News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Monday December 22nd 2025
The Forest Through the Trees
Raise Your VoiceÂ
By PETER MOLENAARÂ
Folks from this part of the world are familiar with the “signers” who regularly occupy every niche at the intersection of Franklin and Cedar avenues. For some, it is a desperate way to “make ends meet”, while others panhandle for their next “fix” of heroin. Normally, I avoid eye contact. Hey, the new land lord raised my rent by over $300.00. Social Security, plus a union pension and one “odd job” barely covers expenses. So, I grow and sell vegetables in the summer months.
One day”¦
From his post at the intersection, a young mixed blood man beckoned. I recognized him from the community garden”™s homeless camp. Window down, I elaborated my refusal to support the heroin trade. Then, while rubbing the site of his war wound, he explained that he was in constant pain and hoped to be admitted to a methadone program. This soldier reminded me of the guardsmen who had been deployed to protect the grocery at 26th Street”¦ so polite and respectful. He accepted a squash from the back of my truck.
Back to the Peace Garden”¦
A hefty “two spirit” person was absconding with the fruits of my labor. I won the battle of words.… Read the rest “The Forest Through the Trees”
Chadwick Boseman: The Bronze Man (1976-2020)
Movie Corner
By HOWARD McQUITTER IIÂ
“The worst is Death, and death will have his day.” –William Shakespeare
The day I heard Chadwick Boseman died, his death shocked my system. What”™s more he was only 43 years old, dying of colon cancer. ( I”™m all too familiar with colon cancer, thanks be to God I”™m still here to talk about it.)
Young, gifted, Black and handsome Mr. Chadwick came into the world on November 29, 1976, born and raised in Anderson, SouthCarolina, to Carolyn and Leroy Boseman. The likes of a Boseman– his voice, his expertise, his persona, his reverential treatment of scripts as a thespian not only causes little Black boys and girls to dream, but to do what God gives them as upcoming thespians: talent.
Boseman leaves lasting marks in cinema by acting in biopics of African American icons such as playing baseball star Jackie Robinson in “42”(2013); college football great Vontae Mack in “Draft Day”(2014); R&B entertainer James Brown in “Get On Up” (2014) ; and first-time African American Supreme Cour Judge Thurgood Marshall in “Marshall”(2017).
A lesser known fact– but just as important– Phylicia Rashad, famous for her role as BillCosby”™s character wife on “The Cosby Show” as Clair Huxtable, was one of Boseman”™s teachers in the acting classes at Howard University.… Read the rest “Chadwick Boseman: The Bronze Man (1976-2020)”
Keep Calm
Peace House Community ”“ A Place to Belong
BY MARTI MALTBY
American society seems to have become a lot less civil over the years. I know bullies and those who overreact to perceived slights have always existed, but it seems as though people now think it is their patriotic duty to accuse others of committing a moral wrong every time they hear something that offends them. These days conversations and social media aren”™t used to establish mutual understanding as much as to tell other people why they are wrong.
In some ways I can understand why this is happening now. Between the pandemic, economic collapse, social unrest, and the loss of routine and certainty, we should expect that people will be on edge. Emotions are running high, and people will react more strongly than usual to things that upset them. But on the other hand, panic never made anything better. (You can put that on a t-shirt if you think it will help anyone around you.) The middle of a crisis is when we most need calm, level-headed words and actions. Assuming the worst about others when things are already at their worst just adds to the problems.
Minnesota history provides us with a wonderful example of dealing with crisis.… Read the rest “Keep Calm”
Keep citizen journalism alive!
