Daytona Times - January 05, 2017

Doctors: Young Blacks benefit from HPV vaccine SEE PAGE 5

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REV. JESSE JACKSON: AS PRESIDENT OBAMA DEPARTS, WE OWE HIM OUR THANKS PAGE 4

SPRUCE CREEK TEAM A COMBINATION OF TALENT, DEPTH AND VERSATILITY SEE PAGE 7

East Central Florida’s Black Voice JANUARY 5 - JANUARY 11, 2017

YEAR 42 NO. 1

www.daytonatimes.com

Did Chitwood improve relations as police chief?

PHOTOS BY DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./HARDNOTTSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry addresses the large crowd gathered at Bethune-Cookman University’s Performing Arts Center during the swearing-in ceremony.

Black leaders, residents offer positive comments about his former role as Daytona’s top cop

Residents react Many applaud his efforts with reaching out to the Black community.

“I think that he did well in that aspect. I don’t get in trouble, but my son has,’’ said Daytona resident Carla Jennings. “He and others that I know said that Chitwood is pretty cool. It seems that those against

BY ANDREAS BUTLER DAYTONA TIMES

Brenda Jackson, the first African-American author to make both the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists, will be one of the featured authors at this month’s F.R.E.S.H. Book Festival in Daytona Beach.

The festival takes place Jan. 12-14 and will include presentations by Jackson and other authors as well as a first-time film festival. The festival will kick off the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday weekend festivities in Daytona Beach.

“We always hold the F.R.E.S.H. Book Festival on the second weekend of January. It just so happens that this year it falls on MLK weekend. What a great way to honor Dr. King and his legacy. Dr. Brenda King was big on Jackson literacy,” Donna Gray-Banks, director of the F.R.E.S.H. Book Festival, told the Daytona Times.

Seasoned novelist

BY ANDREAS BUTLER DAYTONA TIMES

A nearly packed house at BethuneCookman University’s Performing Arts Center watched Tuesday as former Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood was sworn in as sheriff of Volusia County.

Chitwood was elected to the position last year after spending 10 years as the Daytona chief, where he oversaw 246 officers. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office has around 460 sworn positions, 477 civilian and 219 volunteers according to its website.

As Daytona’s top cop, Chitwood is credited with reducing crime and improving relations between police and the community.

Chitwood was a regular at events in the Black community and was known for being approachable and available to regular citizens.

On Tuesday, he talked about diversity.

“We speak 24 different languages in this county. There are people… Black, Brown, White, Yellow and so forth. It’s all there. Our job in law enforcement is to make sure everyone gets protected evenly and fairly. No favorites in law.”

F.R.E.S.H. festival will include books, films

New Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood says he will be accessible and transparent during his remarks on Tuesday. him are the ones breaking the law.’’

Lashara Poole moved to Daytona eight years ago from Newark, New Jersey.

She said, “I think that he did well in that aspect, but I think the police need to do more about the younger people who are fighting, breaking stuff and causing problems in Soul City (a nickname for the Garden City Apartments). I really don’t think the police are that bad down here. They are where I’m from.”

Others don’t believe that much has changed.

“I don’t think the gap has been bridged that much between the Black community and the police. Chitwood could have if

he had stayed longer. He may do it more as sheriff because he knows the mistakes made as police chief. Also, he’s at a larger force with more authority and has a better grip of how to handle things,” responded a resident who would only identify himself as Smokey.

Hands-on leader The Rev. Derrick Harris worked with Chitwood as a businessman and clergy in Daytona Beach. Harris is pastor of Master’s Domain Church of God in Christ and serves as president of the Black Clergy AlSee SHERIFF, Page 2

Since her first book “Tonight and Forever” in 1995, Jackson has written more than 100 books and novels. She is known for penning romance novels.

“Jackson is a seasoned veteran novelist with a long career.

For a Black woman with a career as long as hers in this field is unheard of. She is definitely a statesman,” said Gray-Banks.

Some of Jackson’s other works include “A Lovers Vow,’’ “Delaney Desert Sheikh,’’ “A Man’s Promise,” “A Brother’s Honor,” and “A Silken Thread.’’

Jackson also had a 37-year career in insurance with State Farm, many in management before retiring.

She also has several scholarships in her name, including the Brenda Jackson Literary Scholarship through Delta Sigma Theta Sorority ($2,000), Brenda Jackson Empowerment Scholarship through PACE Center for Girls ($1,000) and the Brenda Jackson Leadership Award ($1,000).

Activist and filmmaker Other featured authors are civil rights activist and TV-show host Harold Michael Harvey and filmmaker, director and educator Booker T. Mattison.

“Harvey has written so many books on some of the very important events in our history. Mattison has had such great success in film and telling stories with his See F.R.E.S.H., Page 2

African American Chamber to honor businesses at Jan. 14 event BLACKNEWS.COM

The African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida (AACCCF) will presents its 2017 Eagle Awards on Jan. 14 at Walt Disney World’s Contemporary Resort in Lake Buena Vista.

The AACCCF will recognize businesses that have made a positive impact on the Central Florida community.

Serving Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia counties, the AACCCF advocates for the advancement of Black

ALSO INSIDE

and minority-owned businesses in Central Florida.

The following awards will be presented: Emerging Business Award, Enterprise Business Award, Corporate Recognition Award, Humanitarian Award, Small Business Advocate Award, and Eagle Award.

A silent auction and reception take place at 5:30 p.m. and the gala begins at 7 p.m.

For more information, visit www.blackcommerce.org/eagleawards send an email to lmorris@blackcommerce.org.

Above are honorees from a previous Eagle Awards.

COMMUNITY: EAGLES GOLF CLUB OF PALM COAST HOSTS TOURNAMENT WITH HOLIDAY THEME | PAGE 3 NATION: PLANS UNDERWAY FOR NATIONAL LYNCHING MUSEUM IN ALABAMA | PAGE 8

R2 Clergy to speak about King’s speeches A Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration is scheduled at 4 p.m. Jan. 15 at Master’s Domain Church of God in Christ, 511 Fremont Ave., Daytona Beach.

The following clergy leaders will be speaking on one of King’s speeches. The leaders’ choirs also will perform.

Lineup of speakers “Remaining Awake Through a Revolution” Rev. Jeffrey Dove Allen Chapel A.M.E., New Smyrna Beach “Loving Your Enemies” Imam Bilal Islamic Center of Daytona Beach “Where Do We Go from Here?’’

Father Phil Egitto Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church “Where Do We Go from Here?”

