By Julianne Malveaux, NNPA Columnist

Dylann Roof, the unrepentant racist who killed nine people at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. is, without question, a monster. He prayed with people before reciting racist cants and annihilating people. After his heinous acts, it was discovered that he was a rabid racist who had wrapped himself in the Confederate flag.

Does he deserve the death penalty? No.

The death penalty is the kindest thing that could happen to Dylann Roof, and he does not deserve our kindness. The death penalty provides some of us with immediate satisfaction, a sense of revenge. And it lets him off the hook.

Imagine, instead, that this slug is sentenced to life in prison and forced to live with the consequences of his action.

Imagine that he is incarcerated with people who look just like the folks he killed. Imagine that, daily, he has to negotiate the racial realties of our nation’s prison system, a system that disproportionately incarcerates African American men.

Imagine that he is vilified as a symbol of our nation’s ingrained racism. Imagine that he, perhaps, has a “come to Jesus” moment where he renounces the racism that caused him to act.

Or, imagine that he simmers in his evil and reminds others how heinous he is.

The death penalty is inhumane no matter how it is applied. African Americans are disproportionately sentenced to death more than others are, and that is part, but not all, of the point. The rest of the point is that “an eye for an eye” leaves us all blind. The good people of Mother Emanuel AME Church were overflowing in their forgiveness of Roof. Do these forgiving, God-fearing people now oppose the commandment that says, “thou shall not kill”?

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, nearly 3000 people sit on death row. While African Americans are just 13 percent of the population, we are 43 percent of the death row inmates. Most people don’t believe that the death penalty deters crime, and many believe that enforcing the death penalty is a waste of taxpayer money. Most prefer alternatives – life sentences without parole, and perhaps with restitution.

Dylann Roof can turn into a Confederate martyr if he is killed. Instead, imagine him as a decrepit old man living his life out in prison, constantly faced with his crimes, constantly reminded of his heinous acts. His life, not his death, will constantly remind us of the hate that hate produced. Because, make no mistake, Dylann Roof is not an isolated phenomenon. He is the product of the Confederate flag, the product of the Ku Klux Klan, the product of the ugly, repugnant, vicious hate that produces a flawed and crippled white supremacy.

We don’t kill white supremacist hate by killing Dylann Roof. We don’t eliminate the ugly sentiments that propelled this extremely sick young man into a church with a gun by taking his life. Instead, it seems to me, the sole purpose of his life might be to serve as a symbol of hate, to remind us that there will be no peace without justice. Justice does not mean extracting a death penalty that is, inherently, unfair to African Americans. Justice means abolishing the death penalty that is still upheld in 31 states.

The friends and relatives of the Emanuel AME Church murdered were exceptional in their rapid expressions of forgiveness for Dylann Roof. They understood the brokenness that caused him to kill and, even as they mourned their loss, they offered their forgiveness as evidence of their faith. Can we do anything less?

I say that Dylann Roof ought to be put under somebody’s jail, allowed only a Bible and minimal bland food. I say that he needs to be deprived of every pleasure his victims have been deprived of. I say he needs to be surrounded by black folks just like the ones he killed. I’m not wishing him violence or harassment, just reflection.

Killing Roof won’t kill white supremacy. Keeping him miserably alive may, in fact, deter others from imitating him.

(NNPA News Wire Columnist Julianne Malveaux is an author and economist. Reach her at juliannemalveaux.com.)

By Kirsten West Savali, The Root

Debates about Harambe – a 450-pound, 17-year-old western lowland, silverback gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo that zoo officials were forced to shoot to death May 28 after a 4-year-old boy fell into his enclosure – have reached fever pitch as the hashtag #JusticeForHarambe continues to circulate online.

Harambe – whose name is derived from harambee, which is Swahili for “all pull together” – has become the biggest martyr of the animal rights community since Cecil the Lion. For many people, his life and death not only have amplified awareness of the cruelty of animal captivity but also have placed a bright spotlight on the child’s parents in the ugliest of ways.

