׉?ׁB!בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://Y9hsqQM70m6XwXUW_qcBLwEHbzxMVj1aIIs07-ZcLSwQ`׉ 7cassandra://iKCD1yWplD-q_BdcZGDa663DRSuseAwOcuzGlAeo-NMKN`s׉ 7cassandra://cVFHjI23v-R61brKxMakfubpU85O3Lf7t06vLrRGIzU`׉ 7cassandra://4Lx4npf2dt8vkeAexNJDnF50J0UWStcQpK_yl1xpP5c͠]\Xiawט(u׈CNSvu׈E\XiaI׉EJTHE SENATOR URBAN FEBRUARY 2019 CORY BOOKER EXPERIENCE VOLUME 5 | ISSUE 2 ׉ 7cassandra://cVFHjI23v-R61brKxMakfubpU85O3Lf7t06vLrRGIzU`\XiaJ\XiaI(בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://SY2XTlMm7uUBPmY7M0pA7LImZTkUQTVyjDTtyFID3QA`׉ 7cassandra://FLD5zicIT9XPmLNukJwYChLoAG9WrRouDe40jMqHZ3op `s׉ 7cassandra://IOEh_ecyc_Tpw9WYQj_lOcfFE630sCLdmC7Llk_uEwQ#`׉ 7cassandra://aI1jD6djy29la5ltUDRhgU0yvn87mbEgO0_S7tryCPoc(͠]\Xiazט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://JKLOJdZYYtmTBTtjDp9nBYTq6ktdia0mUNYReQWJeRE`׉ 7cassandra://4GXdzFdU_ALS6BV9VvspgTQpgFCTtIQhbnJh8PmCeh8z`s׉ 7cassandra://6OD2zvWeopX8yXB6aNlg4ibRzDQYyOQLWsEMGsRhe9k `׉ 7cassandra://wSZmmn-vS61zpkM8_cdVB1MqSCwaOgDMjVjAP4ZRpGgE͠]\Xia{׉E Dwana Bradley Editor — In – Chief Urban Experience Magazine This is a question I find myself asking often. I was raised in the church, so I know about the love that Jesus showed for us and I know that I’m commanded to demonstrate that type of love. There are many around me who ask the question what is love all about when it comes to marriage or being in a relationship. Do you fall in love right when you meet someone? Is there such thing as love at first sight? Does love have to exist for two people to be together? These are questions that I’ve asked myself at one point or another in my life, and while I don’t have all the answers, I will attempt to answer this question based off my personal experiences. In having a conversation, I had someone tell me that I just want to like you, and I could remember when I heard this, I was like wait…. what? I’ve always been taught to love people and normally in relationships you fall in love with someone or at least love them, but maybe there is something to liking someone. When I looked up the definition of the word like in the Webster dictionary it says that like means: to have the same characteristics or qualities or similar, to feel attraction toward or take pleasure. Love is defined as: a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties, an attraction based on sexual desire: affection and tenderness felt by lovers, affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests. . 2 After reading these definitions, don’t we all start off liking each other? I can remember being in elementary school giving a note to a boy that I wrote that would ask: do you like me, circle yes or no. In any relationship whether it’s boyfriend/ girlfriend, husband/wife, friends, co-workers, and even family, we start off liking that individual. There is something about them that makes us want to know more, so we start having conversations, spending time with each other, learning more about each other and before you know it, love starts to unfold and then we grow with each other, we go through things with each other, and we get to a point where we can’t see ourselves without each other. If you’re just starting out in a relationship, enjoy liking each other and may your relationship grow into something more. As your relationship begins to unfold, remember to be patient with each other, communicate with each other, spend time with each other, listen to each other, and work with each other because if you both believe in what you have, then it’s always worth fighting for. Dwana Bradley ׉ 7cassandra://IOEh_ecyc_Tpw9WYQj_lOcfFE630sCLdmC7Llk_uEwQ#`\XiaK׉EWRITERS & STAFF Editor— In— Chief Dwana Bradley Bert Moody Pastor Rosezine Wallace Hal Chase Margo Jones Gary Lawson Celeste Lawson Contributors Lori A. Young Pastor James Wilson Greg Harris Angela M. Jackson Teresa Bradley Tiffany Braxton OUTLETS BROADLAWNS 1801 Hickman Road Des Moines, IA 50314 CAREMORE 1530 East Euclid Des Moines, IA 50313 CARDINAL CLEANERS 1245 21st Street Des Moines IA, 50311 CENTRAL LIBRARY 1000 Grand Avenue Des Moines, IA 50309 DMACC URBAN CAMPUS 1100 7th Street Des Moines, IA 50314 DSM BREW COFFEE CO. 