Winter 2009 PW Magazine

Winter/Spring 2009

www.parad i seweb .o rg

B l a c k H i s t o r y

D a w n o f a N e w D a y

i n

P u b l i s h e r :

Featured Graphics

C o n t r i b u t i n g W r i t e r s :

Ken Dixon, Sr.

Kenny Dixon, Jr.

E d i t o r s :K e n d r a D i x o n / K . D i x o n , S r .

A r t D i r e c t o r : K. Dixon, Sr.

T e c h n i c a l S u p p o r t :

K. Dixon, Jr.

Features Editor’s Note

On November 4, 2008, Millions of Americans, the young and the not–so–young, voted in unprecedented num-bers. Our youth, throughout this country, got involved in politics like no other period in our history. January 20th 2009, Americans witnessed History in the making. On Inauguration Day millions swarmed into our nation’s capital to witness a Black male take the oath of office as President of the United States of America. Indeed, 2008 and 2009 are just brief moments in time that will be re-membered for many generations to come.

ParadiseWeb’s 2009 Winter edition features an article that is dedicated to our progress since emancipation. The article’s title is the cover theme, “Dawn of a New Day,”

captured in a once in a lifetime pho-to of the Capital Building in Wash-ington DC. I t was taken on Inaugura-tion day morning. Our feature article also captures the theme of president Obama’s proclama-tion, “The Quest for Black Citizenship in the Americas.”

I t give us great joy to present this edi-tion of our maga-zine during this

celebratory season.

Have an article that you want the world to read? Please consider posting it in our Spring/Summer 2009 edition of ParadiseWeb magazine.

Please visit our web site (www.paradiseweb.org) and post a comment. Or, e-mail me at [email protected]. We love to hear from our readers.

1. National African American History Proclamation

2. Phillis Wheatley (Slave to renouned Poet)

4. Dawn of a New Day (Progress since emancipation)

8. Digital TV (DTV) Transitioin Update

10. Obama succeeds Bush

14. Who is Michelle Obama?

16. Southern African Americans’ expectations of Pres. Barack Obama

© Copyr ight 2009 , Featured Graphics .ComAl l r ights reser ved

No part of this magazine may be reproduced by any means — print, electronic, or any other— without prior written permission of the publisher.

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A PROCLAMATION BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The history of African Americans is unique and rich, and one that has helped to define what it means to be an American. Ar-riving on ships on the shores of North America more than 300 years ago, recognized more as possessions than people, African Americans have come to know the freedoms fought for in establishing the United States and gained through the use of our founding principles of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to assembly, and due process of law. The ideals of the Founders became more real and more true for every citizen as African Americans pressed us to realize our full potential as a Nation and to uphold those ideals for all who enter into our borders and embrace the notion that we are all endowed with certain unalienable rights.

Since Carter G. Woodson first sought to illuminate the African American experience, each February we pause to reflect on the contributions of this community to our national identity. The history is one of struggle for the recognition of each person’s hu-manity as well as an influence on the broader American culture. African Americans designed our beautiful Capital City, gave us the melodic rhythms of New Orleans Jazz, issued new discoveries in science and medicine, and forced us to examine ourselves in the pages of classic literature. This legacy has only added luster to the brand of the United States, which has drawn immi-grants to our shores for centuries.

This year ’s theme, “ The Quest for Black Citizenship in the Americas,” is a chance to examine the evolution of our country and how African Americans helped draw us ever closer to becoming a more perfect union.

The narrative of the African American pursuit of full citizenship with all of the rights and privileges afforded others in this coun-try is also the story of a maturing young Nation. The voices and examples of the African American people worked collectively to remove the boulders of systemic racism and discrimination that pervaded our laws and our public consciousness for decades. Through the work of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver, Martin Lu-ther King and Thurgood Marshall, the African American community has steadily made progress toward the dreams within its grasp and the promise of our Nation. Meanwhile, the belief that those dreams might one day be realized by all of our citizens gave African American men and women the same sense of duty and love of country that led them to shed blood in every war we have ever fought, to invest hard-earned resources in their communities with the hope of self empowerment, and to pass the ideals of this great land down to their children and grandchildren.

As we mark National African American History Month, we should take note of this special moment in our Nation’s history and the actors who worked so diligently to deliver us to this place. One such organization is the National Association for the Ad-vancement of Colored People -- the NAACP -- which this year will witness 100 years of service to the Nation on February 12. Because of their work, including the contributions of those luminaries on the front lines and great advocates behind the scenes, we as a Nation were able to take the dramatic steps we have in recent history.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim February 2009 as National African American History Month. I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs that raise awareness and appreciation of African American history.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this second day of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

BARACK OBAMA

National African American History Month, 2009

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Later years

Phillis’ popularity as a poet both in the United States and England ultimately brought her freedom from slav-ery on October 18, 1773. She appeared before General Washington in March, 1776 at a poetry reading. She was a strong supporter of independence during the Revolution-ary War. She married a free black grocer named John Pe-ters. This marriage produced three children, two of whom soon died. Her husband left her and Wheatley earned a living as a servant. By 1784 she was living in a boarding house and, in December of that year, she and her remain-ing child died and were buried in an unmarked grave. She died in poverty at the age of 31. Wheatley’s third child died only a few hours after her death. At the time of her death, there was a second volume of poetry but no pub-lishers were willing to publish it.

Poetry

In 1768, Wheatley wrote “To the King’s Most Excellent Majesty,” in which she praised George III for repealing the Stamp Act. However, as the American Revolution gained strength, Wheatley’s writing turned to themes from the point of view of the colonists.

