Salt Lake residents share perspectives on President Obama’s terms

Posted on March 21, 2013 by comm5775

Story and photo by RENEE ESTRADA

Could you imagine millions of people criticizing the decisions you make? Imagine millions of people weighing in on what you ate for breakfast, the clothes you chose to wear, and the car you drive.

In some respects this is what happens to the president, every day. Millions of people critique his decisions, speeches and beliefs. It is safe to say it is an exhausting position.

As if being judged by millions of Americans wasn’t difficult enough, he has the added pressure of representing a large minority group. According to the 2010 Census, African Americans make up 13.2 percent of the US population.

On Monday, Jan. 21, 2013, President Barack Obama was inaugurated into his second presidential term. There he promised to continue to lead the US, despite the exhausting nature of being the president. While the second term is often referred to as the “legacy term,” Obama’s second inauguration makes Americans reflect on the past four years and consider what may happen in the next four years to come.

In Utah, which is an overwhelmingly red state, African Americans make up a mere 1.3 percent of the total population. So would African Americans and other Salt Lake City residents here be proud, disappointed, or indifferent about Obama’s first term and the years to come?

Kendra Arado, who is African American, is a junior studying stage management at the University of Utah. She volunteered on the 2008 Obama campaign before she was even eligible to vote.

“Of all of his accomplishments, I am most proud of his work on health care. The Affordable Care Act will benefit the lives of millions of Americans. I think that will truly be his legacy,” Arado said.

Bridges

Bridges, an Obama supporter, studying at her home.

Zoey Bridges, also African American, is a junior studying biology at the U. Bridges also volunteered on the Obama campaign this year. She felt this election was going to be much closer than the 2008 election and decided to help out. She too is most proud of Obama’s work on health care.

“His work on health care is incredible,” Bridges said. “I am so proud of that achievement because it directly affects me. My sister, who is a diabetic, will be able to get the coverage and care she needs … and that’s just amazing.”

Kurt Bagley, a U alumnus who is white, was a field director on the Obama 2012 campaign. He echoed Bridges’ sentiments.

“Obama’s biggest accomplishment during his first term was passing comprehensive health reform,”  Bagley said. “Had President Obama not been able to pass this bill, it could have been a decade or longer for any other legislation to come about and the country would have missed the opportunity to address health care.”

Americans, regardless of political affiliation, have worries and concerns about the president. Everyone hopes that he will steadfastly guide the nation through difficult times and be able to make calculated decisions in distressing circumstances. Some Americans may hope he accomplishes his goals or hope that he will reach across the aisle when making policy decisions.

Both Bridges and Arado shared the same concern for Obama.

“Honestly, I hate to say it, but I thought it was entirely possible he could have been assassinated during his first term,” Arado said. “That would have been devastating.”

Bagley had a different concern.

“My biggest concern of his first term was that his opposition in the House of Representatives would ruin the economic progress he had already made,” Bagley said.

Obama has another four years in office, so looking forward to the next term Bridges and Arado share some similarities in what they hope Obama will accomplish.

Arado hopes to see more job creation and Bridges said, “I hope to see the unemployment rate come down. I’m concerned that I may not be able to find a job after college.”

Meanwhile, Bagley, who is currently a legislative intern for Planned Parenthood, had concerns about global warming.

“I’m hoping that he will find ways to continue to reduce carbon emissions, and take measures to help reverse the effects of global warming,” Bagley said.

Making progress in Washington is no easy task. It takes an incredible amount of energy and persuasion to get people to agree.

Stanley Ellington, president of the Utah Black Chamber of Commerce, believes that some progress has been stifled because Obama is African American, and furthermore believes a lot of the negativity about Obama is racially motivated.

Bridges suggested that political stagnation is just typical of Washington politics.

Arado said, “There is too much partisanship getting in the way. Democrats and Republicans need to find common ground.”

While this is a small sampling of Utahns, it is interesting to see that these individuals can have such different perspectives about the president. What he may symbolize to someone may be entirely different than to another person who also supports him. It seems that no matter what he symbolizes to someone, every American has hope for not only his future, but also America’s future.

Filed under: African American, Politics | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

James Jackson III and ACCEL help black-owned businesses in Salt Lake City

Posted on March 21, 2013 by comm5775

Story and photo by GUSTABO RODRIGUEZ

How can a person get help promoting their own small business here in Utah? Where can a person seek help, especially in a town like Salt Lake that has room to have a lot more of their own local businesses, compared to Los Angeles, New York, or Miami that have the most diverse local own business in the country.

Photo courtesy of James Jackson III founder of ACCEL

Photo courtesy of James Jackson III, founder of ACCEL

James Jackson III is a businessman who can help people, especially the black community, promote their own business.

Jackson was born and raised in Utah and like most of the diversity in the state he wanted to put his culture at the top of the list of this state. Jackson attended and graduated from Cottonwood High School in 1998.

He graduated from the University of Utah in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. Jackson wanted to help people in his community; he wanted to help them by promoting them and watching them grow.

