On Monday, September 11, 2006, I cried, because Monday was a dreadful day ― for many reasons that I want to share.
 
On that day, God blessed me to see my 53^rd birthday; but aside from that, it was the 5^th anniversary of one of the most tragic days in the history of our nation, the 9-11 terrorist attacks on the United States.  What a day to have to celebrate my birthday!   How could I celebrate as the deaths of thousands of human beings were being commemorated all over the country ― on the television, on radio stations around the nation and in communities across the U.S.?  
 
Yet for more compelling reasons, Monday was a dreadful day because it was the day that I sat in United States District Court in Montgomery, Alabama, and witnessed the sentencing of a long-time friend and comrade, Mr. Roy Terry.   As Mr. Terry stood and faced a Federal Judge, and expressed his deep regret and sorrow for any unintended harm done to his former employees, or others affected by his alleged actions, I cried, for in that apology, I saw Roy Terry for the man that I have always known him to be…a man of integrity, humility, soft-spoken, and sincere.  I cried, because in listening to and internalizing Mr. Terry’s words, my heart was wounded because in that same moment in some spiritual place within me, God revealed to me (once again) that in human relationships, there has to be some place deep within the heart where one knows another individual for who and what they are….and appreciates that individual for who and what you know them to be ― regardless of what everybody else may be saying or thinking about that individual.  Otherwise, there is no spiritual value to our relationships with one another. 
 
How could I possibly celebrate 53 years of my life, when my friend is on the verge of losing 6½
years of his life?  I thought about myself, and what I would have on my mind if I for some reason I ever found myself in the same position…. I thought, “If this were me, wouldn’t I want my friends standing by to support me through this trial?” And I cried; and found myself wondering, “Would any of my friends show up on my sentencing day? Would they show up as friends, or as self-righteous and judgmental spectators?”
 
Realizing that there are still many young naïve blacks who are critical of Mr. Terry, my heart was hurt.  These youngsters don’t have a clue about the kind of personal equity (sweat, sleepless nights, never-ending days, pacing the floor, prayer, and hard work) is involved in establishing and running a successful black business.  They don’t understand that being black and in business doesn’t mean that you’re rich or even wealthy; it often means having to meet a new financial challenge each and every day of your life; and if you are truly committed, it sometimes means trying to hang in there and stay, even when staying makes no sense!   And I cried.  I cried because no matter what a person may do, if we know them on a spiritual level, their deeds whether right or wrong, legal or illegal can never overshadow the intentions of the heart.  
 
Sitting in the courtroom that day allowed me to reflect on many negative truths about African Americans and the decline in the “black solidarity” that we are always claiming to have for one another, as well as the “Christian love” that we are so good at pontificating about.
 
Sitting in the courtroom that day also brought out numerous revelations about the truth in Mr. Terry’s case ― which will never really be told.  The fact that the final sentence was so drastically reduced from the 11½ years originally proposed by federal prosecutors, ought to speak volumes to everyone about the true strength (or weakness) of the government’s case against Mr. Terry.

We have heard a lot of preaching and prophesying both in the media and in the streets, about the 401k.  But, that day, we learned that the employees’ 401k contributions were not lost, as had been previously asserted all over the place.   Yet, the media ain’t talkin’ ‘bout that!
 
I believe the whole passel of overzealous media hounds owe Mr. Terry an apology for all the lies and half-truths that have been published and perpetrated generating far too many undeserved presumptions, speculations and prejudices about his life-style and his intentions in whatever acts he may have committed.  
 
As the proceedings neared the end, it appears that the longer this case has continued, the less severe the proposed actions against Mr. Terry have grew.  
 
On a spiritual level, I believe that anything Mr. Terry may have done as CEO of Terry Manufacturing Company, was done in an effort to preserve the integrity of the company and enable him and his family to continue to employ those who depended on Terry Manufacturing Company for their livlihoods.
 
Although Monday, September 11^th was a dreadful day, I celebrated my birthday by remembering who I am ― and whose I am.   I remember that God allowed me to come into this world in the month of September, a month ruled by the earth   ― it is a sign of love, deep loyalty, and integrity, and a strong sense of commitment to that in which I believe.  On Monday, September 11, I celebrated my loyaly to a life-long friend and comrade.
_______________________

Copyright 200t by Charlotte A. Clark-Frieson
This article was composed and written by Charlotte A. Clark-Frieson, and appeared in the September 15, edition of The People’s Voice African American Weekly News (www.peoplesvoiceonline.com).   This article may be reprinted with permission from the author:
Charlotte A. Clark-Frieson
email:  caclarkfrieson@msn.com
322 Wilkie Clark Drive
Roanoke, Alabama 36274
334.863.4885
256.276.8640

“Meaningful” Arrest Reports

By Charlotte A. Clark-Frieson,
Associate Editor
As we continue to work to make The People’s Voice more responsive and sensitive to the specific interests of it’s audience, we have devoted a lot of time to considering the kind of information that would be most meaningful to people of color.