Bishop Kim Holt Raising Up Nations World Ministries “I Have A Dream’ Rev. Lenorris Dixon Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church “Letter from the Birmingham Jail” “How Long Not Long” Pastor Nathaniel Anderson Tubman-King Community Church “Letter from The Birmingham Jail” Bishop William Lee Daytona Deliverance Church of God

AAUW Flagler schedules membership event The American Association of University Women (AAUW) - Flagler Branch will host its annual membership gathering on Thursday, Jan. 26, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Hammock Wine & Cheese Garden, 5368 N. Oceanshore Blvd., Palm Coast.

At the AAUW’s Jan. 14 meeting, Leslie Kemp Poole, an adjust professor of environmental studies and history at Rollins College in Winter Park, will be the 11 a.m. speaker. The meeting will be held at Pine Lakes Golf Club, 400 Pine Lakes Parkway, Palm Coast.

Poole is the author of “Saving Florida: Women’s Fight for the Environment in the Twentieth Century,’’ her

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JANUARY 5 – JANUARY 11, 2017

most recent work. Saving Florida reveals how women’s clubs prompted legislation to establish Florida’s first state park, which later became the co ore of Everglades National Park, in 1916–before women even had the right to vote.

College scholarships For more than three decades, AAUW has helped women and girls in Flagler County break through barriers through a host of scholarship opportunities.

Students of all ages getting ready to enter college or those already attending are encouraged to apply for our scholarships as a way to assist with continuing education requirements.

Details about scholarships can found at AAUW-Flagler.

The deadline for college and graduate students is Feb. 10.

The public is invited to attend a brunch and hear panelists from the department of juvenile justice, law enforcement and the district attorney’s office. The panel will explain civil citation and direct file.

The program is sponsored by the League of Women Voters Volusia County. It will be held on Jan. 14 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Holiday Inn, 137 Automall Circle, Daytona Beach.

Deadline for reservations is Wednesday, Jan. 11. The cost is $20 at the door.

For more information, call 386-492-3898 or send an email to jeanne622lwvvc.cfl. rr.com.

City to host Jan. 12 health fair The City of Daytona Beach Leisure Services’ second annual Quality of Life Health Fair will be Thursday, Jan. 12 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Schnebly Recreation Center, 110 N. Atlantic Ave. The free event will include flu and pneumonia shots, weight and BMI checks, vision and hearing tests, blood pressure checks, glucose testing, and pulse oxygen checks. Information on diabetes, health care and insurance, senior services and disability support will be provided.

The title sponsors are VITAS Healthcare, Greystone Health Network and Thrivent Financial.

For more information, call 386-671-3560.

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Community Film Festival The book festival will begin with its first Community Film Festival at Bethune-Cookman University’s Performing Arts Center on Thursday, Jan. 12 begin-

Jan. 7 service set for Edith Hodges A Celebration of Life for Edith Goodman White Hodges will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7 at Midtown Cultural & Educational Center, 925 George. W. Engram Blvd, Daytona Beach.

Mrs. Hodges passed away on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016.

A native of Daytona Beach, Mrs. Hodges was born on March 18, 1942 to the late Rev. Nathan R. and Henrietta Goodman. She was well known in the commu-

nity and touched many lives with her music and caring spirit. She worked in the field of nursing for over 40 years before retiring. She was a passionate traveler visiting many places throughout the world.

Mrs. Hodges was the fourth child of six siblings and is preceded in death by father, mother, three brothers, one sisEdith ter and son Gregory.

Hodges She is survived by her husband, Thelogust Hodges; son Leonard; daughters Gloria and Pam; grandchildren and great grandchildren; one sister, Bettye Goodman; and other relatives.

League of Women Voters to present forum

F.R.E.S.H. short stories on the screen.

Jackson, Harvey and Mattison just make a dynamic trio for this event,” BanksGray noted.

Harvey is the author of “Justice in the Rounds” and “Paper Puzzle.’’ The former attorney was awarded the 1996 R.E. Thomas Civil Rights award for his work in “Paper Puzzle” on the arrests of Black students during Freaknik in Atlanta. He also was awarded 1976 Outstanding Journalist Award by the National Association of Black Journalists.

Mattison won the second-ever award for Ebony. com and kweliTV’s ‘Color TV award for his film “Habeas Corpus.’’ His other films include “Exit 13” and “The Gilden Six Bitz,” based on a Zora Neal Hurston book. Mattison also has written two books – “Snitch and “Unsigned Hype.’’ He is working on a third titled “Friendship Village,” which he hopes to make into another short film.

OBITUARY

Booker T. Mattison

Harold Michael Harvey

ning at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com.

Students get in free with valid student ID. Films by Mattison will be shown.

“When we approached B-CU, the Performing Arts Director Alicia Scott got so excited. She thought that it would be great for performing arts and mass communications students to get to talk to an author and filmmaker to encourage them that their dreams are possible,” Banks-Gray stated.

Meet the authors Next comes the annual Author Meet and Greet on Jan. 13 at the Midtown Cultural and Educational Center, 925 George W. Engram Blvd.

Tickets are $25; the event starts at 7 p.m. Limited tickets will be sold at the door. They can be purchased through PayPal at Freshbookfestivals@ gmail.com. The price includes dinner, prizes, jazz and poetry.

DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./HARDNOTTSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Local law enforcement officers helped to fill B-CU’s Performing Arts Center on Tuesday.

SHERIFF from Page 1

liance. He also owns Cut Master’s Barbershop.

“I absolutely think that he improved race relations between the police and the Black community. He was hands-on. He met with business leaders, community leaders and clergy. He rode his bike and walked through the community by himself at times. He was very direct and didn’t beat around the bush,” explained Harris.

Cynthia Slater, president of the Volusia County/Daytona Beach NAACP branch, worked with Chitwood on many issues.

“I think during his tenure the relationship between the police and community has improved,” she told the Times. “In the past, we had several complaints against the police for excessive force, racial pro-

The book festival concludes on Saturday, Jan. 14 with about 40 authors from around the country gathering at the Midtown center starting at 9:45 a.m.

The public can purchase tickets for $3 through PayPal at Freshbookfestivals@ gmail.com.

Seniors 55 years and older as well as students with valid student IDs can enter the book festival free of charge.

‘Something for everybody’ The F.R.E.S.H. Book Festival was created in 2012

by Banks-Gray, who also is an author, to promote literacy in the Black community. F.R.E.S.H. stands for fiction, romance, erotica, spiritual and health.

The event has progressed to one of the community’s popular events.

“It has definitely grown substantially over the years. Also, the renowned authors that we have been able to bring in over the years has helped it grow,” Banks-Gray stated.

“We have so many great authors here. We have something for everybody, including children. Everyone should come out and be a part of the experience,” Banks-Gray added.