In junior high Jackson already knew what he wanted to do in the future, unlike other kids that don’t know what career they want. He wanted to help people from his culture, from his community and one of the reasons why is because there is such a small portion of African Americans here in Utah. So as a minority his goal was to help them in every way possible, help them achieve their goals.

ACCEL, African-Americans Advancing in Commerce Community Education & Leadership, is an organization that helps African American business to achieve their goals in a small diverse market here in Salt Lake.

Jackson founded ACCEL in 2009 and has helped about a dozen businesses and counting because this was the goal of Jackson, helping as much black business as possible.

ACCEL with their executive director Jackson need some help too from large private companies so he started a partnership with Pepsi Co. and Zion’s Bank and wants to establish a relationship with Budweiser. He wants this partnership because they can help money wise with the local owned businesses.

At the University of Utah Jackson had a professor whom he admires and respects him and considers him a mentor throughout his career.

Wilfred D. Samuels English professor at the University of Utah

Wilfred D. Samuels, is an English professor at the University of Utah

Professor Wilfred D. Samuels knows very well Jackson from his childhood all the way up to when he became his pupil at the U.

The youngest of Samuels’s son’s was best friends with Jackson and ever since he has been a much known friend.

“Although it has been over ten years that James was here on campus, we attend the same church,” Samuels said in an email.

Samuel said Jackson came from a loving and caring Christian family  and was raised with the highest values. Jackson and his family have always attended church and loved music. Samuels said that’s why they formed part of the church choir — his grandparents too — and participated in all church activities.

“At the U of U, he pursued a career in business. He worked hard and remained passionate about his major,” Samuels said.

Samuels said after Jackson graduated from the U he went on and worked with the Utah Black Chamber of Commerce and tried every single way to get the church involved in business efforts. That showed his commitment to the chamber and that he wanted to help his community by starting with the church.

“I know James to be congenial, principled, dedicated and passionate about life. He is totally committed to his personal growth and development. I admire and respect him,” Samuels said.

Being passionate about life and wanting to help others in his community, Jackson never gave up and he sought out help to start and make ACCEL a reality.

Francisco J. Sotelo is the executive director for the Utah Hispanic Chamber Commerce and a good friend of Jackson. Sotelo and Jackson met through an event two and a half years ago.

“James is a great leader and a good representation for his community, representing the African American people,” Sotelo said in a phone interview.

Jackson approached Sotelo with a strategy to make ACCEL which was a great idea, it just needed a little help, Sotelo said. ACCEL and the Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce help each other by exchanging ideas to help their community. Sotelo took a lot from Jackson which later he applied to the Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

“Even right now we sit down and discuss ideas we can apply for our chambers and not just for one,” Sotelo said.

ACCEL and the Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce have a great relation and with the same objective: helping the community in every possible way.

Jackson said he is very grateful to the Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for showing him the right way and steps to form ACCEL and in the process help the black community rise in the local market in Utah.

Filed under: African American, Business, Organizations | Leave a comment »

University of Utah students focus on diversity in innovation

Posted on March 19, 2013 by comm5775

Story and photo by TREVOR RAPP

On Jan. 8, 2013, the University of Utah was ranked as one of the “top institutions in the country for startup formation,” according to the latest survey by the Association of University Technology Managers released in December 2012.

“Startup formation is in our DNA,” said Bryan Ritchie, director of the U’s Technology Commercialization Office, in a news release.

The genetic complexion of business innovation has significant meaning for one U student. He is not just a business innovator, he is a black business innovator.

“Black-owned businesses are, especially where I’m from in Lake City, Fla., a rare commodity,” Enis Henderson said.

Ennis Henderson, UofU student.

Ennis Henderson, UofU student.

Henderson is part of a research innovation class that tasks students to research opportunities to improve local or national communities.

“I chose the problem that was near and dear to my heart, which was trying to improve the quantity of black-owned businesses in America,” Henderson said.

While contemplating his project, Henderson’s mind stretched back to Lake City, Fla., where he grew up. He described it as a “Mayberryesque” town where the white people lived on one side of the tracks and the black people on the other. There he gained his first working experience “doing the jobs no one else wanted to do” like picking the tobacco, corn, peanuts and melon grown in his community.

When he was 22, he got his first lesson in owning his own business.

That lesson came from a casual conversation with a white insurance agent. After “taking a liking” to each other, Henderson said the agent explained that he took his two sons out to cut wood and then bring it into town to sell it. Each time they made a sale they would subtract their revenue from their operating costs to calculate their gross and net profits.

“That was the first time I had heard the words ‘operating expenses’ and ‘gross profit’ in the same sentence,” said Henderson, “and I said ‘Wow, how old are your boys?’ and he said ‘7 and 9.’”

“You aren’t born with an innate sense of how to do business,” Henderson said. “Someone has to teach you, or you have to go out and learn it. And if those people who don’t own businesses never had anyone in their family to take them by the arm to say ‘let me show you how to do this’ … and if they’ve never seen it or heard it — odds are they won’t do it.”

And recent statistics are showing that when compared to other minorities, African-Americans are not doing it.

