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Health reform

Michigan from it. His reason- ing is that people should have the option to opt out of this new legislation if they decide against it. Perhaps Cox is re- ferring to all members of the Tea Party movement who are galvanizing their supporters around a ballot language that would be placed on the No- vember ballot.

But interestingly, Cox did

not take the Bush administra- tion to court over a war that failed to identify any weapons of mass destruction and cost many lives. Cox did not go to court to exclude Michigan sol- diers from taking part in a war that has now created a dent on the image of honest Republi- cans, some of whom have re- pented.

But, then again, Cox is a

candidate running for gover- nor this year and perhaps has been advised to take this issue head-on and make political hay out of it. And interesting- ly, some of the other attorneys general are running for office as well.

Let me remind Cox that

Michigan is more diverse than his advisers might think. The repulsive and cancerous notion of the Tea Party move- ment will not resonate in the Hispanic, African American, Native American, Arab Ameri- can, Asian and other commu- nities of color.

Why? Because these communi-

ties have had to bear the brunt of medical apartheid — the cruel, telling and disturbing health disparities — that have long been the textbook case for medical scholars, the Cen- ters for Disease Control and other study groups.

For example, African-Amer-

ican women are 35 percent more likely to die of heart disease than their White counterparts, and 28 percent of Latinos have nowhere to

THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE

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bountiful resources can, in fact, solve seemingly unsolv- able problems the country faces.

It is time for those who

seek health care compared to 15 percent of Whites. Black babies are dying three times the rate of White babies.

The legislation contains

programs to promote access for Medicare beneficiaries with limited English proficiency by providing reimbursement for culturally and linguistically appropriate services.

If Cox, under the pretext of

constitutional legality, is will- ing to go against these mam- moth improvements in the legislation that show how com- munities of color will greatly benefit, then he may soon be approaching his gubernatorial Waterloo.

The daily hypocrisy and

unchecked double stan- dards of the GOP leader- ship in Congress and its new propaganda machine, the Tea Party movement, must be seen for what it is. The opposition to President

Obama was not about cost as was revealed by the deliberate invoking of scare tactics like death panels. The GOP and its massive right-wing propa- ganda machine are opposed to President Obama because of his common sense ideology, compassion for the common man and an unwavering rec- ognition that America with its

bring no meanningful alter- enatives to the table of equity to realize that the pendulum has swung. Even conservative columnist David Frum told his colleagues that the pass- ing the health care legislation was, in fact, the Republican Waterloo. And it will be sui- cidal on the party that tried to take the thunder off the Obama election by placing an African American, Michael Steel, at the helm of the Re- publican National Committee, to now campaign to repeal and take back the health benefits that 32 million stand ready to receive. They must have for- gotten that most of those 32 million are voters.

What the Democrats have

demonstrated is that they can solve big problems with a president who is determined — and not afraid of being cas- tigated by his opposition.

Welcome to a new day.

It’s been a long time coming.

Senior editor Bankole

Thompson, whose cover- age of the 2008 presidential campaign included a series of sit-down interviews with candidate Barack Obama, is the author of an upcoming book on President Obama and Black America, to be released soon. Watch his weekly show, “Center Stage,” on WADL TV 38, Saturdays at 1 p.m. This Saturday’s program, March 27, will feature a roundta- ble with State Sen. Hansen Clarke, Republication strate- gist Paul Welday, and Detroit restaurant operator Frank Taylor discussing a new senate Democratic proposal in Lansing that would create a state bank to address the economy. E-mail bthompson@ michronicle.com.

Sharpton appoints Rolling Out publisher

New York — Rev. Al Sharp-

ton, president and founder of National Action Network (NAN) and one of the country’s fore- most civil rights leaders will announce during NAN’s up- coming national convention in April, the appointment of Munson Steed as Director of the Madison Avenue Initiative (MAI), a program under the National Action Network that addresses fairness in advertis- ing.

Steed is the CEO of Steed

Media Group, Inc., a multime- dia conglomerate that includes newspapers, magazines, tele- vision programming, internet properties, custom publica- tions, signature events and more. Over the course of more than ten years, Mr. Steed, a noted and much sought after motivational speaker and thought producer, has not only moved the company’s flagship publication, rolling out, into national prominence as the largest chain of African Ameri- can-owned weekly papers in the nation, he has also sound- ly established a consummate urban lifestyle brand.

The rolling out brand de-

notes a lifestyle characterized by an unyielding passion for enhancing access for people of color in the media and ad- vertising industries along with community conscious behav- ior. Steed’s acute industry acumen is often credited with cutting edge applications for technology and best use prac- tices. Well known for his meld- ing of iconic relationships to benefit those impacted by a fluctuating economy, he regu- larly leverages his company’s resources to generate greater dexterity in media relations.

Since its inception the MAI

has addressed the needs of mi- nority-owned companies that do not receive their fair share of corporate and governmental advertising expenditures and the Initiative has already helped redirect millions of dollars to Black and Latino media. MAI has successfully pushed for corporations to make advertis- ing purchases that approach the level of minority consumer patronage of their products in specific markets. According to Rev. Al Sharpton: “Munson Steed is the right person to accelerate this vision in 2010 and his background and busi- ness acumen within the media and advertising industry ex- emplifies a vision of equal access and inclusion for mi- nority-owned media outlets.”

A part of the MAI philoso-

phy has been to encourage corporations to step up their efforts as it relates to working with businesses of color. For example says Rev. Sharpton: “If we’re talking to a company

Plummer

ism and running for congress. GP: The 13th Congressio-

nal District is made up of 11 cities and Detroit is one of them. So we’ve got to embrace a larger perspective. It’s not just the city council.

MC: Are you running be-

cause incumbent Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick is seem- ingly vulnerable given what has happened in the last two years?

