Serving Metropolitan Detroit Since 1944
Serving Metropolitan Detroit Since 1944
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In the June edition of the 'Native Sun', I wrote a 'Telford Telescope' column about the iconic old Detroit coach Will Robinson. It featured a picture of Will and me with my second wife, Gina Telford taken in 2006 when Will was 95 years old. In 2015, I wrote Will's biography--''Will the FIRST - The Saga of Sports/Civil-Rights Pioneer WILL ROBINSON.' The book is 342 pages, illustrated with 27 photographs, and a photo of the statue of Will with his All-American player Doug Collins is on the front c...
With some of the drama circling the Summer Games and the general lack of interest in them, has anyone noticed the U.S. Women’s Basketball Team this year. They played through Group B play winning their games culminating with Monday’s win over France 93-82. And team USA hasn’t been playing in sync, at least in the first half. In the second half, it looked like they ran the table. Going into the medal round Team USA should be set good to win a medal if not win gold. But the French did explo...
The right-wing majority on the Supreme Court just undercut the Voting Rights Act again. Having gutted the section that required pre-approval of state voting laws to protect the rights of minorities to vote in Shelby v. Holder, Republican-appointed justices now have castrated the backup clause — Section 2 — which bans racial discrimination in election practices in Brnovich v. DNC. The result will open the floodgates even further to the wave of partisan laws that Republicans are pushing in states across the country to suppress the votes of Afr...
I was so excited when the COVID-19 numbers were going down consistently earlier this year. All I was thinking about was that things were going to back to some type of normal by the time school started in the Fall. I want the children to return to attending school, and having a kid's life. There are so many kids that are falling behind even more because school has been virtual for so long. Unfortunately, it looks like they will start this next school year virtual again. But what makes me nervous...
Once one becomes part of public life, he lives in the public eye and under the microscope. There is praise sometimes, criticism other times. Some of it is fair, some unfair. It comes with the territory of being a public figure. Indeed, no matter how hard one works and how conscientious a person is, there is no escape from criticism. This is normal in a democracy. Different views and debate are healthy and needed. Criticism is important. It serves as a constant reminder to those in public office...
ROLLING OUT – "Survivors of sexual assault will always be our first priority," read a statement. "While Dean Rashad has acknowledged in her follow-up tweet that victims must be heard and believed, her initial tweet lacked sensitivity towards survivors of sexual assault." Film and TV legend Phylicia Rashad has issued a "sincere apology" to Howard University students and families for publicly celebrating the release of her former TV husband, disgraced comedian Bill Cosby, from prison on W...
NNPA NEWSWIRE – President Biden gets credit for signing this legislation, just as he gets credit for going to Tulsa at the hundredth commemoration of the destruction of Black Wall Street. While both these things are primarily symbolic, these are symbolic gestures that he did not have to make. If Biden doesn’t “get” race and racism (and honestly, what white person does), he’s spent enough time with Senior Advisor Cedric Richmond and Vice President Kamala Harris to communicate his affinity for Black people and his commitment to some progress....
What is going on in the world today? There is so much violence in cities throughout the United States. Everyday when I turn on the television there has been another person killed. Most of the killings are by a gun. Did you see the one in New York when the man knocked down two kids and the killer was still shooting at the man. This happened in broad daylight with other people on the street? Then there are the ones when people are shooting into cars; either on a city street or on the freeway....
Hardships from the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be felt across our communities as well as our economy. Currently, there are well over 300,000 Federal Housing Administration (FHA) borrowers who are at least 90-days delinquent on their mortgage and in danger of losing their home to foreclosure. To assist FHA borrowers with keeping their homes in 13th District Strong, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and I are kindly asking for your help: please join in...
Next week will mark one year since George Floyd was murdered by former police officer, Derek Chauvin. While his death sparked worldwide outrage, protests, and much needed discussions about our nation's systemic inequities, a recent NPR poll suggests that white and Black Americans still have very different views on race and policing. According to the poll, 61 percent of Black Americans believe that local police treat people of color more harshly than white people. Only a quarter of white...
I love hearing from the readers of the Telegram News. It is pleasing to realize that people enjoy the Telegram and they will take time out to let me know how they feel. So many people call and thank us for keeping them informed about a topic or to shout out the way that one of the reporters shared a story on a particular person or issue. But last week had people buzzing. They were calling me, texting me, calling the office, complaining to my family members… A few said they were going to write a...
On May 11, 2021, I will receive my second COVID-19 Vaccination shot. Then two weeks later I should be fully vaccinated from COVID-19. That is a huge accomplishment for me. I have always been a non-vaccination taking person. Besides, the ones required to attend school. As an adult, I have an unwritten rule that I don't take vaccines and I don't take the flu shots. Period. I am also a graduate of Tuskegee University. I know this is different, however, in the back of my mind, I have those...
