NAREB Urges Black Americans Not To Defer Their Dream Of Homeownership

According to the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) wealth building usually begins with that first investment in owning your own home. Whether you purchase a first-time “starter” home or inherit a property or residence, you start down the road to building wealth. But something has changed in the Black community. The U.S. Census Bureau’s latest statistics indicate that the Black homeownership rate has dropped once again.

Now at 40.6%, the rate starkly signals a continual loss of wealth for Black Americans. By comparison, the non-Hispanic White homeownership rate for the same period was reported to be 73.1%, a nearly 30% difference. There’s a problem and NAREB is on point to stop the loss and return Black Americans to wealth building through homeownership of real estate investment.

NAREB is aware that the Black community, particularly its local and national leaders, may need a clear, strong wake-up call to reverse this daunting downward trend.

What are the causes? But more importantly, what are the solutions? What can the community of concern do to prompt home purchase and therefore, wealth building?

These and other questions are slated to be addressed at NAREB’s annual “State of Black America” forum to be convened at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 2019 Annual Legislative Conference, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019, 2:00p.m.- 4:00p.m.

Expert panelists, steeped in the issues, the disparities and likely solutions to raising Black homeownership are committed to working with NAREB on its mission to restore confidence in the real estate market, identify critical systemic blockages, and outline the concerted advocacy strategies that lawmakers at every level of government need to keep in mind to improve Black homeownership outcomes.

During the forum, Donnell Williams, the newly installed president of NAREB, will announce an aggressive program to reach out and encourage Black millennials to consider, or re-consider, homeownership as a wealth building tool.

“Statistics show that there are 1.7 million Black millennials making $100,000 or more and could improve their financial futures with homeownership or participation in real estate investment opportunities. NAREB is determined to reach them with messages that rebut, yet improve, some of their current lifestyle choices,” he says. What’s more, he adds, homeownership is critical. “One clear message to millennials: Think about a house before you buy the car.”

As he explains, wealth building is all about smart choices. Dreams need not be deferred. Homeownership is possible and still desirable as a wealth building tool. NAREB, with its nationwide network of predominantly Black American real estate professionals are here to help find the wealth building pathways that best suit lifestyles and incomes. “Join me at NAREB’s Forum for the answers,” Williams concluded.

Zimbabwe’s Former President Robert Mugabe Dies At 95

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Former President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe Dies

CNN Video

Robert Mugabe dies at 95

Robert Mugabe, who once said ‘only God’ could ever remove him, dies at 95

Originally Published: 06 SEP 19 01:18 ET

Updated: 06 SEP 19 10:47 ET

By Tricia Escobedo, David McKenzie and Hilary Clarke, CNN

(CNN) — Zimbabwe’s former president Robert Mugabe, who was once feted as an independence hero but whose 37-year rule left his country deeply divided and nearly broke, has died at the age of 95.

To his loyal supporters, he remained until his death the revered leader who ushered in independence after bringing an end to white-minority rule. But to his critics, Mugabe was the caricature of an African dictator who oppressed his opponents and ruined a country to retain power, which he was forced to relinquish, at the age of 93, in 2017.

Rumors had swirled around the health of the ex-president, who spent months in a hospital in Singapore earlier this year. Details of what ailed him were a closely guarded secret.

Mugabe — who infamously claimed that “only God” could ever remove him from office — was deposed in a coup in 2017, when members of his own party turned against him after he dismissed his longtime ally, then-vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, to make way for his much younger wife Grace.

Fearing an erosion of their influence, senior security forces officials ousted him, replacing him with Mnangagwa.

“It is with the utmost sadness that I announce the passing on of Zimbabwe’s founding father and former President, Cde Robert Mugabe,” tweeted President Mnangagwa on Friday.

“Cde Mugabe was an icon of liberation, a pan-Africanist who dedicated his life to the emancipation and empowerment of his people. His contribution to the history of our nation and continent will never be forgotten. May his soul rest in eternal peace.”

A former teacher, Mugabe was imprisoned for ten years for opposing the white-minority government of Rhodesia (as Zimbabwe was known before independence). After his release, he orchestrated a guerilla war which won freedom for his country in 1980. As Zimbabwe’s first prime minister, he was at first lauded internationally for building schools and hospitals.

However, the former champion of one man, one vote soon mounted a brutal crackdown against the opposition led by the late nationalist politician Joshua Nkomo. For decades, he maintained his grip on the country with the support of the army and a series of controversial elections.

