and mine,we can all come together and enjoy X-mas as one big family.”

CORNELIUS BUIE: “It provides aChristmas feast that many people maynot have. But most of all, it bringspeople of all races together to enjoy ahappy holiday.”

SANDRA PRESCOTT: “BecauseJesus is the reason for the season; andwhen good things like this happen, itgives people hope. This is my firsttime here and next year, I will be avolunteer.”

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:“Why is the annual Salvation Army’s Christmas

Family Feast important to our community?”PULSE OF THE COMMUNITY

Question and photos by Yvonne Kemp

ver 8,000 reportedly people per-took in the annual Salvation ArmyChristmas Family Feast on Christ-mas Day at the Wisconsin CenterDistrict, 400 W. Wisconsin Ave.

Families who are struggling financially and indi-viduals who were far from family and friendsfeasted on a Christmas meal that included turkey,ham, mashed potatoes and other yultide goodies.Volunteers of all ages, well-known political,business and religious individuals and regularpeople of all backgrounds were on hand to helpserve and entertain the throng, and reinforce thetrue meaning of the holiday. More photos onpage 5. (Photos by Yvonne Kemp)

O

The Milwaukee Community Journal January 1, 2014 Page 2RIVERWEST FOODPANTRY SERVES 150FAMILIES WITH HOLIDAY GIFTS LEADING UP TO THE BIG DAYGift give-away aided by LumenChristi generosity

The Riverwest Food Pantry’s food distribution site at924 E. Clarke St. resembled a North Pole toy and giftshop a week before Christmas as the organization pre-

pared and distributed toys and presents for more than 300children from 150-plus needy area families.

Donated by parishioners from the Lumen ChristiChurch in Mequon, the broad assortment of Christmasgifts for children and adolescents were displayed for se-lections made by parents residing in Riverwest andHarambee neighborhoods on Milwaukee’s Northeastside.

Organizers from the Riverwest Food Pantry and LumenChristi Church were on hand to greet the gift-recipients,and a light Holiday brunch was served to all in atten-dance.

Adding to the festivities, the gift-recipient parentsawaited their trips to the Holiday Gift Shop in the neigh-boring Our Lady of Divine Providence Church wherethere was caroling and Holiday story-tales.

GED/HSED students from SDC graduate to a New Future

More than 100 adult men andwomen walked across the stage to re-ceive their GED/HSED diplomas ingraduation ceremonies held in theirhonor recently.

The graduates from the Social De-velopment Commission (SDC) pro-gram, in doing so, took a big steptowards a new and brighter future.

One hundred, three adults who

went back to the classroom at SDCto earn their high school diplomaswere enthusiastically congratulatedand cheered by family and friends.They overcame the demands of chal-lenges like jobs, health and family tocomplete the coursework and testingto reach graduation day.

SDC CEO George Hinton toldgraduates he understood their strug-

gles, noting that he himself had notfinished high school but went backyears later to earn his GED.

He continued on to complete un-dergraduate and graduate degreesand eventually became President ofAurora Sinai Medical Center. He

asked the graduates if their achieve-ment had been easy and was an-swered with a loud “No!” He thenasked if it was worth it and the replywas an emphatic “Yes!”

He encouraged them to continuetheir efforts to build a better life for

themselves and their families.For many of the graduates, the day

was the realization of a big step intheir plans to create a new future.

They shared hugs, smiles and tearswith friends and relatives and walkedaway from the ceremony with opti-

mism and hope for tomorrow.To learn more about the

GED/HSED programs at SDC, visitthe website www.cr-s d c . o r g / i n d e x / P r o g r a m s - -Services/Education--Training/Basic-Skills.htm.

The Big Clean-Up:What Milwaukee Residents Need to Do After A SnowfallThe City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works thanks all Milwau-

keeans for their help in cleaning up after each of December’s fresh snowfalls.This is a reminder for residents and property owners on what they need toknow and make part of their clean-up:

Please clear a path to garbage and recycling carts so DPW crews can servicethem with few snow and ice obstructions. This helps DPW crews do their jobefficiently, effectively and safely and ensures a timely pick-up

• Shovel sidewalks within 24 hours after the snow stops falling• Shovel around fire hydrants on your block• Do not shovel or blow snow from sidewalks and driveways back into

plowed streets• Look up your next garbage and recycling collection dates at www.mil-

waukee.gov/mpw, and again, shovel the area around your carts before sched-uled collections. You can call 286-CITY(2489) to get your pick-upinformation as well.