Gun violence is an American national problem. Police usage of unnecessary deadly force is another one. Both kill innocent people. It is a problem that calls for a solution. The recent shootings by police and by citizens are not the first and, if the status quo is not changed, will surely not be the last. Gun violence makes us all feel insecure. Violence seems random. This sense of randomness makes the average citizen feel that this violence is a risk to themselves and to their loved ones. It’s a sad state of endless cycle of gun violence as w...
I am an avid news watcher but only after the first 15 minutes of the news broadcast. You know why, because in the first 15 minutes its all about the violence in our communities. Somebody got shot, some kid shot themselves with a gun they found in the house or somebody got hit either walking across the street or driving on the freeway. Does that sound familiar? I know one or two of those stories will headline the news no matter which station that you are watching. It's not that I am ignoring the...
The number of cases of people having a positive test for COVID-19 has been increasing. Michigan is the top state with new cases over the last week. Our numbers have now reached the level of cases that we had in December. Then why are people still not wearing a mask or face covering when they are outside around people? I have even seen people come into the gas station without a face covering or mask. If they look friendly, I might say, 'hey man, did you forget your mask?' I just knew we were...
As Reading Month comes to a close, I want to inspire you to continue reading. Reading opens the world to you without paying for air fare, rental car and a hotel stay. It is a way to share in the lives of people you don't know. Remember Reading is FUNdamental. Each week, the Telegram Newspaper strives to share information about the good people are doing while reporting on positive stories that are happening in our communities. It is sometimes hard to decide which stories to put in the paper each...
I attend many City Council meetings; some in person or on ZOOM. There are normally not many people attending. The audience is mostly made up of department heads and under ten loyal residents. Why don't more people attend the meetings that govern their city? This is Sunshine Week and the focus is transparency and Freedom of Information from Elected Officials. (You will see several articles in this week's issue that deal with transparency.) I normally mention that we have to hold our elected offic...
Tuesday night's string of attacks at Atlanta day spas is yet another disgusting and disturbing example of how the spread of domestic terrorism has been allowed to torment minority communities. There have been prominent voices promoting this virulent hate speech before, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and parallel rise of misinformation has intensified these attacks. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been over 3,000 recorded hate incidents against the Asian American community,...
Yeah, I know the title sounds ridiculous but it is going on. The casualties so far are Disney’s Dumbo, Peter Pan and the Aristo Cats, for supposed racist depictions, along with Pepe LePew for promoting a rapist culture. And the Left has it sights set on Speedy Gonzales (again) and Miss Piggy, for also promoting a rapist culture. Why all the hate on cartoons all of a sudden? Probably because cartoons, by nature, over do things physically that normal people can’t do, like walk three feet in open a...
The American Human Rights Council (AHRC-USA) joins the nation and the global community in celebrating International Women's Day. The Day falls on March 8 annually. March is also Women's History Month, an occasion to celebrate women successes and contributions to all humanity. The United Nations began celebrating International Women's day in 1977. On this special day, the world recognizes women's contributions and reaffirms that the struggle for the rights of women is at the core of the struggle...
How much time do your children spend reading in a week? Do they see you reading? I have always been a reader. My parents made sure we read books, mostly Black History books or stories, however we always were reading. I remember my teacher at Northrup Elementary school, Ms. Moore, challenging us to read a book a week. We also had competitions to see who could read the most books and since I love to win... I always kept a book in my hand. Guess what, my kids grew up reading and winning too. My...
The year is off to a busy start and if we get involved, things will continue to move at a fast pace. As you think about what you will spend your time on, I suggest you take about a week to jot down somethings that are important to you. Our goal is to come out of the pandemic better than when we went in. If things go well with the vaccine and people continuing to wear their masks, Dr. Fauci and President Joe Biden said that by December of this year, things could be almost back to a sense of norma...
Today we celebrate Black History month following the historic inauguration of Senator Kamala Harris as the first woman, first Asian American and the first Black Vice President of the United States of America. People from around the world watched as Vice President Harris raised her hand to take the oath and placed her other hand onto two bibles, one belonging to a close family friend and the second, to the great, first Black Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. The first Hispanic Supreme Cour...
Happy Black History Month! It's no time like the present for you to learn your history. During 2020, the Telegram News had a series entitled, 'Pioneers of African American History' written by Renee Summers. The section focused on sharing information about unfamiliar African Americans. Most people know about Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks and Madame C. J. Walker, but there are so many others that helped to shape our country and our lives. I grew up in a household that...
I traveled to Washington DC with a bus load of people that I didn't know. I was so excited as we gathered in Southfield for the long journey. I have been to the King Center in Atlanta numerous of times, but I wanted to get to the monument I felt a sense of empowerment when I stood there amongst other people, that I didn't know. But on that day, we were all connected. We were honoring a man who had sacrificed it all for us. Because of him and his leadership , we are able to vote, sit where we...