As we continue to work to make more responsive and sensitive to the specific interests of it’s audience, we have devoted a lot of time to considering the kind of information that would be most meaningful to people of color.Early in our publishing conquest, many readers inquired as to why we don’t publish arrest reports and articles of that nature as other print media do?  Our answer was a loud, resounding and emphatic NO!  After surveying the interests and opinions  of black consumers, we were impressed by their opinions that they found it very distasteful to read arrest reports, especially when many of those featured in the arrest reports are black.  Many see it as another strategy that allows the majority to stigmatize and brand blacks as criminal.

What is gained by demeaning an individual who may be a victim of alcohol or drug use?   What is gained from publicly humiliating an individual who may have committed a minor offense?

Thus after careful consideration, we believe it would be more meaningful to those truly concerned with the well-being and interest of African American people, to provide reports that shed more light on the numbers and/or percentages of individuals by race and gender, who are most affected by the Justice System and the nature of the charges leveled against them.

For African-Americans, the more important question goes back to the issue of how many(?) as opposed to who(?).

It has been established throughout numerous black venues that blacks are more frequently profiled and have more confrontations with law enforcement, despite the fact that we are in the minority in the general population.  Thus, a sensible conclusion is that the percentage of blacks in custody should be no higher than the percentage represented in the general population….and already, most of us could conclude that to be a joke!

So, believing that this kind information would be more meaningful…we are beginning to have conversations with some of the municipalities throughout the area to arrange to get the information weekly.   In pursuit of this goal, we recently spoke with Susan Cooper who works with the Municipal Court for the City Of Wedowee.   As a result of our conversations with  Cooper, we certainly gained a new respect for Mayor Tim Coe after Cooper explained to us that “Several years ago, Mayor Coe was against people’s names being put in the paper for arrest in the City, because he thought the families of the subjects were going through enough without their names being put in the paper.”

We couldn’t agree more.  And although we realize that such criminal proceedings are a matter of public record, we believe that if people want to know that bad, let them go dig up the information for themselves.    

So, all things considered, we plan to publish weekly reports that give numerical data regarding arrests in selected municipalities; we would like for our reports to include the nature of the charges also, however, the actual content of our report will remain a work in progress as it evolves.   We will gradually add other locations as the information becomes available to us.  Our report will more than likely appear in tablet format.

With this knowledge then, we as a people should be compelled to ask the question, “Why are blacks overrepresented in jails and prisons?”    Finally, as proactive and concerned citizens, hopefully we will be about the business of seeking solutions to these dilemmas.

As we gather this data weekly, we will share this information with you in the form of a Weekly Justice Report.  Please look forward to the inclusion of the weekly “Justice Report (or whatever we choose to title it).”

Our hope is that after reading our weekly reports, you will be able to put the numbers to the test for yourself.  Then, judge for yourself.   Is our system fair?  Is there racial equality in the criminal justice system?   It will be quite interesting to see how this data unfolds.
*******
Copyright 2006 by Charlotte A. Clark-Frieson
This article was composed and written by Charlotte A. Clark-Frieson, and appeared in the September 1, edition of The People’s Voice African American Weekly News (www.peoplesvoiceweekly.us).  
This article may be reprinted with permission from the author:
Charlotte A. Clark-Frieson
email:  caclarkfrieson@msn.com
322 Wilkie Clark Drive
Roanoke, Alabama 36274
334-863-4885
256-276-8604

Make A Will

Charlotte A.Clark-Frieson
Associate Editor

For nearly 40 years, my family has operated Clark Funeral Home in Roanoke, Alabama. This allowed me to observe many commonalities among African-American families.