His rule was marked by the violent eviction of thousands of white farmers in 2000, and increasingly dubious elections, including one in 2008 which he lost to Morgan Tsvangirai, sparking political violence that human rights groups say claimed over 200 lives.

Widely seen as a disgraced aging despot desperately clinging to power, Mugabe’s rule finally came to an end at the hands of the regime he had spent decades building.

The son of a carpenter and a teacher

Robert Gabriel Mugabe was born on February 21, 1924, at the Roman Catholic Kutama Mission, Southern Rhodesia. His father, Gabriel Mugabe, was a carpenter and his mother, Bona, a catechism teacher.

After elementary school he entered a teacher training college, going on to work in several schools in Rhodesia before winning a scholarship to the University of Fort Hare in South Africa, where he studied history and English.

In 1952, after graduating, he returned to teach in Rhodesia, later moving to Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) and Ghana, a period during which he accumulated more university degrees, and met his first wife, Sally Hayfron.

In 1960, he returned to Rhodesia and worked as publicity secretary for the newly founded anti-colonialist, African nationalist National Democratic Party. Quickly rising in influence, he advocated violence to end white rule, co-founding the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) with Ndabaningi Sithole in Tanzania after fleeing Rhodesia.

He and his comrades insisted the white leadership was illegitimate, had occupied his people’s land and made them “a race of no rights beyond those of chattel.”

In 1963, he returned and was arrested for making subversive statements. He spent almost eleven years in jail, during which time he continued his political activism and study, earning university degrees in education, economics, administration and law.

After his release in 1974, he led the ZANU-PF, the guerilla movement, from Mozambique against Premier Ian Smith’s white minority rule.

When the war ended in 1979, Mugabe was hailed as a war hero at home and abroad.

He went on to lead the newly independent Zimbabwe — as prime minister from 1980 to 1987, when he became its president.

Articulate and smartly dressed, Mugabe came to power commanding the respect of a nation. He had a strong head start, inheriting a country with a stable economy, solid infrastructure and vast natural resources.

But the descent into tyranny didn’t take long.

His hardline policies drove the country’s flourishing economy to disintegrate after a program of land seizures from white farmers, and agricultural output plummeted and inflation soared.

At first, Mugabe preached reconciliation with former enemies at home and abroad. For the country’s black majority, Mugabe built schools and hospitals and promoted agriculture for peasant farmers.

He was lauded by the West as a new kind of African liberation leader, particularly by former colonial ruler Britain, which had refused to recognize Smith’s government and leveled economic sanctions against the country.

‘A degree in violence’

But early on in his rule, Mugabe showed a penchant for dealing with opponents ruthlessly. The most startling example was the Gukurahundi killings between 1983 and 1987.

Mugabe was accused of leading the massacre against political opponents. Tens of thousands of ethnic Ndebeles were killed — including many found in mass graves that the victims reportedly had to dig themselves.

His reputation for ruthlessness stemmed from this period. Later Mugabe would boast of having a “degree in violence”.

Despite the turmoil, Zimbabwe’s economy was strong in the early years of Mugabe’s rule. The country was known as the “breadbasket” of southern Africa and showed startling improvements in literacy rates.

But the tone began to change in 1987 when Mugabe consolidated his power, assuming the office of president and head of the armed forces. In the early 1990s, the government began to amend laws allowing it to purchase land for resettlement and redistribution, prompting objections from landowners and the US and UK.

As land-grabs escalated, the economy began a downward spiral in 1995 that culminated in catastrophic hyperinflation. Mugabe’s government faced charges of elitism, cronyism and corruption.

In 1996, he married his former secretary, Grace Marufu (following the death of his first wife in 1992). Elections that year became a one-man contest, after all other opponents dropped out days before the poll.

In 2000, Mugabe and his ruling ZANU-PF party suffered their first major defeat since coming to power. Voters rejected a new constitution, handing the longtime president an unexpected blow in what was widely considered a confidence vote on his government.

The rejection emboldened the newly formed opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), but it also prompted Mugabe to take drastic measures to stay in power.

As the economy continued to worsen, Mugabe gave his blessing to roving bands of so-called war veterans to embark on often violent seizures of hundreds of white-owned farms they claimed had been stolen by settlers.

Mugabe called the land battle “The Third Chimurenga,” deliberately linking the farm seizure program to Zimbabwe’s struggle against colonial rule.

Many of the farms were turned over to Mugabe’s cronies, who subsequently did not harvest the land, further contributing to Zimbabwe’s economic collapse. International aid and foreign investment dried up in the wake of the land-seizure program, and the US and European Union imposed economic sanctions on the country.

