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Authority (from the Latin auctoritas) is a right conferred by recognized social position. Authority often refers to power vested in an individual or organization by the state. Authority can also refer to recognized expertise in an area of academic knowledge. An Authority (capitalized) refers to a governing body upon which certain authority (with lower case a) is vested; for example, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority.

Authority in various settings[link]

Politics[link]

In government, authority is the scope of an entity's legitimate power (Cline n.d.) when acting on behalf of the government. This power is conferred through officially recognized channels within the government, and represents a portion of the government's overall power. For example, a government might have the authority to execute criminals. The government could then contain a jury authorized to determine if a citizen is a criminal or a non-criminal; a judge authorized to sentence criminals to execution; and an executioner authorized to kill criminals who have been sentenced to execution. In contrast, a mob of citizens might have the power to do all of the above things, but still lack the authority because the actions would not be legitimate.

Political authority can also be seen in situations that are typically considered apolitical. (Agarwal n.d.) In truth bestowing authority is a function of any social institution. A corporation, for example, must hire employees as a standard function of its existence. However, most of the corporation's members are not authorized to hire employees. This authority is passed down through the corporation to specific individuals without government involvement. This same phenomenon can be found in religious organizations, charities, fraternities, etc.

Academia[link]

A person (or group) may be considered an "authority" on a subject matter if their expertise is well established. This means that any statements the person makes, with regard to their field of expertise, will have the burden of proof in their favor. That is, if a professor of mathematics makes a statement about numbers, it will be assumed to be true in the absence of evidence to the contrary. This will also overrule any unsupported objections by an individual without such expertise. Professional scholars are common examples of this, but they are not the only examples. A carpenter might be considered an authority on wood, for example.

Religion[link]

Authority can be understood to have been exercised by God toward man as the Scriptures are consulted for direction from a statement or command, an example of action that is seen to be apporved by God, or when it is obvious that God intended common sesne to infer needed direction to obey an understood command. The Lord's Supper was directly spoken about by Jesus as being expected for His followers to participate in, the day of the week in seen in an example of believers partaking of the elements on the first day of the week, and it is clear that every week has a first day so that the frequency, day, and necessity of taking the Lord's supper(the communion) is what the author rules to happen.

Governmental agencies[link]

Every state has a number of institutions which exercise authority based on longstanding practices. Apart from this, every state sets up agencies which are competent in dealing with one particular matter. All this is set up within its charter. One example would be a port authority like the Port of London. They are usually created by special legislation and are run by a board of directors. Several agencies and institutions are created along the same lines and they exercise authority in certain matters. They are usually required to support themselves through property taxes or other forms of collection or fees for services.

Controversy[link]

In contemporary social science, the nature of authority is a matter of debate. According to Michaels, in the Encyclopedia of Social Sciences, authority is the capacity, innate or acquired for exercising ascendancy over a group. Other scientists argue that authority is not a capacity but a relationship. It is sanctioned power, institutionalized power.

In political philosophy, the jurisdiction of political authority, the location of sovereignty, the balancing of freedom and authority (cf. Cristi 2005), and the requirements of political obligations have been core questions from Plato and Aristotle to the present. In many democratic societies, there is an ongoing discussion regarding the legitimate extent of governmental authority in general. In the United States, for instance, there is a widespread belief that the political system as it was instituted by the Founding Fathers should accord the populace as much freedom as reasonable, and that government should limit its authority accordingly.^{[citation needed]}

See also[link]

Look up authority in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Authority (sociology)
• Authority (management)
• Anti-authoritarian
• Appeal to authority
• Auctoritas
• Authoritarianism
• Cognitive authority
• Dominance (ethology)
• Milgram experiment
• Petty authority

References[link]

• Giorgio Agamben, State of Exception (2005)
• Hannah Arendt, Between Past and Future (New York, Viking, 1961) "The Concept of Authority"
• Józef Maria Bocheński, Was ist Autorität? (1974)
• Renato Cristi, Hegel on Freedom and Authority (2005)
• Stuart Lachs, Means of Authorization: Establishing Hierarchy in Ch'an/Zen Buddhism in America (1999)
• Rafael Domingo Osle, Auctoritas (1999)
• Karl Popper, On the Sources of Knowledge and of Ignorance (1960)
• Max Weber, Economy and Society (1922)
• Austin Cline, What is Authority? Differentiating Authority, Power, and Legitimacy (n.d.)
• Ashish Agarwal, What is Authority? Trace out the different types of Authority (n.d.)