In 1770 Wheatley wrote a poetic tribute to George Whitefield that received widespread acclaim. Wheatley’s poetry overwhelmingly revolves around Christian themes, with many poems dedicated to famous personalities. Over one-third consist of elegies, the remainder being on reli-gious, classical and abstract themes. She rarely mentions her own situation in her poems. One of the few which refers to slavery is “On being brought from Africa to Amer-ica”:

Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land,

Taught my benighted soul to understand

That there’s a God, that there’s a Saviour too:

Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.

Some view our sable race with scornful eye,

Phillis Wheatley Wikipedia

Phillis Wheatley (1753 – December 5, 1784) was the first published African American poet whose writings helped create the genre of African American literature. She was born in Gambia, Africa, and became a slave at age seven. She was purchased by the Boston Wheatley family, who taught her to read and write, and helped encourage her poetry.

The 1773 publication of Wheatley’s Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, brought her fame, with dig-nitaries such as George Washing-ton praising her work. Wheatley also toured England and was praised in a poem by fellow African American poet Jupiter Ham-mon. Wheatley was emancipated by her owners af-ter her poetic suc-cess, but stayed

with the Wheatley family until the death of her former master and the breakup of his family. She then married a free black man, who soon left her. She died in poverty in 1784 while working on a second book of poetry, which has now been lost.

Early Years

Born around 1753 in an area of present-day Senegal, Wheatley was kidnapped and carried to America in 1761 aboard a slave ship called “Phyllis” (from which she received her name). She was purchased in Boston by a wealthy mer-chant named John Wheatley. John and his wife Susanna instructed her and encouraged her education, including study of foreign languages such as Latin, and history. she died in china and burned to death. Wheatley was baptized into the Christian religion at Old South Meeting House.

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Washington.

Wheatley’s book is today seen as helping create the genre of African American literature.

There is a building named in her honor at the Univer-sity of Massachusetts Boston. In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante listed Phillis Wheatley on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans. Wikipedia.com

“Their colour is a diabolic dye.”

Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain,

May be refin’d, and join th’ angelic train.´

Because many white people of the time found it hard to believe that a black woman could be so intelligent as to write poetry, in 1772 Wheatley had to defend her literary ability in court. She was examined by a group of Bos-ton luminaries including John Erving, Reverend Charles Chauncey, John Hancock, Thomas Hutchinson, the gov-ernor of Massachusetts, and his Lieutenant Governor An-drew Oliver. They concluded that she had in fact written the poems ascribed to her and signed an attestation which was published in the preface to her book Poems on Vari-ous Subjects, Religious and Moral published in Aldgate, London in 1773. The book was published in London be-cause publishers in Boston had refused to publish the text. Wheatley and her master ’s son, Nathanial Wheatley, went to London, where Selina, Countess of Huntingdon and the Earl of Dartmouth helped with the publication.

Through her poetry, Wheatley is credited with helping found African American literature.

In 1778, African American poet Jupiter Hammon wrote an ode to Wheatley. Hammon never mentions himself in the poem, but it appears that in choosing Wheatley as a subject, he was acknowledging their common bond.

Style

Wheatley wrote in the formal poetic style that was pop-ular in her time, often focusing on moral and religious subjects.

With the 1774 publication of Wheatley’s book Poems on Various Subjects, she “became the most famous African on the face of the earth.” Voltaire stated in a letter to a friend that Wheatley had proved that black people could write poetry. John Paul Jones asked a fellow officer to deliver some of his personal writings to “Phillis the African favor-ite of the Nine (muses) and Apollo.” She was also honored by many of America’s founding fathers, including George

The man commissioned to draw the l ikeness of Wheat-ley was Scipio Moorhead, an enslaved Afr ican in ser vice to Reverend John Moorhead, a neighbor and fr iend of the Wheatley family and pastor of the Church of the Presbyter ian Strangers. Reverend Moorhead, along with f i f teen other prominent Massachusetts cit izens, had signed a testimonial that prefaced the manuscript.

When a London bookseller presented the manuscript of Phil l is Wheatley ’s Poems on Var ious Subjects to the Countess of Huntingdon, the anti-slaver y English no-blewoman was reportedly “fond of having the book dedicated to her ; but one thing she desir ’d [was] . . . to have Phil l is’ picture in the frontispiece.”


“Dawn of a New Day”by: Ken Dixon, Sr.

Imagine, just for a moment, one hundred years from now historians of the distant future watching images of the Inaugural Ceremonies and reading President Obama’s Inaugural Address. What significance will they attach to this historic moment in American history? What evidence will they find that explains the tears of joy and adulations expressed during his Inaugural Ceremony?

For answers, one has only to look through the pages of African – American History. Dr. Carter G. Woodson, dis-tinguished Black author, editor, publisher, and founder of Black History Month, developed an important philosophy of history. History, he insisted, was not the mere gathering of facts. The object of historical study is to arrive at a rea-sonable interpretation of the facts. History is more than political and military records of peoples and nations. It must include some description of the social conditions of the period being studied. He believed that Blacks should know their past in order to participate intelligently in the affairs in our country. He strongly believed that Black his-tory - which others have tried so diligently to erase - is a firm foundation for young Black Americans to build on in order to become productive citizens of our society.

“Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.”

Contrary to popular belief African – American history is not one-dimensional. On one hand, it is filled with records of the foulest crimes made legal by men in whom power was vested. On the other hand, records clearly demon-strate the goodwill of the American people and the efforts put forth by whites in the north and south to help the Negro fully integrate into a free society.

