FEBRUARY 8 - FEBRUARY 14, 2013VOLUME 21 NO. 6 www.flcourier.com

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Trial date: June 10Killer back in court on Trayvon’s birthday

COMPILED FROM WIRE AND STAFF REPORTS

SANFORD – A judge has denied George Zimmerman’s request to delay his trial in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. The trial remains set for June 10.

Circuit Judge Debra Nelson is-sued her ruling during an often heated one-hour hearing Tuesday – the day Martin would have celebrat-ed his 18th birthday Tuesday.

Zimmerman is the former Neigh-borhood Watch volunteer charged with second-degree murder for shooting Martin, who was unarmed, after calling police and describ-ing him as suspicious. Zimmerman says he fired in self-defense after the teen attacked him.

Difficult datesTuesday was the first of two diffi-

cult dates for the teenager’s parents in February. The second comes Feb. 26, the one-year anniversary of Mar-tin’s fatal encounter with – Zimmer-man, which sparked outcry across the globe.

“For his family, it’s tough when it comes to his birthday and how to deal with it,” said Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the teen’s family. “As well as coming up in a couple of weeks … the anniversary of the trag-edy.”

For Martin’s parents, Tracy Mar-tin and Sybrina Fulton, Crump said, the timing is a jarring reminder of

See TRIAL, Page A2

ALSOINSIDE

CoMMenTaRY: CHaRles W. CHeRRY ii: RandoM THouGHTs oF a FRee BlaCK Mind | a4

CoMMenTaRY: dR. e. FaYe WilliaMs: WHiTes WanT iMMiGRanTs WHo Will easilY assiMilaTe | a4

Racial gaps remain in cancer ratesBY MONTE MORINLOS ANGELES TIMES (MCT)

Cancer death rates among Afri-can-American men declined fast-er than those of White men in the last decade, even though overall survival rates for Black men and women remained the lowest of all racial groups for most types of cancer, according to a recent re-port.

In a study published Tuesday in CA: A Cancer Journal for Cli-nicians, researchers found that while the racial gap was closing

for lung and smoking-related can-cers, as well as prostate cancer, the disparity between Black and White patients was widening for colorectal cancer and breast can-cer.

‘Equitable access’“To the extent to which these

disparities reflect unequal access to healthcare versus other fac-tors remains an active area of re-search,” wrote lead author Carol DeSantis, an epidemiologist with the American Cancer Society.

“Overall, progress in reduc-ing cancer death rates has been made, although more can and should be done to accelerate this progress through ensuring equi-table access to cancer prevention, early detection, and state-of-the-art treatments.”

From 2000 to 2009, the can-cer death rate among all Ameri-

can males declined faster among Blacks than among Whites (by 2.4 percent per year for Blacks vs. 1.7 percent for Whites), the authors wrote.

For women, the difference was much less pronounced: a 1.5 per-cent decline for Black women and 1.4 percent for White women.

Fewer Black smokersLung cancer mortality remains

higher for Blacks than for Whites. However, authors wrote that if the current trends continue, racial dif-ferences could be eliminated for lung cancer in 40 to 50 years.

“Smoking prevalence de-creased more rapidly in African-Americans aged 25 years to 34 years compared with Whites,” the authors wrote. “African-American adolescents also initiate smoking at a much lower rate than their White counterparts.”

Overall, cancer death rates re-main 33 percent higher among African-American men than White men. The cancer death rate among African-American women is 16 percent higher than among White women, despite a 6 percent lower cancer incidence rate.

For all cancers combined, the highest death rates among Black men were found in Mississippi, Arkansas and Iowa. Among Black women, the highest death rates were reported in Nebraska, Illi-nois and Indiana.

CA: A Cancer Journal for Clini-cians is a bimonthly medical jour-nal featuring articles that are re-viewed by other health care pro-fessionals. It is published for the American Cancer Society. The journal covers all aspects of re-search on cancer, including diag-nosis, therapy, and prevention.

SNAPSHOTSFLORIDA | A3

‘Florida Families First’ budget draws mixed reviews

METRO | B1

ZORA! Sustaining a culture of color

FINEST | B5

Meet Erica

THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT / ROSA PARKS

‘Mother of the movement’ recognized with Forever stamp

CASSANDRA SPRATLING/DETROIT FREE PRESS/MCT

Sisters Carolyn Green, left, and Loretta White, attended the unveiling of a “Forever” postage stamp that honors their cousin Rosa Parks at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History

in Detroit, Mich. on Monday.

COMPILED FROM WIRE AND STAFF REPORTS

Civil and human rights advocates Tuesday de-nounced a leaked Obama administration “white pa-per” that sets out the le-gal justification for killing U.S. citizens suspected of being members of al-Qai-da.

The 16-page Justice De-partment document be-came public late Monday after it was leaked to NBC News. It asserts that the government has the con-stitutional power to kill a U.S. citizen who is be-lieved to be a leader of al-Qaida or an “associated force” and is in another country “actively engaged in planning operations to kill Americans.”

Three conditionsThe unclassified and

undated memo says that three conditions must be met to kill an American citizen without arrest or trial, as follows: “An in-formed, high-level official of the U.S. government has determined that the targeted individual pos-es an imminent threat of violent attack against the United States; (2) cap-ture is infeasible, and the

United States continues to monitor whether capture becomes feasible, and (3) the operation would be conducted in a manner consistent with applica-ble law of war principles,” the memo says.

Hard questionsSeparately, eight Dem-

ocratic and three Repub-lican senators sent a let-ter Monday to President Obama asking that he

give Congress “any and all legal opinions that lay out the executive branch’s official understanding of the president’s authority to deliberately kill Amer-icans.”

“Every American has the right to know when their government be-lieves that it is allowed to kill them,” Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, said. “The Justice Department memo that was made public...touch-es on a number of impor-tant issues, but it leaves many of the most impor-tant questions about the President’s lethal authori-ties unanswered.

“Questions like ‘how much evidence does the President need to de-

See OBAMA, Page A2

JUDGE, JURY – EXECUTIONERAn Obama administration document

justifies killing Americans at the whim of the president in the name

of national security. There’s been no response from Black leaders or Black

civil rights organizations thus far.

President Obama arrived via Ma-

rine One helicopter at a land-ing zone

at the U.S. Naval

Academy in An-

napolis, Md., on

Wednes-day.

JONATHAN ERNST/

BLOOMBERG VIA ABACA

PRESS/MCT

10 who counted: influential african-

americans you may not have heard ofPage B3

A2 FEBRUARY 8 – FEBRUARY 14, 2013FOCUS

cide that a particular American is part of a terrorist group?’, ‘does the President have to provide in-dividual Americans with the op-portunity to surrender?’ and ‘can the President order intelligence agencies or the military to kill an American who is inside the Unit-ed States?’ need to be asked and answered in a way that is con-sistent with American laws and American values.”

Never made publicThe Obama administration has

refused for years to make pub-lic the legal opinion on which it has based its use of unmanned drones to target American citi-zens it accuses of being affiliated with al-Qaida, most notably An-war al-Awlaki, considered to be the spiritual leader of al-Qaida’s Yemen affiliate.

Al-Awlaki was born in New Mexico and educated in the U.S. He was a senior al Qaeda recruit-er and propagandist who was killed by a U.S. drone on Septem-ber 30, 2011, according to Ameri-can authorities.

At least three Americans have been among those killed by drones, all in Yemen. Two were killed in the same September 2011 strike: al-Awlaki and Samir Khan, an Islamist writer who grew up in New York City and whose family now lives in North Carolina.

Al-Awlaki’s 16-year-old son, who was born in Colorado, was killed in a separate drone strike two weeks later.

Memo is authenticThe White House on Tuesday

defended the practice of target-ed killing, for which White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan is a key overseer, as “le-

gal … ethical and … wise.” The issue is certain to arise during Brennan’s confirmation hearing to be CIA director set for Thurs-day – after the Florida Courier’s Wednesday night press time.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Ca-lif., who chairs the Senate Intel-

ligence Committee that will con-sider Brennan’s nomination, ac-knowledged that the panel had received the white paper as a “confidential document” in June.

But spokesman Jay Carney re-jected anew calls by lawmakers and others for the administra-

tion to release a secret 2010 Jus-tice Department legal opinion on which the leaked Justice Depart-ment white paper was based.

No authorityCivil and human rights experts

said the paper jumbles interna-tional and U.S. law. They also re-jected the administration’s asser-tion that the president’s sweep-ing authority to kill Americans abroad is beyond court review as well as what they called an exag-gerated rewrite of the legal defi-nition of imminent threat.

“The government just gets to make decisions in secret,” said Andrea Prasow, senior counter-terrorism counsel for Human Rights Watch.

Started under BushTargeted killing, which began

under former President George W. Bush, officially remains a classified CIA program. To date, it is known to involve only mis-sile strikes by unmanned aircraft in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen against what U.S. officials say are leaders of al-Qaida and “associ-ated groups” plotting imminent attacks on U.S. targets.

An estimated 3,500 people have been killed in the strikes, the vast majority in Pakistan’s tribal area bordering Afghanistan, a region largely outside government con-trol where al-Qaida and others allied with it have found sanctu-ary among Pakistani and Afghan insurgents.

The Obama administration says the attacks have decimated the ranks of the terrorist network responsible for the 9/11 attacks, but human rights groups and res-idents say a large number of civil-ians have died.

Lenient rules?The white paper spells out rules

under which such attacks can be ordered that appear to be much less stringent than what adminis-tration officials have said.

It says, for example, that the

United States isn’t required “to have clear evidence that a specif-ic attack on U.S. persons and in-terests will take place in the im-mediate future.” It also says the United States has the right under international law to act under the suspicion that an attack might take place.

“It must be right that states are able to act in self-defense in cir-cumstances where there is evi-dence of further imminent at-tacks by terrorist groups even if there is no specific evidence of where such an attack will take place or of the precise nature of the attack,” it says. “Delaying ac-tion … would create an unac-ceptably high risk that the action would fail and that American ca-sualties would result.”

White House spokesman Car-ney defended the paper’s defi-nition of ‘imminent threat,’ say-ing, “What you have in general with al-Qaida senior leadership is a continuing process of plot-ting against the United States and American citizens. I think that’s fairly irrefutable.”

No judicial reviewThe white paper also assert-

ed that judges cannot review or block targeted killing orders be-cause that “would require the court to supervise inherent-ly predictive judgments by the president and his national secu-rity advisers as to when and how to use force against a member of an enemy force against which Congress has authorized the use of force.”

“This idea that the govern-ment can rewrite legal terms is one that we’ve seen before,” said Prasow of Human Rights Watch, citing the Bush administration legal opinion that redefined tor-ture, allowing the CIA to use in-terrogation methods such as wa-terboarding that most experts re-gard as torture.

Jonathan S. Landay of Mc-Clatchy Newspapers (MCT) contributed to this report.

OBAMAfrom A1

their loss.“(Tracy Martin) tries to

keep his composure and tries to have faith in the sys-tem, but it’s very difficult for them to not become...overcome with emotion,” Crump said. “(Trayvon’s birthday is) supposed to be a day of celebration, but for them it’s not a day of cele-bration.”

Remembrances setInstead, the family has

announced a series of events through the foun-dation they formed in their son’s name. The day’s events began in front of the Seminole County Court-house with family mem-bers and supporters sing-

ing “Happy Birthday” to Martin.

On Saturday, the founda-tion will host a “Day of Re-membrance Peace Walk” in Miami. The following evening, the foundation will hold its first annual re-membrance dinner at the DoubleTree Miami Airport Hotel’s convention center.

Various requestsAt the start of the hear-

ing, defense attorney Mark O’Mara acknowledged the teen’s birthday by stat-ing that “no matter what, a tragedy occurred.”

Then, O’Mara asked the judge to grant the defense access to purchase records from a 7-Eleven where

Martin shopped the night of the shooting. The state did not object, and the judge granted the motion.