According to “Black (African-American) History Month: February 2013,” published by the U.S. Census Bureau News, the black population, whether of mixed or non-mixed backgrounds, is 43.9 million. This represents an increase of 1.6 percent from the April 1, 2010, census.

Nevertheless, in a separate 2007 Survey of Business Owners conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau found that only 1.9 million businesses out of 30 million were black-owned.

For Salt Lake City, black-owned businesses are only 2.7 percent of the almost 24,000 total businesses, according to the U.S. Census QuickFacts.

These numbers haven’t been lost on Henderson. As part of his project he researched statistics published by the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and IBISWorld.com, a database of industry-based research.

As he spoke, Henderson pointed to various charts from those sources as he explained that while blacks outnumber the most profitable minority, Asians, by about 3-to-1 by population, they own about the same number of businesses. Even more surprisingly, Asians were making about three times as much profit.

“It’s completely inverted,” Henderson said.

Henderson isn’t the only person who has noticed a lack of diversity in local businesses.

Most African-Americans who come from the South or the Midwest don’t want to come to Utah because of the stigma that Utah has of not being a diverse community, said James Jackson III, founder and executive director of ACCEL (African-Americans Advancing in Commerce, Community, Education, and Leadership), a nonprofit organization providing resources to African-American small businesses in Utah.

Neither Henderson nor Jackson point to current racial prejudices as the current cause of the problem. However, the “genesis” of the problem is deeply embedded in the history of slavery in the United States, Henderson said.

For Jackson, the most pressing need is increasing the level of education for all Utahns. Jackson was appointed by the governor to the Utah Multicultural Commission, an advisory group for issues relevant to local minority communities. “The main song that was sung through [the commission’s various] committees, whether it be health, education, corrections, economic development, all of them leaned toward education in some way,” Jackson said.

Those numbers are reflected in the April 1, 2010, US census as well, with only 18.4 percent of blacks reporting having earned a bachelor’s degree, and only 1.6 million blacks reporting having earned an advanced degree.

And the effects are real. The annual median income for black households declined by 2.7 percent from 2010, making it almost $10,000 less than the national median income for families, according to “Black (African-American) History Month: February 2013.” The U.S. Census Bureau News also reported a 27.6 percent poverty rate among blacks, almost double the national average.

For Henderson the answer is availability of resources. “What I recognize is that it’s a lack of information. Now there’s a ton of information out there on the internet there are types of agencies people can go to to get information. But they don’t know what to ask for if they did go to an agency,” Henderson said. “They’ve never been informed. The resources are there but they don’t know what it is, they don’t know what it’s for.”

Filed under: African American, Business, Education, Politics, Science & Technology, Utah's Economy | Leave a comment »

James Jackson III: building a stronger African-American community

Posted on March 19, 2013 by comm5775

Story and photo by DANEALLE PLASCENCIA

How do you picture Utah when you know the majority of the population is Mormon? Do you picture only Caucasians? What about the minorities?

For almost two decades, Utah’s population continued to rise while the percentage of its people who are Mormon slowly and steadily declined, wrote Matt Canham in an article for The Salt Lake Tribune.

Newcomers have found that Utah is economically stable and offers different sources for the community to grow in comparison to the rest of the nation.

The job rate in Utah is increasing faster than the unemployment rate, and has an attractive cost of living which is making people to consider Utah as their new home.

Like any other state, Utah offers different sources to help the community, including the minorities.

One of those sources is ACCEL (African-Americans Advancing in Commerce, Community, Education and Leadership).

This organization is committed to being the premier organization in providing education, resources and visibility for the African-American small businesses owners of Utah.

Photo Courtesy of James Jackson III, Founder of ACCEL

Photo Courtesy of James Jackson III, founder of ACCEL

The founder of ACCEL is James Jackson III, who was born and raised in Utah.

Jackson, 33, graduated from The University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in finance and marketing.

He earned a master’s degree from the University of Phoenix in 2010.

After working on his own for a while he decided to establish ACCEL in the winter of 2009.

The main reason for the creation of this organization is the passion for business that Jackson has, especially the necessity of helping those around him in their endeavors.

Being able to offer the community more resources for education to have a better future is a main focus.

Jackson develops the idea of creating an organization from his own experience of being the  owner of a small business dealing with the sale and management of properties.

That is how he noticed how the African-American community didn’t have enough resources and support to develop their business ideas.

“Creating ACCEL took a lot of time, and help from other people who I see as an example for my project,” Jackson said.

One of those people who helped Jackson is Francisco J. Sotelo, current executive director of  the Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Jackson and Sotelo met three years ago, during an event of the UHCC. Jackson asked him for help to create a stronger organization.

Sotelo had meetings with Jackson to help him understand how a chamber works, and share his strategies that he had used to create a successful chamber.

During the meetings they shared ideas and new projects for both organizations.

Since then Jackson and Sotelo have a very good relationship.

They meet often to talk about Jackson’s projects, and to keep each other updated about their respective organization.

“Our relationship has grown over the years and as well the chambers, we had learned from each other through the years,” Sotelo said in a phone interview.