The growing process that transformed the lowly Ameri-canized African into a productive American citizen had been arduous. By the turn of the 19th century, after 35 dark and brutal years, Blacks in America began to see the light of a new day. In the late 1800s average citizens, poli-

ticians and scholars committed themselves to the ongoing struggle to improve the conditions of the Negro. Several goodhearted and well intended theologians added their commentaries as well—by offering a spiritual outlook on the matter. The authors of several rare books published in the mid 1800s seemed to share the central notion that both good and evil resides in the heart of every man. These books are not quick reads but time spent studying them is well worth it. One can gain a purer understanding of the complexities of relationships between blacks and whites in the years shortly after The War of Emancipation up through the present day.

For more than thirty years after The War of Emancipation the number of unlawful lynchings in the south escalated three fold. Between 1865 and 1900 an average of one lynching occurred every other day. Blacks were lynched for almost any reason and in numerous cases, for no rea-son at all. During this same period, the Negro Question (the fate of freed slaves) became a major debated topic in the halls of Congress and in State legislatures throughout the south. Several questions demanded answers.

· What do we do with over 6 and a half million newly emancipated slaves?

· Can they assimilate and fully integrate into the American society?

· Do we send them out west to establish a Negro State?

· Or, do we send them back to Africa?

Some historians referred to these questions as the Ne-gro Problem.

An incredible slice of South Carolina, American, and Black History exist in Lewis B. Glover ’s hand written diary. It was written around the same time period and depicts day–to–day life in a small southern town. Mr. Glover, who lived in Fort Mill, South Carolina, began his entries on July 27, 1897 and continued until June 25, 1899. The rare con-tents of this diary is riddled with entries such as “Negro’s hung” and “Negro’s shot.”

The following are excerpts from Mr. Glover ’s diary :

Black History


· “The Negro that Vick Bailes beat is worse. Dr. Moore thinks the Negro will die. They intend to have a trial at Pineville but the boy was not able to go to the trial, put off until next Saturday. The Negro is work-ing for Tom Davis.”

· “Mr. Beaches son killed a Negro yesterday with a gun.”

· “Charley Eason of Pineville shot a Negro yesterday evening but did not kill him.”

· “There was to be two Negro’s hung in Yorkville (York, SC) today for the murder of Ben Gore, but Go-vener Elebee reprieved them to Jan. 6, 1899 ...... This the day for two Negro’s to be hung in Yorkville SC for murdering Ben Gore.”

This diary demonstrates a contentious environment in which blacks and whites lived. Many in the south did not accept emancipation and completely refused to recog-nize blacks as equals in any respect. Their peaceful co-ex-istence required nothing short of divine intervention.

By the early 20th century the Negro had paid a dear price for his freedom. In turn, he invested his gains into a young nation that ultimately became the most prosperous nation in the world. Despite all the high intelligence and will to succeed black people could not have made this journey alone. Much credit goes to the Christian and Educational Institutions that helped the Negro attain a complete vic-tory over his obstacles. Christian leaders throughout the south made significant contributions to the success of Blacks in their struggles. Perhaps it is fitting that during this Black History celebration we give proper credit to one white brother (Dr. Atticus G. Haygood) who contributed so much to the education of the African American people.

Atticus G. Haygood, D.D., an editor, author, and educa-tor, was a distinguished president of Emory College and a progressive bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Dr. Haygood was a spokesman for the New South, promoting business and commercial development. He fearlessly preached reunion, reconciliation, and educa-tional opportunity for African Americans.

He stated in his book Our Brother in Black: His Free-dom and His Future (published in 1881):

“If the question be asked, how may we get our dark brother prepared for his duty of citizenship? I prefer to change the form of the question. Let us rather ask, how can we help our brother prepare himself for his calling and duty of citizenship? Growth is from within; no amount of work done upon the Negro can make him what he ought to be and can be. He must grow into his right manhood and citizenship. The white race has reached its higher estate by process-es of growth. We started low down and it has taken a long time. We are not half grown yet.”

Dr. Haygood, an old Confederate Officer and Chaplin, rose to national prominence around 1880 with a Thanks-giving speech and with several of his books extolling the contributions of African Americans since emancipation. He served as president of Emory College in Oxford, Ga. from 1875 until 1884. He was very instrumental in raising funds to support many of our Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

One highly esteemed Black Pastor of an all white English church expressed similar views of the transition from slave to productive America citizen. Peter Thomas Stanford, D.D., (known as England’s Colored Preacher) stated in his book The Tragedy of The Negro In America (published in 1897):

“Thirty years have wrought mighty changes for the South, but the greatest wonder is the progress of the Negro. The freedom of the Negro gave him a new era, and opened doors of opportunity for his mate-rial, intellectual and spiritual advancement. The dis-tance between the slave and the freeman is world-wide. His freedom has improved his condition and increased the wealth and prosperity of the South. Thirty years is a short period in the life of a race, and yet it is sufficient to note its progress. The free Ne-gro has been of greater advantage to the South, and has done more for its development than at any time during his slave life. This is so patent that we are safe in asserting that the prosperity of the South is large-ly dependent upon the elevation of the Negro. He comprises one-third of its population and is a large factor in its development and progress.”

