The people of Flint Michigan are being short changed yet again. It was announced February 9, 2017 that state funding subsidies which helped Flint’s residents pay their water bills caused by the infamous ‘The Flint Water Crisis’ would end February 28, 2017.

In April 2014, water in Flint became contaminated when the city switched its supply source and treatment while under the authority of a state appointed emergency manager.

In Michigan, emergency financial mangers answer only to the governor, and are given the authority to make sweeping decisions to turn around financially struggling cities and school districts according to Detroit Free Press.

Switching the water supply was meant as a cost cutting measure after the state of Michigan took over Flint’s finances when an audit projected a $25 million deficit. The switch resulted in a significant increase in lead levels in the water supply.

Without state funded subsidies, the city of Flint will not have enough money to upgrade its water-system infrastructure according to Melissa May, an organizer with Flint Rising, a water activist coalition.

“A senior advisor to Governor Rick Snyder has sent Flint’s Interim Chief Financial Officer, David Sabuda, a letter to inform him the credits currently being applied to the water portion of Flint utility customers’ accounts will no longer be provided after February 28, 2017,” Moore wrote. “State officials note the latest 6-month cycle of water testing that had results below the federal action level for the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR).”

Moore also said after this month the state will no longer provide funding for Flint’s connection to the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA), which amounts to about $1.2 million a month.

Flint residents paid the highest water rates in America, even as their water was tainted with lead, according to a national study released in February 2016 by the public interest group Food and Water Watch.

A survey of the 500 largest water systems in the country, conducted last year, found that on average, Flint residents paid about $864 a year for water service, nearly double the national average and about 3½ times as much as Detroiters pay.

No funding subsidies also means less cash available to replace residents’ antiquated lead and galvanized-iron service lines, the pipes that connect from city water mains to the plumbing in older houses and which tests have shown can introduce lead particles into a household’s water, May said. So far, the city has replaced about 700 of the lines, but an additional 20,000 remain to be replaced, May went on to say.

This decision made by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder is an example of callous indifference toward residents of Flint.

The independent panel put together by Gov. Snyder when the crisis drew national attention stated, “Flint residents, who are majority black or African-American and among the most impoverished of any metropolitan area in the United States, did not enjoy the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards as that provided to other communities,” the report concluded.

And as Laura Sulivan, 54, a city resident and water activist said “The situation we’re in now — all the costs of rebuilding the system, all the costs of health care for people hurt by this — is entirely due to Gov. Snyder appointing these emergency managers who approved sending Flint River water through the city water system.”

“The river water was haphazardly treated prior to distribution, a failure that has been blamed for the leaching of lead particles from inside the city’s aging pipes, allowing lead contamination to poison those who consumed the water,” she added.

According to Snyder the crisis represented a collective failure of local, state and federal governments. So why are the residents of Flint financially responsible for a problem they did not create?

DETROIT, MICH. – “If we embrace the victim mentality, then we have given up our authority.”

That inspiring message left the teachers and administrators in silence as award-winning author and educator Chike Akua gave his African-Centered Education (ACE) presentation Saturday morning at Paul Robeson/Malcolm X Academy.

Principal Jeffery Robinson brought in Akua for professional development for his administrators after he was requested from some of his staff.

“I heard about Akua three years ago when my staff heard him speak in Chicago,” he said. “They wanted him here and we had to make that happen.”

As the Academy is known for having an ACE curriculum, Akua made sure that the teachers, both of Melanoid and non-Melanoid decent, understood what exactly ACE is and how to imply it to their students.

Akua simplified the eight essential elements of ACE:

1. Places Africa, African people and African points of view at the center of all things studied.
2. Helps students critically examine how the subject or object of study is related to the image and interest of Africa and African people.
3. Taps into the spirit of the children.
4. Requires a sharp orientation towards social justice.
5. Requires methods that are unique and indigenous to the nature and needs of African children.
6. Asks a simple question of all things: Is it good for African people?”
7. Requires a consciousness of victory.
8. Prepares children for sovereignty.

This was a collection of Chike Akua’s merchandise that was available at the event. To purchase these items and more, go to www.myteachertransformation.com

 When these elements are all used together, teachers and administrators will use the best of African culture to examine/analyze information, meet needs and solve problems in the African community.

“Usually when our children hear about Africa, they don’t hear about the best of Africa, but the worst,” Akua said.

Amari Akua, Chike’s 12-year-old son, was in attendance at the Academy while he sat and took notes of his father’s teachings. Amari enjoys the fact that his father is an educator and how it impacts not only his life, but the lives of people across the world.

“I feel so inspired to make change whenever I hear my father speaks,” he said. “The family could be relaxing in the house and my dad would begin teaching to us. Though I may not want to hear it at the time, I realize that my father has a gift and I’m thankful for his gift.”

Amari would like to follow his father in the teaching profession at some point of his career, but he would like to explore video game programming or the filming industry.

Akua harped to the teachers that the students must have a sense ancestral history and proceeded to showed the history of African people with pictures from his trips to Kemet (Egypt.)

As the presentation continued, he tied in African history and how the legacy was stolen to help build America. With side-by-side comparisons of American and African monuments, it was clear to the teachers where America got their ideas for their memorials.

“The Ramesu statue is the origin of the Lincoln Memorial,” Akua said with his presentation. “And there’s plenty more that were copied.”

Baba (David) Khari has been a teacher at the school since its second year in operation during the 90’s and teaches at the middle school level.

He assures that since he’s been teaching in all-male classrooms, he can definitely see a difference.

