Flagler NAACP leader addresses school suspensions SEE PAGE 3
East Central Florida’s Black Voice
EE FR
JULIANNE MALVEAUX: Does any candidate deserve the African-American vote? SEE PAGE 4
BLACK LIVES MATTER AND RACIAL INJUSTICE INSPIRE READING LISTS SEE PAGE 5
FEBRUARY 25 - MARCH 2, 2016
YEAR 41 NO. 8
www.daytonatimes.com
Midway in spotlight as month comes to close Longtime resident’s project highlights once-thriving Black community BY DAYTONA TIMES STAFF
Percy Williamson’s project highlighting Daytona Beach’s historically Black Midway comes to fruition Sunday night. “Beyond Midway – The Evolution of An African-American Neighborhood’’ airs at 7 p.m. Feb. 28 on WDSC TV 15, Daytona State College’s channel. The documentary, the brainchild Percy of Williamson, a Williamson longtime Daytona Beach resident and the City of Daytona Beach’s Leisure Services director, includes comments from longtime local educa-
tors, entrepreneurs, community leaders and a historian. The film is presented by Williamson Independent Productions. On Dec. 12, 2015, those featured in the film gathered for a taping and a community forum in Daytona Beach. During that forum, panelists discussed various issues relating to Midway, including the culture, education, achievements and challenges. Panelists included Attorney Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., publisher of the Daytona Times and Florida Courier; James Daniels, a retired insurance executive; Betsey Hardeman, a retired school superintendent; Dr. Len Lampel, a retired history professor at BethuneCookman University and Daytona State College; Harold V. Lucas Jr., a retired school administrator; and Warren Trager, a local business owner and entrepreneur. Please see MIDWAY, Page 2
Bethune-Cookman students peer through microscopes in February 1943. The image was taken by renowned photographer Gordon Parks.
107 and doing just fine Mrs. Elizabeth Durant celebrates birthday surrounded by friends at activity center in DeLand BY DAYTONA TIMES STAFF
At age 107, Mrs. Elizabeth Durant keeps busy. Most of her days are spent at Sender Retreat Adult Activity Center. There are plenty of activities there for Mrs. Durant and the other seniors who attend the day facility – arts and crafts, all kinds of games, exercises, and even dancing. The DeLand native turned 107 on Jan. 21 and her friends at Sender Retreat recently helped her celebrate with gifts, balloons, cake and lots of laughter.
‘Amazing woman’ “Mrs. Durant comes to the center every day where she engages in cognitive and social activities,” remarked Ada Randolph, administrator of Sender Retreat. Randolph called Mrs. Durant an “amazing woman’’ who loves to play cards and participate in other games at the center, located at 1270 Orange Camp Road. The center has been serving seniors for the past 14 years.
Above: Mrs. Elizabeth Durant is all smilles as she celebrates her birthday. Right: Center attendees and staffers help her celebrate.
DeLand born, bred
DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./HARDNOTTS PHOTOGRAPHY.COM
Mrs. Durant was born Elizabeth McArthur on Jan. 21, 1909 to Pauline and John McArthur in DeLand.
She had nine children with Fred Durant, her husband of 20-plus years. She remained a resident of the Spring Hill community in DeLand until two years ago when she moved to Deltona with her daughter Jacquelyn Jenkins. Mrs. Jenkins told the Daytona Times that her mother had a light stroke about five months ago, has lost some of her hearing, and doesn’t talk much. Despite that, she’s in good health.
Active lifestyle She contributes her mom’s longevity to good genes and staying active. A grandfather was 132 when he passed away, Mrs. Jenkins said. “It’s very important to me to keep her active and alert,” said Mrs. Jenkins. She boasts of how her mother can still “color in the lines’’ in a coloring book. And until recently, the two participated in the SilverSneakers exercise program for seniors at their local YMCA. Gardening and making quilts also have been longtime enjoyable pastimes.
‘Sherbet Lady’ Mrs. Durant has worked at DeLand’s Duvall Homes, which cares for people with developmental disabilities as well as Sugar & Spice Learning Center. Residents in Spring Hill know her as the “Sherbet Lady’’ because of the tasty pineapple ice cups she made. She also is known for “making the best sweet potato pies’’ her daughter added.
NASCAR honors Black journalists organization at diversity event SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) was honored by NASCAR at the Daytona International Speedway in the lead up to the Daytona 500 last week. NABJ is the recipient of the 2016 NASCAR Diversity Institution Award. NABJ President Sarah Glover and Sports Task Force Member Ricky Clemmons were presented with the award during a Feb. 19 luncheon. “It was truly humbling to be recognized by NASCAR for this prestigious honor,” said NABJ President Sarah Glover. “Diversity is one of our founding prin-
ALSO INSIDE
ciples and daily we maintain our commitment to championing the cause for diversity in newsrooms, management, entrepreneurship, and academia for Black journalists worldwide. On behalf of all of our members, I thank NASCAR for recognizing the importance of diversity to providing balanced coverage of our communities.” The NASCAR Diversity Awards recognize the people and organizations in motorsports that champion diversity and inclusion in eight categories: Industry Ambassador, Diverse Driver, Ignition Award, Diverse Intern, Institution, Partner, Young Driver, and Pit Crew.
