Giving Incarcerated Parents A Fighting Chance To Reunite With Their Children

Sen.Montgomery,Assemblyman Aubry & Children and Families Commissioner join together to protect families from being separated.
Lawmakers and criminal justice reform advocates joined together at the State Capitol last week to garner support for legislation (S.2233/A.5462-A) that will allow foster care agencies the discretion to delay filing papers to terminate the parental rights of parents who are incarcerated or enrolled in a substance abuse treatment program.

Making the Right Connections: Brandon, 13, (center), at State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery’s right, stated at a recent press conference: ‘I’m glad my mom is by my side right now helping other children get their moms back and passing this bill. I just want to say that I’m glad that I have her and I love her.”

The bill’s sponsors, Senator Velmanette Montgomery (D-Brooklyn) and Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry (D-Queens), were joined in discussing their legislation by New York State Children and Families Commissioner Cladys Carrion, Correctional Association representatives, and formerly incarcerated women and their children.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) Expanded Discretion bill gives incarcerated parents and their children a greater opportunity to work towards reunification and safe permanency options that do not involve severing family bonds.
“The time is now to pass my bill, which will go a long way toward helping families develop and maintain healthy, lasting connections,” said Senator  Montgomery, who is the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Children and Families. “For too long, we’ve failed to protect the best interests of children in foster care with parents in prison and treatment programs.  I sponsored this bill to give families separated by the criminal justice and child welfare systems the fighting chance they deserve to rebuild and stay whole.”
Almost always, ASFA requires a foster care agency to file a termination of parental rights petition if a child has been in foster care for 15 of the last 22 months. However, the median sentence length for women in New York’s prison system is 36 months and most incarcerated parents are limited to family visiting opportunities, telephone and mail service and unable to participate in foster care planning meetings, making it difficult to fulfill child welfare responsibilities.
More than 100,000 children have parents in a New York State prison or jail, including nearly 10,000 children with an incarcerated mother.
Terminating their parental rights will not necessarily find equal permanency for a child and many continue to stay in foster care. “This legislation will allow parents in prison and residential treatment, who are working towards rehabilitation, an opportunity to maintain and develop loving, supportive relationships with their children and to find permanent placements that do not involve severing important family bonds forever,” said Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry, Chair of the Committee on Correction.  “Giving these families the chance to stay connected is the right thing to do – it is also a crucial component of curbing recidivism and enhancing public safety.”
“For over a decade, New York’s ASFA laws have devastated parents caught up in the criminal justice system and their children,” said Tamar Kraft-Stolar, Director of the Women in Prison Project at the Correctional Association of New York.  “This bill takes critical steps toward balancing the playing field for families separated by prison and treatment programs struggling to stay connected.  Its provisions will help ensure that ASFA’s timeline does not trump permanency decisions that are best for the child and the family.”
Susan Jacobs, Executive Director, Center for Family Representation, stated: “Our organization represents hundreds of parents, including parents in prison, in child protective and termination of parental rights proceedings. We know from years of experience that having the time to facilitate meaningful visits and communication can mean the difference between a family staying together and losing ties forever.
In addition, termination hearings are among the most time-intensive and expensive proceedings in Family Court.  When additional time is provided to work on solutions, it is possible to create workable and safe placements for children, and savings for state and local governments.”
The ASFA bill passed the Assembly on January 26, 2010 and now awaits consideration by the full Senate.

First Lady Michelle Paige Paterson’s “Healthy Steps to Albany

FIRST LADY MICHELLE PATERSON:  Making Healthy Steps – and History -  Downstate in Quest to Teach Children Importance of Nutrition and Exercise

 Over the past year, she’s brought her health and wellness message to thousands of New Yorkers at key events and, with her Healthy Steps to Albany campaign, inspired hundreds of middle school students to increase their physical activity and consumption of healthy foods.
Fueling her “healthier New York” missions are the stunning data on obesity throughout the nation – especially childhood obesity.  And, as reporter Andrew J. Hawkins noted in The Capitol newspaper last May, the First Lady “can effortlessly rattle off statistics: one in four children is overweight; one in three in communities of color.  More young people today have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular problems than ever before.”  ”The purpose of the Healthy Steps program is to educate:  exercising regularly improves your physical, emotional and psychological health,” says First Lady Paterson, is also Honorary Chair of the New York State Commission on National and Community Service and Director of Integrative Wellness at Emblem Health.  “Students who eat well will learn and live well, too.”

New York State’s First Lady Goes to Frontlines to Deliver “Healthy” Message: New York State’s First Lady Michelle Paige Paterson, mother of two and a corporate executive, is equally at home on the frontlines educating middle school students about nutrition and healthy lifestyles as she is attending high-profile events. She is seen here in The Bronx at P.S./M.S. 279 Captain Manuel Rivera, Jr. School addressing students as part of her Healthy Steps to Albany: First Lady’s Challenge competition. “Having been a runner for more than 30 years, I know the importance of physical fitness and I want to do what I can to curb the tide of childhood obesity that threatens our city, our state and indeed our nation.” In addition to running, her personal fitness regime includes weight-bearing, exercises, pilates and yoga. The next Healthy Steps competition starts March 1. To register your middle school, visit www.healthystepstoalbany.ny.gov .

“Yet, despite the incredible medical breakthroughs of the past few decades, our children are part of the first generation of kids who may have a shorter life expectancy than their parents,” she said recently. “We have seen an increase in the rates of obesity-related illnesses, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. We, as parents, educators and community leaders, must promote healthy activity, eating and living so that our children can lead long, healthy and active lives.”

A Chairman’s Uplifting Homegoing

Riverside Church filled for services of Percy Ellis Sutton.