O’Mara also wanted Zimmerman’s trial de-layed. O’Mara had argued in a lengthy motion that there’s much work left to be done, and many deposi-tions to conduct.

Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda countered that O’Mara doesn’t deserve any more time.

“It’s February and the trial’s set for June,” he said, adding that some delays that have happened so far have been the defense’s fault.

The judge noted that both parties had earlier estimated they would be ready by June. O’Mara’s is-sues, Nelson said, don’t appear to be “insurmount-able.”

The parties then moved

on to other pieces of evi-dence O’Mara argues he needs.

The attorneys argued about data downloaded from Martin’s phone. Nel-son told the state to pro-vide a full chain of custo-dy report for the phone, in-dicating which tests were conducted where.

‘Witness 8’O’Mara also asked the

judge to order the state to provide further informa-tion on the social media accounts of Witness 8, who is expected to be one of the state’s most important wit-nesses because she says she heard the first words of the confrontation between Martin and Zimmerman.

The judge ruled that the defense could get the so-cial media information through a “mini” deposi-tion, before the witness is

formally deposed.

Questioning CrumpThe defense also wanted

to depose Crump. Howev-er, Crump’s attorney, Bruce Blackwell, countered that the deposition was im-proper – Crump, Black-well said, is not a witness in the case. Crump filed a 15-page affidavit, explain-ing how he found Witness 8 and the circumstances of his interview with the girl. Blackwell argued that should be enough.

The defense argued that Crump has relevant infor-mation on other topics, and asked to depose him. The judge delayed that de-position, which had been set for Tuesday.

Rene Stutzman and Jeff Weiner Orlando Sentinel / (MCT) contributed to this report.

TRIALfrom A1

Editor’s note: This com-mentary was originally written in October 2012, before the 2012 presidential election.

It would be hard to miss the recent media cover-age of the ethical and le-gal problems posed by the Obama administration’s drone warfare program. With a couple of widely cir-culated academic studies and a CNN security report, the issue of drones has fi-nally seeped into main-stream consciousness.

Yet many people in this country seem to be unphased by the havoc wreaked by these death machines. More telling is how many on the so-called left go out of their way to either ignore the ethical questions and human ca-sualties of drones, or to cravenly defend their in-defensible use by the U.S. government.

Two studiesTwo of the more damn-

ing critiques of the U.S. drone program come from the joint study by the Stan-ford Law School Interna-tional Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Clinic

and New York University Law School’s Global Justice Clinic, and from Columbia University Law School’s Center for Civilians in Con-flict.

The Stanford/NYU re-port, “Living Under Drones,” is based on field research in Pakistan, in-cluding more than 130 in-terviews with survivors of drone attacks or fami-ly members who were vic-tims of attacks.

The report demonstrates how only two percent of at-tacks reach their intended targets, resulting in mas-sive civilian casualties. But it also focused on the psy-chological repercussion, including anxiety and de-pression, suffered by Paki-stanis who have to live un-der the constant buzz of drones hovering overhead 24 hours a day, not know-ing when – or who – they will kill.

The Columbia Univer-sity Study, “The Civilian Impact of Drone Strikes:

Unexamined Costs, Unan-swered Questions,” chal-lenged the government’s assumption that drones are “a panacea for counter-terrorism efforts.” It point-ed to the Obama admin-istration’s unprecedented secrecy around drone at-tacks, but also how, for the U.S. public, drones have become an acceptable part of contemporary warfare.

The authors of the Co-lumbia study also argued that one of the reasons for the lack of a public outcry over the use of drones is because media coverage of such attacks are sanitized: there are no pictures of the victim killed, no photos of the villages destroyed, and no images of damage done to local environments.

All we see are images of drones. Add that to the lack of U.S. citizen and mili-tary casualties, we get a re-sponse that combines in-difference with consent to the government’s atrocious actions abroad.

‘Morally repugnant’ responses

But in an election year, and in the face of mount-ing criticism of Obama’s deployment of drones, the

White liberal left and oth-er party loyalists have been forced to respond. Their re-sponses, though, are often more morally repugnant than any racist rambling by Tea Party members.

In a series of conversa-tions in liberal venues there has been a consistent set of responses to some of the even more tepid critiques of drone warfare. Some of the more common are (1) Obama has to win so that Mitt Romney doesn’t get to control drone warfare; (2) the data showing civil-ian casualties are sketchy; (3) targeted assassinations are not new to U.S. foreign policy; (4) Romney would do the same or worse; (5) at least we’re saving U.S. lives by not having “boots on the ground,” or (6) leftist radi-cals need to stop whining and vote for the lesser of two evils.

One liberal even went so far as to brazenly ar-gue. “It’s not obvious that drone strikes are inde-fensible and, even if they are morally wrong, they shouldn’t determine your vote alone.”

So now it’s the Demo-cratic Party base defend-ing drone bombing of “sus-pects” – and innocents – without the courtesy of proof or trial. By compar-ison, the Bush adminis-tration’s “shock and awe” and torture policies were a walk in the park on a lovely spring day.

Silence from BlacksBut at least the White lib-

erals are having a discus-sion. Aside from a few no-table exceptions, it’s been all crickets in the U.S. Black community when it comes to talking about Obama’s criminal actions in of-fice. And for some Black preachers, gay marriage is obviously more of an abomination than endless war and wanton murder. Others in the Black com-munity have even partici-pated in the morbid cel-ebrations over the killing of Osama bin Laden and Muammar Gaddafi – kill-ings that occurred with-out so much as evidence of guilt or even the pretense of due process.

Barack Obama is leading a multi-country gangster-style drone war that kills people whose identities aren’t known, and that has left more than 3,000 dead, including 176 children. Some of the victims have been U.S. citizens. His ad-ministration’s actions are immoral, indefensible, and cruel. They are also short-sighted. And they are done in our names, and our chil-dren’s names.

As Obama has spear-headed this dangerous new world of drones, we have to believe that this new war will come with the inevitable blowback. CNN reports that more than 70 countries now own some type of drone. And even

though only the U.S., the United Kingdom, and Is-rael have used weaponized drones against adversaries, it’s only a matter of time before we see their prolif-eration – and we can bet that they will be turned on us domestically.

Time to speak upIt remains to be seen how

many will stand by silently and allow this slide down the steep slope of moral depravity. For Black folk to remain silent – or even ambivalent – in the face of such overwhelming death, despair, and destruction done on our behalf by our Black president is, at best, indefensible.

At worse, we’re just as criminally responsible as that drone pilot in Nevada who presses the red button on his joystick, extinguish-ing human life as though he were playing a video game.

No man, no political par-ty, and no amount of racial allegiance should demand of us that we give up our humanity in the name of murder. It’s time we raise our voices against drone killings.

Dr. Jemima Pierre is an assistant professor at the University of Tex-as at Austin. Contact her at BAR1804@gmail.com. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Black America’s silence and drone politics

DR. JEMIMA PIERRE

BLACK AGENDA REPORT

POOL PHOTO/JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL

George Zimmerman, right, arrived with his lead counsel, Mark O’Mara, for a hearing in Seminole circuit court in Sanford on Tuesday.

500 miles

500 km

Counterterrorism campaignThe Obama administration is reportedly setting up drone bases in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula as part of a new campaign to attack al-Qaida associates in Yemen and Somalia.

About drones

Three examples

TANZANIA

KENYA

SEYCHELLES

SOMALIA

YEMEN

ETHIOPIA

DJIBOUTI

Arabian Peninsula

Indian Ocean

Reported locations of drone bases

• First used as spy planes in Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s, drones are used now for attacks, as well as surveillance • More than 2,000 militants and civilians have been killed by drones since 2001• Deadly attacks are known to have been carried out in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen• Range in size from the tiny, such as the hand-launched Raven, to large, long- range planes, such as the Global Hawk

Primary function Long range reconnaissance/ surveillanceWingspan 130.9 ft. (39.9 m)Range 10,000 mi. (16,093 km)Ceiling 60,000 ft. (18,288 m)

RQ-4B Global HawkPrimary function Low-altitude reconnaissance/ surveillanceWingspan 4.5 ft. (1.4 m)Range 5-7.5 mi. (8-12 km)Altitude 100-500 ft. (30.5-152 m)

RQ-11BRaven

RQ-11B Raven MQ-1B Predator

Carries Hellfire missiles

Wide-rangingHand- launched

MQ-1BPredator

RQ-4B Global Hawk

Primary function Armed reconnaissance/ surveillanceWingspan 55 ft.(16.8 m)Range 770 mi. (1,239 km)Ceiling Up to 25,000 ft. (7,620 m)

© 2011 MCTSource: Washington Post, U.S. Defense Department, Los Angeles TimesGraphic: Pat Carr

A3FLORIDAFEBRUARY 8 – FEBRUARY 14, 2013

JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT

Florida Gov. Rick Scott is joined by Orange County schools superintendent Barbara Jenkins, right, and Ocoee Middle School teachers and administrators for the announcement of the governor’s proposal to raise teacher pay statewide in the upcoming state budget, during a news conference at the school in Ocoee, Florida, on Jan. 23.

Some aren’t pleasedwith lack of fundingfor early childhoodlearning programs

BY MARGIE MENZELTHE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – Governor Rick Scott’s “Florida Families First” budget recommendations are drawing a mixed reaction from children’s advocates – high praise from some, but frustration from others.

Educators were happy with Scott for recommending a $1.2 billion increase in spending for K-12 public schools and $2,500, across-the-board raises for teachers.

“We are very supportive and appreciative of the tangible com-mitment that Governor Scott is proposing for our schools which will benefit both students and teachers,” said St. Johns County schools Superintendent Joseph Joyner, in a statement released Friday by the governor’s office. “With his continued commit-ment to improving education in Florida, we can only expect to see even better things to come for St.

Johns’ students and families.”

Prevention servicesScott also recommended $1.5

million for prevention services to keep youths out of the juve-nile justice system, plus $145,360 for juvenile health and men-tal health, including psychiatric consultation and contract clini-cal specialists.

“Keeping kids from entering the system in the first place – and once there from moving deeper into it – is a message this budget sends loud and clear,” said Stacy Gromatski, president and CEO of the Florida Network of Youth and Family Services, in a statement released last week.

Scott also seeks to beef up health and human-service pro-grams that count children among their clients. For example, he proposed $1.5 million for Kris-ti House, a Miami program that serves sex-trafficking victims.

Health insurance woesBut backers of early childhood

education and an expansion of Medicaid were disappointed.

The governor’s proposed bud-get does not include a Medic-aid expansion that was includ-

ed in the federal Affordable Care Act, with Scott saying he had not made a decision about the issue. Karen Woodall, a lobbyist on chil-dren’s health issues, said expand-ing Medicaid would help provide economic security to families, an issue she called the most impor-tant for children.

“The governor’s budget is called ‘Florida Families First,’ “ she said. “But when given the op-portunity to extend health insur-ance to more than a million Flo-ridians – including tens of thou-sands of working parents – he has chosen not to bring billions of dollars set aside by the feder-al government for Florida to pro-vide health care – and also, by the way, bringing that money into Florida’s economy.”

No early-learning fundsAnd while Scott garnered ku-

dos from educators for boosting funds for K-12, colleges and uni-versities, there were no new dol-lars in the governor’s spending plan for early learning, despite a waiting list of 68,000 children for school-readiness programs statewide.

“Nothing I saw in the budget message tells me that early learn-

ing is anywhere close to the pri-ority it needs to be,” said David Lawrence, co-founder and presi-dent of the Children’s Movement of Florida. “One example only: How can we stay at $2,386 per pre-kindergarten student, and yet pay at least $51,000 to incar-cerate a juvenile?”

Democratic gubernatorial can-didate Nan Rich, known for her children’s advocacy while in the Legislature, said education is a continuum, starting with child care, and that early learning was key to future success.

“We could have been the [school readiness] model for the nation, and instead we don’t meet the quality national stan-dards,” said Rich. “You can’t have high quality when you fund it at $2,386 and the national average is $4,100. And we still don’t have even a goal of degreed teachers, of people who actually have the background and education to teach 4-year-olds.”