“The students, both boys and girls, function better,” Khari said. “The students are worried about the opinions of the opposite sex and that helps bring the best out of our students.”

Detroit originally had three separate all-boy schools: Paul Robeson, Malcolm X and Marcus Garvey Academy.

“Our former principal Dr. Clifford Dean Watson made sure we had African resources along with the Detroit curriculum,” Khari said. “Our schools were basically operating with two curriculums.”

The plan was to add three additional all -girl schools, but the plan was turned down during the planning stage.

Now that Detroit has downsized with ACE schools, Robinson is looking to empower his staff to ensure the best education for his students.

“We use to make the teachers take African-cultured training classes before they taught here, but due to the financial emergency and other things happening in Detroit we no longer had that authority to enforce that training,” he said. “It’s time for innovation and we’re making that step.”

For further information and products by Chike Akua, visit his website, www.myteachertransformation.com.

(EDITOR’S NOTE) The following video provides a brief background on Mr. Akua’s career as an educator.

Detroit, Mich. – Who says that Melanoid people don’t support their own? Those naysayers should swing over to the corner of Wyoming Avenue and Ellsworth Street and see what our people are flocking to on the weekends.

Detroit native Bruce Muhammad, along with his wife, Lakeisha, have been operating a produce outlet, called Eat 2 Live Produce, with their two daughters since mid-May. Like many urban cities across the country, much of the harvest is grown and sold by non-Melanoid families. The local markets don’t have fresh fruits and vegetables in abundance either. Most rely on a Kroger or Meijer (Michigan retail store) to purchase their groceries for the family.

Muhammad saw an entrepreneurial opportunity to serve his community after receiving insight from local farmers.

“They were telling me how there’s not enough retail outlets to sell their crops to,” he said. “That immediately rung a bell in my head that something can and be should be about the health and economic situation here in Detroit.” After a ten-year career as a Mortgage Broker, Muhammad quit and decided to go into business for himself. Since their opening on Mother’s Day weekend, the response from the West Detroit area has been phenomenal. “Once the stand went up, people in the community came out to support us and they kept on coming,” Muhammad said. “We’re pushing to close theirs mouths from McDonald’s and open their minds to eating healthy.”

His vision was to bring life to the community. Ironically, he set up the stand directly across the street from a medical marijuana dispensary and a meat market.

“We’re so immune to death around here,” Muhammad said. “And we resort to the quick fixes when we don’t deal with the real problem, which is our diets.” The subliminal message was simple to those around him – your key to health is in the food. “As a nation, we spend an average of $92 Billion on fast food every year,” Muhammad said. “From that, our people remain sick and the pharmaceutical company are sitting rich based off our bad habits.”

Muhammad and his wife, who met during Saviour’s Day weekend last year, understand that this mission is bigger than themselves.

After Lakeisha moved from Tulsa, Okla., they wasted no time formulating a plan to help employ some of Detroit’s residence with the expense of people eating healthy. “With her being from the place of Black Wall Street and Detroit being home of the Nation of Islam, the energy between us was definitely astounding,” Muhammad said. The stand may be small now, but the family is looking to expand. Their goal is to move into a building in Highland Park, Mich., by the fall season. As the business expands to two locations, the family will be looking for help with delivery, customer assistance and other possible positions that are needed.

Along with fresh fruits and vegetables, Eat 2 Live Produce has featured item as Ginger Lemonade, jams and jellies, Bean Pie and Curry Chicken (at least that was for the featured meal for that day). The stand is open Thursday-Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Muhammad was asked about the myth about Melanoid people supporting their own and he responded, “come see us,” with a smile.

]]> https://www.melanoidnation.org/a-produce-oasis-in-a-fast-food-desert/feed/ 88 https://www.melanoidnation.org/police-chief-in-michigan-resigns-after-one-of-her-officers-is-charged-with-assaulting-melanoid-man/ https://www.melanoidnation.org/police-chief-in-michigan-resigns-after-one-of-her-officers-is-charged-with-assaulting-melanoid-man/#comments Fri, 24 Apr 2015 16:35:26 +0000 http://melanoidnation.org/?p=1510 Floyd Dent, a 57-year-old Melanoid man, was the victim of a bloody assault at the hands of a white supremacist police officer named William Melendez. The incident occurred on January 28th of this year in Inkster, Michigan after Mr. Dent was pulled over at a traffic stop.

Mr. Dent was also wrongfully accused of possession of crack cocaine after Melendez testified in court. During the January 28th assault, Mr. Dent was also attacked by a taser gun four times. On Monday of this week, Wayne County (MI) Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced that Melendez will be charged with assault and mistreatment of a prisoner. As a result of the charges, Melendez has been fired from his Inkster job and charged with misconduct in office, a five-year felony, and assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, a 10-year felony. Upon the news of Melendez’s punishment, Inkster police Chief Vicki Yost resigned on Wednesday. Check out the video below to see the news of Yost’s resignation.

Mr. Dent, who saw the drug charges against him dismissed in a Wayne County court, has been subject to extreme emotional distress during this entire ordeal. “He busted out crying and was very emotional,” said Angela Martin, the assistant to Dent’s attorney. Yost explained in an interview (after her resignation) that the charges brought against one of her former officers wont affect her career at all. She also suggested early retirement when asked to elaborate on her life after police chief of Inkster. The fact that she is able to have the option to do so reminds us of how white supremacists rarely get fired or severely punished, they merely get transferred, get paid administrative leave, or in the case of Vicki Yost, consider early retirement.

by B. Clark