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Michigan Chronicle
Vol. 85 – No. 40 | June 8-14, 2022
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Want to Make a Difference? Support Women & Minority-Owned Small Businesses By U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence After beginning this year announcing that I wouldn’t seek reelection to Congress, legacy has been at the forefront of my mind ever since. Though my political career has allowed me to enact transformational policy and make a difference in the lives of countless Michiganders, I can’t help but think of the work that still needs to be done in achieving more balanced, thriving communities. I learned many years ago, as the mayor of Southfield, that it’s the small businesses in our communities that strengthen our economy and lift up neighborhoods. While all businesses—big and small—play an important role, cities simply can’t sustain without a steady flow of small business investment. People
once
Brenda Lawrence said, “Will the last
person out of Detroit, please turn off the lights?” There have been numerous times throughout the city’s history where we were losing oxygen at a rapid rate. But it has been the ability of Detroit’s small business owners to be tenacious, to execute a vision, and to dream which has turned our city back around time and time again. In metro Detroit today, the majority of small business startups stem from women and people of color. These individuals are still carving out a legacy for themselves and their families and, unfortunately, they continue to struggle gaining access to capital and other vital business resources. By lifting up these small businesses, you’re not only supporting them today, but also creating role models for future generations. A child watching their parents use their work ethic, talent, and skill to start and sustain a small business will be more likely to be entrepreneurial in their own career. When we replicate this scenario hundreds of times, a positive cycle is created which supports generations, enhances communities, and further levels the playing field for women and people of color. The federal government, local organizations, and private companies are all providing support and offering resources to small businesses in need, often working together to do so. Detroit’s Motor City Match is a multi-agency partnership that connects new and expanding small businesses with funding and tools to fuel the city’s entrepreneurial revolution. TechTown Detroit and Comerica Bank’s Hatch Detroit support both existing and new retail initiatives in the cities of Detroit, Highland Park, and Hamtramck. And Comcast launched the second wave of its Comcast RISE Investment Fund in which small businesses in
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BUSINESSES page A2
WHAT’S INSIDE
Adam Hollier
Sharon McPhail
John Conyers III
Portia Roberson
13th Congressional District Race Poll Shows Detroiters
Still Undecided By Donald James
Senior Writer, Real Times Media
In a recent poll conducted by Lansing-based Change Research, the organization surveyed 491 likely Democratic Primary voters in the newly drawn Michigan 13th Congressional District. The key conclusion at this point is that many voters are not sure who they will vote for to send to Congress in the 13th. The poll, commissioned by the Adam Hollier for Congress campaign, revealed that 48% of likely Democratic primary voters could not say how they will vote. After being urged to say at least which candidates they are leaning toward, 22% remain undecided. Nevertheless, Change Research’s survey, conducted in May 2022, finds that John Conyers III led the ballot with 19%, with 13% strongly supporting him. The poll has Conyers III winning 24% of people of color initially. The surveying organization believes that his high name recognition among those polled is because voters may confuse him with his late father, meaning some likely voters don’t know that former Congressman John Conyers Jr. passed in October 2019. The confusion, if not cleared in voters’ minds, will be a huge advantage to Conyers Jr.’s son in the upcoming primary election. Conyers III addressed Change Research’s belief that voters in the 13th Congressional District are confused. “To say that the voters in the 13th Congressional District are confused or not smart enough to know that my father, John Conyers Jr., the longest-serving Black Congressman in this nation’s history who passed nearly three years ago, is frankly insulting to the voters in the 13th Congressional District,” Conyers III said adamantly. “And it is insulting to my family!” Sharon McPhail is also not en-
thused by Change Research’s poll, calling its sample size too small and that it’s not an independent poll.