The state Office of Early Learn-ing has been through some tur-moil in the last year, and Rep. Er-ik Fresen, chairman of the House subcommittee on education ap-propriations, is working on a bill to address governance and fund-

ing formula issues.“It (Scott’s budget proposal)

is level funding,” said Shan Goff, the new director of the Office of Early Learning, “and we are look-ing for ways we can maximize our services to families and chil-dren, given our current appropri-ations.”

Serious questionsRoy Miller, president of the

Children’s Campaign, said that as an independent advocacy or-ganization, he’s “always wary and generally skeptical of quotes from provider organizations in sup-port of their overseers’ budgets.” Miller said his group will inde-pendently evaluate the budget.

“Our initial reaction, though, is that it is not need driven,” he said, “and we are circumspect about the catch phrase, ‘Florida Fami-lies First,’ when we immediately see reductions in juvenile justice and children and families. How many children is it serving? How large are the caseloads? How many families are going without mental health, alcohol and drug treatment? How many families are on a waiting list for child care and before- and after-school pro-grams?”

‘Florida Families First’ budget draws mixed reactions

Rehabilitation initiative credited with reduction of prison admissions

BY MARGIE MENZELTHE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – Fewer Florida prison inmates are re-offending after their re-lease, Corrections Secre-tary Mike Crews said Mon-day.

The percentage of in-mates who commit anoth-er crime within three years of release has dropped from 33 percent for those freed as of 2003 to 27.6 per-cent for those freed as of 2008.

The drop in re-offenders contributed to a reduction in the total number of in-mates admitted, which de-creased from 41,054 in fis-cal year 2007-08 to 32,279 for fiscal year 2011-12.

Crews said DOC had put new emphasis on correct-ing some of the conditions that land an overwhelming number of inmates behind bars to begin with – a lack of education, vocation-al training, mental health and/or substance abuse treatment.

‘Significant cultural change’

By taking on the con-ditions that lead released felons to commit crimes again, the agency is help-ing keep Florida safe, Crews said.

“If you live in Florida when these inmates are released, they’re standing in the grocery store line next to you,” Crews said. “Eighty-seven percent of our current inmate popu-lation right now will be re-leased, and they’re going to be released back into our communities.”

Crews acknowledged that the Transition from Prison to Community Ini-tiative, with its increased

emphasis on rehabilita-tion, “is a significant cul-tural change” for DOC.

“Historically in our agen-cy, it has been about lock-ing them up, turning them out and hoping for the best when they get out,” Crews said. “I think we’ve all seen that just does not work when you look at the ex-ploding rates that we saw for a number of years.”

The move comes as an increasing number of in-terest groups – particularly in the business communi-ty – are arguing that Flori-da spends too much mon-ey on criminal justice, at the expense of other things business wants like im-proved education.

Millions in savingsA one percent reduction

in recidivism equates to a savings of nearly $19 mil-lion over five years, accord-ing to DOC data.

And according to Gov. Rick Scott, taxpayers have realized a savings of $44 million by reducing the re-cidivism rate.

“We’re reinvesting a por-tion of that savings by pro-viding hardworking cor-rections employees bonus-es for their service in mak-ing our communities safer,” Scott said in a statement.

Scott also has recom-mended lawmakers ear-mark $5.4 million to open the Gadsden Re-Entry Center at the Florida Pub-lic Safety Institute.

Crews credited the re-entry program, which al-ready has four locations statewide, with helping in-mates prepare for release and transition to success-fully to work and family life.

The drop in re-offenders contributed to a reduc-tion in the total number of inmates admitted, which decreased from 41,054 in fiscal year 2007-08 to 32,279 for fis-cal year 2011-12.

Fewer inmates re-offending after release

SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

Willie E. Gary recently was honored during the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s 16th Annual Rainbow/PUSH Wall Street Economic Summit – “Access to Capi-tal” luncheon. The event was held at The Roosevelt Hotel in New York City and aimed to enhance fi-nancial literacy among minorities and encour-age corporate America to hire, promote and retain minority workers.

Dr. Julianne Malveaux presented Gary with the Trailblazer Award and ap-plauded Gary for his ac-complishments as a trial attorney and his commit-ment to youth, education and community service.

Former President Bill

Clinton was the keynote speaker and Grammy Award-winning artists Mary Mary performed. The luncheon attracted over 300 business leaders, elected officials and cler-gy who share in Jackson’s vision and the beliefs of the Rainbow/PUSH Wall Street Economic Summit.

Challenge by GaryDuring his remarks,

Gary challenged audi-ence members to remem-ber the obligation to help those that are less fortu-nate.

“It is imperative that as leaders in our com-munities, we reach back and help those that need a little motivation,” com-mented Gary. “It is also up to us to provide em-ployment opportunities

for young boys and girls as they graduate high school and college. None of us made it to where we are today on our own. It was because we stood on the shoulders of others that we are where we are to-day and we don’t have the right to not help one an-other.’’

Gary is well-known for his philanthropic en-deavors. In 1994, he and his wife, Dr. Gloria Gary, founded the Gary Foun-dation, which provides college scholarships to at-risk students who wish to attend college. The Garys have donated millions of dollars to help historically Black colleges and univer-sities, (HBCUs) including $10 million to their alma mater, Shaw University in Raleigh, N.C.

Florida-based attorney, philanthropist honored at Rainbow/PUSH economic summit

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, Dr. Julianne Malveaux, for-mer President Bill Clinton and attorney Willie Gary (right ) pose for a photo at the Rainbow/PUSH Wall Street Eco-nomic Sum-mit luncheon.

FEBRUARY 8 – FEBRUARY 14, 2013A4 EDITORIAL

There is lots of buzz about our nation’s “economic recovery” in these first weeks of 2013. The stock market has been rising, some would say even soaring. We postponed the fiscal cliff cri-sis, albeit only for a few weeks – March is the new deadline.

The tone and tenor of debt ceiling conversations has shifted slightly, though this will not be an issue easily negotiated. Presi-dent Obama says that raising the debt ceiling to pay old bills is the right thing to do; Republicans in the House showed no reluctance in authorizing spending for two wars and other matters. Now they don’t want to pay for it.

For the first time since 2009 our economy shrunk in the last quarter of 2012, largely because of cuts in defense spending (that were not balanced by increased spending in other areas), a slug-gish world economy that could not absorb US exports. Also, in-

ventory grew slowly, suggesting that some retailers are pessimis-tic about the level of spending this year.

Some economists suggest that this drag is a one-time thing since part of the drag has oc-curred because of factory and re-tail store shutdowns due to Hur-ricane Sandy.

Recession likelyAdditionally, they say that the

economy should adjust to de-fense spending cuts rather quick-ly. And they cite strong consum-er spending and business invest-ment in the fourth quarter as positives.

Even with the fourth-quarter shrinkage, growth in 2012 was higher than growth in 2011, sug-gesting that we are on the right path to economic recovery.

Just a minute, though. If the economy contracts because of a cut in defense spending, what will happen when federal spend-ing is cut by 7 to 10 percent, ei-ther through automatic cuts or budget cutting negotiations.

Less disposable incomeThere are other factors of con-

cern as we look ahead. Every-one will get a 2 percent pay cut because the Social Security tax has returned to prior levels after we have experienced cuts for two years. A family earning $50,000 a year has $1000 less to spend, and it has already shown up in pay-checks for those who are paid bi-weekly.

Less disposable income means less consumer spending, means

the possibility of economic slow-down since consumer spending drives more than two-thirds of the economy.

Another factor in the possibil-ity of economic slowdown is the troubled employment situation. Though unemployment rates are lower than they were two years ago, an overall unemployment rate of more than 7 percent is un-acceptable

That means that the African-American unemployment rate is likely to remain between 13 and 14 percent, officially, and more than 25 percent unofficially.

Employed people neededCongress has not enacted the

American Jobs Act, which Pres-ident Obama introduced in 2011, because they say it costs too much. This is a case of be-ing penny wise and pound-fool-ish. Employed people pay tax-es. Employed people contribute to their communities. Gainfully employed people avoid the so-cial pathologies that come with unemployment. Albert Camus once said, “Without work all life

is rotten.”Studies show that unemployed

people experience a loss of self-esteem, societal alienation, and depression, among other things. A jobs creation program would be good both for morale and the economy.

The budget cuts Congress in-sists on may well push our econ-omy back into recession. On the other hand, increased spending on job programs will mean in-creased consumer spending and therefore economic recovery. The choice is between recession and economic growth.

Those who claim to have the best interests of our nation at heart seem not to support a path that will lead us to economic growth. That’s a sorry commen-tary on the leadership of the Re-publican-dominated House of Representatives.

Julianne Malveaux is a D.C.-based economist and author. Click on this story at www.fl-courier.com to write your own response.

Budget cuts will slow economy

Charles W. Cherry, Sr. (1928-2004), Founder Julia T. Cherry, Senior Managing Member, Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC

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Opinions expressed on this editorial page are those of the writers, and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of the newspaper or the publisher.

THE CREDO OF THE BLACK PRESSThe Black Press believes that Americans can best lead the world away from racism and national

antagonism when it accords to every person, regardless of race, color or creed, full human and

legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person. The Black Press strives to help every person in

the firm belief...that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back.

No longer the “salt of the earth”: In an October 2011 column subtitled “The winds of war?”, I wrote about the Obama admin-istration’s use of drones for targeted assas-sinations:

And where is Black individual or orga-nizational “leadership” on this? Nothing from the Congressional Black Caucus, the NAACP, the National Action Network, or faith-based organizations.

Black America used to be the moral “salt of the earth,” the litmus test of America’s claim to be free, just, and democratic. Our ancestors shed blood, fought in the courts and in the streets, and willingly gave their lives to fight for racial equality in America. EVERYBODY – White women, unions, gays, the disabled, and America itself – benefited from the lessons learned from Black Amer-ica’s 400-year struggle against slavery and legalized, government-sponsored racial dis-crimination.

Matthew 5:13 (NIV) says, “But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” Are we so mesmerized by a Black face in the White House that we’ve lost our his-torical, hard-won moral “saltiness?” If so, what good are we?

Last week, the Obama administra-tion signed an agreement with an African country called Niger to establish a drone

base there.Get a map of Africa (and stay with me).

See how close Niger is to Nigeria, Mali, Benin, Ghana, and Burkina Faso? There are pockets of Black Americans in all of those countries – establishing libraries and schools, building hospitals and orphanag-es, spreading the Christian Gospel, digging clean wells and treating easily curable dis-eases. “Are you an Islamic terrorist?” is typ-ically not a question they ask of the people they are helping.

So church folks, understand this. Bro. Prez’s foreign policy DOES impact you. If you help the wrong person while you are on your African mission, you can be legally targeted for assassination and immediate-ly “absent from the body and present with the Lord” at the whim of your beloved pres-ident.

Anybody got a problem with that other than me? And still not a peep from Black ‘leadership’...

Contact me at ccherry2@gmail.com.

PUBLISHER

ChARLEs W. ChERRy II, Esq.

quICk TAkEs fROm #2:sTRAIghT, nO ChAsER

Whites want immigrants who will easily assimilate

Dr. King was more than ‘I Have A Dream’

If one checks out all the platitudes made by many people over the age of 60 during annual King Day cel-ebrations, one would be led to believe that all or at least a huge majority of them were actively involved in the campaign led by Dr. King against White supremacy\racism.

That is not so, wrote Dr. King in his conveniently ig-nored 1967 book, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos and Community?

Wrote Dr. King; “In as-sessing the results of the Negro Revolution so far, it can be concluded that Ne-groes have established a foot hold….The hard truth is that neither Negro nor white has yet done enough to ex-pect the dawn of a new day. While much has been done, it has been accomplished by too few and on a scale too limited for the breadth of the goal….The brunt of the Negro’s past battles was borne by a very small strik-ing force.