In the following years, his government charged the MDC’s leader Tsvangirai with treason and passed increasingly tough laws aimed at stifling the independent media and public dissent.

In 2007, the University of Edinburgh withdrew the honorary degree it awarded Mugabe in 1984 for his services to education in Africa. In 2008, the UK stripped him of his 1994 knighthood and the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees revoked the honorary law degree it gave to Mugabe in 1986.

But at elections marred by deadly violence and accusations of vote rigging in 2008, Mugabe was forced to concede some of his power. The MDC won a majority of seats in the parliamentary vote, claiming also that Tsvangirai had secured more than 50% of the presidential votes as well.

Mugabe claimed victory, but he was forced to hold talks to resolve the ongoing political dispute. Tsvangirai accepted the post of prime minister in a power-sharing deal negotiated by South Africa — though claims of ZANU-PF harassment and violence against opposition politicians persist to the present.

Despite Zimbabwe’s deepening economic crisis, Mugabe continually rebuffed calls to step down, insisting he would leave office only when his “revolution” was complete. That, he said, meant until the end of his days on earth: “Only God who appointed me will remove me — not the MDC, not the British.”

He focused his ire on the economic sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union, which he said were “unjustified” and “illegal” and intended to bring about regime change.

In 2010, he was nominated by his party to run for the presidency again. However, the 86-year old was reportedly making regular trips to Singapore for medical treatment.

Despite this, Mugabe, appearing as politically strong as ever, was re-elected with a solid majority in 2013, ending the power-sharing agreement signed in 2008. Tsvangirai alleged widespread fraud.

However, in 2014 signs of dissent emerged among his loyalists. Mugabe fired his deputy Joice Mujuru, a few hours after she dismissed allegations that she’d plotted to assassinate Mugabe as “ridiculous”. Zimbabwe’s Chief Secretary to the Cabinet Misheck Sibanda said that Mugabe also fired eight Cabinet ministers.

‘He focused on himself’

On November 7, 2017, Mugabe finally came unstuck when he fired Mnangagwa in a move to clear the way for his ambitious wife.

A week later, Zimbabwe’s military leaders seized control, placing Mugabe under house arrest and deploying armored vehicles to the streets of the capital, Harare.

On November 21, 2017, Mugabe resigned as Zimbabwe’s president after 37 years of autocratic rule.

In his “retirement,” Mugabe was rarely seen in public, instead spending his time between Singapore, where he received medical treatment, and his plush 25-room Blue House residence in Harare.

Sightings of his wife, nicknamed “Gucci Grace” for her love of designer goods, became similarly scarce. The couple were criticized for their luxury lifestyles as the country was plunged into economic ruin.

He celebrated his 85th birthday with an opulent party that cost a reported $250,000 and continued to hold such birthday events annually, last year spending a reported $800,000 and celebrating in a region suffering drought and food shortages.

He repeatedly rebuffed repeated calls to step down, insisting he would only leave office when his “revolution” was complete.

“This is a man who had so much to offer to Zimbabweans, but he didn’t, he focused on himself,” said Trevor Ncube, one of the country’s most powerful publishers.

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Anne Arundel NAACP Chapter Provides Gift Baskets To Bates Middle School Teachers

Several members of the Anne Arundel County Chapter of the NAACP helped teachers at Wiley H. Bates Middle School start the new semester with much needed supplies. Led by chapter president, Jacqueline Allsup, the NAACP presented teachers at the school with specially made baskets that contained personalized note cards.

Courtesy Photo

Basket pick up and load. Laticia Hicks, Pat Fleeharty, and Ralph Thomas.

“It was brought to our attention that it is common practice for our local teachers to purchase bottles of hand sanitizer, resealable bags, and boxes of tissues for their classrooms,” Allsup said. “Although we are not able to provide teachers with supplies for the entire school year, we wanted to show our support,” she said.

On Aug. 22, 2019, the first day teachers returned to school, the NAACP welcomed them back with what Allsup said were tokens of appreciation. “Each teacher received a reusable basket containing a bottle of hand sanitizer, resealable bags and a box of tissues with a hand written note from our chapter members containing words of appreciation and encouragement,” Allsup said.

Courtesy Photo

(Left-right): Laticia Hicks, Skye Bailey and her daughter, Solé.

“This is the first time we have done this,” she said.

The idea came about just prior to the storied civil rights organization receiving an invitation to participate in the Eastport Community Backpack Fest.