People, black, white and all in between, have dragged the parents through the mud for what they believe to be complete negligence, and Sheila Hurt of Cincinnati has even gone so far as to create a Change.org petition to have them investigated by Ohio’s Child Protective Services – a petition that has 459,450 signatures to date.

Of course, the child and his parents are black, which leads us to the blatant racism at the root of the attacks against them. It also provides further evidence, as if any were needed, of the utter lack of concern for black lives, including the lives of our children.

The parallels are clear.

Tamir Rice, 12, was fatally shot in under two seconds because officers allegedly believed that he had a gun. Many white people blamed him and his parents.

Aiyana Stanley-Jones, 7, was fatally shot by police after they stormed into her house. Many white people blamed her parents.

Michael Brown Jr. was fatally shot many feet away from a cop who claimed that he felt threatened. Many white people blamed Brown and his parents.

Eric Garner was choked to death by cops on the corner. Many white people blamed him.

Akai Gurley was walking in a dark stairwell and was fatally shot by a cop who was scared of the dark. Though people didn’t blame him, mainstream media still reported his criminal record as if grasping for ways to criminalize him in death, and members of the trigger-happy cop’s community took to the streets to support his fatal negligence.

Rekia Boyd was in the park. She was fatally shot by a cop who fired over his shoulder because he could.

Laquan McDonald … executed on a public street by cops.

And …

And …

And …

Where were the media’s tears then? Where were the mourners? Where were the strangers declaring their innocence? Where were all the white people pilgrimaging to Cincinnati when Sam Dubose was executed by a cop while trying to put his car in park?

They were elsewhere, perhaps at a Donald Trump rally screaming #AllLivesMatter.

But, now, zoo officials have shot a gorilla in the Cincinnati Zoo to protect a black child, and people are protesting. People are sobbing. Despite expert opinions, such as Jack Hanna’s below, and zookeepers informing the public that Harambe was clearly agitated and ignoring their “special calls” to leave the area, many people insist on blaming the child’s parents because, “Why, oh why, did this beautiful animal have to die?”

People magazine has done several features on Harambe with no mention of the injured child’s condition (he’s fine, for those who care) – or that his family is reportedly receiving death threats.

This is not surprising, but it is always telling. There are some white people who look at Harambe with his black coat and a child in his grasp and feel compassion for him; they look at that black child’s black mother’s brown skin and feel contempt. They look at his black father and see a criminal, thanks to a Daily Mail hit piece that I will not give them the satisfaction of linking to here. They do not see a child; they see a mistake, a hindrance and, along with his parents, an accessory to murder.

And if this beautiful black child had died, many of these same people would have said he deserved it.

Despite this, there are some black people joining in to cast stones, and for what? Points? Gold stars? Brownies? Pats on the head?

News flash: The “bad black mother” trope that so dominates our society is at the center of this narrative, and no claims of #NotAllBlackParents will stop it. They put our black children in cages and throw away the key, if they don’t gun them down before they get there. But now we have some black people flailing about over the sanctity of life and crying that animals need to be free, as if that’s new information.

Just as black people are expected to forgive those who murder us, we are now expected to add caveats about the gorilla not deserving to die in order to prove our humanity. We have to say his name, when these same people sobbing over him don’t even know the names of black women and girls who are killed and raped by police officers, and if they do, they don’t care enough to say them.

So what is the “natural habitat” for black people? Clearly not the park, as Tamir’s family will attest; or driving in our cars, like Sandra Bland, or listening to music in them, like Jordan Davis; or in our homes, like Eleanor Bumpers; or in the supermarket, like John Crawford III; or walking in our gated communities, like Trayvon Martin – or anyplace where white fear of black bodies lives.

Where can we go so that when we’re shot down by state-sanctioned terrorists and bigots through no fault of our own, it’s not our fault?

It is more obvious than ever that some people will “all pull together” to protest the killing of African animals even though they give less than a damn about African-American children. They will violently oppose necessary actions to protect black children while justifying the violence done to black children. They will call their push to have a mother’s children taken away just, while they call the very idea of justice for black people slain by state violence unfair. They will cry and rage over a real gorilla while, throughout history and into the current day, they have called us gorillas, apes and monkeys at every turn and celebrate our deaths.