GP: No I think that is one

of a multitude of reasons. The community is looking for a change. It is not a motivation on my part to come against Kilpatrick. In fact, it is my very strong belief that Ms. Kilpat- rick will not be in the race.

MC: Why are you saying

that? GP: Let me finish. I actu-

ally think that when this pri- mary is completed in August she would not have been in it. And if she does get in it she would not remain in it. So my motivation is not against Kilpatrick. I come from the perspective that I don’t even belief that she is even going to be in the race. She hasn’t filed and she has a variety of other challenges that she is going through right now. So I don’t even think she’s going to be in the race. So the issue is not Kilpatrick. During our exploratory phase I personally talked to a lot of people. I’ve gotten a very consistent re- sponse. Young and old, Black and White, have said she really needs to go. There have been polls that more formalize that.

MC: One would say that’s

because of the era of anti-in- cumbency in Washington.

GP: Let me add one more

thing to that. The Kilpatrick family saga is not a former mayoral saga. It is actually the Kilpatrick family saga. So it’s not just an anti-incumbent. So her problems are multiplying.

MC: Where do you stand on

the current health care legisla- tion that passed in Congress?

GP: I think that’s a good

thing. MC: You support it? GP: I do. MC: You’ve always been a

registered Democrat? GP: Let me say it this way.

The bigger question is, “Aren’t you a Republican?”

MC: No I’ll come to that.

MUNSON STEED is new director of Sharpton’s Madison Avenue Initiative.

that does 40% of its sales with blacks and Latinos, we expect a lot more from them than a company that might do mar- ginal sales.” He also says that NAN has been successful in ex- plaining how advertising to mi- nority consumers is beneficial to their company’s growth, and is not a philanthropic gesture. When negotiating with adver- tising agencies, Sharpton says that he will negotiate more than media placements. He says he wants to deal with “ev- erything from employment to jingles and how they deal with a lot of black artists’ material but won’t hire black artists.”

Munson Steed is a graduate

of famed Morehouse College, with a bachelor’s degree in political science. The accom- plished publisher is directing a concerted effort to develop partnerships and internship positions with marketing cor- porations, advertising agencies and media related technology companies. “We can assess the focus and commitment of an entire company based on the inclusion of interns, stra- tegic partners and diversity in their business portfolios as well as the boardroom,” says Steed. As the director of MAI, the media expert intends to concentrate his considerable skills and resources to insti-

tuting strategic partnerships and relationships to enhance industry diversification and forge fertile and economically rewarding experiences. Corpo- rations which are traditionally unfamiliar with individuals and companies of color will be encouraged to expand their business interests to include the aforementioned and avail themselves of their valuable contributions to media and technology companies as well as the overall industry climate.

“We’ll offer a creative work-

shop which will facilitate in- ternships and incorporate a national creative workshop tour to highlight future work- place opportunities in the areas of technology, science, marketing and design. It is critical that the future genera- tion is clear as to where their focus needs to be and that they extend themselves beyond simply listening to music and playing video games to em- brace the economic opportuni- ties enveloped in the creation and marketing of those activi- ties,” Steed explains. The new partnerships planned will pro- vide the foundation for NAN to develop creative workshops as a future training ground and industry incubator for media and business development forums.

I’m asking you. Are you a reg- istered Democrat?

GP: When you say regis-

tered Democrat, define that? MC: Have you always been

a Democrat because you are going to be running in a Dem- ocratic district?

GP: I don’t know how….let

me define it this way. I am a Democrat. I joined the party.

I was really challenged with some real social issues. But there have been times where I voted for both Democrats and Republicans.

MC: So you voted for both

Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush?

GP: Well no I didn’t vote for

the first Bush. MC: But you voted for the

son? GP: I did the second time. MC: Your critics say you are

active in the Republican Party and you introduced President George W. Bush when he was here for a meeting.

GP: No. I introduced him

in Nashville, Tennessee. He came to the convention that I chaired, the National Reli- gious Broadcasters. I was both the chairman and CEO of all the religious broadcasters in America (Black and White). He came to the convention and I introduced him there. Here I was with a group of Black pastors that he met with very briefly but that really wasn’t public.

MC: Was that part of the

trations? GP: No, not both. I wasn’t

actively involved with the ad- ministration. I don’t think that would be a good characteriza- tion.

MC: No, I’m saying with the

Republican Party. GP: No. As a matter of fact,

let me help you with that. You asked because you really want to know?

MC: Yes, I want to know.

Our readers want to know all about you. Is there a stigma to be associated with the Repub- lican Party (now)?

GP: For an African Ameri-

can, yes. Would you say it is a stigma for Michael Steele to be chair of the Republican Party? I think so. First of all I’m a Democrat for specific reasons. I was never a Republican. So if nothing else, I want you to hear that. A couple of times I was asked. I spoke at the Na- tional Republican Convention in New York City.

To be continued in next

week’s edition of the Michigan Chronicle.

I pay the dues. Now to some people that say they are Dem- ocrats, they don’t pay the dues and are not part of the party. There are other people that say they are Democrats, pay the dues and vote as an inde- pendent. Since I started voting — I will be 55 next week — I voted for Democrats. I voted for President Obama, I voted for President Clinton. During the Bush time there was a shift in my thinking. First as a pastor and as a Christian. And

– Andre Smith photo

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Black ministers group that met with him at the White House about the notion of Contract with Black America?

GP: No, I wasn’t part of that.

I wasn’t part of a formal group. This was just local pastors in Detroit. He came to the Hyatt Regency. That was the length and breadth of that relation- ship.

MC: So your activeness

with the Republican Party has been with both Bush adminis-

March 24-30, 2010 Page A-4

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