DPW Sanitation crews will be working this Saturday, December 28 col-lecting both garbage and recycling. Be sure to clear a path for their crews.

Use E-Cycle Wisconsin to dispose ofunwanted electronics after the holidays

With many Wisconsin residents giving and receiving electronics as giftsthis holiday season, Wired Wisconsin is reminding consumers to take advan-tage of the E-Cycle Wisconsin program and safely dispose of old or unwantedelectronics after the holidays.

“After all of the holiday gift giving is complete, consumers often find thatthey have unwanted or old electronics to dispose of,” said Thad Nation, ex-ecutive director of Wired Wisconsin. “It’s important that Wisconsin con-sumers understand the proper methods for recycling these devices. By takingour old electronics to an e-cycling center, we can keep our communities safefrom hazardous materials, reduce waste and support local job growth.”

Recycling old electronics after the holidays has become hassle free withWisconsin’s electronic recycling program, E-Cycle Wisconsin, which estab-lished registered collection sites throughout the state in 2010. Consumers candrop their unwanted electronics at one of nearly 450 permanent collectionsites in Wisconsin where recycled goods will be sold to recyclers and brokendown for their component recyclable parts.

Since its inception, E-Cycle Wisconsin has kept more than 123 millionpounds of electronics out of landfills. Last year, registered collectors through-out the state took in 38.8 million pounds of electronics – 6.8 pounds for everyresident in Wisconsin.

“Electronics have become one of the most popular gifts to give during theholidays,” said Nation. “Unwanted or obsolete electronics still do have somevalue to them if they are recycled properly.”

For example, a typical older desktop computer and a CRT monitor weighapproximately 60 pounds combined, most of which can be broken down andrecycled. The two components combined contain roughly: 15 pounds ofglass, 14 pounds of plastic, 12 pounds of iron, 8 pounds of aluminum, 4pounds of copper, 4 pounds of lead and 1 pound of zinc.

Corella Washington celebrates her graduation fromSDC’s GED/HSED program with her daughter.

PERSPECTIVESPERSPECTIVES QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Every great dreambegins with a dreamer. Always remember,you have within you the strength, the pa-tience, and the passion to reach for thestars to change the world”– Harriet Tubman

The Milwaukee Community Journal January 1, 2014 Page 3

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.

MCJ STAFF:Patricia O’Flynn -PattilloPublisher, CEORobert J. ThomasAssoc. PublisherTodd Thomas, Vice Pres.Mikel Holt, Assoc. PublisherThomas E. Mitchell, Jr., EditorKia Marie Green, Mang. EditorTeretha Martin, Technical Consultant/Billing Dept./Publisher’s Admin. Assist.Colleen Newsom,

Classified AdvertisingJimmy V. Johnson, Sales Rep.Joan Hollingsworth, Sales Rep.CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:Taki S. Raton,Rev. Roxanne Cardenas,Troy A. Sparks,Sports EditorPHOTOGRAPHER: Yvonne Kemp

Mary Burke Brings BothPassion and Success tothe Race for Governor

There is only one candidate inthe race for governor who has ex-perience creating jobs in the pri-vate sector.

Only one candidate can saythey’ve started their own business,met a payroll, and balanced abudget in the private sector.

And only one candidate can saythey’ve used private sector solu-tions to help achieve 4.8% unem-ployment in the state of Wisconsin.

That candidate is Mary Burke.Burke, a Harvard Business Sch-

ool graduate, joined her family’scompany Trek Bicycle in the late1990s as Director of European Op-erations.

Burke led the company’s expan-sion abroad, opening four differentoffices in her first year and threemore over the next two.

Burke’s approach to business ispragmatic and data driven; shemakes decisions based on carefulanalysis.

Her colleagues from the privatesector will tell you that her focuson efficiency and accountability isa big part of her professional suc-cess.

Burke helped turn Trek into aglobal leader in the biking indus-try, increasing sales in Europefrom $3 million a year to $50 mil-lion a year and helping to creategood paying jobs in Wisconsin.Today, Trek purchases over $40million in goods and services fromWisconsin businesses, both largeand small.

Burke went on to found Trek’sStrategic Planning and ForecastingDepartment. As the head of the de-partment for nearly a decade, itwas her job to focus every day onimproving the company’s bottomline.