Make no mistake: We see those people for the racist hypocrites that they are.

We always have.

(Kirsten West Savali is a cultural critic and senior writer for The Root. Follow her on Twitter.)

By Janika Renee, Special to TSDMemphis.com

David Fizdale’s mother gets emotional at introductory press conference

“It’s a lifelong dream”

Helen Hamilton smiled and wiped away tears of joy as her son, David Fizdale, was being introduced as the new head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday afternoon.

“I have been in and out of gyms and locker rooms and transporting people back and forth for games and things for 35 years,” Hamilton said. “He started playing basketball at a local park in West L.A. when he was eight years old.”

Hamilton sat front row, alongside Fizdale’s wife Natasha Sen, his son Kyle Jackson and his representative Brett Just. And after acknowledging them, his coaching mentors and friends with his former employer The Miami Heat, Fizdale made his intentions clear.

“I’m here to win, and to win now,” Fizdale said. “I didn’t leave the sunshine and beaches and all of that to come here and lose. I want to win, and bring a championship to the city of Memphis.”

Dressed in a gray suit with a light-colored rainbow tie, general manager Chris Wallace introduced Fizdale with excitement and belief that he will bring the city its first championship.

“David brings a championship vision with a detailed plan on how to get the Grizzlies to the next level,” Wallace said. “Most importantly he is a high character individual who will embrace the Memphis community.”

Fizdale replaces Dave Joerger, whom the Grizzlies fired in May for a perceived lack of commitment to the franchise. Joerger was dismissed after three seasons and three playoff appearances, but was immediately hired as head coach of the Sacramento Kings

Fizdale and the team reached an agreement on a four-year deal with a team option for the fourth year. Per team policy, terms were not disclosed.

Fizdale, 41, will get his first opportunity as head coach during the 2016-17 season. However his biggest task begins before the regular season even starts. One of his main priorities is to get Mike Conley, who becomes a free agent in July, to re-sign with the team.

“He’s one of the best pure point guards in the league,” Fizdale said. “I have spoken to Mike Conley and we had a fantastic conversation. He’s going to get sick of me because I’m going to follow him.”

Though none of Joerger’s staff was fired, another task will be for him to find members he may want to fit on his own staff. Fizdale declined to comment on possible candidates for his coaching staff.

Fizdale spent the last eighth seasons as an assistant coach to the Miami Heat. He was head assistant coach to Erik Spoelstra the last two years and was part of the back-to-back championship team with LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade as its “Big 3.”

Fizdale was contacted by the Grizzlies amid the Heat’s playoff run that ended in Game 7 against Toronto. He was among a list of assistant coaches the Grizzlies narrowed down during their extensive search of a new head coach.

He has previously worked with the Golden State Warriors and the Atlanta Hawks.

Due to a few trades and an astounding number of injuries, Fizdale joins a team who set an NBA record last season by signing 28 different players to their roster.

Though he may have a few challenges, Fizdale believes he was built for this ‘Grit ‘n Grind’ opportunity.

“Our defensive system will definitely be a physical one,” Fizdale said. “So, yes, we are still going to grind teams and hopefully we can get to a point where we can take it even to another level because our offense is putting pressure on them as well.”

By Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell

Heal the Hood Memphis (HTH) Heroes of Memphis Weekend this Friday and Saturday promises an action-packed, thrill-blazed joy ride for hundreds of youth campers from across the city, according to HTH Founder LaDell Beamon.

“It will be all hands on deck with our ‘Living the Dream Life Camp’,” said Beamon. “This is our ninth year hosting basketball camp for Memphis-area youth. We are excited. The kids are excited, and this year promises to be our biggest and best of all.

“But we can’t forget Coach Jerry Johnson, ‘Coach J’ to many, who directed our youth camp for the past eight years. He passed in mid-February. We will miss his presence, but the spirit of encouragement and caring he gave us certainly lingers.”