Official Logo of ACCEL

Official Logo of ACCEL

Networking plays a big role for ACCEL. Jackson believes that a networking community is more effective than one that is not really connected. That is why he is creating a new website for ACCEL with the help of Ronda Fisher.

Fisher said in a phone interview that her goal is to design the site so people can find resources and assistance more easily.

“I’m really excited to see the results,” Fisher said.

Besides being a successful business man, Jackson is a member of one of the most established black churches in Utah, the Calvary Chapel Salt Lake and makes time to be part of the church activities to be connected with the community.

Between his activities Jackson is the coach of a kids basketball team, and reads books like “Think and Grow Rich: Your Key to Financial Wealth and Power ” from the author Napoleon Hill, for personal enrichment at the start of the year.

Community is the main focus for Jackson in his life. He knows the African-American community population is only 1.3 percent in the state of Utah but that is enough for him to keep working hard to create a successful community.

“Things have changed in Utah. I remember when I was in elementary school, there were only a couple of black kids in my classroom, but things have changed since then,” Jackson said.

Jackson has dedicated the last four years to building a stronger African-American community in Utah, and all his work is being rewarded.

“Jackson works really hard every day, and has done a lot of things for ACCEL,” Fisher said.

Diversity of cultures in Utah is becoming more noticeable, and Jackson is trying to be part of it.

Jackson’s future plans for ACCEL include having more members, hiring an executive director who would be in charge of the organization, and creating scholarships like SOMOS, the prestigious award offered by the UHCC.

ACCEL, after four years of its creation, now is offering sources for 300 African-American small business owners in Utah.

“James is a great leader and represents the black community very well,” Sotelo said.

Filed under: African American, Business, Organizations, Profiles, Utah's Economy | Tagged: , | Leave a comment »

Utah’s Black Chamber of Commerce and ACCEL helping African American businesses and the Utah economy

Posted on March 19, 2013 by comm5775
Beyond Beauty is a black owned salon in Murray, Utah and is owned by Angel Bumpers

Beyond Beauty is a black-owned salon in Murray, Utah, and is owned by Angel Bumpers. She is also one of the founders of the Utah Black Chamber of Commerce.

Story and photo by ALEXA WELLS

The Utah Black Chamber of Commerce and ACCEL, African-Americans Advancing in Commerce Community Education and Leadership, are both organizations located in Utah with a focus on helping black-owned businesses with networking and coming together in the community.

The Utah Black Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit organization whose mission statement is “to economically empower and sustain African American communities through entrepreneurship and capitalistic activity within the United States and via interaction with the Black Diaspora.”

Stanley Ellington is from Fort Knox, Ky., and has lived in Utah since September 2000. Ellington’s parents are both African American. Ellington has a bachelor’s degree in administrative management from Excelsior College, a master’s degree in management from the University of Phoenix, and is pursing a doctorate degree from Grand Canyon University in organizational leadership with an emphasis in organizational development. With these credentials, Ellington started and became the executive director of the Utah Black Chamber of Commerce.

Ellington has been labeled as the African American representative of business. He is on The Board of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, a licensed Christian minister at the New Zion Baptist Church in Ogden, Utah, is serving as a board member on the Pastor France Davis Scholarship Fund,  and is a member of the Junior Achievement of Utah organization.

“I came to Utah to be a leader,” Ellington said.

Another local leader is James Jackson III. He was born and raised in Utah, and attended Cottonwood High School in Murray. He graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in finance and marketing. Jackson took a break from school for about seven years and then went back to obtain his MBA from the University of Phoenix.

Jackson has known what he wanted to do since he was in junior high school: work in the financial industry doing strategic and market planning.

He was a member of the Utah Black Chamber of Commerce until he saw the need to build an organization where the black community can network together. Jackson started ACCEL in the winter of 2009.

ACCEL is for helping black communities with starting new businesses and brings the diverse community together and builds an environment for networking. Utah has many black-owned businesses, and with ACCEL it gives them the resources that they need to gain exposure throughout the community.

With organizations such as the Utah Black Chamber of Commerce and ACCEL, black business owners are able to obtain scholarships and attend seminars and networking events to get their business running.

Both the Utah Black Chamber of Commerce and ACCEL are committed to providing training and education to help business owners become successful. These organizations are looking for ways to teach people how to run a business and share the resources to help them when they need it.

One option Stanley Ellington is considering is offering webinars through the Utah Black Chamber of Commerce.

Job opportunities in Utah are helping to bring more diversity to the state and increase the black population. ACCEL and the Utah Black Chamber of Commerce are both working on helping bring diversity to Utah’s business owners.

Ellington says that he would like to see more ethnic diversity in Utah, since the black population is only 1.3 percent.

Jackson said, “Utah’s economy is fairly stable and the black population is growing. Most African Americans come to Utah because of the job opportunity.”

According to the ACCEL website, “The growth is due to Utah being more stable economically than the national average, as the job rate is increasing faster than the unemployment rate and has an attractive cost of living.”

Derek Miller, active executive director of the governor’s Office of Economic Development, said on the ACCEL webpage, “Utah has been ranked as the No. 1 most dynamic economy in the nation in 2009 and has seen 50% growth since 2007.”