When Former Governor JimDoyle asked her to run the Depart-ment of Commerce in 2005, Burkeused the same approach she had inthe private sector to build successin Wisconsin’s public sector.

She employed the lean manufacturing principles that made Trek a successto reduce waste and improve efficiency. There was a 4.8% unemploymentrate during her tenure as Secretary--down significantly from the current 6.5%rate--and 84,000 more jobs than there are in the state today.

Burke has been personally committed to giving back to Wisconsin and hercommunity for the better part of fifteen years. A loyal supporter of the Boysand Girls Club of Dane County, Burke has lent her business savvy and ex-pertise to get the organization on solid financial ground and extend crucialprograms to Madison youth.

Burke has sat on the board of directors of several area non-profits and evenstarted an innovative public-private partnership to close the minority aca-demic achievement gap called AVID/TOPS. AVID/TOPS grew out of Burke’spassion for education and her strong view that everyone should have the op-portunity to be successful in life.

The program is entering its fourth year, and all signs show it is improvingcollege readiness for participating students.

Burke’s passion and commitment to serving the state are what make her anexciting candidate, but it’s her broad range of experience and high levels ofachievement that will make her an effective governor.

Mary Burke“When Former Gover-nor Jim Doyle askedher to run the Depart-ment of Commerce in2005, Burke used thesame approach shehad in the private sec-tor to build success inWisconsin’s publicsector. She employedthe lean manufacturingprinciples that madeTrek a success to re-duce waste and im-prove efficiency. Therewas a 4.8% unemploy-ment rate during hertenure as Secretary--down significantly fromthe current 6.5% rate--and 84,000 more jobsthan there are in thestate today.”

ELECTION WATCH ‘14

n Friday, PresidentObama sought to reas-sure Americans that theAffordable Care Act,his biggest legislativeaccomplishment, is on

track. He said that more than 1 mil-lion people enrolled in private healthinsurance plans through the law’s on-line marketplaces since Oct. 1, withthe pace accelerating in December.Higher enrollment is good news.

But just a few days from the law’s first majorcoverage deadline, the administration is still failingto inspire confidence that the policy is on firmfooting.

Enrollment is far from the 7 million the Con-gressional Budget Office estimated would besigned up by next March, the final deadline to get2014 coverage. Missing that target would not be adisaster — as long as a diverse group of peoplesigns up.

The system needs to attract healthy participantsto offset the costs of the sick, and it’s not clear howwell it’s doing that, nor will it be for a long time.A lack of balance would challenge the system’scost structure — and, possibly, its long-term via-bility.

A policy shift announced Thursday infuriated in-surance companies because they worry the admin-istration has offered healthy people another way toavoid the insurance pool.

Calling it a clarification, Health and HumanServices Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announcedthat people whose current insurance plans were

canceled because their policies didn’t comply withthe new law would be eligible for a temporary ex-emption from the requirement that they purchasequalifying health insurance next year.

If those people can credibly claim that they don’thave affordable options on the new marketplace,they will be able to buy skimpy “catastrophic”plans for next year. That would pull them out ofthe insurance pool.

The number of people who will take advantageof this new coverage avenue is probably small.Many people with canceled plans will get gooddeals in the marketplace. Others have arranged in-surance for next year.

Insurance companies might not be ready to ac-commodate many of those seeking catastrophicplans, anyway.

But all of these last-minute policy shifts confusepeople who were already struggling to understanda complex new system, and they force insurancecompanies to take on more work, which would bedifficult even if everything were going right.

The cumulative effect is that at least some peo-ple — we hope not many — will misunderstandtheir responsibilities under the law or be deterredfrom seeking coverage.

The biggest danger is that the Obama adminis-tration is encouraging politicians to meddle in thehealth-care system every time a few vocal con-stituents get upset about its requirements.

Ms. Sebelius’s Thursday announcement was aresponse to six Democratic senators from compet-itive states who are concerned about people gettinginsurance cancellation notices.

Not everyone was going to win under health-care reform, and not everyone can if the system isto work.

The threat is that, in seeing to the concerns ofthose who might have to pay more in 2014 or infuture years or some other group that feels putupon at some time, politicians will poke so manyholes and add so many exceptions that the law isseriously undermined.

