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The Savannah Tribune • Wednesday, January 18,2023 9
Local Personalities Support Touring Art Exhibit Featuring
Military Veterans’ Stories - January 20-21
Savannah Alderwom
an Kesha Gibson-Carter and
local veteran Jonathan Keller
are among those participating
in a unique and immersive
experience coming to Savan
nah on Jan. 20-21, 2023. Bul
lets and Bandaids Volume 4:
The Next Step is an impactful
traveling exhibit that pairs the
powerful experiences of mili
tary veterans with poignant art
inspired by their stories.
The isolation and si
lence of many military veterans
means that their compelling
stories — unexpressed archives
of historic value — die with
them. It also means that those
with no exposure to military
life miss intimate dialogue that
helps them better comprehend
history and, ultimately, reduce
the chasm in understanding
between military and civilians,
and contribute toward positive
social cohesion.
Gibson-Carter will
serve as facilitator at the event,
and Keller will be available for
media interviews. This year’s
tour is winding through Savan
nah and five other Southeast
ern cities between January and
March 2023.
“We are a veter
an-centric, art therapy nonprof
it whose focus is to create un
derstanding between veterans
and civilians through a touring
art exhibition,” explained Rob
ert LeHeup, founder and ex
ecutive director of Bullets and
Bandaids. “We don’t just give
a platform for veterans to speak
their truth. Through careful ex
ecution of written narratives
and visual art, we guarantee
that their truth is heard.”
The event will be
held at Savannah Station event
hall at 601 Calhoun Street
both days (Jan. 20-21) from
5-9 p.m. It shares the collec
tive experiences of 45 veterans
from around the world, includ
ing stories from Afghanistan,
Ukraine, the United Kingdom,
and Russia. A writer from the
Netherlands tells the story of
an Afghan interpreter who
was in the brutal 2008 Battle
of Shok Valley. Another writer
telling the story of an Afghan
interpreter happens to be a poet
laureate.
LeHeup, a Marine
Corp combat veteran, acknowl
edges that some of the stories
and art may be intense. “This
project provides a way for ev
eryone to experience being hu
man in a more profound way,”
he said.
The upcoming show,
Bullets and Bandaids Volume
4: The Next Step, is a transfor
mative experience audiences
won’t want to miss. For further
details, visit www.bulletsand-
bandaids.org.
Are We Really Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.?
Mother's Wonderful Legacy
There is a wonderful legacy of which we wish to tell
About a wonderful lady that we loved so well.
Her strength lives within us and grows stronger each day.
Her honor still lingers, though her life has slipped sway.
We'll miss the sound of her laughter
and her stem lectures too!
We'll itiiss hearing her say t "I Love You ".
She fought a good battle, then gave up the fight
To nest in the arms of Jesus. Oh what a beautiful sight. . j:
In our hearts her memory will always stay.
Nolhing could ever lake her rememberance away,
Wc Miss You & Love You Always!
Deborah & Freddie, Miriam Pelote Heyward,
Grandchildren, and Great-grandchildren,
Joseph H. Silver, Sr., President Silver & Associates
It has become an ex
pectation to celebrate the birth
day of Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. each January. That expec
tation was met again this year
and in many cases it was the
first since the pandemic. The
birthday of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. has been a nation-wide
celebration since 1986 even
though the legislation for the
national holiday was passed in
1983. As a result, most people
“have the day off’ in obser
vance of the holiday. People
from all parts of the city lined
up for the annual parade here
in Savannah, Georgia. This
manner of celebration was du
plicated in cities all around the
country. Businesses, churches,
and municipalities planned and
executed programs to celebrate
MLK Day. It seemed that for
that one day, people from var
ious races, incomes, and back
grounds were on one accord as
they celebrated the birthday of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The
question becomes what hap
pens after the birthday of Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.? Will
people still be on one accord
next week and the following
weeks and months?
If history is a gauge,
then we know the answer to
that question. The normal pat
tern is once the “day” is over,
people go back to their normal
routines and habits. In most
cases, those routines and habits
are not based on the tenets of
the beliefs of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. or his “Beloved Com
munity.” No matter how expan
sive the “day of celebration” is
or how creative the programs
are, this should not be the fun
damental way of “celebrating”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Many of the people planning
community programs will not
even have a conversation with
their planning partners after
the celebration is over because
they do not “travel in the same
circles.” However, if Dr. King
was truly being celebrated, the
circles would be more inclu
sive and more tolerant through
out the year.
If we really celebrat
ed Dr. King, the evening news
would not consist of young
people killing each other. If we
really celebrated Dr. King, the
churches around the country
would not be segregated during
11 am Sunday services. If we
really celebrated Dr. King,
there would not be a racial di
vide in this country. If we re
ally celebrated Dr. King, there
would be no white supremacy
in this country. If we really cel
ebrated Dr. King, there would
not be voter suppression in this
country. If we really celebrated
Dr. King, there would not be
the extreme partisanship we
experience in this country. If
we really celebrated Dr. King,
there would be no hunger in
this country. If we really cel
ebrated Dr. King, there would
Dr. Joseph H. Silver, Sr.
more affordable housing in this
country. If we really celebrat
ed Dr. King, there would not
be any economic disparity in
this country. If we really cel
ebrated Dr. King, there would
not be the working poor in this
country. If we really celebrated
Dr. King, there would not be
attempts to distort and cover up
the dark history of this country.