Each year, three United Methodist churches in Eastport – John Wesley, Mt. Zion, and Elkton United Methodist Church – collaborate to host the festival. The event featured a free backpack containing elementary school supplies. It also included food and activities for children. Those activities included a moon bounce, and face painting.

The local fire and police departments, and others joined in to help create the family festival that focuses on everyone being well-prepared for the new school year. “As an organization committed to ensuring the health and well-being of all persons, we gladly accepted the invitation and sent volunteers to support the event,” Allsup said.

“Our hope is that each teacher would refer to their card throughout the school year as a reminder that we support them,” she said.

“We want them to know that we recognize their sacrifices, we understand the importance of their job, and that we want them to be successful,” Allsup said.

The NAACP volunteers work diligently to ensure all students, particularly disadvantaged and students of color, have access to great teaching, equitable resources and a challenging curriculum, Allsup said. The NAACP’s ultimate goal is that every student of color receives a quality public education that prepares them to be a contributing member of our democracy, she said. Providing teachers with needed supplies supports the NAACP mission, Allsup said.

“It was an awesome experience to say the least. The principal, the vice principals, and several of the teachers expressed their gratitude. Knowing that the community supports them is huge. The teachers said it is the little things that means so much and we wanted to make them aware that this organization cares about our teachers and we support them as they nurture, educate, and support our future leaders,” Allsup said.

Arlington Elementary Starts New School Year With New Look

Arlington Among the 21st Century School Buildings to open this week

Students and staff of Arlington Elementary School #234, returned to a building with a fresh new look both inside and out. Located at 3705 W. Rogers Avenue in Park Heights, Arlington Elementary’s renovations and additions include updated modern classroom spaces, an outdoor area for instructional use, enhanced technology including labs, food pantry space, and sound enhancement systems in all classrooms.

Ursula V. Battle

“A step in the right direction.” Hallway steps also feature encouraging words to promote positive thinking.

Arlington is among the 21st Century Schools, which opened in Baltimore this week. On August 28, 2019, a Ribbon-Cutting Celebration was held at Arlington Elementary School. The event also included tours of the school, and was attended by city and state officials, students and their families, alumni, current and former staff, and members of the community.

“Whatever time I leave as Speaker, I want to make sure that no child leaves or attends a school where there is no heat in the winter and no air conditioning in the spring and summer,” said Speaker of the Maryland House Of Delegates Adrienne A. Jones. “Our students deserve the best in this learning environment. I wish Principal Emily Hunter and the faculty a very successful school year in this beautiful building.”

Ursula V. Battle

Mayor Bernard “Jack” Young also spoke during the ceremony.

“This building shows our children we care about them, value them and believe in their future,” said Mayor Young. “It also shows our teachers and staff we value them, value the work they do, and we honor the sacrifices these educators make to do this very important work.

“Every school in our city should be a 21st Century School. Every child in Baltimore should have access to the same amenities when they show up to learn. I will continue to work with our state delegation in Annapolis to make that a reality for all of our children. This type of environment will set the standards and foundation for learning in Baltimore City.”

The 21st Century School Buildings Program creates inspiring educational environments for Baltimore City and its public school students and recreational facilities for the community. The program is a partnership among the Maryland Stadium Authority (MSA), Baltimore City Public Schools, the City of Baltimore, and the Interagency Commission on Public School Construction (IAC).

Community planning meetings for Arlington Elementary School started in 2016. The community expressed its hope for an updated building that maintained its historic presence, in particular, the original stained-glass windows from 1982.

The stained-glass windows were restored and encased in protective materials and are once again a shining focal point for the school. In partnership with the community, City Schools planned grade reconfigurations, with Arlington set to serve pre-k through fifth-grade students. Middle school students who previously attended Arlington Elementary/Middle will have the opportunity to attend Pimlico Elementary Middle School. Pimlico is also a 21st Century School Buildings Program school and is open and occupied.

Ursula V. Battle

“This is also a delivery of a promise; a promise that was made that we would fight for 21st Century School Buildings for our young people throughout Baltimore because this is what they deserve,” said Baltimore City Council President Brandon Scott. “You have to understand what it means for a neighborhood like Park Heights— living in an area that has challenges, the school is the safe place.

“When the safe place doesn’t have air conditioning, when the safe place doesn’t have heat, and when you can’t use the toilet in the bathroom or shut the stall [door] in the bathroom, it no longer becomes the safe place. But for the students at Arlington Elementary, that’s no longer the case anymore. They will be going to a school like no other. We can’t stop there. We have to make sure every single student is afforded the same opportunity.”