External links[link]

Look up authority in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Authority

• Authority entry by Tom Christiano in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• Qualitionary - Legal Definitions - Authority
• Appeal to Authority Breakdown

Karen Valencia Clark Sheard
Karen Clark-Sheard performs at the DuSable Museum in Chicago.(photo by raymond boyd) 2010
Background information
Birth name	Karen Valencia Clark
Born	(1960-11-15) November 15, 1960 (age 51) [1]
Origin	Detroit, Michigan
Genres	gospel, urban gospel, CCM
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, actress
Instruments	Vocals, Keyboard, Organ, Drums
Years active	1970–present
Labels	Island Black Music, Elektra, Word, Karew Records
Associated acts	The Clark Sisters Kierra "Kiki" Sheard Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark Dorinda Clark Cole Jacky Clark Chisholm Mattie Moss Clark J. Moss
Website	KarewRecords.com

Karen Clark-Sheard (born Karen Valencia Clark on November 15, 1960) is an American gospel four-time Grammy Award winning singer, musician, and songwriter. The youngest daughter of pioneering gospel choral director Mattie Moss Clark, Sheard began her career as a member of the Grammy-Award winning, gospel legendary female group, The Clark Sisters.^[2] She is the mother of contemporary gospel singer and actress Kierra "Kiki" Sheard.

During the hiatus of the Clark Sisters, Sheard rose to fame after she recorded her critically acclaimed and much anticipated solo album Finally Karen, which spawned her hit, "Balm in Gilead" (a re-recording of a song she originally recorded as part of The Clark Sisters back in the 1980s for their Heart & Soul album) the R&B-flavored "Just For Me" and "Nothing Without You" - a contemporary duet with R&B diva Faith Evans. Finally Karen became one of the most successful gospel albums of 1998 earning Sheard a Grammy nomination and earning her a Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for "Best Female Vocalist".^[3]

After her debut album success and much touring, Sheard was hospitalized in 2001 after one of her blood vessels burst during a minor surgery, resulting in doctors giving her a 2% chance of survival. Her testimony inspired the title name for her long-awaited sophomore project, Second Chance released in 2002, featuring a "Secret Place" - which is now considered a classic amongst fans. Sheard recorded two more live albums, including The Heavens Are Telling and It's Not Over (which featured some studio recordings), before releasing All in One, Sheard's first all-studio-recorded album in 13 years. The album debuted at #3 on the U.S. Billboard Gospel Chart and #98 on Billboard's Top 200 albums chart, while its first single "Prayed Up" has so far peaked at #10 on the U.S. Billboard Gospel Songs chart.^[4]

Sheard is in talks to play Kitty Parham (a member of The Famous Ward Singers) in Aretha Franklin's upcoming biopic.^[5]

Biography[link]

Karen Clark Sheard was born November 15, 1960. She has five older siblings : Leo, Jacky Clark Chisholm, Denise Clark-Bradford, Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark, and Dorinda Clark Cole. Her parents are Pastor Elbert Clark and Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, a pioneering Detroit-based gospel choral director. Clark-Sheard is best known for being a member of iconic gospel group The Clark Sisters. She is the Soprano of the group, The Clark Sisters. Clark Sheard is known for her high vocal ranging abilities, going into Whistle Register.

Personal life[link]

On June 16, 1984, Karen Clark-Sheard wed John Drew Sheard, a minister. Her husband is senior pastor of Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ in Detroit. Together they have 2 children: Kierra (1987), who is also a gospel recording artist, and John Drew Sheard II (1989), a young musician and up-and-coming producer. Kiki is also a gospel recording artist, with four albums, plus various projects to her credit.