This year’s sponsors include Bethune-Cookman University; State Farm Insurance; VITAS Healthcare; City of Daytona Beach; Best Western Plus;

filing, unlawful arrests and abuse of power. Chitwood always met with us to discuss the issues. We had open dialogue and discussions to improve things.”

What’s next?

People are curious to see what he will do as sheriff.

“I am excited to see what he will do on the county level. I hope he does the same or even better,” Harris remarked.

During his campaign, Chitwood said that he wanted to take better care of his employees, make the sheriff’s office more accessible and open, and use technology and modern techniques to fight and reduce crime.

On Tuesday, he cited the use of technology. “We will fight crime in real time from our squad cars with technology cameras, tag readers and so forth,” he said.

He also talked about being accessible and open.

Ila’s Diamonds; The Daytona Times; San Harrison; Carolyn Hawkins Realtor; Armstrong Media Group; Parkside Realty Group;

“To the community and our deputies, I pledge to be a 24/7 accessible, transparent and listen to the concerns of deputies and citizens.

The new sheriff added that “everyone will have a seat at the table’’ to address their problems regardless of race or religion.’’

He added, ““The sanctity of human life will be at the center of everything we will do.”

‘Much to be done’ With reports of police brutality, shootings and killings of unarmed Blacks in other cities around the country, Slater is aware that more challenges lie ahead locally.

“There is still much to be done,” she said about the city, “including initiating a citizen’s review board, community policing, increased minority hiring, ensuring accountability and transparency within the department.”

Gary Yoeman’s Ford; Angie Bee and Bartee Productions; The Links, Incorporated Daytona Beach; and the Daytona Beach Alum-

The next chief The city hasn’t announced plans for the next police chief. Longtime officer and current Deputy Chief Craig Capri has been appointed the interim chief.

Daytona Beach also has faced lawsuits for discrimination, including its hiring and promoting of minorities.

The city did not respond to a request for comment on minority candidates by the Times’ Wednesday night deadline.

“I am certain that there are minority candidates that have the experience and qualifications. The NAACP wishes that any qualified candidate regardless of their race are recognized for the job.

We know that the hiring process is difficult. It should be scrutinized by city leadership and input from community leaders should be taken into consideration,” Slater added.

nae Chapter of Delta Sigma Delta Sorority, Inc. For more information on the F.R.E.S.H. Book Festival call 386-627-4353.

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M A YNEWS OR

JANUARY 5 – JANUARY 11, 2017 COMMUNITY DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006

Eagles Golf Club hosts tournament with holiday theme Pine Lakes Golf Club was the site for golfers seeking to accomplish their goals in a “2 in 1” tournament that took place on Dec. 24. It linked the establishment as a monthly outing to area golf courses, sponsored by the Eagles Golf Club.

The weather was outstanding and the course in excellent and always challenging condition.

Craig Rudolph, PGA head golf professional, and his pro shop and cart staff were rendered thanks for excellent support and service.

“The tournament consisted of two simultaneous, but separate tournaments – one with a specially marked ‘Xmas Ball,’ which was played as Stroke Play,” rendered Activities Chair Bill Gorham, “and a ‘Regular Ball,’ which was played as a Captain’s Choice Scramble.”

Only three of the 10, three or four-person teams participating, were able to complete all 18 holes without losing the Xmas Ball, while all 10 teams were able to post an 18-hole score with the Regular Ball. A team can only win in one of the tournaments.

Congratulations to each tournament winner and the winners of the Closest-to-the Pin Par 3 Competition.

A. Xmas Ball In first place, winning teammates Bill Gaddis, Frank Fleury and Doug Coleman, Gross 89, Net 86. In second place, winning team Columbus Thomas, Ivory Johnson and John Reid, Gross 104, Net 101.

Note: The other ball returned belonged to the team that won first place with the Regular Ball.

PALM COAST COMMUNITY NEWS JEROLINE D. MCCARTHY

12 16

Dave Turco George Weaver Dave Turco Byron Stewart

Jan. 21 tournament The upcoming golf experience tees off Jan. 21 at Palm Harbor, the Eagles’ home course. It will be their annual Member/Member Stroke Play, Best Ball Tournament.

Each member will be allowed to pick his or her playing partner, who must be an Eagles member.

Further details, including signup sheets, will be available at the Jan. 10 club meeting, taking place at the African American Cultural Society, 4422 North U.S. Highway 1, Palm Coast.

The Golf Activities Committee consists of Bill Gorham, chairman; Rick Hill, Bob Ottley, Brian Philbin and Dave Pokigo.

Moreover, the Eagles’ youth golf program is headed by Darryl Oliver, a University of Miami graduate and former star player on the university’s football team.

Oliver is looking forward to more young people becoming excited about playing golf. Oliver is asking other kids to join the youth golf program.

They meet Thursdays, 5 to 6 p.m., at Palm Harbor Golf Course, 100 Cooper Lane, Palm Coast. There’s no fee. The Eagles pay for everything!

Flagler Film Festival

B. Regular Ball In first place, winning teammates Ralph Lightfoot, Charlie York, and Rick Hill, Gross 67, Net 66. In second place, winning team Nat Harris, Ed Sanchez, Hugh Evans and Jesse Rand, Gross 71, Net 67. In third place, winning teammates John Rucker, Ernie Howell, Jim Freeman and Linda Karam, Gross 72, Net 68.

C. Par 3 Competition Hole No. White Red/Gold 2 Nat Harris Bill Gorham 8 None Doug Coleman

The Fourth Annual Flagler Film Festival announced a lineup of 60 films (shorts and features) – from several local Flagler County filmmakers to films from around the world. Films from first-time filmmakers, students and multiaward winning filmmakers will be screened.

It’s happening Jan. 13, 6 p.m., to Jan. 15, 11 p.m., at the Hilton Garden Inn, 55 Town Center Blvd., Palm Coast.

The lineup includes “Umbrellas Kill,” a short comedy from Christopher Brian Roach, an ac-

PHOTO BY JEROLINE D. MCCARTHY/DAYTONA TIMES

A New Year’s Day luncheon at the African American Cultural Society was sponsored by Ways and Means. It showcased a southern cuisine prepared by Sylvain’s Catering LLC. It was enjoyed

by Cynthia George-Pegues, Gloria and Roy Benjamin, (all seated), along with John and Sonia White, Harold Durbin, Louis McCarthy, Sybil Lucas and Anne Phillips. tor/comedian currently starring with Kevin James on the CBS Monday night sitcom, “Kevin Can Wait.”