Arlington also has three new playgrounds, and through the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, the school now has an Early Childhood

Developmental Center to offer developmentally appropriate education, health, case management and family support services to children and their families. The school also features collaborative learning areas, designed with movable furniture and technology.

“Imagine how much more we can do when all of our schools reach the standard of the 21st Century buildings as the one we are acknowledging today,” said Linda Chinna, Board Chair for the Baltimore City Schools Board of Commissioners. “The School Board is really on a mission to be certain that all of our students are career and college ready at a 22nd Century standard. They all do deserve to have the best facilities and resources and we will continue with that focus.”

To see a short video of the ribbon cutting, visit: www.baltimoretimes-online.com.

Real Decisions And Moderation

Our lives are the summation of our decisions. We can decide to go forward. We can decide to stay the same. We can decide to make critical decisions that can make our lives better, healthier and more meaningful. Often, the worse decision is to make no decision at all.

If we decide to eat 3000 calories a day, we will probably gain weight. If we decide to cut back on daily food portions, we will normally lose weight. We make decisions about our eating patterns. Sometimes our decision is a strong mental assertion pertaining to what we are going to do every day. Sometimes our decision is to just follow our urges and satisfy any and all cravings without regard to what the outcome will be.

I suppose it would be nice if we could do whatever we want without worry of reaping what we sow but it doesn’t work that way.

If you drink soda pop, eat potato chips, candy bars and fatty foods, drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes every day you will have severe poor health. Our bodies were not made for all the junk we would like to consume. One sugary soda pop a day ups your risk of type 2 diabetes by 18 percent over ten years. Some people drink two or more every day. Consider some moderation and maybe drink one a week.

The decision to consume excessive amounts of alcohol will lead to fatty liver. Many people seem to be able to have two or three drinks a week without problems. However, excessive drinking can turn into alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis. If you have become an alcoholic then you can’t drink occasionally. You have to stop and use all resources available so that you don’t start again. A very good friend of mine died two months ago from fatty liver disease. It wasn’t just from drinking alcohol, but it was part of her lifestyle that ended her life at an early age.

There are various causes of obesity ranging from overeating to physical inactivity to psychological issues and hypothyroidism and more. Which affects you? Is it your thyroid problem, or is it because you eat or snack four or five times a day? A fitness friend of mine says he eats five times a day. He looks fantastic but he never eats more then 300 to 400 calories per meal. This takes planning and determination, but he has proven it can be done. Some people simply have to limit their intake to one meal a day with maybe a tiny morning and late day snack. You’ll have to experiment with what works for you, but it will be your personal decision that no one else can make for you.

The point of all this is that we make our decisions and we need to think about what and how much we are putting in our mouths every day. A good meal with balance should be a daily pleasure and a wonderful, happy experience. Think about it and keep the practice of “moderation” and “balance” in mind.

Regardless, remember it’s important for “you” to take responsibility of your life and make real decisions.

Dr. Glenn Mollette is an author of 11 books and his column appears in all 50 states. For more information about Glenn Mollette, visit his website: glennmollette.comglennmollette.com.

Ravens Pernell McPhee Happy To Be Back In Baltimore

Free agency robbed the Baltimore Ravens of some key leaders on defense during the offseason. Safety Eric Weddle signed with the Los Angeles Rams and inside linebacker CJ Mosley bolted to the New York Jets. However, the biggest surprise was outside linebacker Terrell Suggs’ departure.

When Suggs signed with the Arizona Cardinals, a link to the Ravens golden days was gone. However, Baltimore restored another link to the good old days when they brought free agent outside linebacker Pernell McPhee back.

McPhee posted six sacks as a rookie on the Ravens 2011 Super Bowl team. He was an integral part of Baltimore’s defense over the next four years. The Chicago Bears signed McPhee to a five-year $38.75 million deal in 2015.

After three seasons with the Bears, McPhee spent last season with the Washington Redskins. Now he’s back in Baltimore having signed a one-year deal.

“It’s home. This is where I was birthed at in the NFL,” McPhee said last month. “This is where the culture that I lived by and stand by is at. I get the chance to be myself; have fun and play like a Raven.”

The Ravens defense has seen its share of turnovers since McPhee was a young player trying to make an impact on a team looking to contend for a title. It’s kind of a role reversal because now he’s the veteran that is charged with enforcing the Ravens way for the next wave of players.