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Pkwy Suite 140 Des Moines IA, 50309 DRAKE DINNER 1111 25th Street Des Moines IA, 50311 EASTSIDE LIBRARY 2559 Hubbell Ave. Des Moines IA, 50317 EVELYN DAVIS CENTER 801 Suite #3 University Ave. Des Moines IA, 50314 FIFIELDS PHARMACY 501 University Ave. Des Moines IA, 50314 FOREST LIBRARY 1326 Forest Ave. Des Moines IA 50314 FRANKLIN LIBRARY 5000 Franklin Ave. Des Moines , IA 50310 HY-VEE HARDING HILLS 3330 MLK Jr. Pkwy Des Moines IA., 50310 IOWA—NEBRASKA NAACP 1620 Pleasant Suite #210. Des Moines IA 50314 3 JOHN R. GRUBB YMCA 11th Street Des Moines IA, 50314 JOHNSTON LIBRARY 6700 Merle Hay Rd. Johnston IA, 50131 NORTH SIDE LIBRARY 3616 5th Ave. Des Moines IA, 50313 MR BIBBS 2705 6th Ave. Des Moines IA, 50313 SENIOR POLK COUNTY 2705 6th Ave. Des Moines IA, 50313 SMOKEY ROW COFFEE CO. 1910 Cottage Grove Des Moines IA. 50314 SOUTH SIDE LIBRARY 1111 Porter Ave. Des Moines IA. 50315 THE GREAT FRAME UP 5515 Mills Civic Pkwy Suite 150 West DSM IA 50266 THE DES MOINES CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS 602 Robert D. Ray Drive Des Moines IA 50309 THE URBAN DREAMS 601 Forest Ave. Des Moines IA. 50314 URBANDALE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 2830 100th Street, Suite 110 Urbandale IA 50322 URBANDALE PUBLIC LIBRARY 3520 86th Street Urbandale IA, 50322 WEST DES MOINES LIBRARY 4000 Mills Civic Pkwy, West Des Moines IA 50365 Copy Editor Virginia Smith Shyasia Barker Cle’ Shai Harden LaShay Mitchell Dr. Eric Johnson Jeremy Barewin Donnetta Austin ׉ 7cassandra://6OD2zvWeopX8yXB6aNlg4ibRzDQYyOQLWsEMGsRhe9k `\XiaL\XiaK(בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://gZPPR0vYwHUPDl3IA9il2fyxP6VT5YOhrsv-3TJzkQk `׉ 7cassandra://9SXI5eNR-AyAUdMI9bQU6Wr8wWrJhP_UvjIVeuyGi6ES]`s׉ 7cassandra://COtuHP7wYqtL1utVfJ78Mom8JbQN0M1TT7TP9tylHB0x`׉ 7cassandra://q7D5yU8WmB0k6pzKfSfEkqeqde36kuo7y25Z830wc9A͠]\Xia}ט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://i-Pz9ayEA7GAb-U5BjwYq6GQv6R4bFlqq5aSnk8WsSU|`׉ 7cassandra://KI9UyMNjajAxnsZgrvdGW9EZnddXHXNWBU39WGVIRxUS`s׉ 7cassandra://UfmruQhVd45OzuNES8eZ-GV8nuCxirmRM5Yad2wIcNU `׉ 7cassandra://FhdBSEfOJg3FK5PYwMv1YquPhJSqU8xGLXKVDQs4uug% ͠]\Xia~נ\XiaX,&9ׁH mailto:contactdsmurban@gmail.comׁ ׁ Јנ\XiaX>{&9ׁHmailto:joindsmurban@gmail.comׁ ׁ Јנ\XiaX&9ׁHmailto:dsmurbannews@gmail.comׁ ׁ Ј׉E5INDEX D I S C L A I M E R 4 The Urban Experience provides news, opinions and articles as a service to our readers. The views and opinions , political endorsements or statements expressed in the Urban Experience publication do not necessarily represent the writers, columnist, editors, publisher, management or it’s agents. The Urban reserves the right to edit, or not publish comments and/or articles in printed, mobile or digital format. Therefore we cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or reliability of information written by external parties. No Part of any of our publication, whether in print or digital may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, photocopying electronic, mechanical or otherwise without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. ׉ 7cassandra://COtuHP7wYqtL1utVfJ78Mom8JbQN0M1TT7TP9tylHB0x`\XiaM׉ETABLE OF CONTENTS Senator Cory Booker Interview page 7 The Great Frame Feature page 8 Kameron Middlebrooks NAACP page 12 Business Spotlight page 16 Broadlawns Receives Make A Difference page 22 14 Facts About Black History page 27 Living on Purpose page 