“Daddy Don’t Go’’ is a feature documentary produced by Omar Epps – known for his role on Fox TV’s “House,” ABC’s “Resurrection,” and numerous other films – and directed by Emily Abt, one of Variety Magazine’s “Top 10 Directors to Watch.”

The film follows four disadvantaged fathers and their struggles to be positive role models and provide stable homes for their children while in dire and challenging circumstances.

“Nathan East: For the Record,” a feature film directed by Emmy-Award winner Chris Gero, is a story of the talented and prolific bass player Nathan East. It features interviews with musicians and producers, including Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Lionel Richie, Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Quincy Jones, Al Jarreau, Ray Parker Jr., Vince Gill, and others.

There are other films, festival favorites, local films, international films, and those screened this year at the Cannes Short Film Corner in Cannes, France.

‘Struggle & Hope’ Kathryn Barry, festival cofounder, shared that: “We are very excited to show a wonderful film by Kari Barber (Baking Alaska) called ‘Struggle & Hope.’ Barber submitted a couple of shorts from her one-hour documentary last year, and now the documentary is complete. We will

be screening it on Jan. 15, 4 p.m.

Here is a synopsis:” Among the wealth of untold stories in American history is the rise and slow disappearance of all-Black towns that sprung up in the American West following the end of the Civil War. Founded in an effort to convince the U.S. to create an all-Black state, most of these towns have now been swallowed up by nearby counties and cities, or are clinging desperately for their survival.

“Struggle & Hope” mines the stories of the last-remaining residents of these towns, while charting their heroic efforts to ensure their town retains its independence, character, and even hopes for a better future.

The Flagler Film Festival has become the episode of filmmaker recognition and cinema screening for years to come!

MLK celebration The public has been invited to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during an ecumenical program sponsored by Chapter 2 of the New York City Transit Retirees of Palm Coast.

It’s Jan. 16, 11 a.m., at Palm Coast United Methodist Church, pastored by the Rev. Kevin James. The church is located at 5200 Belle Terre Parkway, Palm Coast.

Dr. Earl Johnson, principal of the area’s Matanzas High School, will be the keynote speaker.

Dr. Johnson has balanced a 27-year leadership career, beginning in 1989 in Volusia Coun-

ty. He began as a highly effective math teacher, then assistant principal, and finally a principal.

A school district release refrains that “Dr. Johnson believes in preparing students for success in a global environment. He is a proven transformational leader, who engages stakeholders to ensure success for all students.”

Referring to our nation’s greatest advocate of nonviolent liberation, “Dr. King was a man who truly believed in equal justice for everyone; his legacy speaks for itself,” said Thea Smith, MLK committee chairperson for the sponsoring organization.

“Over the past 25 years, the New York City Transit Retirees of Palm Coast have sponsored a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ecumenical program, so the Flagler County community can come together to reflect and pay homage to this extraordinary man,” said Smith.

For further details, contact Smith at 386-446-4657.

••• As always, remember our prayers for the sick, afflicted and bereaved.

Celebrations

Birthday wishes to James Major, Doris Sheppard, Jan. 6; Miriam Pincham, Jan. 10; Marva Jones, Jan. 11.

Happy anniversary to the Rev. and Mrs. Woodrow Leeks, Jan. 10.

NEA Big Read to focus on ‘The Great Gatsby’ SPECIAL TO THE DAYTONA TIMES

The Volusia County Public Library system will celebrate “The Great Gatsby,’’ an American classic, during a series of NEA Big Read programs that run from Jan. 14 through Feb. 21.

The NEA Big Read, which encourages community reading through programs designed around a single book, is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. The Volusia County Public Library system received a $15,000 NEA Big Read grant and selected F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel as its title.

The library system’s 13 branches will host more than 90 author talks, presentations, films, docu-

mentaries and book discussions of the novel, which was published in 1925.

Lecture at Stetson During the week of Jan. 7, each library branch will hand out free copies of the novel and calendars of events. Visitors may enter a

drawing to win a prize basket that includes a copy of the book, the film and other gifts from community merchants. Each branch will select its winner on Feb. 20.

Other activities at branches will include 1920s crafts, photo booths with props, and scavenger hunts.

The kickoff event will be a presentation by Jackson R. Bryer, one of the nation’s foremost authorities on Fitzgerald’s works, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, in the Stetson Room at Stetson University, 421 N. Woodland Blvd., DeLand. Bryer, co-founder and president of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Society, will discuss “What Makes Gatsby Great?”

Residents can relive the speakeasy from 4 to 6 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 15, at the Cinematique Theater, 242 S.

Beach St., Daytona Beach.

Wear a Gatsby-inspired costume, pick up a book, take a picture with an antique car, and take part in prize drawings and a trivia contest. Pianist Rose Shlyam Grace and tenor Curtis Rayam will perform jazz tunes from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Jazz in Port Orange Actress and writer Debra Conner will portray Fitzgerald’s wife, Zelda, at 2 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 3, at the Port Orange Regional Library; and 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, in the Stetson Room at Stetson University, 421 N. Woodland Blvd., DeLand.

She will tell the story of Zelda’s glory as one of the first American flappers and her disintegration into mental illness.

Jazz singer Sybil Gage will perform from 2 to 3

Jazz singer Sybil Gage will perform from 2 to 3 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Port Orange Regional Library. p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Port Orange Regional Library, 1005 City Center Circle, Port Orange. Gage has enjoyed a three-year residency at Heidi’s Jazz Club in Cocoa Beach. She’s also a regular performer at the New Smyrna Beach Jazz Festival and the Noble Thin Man Watts Jazz Festival in DeLand.

Kirk Curnutt, a professor and chair of English at Troy University in Alabama, will explain how “The Great Gatsby” captures the idealistic nature of the American psyche and continues to appeal to readers of all ages at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Ormond Beach Regional Library, 30 S. Beach St., Ormond Beach.

Artwork on display The Big Read also will feature six performances of “On the Radiola,” an original play written by Karen Poulsen. Local actors Jeanna Carley, Wes Jones, Jennifer Kinsey and Spencer Meehl star in the comedy, which pays tribute to the golden age of radio. Perfor-

mances will be: • 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18: Port Orange Regional Library, 1005 City Center Circle, Port Orange • 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 21 and 22: DeBary Hall Historic Site, 198 Sunrise Blvd., DeBary • 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27; and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 28 and 29: Museum of Arts & Sciences, 352 S. Nova Road, Daytona Beach Ten Florida visual artists will display their rendered reflections of “The Great Gatsby” or the 1920s through Jan. 31 in the rotunda of the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center, 123 W. Indiana Ave., DeLand. Local artist Margaret Schnebly Hodge is the curator for the exhibit, which is titled ARTiculating Gatsby.