The point of this ar
ticle is to convey the message
that parades and programs are
fine, but they are not sufficient
enough to celebrate Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. The celebration
of Dr. King should be action
oriented throughout the year.
The best way to celebrate Dr.
King is to address the problems
that are referenced above. This
starts with a change in person
al and institutional behavior. It
should also include a change
in how we govern, how we
educate our children, and how
we approach “community.” Is
it possible that the citizens of
Savannah can rethink how Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. is cele
brated? The Savannah commu
nity is positioned very well to
lead the way for the rest of the
country in an action oriented
celebration of Dr. King. May
or Van Johnson’s Racial Equi
ty and Leadership Taskforce
(REAL) provides a blueprint
for this leadership and change.
If the Racial Equity and Lead
ership Taskforce (REAL) rec
ommendations are fully em
braced and implemented by
the community, Savannah will
be well on its way to showing
the country and the world how
to really celebrate Dr. King and
his legacy throughout the year.
The broad areas of the REAL
Taskforce are Criminal Justice,
Economic Empowerment and
Development, Education, En
vironmental Justice, Health,
and Housing. I encourage you
to visit the city’s website and
read the entire report. Next, I
ask you to do what you can to
address the problems identified
in the report and the resulting
recommendations in the REAL
Taskforce final report. In doing
so, we would be celebrating Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. to the
fullest.
In Loving Memory Of
Rev. Jacob Parker
IIS OUR HEARTS.,.
We thought of you today, Rut that is nothing new.
We. thought about you yesterday <£ days before that tool
We think of you in silence. We often speak your name.
Sow all we Amwe are memories A your picture in a frame.
Your memory is our keepsake, With which me ‘11 never part
God has you in his keeping, We have you in our heart.
Author Unknown
One year ago, me lost a husband, a father, a best friend.
One year ago, Macon and the world lost a true preacher
of the gospel, a philanthropist, a leader, a visionary, a
singer, and an all-around GOOD MAN.
We will ALWAYS remember all the lessons you taught
us, We Love You and Miss You, but wo know you are
safe in the arms of Jesus.
Rest in Heavenly Peace...
The Family
“Georgia’s Best Weekly”
ismtoamtab fEYtbutie
“Eye Care” For You
January is Glaucoma Awareness Month
PLAN TO “SEE WELL INTO THE FUTURE”: Get An Eye Exam
To Prevent Glaucoma
More than three mil
lion people in the United States
have glaucoma, a disease that
damages the optic nerve and
can lead to blindness. Unfortu
nately, nearly half of those with
glaucoma are not even aware
that they have it. Are you one
of them?
You owe it to yourself
to find out by getting a compre
hensive dilated eye exam that
includes having drops put in
your eye. With the painless and
gradual loss of vision that can
occur, many with glaucoma
have no warning signs. But, by
having a comprehensive dilat
ed eye examination, this condi
tion can be detected.
Studies show that
treatment during the early stag
es of glaucoma can control the
disease and prevent future vi
sion loss and even blindness.
This is why eye care profes
sionals encourage people at
higher risk for glaucoma to get
a comprehensive dilated eye
exam every year.
Anyone can develop
glaucoma, but those at higher
Dr. J.A. Parker
risk for developing the disease
include:
• African Americans over age
40
• Everyone over age 60, espe
cially Mexican Americans
• People with a family history
of the disease
During a comprehen
sive dilated eye exam, tests are
performed by your eye care
professional to detect any signs
of glaucoma, such as chang
es in the optic nerve, elevated
eye pressures, or loss of side
vision. If signs are detected,
a diagnostic and treatment
plan is devised to confirm the
diagnosis, help lower the eye
pressures, and prevent further
damage to the optic nerves. In
some cases, once symptoms
appear, it may be difficult to
prevent vision loss and blind
ness may result.
Early detection and
treatment is the key. Treatment
with eye drops or surgery can
slow or halt the progression
of the disease. High eye pres
sures, which may be associat
ed with glaucoma, does not by
itself mean that you have this
“sneak thief of sight.” Only
a comprehensive dilated eye
exam and evaluation of the op
tic nerve by an eye care profes
sional can confirm this diagno
sis.
If you are in need of
an eye care provider I invite
you to visit EnVision Eye Care.
THIS COLUMN SPONSORED BY
PARKE
ASSOCIATES
321 W. MONTGOMERY CROSSROADS - SAVANNAH, GA
ailS-HI-QfQY
www.EnulsionSavannali.CQm
32f W. Montgomery
Crossroads, Savannah
(near Hunter Golf Course).
For appointments, call
(912) 927-0707 and visit us at
www.envisionsavannah.com
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Savannah, Go, Departure - May 26-28, 2023
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2023
Your Trip Includes: Motor Coach Transportation, Lodging,
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