41 SUBMIT YOUR NEWS TO dsmurbannews@gmail.com JOIN OUR EMAIL CLUB AT joindsmurban@gmail.com BECOME AN OUTLET OF THE URBAN EXPERIENCE MAGAZINE Contact Dwana Bradley at contactdsmurban@gmail.com ADVERTISE WITH THE URBAN EXPERIENCE MAGAZINE 5 ׉ 7cassandra://UfmruQhVd45OzuNES8eZ-GV8nuCxirmRM5Yad2wIcNU `\XiaN\XiaM(בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://833Qkdjq56q0W0FbX64Fj3AsmHLkAE66Znh14MTEw34`׉ 7cassandra://a371ZRzSKKIjnKoJJfLmEGsvf5jvx1eaAUappzS4NwIu`s׉ 7cassandra://hdqzwfwUTBVpR7UGW2thwxnFW79-wujOu7UBQaACMfA(#`׉ 7cassandra://fMT5efsNxOEY3d8OfSyvItBCjUUjGgEIIiTrQBiOqBou͠]\Xiaט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://XHJBPDd6NaD18CG1LmGRLtzih_hUtniJrkeZepglzM4K`׉ 7cassandra://zNEet945TUB8_Dfcs2PM5gP-6K_SsHTMPHFzT8dNrmUg`s׉ 7cassandra://OZspH0AujcrZ_zprn5U3vWsLW8xSHkbp4nWbs6dLqAQ!`׉ 7cassandra://2urXuonDPYLzYmmgY5aItEaOW-h2BOCk6MfnRiTEOf4`͠]\Xiaנ\Xia̐ց9ׁHmailto:dwanabradley77@gmail.comׁ ׁ Јנ\Xiap9ׁH"mailto:victoria.al.brown@gmail.comׁ ׁ Ј׉EThe NAACP and the Urban Experience Magazine will partner to tell your stories in our new section titled Storytellers: Black History in Iowa. Do you have a story to share or do you know someone else who wants to share their story? Tell us about your organization, your family member, or your local Iowa hero! We want to hear from you! Reach out to Victoria Lundgren at victoria.al.brown@gmail.com or Dwana Bradley at dwanabradley77@gmail.com 6 ׉ 7cassandra://hdqzwfwUTBVpR7UGW2thwxnFW79-wujOu7UBQaACMfA(#`\XiaO׉E XUnited States Senator Cory Booker Campaigning For Presidency of the United States Gary Lawson United States Senator Cory Booker, Democrat, appeared at the Oak Park Plaza in Des Moines, on the evening of February 7, to announce his campaign for the Presidency of the United States. Senator Booker has an outstanding history of accomplishments that includes graduating from Stanford University, studying at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, graduating from Yale Law School, and receiving various other notable awards and recognition along the way. His political career includes serving on the Municipal Council of Newark (New Jersey), Mayor of Newark, and currently the junior, and first African-American, United States Senator from New Jersey. Following are Senator Booker’s responses to my interview questions: Lawson: What needs to be done to prepare the nation for the next recession, and how will minority populations be taken into account? harder…and just finding it harder to make ends meet. There are a lot of things we have to do. We have to make sure that the tax system works to support middle class and working class people, and not just moving wealth up to the wealthiest…who don’t need that help. We need to make sure that we get pathways to jobs training and education that can help get people jobs for the twenty-first century and paying a living wage…or more…that can help create careers and prosperity. Finally, we need to make sure that jobs pay adequately. On Wall Street…people are short-terming stocks… and corporations are not investing in their workers, because they are worried about the next quarterly earnings. We have to get back to a system…an economy…that really values and invests in work…and just doesn’t pull wealth away from workers to benefit and enrich the few. Booker: Well, in many ways, families are feeling like they’re in a recession right now. The wealthiest amongst us might be doing well, but there are a lot of folks who are finding it very hard to make ends meet. We’ve got to get back to a country, no matter whether there’s a recession or not, where we have ways of supporting the American worker. That is just not happening right now. People are working harder and harder…and 7 Lawson: Iowa’s Human Development Index ranking (how well individuals are doing with education, health, and income) for African-Americans is below the national average for African-Americans. What do you think needs to be done to bring about better accountability for increasing well-being of not only AfricanAmericans, but the minority community in general? Continued on page 9 ׉ 7cassandra://OZspH0AujcrZ_zprn5U3vWsLW8xSHkbp4nWbs6dLqAQ!