It was standing room only in the uppermost region of the Riverside Church for the homegoing service of Percy Ellis Sutton.  Giving the Personal Tribute, Reverend Jesse Jackson said, “The tallest tree in our forest has fallen,” calling Sutton an authentic Renaissance Man.  He spoke of how  “The Chairman” had stood with Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr.,  Nelson Mandela.  “He left more than he found.”
In a statement videotaped earlier at the church, Governor Paterson said that more than a media mogul and entrepreneur, that Percy was a leader, teacher, mentor and friend.  Sutton was steadfast and disciplined and “He was the first person to advise me about my vision, the first person to suggest I run for office,” and he “gave correction in such a way that you’d think it was a  compliment.”  (This was later amended by Inez Dickens, who assured everyone that Sutton could also correct you in a way such that you knew you were corrected.)  Paterson made the case that without the life of Percy Sutton, he would not be governor now.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that Sutton’s “greatest accomplishment was his own life.  He took his destiny in his own hands.”  Listing Sutton’s accomplishments, Bloomberg said he made Black radio a fixture in New York, saved the  Apollo Theater, Charles Rangel became a congressman, David Dinkins became mayor and Paterson became Governor.  The mayor announced that the cluster of schools on Edgecombe  Avenue in Harlem will be named the Percy Ellis Sutton Educational Complex.  “He made a difference,” concluded the mayor.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said that, “The opportunities my generation have been given are possible because of the work” of Sutton’s generation and acknowledged that he stands on Sutton’s “still-broad shoulders.”
An interview of Sutton was shown and he recounted that he “could not get a Black professional to come to a meeting” with Malcolm X.  He said that he had to learn that he “could not go frontally” when confronted with obstacles, but “had to go in from the sides.”
Congressman Charles Rangel apologized to the family, saying of his mentor and friend, “We treated Percy like we owned him.  I called him like I was calling home.”   He recounted how special it was to Mr. Sutton when someone came up to him on the street and said, “God bless you Percy Sutton.”  “And this is what Percy was all about.” 
The congressman challenged the assembled saying as long as someone is without, then it is the obligation of those who knew Percy to offer help.  He also gave them hope saying “there is a little bit of Percy in each of us,” and that as he leaves to meet with the president, there will be that little bit of Percy coming to Washington with him.
Melba Moore sang “Amazing Grace” and Stevie Wonder said he was “Happy for the family that you had such a king in your life,” and then sang an amazing “I’ll be Loving You Always.”
In the Family Remembrances, nephew Charles Andrews said he spoke with Leatrice,  Mr. Sutton’s wife of sixty-six years, she was angry saying, “He left me.”  He assured Leatrice that “You are his window.  Through your eyes he sees, through your heart he loves.”  He said that when he had recently seen his uncle, Sutton had told him to tell Leatrice, “Smile, and remember when.”
Granddaughter Keisha Sutton-James said her grandfather was larger than life.  “He was my hero.  By example, he taught me how to love.”  She added later, “When I would walk into the room, he’d give me a standing ovation.  How important was that to this little Black girl?”
Daughter Cheryl spoke of the tradition of Sutton making soup after Thanksgiving.  “People may forget what you say, and forget what you do, but they never forget how you made them feel.”
Malcolm X’s daughter Atallah Shabazz said, “How blessed we are that Percy touched our lives.”  She spoke of how when others kept away from Malcolm and the family, “Percy chose to stand nearby.”
“I could not be what I am today without Mr. Sutton.  I will be an example of your majesty by any means necessary.”
Walter Edwards remembered, “A man for all seasons who looked past what a man was and could see what he could be.”  Percy was Black and Proud before James Brown said it and understood the responsibility of a proud man.
Clarence Jones gave a moving remembrance of Sutton calling Jones’ hospital and guaranteeing payment of an expensive medical procedure.  “Good-by my audaciously proud brother.”
Roscoe C. Brown, Jr. said he knew Sutton since their days together as Tuskeegee Airmen attached to the 332nd Fighter Group.  Sutton was the intelligence officer and Brown said his flourishes in reporting the missions for citations “made heroes out of us.”
Mayor David Dinkins had to stop and compose himself several times as he spoke of “We three, who were once the ‘Gang of Four’,”  referring to Basil Paterson, Percy Sutton, Charles Rangel and himself.  He was one of the most dedicated, dynamic and determined individuals to be met, said Dinkins.  He also mentioned that one of the most important elements of Sutton’s walk from his home was someone coming up to him and saying, “God bless you Percy Sutton.”  He was our inspiration and our guiding force.  “Then we were four, now we are three.”
Dinkins said to remember that “Apples did not fall from the tree, they were shaken by our ancestors.   Had there been not Chairman Sutton, there would have been no Mayor Dinkins.”
Basil Paterson knew Percy as a friend and a Renaissance man.  He rebuilt 125th Street.  He was fiercely loyal and always there for the underdog.
Reverend Al Sharpton gave the Eulogy and spoke of Sutton, who even as a multi-millionaire, laid down in front of One Police Plaza for Amadu Diallo, “AWest African boy he never knew.” 
“Percy knew he was a giant but too many around him had grasshopper complexes.  Percy invested in a  community that didn’t even believe in itself.”
“He did not let America change him, he changed America.”   “A hundred years from now they will celebrate Percy Sutton, a man who dreamed dreams and made them come true.  He made little people feel important.  He made us feel important.” 
Sharpton ended with a story of how Mr. Sutton had come to his support at a critical time, and had held up a picture of the reverend and said “I am Al Sharpton.”  Speaking of how the Chairman’s spirit will live on, Sharpton held up a picture of Mr. Sutton, saying, “I am Percy Sutton.”
  David Mark Greaves

