Her first encounter with the man who would become her husband did not begin auspiciously, as recounted in "Parting the Waters," by Taylor Branch. Dr. King, in the market for a wife, called her after getting her name from a friend and announced: "You know every Napoleon has his Waterloo. I'm like Napoleon. I'm at my Waterloo, and I'm on my knees." Even before the wedding she made it clear she intended to remain her own woman. She stunned Dr. King's father, who presided over the wedding, by demanding that the promise to obey her husband be removed from the wedding vows. Reluctantly, he went along.

Mrs. King thought she was signing on for the ministry, not ground zero in the seismic cultural struggle that would soon shake the South. Her husband became minister of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery in 1954, but about a year later, the Montgomery Bus Boycott brought Dr. King to national attention. Then, like riders on a runaway freight train, the minister and his young wife found themselves in the middle of a movement that would transform the South and ripple through the nation. With four young children to raise — Yolanda, born in 1955; Martin III, in 1957; Dexter, in 1961; and Bernice, in 1963 — and a movement dominated by men, Mrs. King mostly remained away from the front lines of the movement. But the danger was always there, including a brush with death when Dr. King was stabbed while autographing books in Harlem in 1958.

"Martin was a very strong person, and in many ways had very traditional ideas about women," she told The New York Times Magazine in 1972. She added: "He'd say, 'I have no choice, I have to do this, but you haven't been called.' And I said, 'Can't you understand? You know I have an urge to serve just like you have.' " Still, he always described her as a partner in his mission, not just a supportive spouse. "I wish I could say, to satisfy my masculine ego, that I led her down this path," he said in a 1967 interview. "But I must say we went down together, because she was as actively involved and concerned when we met as she is now."

She largely carved out her own niche, most prominently through more than 30 Freedom Concerts, at which she lectured, read poetry and sang to raise awareness of and money for the civil rights movement. The division disappeared with Dr. King's assassination. Suddenly, she was not just a symbol of the nation's grief, but a woman devoted to carrying on her husband's work. How to do that was something that evolved over time. Admirers said she bore her special burden — being expected to carry on her husband's work and teachings — with a sense of spirit and purpose that made her more than a symbol. If picking up Dr. King's mantle was an impossible task, the relationship she shared with him was truly a partnership. "I think on many points she educated me," Dr. King once said, and she never veered from the conviction, expressed throughout her life, that his dream was also hers."I didn't learn my commitment from Martin," she told an interviewer. "We just converged at a certain time."

BellSouth Georgia Operations has a new leader at its helm: Ron Frieson has been named president of the operation, the first African American to hold the position.
" This appointment is a career milestone," said Frieson, 47, who has been employed with BellSouth for 20 years. "This is a testimony to people before me in corporate America . A lot of people supported me."

Frieson, who has strong ties to the community through the 100 Black Men of DeKalb and other organizations, is now the person responsible for the regulatory, legislative, public policy and external affairs for BellSouth's operations in Georgia . In his new role, he oversees 18,000 employees.
State Rep. Stan Watson, District 91, congratulated Frieson and introduced him to leaders and others in DeKalb's community at a meeting held for Watson's constituents earlier this month.
Frieson said BellSouth must continue to educate state lawmakers on the benefits of free enterprise, which will ultimately drive prices down for consumers. BellSouth, Frieson said, has positioned itself as a one-stop shop, offering customers traditional and cellular phone, entertainment (through a joint-venture with DIRECTV), and high speed internet service. BellSouth also is testing Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), an emerging technology offering digital television over a broadband connection.
" We want to make sure the consumer continues to stay in the driver's seat," said Frieson.
Frieson began his career with BellSouth in 1985, when its advertising and publishing group bought out TechSouth Publishing Services. Since then, Frieson has steadily climbed the corporate ladder, moving to a new position every 18 to 24 months.

" BellSouth is large enough that it felt like moving to a new company," said Frieson.
The most notable move came when Frieson was named BellSouth's first chief diversity officer, leading the company's diversity strategies and initiatives, often times battling resistance to his policies. As an example, Frieson's decision to offer same-sex partners health coverage drew criticism within and outside the company.

" When you have to make controversial decisions," said Frieson. "the only thing that matters is that you make the right decision. From an employee and consumer perspective, you have to make sure you treat people the same."

With a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Tennessee and an MBA in Information Systems from Georgia State University , Frieson credits hard work with his success. " There is absolutely no substitute," said Frieson. "It's your ticket to the game. Without it, you don't stand a chance." Frieson lives in Atlanta with his wife Belinda.

Dr. Cornelius Flowers is a renowned cardiologist /internist practicing in the metropolitan Atlanta area of Georgia. He has been in practice for 20 years. A graduate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, Dr. Flowers completed his residential and cardiology fellowship training at Emory University affiliated Hospitals in June 1981. He began a private solo practice in Decatur in July of l981, and joined Cardiology of Georgia, PC in 1992. As chair of the 100 BM of Dekalb Health and Wellness Committee, Dr, Flower’s greatest concern is the need for improved education for the community.

How Can I Prevent Cholesterol Problems?
As with many other health problems, prevention is the best medicine. You can help prevent high cholesterol and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease by:

• Keeping your weight in check.
• Eating no more than 300mg of cholesterol each day.
• Getting no more than 30% of your daily calories from fat.
• Exercising three to four times a week (vigorously if you can, but moderate exercise is better than none at all).
• Quitting smoking.
• Tracking your progress. Have your blood cholesterol level tested periodically byyour doctor or a reputable lab. At-home test kits, like many consumer health devices, are generally unreliable.

Food Portions

• Do you know what half a cup of vegetables looks like? How much is 3 ounces of chicken?
  Once you've learned portions, they stay with your forever. If you're looking for some easy ways to know if your serving size is right. try these tips:
• A medium potato should be the size of a computer mouse.
• A naverage bagel should be the size of a hockey puck.
• A cup of fruit is the size of a baseball.
• A cup of lettuce is four leaves. . . Three ounces of meat is the size of a cassette tape.
• Three ounces of grilled fish is the size of your checkbook.
• Oneounce of cheese is the size of four dice.
• Oneteaspoon of peanut butter is the size of one die.
• Oneounce of snack foods - pretzels, etc. - equals a large handful.

Learning to recognize portion sizes, with simple measures, can make it easy to judge portions whether at home or away.So get control by checking out the portions you choose.

DeKalb County Helps Hurricane Katrina Evacuees

When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulfcoast on August 29, 2005, families were changed forever. While the literal landscape of the Coast was washed away, personal lives experienced a washing away of history, familiarity, and the comfort of everyday routine. We watched the news and couldn't believe what we saw. We heard the stories of those who had lived in Mississippi and Louisiana for generations. We all knew that things had changed permanently and the recovery would be slow.

SEAN BATES

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TA Coordinating Committee and Advisory Board including members of the 100 BM Leadership Academy oversees the planning, story gathering, editing and dissemination of the e-Newsletter. The newsletter will include pictures and features on the Leadership Academy and accounts of what members and community leaders, are doing. Each member is involved in efforts that are worthwhile to be reported. Below are suggestions for articles that we are interested in for submission: Membership: Activities/Events, Accomplishments, Personals, National/chapters highlights, Sponsors Leadership Academy:Activities/Events, Accomplishments, Personals, School Highlights, Administrators/teachers/classroom Community: Activities/Events, Profiles Government: Activities/Events, Elections, Editorials/opinions, Leadership profiles Business: Activities/Events, Job Listings, Accomplishments, Personals, Corporate/Entrepreneur Profiles. When submitting a story, consider providing a digital or regular picture, if possible.

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