Three major events highlight the Heroes of Memphis Weekend, June 3-4. Friday is “Living the Dream Life Camp” from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. The organized chaos of youth, ages 6-18, will fill the Southwest Tennessee Community College (SWCC) gymnasium, 737 Union Avenue, with passing drills, running plays and basketball “technique.”

Saturday, from noon until 2 p.m., a “Parade of Heroes” will march from Martin Luther King Drive and S. Pauline to the SWCC campus. High-stepping majorettes, drum lines and dance groups will create a colorful spectacle for onlookers. The culminating All-Star Charity Basketball Game from 3-5 p.m. is the weekend’s signature event.

Such star personalities as Romeo, Master P, Tank, and Silk Da Shocker have come to Memphis for the annual showdown. The city’s most promising college ballers will vie for this year’s team bragging rights.

Jerry Johnson Jr., who just completed his freshman year at Fairfield University in Connecticut, will grace the court this year.

“I know my Dad wouldn’t want me to let up, so I’ve just tried to continue to play at the top of my game,” said Johnson. “I still miss him so much. Sometimes, I expect him to walk in the front door like he has so many times. He would be pleased that I will be playing in this year’s charity game.”

Coach Johnson retired five years ago from Memphis City Schools after 46 years as a standout teacher and one of the “winningest” coaches in MCS history.

Numerous league, district, city, regional, sub-state and state championship titles were chalked up in basketball, baseball and track. Most notably, his coaching success in basketball was notched during his tenures at Wooddale, Fairley, Kingsbury, Melrose and Mitchell High Schools.

“Coach Johnson touched the lives of many thousands of students and athletes for nearly more than 50 years,” said Natasha Hill, “Heroes of Memphis Weekend” project director. “After retiring, he continued to run our basketball camp every year. The kids loved him so much. We have great camp coaches to carry on, but Coach Johnson’s brand of coaching and structure are still there. We appreciate all that he left us.”

Hill recounts that a banquet honoring Coach Johnson years ago featured many stories of athletes who did not have fathers in the home and Coach Johnson, “stepped in to help their mothers guide, discipline, and encourage their children.” He picked them up for practice when they needed a ride and dropped them off later at home.

Coach Johnson, himself, was a homegrown hero, graduating from Carver High School and later matriculating at LeMoyne-Owen College. The Vietnam veteran – many students remembered fondly – called everybody (male and female) “darling.”

“They knew he loved them, and Coach really cared,” said Hill. “There will never be another quite like him.”

(For additional information on camp registration and admission to Saturday’s, contact Natasha Hill at: 901-482-1615.)

By TSU News Service

NASHVILLE – Legendary TSU track and field coach Ed Temple and others say the tenacity of Olympian Mamie Rallins allowed her to overcome hurdles on the course, and in life.

Rallins, 74, died May 16 in a car crash in Ohio.

She was a hurdler for Temple at Tennessee State University when she was in her early thirties. Temple said in an interview shortly after Rallins’ death that she didn’t let her age hinder her success.

“She was a hard worker,” said Temple. “She was determined.”

In the book, “A Will to Win,” co-author Dwight Lewis writes about Rallins’ rough upbringing on Chicago’s Southside and her desire to escape her environment.

The only girl among five boys, Rallins’ mother died when she was 13. Her father raised her.

“It was rough,” Rallins said in the book. “When I was in high school, I saw that by running track I might be able to get out; and even maybe travel around the world someday.”

Rallins eventually became a world-class runner, specializing in hurdling.

At age 27, she ran the 80-meter hurdles for her team in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City and won the first heat in 10.6 seconds. She placed fifth in the semifinals with a time of 10.7 seconds. Sports Illustrated covered the Olympics and in one of its articles wrote the following about Rallins:

“Mamie Rallins, that tiny-waisted thing who does not look strong enough to handle a hurdle, always does. It was typical: the gun went off and here came Mamie—who had politely waited for the other girls to start first, since Mamie is courteous that way—suddenly moving so fast that she seemed to be taking tippy-toes steps between the hurdles and passing everybody easily.”