STORY OF SAM COOK REACHES FAR BEYOND MUSIC BOUNDARIES

During the early 1960’s, he ..
. encouraged Black people to support Black Press.
. read voraciously from early childhood and believed that reading enlarged the world.
. was a great student of  Black History, inspired by John Hope Franklin’s From Slavery to Freedom.
And the works of Paul Laurence Dunbar and Langston Hughes.
. was the first African-American artist to achieve crossover success, reaching #1 on the pop charts. 
. refused to appear before racially-segregated audiences in The South.
. was a self-determined entrepreneur in the record industry.
. wore a natural at the height of his success before Black “became” Beautiful in 1964, the year he died at age 33.
And there’s more to Sam Cooke’s story, so much more we would have learned had he lived to reach his 79th birthday this January.
“Sam Cooke: Crossing Over” will be presented on THIRTEEN’s American Masters series, Monday, January 11 at 9:00pm on PBS.  Narrated by Danny Glover, the film features archival footage and interviews with Cooke’s family and intimates including Muhammad Ali, James Brown, Smokey Robinson, Bobby Womack, Jimmy Carter, Billy Preston, Sam Moore, Dick Clark, Jerry Wexler and more. 
The documentary follows the composer-lyricist-performer’s music career and shows how “game-changer” Cooke “created a new American sound.” With his “You Send Me” selling over a million records in 1957, the young gospel star alienated some fans by embracing “the devil’s music,” but he forever altered the course of popular music in America, and he still impacts today, 45 years after his death.
His “Change is Gonna Come” of 1962 was featured in Spike Lee’s 1992 biographical film Malcolm X and the same song inspired President Obama’s 2008 historic speech on race. 
Cooke’s career was meteoric at every stage.  From early childhood, his silky, soaring voice electrified the congregation at his father’s First Baptist Church in Chicago.  By age 19, he became the lead vocalist for The Soul Stirrers gospel group.  He redefined the genre and became gospel’s first iconic, and ironically, sexy superstar.  Women flocked to his concerts to experience Sam, not Jesus.
Cooke had twenty-nine top-40 hits in the U.S. between 1957 and 1964. Major hits like “You Send Me”, “Cupid,” “A Change Is Gonna Come”, “Chain Gang”, “Wonderful World”, “Another Saturday Night”  and “Bring It on Home to Me” are some of his most popular songs. Cooke was also among the first modern Black performers and composers to attend to the business side of his musical career. He founded both a record label and a publishing company – accomplishing what no other Black performer had ever attempted -as an extension of his careers as a singer and composer. He also took an active part in the American Civil Rights Movement. His poignant, biting lyrics, especially on “Change” and “Chain Gang” were fashioned out of the depth of personal pain.
The film also shows his courageous stand against racism, and how he opened doors for Other artists, including mentoring Aretha Franklin and launching Otis Redding.
A great companion piece to the documentary is Peter Guralnick’s masterful biography Dream Boogie that captures the music scene of the late 1950s and ’60s and the “evocation of harsh realities” faced by Black musicians at that time.
In a phone interview with Our Time Press in November 2005, Guralnick said, “If the world had been a different place in the ’60s, Cooke would have been at a stature higher than any other performing artist in the world.   He was a lot smarter, more attractive, more talented, and definitely a genius and visionary. Today he would have been doing great things.  He might have been the Mayor of Chicago.”
Certainly, he would have been speaking out, as he did back then through his music and through his work.  He was not afraid to speak about Black love and Black women. At the end of his life at 33, he was already beginning to work to empower the lives of other musicians, writing songs for them, encouraging them to go into their own businesses.
But you also know his pain: following Sammy Davis around, according to Guralnick, to get him to rehearse with him to no avail; and joy – hanging out at the home of the Rev. C.L. Franklin, the father of Aretha;  meeting Muhammad Ali, then-Cassius Clay.  The late-night road shows with Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, Garnet Mimms; radio interviews with the Magnificent “Burn, Baby, Burn” Montague disc jockey and so on.
To put together his portrait, Guralnick went to the people who knew him best, his brother, Bobby Womack, the Simms Twins, Magnificent Montague, his friend and business partner JW Alexander, Barbara Campbell.
But there is an abrupt end to Cooke’s life story in Guralnick’s book and the AMERICAN MASTERS documentary: Cooke was gunned down and killed by the manager of a California motel under questionable circumstances.  She claimed self-defense.
Four-time Grammy-winner Etta James’ autobiography Rage to Survive reveals and shares another view.  James says she viewed Cooke’s body in the funeral home.  She said he was so badly beaten that his head was nearly separated from his shoulders, his hands were broken and crushed, and his nose was mangled.
Etta James, writes Myra Panache on her Panache Reports Web site, talks about the special friendship she shared with Cooke in her autobiography Rage to Survive.
 ”Me and Sam were walking from the parking lot into a club in California; we had to pass this little alley. Sam stopped and said, ‘Wait here, I’ll be right back.’ He strolled back to the alley and started shaking hands with all the bums. They loved him. He knew a lot of their names and they knew all of his songs. When one offered Sam a sip of wine, he didn’t hesitate. Sam reached right down, took the bottle in his hand and turned it up to his mouth and took a big swig. He gave you the impression that he was blessed to be Sam Cooke but he was always for the underdog in ways that weren’t showy.”
“Sam was also smart; he understood that ownership was the name of the game. He wanted to control his own record company and publishing and he wanted to cut the wiseguys out. I was devastated when he was murdered. One theory is that someone slipped him a mickey.
“No woman could have inflicted the injuries he suffered; I figured that (someone slipped him a mickey and it) had worn off at some point. That’s when Sam started struggling with the guys who were trying to kill him. They beat him and shot him and concocted this far-out story that no reasonable person could believe. At his inquest, they argued that Sam was drunk but when they tried to determine what was in Sam’s body, the court refused to hear the evidence, calling it irrelevant. The mickey would have led to more questions, questions that couldn’t be answered.”
A casual conversation here in Brooklyn back in 2005 revealed that Ms. James’ version is likely more factual than not.  The Rev. of Crossover Baptist Church on Marcus Garvey here in Bedford-Stuyvesant lived in the same South Central neighborhood as the Figueroa Street motel where Cooke was shot dead.  “Rumors were widespread that the greatest performer of that time was the victim of a hit.”
Maybe that story will be the subject of another book or documentary on the man who would be King of Pop music and the pop business world.   For now, read Etta James’ autobiography Rage to Surivive and Guralnick’s book, Dream Boogie.  But also watch AMERICAN MASTERS’ Sam Cooke: Crossing Over, executive produced by PBS’ Susan Lacy, on January 11.   -      
                 Bernice Elizabeth Green