During those years, one of my saddest observations was the number of black families who had not prepared financially for their homegoing.  My father, who served as a funeral director in our community for more than 20 of those years, used to sometimes say that “black folks live like we think we’re never going to die.”  Maybe we don’t believe we have anything worth willing.   Because of people’s refusal to make their will, I witnessed a lot of unnecessary sadness and disappointment:  I’ve seen families break up; siblings fall out; spouses die of broken hearts because they are literally left with nothing, OR they are left in a position where they have no say over property that may rightfully be theirs.  You can drive through the black neighborhood in our community today, and see numerous properties laying waste, because ownership is yet unresolved because title was never legally passed through a will or deed.   On many an occasion I cried in sympathy for those who often became the victims of the deceased who failed to take care of this very important matter.

Let me share a true story with you:

There was a couple, both of whom were in their senior years (late 60’s).  Although this couple had never married, they lived together as husband and wife for more than 20 years.  During the relationship, she had worked and helped him pay for the property they were living on; helped furnish the home; and literally conducted all kinds of financial business as a married couple.   The male partner had been married and fathered several children during his marriage; however, he had never divorced the first wife, who years before had migrated north, and raised all their children who at the time of his passing were now adult.  When he died, the common-law wife bore all the funeral expenses and the grief associated with the loss of a spouse.  Assuming that after the funeral she would return to their home and live out the rest of her days, she was literally taken by storm ─ at the graveside ─ before the body was even completely covered, when the first wife and all the adult children abruptly confronted her, challenged her right to return to their home, and demanded that she vacate the premises.  With nowhere else to go, disappointed, heartbroken, it wasn’t three months before she, too, died ― aging, ailing, homeless and heartbroken.   Our conversations with her led us to believe that he had taken for granted that everything would be alright; and she being “a woman, (the lesser partner in this relationship),” never pressed the issue or bothered to ask any questions of him.

Most people know that they need a will. Most people without a will have intentions to make out their wills. Yet, surprisingly, many African-Americans — even people of considerable means—die without directing the disposition of their property.

This simple document known as your Last Will and Testament, is one of the most critical – but often neglected – parts of a sound financial plan.
There may be those who are frightened or intimidated by the expense of hiring a lawyer to write their will.  This leads to another fact that most people don’t realize  ―  that you do not need an attorney to make a legal will.   You can sit down and write out your own will with pencil and paper, and have it be just as legal as if an attorney wrote it.  All you need is to make sure it is signed and dated.  Having more than one person witness your will makes it a stronger document.  Having it notarized makes it even stronger.    
Seeing so many black families without wills often complicated the completion of funeral arrangements, which affected our ability to conduct business with many of these families.  So, as a service to our communities, we began to offer assistance in helping families prepare their wills.   Sometime believing that a will wasn’t legal unless prepared by an attorney, people would disregard our offer, but we still continued to offer it.  But, by the same token, we had scores of people who did come in and let us help them prepare their wills. 

At days end, I think we helped a lot of individuals and families.   We have not had a single family come back and say that they had a problem with a will we helped them to write.
Your will allows you to keep control of what happens to your possessions after you are gone.  It allows you to state who you want to be in charge of your affairs.  It allows them to easily manage your affairs without the complication of having to account to any individual or agency.

If you don’t own anything but a mule and wagon, will it to somebody― even if you don’t have children or relatives; find someone you trust to oversee your financial affairs not only while you are alive, but after you die.   Put your wishes down on paper.  What you say won’t be worth a dime unless you say it in black and white. 

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Some Important Considerations:

What’s surprising is that the rewards from preparing a Will are many, and tremendously valuable. So why do so many of us put it off?   For many people, the stumbling block is a number of simple, understandable, but faulty and potentially costly assumptions. While it may seem that common sense would dictate where your assets go or who will take care of your children in the absence of a Will, it doesn’t work that way.
Why? The answer in a word: Procrastination.
“We’re waiting until __________.”
…until we have children;
…until we buy a house;
…until the business is organized;
…until the investment outlook changes;
…until The grandchildren arrive.
 
But waiting is a big mistake. Change and uncertainty will always be with us: the “perfect time” is unlikely to occur. That’s why the best time to make a will is now.
 
In your will, you can:

1.      Name whomever you choose to receive your property, what each of them is to receive and whether they are to receive it outright or in trust.

Without a will, your state’s intestacy law will make all the decisions for you.

2.     Choose whom you wish to serve as the executor of your estate, someone who will see that your directions are carried out in a timely and orderly manner.
 

Without a will, a court will appoint an administrator to carry out these duties. The administrator chosen may not be the person you would want to serve.

3.     Acknowledge personal and business circumstances. Name a guardian for minor children; make special provisions for loved ones who are in ill health or otherwise unable to handle an inheritance; continue a program of charitable giving; provide how a going business will be continued or liquidated.
Without a will, state law will distribute your estate to your nearest relatives, outright, without looking any further.