Meddling with Obamacare could undermine the whole law

“Enrollment is far fromthe 7 million the Congres-sional Budget Office esti-mated would be signed up

by next March, the finaldeadline to get 2014 cover-

age. Missing that targetwould not be a disaster —as long as a diverse group

of people signs up.”

Article courtesy of the Washington PostO

Black media is THE ONE with its fingeron the pulse of OUR community

On Saturday, December21, the Community Brain-storming Conference heldits monthly forum at St.Matthew C.M.E. Church, located on North 9th Street. Thetopic of the forum was how the media covers AfricanAmericans (to be more exact, the African American com-munity as a whole).

On the panel were journalists who work for the main-stream (i.e. the White to be more accurate) media: Mil-waukee Journal Sentinel Columnists Eugene Kane andJames Causey; Fox 6 Television News Anchor and Re-porter Kim Murphy; and Joel McNally, a former columnistwith the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel who now writes a col-umn for the Shepard Express.

The only White individual on the panel, McNally hasearned the respect of African Americans in the city as achampion of Black issues, which earned him a morningco-hosting position with the now defunct 1290 WMCS AMradio. McNally can also be seen on Public Television’s “in-terCHANGE” talk show program.

Former 1290 WMCS Talk Show Host Earl Ingram wasalso on the panel. He now carries on his mission of speak-ing truth to power online. His fans now listen to him via theInternet.

His “studio” is Coffee Makes You Black coffeehouse andcafé every Sunday.

Conspicuously absent from the panel was anyone repre-senting Black owned and operated media outlets: YourMilwaukee Community Journal, The Milwaukee Courier,The Milwaukee Times; and WNOV AM radio, whichknow—with the demise of 1290 WMCS—is the lone Blackowned radio station providing a talk-radio format.

Fortunately, a representative of local Black media—theeditor of the Community Journal—was present at theforum to hear what Black journalists working for Whiteowned mainstream media outlets had to say about “cover-ing” our community.

After the panelists spoke, the forum’s moderator ac-knowledged the MCJ editor’s presence and asked if he

would like to say a fewwords on behalf of theBlack press.

The MCJ editor agreedand explained to the forum audience the purpose of Blackmedia—particularly the Black press—which is to plead thecauses, issues and aspirations of the Black community ona local, national, and international level.

More importantly, he said, the Black press/media’s maingoal is to laud the positive accomplishments of our com-munity and people.

For example, instead of talking about who’s killingwho—and where—in our community (which the main-stream media seems to “eagerly” cover), the editor saidthe Black press/media focuses on the reasons for homi-cides and crime in general, and offers solutions that couldstem the crisis.

The editor stressed the Black press/media is THE ONEwith its finger on the pulse of what is going on in the Blackcommunity and is the only authoritative source of informa-tion, education and inspiration our people can—and do—depend on.

We are well aware of the challenges facing the printmedia. However, as the Black print media: MCJ, Courier,and Times, we have a unique niche/audience that only wecan reach with our brand of news and information.

We don’t expect the mainstream media to be able topenetrate our audience anytime soon, but we’re also fullyaware of our responsibility to you as our readers. But you,our readers, also have an obligation, especially Blackbusinesses.

For us to continue our mission of pleading your case, weneed your support via advertising dollars.

With your dollars we can continue our mission of inform-ing, educating and inspiring our community forward tosuccess and prosperity.

We’re here for you! We have been for 38 years and wedon’t plan on going anywhere soon. With your continuedreadership and advertising support, we will continue to“plead our own cause!”

More than 100 adult men andwomen walked across the stage to re-ceive their GED/HSED diplomas ingraduation ceremonies held in theirhonor recently.

The graduates from the Social De-velopment Commission (SDC) pro-gram, in doing so, took a big steptowards a new and brighter future.

One hundred, three adults who

went back to the classroom at SDCto earn their high school diplomaswere enthusiastically congratulatedand cheered by family and friends.They overcame the demands of chal-lenges like jobs, health and family tocomplete the coursework and testingto reach graduation day.

SDC CEO George Hinton toldgraduates he understood their strug-

gles, noting that he himself had notfinished high school but went backyears later to earn his GED.

He continued on to complete un-dergraduate and graduate degreesand eventually became President ofAurora Sinai Medical Center. He

asked the graduates if their achieve-ment had been easy and was an-swered with a loud “No!” He thenasked if it was worth it and the replywas an emphatic “Yes!”