Though millions of Ne-groes were ardent and pas-sionate supporters, only a modest number were ac-tively engaged and these were relatively too few for a broad war against racism, poverty and discrimination. Negroes fought and won, but our engagements were skirmishes not climatic bat-

tles. No great victories are won in a war for the trans-formation of a whole people without total participation. Less than this will not cre-ate a new society; it will on-ly evoke more sophisticated token amelioration….”

Shameless ingratitude

As for those Black folks who today like to brag about how they have achieved success mainly because the society has changed and because they are will-ing, to work hard, Dr. King asks a couple of very perti-nent questions in his book. “...How many Negroes who have achieved educational and economic security have forgotten that they are what they are because of the sup-port of faceless, unlettered and unheralded Negroes who did ordinary jobs in an extraordinary way?

How many successful Ne-groes have forgotten that uneducated and poverty-stricken mothers and fathers often worked until their eye-brows were scorched and their hand bruised so that

their children could get an education?

Historical injusticeFor any middle-class Ne-

gro to forget the masses is an act not only of neglect but of shameless ingratitude…. It is time for the Negro middle class to rise up from its stool of indifference, to retreat from its flight into unreality and to bring its full resourc-es- - its heart, its mind and its check book—to the aid of the less fortunate brother…. The salvation of the Negro middle class is ultimately dependent upon the salva-tion of the Negro masses.”

These are two examples of very perceptive and power-ful commentary and obser-vations made by Dr. King in his book. They clearly dem-onstrate that he was much more than the Martin Lu-ther “I Have a Dream” King, Jr, people have reduced him to in an annual birthday cel-ebrations.

In doing so they have done Dr. King a major his-torical injustice.

Peter Bailey, a former associate editor of Ebony, is currently editor of Vital Issues: The Journal of Af-rican American Speeches. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Focusing on news reports during the last 10 years, one could assume that the U.S. had an emerging immigra-tion problem of “Hispan-ic Hoards” inundating the southern border.

An “honest” assessment of the ‘immigration prob-lem’ shows it as a long-standing problem entwined in issues of racism and xe-nophobia. Reconciliation of these problems involves squarely facing them and moving to overcome these festering sores.

In 1911, The Dillingham Commission, convened by the government to study immigration policies, is-sued a report that, argu-ably, has colored the com-plexion of immigration pol-icy to date.

In 1917, Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1917 (Asiatic Barred Zone Act) that prohibited specific ‘un-desirables’ from entering the country.

These so-called undesir-ables included, but were not limited to alcoholics, anarchists, homosexuals, criminals, epileptics, idi-ots, insane persons, feeble-minded persons, persons mentally or physically de-fective, polygamists, pro-fessional beggars and “illit-erate” immigrants over the age of sixteen. Adding to a prior ban on Chinese, a sec-tion of the law prohibited

immigration from an “Asi-atic Barred Zone.”

Limiting immigrantsIn 1921, attempting to

limit southern and eastern Europeans, Congress en-acted the Emergency Im-migration Act, pegging the number of immigrants per-mitted from each country at 3 percent of the number of people from that coun-try who had lived in the U.S. in 1910. The Immigration Act of 1924 made American policy more restrictive by setting the national quotas at 2 percent of the number of people from each coun-try living in the U.S. in 1890.

As echoed in contempo-rary rhetoric, many White Americans possessed a pathological fear of being overrun by races/nationali-ties considered inferior.

Hispanic problem?Instead of offering Con-

stitutional amendments or challenging the citizen-ship protections of the 14th Amendment, Congress should endorse a sane pol-icy that will open a pathway to citizenship for those who

have chosen to weave their lives into the fabric of the U.S..

While states and local municipalities work with extreme enthusiasm to re-solve their “Hispanic Prob-lem,” it seems that no one is willing to examine our im-migration policy related to other nationalities.

We’ve forgotten to in-clude our northern border in the process of immigra-tion reform. While we em-brace the immigrant who possesses the H-1B visa, we must also welcome the tax-paying farm laborer who makes his/her living with the sweat of his/her brow.

The fact that millions of people, worldwide, remain as attracted to the hope of life in the U.S., as is a moth to a flame, is testament to our national greatness and our potential for an even brighter future.

We must not allow irratio-nal fear or hatred to impede our quest to that brighter future for anyone — espe-cially not we African-Amer-icans.

Dr. E. Faye Williams is chair of the National Con-gress of Black Women, www.nationalcongress-bw.org. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 168

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: RICHARD THE GOP

ChRistophER WEYAnt, thE hill

DR. E. fAyE WILLIAms, Esq.

TRICE EDNEY WIRE

TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

A. PETER BAILEy

TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

DR. JuLIAnnE mALVEAuX

A5EDITORIALFEBRUARY 8 – FEBRUARY 14, 2013

America stands at a crossroads. We can take the high road toward equal access to high-quality pub-lic education, reaffirm our com-mitment to democratically elect-ed public officials, end the failed war on drugs, recommit to the right of workers to bargain for bet-ter conditions, lower our dreadful rate of hyper-incarceration and implement the Affordable Care Act, or we can travel in the oppo-site direction and move the na-tion away from equal opportunity and justice.

Question of justiceOne reason our political bod-

ies are so sharply divided is this question of justice. Some Ameri-cans seem to believe that we have done enough to achieve justice. Others understand that the strug-gle for justice and equality is a continuing American project that requires patience and persever-ance.

There are some disturbing trends. A decade ago there were 40 million uninsured people. To-day the number is closer to 50

million. There is greater income inequality and more poverty. Av-erage Americans have lost tril-lions of dollars in family wealth — largely the result of unregulated real estate markets.

We have not yet regulated ex-otic Wall Street investments like derivatives. Our incarceration rate continues to grow; we im-prison more people than any oth-er developed nation in the world, per capita, while drugs are more plentiful and lower-priced than they were a decade ago.

Fewer boys are finishing col-lege and the rate at which we pro-duce engineers is dropping. We rank lower in health outcomes than much poorer nations. These trends must be addressed and re-versed if we are to continue to prosper and lead the world.

Racial, ethnic justiceWe seem fatigued with ques-

tions of racial and ethnic justice. Affirmative action is under attack, again. Racial profiling, abuse of prosecutorial discretion, exces-sive use of police force, runaway juries, disparate sentencing and selective prosecution are gener-ally accepted as normal, not ex-ceptional. While we celebrate the promise of the Lilly Ledbetter Act, too much race discrimination lurks in our workplaces.

Instead of looking at our immi-grant population as a strength to be cultivated, we ignore, or pan-der to them.

Our civil rights apparatus is fraying. There is a trend away from joining and supporting or-ganizations — churches, unions and civil rights organizations.

Organizations neededRugged individualism is no

substitute for institutional voic-es for justice and equality. No-ah built an ark to withstand the flood. Those who could swim

died outside the ark. Those who could not swim survived inside the ark. Good swimmers can’t swim 40 days and 40 nights. We need strong institutional bul-warks to protect us from exclu-sion and prejudice.

Perhaps the most disturbing trend is away from the universal franchise. The right to vote se-cures every other right. We are encountering stiff head winds that threaten to undermine de-mocracy itself.

Despite Citizens United, mon-ey is not speech. Our elections should not be bought and sold like vacation homes and yachts. Latter day, politically driven ob-stacles — voter suppression — is un-American. There is no politi-cal goal that justifies dishonest schemes to disenfranchise Amer-ican citizens.

America is not a race, or a re-ligion, color or language. Amer-ica is built on a set of noble but fragile premises: All men are cre-ated equal; one person, one vote; majority rule. It is these princi-ples that make the American ex-periment work — undoing them could unravel the fabric of the na-tion.

Perfecting unionYet, I remain optimistic. Our

union has been in the process of perfecting itself throughout its en-tire existence. America has been a laboratory experiment in justice and equality. The enslaved never adjusted to being considered less than human.

Women never adjusted to sec-ond-class citizenship. Workers re-fused to acquiesce to exploitation. Seniors refused to accept the in-dignity of poverty after a life of in-dustry. Young people refused to be seen and not heard. That is the ge-nius of the American experiment — we become a better, stronger nation when we insist that the na-tion live with its conscience.

Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. is presi-dent and chief operating officer of the Chicago-based Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. This article — the fourth of a 20-part series — is written in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Law-yers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. For more informa-tion, visit www.lawyerscom-mittee.org. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response

‘America stands at a crossroads’

Drug, violence businesses are doing great

“That’s what the world is today.” So says the Motown hit, which was sung by Edwin Star and later by the Temptations. The descrip-tion still applies today but for dif-ferent reasons. This confusion or chaos is coming at us like a freight train. Let’s examine some of the reasons.

The violence in our cities is at an all time high. The city of Chi-cago leads the way in this show of hatred and lack of value for hu-man life. Funny, you cannot buy a gun in the Chicago city limits but they are everywhere.

As many so-called or self-ap-pointed Black leaders scream about this madness they seem to miss or ignore the big rea-son. It is really very simple. The amount of violence or murder of our youth comes from drugs wars or turf wars both perpetrated by street gangs. The existence of street gangs and all the ills that go with it is directly correlated with the amount of corruption within the law enforcement agencies.

They could lock up the leader-ship of these gangs and dealers within a month. Drugs and vio-lence is a business to some and right now business is great!

Our “leaders” also cry for more entitlements, aka welfare, Medic-aid, food stamps, etc. That is not

what we need. The aforemen-tioned things poison the soul, kill ambition and destroy the Black family unit. What we need are jobs and there is only one way to get jobs – create them through entrepreneurship.

Back to greatnessSmall business is the best cre-

ator of jobs, which brings pay-checks to households and moti-vates accountability and inspires ambition and dreams. Our fami-lies are busted up – where’s dad-dy? Baby mamas are expected to cover all the bases. The Black segment of our population needs new, young and progressive lead-ers who are totally dedicated to returning us back to greatness.

What we have now was ex-plained over 100 years ago: “There is another class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make

a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs – part-ly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays.

Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his griev-ances, because they do not want to lose their jobs.” That is how Booker T. Washington explained our situation.

Newest job killerIt is all about jobs! One of the

newest job killers is Obamacare. This monster is getting bigger and bigger as we unravel what is in this massive bill. The IRS has just admitted that the cheap-est family plan will cost a family of five (husband, wife and three children) at least $20,000 per year. Didn’t we think this would decrease the cost of healthcare? Small businesses will be forced to suppress their jobs.

If your payroll exceeds 50 peo-ple then the business owner will be forced to pay significantly more per employee. Thus, most small businesses will suppress their workforce limiting the job potential in a local community. Worst of all, the employer will be taxed extra for hiring low-in-come personnel (for some stupid reason). Therefore, those living

in poverty wanting to lift them-selves up will be denied by this law alone.

They make the “hole” we are in bigger and more difficult to get out. They get away with it be-cause we are too trusting and de-pend on people to lead us who have not committed to really leading us and setting us free and away from their influence. They control us.

I finish with one more quote: “When you control a man’s thinking you do not have to wor-ry about his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his

‘proper place’ and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the back door. He will go with-out being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His educa-tion makes it necessary.” Carter G. Woodson

Mr. Alford is the co-founder, president/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce. Website: www.nationalbcc.org. Email: halford@nationalbcc.org. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response

VISUAL VIEWPOINT:GUNS IN PERSPECTIVE

WolvERton, CAglE CARtoons

Just imagine someone in your family traveling half-way across the country to help a family they don’t know nor have any con-nection to; while at the same time his own fami-ly is in crisis. Just imagine how you would feel if your family barely had food to eat, but yet your father goes across town and gives some of your food to a family that he doesn’t even know.

I am sure in both cases the family would feel be-trayed and a bit confused; and outsiders would surely think the father has lost his mind. Is it a noble gesture to try to help your fellow man? Of course it is. But, while it might be tragic for another family to be suf-fering, a father’s first obli-gation is to his own family, then his own community, and then the world.

President Obama, in many ways, serves as our nation’s symbolic “father.”

I found the anemic re-sponse by this White House and this president to the senseless death of Hadiya Pendleton very tragic.