The Utah Black Chamber of Commerce and ACCEL have made goals for improvement during 2013. Ellington is on track to relaunch the UBCC website, and Jackson hopes to offer more events each month, increase the membership base, add a member-to-member discount and improve the website. With these goals, both the Utah Black Chamber of Commerce and ACCEL will continue to be a resource for black-owned businesses in Utah.

Filed under: African American, Business, Organizations, Profiles, Student-Journalists, Utah's Economy | Leave a comment »

Two local organizations help black business owners in Utah

Posted on March 19, 2013 by comm5775

Story by ALYSHA NEMESCHY

ACCEL CARD

ACCEL business card emphasizes taking the community to the next level

Born and raised in Utah, James Jackson III was the only black person
in his school until he reached the fifth grade. When he reached high
school, Jackson was one of about a dozen black students.

Jackson said that Utah’s significant lack of diversity makes him
excited to see new black people in the community. He said there are
very few unfamiliar African American faces in the state.

Recognizing this diversity gap at a young age, he chose to make a
difference in Salt Lake City by launching a business called ACCEL,
African-Americans Advancing in Commerce, Community, Education and
Leadership.

The idea of such an organization began in late 2005. Angel Bumpers, an
African American who had recently started her own business, Beyond
Beautiful, realized that there was no black chamber of commerce to
assist her in her business journey.

After starting Beyond Beautiful, Bumpers became one of the original
founders of the Utah Black Chamber of Commerce, hoping to help other
business owners.

Bumpers was in her mid-20s when the chamber was founded. She said
many people thought she was too young to take on the responsibility.
Due to this, she said she was forced to step down from her position.
She chose to resign from the chamber altogether.

Jackson, also a co-founder of the chamber, said that by 2008, the
organization seemed to have stalled.

He established and founded ACCEL in 2009 as a place for the black
community to come together, network with each other and recognize
other black Utah business owners.

According to ACCEL’s website, the majority of Utah is unaware of
black-owned businesses in the state due to “lack of exposure and
support of the community.” If the black community came together for
this one purpose, “a powerful synergistic organization would be
created to stimulate and excite the black marketplace.”

According to the US Census Bureau, there has been a small increase of
black people in Utah over the last four years. Jackson attributes
this growth to Utah’s overall growth and the growth of the economy
itself. With ACCEL, the increased amounts of African Americans in the
state have a place to turn when they are in need of help with business
ownership.

Jackson said some of the black-owned businesses in Utah include
catering companies, barbershops, physical therapy offices, moving
companies, network marketing companies and many more.

Although there are many black-owned businesses in the state, Bumpers,
owner of one of the longest-run black-owned businesses in Utah, said
Utah is still falling far behind the rest of America in regards to
minority-owned business exposure. She believes this is due to a lack
of knowledge, lack of communication and lack of support.

Jackson hopes to overcome these obstacles by sharing details about
ACCEL and how it can help individuals who are interested in starting
businesses.

Providing these things to the community requires support from others.
ACCEL has built up a large array of supporters including Zion’s Bank,
Budweiser and PepsiCo, who all provide donations to the organization.
Jackson said these organizations are passionate about being involved
with diverse organizations.

Having the support of others gives Jackson the opportunity to do what
he loves — educate others. With ACCEL, Jackson is able to do exactly
that.

Jackson focuses on the strange paradox of Utah having a strong economy
yet a lacking educational system. Through ACCEL he hopes to improve
education for the youth of Utah by offering seminars, networking
events and scholarships.

By helping other business owners and educating the youth, an important
part of his journey through ACCEL is to “remain humble and
never be afraid to ask questions,” Jackson said. “You learn more when you’re humble
rather than prideful.”

Filed under: African American, Business, Organizations, Profiles, Utah's Economy | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

Bringing diversity to Utah classrooms through the Teacher Recruitment Scholarship Program

Posted on March 19, 2013 by comm5775

Story and photo by LORIEN HARKER

According to a 2010 survey by the National Congress for Black Women, less than 9 percent of educators in the United States are African-American.

The Teacher Recruitment Scholarship Program is looking to raise the percentage of diverse educators in Utah.

The TRS is a scholarship for those of an ethnic background who are majoring in early education. The scholarship is available through the University of Utah, Salt Lake Community College, and the Granite, Jordan, Salt Lake, and Davis school districts. According to the Salt Lake Community College Financial Aid website, the scholarship “is designed to increase the number of culturally and ethnically diverse students accessing higher education and completing teaching preparation programs.”

Fennel and I in Park City.

Fennel and reporter Lorien Harker enjoying the fresh air in Park City, Utah.

The scholarship offers compensation for tuition costs for a full two years and $500 a semester for books. Kailie Fennel, a prospective 2014 University of Utah student currently majoring in early elementary education at SLCC, is a recipient of the TRS.

She says in a phone interview that having a diverse field of educators would help students broaden their thinking process, as well as become more exposed to people of different ethnic backgrounds. Fennel says through students becoming more acclimated to different races, they can avoid awkward situations like she had in a middle school history class.

