When Marva was pregnant with her daughter Marnita in 1996 she started noticing symptoms that something was just not right with her heart. However, at first they contributed it to asthma and her pregnancy. In 2003 after spending a month in the hospital she received her new heart. Fortunately because of her rare blood type she was not on the waiting list very long.

She does not know anything about the donor but would like to meet the family some day and has written several letters to the donor’s family. When asked what she would like to say to anyone considering donating their organs she responded “You don’t realize how it would help or change a person, I didn’t think I would be here to see my son get his drivers license or to experience all that I have with my kids.”

Marva has worked as a volunteer for KODA (Kentucky Organ Donner Association) and has spoken at different events. She continues to be a light that lights the way and inspires others. I am sure her story has encouraged others to sign their donor cards and will change, improve, inspire, and save lives for years to come.

Marva became pregnant in High School with her son William who is now 18 and will be attending National College in the fall. She credits the TAPP (teenage pregnancy program) for pulling her through High School and helping her deal with the challenges of being a young single mother.

After High School she worked in child care and retail. Her time was busy with working, being a mom, and dealing with her health. Her time belonged to everyone else and in 2007 with her heart surgery behind her she decided to do something for Marva. She tried a larger college but it was not a good fit. She chose National College because of the small class sizes and the short term programs. She said, “ the teachers work with you more closely here.”

Her son William said that his mom is an inspiration to him. When she gets down he reminds her of this. I imagine for William his mom is that light on the horizon that is still visible in the gloom and haze.

Marva is receiving 3^rd party funds for school through Vocational Rehabilitation and National College Workforce Development Grant. She said she would not be able to afford school on her own, and with her mounting medical bills those funds are a tremendous help.

Marva is studying medical billing and coding, and is enjoying school and the friends she has met. Her goal is to graduate and get a job in her field. She is enjoying the journey and doesn’t’ sweat the small stuff. After what she has been through she quite simply just enjoys life.

I look forward to seeing her walk across the stage at graduation. You will be able to spot her, she will be the one with the contagious smile, big heart, and shinning bright.

Elaine Raque Jetton

Community Resource Coordinator for National College

Angela Minter, the co-founder and Executive Director of Sisters For Life, Inc., a 501 (c)(3) Non-Profit organization is championing the cause of life by leading women and men in choosing life for their unborn children. Many people would consider Sisters For Life an anti-abortion or anti-choice organization. Angela Minter prefers to describe the ministry as a Pro-Life ministry that celebrates the value and sanctity of every human life. 

One vital aspect of Sisters For Life work is their information packed and inspiring weekly radio show, airing on WLLV 1240 AM or WLOU 1350 AM on Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The live show is an open forum in which the history, impact and destructive toll of abortion in the lives of individuals and our community is discussed.

One key part of Sisters For Life strategy is to offer counsel and support for women and couples who are considering abortion. Angela meets the women on the street outside the abortion clinic and presents them with "Life-Affirming" options encouraging them to weigh their actions in human terms.

Sisters For Life serves as a liaison and a referral resource, connecting families with resources needed to help them effectively rear their children in a safe, loving and life affirming way. Sisters works to help each mother and family by empowering beyond the decision to choose life for their unborn child by advocating for them and their continuing needs.

Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of abortions in The United States. According to a Fox News story some 80% of all Planned Parenthood abortion clinics are located in minority neighborhoods. The story goes on to say that representatives of Planned Parenthood in seven (7) States were audio recorded encouraging donations from private citizens who wanted to donate funds targeted specifically at abortions for black women.

The rate of African American abortion is nearly twice that of the number of live births of African American children. In graphic numbers for every 50 African American children born, 100 others are aborted. The numbers are staggering. Many anti-abortion and pro-life organizations claim that the targeting of minority and especially African American communities is equal to genocide.

Complicating the matter is that nearly 300 million of our tax dollars were used last year to subsidize the abortions performed by Planned Parenthood. There are many arguments that people make for abortion. The reality is that the only clearly wise argument is to choose not to become pregnant.

What would you do if you were about to be aborted by your mother as a mistake, a nusance, a career ender, but medical technology had developed a way to get your opinion before the act. What would you say to your own mother? Consider this: If there were a disease killing nearly twice the number of African American children who are born alive in a year, the medical community would marshal its forces to bring an end to senseless loss of life. 

We speak with disgust about the violence in the streets that claims the lives of boys and girls who may have been innocent  or may not have been innocent.  We chant slogans like, "Stop the Violence" and "Stop the Madness".  Yet we are largely silent about the slaughter of innocents that profoundly and irreversibly impacts the lives of the people around the child.  The mother, the father, their parents, future siblings and the community at large are impacted by the loss of life. 