In 2001, Clark-Sheard was faced with a life-threatening crisis when a blood vessel burst during a scheduled hernia surgery. Her doctors only gave her a 2% chance of survival due to her complications. After the blood clot was surgically removed, Clark-Sheard fell into a coma. The coma lasted three and a half weeks,^[6] but Clark-Sheard says she made a miraculous ^[7][8] recovery. Despite citing hernia surgery, which led to complications of hernia and brain aneurysm since after the ordeal Sheard returned in 2001 looking 1/3 of her size^{[citation needed]}.

Recording career[link]

Singers Mariah Carey, Faith Evans, Coko of SWV, Jovan Lacroix, Blu Cantrell, Lil' Mo, Missy Elliott, and Fantasia all count Karen Clark Sheard as one of their vocal influences.^[9][10]

The Clark Sisters[link]

Debut album[link]

Karen's involvement in the Island Inspirational All Stars' "Don't Give Up" in 1996 (along with Donald Lawrence, Hezekiah Walker, and Kirk Franklin) led to her signing with Island Records.^[11]

Her solo career began with the release of her debut album Finally Karen in 1997. The album, consisting of half studio recordings and half live recordings, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album in 1998, won Sheard the Lady Of Soul award for Best Gospel Album that same year ^[12] and peaked at #28 and #2 on the U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and U.S. Billboard Gospel Albums charts respectively.

A second chance[link]

After Yolanda Adams, Karen Clark Sheard became the 2nd gospel artist to sign to Elektra Records. She released her Elektra debut album 2nd Chance in 2002 (so named because of the "second chance" she was given by God after her near-death experience - which is referenced in her daughter Kierra's song "You Don't Know").^[13]

The album was led off by the single "Be Sure" and though Clark Sheard was in excellent form vocally, the slick, progressive sound of the disc was not received well in the gospel community. However, the album still performed well commercially and critically reaching #82 on the U.S. Billboard 200, #27 on the U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart (her highest chartings on those charts to date) and #2 on the U.S. Billboard Gospel Albums.

Third album[link]

The 2003 followup The Heavens Are Telling fared well, but came at an awkward time when Elektra Records was being dissolved into Atlantic Records and so failed to match the commercial success of Sheard's previous albums, peaking a whole 106 places below 2nd Chance at #188 on the U.S. Billboard 200 - though it managed to reach a respectable #44 on the U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, a high #3 on the U.S. Billboard Gospel Albums chart and was her first album to chart on the U.S. Billboard Christian Albums chart, where it peaked at #11.^[14]

It's Not Over[link]

In 2005, after a bidding war with several labels,Sheard finally signed with Word Records and issued It's Not Over, the following year. Most of It's Not Over was recorded live in 2005 at Karen's home church in Detroit, Michigan while the last three tracks were studio-recorded. It was Sheard's first solo album not to feature guest vocals from her daughter (Kierra Sheard) and was the first to include production from Israel Houghton - who handled the majority of the project. Despite having a much grander sound than her previous albums, it was another critical success for Karen and charted modestly at #124 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and #4 on the U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.^[14][15]

As the songwriter, on February 10, 2008, Sheard won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Song for "Blessed & Highly Favored" sung by The Clark Sisters.

Karew Records and fifth album[link]

In early 2009, Karen and her husband, J.Drew Sheard partnered together and launched a new record label entitled Karew Records (Karew being a combination of both their forenames: Karen & Drew, pronounced: Kuh-rue); Distribution is via EMI Gospel. The Clark Sisters' Christmas album - which was released in October 2009 - was the first project to be released from Karew Records.

On January 31, 2010, Karen won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance for Wait on the Lord which she was featured with Donnie McClurkin.

On April 6, 2010, Sheard released her fifth album (and first on her newly-founded own record label - Karew Records) titled All in One, which features additional vocals from her daughter Kierra Sheard, son J. Drew Sheard II, sister Dorinda Clark Cole, niece Angel Chisholm and cousin J. Moss. Though her first all-studio-recorded album since her 2002 release 2nd Chance, All in One managed to debut and peak at #98 on the U.S. Billboard 200 (her second highest charting on that chart to date) and #3 on the U.S. Billboard Gospel Albums chart, while the album's lead single - "Prayed Up" - peaked at #9 and stayed over 22 weeks on the U.S. Billboard Hot Gospel Songs chart.