“My standard on polling is that I don’t do it as a candidate,” McPhail said. “I believe that independent polls are the best because they don’t have an ax to grind, they aren’t trying to pick somebody, and they are not trying to push polls and get a certain result. So I don’t put any stock into polls done by candidates. I put a lot of stock into independent polls by Wayne State, a major university. And in the independent polls by a major university, I lead by double digits.” The Change Research poll shows that respondents highly recognize the names of Sharon McPhail and Shri Thanedar. Yet, the polls reveal that Democratic voters gave 14% support to Hollier initially, with 10% supporting him strongly. According to Hollier’s camp, the survey shows he is performing as well as other candidates for the 13th, including McPhail and Thanedar. During the polling, respondents were provided with biographies of each candidate and asked to rate the candidate on a 1 to 7 scale - 1 meaning definitely not supporting a certain candidate and 7 indicating definitely supporting a particular candidate. After reading Adam’s biography, the poll revealed 52% of likely Democratic primary voters said they would likely support him. Candidate Portia Roberson also received high favorability among respondents after reading her bio. After introducing the candidates’ bios to respondents, Change Research saw movement. Hollier’s reported share of favorable respondents moved up to 19%, tying him for the lead. And after reading Conyers III’s bio, some respondents moved away from saying they would vote for him in the August Primary election, perhaps realizing that he is not his father. There was also movement away from Thanedar
when voters read his bio.
“The more information shared with voters about Adam, the more likely people will be voting for him,” said Heaster Wheeler, Hollier’s campaign manager. “The things people really like about Adam include he is a current state legislator and has passed legislation every year that he’s been in office. He has stood up for democracy and voting rights and Donald Trump. Adam is already fighting the national fights, including how he has framed the January 6 insurrection and will make sure it will never happen again. Adam is ready for primetime on the national level. Based on the data from this poll, we see a path to victory for Adam - we like what we see!” Hollier is also pleased with the poll but knows the ultimate poll is when people vote in the Aug. 2 primary election, followed by the general election on Nov. 8. Actually, voters can start casting absentee ballots in late June for the primary. “When people hear my message, they like it,” Hollier said about the poll. “When they understand my background, they like it and want to support me. But we still have to work hard to win this race. I am laser-focused with the time I have speaking to voters about important issues, along with my track record as a leader and how I will get things done for them every day in Congress.” Conyers III said he is not taking anything connected to the upcoming Aug. 2 primary election for granted, especially poll numbers. “Although I’m in first place in this poll, this election is not over,” said Conyers III. “Polls don’t vote. So the most important thing for me is to reach as many people as possible in this district. When the polls close on Aug. 2, and I am confirmed to have won this election, I will feel good.”
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What Black Americans Need? An Equitable Criminal Justice System
By Sherri Kolade The biggest issues facing Black people legally right now across the nation? Modern-day policing, biased court systems and wrongful convictions, just to name a few.
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The NAACP Criminal Justice Fact Sheet showed that the system is heavily impacted by the bias of police mentality, along with outdated judicial precedents. It is largely driven by racial disparities, which directly obstruct and deconstruct our minority communities. According to the NAACP, the beginnings of modern-day police mentality are rooted in the “Slave Patrol,” the earliest of which was created in the Carolinas in the
early 1700s, with a mission to establish a “system of terror in response to slave uprisings with the capacity to pursue, apprehend and return runaway slaves to their owners, including the use of excessive force to control and produce desired slave behavior.” The American Bar Association (ABA) also noted staggering statistics that show the overall effects of history’s injustices and notes from the NAACP statistics state that while Black people make up 13.4 percent of the population, they represent: • 22 percent of fatal police shootings, • 47 percent of wrongful conviction exonerations, and
• 35 percent of individuals executed by the death penalty. • African Americans are also incarcerated in state prisons at five times the rate of whites, according to the ABA. To address these inequities head on, Michigan is already paving the way in a historic move, with U.S. District Judge Stephanie Dawkins Davis recently becoming Michigan’s first Black female U.S. Appeals Court judge after being nominated by President Joe Biden – who announced in early February. Judge Davis is Biden’s nominee to the Sixth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals. At her prior post, she served as the U.S Dis-
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SYSTEM page A2
U.S. District Judge Stephanie Dawkins Davis recently became Michigan’s first Black female U.S. Appeals Court judge after being nominated by President Joe Biden.