He encouraged them to continuetheir efforts to build a better life for

themselves and their families.For many of the graduates, the day

was the realization of a big step intheir plans to create a new future.

They shared hugs, smiles and tearswith friends and relatives and walkedaway from the ceremony with opti-

mism and hope for tomorrow.To learn more about the

GED/HSED programs at SDC, visitthe website www.cr-s d c . o r g / i n d e x / P r o g r a m s - -Services/Education--Training/Basic-Skills.htm.

Statement from the President and the First Lady on Kwanzaa“Michelle and I extend our best wishes to all those celebrating Kwanzaa this holiday season. Today (Thursday,Dec. 26) marks the beginning of the week-long celebration of African American culture through family activi-ties and community festivities that bring attention to Kwanzaa's seven principles of unity, self-determination,collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. Though each principlerepresents the essence of this holiday, they also represent the shared values that bind us as Americans.”

MCJ EDITORIALMCJ EDITORIAL

The Milwaukee Community Journal January 1, 2014 Page 4

The Milwaukee Community Journal January 1, 2014 Page 5

4WCOMMUNITY HOLIDAY HAPPENINGSWHO•WHAT•WHERE•WHEN•WHO•WHAT•WHERE•WHEN•WHO•WHAT•WHERE•WHEN•WHO•WHAT•WHERE•WHEN•WHO•WHAT•WHERE•WHEN•WHO•WHAT•WHERE•WHE

S A L V A T I O N A R M Y 2 4 T H A N N U A L

CHRISTMAS FAMILY FEAST

“Every plate served in the Wisconsin Center ballroom on Wednesday had a storybehind it. Some said they didn’t know where they would be spending Christmasafternoon if it wasn’t for the warmth of the meal served by volunteers.”

--From FOX6now.com article

The Milwaukee Community Journal January 1, 2014 Page 6

The Milwaukee Community Journal January 1, 2014 Page 7

KALEIDOSCOPEKALEIDOSCOPEt h e M C J l i f e s t y l e & e n t e r t a i n m e n t s e c t i o n

Fox News anchor’s recent contro-versial declaration that both Jesusand Santa Claus are white men servesas a reminder that even symbols ofChristmas can be co-opted to excludeminorities.

Kwanzaa was created to addressthis exclusion and provide a holidaycelebration in which black Ameri-cans could take pride in their raceand African ancestry. Although thenumbers are not exact, it is believedthat millions celebrate the holidayworldwide.

Over the course of seven daysstarting on December 26, Kwanzaauses agricultural harvest symbolismand Swahili words to convey princi-ples that are intended to serve as aconnection to Africa.

In this way, though it is an African-American celebration, it actuallydoes very little to commemorate theblack experience in America. Instead,it ties the pride of our race to a distantcontinent and not to the immeasura-ble strength evident in the blackAmerican journey from slavery to thepresidency. This has led, truth betold, to a sizable segment of the blackcommunity largely paying lip serviceto the holiday.

What if Kwanzaa was re-purposedto be a true celebration of theAfrican-American experience? Whatif the African words and images werereplaced with the symbols, terms,and markers of black America?Would making these changes make itmore appreciated and valuable toblacks, as well as the nation in gen-eral? The answer is yes.

Illuminating the history of Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa was created by MaulanaKarenga, a professor and social ac-tivist, in 1966 as an alternative to thetraditional holiday celebrations. Per-haps in light of how Christmas wasoften used to reinforce the institutionof slavery during that era, the originalintention was for Kwanzaa to replaceit and provide a holiday period thatcentered on black pride and history.Eventually, it became a complemen-tary observance to Christmas, begin-ning the day after and continuing toNew Year’s Day.

Its name and the seven principlesassigned to each day are Swahiliwords describing African principlesthat guide observers’ daily reflec-tions.

Swahili was chosen because it isan indigenous African languagewidely understood throughout largeportions of the continent. Further,Kwanzaa utilizes agricultural sym-bols because the time of harvest isuniversally and historically under-stood to be a time of plenty andthankfulness.

Swahili is of East African originand the official language in Kenya,Tanzania, and Uganda. Yet, African-Americans are primarily descendedfrom West African tribes that arefound in the present-day nations ex-

tending from Senegal along the coastdown to Angola. Even the part ofAfrica that Kwanzaa pays tribute tois not the point of origin for theblacks that were captured, shippedacross the Atlantic Ocean, and en-slaved in America.