`\XiaP\XiaO(בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://ftvQ5T77iFB2iTOnFzTbuoHqNQoNwSlKmxvz2w_TY6g*`׉ 7cassandra://6KU-L_zIRhlX_NO4oTvDFrI4GEDQjTZhm2EdAhDAx-8{`s׉ 7cassandra://4tQvNhSNivSD3RPyrLfxxNnCbbEHDng4UBfKI11-bWQ$`׉ 7cassandra://_f1KSUeIqNAWEe2vpQIc0kuTXnWvNRYrFMpPgRGSJHI͠]\Xiaט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://B--8fagMiGRRrytZJ60wgwEja8PqZ2Z8hu9uF2Oj3Vg|`׉ 7cassandra://2v0LrFI0kxnPv_B2GbiCzEMf4UM6OzMPXFisc8mdYjEn`s׉ 7cassandra://5nySCIW6ByZDMvMslc-kG6M_29ylHNWtCc6KxjSA_2E!`׉ 7cassandra://vzEZkM36Kv9rJlwdiAsOLFdOA6Ip8nVf5mo3flEgY3w͠]\Xia׉E wSUPPORTS AFRO-NATIVE AMERICAN ARTISTS FEBRUARY FEATURE: RICHARD MAYHEW Angela Jackson DES MOINES, IOWA – As a local custom frame retailer and art gallery, The Great Frame Up in West Des Moines enjoys supporting the visual arts. This month we introduce readers to Richard Mayhew, an Afro-Native American landscape painter and arts educator. His abstract landscapes are created with the richness of color and depth of feeling acquired through the artists’ lifelong journey as an African American and Native American. Richard Mayhew’s love of jazz and the performing arts is also reflective in his artistic expression. His signature style includes brightly colored abstract landscapes. Richard Mayhew lives and works in Aptos and Santa Cruz, California. EARLY LIFE & EDUCATION Richard Mayhew was born in 1934 in Amityville, New York to Native American and African American parents. He received formal training at Columbia University, NY, Academia Florence, Italy and at the Art Student League of New York he studied with artist Edwin Dickinson. Later while attending Brooklyn Museum Art School he studied with Reuben Tam. CAREER HIGHLIGHTS Richard Mayhew is a well-respected art educator. Professor Mayhew taught art at numerous universities, including Pennsylvania State University, PA, Hunter College and Smith College in NY and Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY. Professor Mayhew visited Paris in 1961, having just spent two years in Florence on a John Hay Whitney Fellowship, and lived for a time in Holland before returning to the United States. Primarily a landscape painter, Mayhew has also organized and participated in multimedia performances and directed community outreach arts programs. In the 1960’s Mayhew painted landscapes in close tonal harmonies and gradually diffused recognizable forms until they disappeared entirely in his paintings of the 1970’s. Since 1975, however, he has driven across the United States five times to observe the mood and space of the American landscape, and now, working with an intensified palette, Mayhew recreates an exuberant sense of vast space within the canvas. INSPIRATION Richard Mayhew is a founding member of Spiral, a collective of African-American artists and painters group in the 1960’s in New York that included Romare Bearden, Charles Alston, Norman Lewis and Hale Woodruff as members. E&S Gallery opined, “Richard Mayhew has created distinguished landscapes that are not limited to one section of the country. Even in their most abstract renderings, his paintings are unmistakably landscapes, evoking the work of George Inness and, in their fleeting illusionary light, that of Henry O. Tanner. Mayhew’s paintings are derived from an intimacy and absorption with nature and our relationship to it, achieving mystery and beauty in combinations of color that are as surprising as they are evocative. Richard