(cont. on page 6)


(cont. from pg 5) Dr. Stanford goes on to add;

“Better days have begun and progress is being made, which the following statistics abundantly prove. They are the statistics of 1890, which we give as those of 1896, that any exaggeration may be discounted. In the matter of wealth the Negro has made great progress, and not a little in the professions and lit-erature. Let the figures tell the tale. First, his wealth in business and property:

In New York . . . . . $17,400,756

Louisiana . . . . . 18,100,528

South Carolina . . . . .12,500,000

Pennsylvania . . . . . 15,300,648

Texas . . . . . 18,010,545

Mississippi . . . . . 13,400,213

Georgia . . . . . 10,415,330

North Carolina . . . . . 11,010,652

Alabama . . . . . 9,200,125

Florida . . . . . 7,900,040

Massachusetts . . . . . 9,004,122

According the 1896 census the Negro race had ac-cumulated Two Hundred and Sixty-Three Million dol-lars worth of property in the United States.”

In 1894, Dr. Stanford was deputized by the Philanthrop-ic and Christian public of England to investigate alleged atrocities perpetrated against African Americans. Ad-ditionally, he was asked to make a plea with prominent white Christians insisting upon the enforcement of law and order. His hopes were to induce them to exert their influence in preventing further atrocities.

As blacks enjoy the fruits of their labor and continue to excel to higher heights the constant howls from de-scending voices persist until this day. A recent article that appeared in the opinion page of a local newspaper may provide clues as to the social conditions under which President Obama was elected. The article’s writer, a 67

year old White male, stated that other Blacks, Hispanics and women are now standing in line to become the next US President. He went on to say that he feels displaced due to Barack Obama’s presidency and that he may not live long enough to see another Anglo-Saxon male Presi-dent. Arguably, many white Americans seem delighted with The Old Civic Order and refuse to recognize President Obama as their president. Perhaps their refusal is due in part to the long standing and widely held belief that the ruling white majority ( The Old Civic Order) deserves first place in American society. Can The Old Civic Order sur-vive amidst a sea of change?

History clearly demonstrates an arduous and slow pro-gression of Blacks over the last 144 years; however, prog-ress has been made nevertheless. Every child in Ameri-ca, no matter skin color, can now say with some degree of certainty that they can succeed at whatever they can wrap their minds around. President Obama’s presidency has given a profound sense of dignity back to the citizens of this country – especially to Black Americans. Today, America has hindsight in her favor, but most importantly, she has opportunities to interpret lessons of the past in the light of a new day.

Dr. Car ter G . Woodson’s work inc lude, The Negro Pr i -or to 1861 (1915) , The Negro Church (1921) , Negro Mak ers of H is tor y (1928) , The M iseducat ion of the Ne -gro (1933) , and The Negro in Our H is tor y (1922) , which was cons id-ered the best tex tbook about b lack h is tor y. Woodson i s most k nown for h is assoc iat ion with B lack H is-

tor y Month . Negro H istor y Week , as i t was ca l led by the b lack f ratern i t y Omega Ps i Phi , was a week in Februar y dedicated to ce lebrat ing the achievements of b lacks . Thei r ce lebrat ion was somewhat s tagnant unt i l Woodson of fered to put the Assoc iat ion’s name behind the idea in Februar y 1926 . Through Wood-son’s promot ion of the ce lebrat ion in the Journal o f Negro H istor y and the creat ion and d is t r ibut ion of k i ts for ch i ldren , Negro H istor y Week ga ined in pop -ular i t y. I n 1976 , i t evolved into B lack H is tor y Month . Car ter G . Woodson Quotes , ht tp : //www.bra inyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/car tergwo230678 .html


Dr. Att icus G . Haygood (Att icus Greene) , 1839-1896 Our Brother in B lack :

H is Freedom and H is Future. New York : Ph i l l ips & Hunt , 1881 . Docu-

ment ing the Amer ican South . 1998 . Univers i t y L ibrar y, The Univers i t y of

Nor th Caro l ina at Chapel H i l l . 10 Oc tober 2008 <http : //docsouth .unc.

edu/church/haygood/menu.html>

Dr. P. Thomas Stanford (Peter Thomas) . The Tragedy of the Negro in Amer-

ica : a Condensed H istor y of the Ens lavement , Suf fer ings, Emancipat ion ,

Present Condit ion and Progress of the Negro R ace in the United States

of Amer ica . Boston , Mass . : Char les W. Wasto, 1897 . Document ing the

Amer ican South . 1998 . Univers i t y L ibrar y, The Univers i t y of Nor th Caro l ina

at Chapel H i l l . 10 Oc tober 2008 <http : //docsouth .unc.edu/church/stan-

ford/stanford.html>

Document ing the Amer ican South (DocSouth) i s a d igi ta l publ i sh ing in i t ia t ive that prov ides I nternet access

to tex ts , images, and audio f i les re lated to southern h is tor y, l i terature, and cul ture . Cur rent ly DocSouth in-

c ludes t welve themat ic co l lec t ions of books , d iar ies , posters , a r t i fac ts , le t ters , ora l h is tor y inter v iews, and

songs.

Documenting the American South Collection at University

Library, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.


“DT V ” Trans i t ion date ex tended to

June 12 , 2009

Are you still using a regular antenna, either on your roof or a smaller version on your TV such as “rabbit ears?” Then this article is for you!! Or your seniors, friends or family that may not know of this conversion. DTV is a new type of broad-casting technology that will transform television as we now know it.

DTV technology will allow broadcasters to offer television with movie-quality picture and CD-quality sound, along with a variety of other enhancements. DTV technology can also be used to trans-mit large amounts of other data into the home, which may be

accessible by using your computer or television set.

Federal law requires that all full-power television broadcast stations stop broadcasting in analog format and broadcast only in digital format. Here’s what these requirements will mean for you and your television viewing.