Toward the Student-Centered College

2010 marks 40 years since the founding  of Medgar Evers College in 1970.  Under the leadership of Edison O. Jackson, the school has created nationally known centers such as the Center for Law and Social Justice, the Caribbean Research Center, the Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions, the Ella Baker/Charles Romain Child Care Center, the Center for Women’s Development and the Jackie Robinson Center for Physical Culture.  The construction of the Academic Science Center and earlier this year achieving the status of a full-funded CUNY four-year institution are other testaments to his tenure.
Now under the stewardship of  President William L. Pollard, we asked what are the greatest challenges he faces after only five months on the job.  The president was hesitant to speak of particular difficulties, saying the job is “Everything I expected, plus some.” 
Asked about the challenges of the incoming class, Pollard says the students in the new class as well as those already attending, “affirm my thinking” regarding his defining goal of Medgar Evers College being “the leading student-centered school in the CUNY system.”   He says that the decisions he’s making in terms of personnel or the physical plant, are in line with that student-centered vision.  “I want us to be first and foremost a college that is pro-student.” and that changes are being made “not necessarily to benefit faculty or staff, but to benefit the students.”
The first example he offers is that “in order for the campus to be more student-centered, it has to be more technologically efficient than it has been.”  In order to achieve that, “We have to have a chief information officer who can help us make better decisions about technology to bring our software and hardware more closely aligned with the needs of the students.   The technology we have now is not well-thought-out and it’s not of benefit to students or faculty and administration.  The technology hire is designed to help students, first and foremost.” 
Another hire will be a chief financial officer with the title Assistant Vice-President for Finance, to deal with a legacy financial system that he finds cumbersome.  “We currently have a structure that has the president making virtually every financial decision in the college.  And while the president is responsible for the decisions made, if I have to buy robes for the choir, or popcorn poppers for the gymnasium basketball games, when do I have the time to reflect on what the needs are for the institution more broadly?  I have to get away from the nickel-and-dime decision-making.  The only way I can do that is to put the financial house in a kind of order and direct it in a way that allows for greater decision-making at the unit level.  It’s at that level that student needs are taken into greater consideration.” 
Pollard will also be hiring an assistant vice president for the physical plant, so that decisions can be made and projects can move forward without the direct involvement of the president’s office. 
As part of his student-centered vision, President Pollard opens his office to students on Friday afternoons and Tuesday evenings.  With this procedure, “I get to hear firsthand what the students are concerned about.  As a result, there are things that I’m able to pass on to faculty and staff that allows them to be much more responsive and supportive of students.”   Pollard explains that “if we’re going to ask students to take classes on Saturday and Sunday and in the evenings, we have to have office hours to answer the needs of the students.  That’s student-centered.”
The president makes clear who is in charge of the school. “Student-centered does not mean student-run.  It means we have to be responsive to students, and give them direction so that they make decisions with care and forethought.”  Some of those decisions involve how students dress and behave and he mentions that, “At Morehouse, the president has told the young men they can’t wear baggy pants or do-rags.  At Lincoln, the president has decided that the university has to take more responsibility to help the students make better decisions on what they eat.” 
Rather than issue an edict, President Pollard has chosen to engage the students in dialogue about their future and the steps they need to take to get there.  “I’ve had a couple of town hall meetings with students and engaged in conversations on what students ought to look like and how they ought to behave if they’re going to be Medgar students,” and while the president has not established a formal dress code at Medgar Evers College, he is  challenging the students to begin reflecting more about their appearance and their roles as young men and women as they move into the future.
President Pollard is very protective of his students and bristles at the fact that “We’ve heard people talk about ‘nontraditional’ students.  I don’t believe we have nontraditional students at Medgar, we have students, who for reasons of the economy, for reasons of age and circumstance, have to take non-traditional means to get a college education.
“They may not enter right after high school.  They may enter college with family and personal obligations that make their road to a degree longer.  taking 5,6,7 8 or 9 years.”   This contributes to lowering the school’s graduation rate, but not for any failure on the part of the school or student.
One example he speaks of is a student in the biology department who is studying the nervous system of shellfish.  In the course of that research, he’s seen that magnesium has a negative effect on the nervous system of human beings, causing Parkinson Syndrome-like hand tremors.  “In some people, it is not Parkinson’s but an overabundance of magnesium in the body.”  This student’s research is looking at how to manipulate the amount of magnesium in the body to control tremors. 
“This young man is 28 years old.  His mother and father had a difficult divorce.  He dropped out of school 8-9 years ago so that he could help his mother take care of his siblings and himself.  Is this a nontraditional student, or a student taking a nontraditional path?  He never lost sight of what he needed to do and he’s now a biology major who will graduate next year.”
Asked if the building boom at the college was over for a moment while he concentrates on other issues, President Pollard says, “We are not finished with the building boom.”  Pollard expresses a deep appreciation for the amount of work, patience and willpower that Dr. Jackson exerted in bringing the new buildings into being on the MEC campus saying, “I understand what it took politically and personally to reach this point and that it represents a 10-12-year effort”  and yet he said, and he was sure that Dr. Jackson would agree, “The college needs that space again.” 
“We are not finished with the building boom and we’re still light years away from where we want to be technologically.” 
High on his list is the need for a student center.  A place with meeting rooms, food franchises, student government offices and a comfortable location for students to sit and talk between classes.   “When you drive by the school and see students out on the street, it’s because we need a student center where the young people can congregate.”  And again, this is part of  his student-centered vision.  “Any building boom has to include a plan for total student development: spiritual, mental and physical.”  Along with the student center, Pollard insists there is a need for a field house and playing field as well.   He feels that those who think that intramural sports are not integral to higher education miss the learning experiences inherent in sports and that the social skills learned on the soccer field are useful in the boardroom.  “Young people learn how to lead, how to work in teams and are prepared to work in structured environments such as the society presents.” 
“I want my legacy to be that Medgar becomes the leading student-centered college in the CUNY system.  One marked by students who know and believe they are the most important thing at the college.  It will be reflected in the way we treat them, reflected in improved graduation rates, reflected in the office hours for faculty and staff,  and in the way students are accorded courtesies and conveniences in the evening and on weekends.”