The Soul of Louisville is committed to helping Sisters For Life in their work to increase awareness of the abortions that have assume the proportions of GENOCIDE in the African American Community.  The impact of abortion in the African American community upon our population growth is devastating, so much so that at this rate we are taking two steps backward for every one we take forward.  We shall soon be known as the SHRINKING Minority. 

Sisters For Life is working to overcome the challenges of saving children and saving their families in the process. To help Sisters for Life, visit www.sisforlife.org.

Our goal is to prevent any violence or cruising on Broadway and protect those neighborhoods,”

said Lt. Col. Phil Turner, an assistant chief with Louisville Metro Police.

Parking will be restricted on Broadway from Barret to 34th Street from 6 p.m. Friday to midnight Sunday.  Parking will be allowed west of 34th street on Sunday to allow church-goers to attend worship services at their respective churches. 

Regardless of the legal arguments and insinuations of wrong-doing made by the liquor store owners, there remains one singular issue. Who decides what is best for a community, the residents or the business owners? Can use or abuse of the legal system be allowed subvert the legal election as an expression of the will of the voters?

One question continues to swim just beneath the surface of this community battle, would the election decided issue be challenged if the precincts were elsewhere in the county? Would there be a legal challenge that has progressed this far if the Wet/Dry Vote occurred in the Seneca Park or Highlands areas of Metro Louisville?

Undoubtedly someone will answer yes, because justice is blind and must follow a prescribed course toward equitable and legal resolution. In this case, we should review the legalese in the Kentucky Revised Statute

KRS 242.1297 Election in a precinct in a city of the third class where the entire city is wet territory.

Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, a precinct located in a city of the third class where the entire city is wet territory, may have an election to take the sense of the voters of the precinct* on the application of KRS 242.220 to 242.430 in the precinct. The election shall be held in the precinct in the manner prescribed in KRS 242.020 to 242.040 and KRS 242.060 to 242.120. The election shall not be deemed to be an election in the "same territory" within the meaning of KRS 242.030(5); however, no election shall be held in the same precinct more often than once every five (5) years. The question shall be presented to the voters* in conformance with the requirements of KRS 242.050 except that the form of the proposition shall be "Are you in favor of the sale of alcoholic beverages in (official name and designation of precinct)?"

Effective: July 14, 2000

History: Amended 2000 Ky. Acts ch. 435, sec. 5, effective July 14, 2000 . -- Created

1998 Ky. Acts ch. 248, sec. 2, effective July 15, 1998 .

* Emphasis Added

Given the nature of the law as stated above, there are no real legitimate legal grounds on which to challenge the act of the voters. Ultimately, the cost to every voter and taxpayer is measured in frustration and dollars to pursue this matter in the courts.  

You can make a convincing argument that this issue should be played out in the courts  with one glaring exception; the election was declare LEGAL and free of impropiety.  The Will of Voters in legal elections should not be challeged especially at the expense of taxpayers. 

No one has asked the business owners to go out of business, simply to move your business.  Perhaps moving to to the neighborhood where you reside is a viable option, unless it is in one of the four (4) dry precincts in West Louisville.

Who Gets Hurt Here?

According a January 23,  2008  Courier Journal article Mr. Bakhos El-Khoury one of the liquor store owners said,

This is not the way the system should work. I'm shocked, he said. If it takes years, I'll work on it, If I lose everything, I'll fight it.  It's not right.

Is this vote designed to destroy the business owners in question, a personal vendetta of some sort.  Logic and evidence would suggest that there is no personal motive that involves an intent to harm the owners of the businesses.   Rather the voters acted in the perceived best interest of the community and its residents. 

The real test remains to be seen; will the absence of these liquor selling businesses have any thing beyond a nominal impact upon the ills associated with them?  Will their real absence from the community net real benefit for the community? 

In large part the answer to these questions depends upon what the community organizers do after the businesses cease alcohol sales.   

These and the many other shootings, murders and expressions of violence in our community point to a psychic [1] crisis that is growing to epidemic proportions. There are a host of other issues that run parallel to the crisis of violence in our larger community. Poverty, academic under-achievement, economic suicide and social inequities are just of few reasons for the violent expressions in our community.

In a small group of 5 youth ages 15-16, three boys and two girls, they concluded that the issue is anger. There is an anger in our youth borne out of their perceptions of widespread societal inequities. Teachers and parents emerged as the primary sources of youth frustration. Universally, they all expressed frustration over specific teachers rather than the educational system as a whole.

The issue: http://www.louisvilleky.gov/MetroPolice/ website indicates that there are 71 unsolved/open homicides between January 1, 2005 and February 15, 2008. When you look at the statistics you immediately see a disturbing reality: Of the 71 unsolved murders:

•  23 were African American males under 25 years of age >32% of total unsolved murders
• 62 of the unsolved murder victims were African Americans > 87% of the total
•  9 were White, Hispanic or unidentified
• 56 of total unsolved murders were African American males or 78%

At first glance the numbers are startling; when contrast against the population proportions

According to the U.S. Census American Community Surveys 2006 Data; The General Demographic Characteristics for Jefferson County, Kentucky estimated the population at 701,500 Total of which 141,649 were “self-declared” Black/African American.