“In middle school, a teacher asked me if it was OK to talk about slavery. They made it a big deal,” Kailie says.

She also says she has yet to have an African-American educator.

“I’ve never had a black teacher,” she says. “I was looking up statistics on something and found there were only 8 percent black people in Salt Lake.”

According to the Utah census in 2010, the African-American population in Salt Lake was 2.7 percent.

Kailie says if there were more ethnic teachers, it would prevent awkward situations for students from happening, and students need to be exposed to culturally diverse teachers for this to happen.

Mary Burbank, the director for the Urban Institute for Teacher Education, says the goal of the TRS is to “broaden the traditional audience of teachers.”

The population of diverse students is increasing, and Burbank says the teachers need to reflect that diversity. In addition, diverse teachers would offer a “broad spectrum of contributions.”

She also says students would benefit from diverse teachers because of language differences, life histories and perspectives of the educators. Burbank says oftentimes, a single student of a particular race is often singled out in class and seen as the “token representative” to their class of that race. A field of diverse educators would “open up perspective” for students in the classroom, Burbank says.

“Any group of kids would be strengthened,” she says.

Cheryl Fennel, Kailie’s mother, said in a phone interview that she has felt the impact of the lack of diversity on her children in the community of South Jordan. Cheryl has three African-American children, one Korean child, and three white children.

“I think there can be some struggle socially,” Cheryl says. “They can’t be raised in an area like South Jordan without it affecting them.”

Cheryl says her children are “in a weird spot” because they are African-American, but raised in the predominantly white and Mormon culture of Utah. She also says she is concerned about her youngest daughter, Tara, going to school out of state. She has talked to other adoptive parents who have sent their children to college elsewhere, and they say that their children were shunned by the African-American students as well as by the white students.

However, Cheryl says compared to other children of adoptive parents in other areas surrounding South Jordan, her children have it relatively easy. Though she admits sometimes her children — her youngest son Josh in particular — relish the attention, she says education should focus more on the academics rather than diversity.

“It shouldn’t be about color,” Cheryl says. “I wish the issue would just go away and Kailie could just be a person.”

As far as Kailie’s awkward situation, her mother says to “handle it with a giggle,” because you can’t force complete acceptance of diversity into a class that is inexperienced with diverse students.

Kailie says she wants to be an educator her students can talk to about their personal lives and academic concerns.

“I hope to teach not only core curriculum but to give students a way to be themselves and be proud of it,” Kailie says. “I feel like there’s something to learn from everyone, whether it’s from a student, a peer, or a co-worker.”

Kailie says she knew she wanted to be a teacher when she helped her older sister grade papers for her elementary school class.

“I got to sit with this girl who had dwarfism. She was a first grader and she was probably shorter than my nephew, who is 2,” she says. “I had the opportunity to read with her during their recess as she couldn’t go outside because of medical problems. I would help her sound out each word and help with the ones that she didn’t know. Anyway, it’s satisfying to see that your service helps out someone else. It was a growing love for teaching that started with helping out my sister but was solidified when I got to teach a group of primary children.”

Kailie’s sister, Shaunna Page, was a teacher in Payson for the Nebo School District. Besides her sister, Kailie has an aunt who teaches children with disabilities. A grandmother and cousin are also educators.

“Seeing children learn is such a reward to me,” Kailie says, “probably more than anyone else.”

Filed under: African American, Education, Profiles | Leave a comment »

A journey of faith: overcoming racial restrictions in the Mormon Church

Posted on March 7, 2013 by comm5775

Story and photo by CHRISTIE TAYLOR

The Genesis Group was formed as an auxiliary unit of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Oct. 19, 1971, to support the needs of its African-American members.

It was founded by six men — including three church Apostles, a term given to the governing bodies in the church hierarchy, and three African-American church converts.

According to the website, the idea was to develop and support new member growth among black members as well as bring some of the members, who had left the church because of racial restrictions, back into the faith.

The group’s presence was important, because prior to 1978 the Mormon Church restricted African-Americans from holding a high-ranking church position — termed the priesthood — serving Mormon missions and participating in certain temple practices.

Jerri A. Harwell, a Genesis member, isn’t sure why the group was formed then, but said, “Perhaps black members asked the church and started getting some answers.”

Perhaps she was right.

The LDS Church on 6710 S. 1300 East, where the Genesis Group meets from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the first Sunday of every month.

The LDS Church on 6710 S. 1300 East, where the Genesis Group meets from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the first Sunday of every month.

Harwell, whose husband, Don, is the current president of the Utah Genesis Group, said her interest in the Mormon religion came while she was watching a church-produced show.

“I was a huge fan of the Osmonds,” Harwell said in a phone interview. She tuned into the show because she heard they would be performing.

They weren’t scheduled to perform until the end of the program. While Harwell waited, the church provided a phone number to call to receive information on Mormon principles.

Harwell, who has written a book about her conversion, titled “Leaning on Prayer: A Story of Faith, Perseverance, and Conversion,” was a freshman at Oakland University in Michigan at the time and thought it would be great to get some mail.