During a meet in Romania, Temple said Rallins approached him about attending college at TSU. Temple helped get her a scholarship, and she enrolled at TSU in the fall of 1971 at the age of 30 and became one of the famous Tigerbelles, who won 23 Olympic medals under Temple.

When Rallins got to TSU, Temple didn’t allow freshmen to have cars, so she had to park hers.

“She had to change a lot of things that she used to do to comply with the freshman requirements,” Temple recalled. “But she moved right along.”

Chandra Cheeseborough-Guice, TSU’s director of track and field and a former Tigerbelle, said she was in high school when she first met Rallins in 1975. Cheeseborough-Guice said Rallins left a lasting impression on her because “she treated me with respect, even though I was a high schooler.”

Looking back, Cheeseborough-Guice said she admires Rallins’ willingness to do what was needed to further her education.

“She was determined to get an education no matter how old she was,” said Cheeseborough-Guice.

Rallins went on to compete in the 1972 Olympics in Munich. She graduated with a business degree from TSU in 1976, and later became head coach of the track and field/cross country programs at Ohio State University, Hampton University and Chicago State University.

She was the first African-American woman to coach at Ohio State and also served as an assistant athletic director for three years.

At the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney, Australia, Rallins worked as the head manager for the USA women’s track and field team.

Lewis said Rallins’ achievements show that she was “more than an Olympian.”

“She will remain an inspiration to people everywhere, that with determination, no goal is out of reach,” Lewis said.

By TSDMemphis.com Staff

Last weekend, dozens of youth participated in the Make the Right Call Football Camp at the Liberty Bowl.

Aimed at young people from 8-14 years old, the camp was launched four years ago by Gene Robinson III and seeks to expose more than 300 youth to professional skills coaching with a healthy dose of character development.

While children were on the gridiron, parents, coaches and community leaders were in the skybox learning more about traumatic head injuries during a concussion awareness panel.

To learn more about the camp and Genetic Sports, contact Gene Robinson at gene@geneticssportsmg.com.

By Charles Sims Jr., Special to The New Tri-State Defender

Budgeting is one of the first great lessons of personal finance, yet relatively few people are taught the basics of creating one. Or if they’re taught, they forget. The inability to measure how much money is coming in and how much is going out is a primary reason for financial illiteracy in this country.

So it’s a good idea to go over those basics. The Webster’s definition for budget is simple: “A plan for the coordination of resources and expenditures.” A budget is both a noun and a verb — a plan and a process. So it makes sense to go over the basic process of budgeting — learning exactly what money is coming in to your life, what’s going out and how effectively you’re using the difference.

The income column: Measuring what’s coming in

For most people, this is the easy part. Income is largely made up of the following categories — wages, bonuses, investment income, alimony or other part-time income.

Budgeting is easiest if done on a monthly basis. It’s an easy time period with which to measure the inflow and outflow of money and it allows you to see over the course of a year which months tend to be better for income or spending.

How should you record these amounts? Save all pay stubs and other proof of income. Photocopy checks before you deposit them and either build a physical file or start keeping track of income using computer software or online resources like Mint.com.

The expense column: Measuring what’s going out

Why are expenses tougher? Because tracking every cent you spend can be tough when you’ve never done it before. This process forces you to save receipts, credit card statements or to physically write down cash amounts in the absence of receipts. Recording and analyzing expenses are generally the most work-intensive part of budgeting, but there’s a silver lining — less spending means less recording time!

What are the primary expense categories? Food, shelter and clothing. What’s beyond that? All of your monthly bills. Retirement investments. College savings for your kids. Insurance costs. And everyone’s favorite, taxes.

And beyond that? Entertainment expenses — movies, plays, vacations, sports, and of course one of the biggest money drains most people can’t stand to give up, cable TV. How should you record these amounts? The same way you did in the income column.

The upshot

If your expenses match your income, congratulations. Relatively few people can say that. Though the recent economic downturn has forced more people to cut debt and boost savings.

But if your expenses are still outrunning your income, you now know you have to start trimming and finding more money for savings, investment or debt reduction.