“You have a lot of young guys especially on the defensive line trying to figure things out,” McPhee explained. “My main thing is as long as you come in with the mindset of being physical and playing fast and being relentless, everything is going to work out. That’s the culture around here. It’s the Ravens way. I try to preach that every day and do it every day.”

Baltimore’s defense and Lamar Jackson’s dynamic playmaking ability fueled the team to an AFC North division title last season. The Ravens led the NFL in total defense (292.9 yards/game) and points per game (17.9) last year.

Defensive coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale’s aggressive style should once again land the Ravens in the mix for top defense once again. McPhee is certain they have the necessary players to keep the Ravens tradition of stout defenses going.

“It’s cool. We still got some animals. We still got some dogs— just a lot of violent guys. We have guys that can play football. Since I’ve been back it’s been all love and trying to help these boys become the best football players they can be,” McPhee added.

Rambling Rose: Community Folks End Summer With A Bang

Hello everyone! I hope your Labor Day weekend was all you wished for. My goodness, what a summer? I sure hate seeing it slowly creeping to an end but I have enjoyed every moment of it. With me rambling around to so many events this summer— shows, concerts, festivals, crab feasts and daytime cabarets and backyard parties, it seems like you had a hell-la-VA good time too. I saw you out there. Well, it’s not quite over yet! Just follow my lead! My Boo-Boo (Shorty) and I have a few more places to take you.

There is a free concert in the park at Lafayette Square, corner of W. Lafayette and N. Arlington in Baltimore. It is an afternoon of pure jazz. “The Billie Holiday Jazz Concert” on September 7 from 2-6 p.m. with performances by Nasar Abadey on percussion, Sheila Ford, vocalist; Sean Jones on trumpet; Richard Johnson on piano and special guest “The Jamal Moore Organ Trio.

Anderson Ward

Edna “Grandma Edna” Lawrence and friends at the Avenue Bakery music Series on Pennsylvania Avenue & Baker Street.

The Lexington Market is hosting a “Back to School Bash” on Saturday, September 7 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., outdoors, adjacent to the Market Arcade. The free family event offers children’s activities, a raffle, and music provided by several DJs’ Dell, Exotic, and Dexx along with MC Nellz. The event will be held indoors in the event of inclement weather.

Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge, F. & A.M. and members of the Craft are summoned to attend in Masonic Dress, the Annual Prince Hall Day Service to be held in the Samuel T. Daniels Sanctuary, 1307 Eutaw Place in Baltimore on Sunday, September 8 at 3 p.m.

Bro. Larry Washington, the oldest member of the Arch Social Club is hosting the “Black & White “Arch Social Club Reunion.” To all the past members, friends, families, supporters, churches, night clubs folks and community organizations this will be the party of the year. It will be at the Arch Social Club 2426 Pennsylvania Avenue on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and North Avenue on Sunday, September 8 from 5-9 p.m. There will be music, free food and entertainment. For more information, call 410-622-2271.

Girlfriend, didn’t I tell you it’s not over yet! Honeychild, check this out! “The All You can Eat Crab Feast, Cabaret all in one” on Saturday, September 7, 5-9 p.m. hosted by the one and only, “Shorty” and my Godchild, and one of the craziest, funny and loving guy in Baltimore, “Tee-Shirt Brian” held at the Forest Park Senior Center, 4801 Liberty Heights Avenue. The event is BYOB with food served from 5-8 p.m. For more information or be a vendor, call 410-790-9333 or 443-226-8895.

There is a club, I have been talking about off and on called “Cured 1821,” (I know, it’s a weird name), but it is a dynamite supper club in Columbia, Maryland and a couple of my favorite musicians have been playing there for quite some time now. I am talking about Terry Battle on bass & Jeff Wilson on piano— “The Sidestreet Duo.” They will perform at Cured 1821 every Sunday in September from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The club is located at 10980 Grantchester Way in Columbia, next to Merriweather Post Pavillion. For more information, call 667-786-7111.

Well, my dear friends, I believe this is it for right now but mark your calendars for “Sam“The Man” Brice Under the Bridge Reunion” on Saturday, September 14, 2019 from 6-11p.m. at the DDL Lounge, 2008 Belair Road. The event includes live entertainment, cocktails and food. For more information, call 443-621-9947.

Mark your calendar for the Historic Ebenezer A.M.E. Church, 20 West Montgomery Street in Baltimore for an “Evening of Jazz” featuring “The Fruition Experience with vocalist Ama Chandra on Saturday, September 14 from 5-9 p.m. For more information, call 410-818-0196.