The church sent her a brochure on the teachings of the religion. She tossed it in a drawer without looking at it. She said she happened upon it again a few weeks later while she was cleaning out the drawer.

While looking through the brochure, she found a prepaid postcard to get more information on the church. She said she filled it out and mailed it in.

Two LDS missionaries soon contacted her to set up a meeting. Harwell said when they met at her college dormitory, they were surprised to discover she is African-American. Knowing the church’s restrictions, they asked her if she was “really” interested in learning about the faith.

She said she didn’t believe in God then, but was interested in what the missionaries had to say. They gave her a first lesson on the Mormon religion and asked her if she would like to continue meeting with them. She did.

Harwell was baptized a member of the Mormon church in 1977.

While in her sophomore year of college, Harwell decided to get more involved in the church and asked to serve a mission. Her request was denied, because of her race.

The denial tested her faith in the church and she prayed about it. The answer came. “It was a burning that this was where I was supposed to be,” she said.

That steadfast faith in the church teachings pushed her to continue on. But Harwell wasn’t the only one struggling with the racial restrictions.

Nkoyo Iyamba, a KSL 5 TV reporter and member of the Mormon Church, was living in Nigeria when her family first heard about the faith.

In a phone interview, she recalled a story about Anthony Obinna, the first convert to the LDS Church in Nigeria. An article in the Ensign, titled “Voice from Nigeria,” stated Obinna had three dreams at different times of rooms in a beautiful building, shown to him by a man with a walking stick.

A picture he saw of the Salt Lake City Temple in Reader’s Digest resembled the building he was seeing. He wrote to the Salt Lake City church headquarters in 1971 and requested more information, according to the article in the church-owned magazine.

The article said he was sent the information, but was informed the church would not be sending missionaries to Nigeria.

Iyamba said he wanted to baptize his people, but didn’t have the authority because he was black. Obinna organized and baptized his people anyway, she said.

“The true heroes are those who continued to go to church and live the gospel faithfully, despite being discriminated against,” Iyamba said.

While Obinna was forming an unofficial Mormon congregation in Nigeria, Ruffin Bridgeforth, Darius Gray and Eugene Orr, the three founding African-American church converts, were developing the Genesis Group back in the U.S.

Bridgeforth was president of the group, Gray served as his first counselor and Orr served as his second counselor.

Margaret Blair Young, an adjunct professor who teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University, has co-authored three historical novels on black Mormons with Gray. They also co-created the documentary, “Nobody Knows: The Untold Story of Black Mormons.”

During a phone interview, Young said white male members were being ordained at 12 years old. But black male members of the same age had nothing to look forward to. So, one of Gray’s efforts to improve church membership among young black men was to organize a team to compete in a regional church basketball game.

The game was originally set up for active members only, she said.

Most of the boys recruited to the team were inactive in the church, but Gray made arrangements for them to be able to compete anyway. Being a KSL 5 TV reporter at the time, he also made an agreement with a co-worker to put the boys on TV during a sports segment, if they won.

Young said that partway through the intense game, Gray was informed the boys weren’t qualified to compete because they weren’t active members of the church. Because the church leaders who had made the exception were unavailable during the game, he couldn’t do anything to change the decision.

“We lost all the boys after that,” Young said, referring to their interest in the church. It was a huge disappointment for the Genesis Group and for Darius Gray, personally.

Young said Gray became inactive after the incident. Nevertheless, he continued a close friendship with Genesis President Ruffin Bridgeforth and cared for him during his struggle with diabetes. Bridgeforth continually tried to bring Gray back into the faith, Young said.

All the persistence of faith by Africans, African-Americans and the Genesis group may have finally made a significant difference within the church in 1978.

During the 148th Semiannual General Conference on Sept. 30, 1978, a revelation by the first presidency of the Mormon Church was announced.

The revelation, named the Official Declaration—2, granted “every worthy member of the Church all of the privileges and blessings which the gospel affords,” regardless of race or color.

This revelation allowed Harwell the opportunity to become one of the first African-American female missionaries for the church. She served in Houston in 1980.

After her mission, she attended Brigham Young University in the fall of 1983 and met her husband, Don, through the Genesis Group, according to her book.

Darius Gray eventually returned to the church as an active member and became president of the Genesis Group after Bridgeforth’s death in 1997. Don Harwell took his place as president in 2003.

Harwell and Gray weren’t the only ones making history after the racial restrictions were lifted.

According to the Ensign article, Anthony Obinna and several converts living in Nigeria were officially baptized by LDS missionaries shortly after the 1978 church revelation.

Obinna was ordained and appointed to branch president in Nigeria, an honor that made him the first black man to serve a high-ranking church position in Africa, according to the article. Obinna was also able to baptize his wife, Fidelia.

Nkoyo Iyamba said she immigrated to Utah in 1977 and was baptized a member of the Mormon Church in 1983. She currently sings in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

The Genesis Group has continued to grow since its humble beginnings. Young said black membership has grown from 300 to 400 African and African-American members to about 1 million today. Even though the church does not keep official records of membership by race, Young said through demographics, estimates can be made.