The switch from analog to digital broadcast television is re-ferred to as the digital TV (DTV ) transition. In 1996, the U.S. Congress authorized the distribution of an additional broad-cast channel to each broadcast TV station so that they could start a digital broadcast channel while simultaneously con-tinuing their analog broadcast channel.

Congress recent ly passed the DT V Delay Ac t , which ex tends the deadl ine for fu l l -power broad-cast T V s tat ions to complete the DT V t rans i t ion f rom Februar y 17 , 2009 , to June 12 , 2009 . The new law a l lows more t ime for consumers to be prepared for the DT V t rans i t ion . However, Con-gress d id not requi re s tat ions to cont inue broad-cast ing in analog a f ter Februar y 17th , and sta-t ions may choose to complete the i r t rans i t ion , and stop broadcast ing in analog, before June 12th .

What Does This Mean For Me?

I f you have one or more analog te lev is ions that rece ive f ree over- the -a i r T V programming with an outdoor antenna or “rabbit ears” on the T V, you wi l l need to be prepared. You have three opt ions : 1 ) purchase and connec t a “d igi ta l - to -analog conver ter box ” to your analog T V; 2 ) pur-chase a d igi ta l te lev is ion (a T V with a bui l t - in d igi ta l tuner ) ; or 3 ) subscr ibe to a pa id ser v ice such as cable or sate l l i te T V. Each U.S . house -hold i s e l ig ib le to rece ive t wo $40 coupons to be used toward the purchase of t wo d igi ta l - to -ana-log conver ter boxes.

Even though the DT V t rans i t ion deadl ine has been pushed back , your loca l broadcast s tat ions may complete the t rans i t ion before June 12th . Broadcast s tat ions are requi red to not i fy the i r v iewers before shutt ing of f the i r ana log chan-nels . I f you are not yet prepared for the DT V t ran-s i t ion , i t ’s impor tant to prepare. I t ’s a l so impor-tant to watch your loca l broadcast channels for on-a i r announcements or you may contac t them di rec t ly for more in format ion .

What Should I Do Now?

Digi ta l broadcast te lev is ion programming i s ava i lable now, so enjoy the many benef i ts of DT V by prepar ing now. Benef i ts inc lude more chan-nels , better qual i t y p ic ture and sound, on-screen

D i g i t a l T V ( DT V ) t ra n s i t i o nA Federal Communic ations Commission (FCC ) update


program guides, and more. I f you have not yet ap -pl ied for your conver ter box coupons, you should do so now. However, you should a lso prepare at least one T V in your home now by purchas ing a conver ter box , insta l l ing i t , and ensur ing that you can rece ive the d igi ta l channels in your area be -fore the analog channels are shut of f. Or, you may wish to subscr ibe to a pa id ser v ice such as cable

or sate l l i te T V.

Why are we switching to DT V?

An impor tant benef i t o f the switch to a l l - d igi ta l broadcast ing i s that i t wi l l f ree up par ts of the va luable broadcast spec trum for publ ic sa fet y communicat ions ( such as pol ice , f i re depar tments , and rescue squads) . A lso, some of the spec trum wi l l be auc t ioned to companies that wi l l be able to prov ide consumers with more advanced wire less ser v ices ( such as wi re less broadband) .

Consumers a lso benef i t because d igi ta l broadcast-ing a l lows stat ions to of fer improved pic ture and sound qual i t y, and d igi ta l i s much more ef f ic ient than analog. For example, rather than being l imit-ed to prov id ing one analog program, a broadcaster i s able to of fer a super sharp “h igh def in i t ion” (HD) d igi ta l program or mult ip le “s tandard def in i t ion” (SD) d igi ta l programs s imultaneous ly through a process ca l led “mult icast ing.” Mult icast ing a l lows broadcast s tat ions to of fer severa l channels of d ig-i ta l programming at the same t ime, us ing the same amount of spec trum requi red for one analog pro -gram. So, for example, whi le a s tat ion broadcast ing in analog on channel 7 i s only able to of fer v iewers one program, a s tat ion broadcast ing in d igi ta l on channel 7 can of fer v iewers one d igi ta l program on channel 7-1 , a second digi ta l program on channel 7-2 , a th i rd d igi ta l program on channel 7-3 , and so on . Th is means more programming choices for v iewers . Fur ther, DT V can prov ide interac t ive v ideo and data ser v ices that are not poss ib le with analog technology.

What do I need to do to be ready for

the end of ana log T V broadcast ing?

To help consumers with the DT V t rans i t ion , the Government establ i shed the Digi ta l - to -Analog Conver ter Box Coupon Program. The Nat ional Te lecommunicat ions and I nformat ion Admin-is t rat ion (NTIA) , a par t of the Depar tment of Commerce, administers th is program. Ever y U.S . household i s e l ig ib le to rece ive up to t wo cou-pons, wor th $40 each , toward the purchase of e l ig ib le d igi ta l - to -analog conver ter boxes. Be -ginning in Januar y of 2008 , the NTIA has begun accept ing appl icat ions for coupons. The cou-pons may only be used for e l ig ib le conver ter boxes so ld at par t ic ipat ing consumer e lec t ron-ics reta i lers , and the coupons must be used at the t ime of purchase. Manufac turers est imate that d igi ta l - to -analog conver ter boxes wi l l se l l f rom $40 to $70 each . Th is i s a one -t ime cost . For more in format ion on the Digi ta l - to -Ana-log Conver ter Box Coupon Program, v is i t www.dt v2009 .gov, or ca l l 1 -888-388-2009 (vo ice) or 1-877-530-2634 ( T T Y ) .