As a result, many blacks spend aweek reciting words in a languageour enslaved ancestors never spoke.Moreover, while the principles ofKwanzaa are excellent, they are notuniquely African. And the harvestsymbology has been in use for thou-sands of years by cultures all over theworld.

Remaking Kwanzaa in our image

The week following Christmasshould be crafted to truly celebratethe perseverance and contributionsthat make the black American jour-ney so incredible and worthy ofrecognition. It is impossible to moveabout in America today without com-ing into contact with something thatwas created, or heavily influenced,by black Americans.

We should pause and take note ofthem during what tends to be a timeof slowing down and contemplationfor many of us. Whereas African-American History Month recountsthe black experience through the ex-ploration of the personal narratives ofexceptional black men and women,this revised holiday celebration couldfocus on the totality of the journeyand express that symbolically.

It could begin with an examinationof the various West African cultureswe actually do descend from, andthen a commemoration of the Middle

Passage. From there, perhaps a lookat the importance of family out of re-spect for those that were separatedduring slave auctions and subsequentplantation sales. Next up could be acouple of days dedicated to the enor-mous trials and small triumphs of ourancestors’ daily survival tactics andfight for freedom.

The week could wrap up with daysto reflect on the activism that broughtabout social change and a rededica-tion for the days ahead to live in amanner that would properly honorthe sacrifices made by so many whocould never have fathomed theprogress to date, but stood strongnonetheless. All these historical mile-stones could be celebrated in ritual,rather than just being words read onpaper.

Practical steps towards a newKwanzaa

There are very practical ways thisjourney could be honored. For exam-ple, the digitization of census dataand numerous state and local recordsmakes family genealogy more acces-sible. And while there are certainlylarge gaps in the record-keeping ofslave arrivals, names, and family re-lationships, there is enough presentto get a deeper sense of who we areand how parts of our story unfolded.People could create a holiday tradi-tion of putting up their literal familytree along with their Christmas tree,a three-dimensional image thatwould be decorated with images andthe names of their ancestors, whilerecounting their stories.

Likewise, instead of using Swahili,each day could be titled with words

that more accurately reflect the vari-ous dialects resulting from the merg-ing of African and English terms,such as Gullah, or African andFrench (among other languages),such as Creole. A real attempt couldbe made to incorporate the words andphrases that mean so much to ourpeople specifically.

Much is already made of the con-tribution of spirituals and blues to thecurrent music scene, the importanceof soul food to the black community,and the immense role of our labor inbuilding the nation’s most iconicmonuments. These could easily beincorporated into a week of trueblack American celebration involv-ing music, movement, food and im-ages of the great things we havecontributed.

On the heels of statutory racismand in the midst of the Civil RightsMovement that sought a more inclu-sive American society, it was perhapsa logical conclusion to look to Africaas evidence that blackness was worthcelebrating. But this should not bedone at the expense of honoring thevery real hardships and the incrediblyresilient spirits of blacks in America.Perhaps modifying Kwanzaa to be atrue celebration of African-Ameri-cans and our unique relationship tothis nation would be a step in theright direction towards recognizingthat we need not look beyond ourshores and our people for points ofpride and sustaining principles.

And it might make the holidaymore meaningful to even moreblacks.

Theodore R. Johnson is a military of-ficer and 2011-2012 White House Fel-low. A graduate of Hampton andHarvard Universities, he is an opinionwriter on race, politics, and public serv-ice. Follow Theodore R. Johnson onTwitter at @T_R_Johnson_III.

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Kwanzaa: Should it be remade using symbols from Black History?

Robinson Burrell III lights the candle representing Kwanzaa principle of Ujima(collective work and responsibility) during the annual Kwanzaa Celebration at the Ben-jamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum on December 28 in Catonsville, Md.The program in it's eighth year celebrated with performances by the BaltimoreCounty Chapter of Jack and Jill America and the Growing Griots, a youth storytelling program affiliated with the Griot's Circle of Maryland. (Photo by Mark Gail/TheWashington Post via Getty Images)

Article by Theodore R. John-son--Courtesy of theGrio.com

NAACP Congratulates Michelle Howard for BeingNamed First Four-Star Female Admiral

(Baltimore, MD) – The NAACP is proud tocongratulate Michelle Janine Howard on her nom-ination by President Barack Obama for appoint-ment to the rank of admiral and assignment asvice chief of naval operations. This appointmentwill make Howard the first female four-star Ad-miral.