For a complete list of book discussions, films, documentaries and other programs, visit www.volusia. org/bigread or www.volusialibrary.org/NEABigRead.

For more information, call the Library Support Center at 386-248-1745.

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7 EDITORIAL

JANUARY 5 – JANUARY 11, 2017

As Obama departs, we owe him our thanks The final days of the Obama presidency are upon us. His popularity is rising with the economy, and with the increasingly stark contrasts to his successor.

It is worth being clear about the legacy that he leaves behind.

Obama came to office facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. The global financial system teetered on collapse; the auto industry faced bankruptcy; the economy was shedding 400,000 jobs a day. He also inherited the catastrophe George Bush had created with the debacle in Iraq and government misrule dramatized by the shame of Katrina and New Orleans.

Major improvements Now, eight years later, the economy nears full employment, with more than 15 million jobs created and private sector jobs growth at a record 81 consecutive months and counting. Wages are beginning to rise, after long years of stagnation or worse. The auto industry has enjoyed some of its most prosperous years.

This isn’t an accident. Obama helped rescue the economy by passing the largest stimulus in history, the most ambitious financial reform since the 1930s, and daring and direct intervention to save the auto industry.

Economic growth helped lower the annual budget deficit to less than half the level he inherited.

Obama also passed the largest health care reforms in six decades, providing health insurance for 20 million Americans.

His reforms saved those with preexisting conditions, provided the young with protection under their parents’ programs and, although most Americans don’t realize it, slowed the rise of health care costs dramatically.

TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

‘Defining issue’ Running for re-election in 2012, Obama recognized that income inequality had become “the defining issue of our time.”

With his progressive tax reforms both in his health care plan and in the partial repeal of the topend Bush tax cuts, and with expanded tax credits for low-income workers and families with children, Obama made a significant beginning in addressing that inequality.

Abroad, Obama struggled against great opposition to reduce America’s exposure in the wars without end in the Middle East. His nuclear agreement with Iran not only dismantled its nuclear weapons capable facilities, it also provided the most comprehensive and aggressive verification mechanisms in the history of arms control. In opening relations with Cuba, he helped reduce America’s isolation in our own hemisphere and made the historic turn from a policy of embargo that had failed for five decades.

Clear majority His most historic contribution was to understand the clear and present danger of catastrophic climate change. The agreement with China and subsequent Paris Accord cemented a global consensus on the need for bolder action on global warming. On his watch, America began to reduce its reliance on coal and its greenhouse gas emissions.

Now is the time for renewal For years, I’ve listened with great interest to messages of inspiration, hope and motivation.

Some may think many are too commercial, but I welcome the perspectives of positive speakers like Dr. Willie Jolley, Joel Osteen and Michelle Obama.

Each, in his/her own way, seems to live the messages of self-help she/he delivers and has prospered from it. They affirm their belief that the same prosperity is available to those who would only reach for it in true faith.

Beacon of hope I take great solace from the messages of inspiration delivered by many great theologians who reach out with messages designed to provide uplift to those weary with and overcome by the

DR. E. FAYE WILLIAMS, ESQ. TRICE EDNEY WIRE

trials and travails of daily life.

They serve as a beacon of hope to those willing to live their lives in faith.

In my own life, I’ve made selfdirected and aspirational motivation a part of my daily routine. I’m rooted in the belief that the essence of a healthy life is a healthy mind and place the health of my mind in the hands of God. I believe that, in periods of distress or trouble, He is willing to protect me and can deliver me

12 affirmations for the African-American community At the beginning of each year, many people make various New Year’s resolutions, from losing weight to going into business for themselves. While it’s a proven fact that many people don’t keep their resolutions after the second month, what needs to happen is for people to move from making resolutions to declaring affirmations they will embrace throughout the year.

Beginning today, I would like to provide 12 affirmations for the African-American community: 1. We will value the life of all

Obama won a majority of the votes in both his election and reelection, something neither his predecessor nor successor achieved. He governed with grace and dignity, despite grotesque and too often racist provocations. His family provided a model for all Americans, with Michelle winning hearts across the country.

REV. JESSE L. JACKSON, SR.

DR. SINCLAIR GREY III GUEST COLUMNIST

persons regardless of race, creed, color, nationality, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.

2. We will not support record companies/artists that demean and degrade our women and the Black community.

3. We will not live beneath our

Obama won a majority of the votes in both his election and re-election, something neither his predecessor nor successor achieved. He governed with grace and dignity, despite grotesque and too often racist provocations. His family provided a model for all Americans, with Michelle winning hearts across the country.

He and his administration were remarkably free of scandal.

His administration demonstrated once more that competence could be valued in Washington.

He did all of this while facing

from any misfortune. I have great faith in my God and the skills and gifts with which He has endowed me. I cannot allow myself to believe that He would place an insurmountable obstacle in my way.

Greatest motivator The greatest motivator and guide through this life we live is God. Most of His greatest liferemedies can be found in the Book of Proverbs. In fact, if you look closely enough, most, if not all, of the recommendations suggested by great speakers can be found in Proverbs – hidden in plain sight!

Irrespective of any individual life, God’s plan for His Creations is one of renewal and redemption. I know you’ve heard it said that “God is a God of second chances.” In His infinite wisdom, He has given us markers and transition points by which we can measure our success, the limits of our tolerance or at which we must start or start again.

In our lives, we use seconds,

potential when the Creator has called us to be victorious in all that we set out to do.

4. We will increase our support of Black-owned businesses.

5. We will save and invest more of our money.

6. We will go back to school to acquire new skills and talents to make ourselves more marketable.

7. We will start businesses that will not only add more revenue to our financial portfolio, but will also create employment opportunities for those within our community.

8. We will not stereotype, categorize, and/or label people we don’t know.

9. We will become more engaged politically and socially

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: TRUMP’S SECURITY TEAM

DAVE GRANLUND, POLITICALCARTOONS.COM

unprecedented, unrelenting partisan obstruction, with the Republican leader of the Senate opposing him at every turn, intent on making him a one-term president. In part because of that opposition, much remained undone.

List incomplete The stimulus would have been larger and the recovery stronger except for Republican opposition. The national minimum wage would have been raised. A national infrastructure project to rebuild America would have been launched.

Progress on making America the leader of the green revolution, the next global industrial revolution, would have been greater. Guantanamo, the shameful prison in Cuba, would have been closed. The Voting Rights Act would have been revived, and much more.