Mayhew represents, in some respects, a bridge between the older black artists who developed through the WPA in the 1930’s and those who, after World War II, attended art schools and matured in the 1960’s amid the turbulent Civil Rights Movement and the rise of Abstract Expressionism.” Continued on page 11 8 ׉ 7cassandra://4tQvNhSNivSD3RPyrLfxxNnCbbEHDng4UBfKI11-bWQ$`\XiaQ׉E Senator Cory Booker Interview by Gary Lawson Booker: Well…there are a lot of areas in which people are feeling the squeeze…African-Americans…and frankly, others as well. People are feeling the squeeze in healthcare, and they can’t afford it… and education is getting too expensive. People are working full-time jobs and finding it harder to make ends meet. So, we’ve got to make sure that we start addressing the affordability crisis in this country. African-Americans have a real challenge…because there is a big wealth gap in this country, not only between the wealthiest and working class, but also between whites and blacks. So, I have a lot of ideas for legislation to help make college affordable, and pathways to training and education affordable as well. I’m very confident that the ideas are there, but we need to be able to pull people together in this country to actually get those ideas implemented…and get back to the priorities of making this a country where working people get ahead. Lawson: What do you believe will motivate the minority community to vote in 2020? Booker: We need to have leaders that they can believe in… that are really going to fight and have their back. I am the only United States Senator that lives in a low-income minority area. I’ve stayed by the people who first put me into office, and delivered real results to the city of Newark…expanding our economy…improving our schools…and lowering crime. I just want folks in Des Moines…the minority community of Des Moines…to know that I am going to be fighting for them every single day. I will stand with them. I will make sure that we deliver results to Iowans in general…and to people who are struggling and feeling left behind…and especially to those feeling left out. Gary Lawson is a freelance writer who focuses on various aspects of public affairs. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Central State University. He is also a Vietnam-era veteran that served in the United States Army as a Commissioned Officer. His work experience includes various administrative and management positions in the public and private sectors to include serving as the former Director of the Iowa Commission on the Status of AfricanAmericans and a member of the Human Rights Council within the Iowa Department of Human Rights. He is the recipient of numerous national, state, and local awards to include induction into the Iowa African-American Hall of Fame. Since the 2000 national election cycle, Gary has donated his time conducting public affairs interviews that include decision-makers and policy makers on the national, state, and local levels to enrich Iowa’s minority community with information that will better inform voter participation. 9 ׉ 7cassandra://5nySCIW6ByZDMvMslc-kG6M_29ylHNWtCc6KxjSA_2E!`\XiaR\XiaQ(בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://JT9fjUejsAlsX9FfrPE911RrUc7TEgkvgTu2a-CzdWo{`׉ 7cassandra://C02nkPthp3eGxB-4XJBEO10tftUybispnjgGYEjCOc0́`s׉ 7cassandra://zn-C1UNU9ucKROruutgILNXNnKxZB0zUMjzWLAlE8Nk,^`׉ 7cassandra://_loJ61uqTc51Zb5c2KkU6-Vt5D5v6tYhPy10GhdBEPA8+͠]\Xiaט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://cufMLBSJkCvoRuwkXFj5H5iRJ2cIEaAiUNzllONDnEoB`׉ 7cassandra://en3aNL8DjOvLYDzcAjKlkrj-5Ea_C7hu-HVHd0FXl4ws`s׉ 7cassandra://xlJWKvG7iMvabsgOZ4fl-vfqL63xC6b6hBAThPEjtuA$`׉ 7cassandra://9pQmKESQ02F6NlL6vhBlZ3hFYJipkDDSbDiva1aISSA͠]\Xiaנ\XiaPig9ׁHhttp://est.com/tgfuwdmׁ ׁ Јנ\Xia;̬9ׁH http://facebook.com/tgfuwdmiowa.