Pendleton was a 15 year-old honors student who was shot and killed last Tuesday in Chicago. She had recently performed at President Obama’s Jan. 21 inauguration with her high school’s band and drill team. She was shot in the back at a neighborhood park. She had just finished taking her exams at King College Prep.

The girls were stand-ing under a canopy to hide themselves from the rain. Pendleton was hit in the

back; a male victim, 16, is in serious condition. The park is about a mile from Obama’s Chicago home.

Response creepyThe president and first

lady’s thoughts and prayers are with the family of Had-iya Pendleton. “All of our thoughts and prayers are with her family.’’

When Obama was asked about Pendleton’s murder, he went into this bizarre rant about, “well, the prob-lem is that a huge propor-tion of those guns come in from outside Chicago… creating a bunch of pock-ets of gun laws without a unified, integrated sys-tem of background checks makes it harder for a single community to protect itself from gun violence.”

His response was very creepy, as though he was just a robot, with no con-nection with his own hu-manity.

Now juxtapose that with his response to the shoot-ings in Newtown, Conn. He shed tears for those kids and takes a trip there, but for Pendleton and oth-ers who have been killed this year—just a few terse words.

This year alone, Chica-go has had more than 42 murders and 506 last year. Remember, many of these

murders occurred within blocks of Obama’s Chicago home, surrounded by a full complement of Secret Ser-vice agents.

He is driven through these neighborhoods with his military-style entou-rage, but somehow never finds the time to stop by and talk with some of the families of those who have been murdered, many un-der the age of 10 years old.

All lives are precious, but I am having a hard time watching my presi-dent fly to Newtown, which is about s 844 miles east of Chicago; but, he can’t walk a couple blocks from his house in Chicago.

I won’t apologize for thinking that maybe it has something to do with the zip code of the two cities or the polar opposite eco-nomic levels between the two cities. You always try to give a sitting president the benefit of the doubt, but in Obama’s case, I doubt if there is any benefit.

Raynard Jackson is president and CEO of Raynard Jackson & As-sociates, LLC., a Wash-ington, D.C.-based pub-lic relations/government affairs firm. He can be reached through his web-site, www.raynardjack-son.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at raynard1223. Click on this story at www.flcouri-er.com to write your own response

“In unity there is strength”

- Aesop’s Fable During the first week of

President Obama’s sec-ond term, I joined a coali-tion of civil rights leaders in Washington, D.C. to call for immediate action on the urban jobs crisis and a host of other issues ad-versely affecting commu-nities of color.

Standing with National Action Network President Rev. Al Sharpton; NAACP President Ben Jealous; Na-tional Coalition on Black Civic Participation Presi-dent Melanie Campbell and others, we called for swift action on a number of recommendations geared to leveling the playing field and giving a hand up to the thousands of urban Ameri-cans who are being left be-hind by the nation’s eco-nomic recovery.

While each of us in the meeting has made our in-dividual voices heard, we believe our unity gives us greater strength.

This was our second meeting. When we gath-ered in Washington a lit-tle over a month ago, we urged our nation’s lead-ers to commit to economic and educational parity as well as voting rights pro-tections, and criminal jus-tice reforms to strength-en America and improve the lives of the millions of working and middle class citizens we see and serve

every day.

Violence preventionWe support the Presi-

dent’s recently announced push for a ban on assault weapons and high capac-ity magazines, and his call for universal background checks. In addition, we recommend a stronger fo-cus on violence preven-tion, including invest-ments in programs that create safe spaces for kids after school and improved mental health services and treatment.

Voter suppression exists

We also call for citizens to mobilize around the up-coming Feb. 27 Supreme Court case challenging the constitutionality of Sec-tion 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which requires states and counties with a histo-ry of discriminatory voting practices to undergo Jus-tice Department review of any change to their voting rules.

This is especially impor-tant in light of the unprec-edented voter suppression campaign leading up to the 2012 presidential elec-tion.

Finally, we call for re-forms of the nation’s dys-functional and discrim-inatory criminal justice system. As Ben Jealous noted, “Study after study has shown that students of color face harsher pun-ishments in school than their White peers, African-American students are ar-rested far more often than their White classmates, and African-American youth have higher rates of juvenile incarceration and are more likely to be sen-tenced to adult prison.

Obama urgedOne in 13 African-Amer-

icans of voting age is dis-enfranchised because of a prior criminal conviction. That’s a staggering statistic that reveals the desperate need for reform.”

We urge the president to address the urban jobs cri-sis in his upcoming State of the Union address and we call on the leaders in Washington to make eco-nomic and educational parity a top priority this year.

Marc H. Morial, for-mer mayor of New Or-leans, is president and CEO of the National Ur-ban League. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own re-sponse

Obama neglects own backyard Black leaders announce recommendations

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RAYNARD JACKSON

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MARC H. MORIAL

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HARRY C. ALFORD

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TOjA6 FEBRUARY 8 – FEBRUARY 14, 2013

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Sustaining a culture of color

LIFE | FAITH | HEALTH | MONEY | EVENTS | CLASSIFIEDS | ENTERTAINMENT | SPORTS | FOOD

www.flcourier.com

BSHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE | SECT ION

HEALTH | FOOD | TRAVEL | SCIENCE | BOOKS | MOVIES | TV | AUTOS

LIFE/FAITHT

Keith Sweat releasesbook this month See page B5

SuN coAST / TAmPA BAY

February 8 - February 14, 2013

Toni Braxton stars inLifetime movie See page B5

BY PENNY DICKERSONSPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

The town of Eatonville celebrat-ed the 24th annual ZORA! Festi-val with the theme: Zora’s Eaton-

ville: Culture as Conservator of Com-munity’s Heritage. The multi-day Zora Neale Hurston namesake event kicked off on Jan. 26 with its traditional pag-eantry and robust arts and cultural contributions from the African Diaspo-ra to Florida.

A global perspective of the Humanities gave the 2013 occasion a unique educa-tional approach with invited guests from Moscow, Russia and a rare view of Native American life through the lens of award-winning documentary producer Anne Makepeace. The event ended on Feb. 3 with a practical approach to preventive disease for African-Americans by Celeb-rity Chef Marvin Woods.

The Association to Preserve the Eat-onville Community (P.E.C.) has present-ed the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities since 1990. Broadly known by the exclamatory epithet – ZO-RA!, this year’s festival marks the conclu-sion of a two-year celebration of Historic Eatonville’s 125th anniversary as the na-tion’s oldest incorporated African-Ameri-can municipality.

Arts and literatureA distinctive voice in 20th-century liter-

ature, Hurston is best known for the 1937 iconic novel “Their Eyes Were Watch-ing God.’’ The anthropologist, folklorist, and essayist emerged as a creative force during the Harlem Renaissance and ad-vanced to literary stature as an intellectu-al who was imbued with a unique ability of vividly portray southern life.

Historically deemed nomadic and rest-less with an exuberant personality and penchant for wearing hats, Hurston was born Jan. 7, 1891 and died Jan. 28, 1960. The festival in her adopted hometown of Eatonville is held each January in her posthumous memory through visual arts, oral history, traditional crafts, film, and, above all – literature.

HATitude a festival traditionWomen wearing brims as wide as their

shoulders and pillboxes touting plumes and netted veils convened at the down-town Orlando Crown Plaza for HATi-tude! An intimate affair of brunch and haute couture, the tradition is known as the festival’s hottest ticket in town and al-lows women ages 21 to 54 an opportuni-ty to be “the stars” for an advance price of $50 and $55 at the door. Rhythmic to attitude, HATitude is celebratory of Hur-ston’s colorful existence and Renaissance penchant for wearing hats.

Marjorie Phillips chose a standard black felt hat that was complementary to her petite frame and didn’t make as much noise as the more contemporary and flamboyant chapeaus at her table.

“I am not really a hat lover at all, “said Phillips. “I’ve heard so many great things about the brunch, but the most impor-tant thing I was told was you can’t get in without wearing a hat. For a few hours, I can learn to love a hat.”

Art in EatonvilleMaster Artist Charles Bibbs is re-

nowned for his innate ability to bring the nuance of African-American culture to life through his visual artistry. The south-ern California native currently resides in Riverside and began his career as a street artist who worked in as a supervisor for Boeing aircraft.

“I left aviation and became a full-time artist in 1993,” offered Bibbs. “African-American people created a market for Af-rican-American art and I was in the right place at the right time.”

Bibbs cannot boast any formal training, but has a degree in business with a minor in Art. From California streets to Eaton-ville’s Kennedy Boulevard, the spectacled genius joined colleagues on fine arts lane where he welcomed a continual host of fans and emerging artists eager to meet the man who masters both his people and color.

“I’m a mixed media artist, mainly acrylic and ink,” explained Bibbs. “I’m a believer that you paint by what you know and what you experience and that’s what I’ve done over the years and I’ve been

successful at it…the important thing that I preach is that we need to breed collec-tors. And they need a starting point. They need to be able to buy a poster and a print and as they move on, they will be able to understand what they are buying through education.”

According to Bibbs, art is based upon affordability and he belongs to a commu-nity of artists who seek to merge the ef-forts of a mainstream and elite audience to advance the art form and opportunities for all. When asked the advice he would give potential artists, Bibbs imparts, “Ap-proach it like a business and not some-thing so special you can’t part with.”

From tofu to turkeyEverybody screamed for the fresh

churned, homemade ice cream and ad-ditional sugary delights during the popu-lar “Outdoor Festival of the Arts.” Amidst children performing on the steps of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church,

courier

VICTOR K. WATKINS/SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

Patrons attending the outdoor festival in Eatonville respond to the appeal for support for the event.

PENNY DICKERSON/SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

Celebrity Chef Marvin Woods gives a demonstration that promotes healthy eating.

PENNY DICKERSON/SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

Master Artist Charles Bibbs is renowned for his ability to bring the nuance of African-American culture to life through his visual artistry. The California resi-dent’s work, like the one above, was showcased at the festival.

See ZORA!, Page B2

ZORA!

Annual multi-day festival celebrates life of folklorist Zora Neale Hurston with plenty of art, crafts, history

TOJCALENDAR & OBITS FEBRUARY 8 – FEBRUARY 14, 2013B2

ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHICAGO – Cardiss Collins, the first African-American woman to represent Il-linois in Congress, died of complications from pneumonia at a Virginia hospital, a family friend announced Tuesday.

Mel Blackwell said Col-lins died Sunday evening at a hospital in Alexandria, Va., after suffering a stroke and spending time in a nursing home.

“She was a ground-breaking congresswom-an,” Blackwell said.

Collins originally was elected to fill the seat left vacant when her husband, Congressman George W.

Collins, who represented what was then the 7th District, was killed in a 1972 air-plane crash. In 1994, the last year she ran for office, she was re-elected with 79 per-cent of the vote.

Won U.S. House seat in 1970According to Chicago Democratic Rep.

Danny Davis, who succeeded Collins, during her more than 24 years in Con-gress, Collins led efforts to curtail cred-it fraud against women, advocated gen-der equity in college sports and worked to reform federal child care facilities . She chaired the Government Activities and Transportation Sub-Committee.

Born Cardiss Hortense Robertson in St. Louis, Mo., on Sept. 24, 1931, her family moved to Detroit. She attended North-western University and was a secretary, accountant and auditor for the Illinois Department of Revenue before she en-tered politics.

In 1958 she married George Washing-ton Collins and campaigned with him in his races for alderman and Democratic Party ward committeeman. They had one son, Kevin.

In 1970, George Collins won a special election to fill a U.S. House seat made va-cant by the death of Rep. Daniel J. Ronan.

Reluctant politicianShortly after winning a second term in

Congress, George Collins was killed in a

plane crash near Chicago’s Midway Air-port.

Cardiss Collins later said she never gave politics a thought for herself and af-ter her husband died was in too much of a daze to think seriously about running, even when people started proposing her candidacy. She later overcame her reluc-tance to represent the largely Black dis-trict on Chicago’s West Side.