For most Americans, the recovery was slow; for many it was invisible. Donald Trump won election promising working people a better deal. He appealed to our weariness with war, suggesting a less interventionist policy.

days, weeks and years as these markers. God also uses each sunrise, sunset and changing of the season as markers for us to use in navigating through life. Each of these transition points signals a beginning or ending, and gives us the promise of something new to come – something new for which we can look forward. By providing us with these markers, God signals us that any problem we encounter is temporary at best (or worst) and that with faith we can move through it and past it.

Greater need

within our community to ensure justice for all persons.

10. We will not engage in senseless discussions and/or behavior that is destructive and damaging to ourselves, our family, and our community.

11. We will support our youth and encourage them to strive to be the best in all things.

12. We will not give up in seeking to improve our quality of life.

ourselves but also people within the African-American community. If we engage in these affirmations, we will see change.

The idea is to plant seeds of hope. With so many seeds planted, a harvest will come about.

This harvest will make the crooked places straight and the rough places smooth.

Let’s begin these affirmations today.

Why just 12?

You might be asking yourself why I chose only twelve affirmations when so many others could have been used. Well, I will leave it up to you to create the rest.

Every day, we should find ways to not only uplift and empower

CREDO OF THE BLACK PRESS The 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.

Dr. Valerie Rawls-Cherry, Human Resources

Charles W. Cherry, Sr. (1928-2004), Founder Julia T. Cherry, Senior Managing Member, Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Cassandra CherryKittles, Charles W. Cherry II, Managing Members

pear to have overtaken the aim of seeking a society of greater commonality and good.

Health and education appear to be moving into a period where the right to both will be dictated by the depth of one’s bank account.

As with the fox and henhouse, the administration of (in)justice appears to be moving into the hands of those intent on turning back the clock of progress.

Despite the appearance of a future filled with great negativity, I know that God will cause the sun to rise, the seasons to change and fill our future with the opportunity to renew and do greater good.

I wish you a Happy New Year.

Dr. E. Faye Williams is national chair of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc. Contact her via www.nationalcongressbw.org. Click on this commentary at www. daytonatimes.com to write your own response.

Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Sales Manager

W W W. DAY T O N AT I M E S .C O M

The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. is president and CEO of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.

Click on this commentary at www.daytonatimes.com to write your own response.

Looking forward to 2017, I see and believe we have a need, greater than before, for the faith to move into the future. Current circumstances suggest that this year, and the coming four years, will change the nature of our country and the world.

Security for the vulnerable seems at risk while the rich and powerful seem to be welcoming a period of greater prosperity.

The politics of divisiveness ap-

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher

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.

He played upon divisions, rousing fears about immigrants and Muslims. He pledged to “make America great again,” in part by undoing everything Obama.

So it is worth marking what Trump will inherit, as we head into what is already a rocky and tempestuous presidency.

Unemployment under 5 percent. Eighty-one months of jobs growth and counting. Average wages rising at 2.4 percent over the last year. Growth at 3.5 percent over the last full quarter. Inflation at 2 percent. 20 million more Americans with health insurance. America one of the global leaders in the green industrial revolution.

A president respected at home and abroad, known for his thoughtfulness and his great eloquence. Let us hope that Trump can build on that legacy, and not lead us into a far deeper hole.

Jenise Morgan, Senior Editor Angela van Emmerik, Creative Director Cassandra Cherry Kittles, Willie R. Kittles, Circulation Andreas Butler, Staff Writer Duane Fernandez Sr., Kim Gibson, Photojournalists

MEMBER

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Society of Professional Journalists

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Dr. Sinclair Grey III is a speaker, writer, author, and success coach. Contact him at www.sinclairgrey.org, drgrey@sinclairgrey.org or on Twitter @drsinclairgrey. Click on this commentary at www. daytonatimes.com to write your own response.

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5 7

M AHEALTH YOR

JANUARY 5 – JANUARY 11, 2017 DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006

Helping cancer patients enjoy food again Miracle fruit grown at South Florida farm masks metallic taste, enhances flavors

BY MONIQUE O. MADAN MIAMI HERALD/TNS

MIAMI — Her water tasted like rusty pennies; the pepperoni pizza like metallic cardboard.

The more chemotherapy sessions Monica Faison-Finch got, the faster her taste buds gave out. Over time she became thinner and thinner as her appetite diminished. Everything that touched her tongue was tasteless.

But then, a miracle happened.

“When I tried the miracle fruit before my meal, my life changed,” said Faison-Finch, who was being treated for cervical cancer. “It was like the first time I had tasted food in about five or six weeks.

It was like I was having my first meal.”

One berry helps Miracle fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum), which grows on a small emerald tree, is a red berry native to Ghana. People have known for centuries that eating the tiny tropical fruit, the size of a large jelly bean, affects the way food tastes.

Scientists say the fruit binds the taste receptors on the tongue.

After eating just one berry, the flavors of the food a person eats within the next hour are greatly enhanced.

Lemons taste like lemonade, strawberries as if they were on steroids.

Homestead brothers Erik and Kris Tietig, owners of the Miracle Fruit Farm in Redland in South Dade, have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of miracle fruit to cancer patients at local hospitals, charity organizations and research universities since 1972.

PHOTOS BY EMILY MICHOT/MIAMI HERALD/TNS

Erik Tietig holds a handful of fruit as he stands near some of the tallest trees on the farm in Miami. another 7,000 miracle fruit trees will be planted.

The berries, which are in season year-round, are sold for 50 cents to $1 each. The majority of the farm’s production gets donated.

“The fruit is available for purchase because it’s the farm’s primary source of business and income,” Erik Tietig said. However, he said the farm consistently donates the fruit to local hospitals, cancer centers and universities.

Hard to harvest

‘A small victory’ Over the decades, as the fruit became more popular, more people began to request it and the orders became too voluminous to handle. That’s when the brothers, who grew up on their parents’ farm, Pine Island Nursery, built a separate farm to cultivate, sell and donate the fruit in larger quantities.

“We are called and visited by people in one of the hardest times of their life,” said Erik Tietig, 40. “When we’re able to help them with the miracle fruit, mask that metallic sensation and actually enjoy a meal, it’s really a small victory.”

The fruit itself doesn’t have much nutritional value. It’s the unique glycoprotein called miraculin that conceals undesirable flavors and intensifies the natural flavors of the food.

“One of the most common complaints nowadays with our patients is the very strong, metallic taste that occurs in the mouth of the patients undergoing treat-

Two miracle fruit berries grow on a plant on a farm on Dec. 19 in Miami. ments,” said Dr. Mike Cusnir, director of medicine at the Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami Beach.

Not a cure Cusnir said one of his patients introduced him to the fruit in his office.

He said he was shocked that researchers were not doing much with the revelation that the fruit can improve taste, which “has been such a common complaint of our patients for decades.”