ׁ ׁ Јנ\XiaP$9ׁH,http://www.westdesmoines.thegreatframeup.comׁ ׁ Јנ\Xiaa9ׁHhttp://Sgallery.comׁ ׁ Јנ\XiaFt9ׁHhttp://americanart.si.edu/ׁ ׁ Јנ\XiaS9ׁHhttp://wikipedia.orgׁ ׁ Ј׉E10 ׉ 7cassandra://zn-C1UNU9ucKROruutgILNXNnKxZB0zUMjzWLAlE8Nk,^`\XiaS׉E~HONORS & AWARDS Richard Mayhew is the recipient of many awards and honors including the National Institute of Arts and Letters Award, the Tiffany Foundation Grant, and the Ford Foundation Award. His art is in the permanent collections of Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn, NY, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA, National Museum of Art, Smithsonian, Washington D.C., Studio Museum, Harlem, NY, Whitney Museum of Art, NY and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY. For more information- wikipedia.org, americanart.si.edu/ artist/richard-mayhew and E&Sgallery.com At the Great Frame Up, we currently feature originals, prints, sculptures and framed artwork of numerous African American and Iowa artists in the gallery. To see some of t h e p r i o r a r t i s t s f e a t u r e d v i s i t www.westdesmoines.thegreatframeup.com and our Facebook page at facebook.com/tgfuwdmiowa. Please follow us on Instagram thegreatframeup_wdm , Pinterest pinterest.com/tgfuwdm and Twitter @tgfuwdm. About The Great Frame Up Founded in 1972, The Great Frame Up, Inc. is a custom picture framer, offering more than 1,000 custom frames, mat styles, ready to hang framed art and local artwork. The West Des Moines location of The Great Frame Up opened in 2005 and is located at 5515 Mills Civic Parkway in the West Glen and is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 10- 6pm; Thursday 10- 8pm & Saturday 10- 5pm. 11 ׉ 7cassandra://xlJWKvG7iMvabsgOZ4fl-vfqL63xC6b6hBAThPEjtuA$`\XiaT\XiaS(בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://jGk_bISkx1SS-AyZXTivUzWxPtv6w6yu-tdQ8BOI5ZE|`׉ 7cassandra://pWiI7ZbfalUQAY5o4lvSjsEUH_8MDCBs06gK-C1vBYAis`s׉ 7cassandra://gJUspK7Sy9rH1F7RF_9MAojKTi0JbW-e7lbyb02e5x4 ?`׉ 7cassandra://2LBM8Z-gMAWHmpYQDkjwgDuSaElFRSpdFWCSnbNMYAUk͠]\Xiaט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://WBjTEdR61c-qbImw-MMZvTlcdSPg31T37zCzNsJH0FMu1`׉ 7cassandra://FruC02MURmV8d4SYg-QsP4mIq3zZZSskHL8QdKlbkFcR `s׉ 7cassandra://g1EkDY0aWDpnQh_KSAB_wuoFAQWafaNWN3nG52jjweA`׉ 7cassandra://7_ucbyf7GQQxt8-BxEGfDzu49fcbDgumUq1Dqav_z78P ͠]\Xia׉E F2019 WELCOME & VISION Welcome to the website of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Des Moines Branch. As the oldest branch of the NAACP in Iowa, we are honored to uphold the traditions and responsibilities of the nation’s oldest grassroots civil rights organization. As a national organization, the NAACP is more than a half-million members and supporters throughout the United States and the world. We are seen as the premier advocates for civil rights and are charged with campaigning for equal opportunity and mobilizing voters to ensure our issues are at the forefront locally, statewide, and nationally. The NAACPs principal objective is to ensure political, educational, social and economic equality of minority citizens of the United States and to eliminate race and prejudice. In 2012, as a member of the National Board of Directors for the NAACP, I participated in creating a strategic plan for the NAACP that laid out our core focus areas as an organization; our Game Changers: Economic Sustainability Education Health Public Safety and Criminal Justice Voting Rights and Political Representation Expanding Youth and Young Adult Engagement These six Game Changers will be the basis of our work here in Des Moines as we seek to remove all barriers of racial discrimination through the democratic process. Iowa, and Des Moines in particular, has a rich history of progressiveness when it comes to many