Although eager to continue the work begun by her husband in Congress, Col-lins admittedly had much to learn about her new job. Her lack of political experi-ence, highlighted by entering office mid-term, led to unfamiliarity with congres-sional procedures.

No ‘flame thrower’Initially, Collins was not a presence in

Congress, relying in her early years on her colleagues to learn the rules of the body. However, after several years she over-came her reserved personality.

“She was a quick study and became a forceful member of Congress,” Davis said, adding that issues affecting inner cities and women were a key focus of her en-ergy.

“She was not a flame thrower, but when she spoke, she spoke with knowledge and authority,” Davis said. “She left a mark. The mark was the raising of urban issues in a significant way.”

Collins became the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus in 1979, and at one time expressed the growing disillu-sionment of Black members of Congress, saying they will “no longer wait for politi-cal power to be shared with us; we will take it.”

She voiced disapproval of President Jimmy Carter’s civil rights record and crit-icized the president for not working hard enough to get congressional support to pass legislation making the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., a federal holiday. The holiday was created during the ad-ministration of President Ronald Reagan.

“A pioneer of her time, she was an ef-fective policymaker and representative, where she set the benchmark for many members of Congress to emulate,” said Chicago Democratic Rep. Bobby Rush.

In addition to Kevin Collins, she is sur-vived by granddaughter Candice Collins.

BY MEG KINNARDASSOCIATED PRESS

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Essie Mae Washing-ton-Williams, the mixed-race daughter of one-time segregationist Sen. Strom Thur-mond who kept her parentage secret for more than 70 years, has died. She was 87.

Vann Dozier of Leevy’s Funeral Home in Colum-bia said Washington-Wil-liams died Sunday. A cause of death was not given.

Washington-Williams was the daughter of Thur-mond and his family’s Black maid. The identity of her famous father was ru-mored for decades in po-litical circles and the Black community. She later said she kept his secret because,

“He trusted me, and I respected him.’’

‘Completely free’ at age 100 Not until after Thurmond’s death in

2003 at age 100 did Washington-Williams come forward and say her father was the White man who ran for president on a segregationist platform and served in the U.S. Senate for more than 47 years.

“I am Essie Mae Washington-Williams, and at last I am completely free,’’ Wash-ington-Williams said at a news confer-ence revealing her secret.

She was born in 1925 after Thurmond, then 22, had an affair with a 16-year-old Black maid who worked in his family’s Edgefield, S.C., home. She spent years as a schoolteacher in Los Angeles, keeping in touch with her famous father.

While Thurmond never publicly ac-knowledged his daughter, his family ac-knowledged her claim after she came for-ward. She later said Thurmond’s widow, Nancy, was “a very wonderful person,’’ and called Strom Thurmond Jr. “very car-ing, and interested in what’s going on with me.’’

Met father in her teen yearsPaul Thurmond, a South Carolina state

senator and son of Strom Thurmond, said in an email to The Associated Press, “I was sorry to hear of the passing of Ms. Washington-Williams. She was kind and gracious and I have the greatest respect for her, her life and her legacy.’’

Washington-Williams was raised by Mary and John Washington in Coates-ville, Pa. When she was 13, Mary Wash-ington’s sister, Carrie Butler, told Essie Mae that she was her mother.

Washington-Williams met Thurmond for the first time a few years later in a law office in Thurmond’s hometown of Edge-field.

“He never called my mother by her

name. He didn’t verbally acknowledge that I was his child,’’ Washington-Wil-liams wrote in her autobiography, “Dear Senator: A Memoir by the Daughter of Strom Thurmond.’’

“He didn’t ask when I was leaving and didn’t invite me to come back. It was like an audience with an important man, a job interview, but not a reunion with a fa-ther,’’ she said in the book released Janu-ary 2005.

Paid for collegeIt was the first of many visits between

Washington-Williams and her father. He supported her, paying for her to at-

tend then-South Carolina State College at the same time Thurmond was gover-nor. He also helped her later after she was widowed in the 1960s.

“It’s not that Strom Thurmond ever swore me to secrecy. He never swore me to anything,’’ she wrote. “He trusted me, and I respected him, and we loved each other in our deeply repressed ways, and that was our social contract.’’

Washington-Williams watched from afar as Thurmond ran for president as a segregationist for the Dixiecrat Party in 1948, saying “all the laws of Washington and all the bayonets of the army cannot force the Negro race into our theaters, our swimming pools, our schools, our churches, our homes.’’

Washington-Williams recalled once asking her father about race.

Name to be added to state statueThurmond defended his beliefs as part

of the “culture and custom of the South,’’ she wrote.

“I certainly never did like the idea that he was a segregationist, but there was nothing I could do about it,’’ Washington-Williams said in 2003. “That was his life.’’

Thurmond later softened his politi-cal stance and renounced racism. But he never publicly acknowledged his old-est daughter or the active role he played in her life. Thurmond and his first wife, Jean, were married in 1947; she died in 1960. They had no children.

He had four children with his second wife, the former Nancy Moore, whom he married in 1968.

Washington-Williams was left unset-tled by her father’s death. At her daugh-ter’s encouragement she decided to make her story public.

“In a way, my life began at 78, at least my life as who I really was,’’ Washington-Williams wrote. “I may have called it `clo-sure,’ but it was much more like an open-ing, a very grand opening.’’

A statue of Thurmond on the State-house lawn was originally cast saying he had four children. Thurmond’s fam-ily agreed to have Washington-Williams’ name added.

Jacksonville: The comedy show, “A Holy Ghost Party” makes its way to Jackson-ville’s Times Union Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 9 for a 6 p.m. show.

Orlando: Churches and schools will participate in the Seventh Annual Washington Shores 5K Walk & Health Fair March 9 from 8 a.m. to noon at Hankins Park, 1340 Lake Park Court. The public can register as either an individual or create a walk team. Trophies and prizes will be given to the teams having the most participants. Register online at www.orchd.com under the events section.

Ybor City: Forty contestants will compete for the Top Flan in Tampa Bay at Flan Fest on Feb. 23 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. The fest is held in conjunc-tion with Fiesta Day, Ybor City’s official day of celebra-tion of its ethnic heritage and culture. Entertainment, vendors, children’s activities and flan tastings will be at this free event. More infor-mation: 813-241-2442.

Orlando: Bel Biv Devoe, Dru Hill, El Debarge and various other artists will be at Funk Fest 2013 at Tinker Field on April 6 beginning at 5 p.m. Concerts also are scheduled in Jacksonville and Tampa. Complete lineup: http://funk-festconcerts.com.

St. Petersburg: Youths ages 7 to 11 can enjoy a night of football, kickball, ping-pong, foosball, video games and dance parties in an atmosphere that encour-ages character building and achievement, honesty, discipline teamwork, respon-sibility and respect during

“Freestyle Fridays” at the Fossil Park & Willis S. Johns Center, 6635 Dr. Martin Lu-ther King Jr. St. N. First visit free; $6 each following visit. More information: 727-893-7756.

Tampa: The American Brain Tumor Association will host its inaugural Breakthrough for Brain Tumors Tampa 5K Run & Walk on Feb. 9 at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. More information or registra-tion: www.breakthroughfor-braintumors.

St. Petersburg: First Fridays are held in downtown St. Pe-tersburg at 250 Central Ave. between Second and Third Avenues from 5:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. More information: 727-393-3597.

Tampa: Songstress Alicia Keys brings her World On

Fire tour to Florida with per-formances at the Tampa Bay Times Forum March 24 and Miami’s American Airlines Arena March 23.

Cocoa: Celebrate Mardi Gras in Cocoa Village. The event will be held Feb. 9 from 5 p.m. – midnight, 100 Harrison St., to include food, the Central Florida News 13 Mardi Gras Parade of Floats at 9 p.m. and live entertain-ment by the Soul Rebels Brass Band. More informa-tion: 321-639-3500.

Tampa: The City of Tampa’s Black History Celebration will take place Feb. 15 at 11 a.m. at the Tampa Conven-tion Center, 333 S. Franklin St. The free event will feature the City of Tampa Gospel Choir. More information: 813-274-7032 or frank.crum@tampagov.net.

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR

LUTAN FYAHReggae musician and singer Lutan Fyah will be at Revolution Live, Fort Lauderdale on Feb. 23 for an 8 p.m. show.

JOHN LEGENDR&B singer John Legend will be at Hard Rock Live, Hollywood April 10 for an 8 p.m. show.

KENNY G.Jazz and Blues artist Kenny G. will be at the Holly-wood Hard Rock Live March 3 for a 7 p.m. show.

street peddlers pushed red wagons filled with can-dy apples down Kennedy Boulevard while vendors prodded visitors into rows of white tents.

For a fixed or bargained price, attendees could purchase everything from pure African shea butter to T-shirts from President Barack Obama’s inaugu-ration. In the biggest tent, adjacent to preferred soul food and fried fish that has watered festival pal-ettes for years, Celebrity Chef Marvin Woods led a one-man campaign to help African-Americans prevent the prevalent dis-eases that affect our race: diabetes, high blood pres-sure, and cholesterol.

Behind a colorful set of fresh fruit, exotic spices and natural grain ingre-dients, Woods simultane-ously lectured and dem-onstrated a healthy recipe using either tofu or turkey for chili.

“I’m giving you a reci-pe that is easy and nutri-tious,” said Woods. “Afri-can-Americans are used to smoked meats that are not really naturally smoked, but rather injected with smoke flavors. That’s sodi-um and creates a high salt intake and leads to diseas-es that can shorten lives.”

Woods suggested smoked paprika for a spice and the grains Quinoa and Farro as white rice alterna-tives. Upon sampling the final product, many guests were shocked at their af-finity to adapt to the rec-ipe. “I eat any and every-thing, but I do it in moder-ation,” explained Woods. “People need to learn the concept of eat more weigh less: 64 ounces of water, five meals a day, and some form of exercise.”

Bridging the Black male gap

Consistent with the fes-

tival’s theme, innovative artists represented proj-ects created to give voice to the role of communi-ties in the preservation of heritage. Houston activ-ist and artist Rick Lowe, founder of Project Row Houses joined Hank Willis Thomas for an opening re-ception and gallery talk on the cutting edge transme-dia art project titled Ques-tion Bridge: Black Males.

The brainchild of inno-vators Thomas and Chris Johnson, the two collab-orated with Bayete Ross Smith and Kamal Sinclair to document provocative dialogue that stemmed from a five-channel vid-eo installation represent-ing more than 150 Black men in 12 U.S. cities. Con-sidered more of a “me-galogue,” the stream-of -consciousness inquiries run the gamut of family, love, sexuality, commu-nity, education, and the most prevalent dilemma for today’s black men: vi-olence.

A predominantly fe-male audience attend-ed an evening communi-ty engagement and panel discussion on Feb. 1 in the Eatonville Library follow-ing a walk-through tour in the Zora Neale Hurston National Museum of Fine Arts on Kennedy Boule-vard.

“The project is not just about Black males, it’s about people and how people react when put in a group, and how they re-act within that group,” ex-plained Thomas.

Featured males posed questions like the poi-gnant, “What is common to us as Black males?” A male responds: “Our com-monality is in our history. Our beauty is who we are as Black people.” That re-spondent then poses his own question and the cy-clic inquiry continues.

Captured responses ranged from the candid, “What’s so cool about sell-ing crack?” to an incarcer-ated Black male in the San Diego prison being asked,

“Are you ready for free-dom?” A continued “Talk Back” session was held Saturday afternoon dur-ing “Family Day.”