Last year, Admiral Howard received theNAACP’s Chairman’s Award during the 44thNAACP Image Awards. “This is a historic andwell-deserved appointment for Admiral Howard,”stated Roslyn M. Brock, Chairman of the NAACPNational Board of Directors. “Admiral Howardserves as a true inspiration for women, particu-larly women of color, in the military and across the nation. We look forward to hercontinued service to our country as a four-star admiral.”

On March 12, 1999, Howard became the first African American woman to com-mand a ship in the U.S. Navy. From May 2004 to September 2005, Howard was thecommander of Amphibious Squadron Seven. Deploying with Expeditionary StrikeGroup (ESG) 5, operations included tsunami relief efforts in Indonesia and maritimesecurity operations in the North Arabian Gulf. Vice Admiral Howard is the recipientof several awards for her service. While serving on board Lexington, she receivedthe secretary of the Navy/Navy League Captain Winifred Collins award in May 1987.

Admiral Michelle Howard

ON NEW YEAR’S EVE, WHEN MILLER TIMEENDS MILLER LITE FREE RIDES BEGINMiller Lite Free Rides Return to Milwaukee and Waukesha on New Year’s Eve 2013

Miller Lite is teaming up with Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS),Waukesha Metro Transit and Beer Capitol Distributing to bring Miller Lite FreeRides to Milwaukee and Waukesha this New Year’s Eve. Free rides will be offeredto passengers on all MCTS bus routes from 8:00 P.M. until the end of regular serviceand Metro routes from 7:00 P.M. to 1:30 A.M. starting on Tuesday, December 31.

“We hope when people ring in the New Year with Miller Lite they make a re-sponsible choice to get home safely,” said Diane Wagner, Responsibility CommerceManager for MillerCoors. “Whether they take a Miller Lite Free Ride, call a cab,or designate a driver, we hope people will make a plan to enjoy the holiday respon-sibly.”

Since its inception in 1987, Miller Lite Free Rides has provided over 480,000people with safe and free alternative transportation in Milwaukee and Waukesha,and more than 3.7 million people nationwide.

The program enjoys full support of state and local law enforcement, includingthe Milwaukee County Department of Transportation (MCDOT). This New Year’sEve, Miller Lite will also provide free rides in Green Bay, Madison, the Twin Cities,and Chicago.

"We're proud to partner with Miller Lite once again to offer safe rides to Milwau-kee area residents on New Year's Eve," said Jacqueline Janz, chief marketing officerfor MCTS. “Taking a ride on an MCTS bus is a free, safe and convenient way toring in 2014."

“Miller Lite Free Rides has been a long standing New Year’s Eve tradition inMilwaukee for over 25 years and we are proud to be a part of it once again,” saidAldo Madrigrano, Chief Executive Officer for Beer Capitol Distributing. “Prevent-ing drunk driving is everyone’s responsibility.

From the consumer, to the beer company, and the distributor, it’s important forall of us to keep Milwaukee’s roads safe.”

Miller Lite, MCTS, and Waukesha Metro Transit are inviting people to share theirplans to #CelebrateSafe on New Year’s Eve by uploading a photo on social mediaof themselves and their crew taking a Miller Lite Free Ride.

Photos will be featured on the MillerCoors Facebook Page and “Behind the Beer”blog. Must follow @MillerCoors on Twitter and be 21 and over to participate.

For detailed route and schedule information, call 1-800-FREE-RIDES (1-800-373-3743), text “FREE RIDES” to 90464 or visit www.MillerLiteFreeRides.com.

The Milwaukee Community Journal January 1, 2014 Page 8

SPORTSSPORTS PAGEPAGETRAVELS WITH KIMMCJ Freelance Photographer Kim Robinson recently traveled to Dallas, Texas to coverthe Green Bay Packers stunning come-from-behind win over the Cowboys. He evenmet and shook hands with Cowboy Owner and General Manager Jerry Jones. Whilehe was in Dallas, Kim also shot photos of the Milwaukee Bucks playing the DallasMavericks at American Airlines Arena. The Mavericks honored veterans and currentservice men and women before the game. (All photos--except the one with him andJones--by Kim Robinson)

The Milwaukee Community Journal January 1, 2014 Page 9

The Milwaukee Community Journal January 1, 2014 Page 10