There has also been un-official talk of a reality show in the works for Karen. Highlighting the highs and lows of touring with an all female band set to start filming sometime by the end of this year^{[citation needed]}.

Tours and concerts[link]

• 2010-2011: All in One World Tour
• 2007-2008: The Clark Sisters Live One Last Time Tour

Filmography[link]

• 2010 Blessed & Cursed (movie)
• 2012-2011 church girl (stage play)
• 2012 For Richeror Or Poorer' (stage play)

Discography[link]

• 1997: Finally Karen
• 2002: 2nd Chance
• 2003: The Heavens Are Telling
• 2006: It's Not Over
• 2010: All in One
• 2011: The Ultimate Collection

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website of The Clark Sisters

Karen J. Clark
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 61A district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 6, 1981
Preceded by	Linda Berglin
Personal details
Born	(1945-07-23) July 23, 1945 (age 66) Fort Sill, Oklahoma
Political party	DFL
Spouse(s)	Jacquelyn
Residence	Minneapolis, Minnesota
Profession	College instructor
Religion	Roman Catholic

Karen J. Clark (born July 23, 1945) is a Minnesota politician, and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A Democrat, Clark represents District 61A, which includes portions of the city of Minneapolis in the Twin Cities metropolitan area including portions of the Phillips, Ventura Village, Seward, and Lyn-Lake neighborhoods.^[1] She is the longest serving openly lesbian member to serve in a state legislature in the United States.^[1]

Service in the Minnesota House[link]

First elected in November 1980, Clark is serving her sixteenth term in the Minnesota Legislature. She is currently a member of the Capital Investment, the Jobs and Economic Development Finance, and the Redistricting committees. Since first being elected, she has chaired the Governmental Operations Subcommittee for Jobs Creation and Unemployment Issues, the Economic Development and Housing Subcommittee for Job Development and Training, the Economic Development Subcommittee for the Community Stabilization and Development Division, the Housing Committee, the Economic Development and International Trade Subcommittee for the Housing and Housing Finance Division, and the Finance Subcommittee for the Housing Policy and Finance and Public Health Finance Division.^[2]

Advocacy for LGBT rights[link]

Clark is a lesbian,^[3] and is one of three openly gay members of the Minnesota Legislature, along with Senator D. Scott Dibble and Rep. Susan Allen, both Minneapolis Democrats. After the Minnesota House voted on May 21, 2011, to place a gay marriage amendment referendum on the ballot in the 2012 general election, she and Dibble released a joint statement condemning the referendum. The referendum will have voters decide whether a legal marriage will be restricted to heterosexual couples.^[4]

Following the May 2011 House vote on the gay marriage amendment referendum, Clark stated: "It’s a sad day for the State of Minnesota. Tonight, we’ve moved one step closer to discriminating against Minnesotans simply based on who they love. This amendment won’t help a single family in Minnesota, and this vote is absolutely heartbreaking to thousands of people and families across our state. History will not look back kindly on this day or the people who voted for discrimination. The Minnesota I know is a place of inclusion, tolerance and love, and I truly believe the people of this great state will not vote to enshrine discrimination in our constitution..."^[5]

Background, education and career[link]

Raised on a farm in southwestern Minnesota, Clark attended public schools in Edgerton, graduating from Edgerton High School in 1963. She earned her B.S. in nursing at the College of Saint Teresa in Winona. She later attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, earning her Master of Public Administration degree in 1996.^[1]

Clark has been an instructor at the University of Minnesota since 1985. She previously worked as public health nurse, VISTA nurse-organizer and an OB-GYN Nurse Practitioner. She is a member of the adjunct Faculty of the Department of Human Relations at St. Cloud State University, of the University of Minnesota’s Women’s Studies Department, of the Macalester College Women’s Studies Department, and of the College of St. Catherine Graduate School of Holistic Health. She is a member of AFSCME. She is active in numerous South Minneapolis neighborhoods on issues relating to housing, health, human-rights, labor, women's rights, peace, and affordable high-quality child care for all.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Karen Clark at Minnesota Legislators Past & Present
• Rep. Clark Web Page
• Rep. Clark Campaign Web Site