Sustaining ZORA!“We need a little bit of

money from a whole lot of people,” pleaded N.Y. Nathiri, director of Multi-disciplinary Programs and Chair of the ZORA! Festi-val National Planners. The committee dedicated a full page in the festival guide outlining their appeal to “those who value ZORA! Festival. The following is explicitly outlined as fol-lows:

“For the first since the P.E.C. began competing for tourist development tax grant dollars (2002), ZORA! Festival 2013 was not recommended for funding. However, on Oc-tober 16 (2012), in a first-ever, one-time exception, Orange County Mayor Te-resa Jacobs and the Or-ange County Board of County Commissioners, in a 6-1 vote, allocated the $150.000, $1-for-$1 cash match grant to P.E.C. as long as our organization was able to meet certain stipulations…one of those stipulations was to make a report on April 2013 which addresses how well our organization has been able to expand its funding base; and to demonstrate a “broad public endorse-ment” of ZORA! Festival by documenting the in-dividual financial invest-ments we receive during “the festival cycle,” i.e. No-vember 1, 2012 - April 30, 2013.”

Their first effort to ad-dress the aforementioned was to charge admis-sion. Attendees ages 17 and younger were admit-ted free. Those older were asked to give a cash do-nation. The future of ZO-RA! Festival and Hurston’s cultural legacy rests in the contributions left in en-velopes provided by the community. Next year the festival will celebrate its 25th anniversary.

ZORA!from B1

Former Illinois Congresswoman Cardiss Collins dies at age 81

Strom Thurmond’s mixed- race daughter dies at 87

Cardiss Collins

Essie Mae Washington-Williams

B3BLACK HISTORY MONTHStoj FEBRUARY 8 – FEBRUARY 14, 2013

ometimes, history forgets.Sometimes, the big names everyone knows crowd out

the smaller ones fewer people recall. Sometimes, when it is time to apportion honor and assign recognition, men and women who ought to be singled out are not.

And so, those who inspired the dreams, fanned the flames and stood in the thick of revolutionary change can find themselves left out of the books, short-changed in the reminiscences.

In this annual season of black history’s celebration, much will be said, and deservedly so, about giants such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. DuBois. But here, in 10 fields of American endeavor, are 10 other names, lesser-known women and men whose contributions and heroism we should re-member, always.

— Leonard Pitts Jr., The Miami Herald

THE POLITICIANP.B.S. Pinchback, 1837-1921

Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback was the free-born son of a white planter and a woman the planter owned and later freed. In 1862, he was assigned the duty of recruiting African-American volunteers for the Union Army forces, but resigned his captain’s commission in protest of the discriminatory treatment of his men. Dur-ing Reconstruction, he was a leader in the founding of the Louisiana Republican Par-ty and was elected president pro tempore of the state Senate in 1871. Pinchback be-came lieutenant governor when the in-cumbent died. Then, the governor was suspended during impeachment proceed-ings, and Pinchback succeeded him, too, serving as acting governor of Louisiana from December 1872 to January 1873. He was the first African-American governor in history and, until L. Douglas Wilder be-came chief executive of Virginia in 1989, the only one.

THE ENTREPRENEURMadame C.J. Walker, 1867-1919

She was born Sarah Breedlove, daugh-ter of a poor farm couple who died while she was still a little girl. She was married at 14; when her husband died, she support-ed herself as a washerwoman. In 1905, Walker perfected a formula for straight-ening the hair of black women; it was the beginning of a cosmetics empire that, by the time of her death would make her a millionaire — one of the first black Ameri-cans to achieve that status, if not the first. Walker denied herself no luxury — her mansion at Irvington-on-Hudson, N.Y., is said to have been a regal showplace. But the hair-care magnate was also a generous contributor to good causes; she funded scholarships and gave to the indigent and the needy.

THE ACTIVISTA. Philip Randolph, 1889-1979

His courtly, Sphinx-like demeanor belied the soul of a fighter. Randolph, a leader of the “New Negro” movement of the early 20th century, was tapped by black railroad workers to lead their fledgling union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, in 1925. It would take years for the union to even get the Pullman Co. to recognize them, years more before an agreement was ham-mered out, but when it was over, Ran-dolph and his union had won workplace concessions once unthinkable for black employees. In later years, Randolph was instrumental in pushing President Franklin Roosevelt to do away with seg-regation in the defense industry. He was also an organizer of the 1963 March on Washington.

THE SINGERMamie Smith, 1883-1946

Bessie Smith was better known, but Ma-mie got there first. Her hit, “Crazy Blues,” recorded in 1920, was the first blues vocal ever recorded and also the first recording by an African-American woman. Despite that distinction, Smith did not think of herself primarily as a blues singer — she was a vaudevillian who sang many dif-ferent styles. The Cincinnati-born vocal-ist spent the ‘20s and ‘30s barnstorm-ing across the United States with her Jazz Hounds, a band that included such lumi-naries as James “Bubber’’ Miley and Willie “The Lion” Smith.

THE JOURNALISTJohn Russwurm, 1799-1851

Although he was technically born a slave in Jamaica, Russwurm enjoyed many privileges of freedom because his father was a white American bachelor. His father, also named John Russwurm, provided a quality education for his son at Bowdoin College in Maine (he graduated in 1826, the third African-American to graduate from an American college). When the el-der Russwurm relocated to Massachu-setts, he took the boy with him. In 1827, this child of privilege took up the plight of the American slave. With his partner, Samuel Cornish, he founded Freedom’s Journal, the first black newspaper pub-lished in the United States. The paper’s then-controversial credo: Complete free-dom and equality for African slaves. As the editors put it in their first editorial, it was time for black people to plead “our own cause.”

THE FILMMAKEROscar Micheaux, 1884-1951

Oscar Micheaux came of age during the days when filmmakers routinely ignored African-Americans or confined them to subservient, demeaning roles. This was, paradoxically, the key to his success. Dur-ing the ’20s and ’30s, Micheaux wrote, di-rected and produced about 30 films keyed to black audiences. Micheaux operated on a budget of next to nothing, raising money directly from his audiences. Thus, there was no such thing as “Take two” in a Mi-cheaux movie — not even when an actor blew his lines. Not surprisingly, the mov-ies were usually awful. Also not surpris-ingly, an audience starving to see itself re-flected on screen flocked to his films. Mi-cheaux, a consummate promoter, would travel from town to town, screening his current movie while raising funds for the next.

THE SOLDIERHenry Johnson, 1897*-1929

Early on the morning of May 14, 1918, Henry Johnson and Needham Roberts were standing sentry on a bridge near the Aisne River in France when, without warning, they were attacked by a force of 32 Germans. Cut off from their regimental headquarters and armed only with pis-tols, knives and a few hand grenades, the two black soldiers somehow stood off the much larger force, pressing the fight even though Johnson was wounded three times and Roberts twice. At one point, the Ger-mans rushed the pair and took Roberts prisoner. By now reduced to using only a bolo knife and the butt of his empty pistol, Johnson nevertheless charged the Ger-mans. He managed to wound as many as 10 of them and to kill at least four more. The startled Germans dropped their pris-oner and ran. Johnson and Roberts were both awarded France’s highest military honor, the Croix de Guerre.

*Approximate year of birth

THE PREACHERAdam Clayton Powell Sr., 1865-1953

He was the grandson of slaves, the fa-ther of a flamboyant namesake congress-man and a towering figure in his own right. As a boy, Powell, a Virginia native, is said to have learned the alphabet in a day. A year later, he was reading from the Bible. A grandfather nudged Powell toward the ministry and he eventually served as pastor of churches in Connect-icut and Pennsylvania. The pastorate that made him famous, however, was at Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City. Under Powell’s leadership, Abyssin-ian practiced a social gospel that did not limit itself to the pulpit and pews; the church operated a facility for the aged, helped feed the poor, and agitated for racial and economic justice. By the mid-1930s, Abyssinian claimed 14,000 mem-bers, making it the largest Protestant congregation in the United States.

THE EXPLORERMatthew Alexander Henson, 1866-1955

On the day in 1887 that he first met Robert Peary, Henson, though only about 21 years old, already had experience as a stevedore, seaman, bellhop and coach-man. Peary thought Henson might make a valuable valet on Peary’s attempt to be-come the first man to reach the North Pole. But Peary soon discovered that Hen-son’s abilities and experiences made him even more valuable as a colleague. As Peary once put it, “I couldn’t get along without him.” The men mounted seven expeditions to the Arctic, including the last, in 1908 and 1909, when they finally stood together at the top of the world, the first explorers to do so.

THE FIGHTERJack Johnson, 1878-1946

Before there was Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis or Jackie Robinson, there was John Arthur Johnson, a boxer who became history’s first black heavyweight cham-pion in 1908 with a victory over Tommy Burns. Johnson spent 15 rounds whip-ping Burns, carrying on a running dia-logue with him as he did so. Finally po-lice stopped the bout. The victory was all the more impressive in light of the fact that Burns’ manager served as referee — a concession Johnson had to make in order to get Burns to agree to the fight. Johnson’s victory polarized the nation — a state of tension made worse by the fact that he was a swaggering, boastful champion given to publicly romanc-ing and marrying white women. Propo-nents of white supremacy seized upon former champion Jim Jeffries as their “great white hope” for snatching the title back from this unruly black man. But the overweight Jeffries, who returned from retirement for the bout, was no match for Johnson, who toyed with him for 15 rounds before knocking him out.

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TOjB4 STOjSUPER BOWL FEBRUARY 8 – FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Beyonce praises sisters who performed during Super Bowl

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Beyonce paid tribute to her fellow performers following her Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday, and the singer hailed the event a “proud day for African Ameri-can women.”

She rocked the stadium with a captivating dance routine and catchy tunes. Des-tiny’s Child band members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams joined the singer during a surprise reunion show. In separate performances, singers Jennifer Hud-son and Alicia Keys took the stage earlier in the evening, ultimately drawing praise from Beyonce.

“What a proud day for AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN!!!!!” Beyonce wrote in a Tumblr post. “Kelly, Michelle, Alicia, Jhud. You are all beautiful, talented and showed so much class! It was an honour to perform at the Super Bowl with you phenomenal ladies. Love Beyonce.”

Praise from celebs, hubby, first ladyThe 31-year-old opted to sing live during her energetic performance, flawlessly

belting out various hits including “Love on Top” and “Halo.” Rowland and Michelle joined Beyonce for “Bootylicious,” “Independent Woman,” and “Single Ladies.”

“Had a great time w/my sisters tonight!! Tried to keep it a surprise!! Love you all...God bless!!” Williams tweeted after the group performance.

Fans flocked to social networking site Twitter to applaud Beyonce’s captivat-ing performance and the singer received praise from various high-profile celebri-ties, including her husband Jay-Z and the First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama.

‘PROUD DAY FOR AFRICAN

AMERICAN WOMEN’ Alicia

Keys per-forms the National Anthem before the start of the Super Bowl on Sunday.

A choir from Newtown, Conn., joins Jennifer Hudson during pre-game perfor-mances before the start of the Su-per Bowl.

BY SCOTT COLLINSLOS ANGELES TIMES (MCT)

Sunday’s Super Bowl XLVII rat-ings were a little like the San Fran-cisco 49ers’ offense: Still powerful, but not quite at peak form.

In a marathon game marred by an unprecedented 34-min-ute blackout at the Superdome in New Orleans, an average of 108.4 million total viewers tuned in to watch the Baltimore Ravens de-feat the 49ers, 34-31, on CBS, ac-cording to Nielsen.

That was down 3 percent from last year’s Super Bowl telecast, when 111.3 million tuned in. That event remains the No. 1 ratings champion in U.S. history.

Third most-watched gameEven so, Sunday’s telecast was

the No. 3 most-watched telecast ever. No. 2 is Super Bowl XLV, with 111 million.

San Francisco had been favored to win the game, but Ravens quar-terback Joe Flacco set up such a blistering scoring pace in the first half that the game threatened to become a blowout. After play re-sumed following the blackout early in the third quarter, a 49ers surge fell short and the Ravens held on for the win.

Analysts are debating the role the blackout played in TV view-ing. Some viewers may have flipped away from CBS for a few minutes during the downtime, which could have lowered the average audience figures. Also, the lengthy delay meant that the game did not end until about 11 p.m. on the East Coast, which may have further depressed viewing.

TV ratings dip for blackout-plagued CBS game

PAUL MORSE/MCT

The Baltimore Ravens celebrate at the conclusion of a 34-31 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.