Cable and sate l l i te T V subscr ibers with analog T Vs hook ed up to the i r cable or sate l l i te ser-v ice should not be a f fec ted by the Junes 12 , 2009 cut- of f date for fu l l -power analog broad-cast ing.

For more information visit:

http://www.dtv.gov/whatisdtv.html

You can also visit http://www.paradiseweb.org

(“important web links”)

ParadiseWeb will present more information as it be-comes available.


Obama succeeds Bush as 44th president of the United States

The official ceremony ushering in Barack H. Obama II as the new president of the United States took place at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.. A 21-gun salute, as well as the playing of four ruffles

and flourishes and “Hail to the Chief ”, marked the moment he assumed power from his predecessor, George W. Bush.

Bush’s second term as President of the United States, which began on January 20, 2005, expired with the swearing-in of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, at noon EST (UTC-5), under the provisions of the Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Bush performed his final official act this morning, wel-coming Barack Obama and Michelle to the White House for coffee before the swearing-in, shortly before 10am EST, and then accompanied them there by motorcade to attend the ceremony. Last week, Bush had made his farewells to the nation in a televised address, saying that the inauguration turns a page in race relations. “Obama’s story — his black fa-ther was from Kenya, his white mother from Kansas — rep-resents “the enduring promise of our land,” said Bush.

Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday called on Obama to seek

“understanding, co-operation and peace” among na-tions. “I offer cordial good wishes, together with the as-surance of my prayers that Almighty God will grant you unfailing wisdom and strength in the exercise of your high responsibilities,” the Pontiff said.

Oaths of office

The National Mall gates at the inaugural ceremony opened early, with official introductions beginning around 11:30am EST. On the west front lawn of the U.S. Capitol, Senator Dianne Feinstein provided the call to order and welcoming remarks, shortly after followed by invocation by the Rev. Rick Warren and a musical perfor-mance by Aretha Franklin.

Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden, Jr., a Democrat, who was elected Vice President in the 2008 presiden-tial election, took his oath of office, succeeding Dick Cheney. Biden took his oath at 11:57am EST from Asso-ciate Justice John Paul Stevens.

U.S. service members prepare for the 56th United States presidential inauguration rehearsal in the west steps of the United States Capitol Washington, D.C., Jan. 11, 2009.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Glover Roberts, Jr. then administered the oath of office to Obama, under Article II, Section 1, Clause 8. “I do solemnly swear (or af-firm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. So help me God,” Obama swore, using the 1861 President Lincoln Inaugural Bible.

First Lady Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama and daughters Malia Ann and Sasha, Senate Majority Lead-er Harry Reid, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi were among the record-setting crowd of over 2 million people, including more than a million people that filled

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mariachi band from Espanola, New Mexico.

Just after 4pm EST, Obama and his wife joined the cel-ebrating crowds on Pennsylvania Avenue. After a short time waving to the masses, they returned to the Presidential Limousine, a 2009 Cadillac, which transported them to the White House. The First Limo has replaced President Bush’s Cadillac DTS Presidential Limousine that rolled out in 2004. Wikipedia.com

The nat ion’s new Fi rs t Fami ly i s a fami ly of f i r s ts . For the f i r s t t ime, an Af r ican-Amer ican fami ly i s l iv ing in the White House. And the Obamas i s the f i r s t fam-i ly s ince the K ennedys to br ing the laughter of t wo young chi ldren to the ha l l s o f 1600 Pennsy lvania Av-enue.

the National Mall. Vice President Dick Cheney arrived in a wheelchair, having pulled a muscle in his back while moving, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

Obama has decided to follow tradition and use his full name, including his middle name Hussein, regardless of its past and present use by detractors as an effort to slander his image. The advanced scheduled program stated that the inaugural address was to be delivered by “the President of the United States, The Honorable Barack H. Obama.”

The President delivered his inaugural address in front of Capitol Hill with the theme “A New Birth of Freedom,” commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, said Feinstein.

Obama focused on the restoration of public confi-dence and personal “responsibility,” reassuring reces-sion-weary Americans they can rebound from hard times. He conveyed to the world his desire to fix a bat-tered U.S. image overseas. He asked the nation to reject the “culture of anything goes” and to restore a national value system that honors responsibility and account-ability. Elizabeth Alexander recited a poem, followed by the benediction by Rev. Joseph E. Lowery. The Nation-al Anthem was thereafter played by The United States Navy Band “Sea Chanters.”

Over 200 million viewers worldwide had watched in-auguration videos and live streams provided online by a number of news organizations and online video broad-casting companies over the internet. The event was also available live to select iPhone users.

Following his speech, President Obama escorted for-mer President George W. Bush at 12:53pm EST as they left for a departure ceremony. Bush lifted off, ending his 8 years as president, with Obama waving goodbye from the courtyard of the US Capitol.

At 2:35pm EST in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall, at the inaugural luncheon attended by Obama, it is reported that Ted Kennedy had a stroke. Paramedics arrived and took the senator to a hospital.

A parade extended for over two hours in the after-noon. It included 15,000 people, 240 horses, dozens of marching bands, two drum and bugle corps, and one

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Michelle Obama’s role as First Lady did not take an evident posi-tion or direction in the early times of the Obama presidency. Michelle accompained Barack to certain of-ficial events and receptions and more informal events such as reading books to children at Capi-tal City school in February 2009. However, Michelle stated that she wished to remain dedicated to her family, which was her primary goal. I t is however expected that her position will gain influence in the near future with activities such as those done by previous First La-dies in the areas of society issues or education. She mentioned she admired Laura Bush’s role as First Lady, whom she offered a present which had a black book and a pen to write her memoirs.