Sutton: He Set The Standard

Percy Sutton set the standard for how to be and was the embodiment of excellence in everything he did.  I was part of a film crew interviewing Mr. Sutton in the mid-1980’s and two things he said have stayed with me.  He spoke about persistence saying that it took him sixty-two presentations of his business plan, and I forget if it was for a license or a loan, but the lesson was, if you know it’s right, keep at it.  And teaching also about initiative and goal-setting, he said that if he were stripped of everything, and here he waved around his wonderful old office of wood and forest green, and he said if he were stripped of everything, he would build it again, starting by making and bagging cookies, and selling them on the street. 
Percy Sutton was self-made style, class and a whole lot of smart, funny and smooth as silk.   Someone on the crew at the time may even had said, “That brother is smooth.”  If so, it would have been met with unanimous agreement.  The next we saw him was at his L.A. station, where in a room of cool cats, in came Mr. Sutton, the coolest cat in the room.   If Fred Astaire were a Black businessman, he’d be Percy Sutton. He was then, and as I later learned, always immaculately dressed.  Both David Dinkins and Charlie Rangel speak of him as a mentor, and you can see it in their attire and how they conduct themselves, having had before them the gold standard to model after.
Percy Sutton was a Race man.  He continually sought to empower African-Americans, in his politics, his businesses and the stands he took on social issues.  Percy Sutton’s biography tells the story of the extraordinary life of a purposeful man. An African-American whose lifework empowered his people and set an example of what to aspire to for those who met him.
When you’ve seen a life lived like this, then you know it is true, the blood of kings runs in our veins. David Mark Greaves

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Comments on Passing of Percy Sutton (In Formation)

Barack Obama on the Passing of Percy Sutton:

Percy Sutton was a true hero to African Americans in New York City and around the country. We will remember him for his service to the country as a Tuskegee Airman, to New York State as a state assemblyman, to New York City as Manhattan Borough President, and to the community of Harlem in leading the effort to revitalize the world renowned Apollo Theater. His life-long dedication to the fight for civil rights and his career as an entrepreneur and public servant made the rise of countless young African Americans possible. Michelle and I extend our deepest condolences to his family on this sad day.

12.26.09 Governor Paterson released the following statement on the passing of Percy Sutton:
“Tonight, we say farewell to one of New York’s and this nation’s most influential African-American leaders – a man whom I am proud to have called a friend and mentor throughout my entire career.
“Percy Sutton was a trailblazer. He began his career as a prominent lawyer for Malcolm X and then took Harlem by storm as a leader of the Harlem Clubhouse where he launched not only his own successful political career but, as a member of the Gang of Four, spawned the successful careers of so many other African-American leaders. It was Percy Sutton who talked me into running for office and who has continued to serve as one of my most valued advisors ever since. 
“The youngest of fifteen children, Percy dreamt big and exceeded even the highest of expectations. His success did not end simply with legal triumph or elective office – both of which he attained. Beyond those achievements, it was his entrepreneurial spirit that led to some of his greatest accomplishments – the rebirth of the Apollo Theater, the stewardship of a growing media empire and more.
“Percy was fiercely loyal, compassionate and a truly kind soul. He will be missed but his legacy lives on through the next generations of African-Americans he inspired to pursue and fulfill their own dreams and ambitions.
“Thank you, Percy, for your friendship and for all that you have contributed to our State and our Nation. On behalf of Michelle, the Paterson Family and all New Yorkers, our prayers are with your family.”

STATEMENT FROM SENATE MAJORITY
CONFERENCE LEADER JOHN L. SAMPSON
 
“Yesterday, New York lost a giant of a man, and I lost a dear friend and valued mentor.
 
“Percy Sutton was a defining figure in the African American community for over half a century. As leader of the Harlem Clubhouse, ground-breaking civil rights attorney, former Manhattan Borough President, and business entrepreneur, Percy forever changed the political, social and economic landscape of New York. Savior to the famed Apollo Theater and member of the celebrated Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, our state and nation owe him a debt of gratitude that can only be truly honored by a commitment to follow in his trailblazing footsteps.
 
“Percy’s steady influence and fearless leadership touched the lives of countless New Yorkers and paved the way for future generations of elected officials and community activist. He fought to make New York a better place and leaves behind a legacy of success and burning torch for others to carry in his absence.
 
“Percy Sutton led a life of great distinction and will be sorely missed by friends and strangers alike. I would like to thank him one more time for his kindness, his leadership and his guidance.”