After losing a family member to cancer a few years ago, the Tietigs were determined to help people battling the illness. They came face to face with the reality that patients often suffer extreme nausea and aversion to eating and as a result, struggle with unwanted weight loss.

“Miracle fruit is not a fad. It doesn’t cure cancer or even help prevent cancer,” Erik Tietig said.

“But what it does do is help alleviate terrible symptoms of chemotherapy in a very real and a very immediate way.”

Although the Tietig family had been donating miracle fruit from Pine Island Nursery since 1972, the Miracle Fruit Farm didn’t come into existence until 2012.

In season year-round The farm sits in Redland, Miami-Dade County’s agricultural district. The Tietigs asked that the exact location not be disclosed.

The family farm grows, packs and ships the fruit four days a week for both retail and wholesale customers. Right now, the farm has about 7,000 trees, which live in a shade house. In January,

This year, recipients included the University of Florida, Miami Cancer Institute and the Soroptimist of Homestead, an international organization that aids women and girls in need. A few local hospital systems have received hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of fruit for their patients.

“The objective of cancer care is to add life to the years more than years to the life,” Cusnir said.

“Anything we can do to keep the quality of life to the patient, so that we can keep the patient on the treatment by itself, it’s going to be beneficial, and it becomes a win-win situation.”

But it hasn’t been that easy.

Because the fruit is difficult to harvest, it took the brothers years to discover how to produce the fruit in large quantities “The fruit itself goes bad anywhere from one to three days after being picked off the tree. Most farmers had shunned the berry, because it has no commercial viability and is highly perishable.

Consequently, patients were having a tough time finding it,” Erik Tietig said.

Young Blacks benefit from HPV vaccine, experts say

BY STACY M. BROWN NNPA NEWS SERVCE

Higher rates of cancers associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV) occur in African-Americans compared to Whites, according to a nationally renowned physician Dr. Alison Moriarty Daley.

While some Black parents have concerns about vaccines for HPV including that their children are too young to even consider sex, health experts say that the vaccine – particularly Gardasil 9 – does more than help prevent the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV).

“It’s a safe and effective form of cancer prevention,” said Daley of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, an organization with is headquarters in New York.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States, Daley and other health experts said.

At an early age Of the estimated 79 million Americans currently infected with HPV, half of those newly infected with HPV are between 15-

24 years of age, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The vaccine is recommended for girls and boys between 11 and 26 years old.

“Acquisition of the HPV virus happens pretty quickly after the initiation of sexual activity, so that’s why it’s important to vaccinate early to prevent the virus before anyone’s exposed to it,” Dailey said.

“We know that HPV is the cause of cervical cancer,” she added. “And even just last year, there were 12,900 new cases of cervical cancer and 4,100 deaths attributed to cervical cancer.”

Reportedly, HPV is also linked to certain cancers of the mouth, throat and genitals in both men and women.

Rates for minorities The original recommendation of three doses of the HPV vaccine was amended in October to just two doses for children younger than age 15. Older teens and young adults still require three doses.

The rate of those contracting HPV-associated cancers varies by race and ethnicity, African-

Health experts say the vaccine, particularly Gardasil 9, helps prevent the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV).

Americans are hit hardest — men and women — according to officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Black and Latino women had higher rates of HPV-associated cervical cancer than White and non-Latino women.

Black women had higher rates of HPV-associated vaginal cancer than White women while African-American and Latino women had lower rates of HPV-associated vulvar cancer than White and non-Hispanic women, according to the CDC. Rates of anal and rectal HPVassociated cancers were also higher in Black men when compared with White men, but lower in Black women when compared with White women.

In all races and ethnicities, men had higher rates of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer than women while Black and Latino men and women had lower rates of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancers than white and non-Latino men and women.

‘Amazing tool’ In order to boost HPV vaccination, doctors should be more assertive when bringing up the topic with parents, Noel Brewer, a health and behavior scientist at the University of North Carolina, told NPR last year.

Brewer knew from earlier research that doctors contribute to that low vaccination rate because “doctors should be more

Trial and error Adamant that they would make it possible, the brothers invested their own money and built the miracle fruit farm themselves.

After years of research and trial and error, the brothers found a way to get the plant to mature quicker, a process they are keeping secret.

“We learned that we can grow them from cuttings,” Tietig said.

“We developed ways to clone them without altering its DNA and then grow them in a controlled environment.”

In the last six months, the brothers even rolled out miracle fruit tablets, designed to have a longer shelf life than the fruit.

New life for patients Their success in bringing the fruit to South Florida has broken barriers. Cancer patients swear by the fruit, saying it has brought new life during their toughest times.

Faison-Finch was able to tolerate the smell of food again; her husband didn’t have to cook outside.

Lynne Guadamuz of Homestead said she was able to drink water and get the nutrients she needed. Carol Sheppo of Vero Beach said spaghetti and meatballs tasted like they were supposed to taste — like spaghetti and meatballs.

“It just opened up the whole flavor of food again, and life,” Sheppo said.

assertive when bringing up the topic with parents,” especially when children are 11 or 12 when its recommended the vaccine be given.

Also, because the vaccine is more effective at ages 11 and 12, the CDC now recommends only two doses instead of three. However, if children don’t get vaccinated until age 15, they’ll still need the full three doses.

“The HPV vaccine is an amazing tool to protect our younger generation against many types of cancer,” said Dr. Margaret Stager, a pediatrician with Metro Health Medical Center in Cleveland and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Lowers cancer odds Strains of HPV are responsible for the vast majority of HPV-related cancers, she said. It can also cause cancer in the back of the throat, so it’s an important vaccine for both girls and boys, Stager said. Preventing cancer should be the critical take-home message for parents, she added.

“HPV prevalence has already decreased as much as 65 percent among vaccinated youth, dramatically lowering the odds they will face a life-threatening form of cancer in adulthood,” Stager said.

Stacy M. Brown writes for the Washington Informer, an NNPA member.

R6

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7

M ASPORTS YOR

JANUARY 5 – JANUARY 11, 2017 DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006

Versatile Hawks looking to take the next step

BY ANDREAS BUTLER DAYTONA TIMES

The Spruce Creek boys basketball team is off to a 9-4 start as of Jan. 4, thanks to a combination of talent, depth and versatility.

Despite losing talented players Neiko Green, Keyshawn Johnson, Reakwon Sloan and Jessie Davis to graduation, the Hawks have reloaded during a rebuilding campaign.

“We lost four starters from last year and brought in a lot of new guys. When that happens, it’s always tough. But, fortunately, we have guys who know basketball and have high basketball IQs. We just have to keep working,” said Head Coach Joe Giddens.