Okay, my friends before I leave you, I want all my fans and friends who have been reading my column for the past 30 plus years and all the organizations I have been writing about, I need your support. I am looking for you to sponsor my page “Rambling Rose” with you advertising your event for at least 4 weeks or longer AD. I will give you a special rate with special stories and pictures about your event. I am looking forward to expanding my column to help you sell more tickets or get more folks at your event. Call me at 410-833-9474 for details. Thank you!

Remember if you need me, you can email me at rosapryor@aol.com or call me at 410-833-9474. UNTIL THE NEXT TIME, I’M MUSICALLY YOURS.

Stacy Brown’s New Book Provides Insight Into Cosby, M.J., & O.J.’s Courtroom Battles

In the final moments before Bill Cosby was to be sentenced for drugging and sexually assaulting his accuser Andrea Constant, journalist Stacy Brown said he received a call from the embattled actor.

“The day Cosby was to be sentenced, he called me while en-route to the courthouse,” recalled Brown. “He was due in court in about thirty minutes. “I said to him, ‘Mr. Cosby, don’t you have an appointment?’ To which he said, ‘I’m not worried about that. How is your boy doing?’”

According to Brown, Cosby’s concern originated from a situation concerning his son that he had shared with the famous celebrity’s crisis manager Andrew Wyatt. Brown said that Wyatt then shared that information with Cosby.

“Bill Cosby would call my house to check on my son,” said Brown. “On the day he called me prior to being sentenced, we spoke about a half hour. He literally had two minutes to be in the courtroom, and that was the last time we spoke.”

Once adored by millions as the lovable patriarch “Dr. Heathcliff “Cliff” Huxtable” on The Cosby Show, Cosby, 81, at the time of his sentencing, would be sentenced to three to 10 years in a Pennsylvania state prison. Brown’s interaction with Cosby leading up to the trial, which he describes as a “Kangaroo Court”, are among the many fascinating stories found in his new book, Celebrity Trials: Legacies Lost, Lives Shattered, So What’s the Real Truth.

The Cosby trial is among three celebrity trials covered in the book. The other two are the trials of the late singer Michael Jackson, and former football great O.J. Simpson. Jackson stood trial in 2005 for molesting a 13-year-old boy and was acquitted on all charges.

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Celebrity Trials: Legacies Lost, Lives Shattered, So What’s the Real Truth, gives insight into the legal battles of Bill Cosby, Michael Jackson and O.J. Simpson.

“My regular publisher wanted me to write a book about Michael Jackson and his family,” recalled Brown referring to publishing company Simon & Schuster. “I really didn’t want to do that. I knew I would get bombarded by messages from crazy Michael Jackson fans and his family. But then the documentary ‘Leaving Netherland’ came out, and they didn’t want to risk a legal battle with Michael Jackson’s estate.”

He added, “It gave me an out, and I decided to combine my coverage of the Michal Jackson trial with the Bill Cosby and O.J. Simpson trials.”

Brown, who is a Baltimore Times Staff Writer, provided some “inside scoop” on the book.

“I covered Cosby’s trial, and was the only reporter to talk with him during the trial,” said Brown, who covered the case for the National Newspaper Publishers Association President (NNPA). “He invited me back to a private sitting room to discuss the case during breaks in the trial.”

He added, “I have been a journalist for 25 years, and saw things taking place during that trial that I couldn’t believe I was seeing. Cosby had the burden of proof in my estimation and anyone who was there would say it was something that should not have been tried.”

Brown, who said he was a prosecution witness in the Jackson trial, frequently visited Jackson’s Neverland ranch. He reflected back on his visits to the music icon’s 2,700-acre property in California.

“The best vacation was my honeymoon”, said Brown. “The next best vacation was Neverland. It was the most amazing place I have ever been, and Michael Jackson treated his visitors like royalty.”

He added, “Michael Jackson also had a book for all of his guests to sign. I saw names which included Serena Williams in the book. The place was unbelievable. I’m sure I’ll never see a place like that again.”

Brown, who is a native of New York, is also the co-author of Blind Faith: The Miraculous Journey of Lula Hardaway and her son, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson: The Man Behind The Mask, An Insider’s Account of the King of Pop.

In addition to writing for The Baltimore Times and NNPA, Brown’s ‘storied’ journalism career also includes writing for The Informer, BlackPressUSA.com and The L.A. Times.