Young attributes some of the local growth to the dedication of a monument in the Salt Lake Cemetery to black pioneer Jane Manning James, and a play that Young wrote based on James’ life, titled ”I am Jane.”

Harwell said visitors come to each monthly meeting. “People come from out-of-state to attend our events,” she said. Consequently, they are becoming more diverse.

Harwell, who doesn’t think in terms of being a black member of the Mormon Church, said, “I think in terms of being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Lord does not see color, He does not see race.”

Filed under: African American, Organizations, Religion | Tagged: | Leave a comment »

Utah becoming the new frontier for booming black-owned businesses

Posted on March 5, 2013 by comm5775

Story and photo by TALON CHAPPELL

Cold, conservative, culturally closed, homogenous.

For many outsiders, these are the words used to describe the state of Utah and its values. But steadily, more and more diversity has moved within Utah’s borders.

The increasing job market has given birth to a new pilgrimage to the state, one vastly different than the one Brigham Young and his Mormon followers made some generations ago. It’s bringing a new wave of African Americans and their families who have uprooted their lives from the other side of the country, and have settled down in the Salt Lake Valley, eagerly attempting to start a new life, but simultaneously maintaining their Southern roots.

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the African American population in Utah is at 1.3 percent, which is up 65.9 percent from the 2000 Census that listed the African American population at 0.8 percent. A major cause of the increase was Hurricane Katrina and relocation efforts in 2005. According to ABC News, nearly 600 evacuees were brought to Salt Lake City in the wake of Katrina.

The entire state saw a 23.8 percent increase in total population, which many believe to be a sign of Utah’s economic growth in times of dismal economic decline. According to Forbes.com, the employment growth average for the state of Utah is 0.6 percent per year, which differs drastically from the national average of -0.6 percent per year. This and many other reasons led to Forbes.com listing Utah as the best state for business for the third consecutive year.

James Jackson III is the founder and executive director of ACCEL (African-Americans Advancing in Commerce Community Education & Leadership). He is a firm believer that Utah’s increasing African American population is due to the state’s growing job market. “Most of them move [to Utah] because of a job,” said Jackson about African Americans moving from the other side of the country.

Jackson and ACCEL  have helped numerous black-owned small businesses in the greater Salt Lake area by offering members greater networking resources, financial guidance and emotional support from other members. Moving companies, catering companies, physical therapists, network marketing, financial services, barbershops and restaurants have all been opened by African American citizens and are aided by ACCEL. “The ethnic community is very tight … and the businesses reflect that,” Jackson said.

Papa O's Asset for Story 1

Marcus Brinson, part owner of Papa O’s restaurant in Draper, is hard at work in the kitchen. Papa O’s is one of the newest members of ACCEL.

Take a trip down to 11483 South State St. in Draper, and you might as well have driven down to a country kitchen in southern Florida. Papa O’s soul food restaurant is a newer member of ACCEL  and has been offering authentic Southern-style comfort food to Utahns since October 2012. Marcus Brinson is part owner and manager of Papa O’s. He and his family, including four of his seven children, moved to Utah from Naples, Fla. (near Fort Myers) last September, after his sister, who also lives in Utah, said there was no diversity in the food.

“I was really hesitant,” said Brinson about moving his family from Florida to open a restaurant. Brinson said the business went through a turbulent time when sales would be booming one day and excruciatingly slow the next.

In addition, he said some of his employees were not passionate about the food, or the restaurant’s customers.

“We had some employees that put us in a bad spot,” Brinson said.  “So I made a change.”

He decided to make the restaurant a family affair. His kids clean tables and take orders, he and his sister take turns managing the restaurant, and he even has his mother making all the desserts by hand. All of the restaurant’s dishes are family-kept recipes including juicy fried chicken, smoky barbecue ribs, creamy mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese, crispy fried okra, and five different kinds of cornbread.

Stanley Ellington, the executive director of the Utah Black Chamber of Commerce frequently attends UBCC meetings at Papa O’s as well as at other black-owned businesses in the greater Salt Lake area. Ellington still thinks the state has a long way to go in reaching racial equality in small business platforms.

“I have discovered there is a great divide between the haves and the have not’s,” Ellington said. “They [African Americans] don’t have the resources that are needed in order to create their business … that’s why I’m in Utah … to be a leader.”

Ellington was born in Alabama and lived in Washington, D.C., both of which are considered hubs for the national African American community. He moved to Utah in 2000 while serving in the Air Force and decided to stay after retiring in 2002. Ellington believes that the number of black-owned businesses listed in the census information is overrepresented. He also believes that several black-owned businesses in Utah have failed due to a lack of knowledge and racial tension within the state.

“People know prejudice is alive and well,” Ellington said. “We’re [UBCC] coming [up] with a solution.”

Overall, the economic future looks bright for all Utahns. As employment rates rise, so too does the state’s diversity.

A report made by the Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy showed that Utah had 241,692 small businesses in 2008, accounting for almost 50 percent of private sector jobs. These numbers are expected to grow after another report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce listed Utah in its  top-10 economic “Boom States.”

Filed under: African American, Business, Food & Restaurants, Organizations, Utah's Economy | Leave a comment »

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