Creek beat Hudson High (near Tampa) 70-64 on Tuesday night.

Go-to player Senior point guard Hayden Bieri is leading the Hawks in scoring, assists and steals.

“I try to get a triple double every game. I’ve gotten used to being a go-to player and a team leader. I also do everything that I can to help everyone else constantly,” said Bieri.

Bieri transferred to Spruce Creek from Calvary Christian Academy in Ormond Beach two years ago.

“The players at the bigger schools are a lot faster and stronger so I really had to work on my speed, strength and athleticism to get better,” Bieri noted.

Giddens added, “Hayden has a really high basketball IQ. He put in a lot of work in the offseason.

He does all the little things and he has become a complete player.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SPRUCE CREEK HIGH SCHOOL

Spruce Creek High School Senior point guard Hayed Bieri (3) leads the Hawks in scoring, assists and steals.

Other key players The Hawks also have another star in senior guard/forward Jerry Antoine, who is a four-year varsity letterman who leads the squad in rebounding and is second in scoring.

He said, “My time here has been great. Playing for Coach Giddens has been cool. Coach challenges us in practice daily as well as games.”

Noted Giddens, “Jerry has always been talented. I’m glad that he stuck it out. He is 6’6” and just a nightmare matchup because he can play and defend all five positions.’’

The Hawks also have junior guard Riley Oldham, who transferred from Seabreeze, where he averaged 21 points per game last season.

Sophomore guard/forward Rodney Rhoden, who stands at 6’4” and is 200 pounds, also transferred from Calvary Christian.

Senior forwards Bryan Rerko and 6’9” Zach Smith are also making noise for Creek.

“All of these guys have really come in and stepped up. They are playing some great ball for us,” commented Giddens.

Senior guard/forward Jerry Antoine is another key player for the Spruce Creek Hawks. He leads the team in rebounding.

‘We’re versatile’ Both Antoine and Bieri believe in this team and they are enjoying the moment.

Antoine remarked, “I think that we are different from other teams because we are all interchangeable. We can all do a little of everything. We’re versatile.”

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS Echoed Bieri, “We have good team chemistry. Many of us on this team have played with each other in AAU basketball going

Coach Joe Giddens, the Spruce Creek boys’ basketball coach, looks on during a recent game. back as far as fourth grade.’’

Spruce Creek has won the district title and made the playoffs the last two years. Last season, the team won 22 games.

The Hawks now look to take the next step by making a deep playoff run and contend for a state title.

“We just have to trust in each

other. I tell them each day to not play for me but to play for each other. To play every play like it is your last. You never know what can happen,” said Giddens.

Antoine agrees, “We just have to play together, and if we do that we can go deep in the playoffs and be where we want to be – that is playing for a state championship.”

Bowl attendance down around 5 percent in 2016-17 season

BY MATT MURSCHEL ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS

More than 1.635 million people attended bowl games this postseason, with an average of 40,892 spectators at each game – down around 5 percent from the previous season’s average of 43,002 – based on numbers provided by the Football Bowl Association.

Twenty of the 40 games set higher attendance marks than the previous season, including the two College Football Playoff semifinals and the Rose Bowl.

Clemson’s 31-0 win over Ohio State in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl saw a slight increase in attendance from 2015 with 71,279 fans this season.

Peach Bowl record

ADAM CAIRNS/COLUMBUS DISPATCH/TNS

Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) scores on a 7-yard touchdown run during the third quarter against Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Dec. 31. Clemson won, 31-0.

The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, which featured top-ranked Alabama and fourth-ranked Washington, saw a 7 percent increase from the previous season while setting a bowl game record with 75,996.

The Cure (27,213) and Arizona (33,868) bowls both set new attendance marks in their second seasons in existence.

Last season, the 41 bowl games (including the national championship) drew 1.796 million fans and averaged 43,817 fans per contest.

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7TRAVEL

JANUARY 5 – JANUARY 11, 2017

National museum to honor lynching victims Memorial is planned on Alabama land

BY FREDERICK H. LOWE TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), a nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to indigent defendants and prisoners denied fair and just treatment in the legal system, intends in 2018 to open the first national memorial to African-American victims of lynchings.

The memorial will be located on six acres in Montgomery, Ala., where EJI is headquartered, the organization said in its 2016 annual report. EJI has reported that nearly 4,000 Black men, women and children were lynched, burned alive, shot to death, drowned and beaten to death by White mobs between 1877 and 1950 in 12 southern states.

Not just the South The memorial, however, will record terror lynchings in every county throughout the United States, not just in the South.

For example, on June 15, 1920, a mob lynched three Black men— Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson and Isaac McGhee—for allegedly raping a White woman in Duluth, Minn., according to the book “The Lynchings in Duluth,” published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press.

The woman claimed she had been attacked. A physician who examined her said nothing indicated she had been sexually assaulted. In 2003, Duluth erected a memorial honoring Clayton, Jackson and McGhee.

Indiana case Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith were African-American men who were lynched on Aug. 7, 1930, in Marion, Indiana, after being dragged from jail and beaten by a mob for allegedly murdering a White couple.

James Cameron, 16, a third person, narrowly escaped being murdered by the mob; he was helped by the intervention of an un-

TRICE EDNEY NEWS SERVICE

Above are jars of soil from sites where Blacks were lynched. Soil from more than 300 lynching sites has been collected. known woman and returned to the safety of his jail cell.

He was later convicted and sentenced as an accessory before the fact. After dedicating his life to civil rights activism, he was pardoned in 1999 by the state of Indiana.

Cameron founded America’s Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He died on June 11, 2006.The local chapter of the NAACP and the State’s Attorney General struggled to indict some of the Marion lynch mob, but no one was ever charged for the murders of Shipp and Smith, or the attack on Cameron.

Florida lynching Lynchings of Black men were mostly carried out to protect the perceived sanctity of White women. Otis Price of Perry, Florida, was murdered by a White mob on Aug. 9, 1938, for walking past

a White farmer’s home while the farmer’s wife was bathing in an open doorway, according to EJI. The organization has found locations where lynchings occurred. Thousands of volunteers for EJI have collected soil from over 300 lynching sites as part of the organization’s Community Remembrance Project.

The jars of soil are exhibited at EJI. Each jar bears the name of a man, woman, or child lynched in America, as well as the date and location of the lynching.

EJI recently released a study about Black military veterans targeted for lynching. The report’s title is “Lynching in America: Targeting Black Veterans.” It builds on EJI’s 2015 report, “Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror.”

This story is special to the Trice Edney News Wire from NorthStarNewsToday.com.

A memorial is dedicated to Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson and Isaac McGhee, three Black men who were lynched in Duluth, Minnesota in 1920.

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