What should your target be? There are a variety of theories, but you will often hear the term “60 percent solution.” This means aiming for a total spending figure equal to the first 60 percent of your income.

How do you get there? Start by identifying the expenses you can live without — designer coffee, restaurant meals and carryout might be a start. Then start finding ways to whittle down monthly bills — paying more than the minimums on credit card bills, consolidating other debt with lower-rate offers if you can find them. If you can refinance your mortgage affordably, that’s another good way to attack the spending side of your budget.

And what do you do with that extra money? First, make sure you have an emergency fund that contains three to six months of money to cover living expenses. Then start putting money away for retirement. After that, money for the kids’ college fund. Beyond that, extras like vacations, entertainment and other treats.

If this approach seems a bit Spartan, it’s a good starting point — indeed, every individual defines the term “financial essentials” a bit differently. But it’s important to start prioritizing financial issues correctly. For help, it makes sense to consult with a professional like a qualified financial planner and/or a tax expert to identify ways to save more money for a solid financial future.

(Charles Sims Jr., CMFC, LUTCF, is President/CEO of The Sims Financial Group. Contact him at 901-682-2410 or visit www.SimsFinancialGroup.com.)

By Carlee McCullough

Not every entrepreneur has the luxury and freedom of devoting a full-time schedule to a startup business.  Many aspiring business owners must juggle full-time jobs and work the new business on a part-time basis.  This juggling act continues until the new business can generate enough income to allow the business owner to step away from a job that supports his or her household.  Launching the business while still maintaining a job also allows the entrepreneur to test the business environment and concept to determine if it is viable and profitable. There are a few businesses that are conducive to starting in a part-time capacity.

Senior assistance

As people age into the elderly category, they may need assistance with basic household tasks such as meal preparation, cleaning and laundry.  Although the elderly may have “aged” over time, these basic services must be met in some way for those that are independent or assisted.  One of the business challenges is obtaining payment for the services.  While the elderly may not always have the resources to pay for the services, their families may have more than enough money but not enough time.  So marketing to the busy professional may be the answer to expanding the customer base.  This is a business that can be scheduled during the afterhours of a full time job.

Coffee carts

Starbucks has set the tone for local coffee shops.  While Starbucks is the industry model, there are other local unknown coffee shops that are competing in the market.  Whenever a business has a retail component, there is the added expense of maintaining the real estate.  But with few resources, an aspiring entrepreneur with a love of coffee could actually launch the business with a coffee cart.  The cart provides a lower cost of entry into the coffee world.  The cart is mobile and can be moved to higher traffic locations in an effort to maximize profits.  Additionally, the entrepreneur can work hours after leaving his full-time gig. 

Cleaning services: Basement, garage and attic

Overtime most homeowners have amassed large collections of stuff.  This stuff is typically packed in basements, garages and attics.  Homeowners rarely spend time in those locations.  But the areas become packed and cluttered with years of abandoned clothes, shoes, furniture and appliances.  A business owner that lacks fear of these spaces and an ability to organize can launch a really lucrative part-time business cleaning these spaces.  In addition to organizing the rooms, the entrepreneur should have a truck that can be used to remove trash, clothes and large items.  Remember the cleaning service can be expanded to include residences and offices.

Mobile window tint

People pay for convenience these days.  So a mobile window tinting business can be profitable if marketed correctly.  Young folks take pride in their vehicles. They like the appearance of tinted windows as well as the practical nature of preventing heat damage to the interior of their vehicles.  Although the business owner requires adequate training and preparation, the cost of entry is very low and can be performed after the typical job hours.

Mobile vehicle detailing

Once the tint is installed on the vehicle, it is ready for detailing.  The car wash can come to the client.  For some folks it is critical that they maintain their vehicle.  This cleanliness applies to inside and outside detailing.  This presents an opportunity for an enterprising entrepreneur to create a business that cleans and details vehicles.  A mobile vehicle detailing business makes perfect sense when the entrepreneur has a full-time job.  The business model allows the entrepreneur the perform work after leaving their job.