The numbers don’t lie; they tell a story!

87% of all unsolved murders in Metro Louisville over the last 37.5 months were African American victims, yet African Americans comprise only 1/5 or 20% the total population.   Just what story they tell us remains to be seen, but we can rest assured that it presently is not one that ends with, "They Lived..." Happily Ever After or otherwise!

[1] Of, relating to, affecting, or influenced by the human mind or psyche "psychic."
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 18 Feb. 2008 . <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/psychic >.

It is rare to meet someone who has helped so many people and yet maintained such a deep sense of humility. He didn’t raise his nose at anyone who asked for his help.  Don had the attitude that if you were trying to do something positive, then you should get the help you need without feeling shame for asking.

He didn’t ask for his name to be advertised. Nor did he want to be acknowledged as a sponsor of a project. Just do what you told him you were going to do with the help he gave.  As Rev. Emmanuel Luther, from Phillips Memorial CME would say, “He did good in the hood”. Don assisted the minister in having products sent to Hurricane Katrina victims. He also helped the minister send kids to college and aided in their supplies. If someone lost their job and needed assistance Don was there to help.

He introduced a lot of us to buying real estate and would take time to show us how to set up the transactions. He was so many things to so many people. A father, brother, uncle, barber, real estate advisor, investor, and an entertainer. To me, he was my classmate and my friend. Many of us found peace in knowing that we had Don as a friend.

There is a deep void in our community.  If we would do just a tenth of what Don has done, then our community would flourish. We lost a good man, but in the words of an old priest, “There is a new saint in Heaven,” and his name is Donald Boyd.

Don was known because he was many things to many people. Some knew him as an entertainer. He became known by the parties that he hosted. When he started out these weren’t ordinary parties. He catered to the people that didn’t really have a place to go because other entertainers had written them off and only wanted the Black bourgeoisie.

If you wanted to show off the outfit you just spent your paycheck on and stand against the wall wanting to dance but told everyone “no” who asked; then this wasn’t for you. However, if you wanted to look nice, have fun and didn’t care if your perm sweated out, then you went to a ’Big Don’ party, because you knew it was going to be ON!

Don along with MJ Entertainment wanted to bring a big city feel to Louisville’s urban community. The parties evolved from small clubs to upscale venues. The crowd evolved as well. From throwback jerseys to French-cuffs. Parties were held at the Brown & Williamson Club and Kye’s I & II. His parties were even good for race relations. Just ask the people at Jim Porter’s. He held parties there too. Yes, Don was a true ambassador.

Many of us know him because he was a Master Barber in the purest form. He was cutting hair in his mother’s basement back in grade school. The basement was packed with a line that went outdoors and wrapped along the side of the house. I never heard anybody say he gave them a bad haircut. He would even take care of other barbers’ mistakes and have you looking clean as prom night.

But one thing that was always around when he was cutting hair: The Jokes. He had everybody laughing. If you were thin-skinned, the barbershop would not have been a good place for you. Don had that about him. Whether you knew him for ten years or six months, he treated you the same.

That is why so many people felt close to him. Simply put, he was a good guy and you wanted to know him. He would never make you feel like you didn’t belong. Never looked down on anybody. Therefore, aside from getting your haircut, you were laughing at yourself, someone else, or Don. He could take the jokes just like he could give them.

It’s the weekend! You’re looking forward to spending time with family and friends. Some of us can’t wait to go out to a bar or a club so we make sure our phones are turned up loud so when it rings we won’t miss the rendezvous point.

The music is on, you’re feeling good and you get the call. You know it’s not a bill collector calling that late so you answer on the first ring and it’s on! See you when the sun comes up. For many people this is a weekly ritual. However, my phone call was drastically different. I wish I had never answered my phone.

Normally, when I get a call from this friend, it’s to go eat, hit Bardstown Road, or look at houses. So when I answered I was ready to do any or all of the above. Except none of those choices were offered. Instead, this was said,

they shot Don at the barbershop.

That is something you can‘t prepare for. I was mad at my friend for saying something that stupid because it wasn’t funny. You do not play like that. But I should have known better. Their voice was too weak and the tears were too loud.

I hung up the phone and drove to the barbershop. Before I turned the corner on 36th street, I was praying that it was a horrible rumor gone crazy. Y’all know how we talk. I even had a smirk on my face to tell myself that it wasn’t real, but what I saw was.

Lights, police tape, detectives were inside doing their job. In a brief conversation, one of the officers told me he was alert when they took him away. I went to the hospital and there were people like me who also received the same phone call. A good man is fighting for his life and we all wanted to know who, what and why.