UNT EUMMichelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama

(born January 17, 1964) is the current First Lady of the United States, and the wife of the for ty-fourth President of the United States Barack Obama. She is the first Afr ican American First Lady.

She was born and grew up on the South Side of Chicago and graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School. After completing her for-mal education, she returned to Chi-cago and accepted a position with the law firm Sidley Austin, and subse-quently worked as part of the staff of Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley, and for the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Michelle Obama is the sister of Craig Robinson, men’s basketball coach at Oregon State University.

Family and education

Michelle Robinson was born on Jan-uary 17, 1964, in Chicago, I l l inois to Fraser Robinson I I I , a city water plant employee and Democratic precinct captain, and Marian Shields Robin-son, a secretary at Spiegel ’s catalog store. Michelle can trace her roots to pre-Civil War Afr ican Americans in the American South; her paternal great-great grandfather, Jim Robinson, was an American slave in the state of South Carolina, where some of her family sti l l reside. She grew up on Euclid Avenue in the South Shore community area of Chicago, and was raised in a conven-tional two-parent home. The family ate meals together and also enter-tained together as a family by playing games such as Monopoly and by read-ing. She and her brother, Craig (who is 21 months older) , sk ipped the sec-

ond grade. By sixth grade, Michelle joined a gifted class at Bryn Mawr Elementary School ( later renamed Bouchet Academy). She attended Whitney Young High School, Chi-cago’s f irst magnet high school, where she was on the honor roll four years, took advanced place-ment classes, was a member of the National Honor Society and served as student council treasur-er. The round tr ip commute from her South Side home to the Near West Side took three hours out of her day. She was a high school classmate of Santita Jackson, the daughter of Jesse Jackson and sis-ter of Jesse Jackson, Jr. She gradu-ated from high school in 1981 as salutatorian, and went on to major in sociology and minor in Afr ican American studies at Princeton Uni-versity, where she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Ar ts in 1985.

At Princeton, she challenged the teaching methodology for French because she felt that it should be more conversational. As part of her requirements for gradua-tion, she wrote a thesis entitled, “Princeton-Educated Blacks and the Black Community.” “ I remem-ber being shocked,” she says, “by college students who drove BMWs. I didn’t even know parents who drove BMWs.” She obtained her Ju-r is Doctor ( J.D.) degree from Har-vard Law School in 1988. While at Harvard, she participated in po-lit ical demonstrations advocating the hir ing of professors who are members of minorities. She is the third First Lady with a postgradu-

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama

R o l e o f t h e F i r s t L a d y


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ate degree, following Hil lary Rodham Clinton and Laura Bush. In July 2008, Obama accepted the invitation to become an honorary member of the 100-year-old black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha, which had no active un-dergraduate chapter at Princeton when she attended.

She met Barack Obama when they were among very few Afr ican Americans at their law firm, Sidley Austin, (she has sometimes said only two, although others have pointed out there were others in different de-partments) and she was assigned to mentor him while he was a summer associate. Their relationship star ted with a business lunch and then a community organiza-tion meeting where he first impressed her. The cou-ple’s f irst date was to the Spike Lee movie Do the Right Thing. The couple married in October 1992, and they have two daughters, Malia Ann (born 1998) and Nata-sha (known as Sasha) (born 2001). After his election to the U.S. Senate, the Obama family continued to l ive on Chicago’s South Side, choosing to remain there rath-er than moving to Washington, D.C. Throughout her husband’s 2008 campaign for President of the United States, she made a “commitment to be away overnight only once a week—to campaign only two days a week and be home by the end of the second day ” for their two children.

The marital relationship has had its ebbs and flows. The combination of an evolving family l i fe and begin-ning political career led to many arguments about balancing work and family. Barack wrote in his second book, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, that “ Tired and stressed, we had l ittle time for conversation, much less romance.” How-ever, despite their family obligations and careers, they continue to attempt to schedule date nights.

She once requested that Barack , who was then her f iancé, meet her prospective boss, Valerie Jarrett, when considering her f irst career move. Now, Jarrett is one of her husband’s closest advisors.

The Obamas’ daughters attended the University of Chicago Lab School, a private school, and now attend Sidwell Fr iends School in Washington after also consid-ering Georgetown Day School. According to an Obama interview on the 2008 season premiere of The Ellen De-

Generes Show, the couple does not intend to have any more children. They have received advice from past f irst ladies Laura Bush, Rosalyn Carter and Hil lary Rodham Clinton about raising children in the White House. Marian Robinson has moved into the White House to assist with child care.

She is also the cousin of Rabbi Capers C. Funnye Jr. , who is one of America’s most prominent Afr ican American Jews, known for acting as a bridge between Jewry and Afr ican Americans.

Career

Following law school, she was an associate at the Chicago office of the law firm Sidley Austin, where she first met her husband. At the firm, she worked on marketing and intellectual property. Subsequently, she held public sector positions in the Chicago city government as an Assistant to the Mayor, and as As-sistant Commissioner of Planning and Development. In 1993, she became Executive Director for the Chi-cago office of Public All ies, a non-profit organization encouraging young people to work on social issues in nonprofit groups and government agencies. She worked there nearly four years and set fundraising records for the organization that sti l l stood a dozen years after she left .