Sewing

Skillful entrepreneurs with a talent in sewing can position themselves to sew, repair and modify articles of clothing.  After work and weekends are prime times for the sewing professional.

Personal assistant

Most busy professionals need a personal assistant. A personal assistant is one that runs errands and performs tasks that the professional does not have time to perform during the course of the day. These tasks can include picking up items from the pharmacy or dry cleaners.  It could also entail meal preparation or shuttling children from place to place. Depending upon the type of full-time job held by the personal assistant, the errands could be scheduled around that job.

In sum, starting a business does not always allow the owner to quit a full-time job.  So consider concepts that allow one to maintain a full-time gig.   

(Contact Carlee M. McCullough, Esq. at 901-795-0050; email – jstce4all@aol.com.)

By J. Boney

You know, it’s hard to take constructive criticism from somebody who has never actually constructed anything. I’ve worked for people in Corporate America, the private sector and in the non-profit arena. There have been times where I’ve had to deal with people who went out of their way to either criticize my execution of a project, my handling of an assigned task or my leadership related to running the organization.

Being criticized doesn’t always feel good, but when you begin to take it personal, it can potentially stunt your growth and limit your ability to learn from the criticism and become better at what you do.

Constructive criticism is not a bad thing, however. Yet, I’ve found it difficult to receive constructive criticism from people who have always sought to critique me and my performance without offering solutions to help me. And more importantly, they had no real track record of ever having done anything significant or productive that allowed me to receive their criticism as anything more than unconstructive.

I grew up watching movies and television and I enjoyed “Siskel & Ebert & the Movies,” which featured film critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel sharing their opinions about newly released films. Whether I agreed with them or not (and I often disagreed with one or both of them), it was always interesting to hear their arguments and to see them fight on camera concerning whether a “thumbs up” or a “thumbs down” should be given to a particular movie. I often would go see the movie myself to see if either analysis was on point. Many times, I concluded that they were not.

Today, many people are providing unconstructive criticism of the way many African-American individuals and organizations are responding to the issues that Black people face in this country every day. I found them to be as wrong as I sometimes concluded Siskel & Ebert were.

I want us to get out of our feelings and look at how we can offer some constructive criticism that can help Black people improve our current situation and address key issues.

As I look at the overall state of Black America, and the numerous issues we are faced with, I give props to the many individuals and organizations actually doing something to make a difference when calamity strikes or when we are faced with attacks – internally and externally.

We just experienced another epic flood here in the Greater Houston area, and if not for the herculean efforts of many grassroots individuals and organizations, many people would have experienced far greater problems. It was great to see the Black folks who chose to make a difference, but the question I have is this: why weren’t there thousands of other Black people out there to assist the flood victims on day one or beyond?

I have similar questions about other issues that have been affecting the African American community.

Why weren’t there over a 1,000 people at the rally or the various press conferences to get justice for Jordan Baker, an African-American young father killed because he was mistakenly identified as a criminal by an HPD (Houston Police Department) officer?

Why weren’t there over a 1,000 people at the protest or at the courthouse for Ms. Doris Davis, an 87-year old African-American woman forced into the Harris County Guardianship Program?

Why weren’t there over a 1,000 people protesting the closure and repurposing of countless schools in the African -American community?

Why weren’t there over a 1,000 people standing up for Kathy Swilley, a former HPD officer who was falsely terminated based on trumped up charges?

It is time for us to have a community-wide fire drill, like the ones we had in school, so that we can wake the hell up and get engaged. We will show up for concerts, sporting events, parties and even church functions, but won’t show up in numbers to display unity on the issues that impact us collectively.

In school or at work, fire drills are conducted several times a year to make sure everyone in the building knows how to get outside quickly and efficiently. Everybody in the building has to participate and the drills must be taken seriously. There is a pre-planned exit strategy that everyone is made aware of and are instructed to follow.

When I worked in the banking world, we would follow what were called “Morning Glory” procedures – a group of steps that at least two employees had been made aware of and that the rest of us were trained to follow in the event of an ambush or robbery. In the event of an emergency, not following those procedures could lead to a harmful or even deadly result.