He and his wife have five children.

Brown also shared another name that he saw in Jackson’s guest book at Neverland, which also appears in his book – O.J. Simpson. Simpson was tried for two counts of murder in the 1994 deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. Simpson was acquitted of all charges the following year.

“O.J.’s trial was all about timing,” said Brown. “Timing is everything. O.J. said to me, ‘it’s all about having the best lawyers. He never said, ‘no, I’m not guilty. No, I didn’t do it.’ I believe O.J. Simpson is guilty. O.J., in my view, got away with murder.”

To read more of Brown’s behind-the-scenes insights into the legal battles of Cosby, Jackson and Simpson, you’ll have to purchase his book. “Celebrity Trials: Legacies Lost, Lives Shattered, So What’s the Real Truth” sells for $19.00 on Amazon and is available on Kindle for $9.99.

MD. Attorney General Announces New Effort To Halt Illegal Robocalls

Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh announced that as a result of a bipartisan, public/private coalition of 51 attorneys general and 12 phone companies, the phone companies have agreed to adopt eight principles to fight illegal robocalls. This agreement will help protect phone users from illegal robocalls and make it easier for attorneys general to investigate and prosecute bad actors.

“We are harassed by robocalls every day. It is the number one complaint to attorneys general offices across the country,” said Attorney General Frosh. “The goal of many of the individuals making these calls is to steal your identity or steal your money. These annoying and relentless calls are difficult to track and difficult to prosecute. Most often they originate outside our states and even outside our country. The principles announced today will help prevent these calls and provide law enforcement with the information needed to track down and prosecute those making illegal robocalls.”

The principles address the rapidly increasing robocall problem in two main ways: prevention and enforcement.

Phone companies will work to prevent illegal robocalls by:

•Implementing call-blocking technology at the network level at no cost to customers

•Making available to customers additional, free, easy-to-use call blocking and labeling tools

•Implementing technology to authenticate that callers are coming from a valid source

•Monitoring their networks for robocall traffic

Phone companies will assist attorneys’ general anti-robocall enforcement by:

•Knowing who their customers are so those making robocalls can be identified and investigated

•Investigating and taking action against suspicious callers— including notifying law enforcement and state attorneys general

•Working with law enforcement, including state attorneys general, to trace the origins of illegal robocalls;

•Requiring telephone companies with which they contract to cooperate in traceback identification.

Going forward, phone companies will stay in close communication with the coalition of attorneys general to continue to optimize robocall protections as technology and scammer techniques change.

“The principles offer a comprehensive set of best practices that recognizes that no single action or technology is sufficient to curb the scourge of illegal and unwanted robocalls,” said Henning Schulzrinne, Levi Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at Columbia University “I hope that all parts of the telecommunication industry, both large and small, will commit to rapidly implementing these principles and work with state and federal authorities to make people want to answer their phone again without fear of being defrauded or annoyed.”

The coalition includes attorneys general from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The coalition of companies includes AT&T, Bandwidth, CenturyLink, Charter, Comcast, Consolidated, Frontier, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, Verizon, and Windstream.

Local Physician, Business Leader Elected To March Of Dimes Board Of Directors

Business and community leader, Anton C. Bizzell, M.D., President and CEO of The Bizzell Group, has been elected to the March of Dimes Maryland Market Board of Directors.

Dr. Bizzell understands the importance of fighting for the health of all moms and babies.

“As a public health advocate, I can’t think of a more important cause,” said Dr. Bizzell. “When you support the March of Dimes, you make a statement that you want to live in a world in which healthy moms and strong babies are a priority for us all.”

Dr. Bizzell has spent most of his career on public health issues related to access to and quality of medical, substance abuse and behavioral health services. He has extensive experience in collaborating and interacting with professional health and community organizations, as well as expert knowledge in identifying and treating medical diseases in the fields of primary care, mental health and substance abuse.

“We’re thrilled to have Dr. Bizzell join our Board of Directors,” said Tina Cavucci, executive director of the March of Dimes DC-Maryland Markets. “He shares our commitment to moms through every stage of the pregnancy journey, even when everything doesn’t go according to plan. Moms and babies are facing higher risks than ever before.”

In his role as a board member, Dr. Bizzell will serve as an advocate for the March of Dimes mission, encouraging local businesses and community leaders to join him in supporting the fight for stronger, healthier babies.

“The number of babies born prematurely here in Maryland and across the country is not acceptable,” Dr. Bizzell said. “March of Dimes empowers families with programs, knowledge and tools.”