In 1996, Obama served as the Associate Dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago, where she developed the University ’s Community Service Center. In 2002, she began work ing for the University of Chicago Hospitals, f irst as executive director for community affairs and, beginning May 2005, as Vice President for Community and External Affairs.

She continued to hold the University of Chicago Hospitals position during the primary campaign, but cut back to part time in order to spend time with her daughters as well as work for her husband’s election; she subsequently took a leave of absence from her job. Wikipedia.com


Poll of Southern African Americans: Economy in Tank, but US on Right Track

Columbia, SC: The results of the groundbreaking Win-throp/ETV Poll, conducted exclusively among African Americans in 11 Southern states between Feb. 6 and Feb. 22, are in.

Taken just days after President Barack Obama’s inaugu-ration, the poll asked southern African Americans about everything from the state of race relations and equal op-portunities, to their expectations of the Obama presiden-cy, and how he might handle certain issues facing the na-tion.

The results will be released exclusively during the Thurs-day, Feb. 26 edition of South Carolina ETV’s “The Big Pic-ture” program at 7:30 p.m. ET. ETV is the public television and radio network in South Carolina.

The Winthrop/ETV Poll was conducted among 659 Afri-can Americans from AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, TX, VA. Data utilizing all respondents has a margin of error of plus/minus 3.82 percent. As is true with all survey data, any results that use a subset of the respondents will have a higher margin of error. States are sub-divided as follows: Deep South: AL, GA, LA, MS, SC. Peripheral South: AR, FL, NC, TN, TX, VA.

The survey was designed by Dr. Scott Huffmon, director of the Winthrop/ETV Poll initiative, and Dr. Adolphus Belk, Jr., director of the African American Studies program at Winthrop University.

Commenting on the results, Huffmon said, “The data show an interesting mix of both fear and optimism among African Americans across the South. On the one

hand concerns about the economy and unemployment were overwhelmingly listed as the most important is-sues facing our country. On the other hand, despite the spiraling economic crisis, 7 out of 10 felt that the country was on the right track. This is nearly a mirror image of the national trend. I think this figure demonstrates the hopefulness of southern African Americans with respect to the direction of the country in the wake of the elec-tion of Barack Obama. “However the trust and optimism shown for the Obama administration clearly do not ema-nate from expectations of preferential treatment. None of the African Americans surveyed believe that the poli-cies of the Obama administration will favor blacks over whites. Instead, there is near-universal agreement in the opinion that blacks and whites will be treated the same.”

Adds Belk, “The poll results clearly indicate that south-ern African Americans are satisfied with President Obama and the way he is handling issues of the day. But there is something going on with race relations in the South and the nation overall.

“We asked people to compare where they are today ver-sus in the 1960s. Some 60.3 percent say, ‘Yes, there’s real progress in America,’ but that number drops almost 10 points when Deep South respondents looked at progress only in the South.”

Among the Winthrop/ETV Poll findings:

· With other polls finding Pres. Obama’s approval rating hovering around or below the 60-percent mark, African Americans in the South give the new president a 90 per-cent approval rating. Congress, however, comes in at un-



der 36 percent approval.

· When asked about the current path that our nation is taking, 70 percent of African Americans living in the South feel that the country is on the right track.

· Despite feeling that the country is headed in the right direc-tion, a full 85 percent said that they would rate the national econ-omy as very or fairly bad.

· Overwhelmingly, the two most important issues facing the U.S. today are the economy and unemployment. Such hot button top-ics as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, health care, energy and immigration barely registered with respondents.

· Almost 75 percent of the poll’s respondents not only think that the election of Barack Obama will open up more opportunities for blacks in America, but that his election will also lead to more real progress in getting rid of discrimination.

· Over 96 percent of those polled feel that the policies of Presi-dent Obama’s administration will treat both blacks and whites the same. Slightly more than one-quarter feel that the poor will be favored over the rich.

· While over 52 percent of all respondents say there has been a lot of real progress in getting rid of racial discrimination against blacks in the South since the 1960s, over 50 percent also believe that race relations in the South are generally bad.

· Michael Steele was elected as the first black chairman of the Republican National Committee on Jan. 30, days before the Win-throp/ETV Poll began calling respondents. The results of the poll show that less than one-third of southern African Americans feel that the Republican Party is working to attract African Ameri-cans.

· After a contentious and sometimes ugly primary season, the Clintons have again found favor with southern African Americans. Almost 80 percent believe that, as Secretary of State, Hillary Clin-ton will project a positive image of America to the world. Ad-ditionally, almost 87 percent feel that Pres. Obama’s decision to appoint some members of Pres. Bill Clinton’s administration to his Cabinet was a good choice.

· Attorney General Eric Holder said on Feb. 18 that the U.S. is a “nation of cowards” and that “average Americans simply do not talk enough with each other about race.” The Winthrop/ETV Poll

For more in format ion about Winthrop/E T V Pol l , contac t :

Te lev is ion :A imee Crouch, Coordinat ing ProducerE-mai l : acrouch@scet v.org

Media/Press :Rob Schal ler, D i rec tor of Communica-t ionsE-mai l : r schal ler@scet v.org

Vis i t SCE T V at : ht tp : //www.scet v.org/index .php/winthrop/

found an almost even split between those who are and are not comfortable talking about race with someone of another race. However, almost 58 percent say that the 2008 presidential elec-tion made it easier to have these kinds of con-versations. (SCETV.org)

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Editorial c alendar for 2009Spring/Summer — June 2009

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Winter 2009 PW Magazine

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