We are in a really bad situation here in America y’all. We need to challenge the Black church –one of our most respected institutions – to get back to its original position of social justice and change.

There is no reason why, in advance of any major issue that the Black community needs to address, that the Black churches shouldn’t have a collective, pre-planned emergency preparedness plan to follow. Hell, I even believe that every Black church should establish a Crisis Response Ministry as a part of its overall ministry.

Some of the Black churches in the Greater Houston area have at least 1,000 or more tithe-paying members; some have memberships to 10,000 to 15,000. Now, envision this:

If Black pastors had a Crisis Response Ministry as a part of their overall ministry, and at least 1 percent of their tithe-paying church members were challenged and recruited to be a part of that ministry, can you imagine the impact they would have when called upon to show up for a protest, press conference, rally, court appearance, school board meeting, legislative hearing, city council meeting or major crisis?

I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I know that 1 percent of 1,000 tithe-paying church members is 10 people and that 1 percent of 15,000 tithe-paying church members is 150 people. If at least 20 of the hundreds of Greater Houston area churches of each size would do this, you would potentially have anywhere from 200 to 3,000 city-wide volunteers, equipped and ready to go when called upon at a moment’s notice.

When a house is burning down or a child is drowning, it’s time to move and act without having to have a meeting, three conference calls, a democratic vote and prayer. This can be done because it has already been pre-planned.

I hope my constructive criticism is received in the spirit in which it was intended – with nothing but love.

(Jeffrey L. Boney serves as Associate Editor for the Houston Forward Times newspaper. Reach him at jboney1@forwardtimes.com.)

By Lee Eric Smith

The Memphis Grizzlies have indeed hired Miami Heat assistant coach David Fizdale as their new head coach, multiple media outlets are reporting.

Reportedly, the team and coach agreed on a four-year deal on Thursday. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Fizdale, who has spent the past eight years as an assistnat coach with the Miami Heat, brings a reputation for boosting offenses and developing players — two areas where the Grizzlies are in desperate need of upgrades.

Quoting a source “familiar with the negotiations,” the Associated Press reported that Fizdale met with Grizzlies controlling owner Robert Pera on Wednesday in California and that the job had been offered.

Fizdale replaces Dave Joerger, fired May 7 after three seasons and three playoff berths. This would be Fizdale’s first head coaching job. He has been with the Heat since the 2008-09 season and has been assistant head coach the past two seasons.

Guard Mario Chalmers, who played for Fizdale with the Heat before being traded to Memphis last November, approved of the move.

“Fizz to Memphis huh. I like that move. Great coach and even a better person. Happy for my guy Fizz,” Chalmers wrote on Twitter.

In Miami, Fizdale helped with player development and game preparation. He also coached the Heat’s summer league in 2010 and 2012.

He also was an assistant coach with Golden State in 2003-04 and the Atlanta Hawks between 2004 and 2008. He started coaching as an assistant at his alma mater, the University of San Diego, in 1998 through 2002 where he was a three-year starter at point guard.

Memphis also considered former Grizzlies and Nets coach Lionel Hollins, Charlotte assistant Patrick Ewing, Portland assistant Nate Tibbets, Spurs assistants James Borrego and Ettore Messina and Frank Vogel.

The Grizzlies have the NBA’s third-longest postseason streak currently at six straight seasons behind only San Antonio (19) and Atlanta (9).

Joerger was hired by Sacramento two days after being fired by Memphis. The Grizzlies used an NBA-record 28 players in going 42-40 to still reach the playoffs only to be swept in the first round by San Antonio.

The Grizzlies are waiting for center Marc Gasol’s broken right foot to heal after his season ended in February. Point guard Mike Conley is due to become a free agent after left Achilles tendinitis ended his season in early March, and Memphis also has to decide whether to exercise the option on Lance Stephenson and if they should keep Vince Carter, JaMychal Green and Xavier Munford.

AP Writers Teresa M. Walker and Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.