4.     Take advantage of opportunities to reduce taxes and administrative costs associated with settling your estate.
Without a will, there are few, if any, opportunities to reduce these expenses.

Making your will is the important first step in estate planning—the process of arranging for the preservation of your property while you live and for the distribution of your property at your death.
 
Another important step is to name an executor who will manage and protect the assets in your estate and see to it that the instructions in your will are carried out. When you name us to serve as executor of your will, you have the security and peace of mind of knowing that what you plan for your heirs to receive, they will receive.

**********
Copyright 2006 by Charlotte A. Clark-Frieson
This article was composed and written by Charlotte A. Clark-Frieson, and appeared in the August 25, edition of The People’s Voice African American Weekly News (www.peoplesvoiceweekly.us).   This article may be reprinted with permission from the author:
Charlotte A. Clark-Frieson
email:  caclarkfrieson@msn.com
322 Wilkie Clark Drive
Roanoke, Alabama 36274
334-863-4885
256-276-8406

 
I want to dedicate this commentary to my father, the late Wilkie Clark, who in 1971, as I approached graduation from Roanoke City Schools, tried his best to encourage me to attend Howard University, and major in law.

He was very much in tune with the flaws in our legal system.   Just as I now understand more clearly how our legal system victimizes so many black men, back then, my father understood the part that our flawed legal system had historically played in the legalized mistreatment of black folks in every area of American life, and especially in the Southeastern part of the country.   

In addition to this awareness, my father had a high respect for the law.  He came along at a time when Howard University was unrivaled in its reputation for producing great black legal minds who were well indoctrinated in the principles of making that law work to benefit black people, despite the inherent mechanisms within it that frequently worked against blacks.  Black law grads coming out of Howard University had been drilled, and had soaked in every aspect of the law, and knew it so well, until they became masters at what would it would take to turn it upside down, and inside out, to make sweeping changes that would ultimately make life better for black America. 

Through my association with my father, I was privileged to meet many of them, and I believe that at that time, the lawyers who graduated from Howard University came out of law school on a mission.   They were aggressive and determined to liberate black folks. 

But, no such lawyers are being produced any more.   I do not believe they are even being taught how to practice law aggressively any more.  Everywhere you go, all you see in law offices, are a bunch of sell-outs, who are looking for money, an easily winnable case, and a name.   Now, in many civil litigations, they want to run all over the golf course, or sit at the bar, and negotiate your fate with your enemy.   And they’ve come up with a fancy word for it…they call it arbitration.

At this stage of my life, I can boast many accomplishments.  I was privileged to earn a Masters Degree in Education; to teach in both the public and private sector; to be elected to public office which I held for 18 years;  to own and operate my own business; to author and publish books; and to help establish and write for a black news media  – But, I also have a few regrets, too.  One of them is that I didn’t follow through with my father’s pleadings that I go to one of the most prestigious black universities and take up the law profession.

Oddly enough, I have observed so many areas in life wherein black people are victimized without reservation, until I have had a lifetime of difficulty trying to decide where my own personal abilities could be the most effectively used to help rectify these disparities.

I have posted in this week’s People’s Voice, an article related to the Death Penalty study recently released by the American Bar Association.  

After reading such a report, I am livid. 

I am angry over how We The People, we, the politically correct, the affluent of the community, the pillars of society, the religiously self-righteous, the academia, the high and mighty  ― acquiesce with a system so riddled with flaws and so ridiculously and shamefully unjust and uneven and still go to bed, sleep soundly, and get up day after day, and not show any signs of concern or remorse over the lives that have been snuffed out with no sensitivity or regard for the possibility that mistakes may have been made; defenses may have been incompetent or inadequate; evidence may have been tainted; investigative work may have been sloppy; a jury may not have understood their instructions.      

I am angry over how incompetent lawyers “get over” economically ― and even get wealthy ― on the poor, the ignorant and the illiterate with their half-baked, half-hearted practice and mis-application of the law.  

And I regret that I didn’t go ahead and major in law and establish a practice in Alabama. 

Because if I had, I do not believe that I could have stood quietly and idly by and participated in a centuries-old penal system that casually victimizes the innocent as a matter of routine.

I couldn’t have stood to spend my lifetime sitting in the halls of justice, day after day, getting wealthy and fat preying on the ignorance of the innocent and the naïve, working within a system that would knowingly convict people to death without assuring the existence of a fair and just process through which to do it.  My conscience could not have allowed me to do it.