issues, however, our work is not complete. People of color in our city still face severe disparities which have been outlined in the One Economy report on the Status of African and African Americans in Polk County. The NAACP, in concert with many other organizations, will continue to fight for better education for our children, safer communities, ending the cradle to prison pipeline through prison reform, stopping racial profiling, healthcare reform and an end to racism and so much more. 12 to prison pipeline through prison reform, stopping racial profiling, healthcare reform and an end to racism and so much more. In my first term as President, it is my promise to all citizens of Des Moines and Polk County that I will fight for you. But this is work I cannot do alone. If you are an advocate for any of the causes mentioned above, I strongly encourage you to become a member of our branch and more importantly, I ask for you to join a committee and join in our fight for freedom. Membership is the lifeblood of this organization and with your support, we can eradicate hate and discrimination wherever it stands. Sincerely, Kameron Middlebrooks President NAACP Des Moines ׉ 7cassandra://gJUspK7Sy9rH1F7RF_9MAojKTi0JbW-e7lbyb02e5x4 ?`\XiaU׉EvG O S P E L T O P T E N 1. Brian Courtney Wilson A Great Work | Motown Gospel 2. Zacardi Cortez Oh How I Love You | Black Smoke 3. Marvin Sapp Listen Verity/RCA Inspiration/PLG/RED 4. Jason Nelson Forever RCA Inspiration/PLG 5. Tasha Cobb | Leonard Feat | Nicki Minaj I’m Getting Ready Motown Gospel 6. Jerkalyn Carr | It’s Yours | Lunjeal 7. Fresh Start Workshop Mention | Fresh Start Maquis Boone Dr. Greg Harris 8. Kelonatae Gavin | No Ordinary Worship Marvin Boone | Tyscott 9. Moranda Curtis | Nobody Like You Lord Butterfly Work | Red Alliance | Fair Trade 10. Fred Jenkins Feat | Last Call Victory Dark Child Gospel 13 ׉ 7cassandra://g1EkDY0aWDpnQh_KSAB_wuoFAQWafaNWN3nG52jjweA`\XiaV\XiaU(בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://8-pucnH8YltBFODKoQh5KS55wYkOQhAEBCdN3fLlFl0`׉ 7cassandra://GlsvYT5KVNZVeq1HaJ1wDr2uWWU9YgbpZ-OrqSqKXKgoz`s׉ 7cassandra://CH4C8p1JGxrs0QDRdUxWmDqNTxVKNp79IZ9PcquM-pU(`׉ 7cassandra://mcidUGwMznTXfN5meXXnubmeJbczsaPmPkSVrG2yNx0͠]\Xiaט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://IzxC3HOdf588N5LzokHZG79Nrja0glGGfMOx_76ip2Eq`׉ 7cassandra://9vgnSn-IR_EPM7jb6Vx3e2NO-dXPtluKcW-fH6wmxtkE`s׉ 7cassandra://NSsWa5xMAEyoR9A9WuxYJiXk3Cen0Cv5yObxLVhkN9g`׉ 7cassandra://FtueL4nC-ATqF_H20zz0fzcshEMqOlWa_3aPU-QBLBA͠]\Xiaנ\Xiaj,9ׁHmailto:rachelleross46@yahoo.comׁ ׁ Ј׉EEGirlTrek is the largest health movement for Black Women in America. Co-Founded by two college friends, Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison. Their mission is to rally one million Black women to establish a life-saving habit of daily walking as a tribute to those who walked before us and as a radical act of selfcare. Women in the Greater Des Moines area are joining this movement by reclaiming our lives one-step at a time. You are invited to join us. To learn more about GirlTrek Des Moines join our Facebook group “GirlTrek Des Moines” or email girltrekdesmoines@gmail.com. 14 ׉ 7cassandra://CH4C8p1JGxrs0QDRdUxWmDqNTxVKNp79IZ9PcquM-pU(`\XiaW׉E$15.00 per plate LIMITED AMOUNT RESERVE YOUR MEAL TODAY! (515) 681-4028 Email Address rachelleross46@yahoo.com 1708 8th Street 15 ׉ 7cassandra://NSsWa5xMAEyoR9A9WuxYJiXk3Cen0Cv5yObxLVhkN9g`\XiaX\XiaW(בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://mY6Pef7dltreitTFO_UNijO8vdgkyXh0HYKTHexl7oUt`׉ 7cassandra://NGfjusg_YQQfky77HZqr_JOlWiMFeT7Ozgkry1-v4Z8O%`s׉ 7cassandra://rEPlfv_tb8bUuK8WnN_fp_TuzvxgEdw6iJ22mYqvRWM%`׉ 7cassandra://QNBpnFgeJ5CbRxw1lNCxTFyyozihEDkmuBqFfFZpE9Yͮ͠]\Xiaט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://79SWfdB51iWjOapIn_0yZ9wYjkdnwyE-c5YyhrdvfCs