Congresswoman Maxine Waters Mourns Passing of Percy Sutton
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) released the following statement today on the passing of political and civil rights leader Percy Sutton:
“I am saddened to learn of the death of my old friend Percy Sutton.
Percy emerged as one of the great civil rights lawyers and leaders of the United States, with courage and legal talent that served him well as he represented some of the highly visible community and civil rights leaders in New York and throughout the country. And he was well prepared to do so, volunteering with the N.A.A.C.P as a young man, serving our country with distinction as a Tuskegee Airman in World War II and in the Air Force during the Korean War, and attending Columbia Law School and graduating from Brooklyn Law School.
It is well known that he represented Malcolm X, but more than that, he became a great friend to his wife Betty and their children following Malcolm’s tragic and untimely death.
Percy loved Harlem, and he invested tremendous time and energy in its economic development, most notably his work to revitalize and save the iconic Apollo Theatre.
He was instrumental in helping to elect David Dinkins the first African American Mayor of New York City, and not only helped to shape Dinkins’ career but the careers of other leaders such as former New York Secretary of State Basil Paterson, Congressman Charlie Rangel and New York Governor David Paterson. Percy was a committed public servant himself, serving in the New York State Assembly and as Manhattan Borough President for over a decade.
Percy was also an advisor to Rev. Jesse Jackson during his 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns. From my role on both of those campaigns I can speak firsthand to the impact he had on Rev. Jackson and the tone of those groundbreaking races.
Percy Sutton will not only be remembered for his legal talent, political acumen, and community development leadership but also for cofounding the Inner City Broadcasting Corporation, which afforded the African American community the kind of communications network that truly focused on news and interests of concern to us. His boldness in establishing New York’s first African American-owned radio station is especially salient during this time of shrinking and disappearing minority, small, local and other media outlets throughout the country.
Many of us who witnessed his dedication to, commitment to, and love for his people and his community will forever be inspired by all that he accomplished, and we are dedicated to continuing his legacy.
My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Leatrice, his children and grandchildren, his family and friends, and the countless people in Harlem and the United States who knew and who were influenced by Percy Sutton.”
###

Percy E. Sutton: A Titan Worthy of Emulation (1920-2009)
Activist, lawyer, politician and business leader lived a life “full to overflowing,”
says Black Enterprise Founder & Publisher Earl G. Graves Sr.
Credit: www.BlackEnterprise.com.
 
 
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following article and Black Enterprise magazine image of Percy E. Sutton (circa April 1989)  
(New York, NY) December 28, 2009-Percy E. Sutton never met a challenge too great for his boundless energy and intrepid spirit. The founder of Inner City Broadcasting Corp. (which operated the first African American-owned radio station), a Tuskegee Airman, and lawyer, Sutton’s shrewd business sense and iron will made him a force to be reckoned with. The pioneering figure died Saturday. He was 89.
Although he was a San Antonio, Texas native, it was in New York City where Sutton sowed seeds of success cultivated with integrity and indomitable will. The youngest son of a former slave, Sutton made his way to New York before joining the Tuskegee Airmen as an intelligence officer in World War II after being rejected by white Southern recruiters in his hometown. Following a stint in the Air Force, Sutton and his brother Oliver opened a Harlem law office in 1953. His firm represented slain activist Malcolm X, his wife, Betty Shabazz, and the Black Panthers, among others.
“At a time when few African Americans went into the law, Sutton opened up his own practice that aggressively defended civil and human rights activists in New York and elsewhere around the country,” says friend, U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel.
But it was his business acumen and foray into New York City politics that burnished Sutton’s legacy. In 1972, he and his brother founded New York-based Inner City Broadcasting Corp. (ICBC) (No. 80 Black Enterprise Industrial/Service 100 with revenues of $50.6 million), which began with a single radio station, WLIB-AM. With 50 original shareholders, including Jesse Jackson, future New York City Mayor David Dinkins, and Betty Shabazz, the group purchased the station for $1.9 million, with the Suttons owning more than 51% of the company. It eventually went on to add WBLS-FM, one of New York City’s top ranked radio stations, along with stations in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Antonio.
“The people who initially invested in Inner City Broadcasting really did not expect us to make money on an AM daytime radio station in Harlem, but they were really interested in getting a piece of the media that had impact on the community,” Sutton’s son, Pierre told Black Enterprise magazine in 1989. Pierre assumed chairmanship of ICBC in 1991.
In the 1970s, Sutton, who served in the New York State Assembly, was a member a group of black politicians from Harlem dubbed the “Gang of Four,” which included Rep. Rangel; Gov. David Paterson’s father Basil, who became New York’s secretary of state; and Dinkins. He was the longest serving Manhattan borough president holding the position from 1966 to 1977.
Despite a failed 1976 failed bid for a mayoral seat, Sutton still exercised influence in local politics and business.
“As Borough President, Sutton advocated for and implemented programs that specifically targeted the City’s most vulnerable populations,” said Arva Rice, president and CEO of the New York Urban League.
A fixture on the legendary 125th St. as a young man, Sutton was able to give back to the community that helped shape him when he purchased a financially beleaguered Apollo theater for $250,000 in 1981. With the acquisition, ICBC also acquired or launched a magazine, record and publishing companies, an artist management company, and several other related entities, including a syndicated television show, “Showtime at the Apollo.” Along with the purchase Sutton secured investors for an $18 million renovation of the theater.
In addition to his radio holdings, Sutton also headed a group that owned The Amsterdam News, the second largest black weekly newspaper in the country. The paper was later sold.
“[Sutton's] life-long dedication to the fight for civil rights and his career as an entrepreneur and public servant made the rise of countless young African Americans possible,” remarked President Barack Obama.  Sutton’s achievements mark a staunch dedication to education instilled in him and his siblings by his father, Samuel, who was born into slavery just before the Civil War. Samuel went on to become a high school principal. Sutton, the youngest of 15 children, was born in San Antonio on Nov. 24, 1920. Samuel made sure that 12 of his surviving children all went on to attend college.
Black Enterprise recognized Sutton with the Arthur G. Gaston Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000, one of many awards, including the 1987 NAACP Spingarn Medal, to his credit. Also in 2000, Black Enterprise readers named Sutton one of the “10 Most Important Black Business Luminaries” of the 20th century.
“Tuskegee Airman. Civil-rights activist. Attorney for the family of Malcolm X. First black (and longest-serving) Manhattan Borough President. BE 100s CEO and founder of Inner City Broadcasting Corp., one of America’s largest black-owned companies. Key strategist for the ground-breaking presidential campaigns of Rev. Jesse Jackson. Any one of these designations would make Percy L. Sutton, the youngest son of a former slave, a giant among men,” says Black Enterprise Publisher Earl Graves. “The combination of these, only a sampling of his achievements, stamps Sutton as a true titan. He lived a life full to overflowing, setting a standard truly worthy of emulation, and I am blessed and proud to have been his friend.”
Sutton is survived by his wife, Leatrice; his son Pierre, and daughter Cheryl.
By Renita Burns with Alfred Edmond for BlackEnterprise.com.