PHOTOS BY LIONEL HAHN/ABACA PRESS/MCT

Beyonce and a reunited Destiny’s Child perform during the halftime of Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday.

kevin

B5FINEST & ENTERTAINMENTStoj FEBRUARY 8 – FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Think you’re one of Florida’s Finest? E-mail your high-resolution (200 dpi) digital photo in casual wear or bathing suit taken in front of a plain background with few distractions, to news@flcourier.com with a short biography of yourself and your contact information. (No nude/glamour/ fashion photography, please!) In order to be considered, you must be at least 18 years of age. Acceptance of the photographs submitted is in the sole and absolute discretion of Florida Courier editors. We reserve the right to retain your photograph even if it is not published. If you are selected, you will be contacted by e-mail and further instructions will be given.

FLORIDA'Ssubmitted for your

approval

Meet some of

Entrepreneur and nursing student Erica Jones graduated from Albany State University with a Bachelor of Psychology degree in 2009. At that time, the Atlanta

native began her career in modeling and started her business in shoe design (www.styleversusfashion.com). Contact Erica at twitter.com/stylevsfashion.

Photo credit: Michelle Masso

Kevin Dorival, 32, known for his dual clothing line, One Woman Army and One Man Army, is also an inspirational speaker, play director, mentor and author of the new book,

“The Courage To Believe.” Kevin will be speaking at the Northwest Branch Library in Pompano Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. He can be reached at www.TheCourageToBelieve.com

or Facebook.com/TheCourageToBelieve CREDIT: Robertson Sejour/Sejour Glamor Shots

erica

finest

BY GAIL CHoICENNPA NEWS SERVICE

It’s that time of the year again when African-American heritage is front and center.

Lifetime Network will be present-ing three world premiere movies featuring some of Hollywood’s top performers.

The network kicked it off Feb. 2 with Angela Bassett and Mary J. Blige starring in “Betty & Coretta,” the true life story of two women who forged a life-long friendship following the tragic deaths of their husbands in the battle for civil rights.

Bassett stars as Coretta Scott King, wife of Dr. Martin Luther King, played by Malik Yoba and Blige as Dr. Betty Shabazz, wife of Malcolm X, played by Lindsay Owen Pierre.

With both of their husbands as-sassinated, their deaths led to more questions than answers.

Faced with a broken and angry America, the two held each other up. Raising children on their own, the two fought to keep the honor and the legacy of their husbands alive.

‘Twist of Faith’On Saturday, Feb. 9, Toni Brax-

ton stars in “Twist of Faith,” an inter-faith love story about a single Chris-tian mother (Braxton) and an Or-thodox Jewish widower (David Ju-lian Hirsh), whose mutual passion for music and singing draws them together.

Jacob Fisher (Hirsh), a cantor and amateur songwriter living in Brook-lyn, N.Y., witnesses the senseless murder of his wife and three chil-dren. In a state of shock, he walks out on his life. After wandering aim-lessly, he finds himself in smalltown USA, namely Brent, Ala., where he is embraced by Nina (Braxton), a

single mother who happens to be a gospel singer.

Gospel music, and Nina’s special attention to the brokenness of Fish-er’s challenges are the keys to reviv-

ing his spirit while at the same time making a difference in her life.

‘Pastor Brown’Rounding out Lifetime’s world

premiere movie lineup for Black History Month is “Pastor Brown. Salli Richardson-Whitfield stars as a young woman with a past who re-turns home to take over as pastor of the family church after her father’s (Keith David) death.

She is forced to face her sordid past and mend fences with her son (Michael B. Jordan) and sister (Ni-cole Ari Parker).

It’s a host of saints and sinners when “Pastor Brown” airs on Satur-day, Feb. 16, at 8 p.m.

Lifetime received 10 NAACP Im-age Award nominations, more than any other basic cable network, for “Steel Magnolias,” 2012’s No. 1 ca-ble movie telecast among key de-mographics (excluding miniseries), and “Abducted: The Carlina White Story,” which averaged more than 4 million total viewers.

Keith Sweat discusses love, relationships in ‘Make it Last Forever’

Lifetime Network celebrates Black History Month with three new movies

Singer, songwriter and syndicated radio person-ality Keith Sweat shares his thoughts and advice on love and relationships in his first book, “Make it Last Forever: The Dos and Don’ts.”

Sweat offers advice to anyone seeking sugges-tions on keeping their re-lationships fresh and ex-citing.

“I have experienced just about all aspects of rela-tionships,” said the sing-er. “I have had girlfriends, been married, been di-vorced, cheated on wom-en, been cheated on by women, been in love when it really wasn’t love and been in love when it was true love.”

The book is scheduled to hit the bookshelves on Feb. 12.

Mary Mary is sister duo Tina and Erica Campbell.

Mary Mary not breaking up; just taking a break

The Campbell sisters aka Mary Mary are finally clearing the air about their rumored break up.

“I will say this, we are not breaking up,” Erica Atkins-Campbell told Essence.com. “But we’re taking a break. I’m going to do some solo music. Tina’s going to vacation and travel the world. We’ve been joined at the hip the last 12 years and I think in order for us both to be our healthi-est selves, just as women, in the group, [we will] take some time to think and re-assess. We’ve been going constantly year after year, baby after baby, tour after tour and now season after season on TV.”

Their schedules have become so overwhelming and busy that the two can’t seem to find time to work together anymore. Erica also said that during their hiatus, it’s going to serve as time to reconnect with God.

Evelyn’s biggest regret: Fight with KenyaEURWEB.COM

Evelyn Lozada revealed that her biggest regret was caught on “Bas-

ketball Wives.”Since filming for Season 4

wrapped, and after her brief mar-riage to Chad Johnson ended in a domestic incident, Lozada has tried to turn over a new leaf. One fan asked her via Twitter, “Do you have any regrets? If so what?”

She immediately admitted, “Throwing a bottle at Kenya [Bell].” It’s not clear whether Bell will be back for Season 5.

This is not the first time that Loza-da has said she’s sorry about the in-cident where she went off about Bell supposedly calling her “loose.”

“One of my biggest regrets is the altercation with Kenya, I feel like that whole situation went too far,” Lozado told VH1 back in June. “I could have hurt her or one of my cast mates. You know, you get caught up in the moment. That’s one of the things I regret the most.”

Keith Sweat’s first book debuts this month.

PHotoS CoURtESY oF LIFEtIME NEtWoRK

Above is the cast of “Pastor Brown,” one of Lifetime’s new movies debuting this month.

Toni Braxton, center, is a gospel singer in “Twist of Faith.’’

TOjB6 TOjFOOD FEBRUARY 8 – FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Cherry BomB meatloaf SliderSSubmitted by Richard S.Servings: 4 to 6Prep Time: 20 minutesCook Time: 55 minutesSauce:

1 cup chopped dried cherries�

1 cup College Inn® Chicken Broth�

4 cloves garlic�

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar�

1 tablespoon Del Monte® Tomato Paste�

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil�

1 tablespoon hot sauce�

Salt, to taste�

Meatloaf:1 pound lean ground beef �

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs�

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley�

2 tablespoons minced onion �

2 tablespoons pickle relish�

1 clove garlic, crushed�

Salt and ground pepper, to taste�

1/2 cup College Inn® Beef Broth�

1 egg, lightly beaten�

Spread:4 ounces cream cheese, softened�

4 slices smoked provolone, chopped �

2 teaspoons chopped chives�

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce�

12 Hawaiian or Portuguese sweet dinner �rolls, sliced

Preheat oven to 350°F. To prepare sauce, combine cherries,

chicken broth, garlic, balsamic vinegar and tomato paste in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat 15 minutes or until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and pour into food processor; process 2 minutes, drizzling in olive oil and hot sauce until fully emulsified. Season with salt, if desired. Set aside.

To prepare meatloaf, break up ground beef into large chunks in medium bowl. Mix in the bread crumbs, parsley, onion, relish and garlic; season with salt and pepper, if desired. Add beef broth and egg, mixing until combined.

Place meatloaf mixture diagonally into a 9x13-inch baking pan, making a long log (15 inches long x 2 inches wide). Smooth the top and bake 30 minutes. Brush with 2 tablespoons of sauce to glaze. Bake an additional 15 minutes and remove from oven. Let meatloaf rest 10 minutes before slicing.

To prepare spread, combine cream cheese, provolone, chives and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl, stirring to create a thick spread.

To serve, cut meatloaf into twelve, 1-inch-thick slices. Place each slice onto an open roll and top with 1 tea spoon each sauce and spread.

Family Features

pdating familiar family recipes is a great way to turn them into new family favorites.

“Cooking with broth, in place of water, is a quick way to boost flavor in a dish,” said Chef Amanda Freitag, judge on the Food Network series “Chopped.” “When giving recipes a makeover, I like to use College Inn Broths, which are made from premium ingredients like plump chicken, tender beef, and farm-grown vegetables.”

Amanda Freitag’s tips on cooking with broth• Lighten up mashed potatoes by substituting College Inn® Chicken Broth for

milk or cream and butter. • Add flavor to rice and couscous by cooking with broth, instead of water. • Freeze unused broth in an ice cube tray for future use.These recipes were winners in the College Inn Ultimate Recipe Challenge contest,

and are sure to be a hit at your family table. For more recipes, visit www.collegeinn.com. College Inn® Broth can be found at all major grocery retail stores.

USavory honey muStard PoaChed PearS and figSSubmitted by Pamela V.Servings: 4 to 6Prep Time: 10 minutesCook Time: 25 minutes

2 cups College Inn® Chicken Broth�

1 cup dry white wine�

1 cup water�

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard�

3 tablespoons honey, divided �

1 tablespoon lemon juice�

2 bay leaves�

4 pears (firm variety such as Bosc), �peeled, halved and cored6 ounces dried figs, stems �removed1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts�

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese or �goat cheeseTrace diameter of large saucepan

onto parchment paper. Cut out and set aside.

Combine broth, white wine, water, mustard, 2 tablespoons honey, lemon juice and bay leaves in large saucepan. Bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes.

Add pears, core-side-up, and figs; cover with vented parchment paper so pears stay fully submerged.

Simmer 20 minutes until pears are fork-tender.

Toast hazelnuts in small, non-stick sauté pan over medium high heat, about 2 min utes or until fragrant, stirring constantly. Quickly remove nuts from pan onto a separate plate.

To serve, remove pears from poaching liquid and place onto individual salad plates. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon honey and sprinkle with nuts and cheese.

Creamy ChiCken enChilada SouPSubmitted by Pamela V.Servings: 4 to 6Prep Time: 20 minutesCook Time: 45 minutesSoup:

4 to 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (1 pound)�

1/2 cup canola oil, divided�

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided�

2 soft corn tortillas, sliced into 1/4-inch strips�

1 small onion, diced�

1 clove garlic, minced�

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder�

1 teaspoon ground cumin�

1/4 cup lime juice �

1/4 teaspoon lime zest�

1 quart College Inn® Chicken Broth�

1 can (14.5 ounces) Del Monte® Diced Tomatoes, undrained�

1 can (4 ounces) diced green chilies, drained�

4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese �

Toppings:Fried tortilla strips�

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese�

2 green onions, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces�

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place chicken in 8x8-inch glass baking dish. Brush with 1

tablespoon oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Shred cooked chicken meat with 2 forks and set aside.

Heat remaining oil in small skillet. Add tortilla strips in 2 batches; fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes each batch. Drain on paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and set aside. Reserve 1 table spoon oil for Step 4.

Heat reserved 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 to 60 seconds, stirring constantly. Do not brown garlic. Add chili powder and cumin; stir and cook 15 to 30 seconds.

Quickly stir in lime juice, lime zest, broth, tomatoes, and diced chilies. Bring mixture to a boil, and reduce heat to simmer. Add cream cheese. Simmer until cream cheese is melted.

Stir in shredded chicken, cook about 5 minutes.Ladle into individual soup bowls, and garnish with tortilla

strips, cheddar cheese and green onion.

Fresh takes on family recipes