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Michigan Chronicle

Vol. 84 – No. 50 | August 18-24, 2021

Real Times Media Expands Its RTM 360 Group with Seasoned Content Creators Jillian Nathan and Herbert Taylor Real Times Media (RTM), a Detroit-based multimedia holding company, and the Michigan Chronicle, are proud to welcome Account Director Jillian K. Nathan and Multimedia Producer Herbert Taylor III. Nathan brings with her nearly fifteen years of experience in marketing communications. She has worked within the automotive and textile industries. Nathan holds an A.A.S. in Marketing and Advertising Communications from the Fashion Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Apparel Merchandising and Product Development from Bowling Green State University.

COVID Kids:

What’s Next For Kids Returning To School in the Fall By Sherri Kolade Jillian K. Nathan

Herbert Taylor III

In her role prior to joining RTM, Nathan created and implemented a wide range of digital communications strategies. Tanisha Leonard, President of RTM360°, said “We’re very excited to have Jillian on board. Her depth of experience, knowledge and management capabilities will complement our growing team of seasoned executives.” Taylor, who has a background as a performing musician and visual artist ushers in his creative production flair. He was first introduced to visual storytelling through a mentor, Cato Weatherspoon while in high school. Taylor studied Computer Information Systems at North Carolina Central University. Before officially joining RTM, Taylor worked for marketing and advertising companies Jack Morton and Carat Media and worked as a freelancer in video production and editing. “Herbert has a keen eye for video storytelling and event production. He worked with us to create our widely successful first virtual 40 Under 40 celebration this year. I look forward to seeing his vision for our multitude of upcoming programs. I know our audience will be equally impressed with our new programming.” Leonard said. RTM 360 is Real Times Media's cultural marketing division and was launched in 2018. Real Times Media is also the parent company to Who’s Who In Black, Studio 1452 and five of the country’s most respected African American-owned news organizations, the Atlanta Daily World, Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine, the Chicago Defender, the Michigan Chronicle, and the New Pittsburgh Courier. For more information regarding Real Times Media, visit https://realtimesmedia.com/.

COVID-19 and the Delta variant aren’t disappearing anytime soon, and the fall school semester is not letting anything get in its way, not even the virus. According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (as of press time), there are a total of 919,133 confirmed cases, 20,011 COVID-19-related deaths; as of Thursday, August 12, and Friday, August 13, there were 3,127 confirmed cases and 29 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the Delta variant of the virus causes more infections and spreads faster than early forms of SARS-CoV-2. It is also more contagious than previous strains. School districts like Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) starts their fall semester on Tuesday, September 7, and protocols are already in place to ensure a safe return to school. Nikolai P. Vitti, DSPCD superintendent, said, during a virtual meeting on August 13 and in a community letter, that the school district will be having a separate virtual school for students this school year as well as in-person options. “We encourage families to only consider the virtual school option if their child was not chronically absent last year and passed all of

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their second semester courses,” Vitti said. “We are willing to work with families if they feel that the virtual option is still the best option for their child’s academic success this fall despite attendance and performance challenges last year.” Vitti added, “As a district, we will continue to do everything we can to support your children and our families as we move to the other side of the pandemic.” Vitti said that most students will thrive when they return to school in person. This school year, with an additional $1.2 billion in COVID-19 Relief funding, they will have fully staffed classrooms, smaller class sizes, more technology for students, expanded afterschool programs, and a nurse and mental health support at each school. “We are also continuing to

Nikolai P. Vitti, DSPCD superintendent. expand our literacy support with more small groups and one-to-one support for students who are below grade level,” Vitti said. “These additional investments will ensure that your child is better supported in the fall.” Vitti added that even though the COVID-19 vaccine and testing are available for individuals 12 years of age or older. “The district will continue to take rigorous safety precautions in every building and on buses for employees, students and families,” he said, adding that this includes weekly COVID-19 testing, daily temperature and symptom checks, smaller class sizes, maintaining three feet of social distance, deep cleaning and more. “Nothing makes me more optimistic than knowing we can serve our students in person again next fall.” School districts like DPSCD came on board with mask mandates and in-per-

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We Need Your Vote:

By Megan Kirk

The Future Is

Dr. Bishara J. Freij, chief, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Beaumont Children’s Hospital. Photo provided by

son learning recently, too. Also, the City of Detroit recently announced the recommendation of residents, in particular, who are immunocompromised to receive a third COVID-19 vaccine. DPSCD also announced recently that it successfully reached a reopening of school agreement with the Detroit Federation of Teachers (DFT) reflected in a signed Letter of Agreement (LOA). The reopening LOA recognizes the need to return all DPSCD teachers and ancillary staff to the classroom and schools for in-person teaching and learning while adhering to updated COVID-19 safety standards. The agreement will continue many of the protocols and systems implemented last school year. For Westside Detroit father David Rudolph, the parent of a Mercy High School sophomore, he said that while he is concerned about the safety of his daughter, he knows his school has “done everything to keep the kids safe.” Rudolph, who wears several hats, is also a board member at Detroit Enterprise Academy Charter School (K-8) and a board member of the Michigan Association of Charter Schools (MAPSA), a statewide body of charter school authorizers and management companies. MAPSA President Daniel L. Quisenberry told the Michigan Chronicle that the association that works with all the

Residents and Organizations Encourage Non-Voters to Vote

With the August primaries in the rearview mirror, Detroit is staring down the road to November and the general election which will have a major impact locally. And with just a few months to go there is a push to get more of the community involved in local politics. Some remain unconvinced and stand firm on not voting. But, despite that stance, organizations and individuals are still encouraging non-voters to make their voices heard. Unlike national elections, local politics are a time to effect direct change in the community. However, for some, voting in this season’s general election is still up in the air. In the 2021 primaries, of the almost 500,000 registered voters in the city, just over 71,000 or 14 percent actually voted. The low turnout is part of why a major push to encourage

ly advocate for her vote, but not for my vote or someone in my demographic. It doesn’t reach us where we’re at and they don’t reach us on our issues.” To counter this, voters in the city are doing their part by casting their votes in each election. Whether attributed to historical moments in Black history or preference, the decision to get involved in elections is personal.

Rhonda Craig, president of the Detroit chapter of the League of Women Voters more voters to reach the polls this November is on. With many Detroiters unswayed by city politics, some are choosing to exercise their right to not vote. Unable to believe voting makes a true difference in the community, some non-voters remain unmoved in their stance.

Taylor Harrell, civic engagement manager at Detroit Action Feeling overlooked, the millennial generation is questioning candidates, the issues and their own say. “Nobody is advocating for their votes or advocating for their issues,” says Brandon Dandridge, a Detroit resident. “My grandmother is a resident of the city and they [candidates] active-

“I vote just because I feel like I’m supposed to. It’s not because I feel like it’s making a difference or any of that. Maybe a guilty conscience makes me vote,” says Dandridge. Local organizations are also pushing to encourage non-voters to get to the polls. Established more than 100 years ago, the League of Women Voters believes in educated and proactive involvement in all levels of government. The organization also

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