Percy Sutton: A Visionary Giant Passes

Pioneering Lawyer, Percy Sutton Passes Away
December 27, 2009
Percy Sutton, attorney for Malcolm X, dead at 89

Former NY Mayor Dinkins (l) and Percy Sutton in 2006
NEW YORK – Percy Sutton, the pioneering civil rights attorney who represented Malcolm X before launching successful careers as a political power broker and media mogul, died Saturday at age 89.
Marissa Shorenstein, a spokeswoman for Gov. David Paterson, confirmed Sutton’s death. She did not know the cause. His daughter, Cheryl Sutton, declined to comment when reached by phone at her New York City home on Saturday before midnight.
The son of a slave, Percy Sutton became a fixture on 125th Street in Harlem after moving to New York City following his service with the famed Tuskegee Airmen in World War II. His Harlem law office, founded in 1953, represented Malcolm X and the slain activist’s family for decades.
The consummate politician, Sutton served in the New York State Assembly before taking over as Manhattan borough president in 1966, becoming the highest-ranking black elected official in the state.
Sutton also mounted unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. Senate and mayor of New York, and served as political mentor for the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s two presidential races.
“The godfather,” Jackson once called him.
In a statement released Saturday night, Gov. David Paterson called Sutton a mentor and “one of New York’s and this nation’s most influential African-American leaders.”
“Percy was fiercely loyal, compassionate and a truly kind soul,” Paterson continued. “He will be missed but his legacy lives on through the next generations of African-Americans he inspired to pursue and fulfill their own dreams and ambitions.”
In 1971, with his brother Oliver, Sutton purchased WLIB-AM, making it the first black-owned radio station in New York City. His Inner City Broadcasting Corp. eventually picked up WBLS-FM, which reigned for years as New York’s top-rated radio station, before buying stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit and San Antonio between 1978-85.
The Texas purchase marked a homecoming for the suave and sophisticated Sutton, born in San Antonio on Nov. 24, 1920, the youngest of 15 children.
Among Sutton’s other endeavors was his purchase and renovation of the famed Apollo Theater when the Harlem landmark’s demise appeared imminent. (more)
The death of a true pioneer, and well spoken gentleman.

From: http://btx3.wordpress.com/2009/12/27/pioneering-lawyer-percy-sutton-passes-away/

No Shortage of Stimulus Prayers in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn For President Barack Obama

Mt. Pisgah Prepares for First Anniversary of “O” Team Prayers, Jan. 4
By Matrice Brooks