No.  I would have been another Thurgood Marshall or Constance Baker Motley.

I can just hear my daddy saying “Charlotte, I told you so…. I told you what to do, but you were listenin’ to your ma.  Yaw’ll didn’t think I had no sense.”   

I really regret it, because in today’s society, so charged with foolishness, and professional mediocrity, some one is needed, who is able to stand up and challenge the status quo, by demanding fairness, justice, and equity.    I don’t know one single attorney practicing today who has the guts to do it.

Today, God only knows how many black folk are suffering for not having listened to the wisdom of our elders.   In modern society, we have more blacks than ever entering every field imaginable.   It is unbelievable how our young  upwardly mobile blacks are now using these opportunities to advance themselves personally and economically without thinking about giving back to their communities or their people.   We must get committed to putting all our education and technological know-how to use, by applying what we know to become part of the movement to help liberate those who cannot help themselves – such as those who fall prey to the unfair judicial system.

Fairness, Justice, Equity…. It is our constitutional right.    It should not have to be bought or paid for.  It is a guarantee.  And under that constitution, our government has an obligation to all of us, to make it a reality, we the people must demand it, and we must have it (in the words of Malcolm X)  BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY! 

Lately, I have been trying to figure out why it is that we African Americans are so out of tune with what is going on in our nation. Many of us think that we have really arrived.

Recently I asked several black individuals if they had read “The Covenant With Black America?”

“What’s that?” was the most frequent response I got after asking this question.

Ask the average young black male “Who is Tavis Smiley?” he can’t tell you.

Ask the average black youngster “Who was Martin Luther King, Jr. and what did he do?” they are barely able to demonstrate even a vague understanding of what M.L.K was all about, and the civil rights struggles of African Americans.

I often stop people on the street and ask, “Have you read The People’s Voice?”

Most frequent answer: “Oh, Yeah! I heard about it but I havent’ read it yet?”

“Why not?”

“Well, you know, I don’t really like to read…..”

We ought to be ashamed to let anybody hear us say that we don’t want or like to read!

Young African Americans understand that they are victimized by the judicial system, they are profiled by law enforcement, and they understand about prison, but they have no earthly idea why this is. They are unable to make the connection between a long-standing history stemming from the enslavement of Africans dating back to the 1600’s and before, and what is happening to them now.

My late father used to make a statement that would have us all rolling around on the floor with laughter. He’d say something like: “I done just made up my mind to get clean out of the Negro race!” I’m sure he really didn’t mean that. But, I think when he said that, he was trying to show how ashamed and embarrassed he would be about certain demeaning conditions that we as a race allow to persist. He would often say that we are too lazy and sorry to get up and do something about our condition, and it would almost make him want to “divorce” his blackness.

Today, I believe he would be even more ashamed of our condition. He along with many of our black icons, and leaders, would be ashamed of the conditions that we now allow to exist and persist in our race: the lack of knowledge of our history by black youth, the lack of interest in civic responsibility on the part of many of our adults; the way young black men often flee from the responsibility of fatherhood, and manhood. The way our young women are throwing themselves around sexually, and allowing the AIDS epidemic to destroy our population unchecked; the way we have allowed an unfair judicial system to imprison millions of black men all over our country.

I think that one of the biggest reasons for these problems is that we are not “Tuned In.” We are not paying attention to what is going on around us. We are too busy being materialistic and superficial, and listening to everything but what we ought to be listening to.

We have forsaken the black family, an institution that has held historical significance for black folks since the beginning of time. We have given the responsibility of child-rearing over to the after-school tutorial program, the boys and girls clubs, the schools, and juvenile court system. And we have turned deaf ears to the cries of our babies. We have forgotten that nothing takes the place of good old-fashioned parenting, and genuine love.

But, we have forsaken everything that has traditionally been near and dear to us. And for what? Jobs, homes, cars; material wealth?

We have an obligation to future generations of black youth, to tune in to our surroundings, and take notice of what is happening in our midst. We must do this, before it is everlasting, too late.
_________________________
This article was composed and written by Charlotte A. Clark-Frieson, and appeared in  The People’s Voice  Weekly News (http://www.peoplesvoiceonline.com/).   This article may be reprinted ONLY with permission from the author:
Charlotte A. Clark-Frieson
email:  caclarkfrieson@msn.com
322 Wilkie Clark Drive
Roanoke, Alabama 36274
334-863-4885
334-338-1149