While many throughout the world esteem President Barack Obama for his pioneer efforts to forge global diplomacy in a post-Bush era, here in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, a faith-based troupe, backs up his every encounter with prayer, monthly at historic Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church. 
The “O” Team has prayed through every major challenge and honor the President has accepted since he came to office a year ago.   And as the nation begins to assess Obama’s 360-plus days as a world leader, the “O” Team is preparing for the first anniversary celebration of their consistent monthly appeals to their Assessor to intercede for the President.  Praise services are planned for Monday, January 4, 2010, starting at 7:00pm in Mt. Pisgah’s Fellowship Hall, 760 DeKalb Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, as the President embarks on a new year in office. 
Under the auspices of The Rev. Johnny Ray Youngblood, the eleven-member core team of men and women, ranging in age from the early 20’s to 60’s, meet on the fourth day of every month, whether that date falls on a weekday or weekend.  
“They arrive geared for deliberate intercession on behalf of Mr. Obama and his family, the office of the President, and even his White House staff,” says Rev. Youngblood who conceived the idea for an “O” Team – a group of modern-day disciples on a 21st century mission.
“Neither pressing reforms nor special honor escapes the intercessory efforts of the “O” Team; in fact, we vow to maintain our prayer vigils for the duration of Mr. Obama’s tenure as President,” adds Rev. Youngblood.
Even though the program commences at 7:00 p.m., there are those who arrive as early as 6 p.m. to secure the coveted front-row seats to experience the full breadth of exultant group prayer and praise that has come to distinguish Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, under the guidance of Rev. Youngblood.  
“Congregants and guests file in by the dozens.  They are loyal and have provided their support without fail since the program’s inception.  In a positive way, the prayer services have become infectious,” states Youngblood. 
On any given fourth, worshippers along with the prayer team settle into the airy, Thomas-Spann Fellowship Hall that sits parallel to the church sanctuary.  Liberal seating is arranged for an anticipated one-hundred or more guests.  Nine massive columns painted a canary yellow and dark green – symbolizing joy and life – ensconce the area.  Music is piped in through huge woofers mounted on opposite ends of the stage.  Positioned close to the edge, at center stage, is a large projection screen from which the video stream of Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing, the National Black Anthem by James Weldon and Rosamond Johnson, will soon project.  This is a staple video clip for the “O” Team.
At start time, 7:00 pm, on any fourth in the life of the program, chatter ceases throughout the hall.   The youngest “O” Teamer provides a slam poetry selection, and, without fail, the crowd goes wild.  A nine year-old reads a letter to President Obama in the tender voice of Sasha, the youngest Obama.  Tears well up. 
At the December 4 session, eighth-graders of Mt. Pisgah’s George Henry Murray Preparatory Academy read letters (penned by their own hands) congratulating Mr. Obama on winning the Nobel Peace Prize.  The crowd marvels at their genius.  A petite, teenage girl sings the Lord’s Prayer in South African; this rendering is further accentuated with a South African drum dance, performed by an all-female troupe.  The crowd is astonished. 
Last  August 4 on Mr. Obama’s birthday, the “O” Team celebrated with a message in the dialect of his Kenyan grandmother. There have been dramatizations, too.  One recent tribute was to 86 year-old Eugene Allen, who, after a 35-year career as butler in the White House, was honored to see the day the first black President assume residence in the iconic dome at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. 
On yet another occasion, an operatic rendering of Exodus boomerangs off the hallowed walls.  Occasionally, the “O” Team will hand the reins over to worshippers to engage them in intercession for Mr. Obama.   The “O” Team takes bold steps to ensure there are no shortage of prayers and no spared talent.
“His administrative duties as Commander-in-Chief are frequently criticized and often minimized,” commented a long time “O” Team member.  “So our only choice is to pray.”  In fact, while so many remember the Obamas in their thoughts and prayers, the Brooklyn  “O” Team is probably the only faith-based group along the Northeastern corridor that’s committed to Mr. Obama’s spiritual welfare – with a dedicated service – on this magnitude. 
Now ranked with legendary Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, Ralph Johnson Bunche, U.S. Diplomat and Politician and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., respectively 1950 and 1964 awardees, President Barack Obama is the third African-American to have the distinguished award conferred on October 9, 2009 – just nine months into his Presidency.  “True to style and grace,” notes Rev. Youngblood, “it is likely Mr. Obama considers the implications of the Nobel Peace Prize as ‘a call to action’.”
“We pray to an omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent God who listens,” says a senior “O” Team member.  “We have prayed earnestly from our hearts for Mr. Obama’s success these past twelve months, and there is no shortage of evidence that our prayers are being heard and answered.  As more and more change comes about, the atmosphere at home and abroad takes on new fervor.  I would like to think it’s because of our prayers. 
“Like the walls of Jericho, we must rebuild brick-by-brick and layer-by-layer both our international and domestic human relations.  The enormity of that task is achievable through prayer and, certainly, by having the appropriate person poised for the great undertaking.  We believe Mr. Obama possesses both the integrity and abilities.  That is why we pray constantly,” concludes the senior “O” Team member. 
The group welcomes community participation, Monday, January 4, 2010. 
(Note: When the fourth falls on weekdays, “O” Team programs are held from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. When that date falls on a Saturday, the team convenes at 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.  Lastly, when the fourth occurs on a Sunday, their program is incorporated into the regular 10:45 a.m. church service at Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church.)

So, why did the “O” Team settle on the fourth of every month?  That date was selected to represent the significance of Mr. Obama’s birthday (Aug 4), his historic election (Nov 4) and of course he is the 44th President of the United States.

Senator Perkins Raises Question of Potential Wrongdoing in $511 Million Bond Issuance by Brooklyn Arena Local Development Corporation for Nets Arena

 Bill Perkins, chair of the Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Committee, is urging Governor Paterson to investigate the $511 million dollar bond issuance by the Brooklyn Arena Local Development Corporation (BALDC) for possible wrongdoing and to halt the sale. 
On December 15, 2009, the BALDC a not-for-profit corporation created by the Job Development Authority (JDA), held a bond auction to fund the construction of the arena component of the Atlantic Yards project. 
 However, the bond issuance is not valid on at least two grounds, outlined in a letter Senator Perkins sent to the governor.  
 By issuing the bonds through the BALDC, the JDA (which is a unit of the Empire State Development Corporation) avoided its statutory obligation to receive approval from the Public Authorities Control Board and the State Comptroller. 
 Additionally, according to a recent Court of Appeals decision, the BALDC does not have the authority to grant a property tax exemption for land leased for the proposed Nets arena.  “Consequently, payments-in-lieu of taxes cannot be used to secure the bonds, and they are effectively worthless. If  ESDC knowingly misrepresented the legitimacy of these bonds, this raises the specter of fraud,”  Sen. Perkins writes.
 ”It is unacceptable that these entities would violate the public trust and subject taxpayers to hundreds of millions in debt obligations and issue debt outside the statutorily mandated review, especially during our current financial crisis” argues Sen. Perkins. “I am equally concerned by the fiction engaged in by the ESDC.  Their purpose is to promote economic development in the best interest of the people of New York, not seek murky loopholes costing New Yorkers millions in property tax revenues from wealthy private developers like Forest City Ratner.” 
 Furthermore, it appears the ESDC was in part motivated to issue the bonds before the IRS tax exempt stadium deadline of December 31, 2009. 
 ”Earlier this month Governor Paterson signed landmark public authority reform legislation into law. However, it is clear that some have not received the message. My committee will review these actions and continue to seek transparency and accountability on behalf of the people of New York,” Senator Perkins says.

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