How chosen Driven by NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France, the NASCAR Diversity Awards has become the leading means to recognize multicultural accomplishments across the motorsports industry. The winners are chosen based on participation or support of NASCAR’s year-round diversity and inclusion initiatives including: NASCAR Drive for Diversity, the leading driver and crew member development program in motorsports; the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program, a paid internship Please see NAACP, Page 2
COMMENTARY: BILL FLETCHER: DON’T BE FOOLED BY TRUMP’S ATTACK ON BUSH 43 | PAGE 4 HEALTH: WAITING LISTS GROW FOR DRUG TO FIGHT OPIOID ADDICTION | PAGE 8
Ricky Clemons and Sarah Glover accept the NABJ diversity award. DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./ HARDNOTTSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
7 FOCUS
R2
FEBRUARY 25 – MARCH 2, 2016
MIDWAY
BLACK HISTORY MONTH EVENTS Blacks in Civil War Civil Rights exhibit display in DeLand at Daytona State Exhibits focusing on Blacks “Hot Lead, Cold Steel, Americans in uniAn exhibit highlighting Dr. Martin Luform from Harper’s Ferry to Appomattox’’ ther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement around a little longer continues at the African American Museum continues through April 17 at the Southeast The Emmett Till Traveling Exhibit tells the tragic story of Emmitt Till, the Chicago 14-year-old who was brutally beaten and murdered in 1955 in Money Miss. The Emmett Till Traveling Exhibit, organized by Delta State University, is at Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church in Daytona Beach until Feb. 29. The church is at 703 George Engram Blvd. To view the exhibit, call 386-753-4526 or email robinsonvalencia01@gmail.com.
of Arts in DeLand. The exhibit focuses on African-Americans who fought in the American Civil War to achieve their own liberation. The exhibit will be at the museum through March 26. Entrance and parking are free. The museum is at 325 S. Clara Ave., DeLand. For more information, contact Mary Allen at 386-736-4004 or art@africanmuseumdeland.org. The website is www.africanmuseumdeland.org.
Flagler’s Native American Festival is Feb. 27, 28 Flagler County is hosting its second annual Native American Festival at Princess Place complete with dancing, weapons demonstrations, wildlife exhibits, encampments and displays. The festival will run Saturday, Feb. 27 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and again on Sunday, Feb. 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is organized by the Flagler County Parks and Recreation Department and by the Deep Forest Native American Experience. “There will be some new exhibits this year,” said Frank Barbuti, Flagler County Parks and Recreation manager. “Wrede’s Wildlife Center (Sebring) is bringing Thunder, the Bald Eagle.”
50 tribes More than 50 tribes will be represented from North and South America at this family-friendly event, which offers both entertainment and education. “We will have storytellers and Jody Gaskin will play the flute,” said Jim Sawgrass Boettner, Deep Forest Native American Experience. “My son, Cody (Boettner) will perform his hoop dance. He was just named one of top 10 in the nation in a competition at the Heard Museum (of American Indian Art and History) in Phoenix.” Festivities will begin each day in the Pow Wow Arena with traditional dance and a ceremony for veterans. Children will be invited to participate in the “candy dance.” But dancing won’t be the only action.
Demonstrations, food There will be demonstrations on a variety of weapons, blacksmithing and flint knapping, the official term for making arrowheads. Visitors can round out their experience by visiting the wild horse rescue area, pony rides and shopping at the trading booths. Food and refreshments will be available. General admission is $5 per carload, up to four, and $1 for each additional passenger. A free shuttle service is available from the parking area to the event. For more information, call 386-313-4020.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity in partnership with Bethune-Cookman’s Male Initiative will host “Anything and Everything That Affects & Effects Males’’ at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 29 at B-CU’s Center for Civic Engagement, 740 W. International Speedway The symposium will be moderated by Dr. Terence Culver and Mike Williams. For more information, call 386451-8478.
College choir to perform at Master’s Domain Master’s Domain Church of God in Christ will present the Edward Waters College Concert Choir of Jacksonville at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2. The church is at 511 Freemont Ave., Daytona Beach.
Cultural Council seeks applicants Residents interested in arts and culture programs are encouraged to apply for membership on Volusia County’s Cultural Council Advisory Board. The board has two openings for county residents who will review and rank the county’s annual cultural grants and support the community’s visual and performing arts and history. Members will be selected by the Volusia County Council. Applications are available at www.volusia. org/advisory. There are also three openings for
The classic guide from Florida Courier publisher, lawyer and broadcaster CHARLES W. CHERRY II PRAISE FOR ‘EXCELLENCE WITHOUT EXCUSE’: “This guide for African-American college-bound students is packed with practical and insightful information for achieving academic success...The primary focus here is to equip students with the savvy and networking skills to maneuver themselves through the academic maze of higher education.” – Book review, School Library Journal
Inspiration for film
Museum of Photography. “The Civil Rights Movement Restored’’ exhibit brings together images by seven documentary photographers taken from three distinct portfolios that captured pivotal moments of the Civil Rights Movement in America. The museum, a service of Daytona State College, is located at 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd. (Mori Hosseini Center, Building 1200).
All-male symposium is Monday at B-CU
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE FOR BLACK STUDENTS. NO EXCUSES.
from Page 1
Williamson was inspired to make the documentary after the 1943 Gordon Parks photo exhibit titled “Midway, A Portrait of a Daytona Beach Neighborhood, 1943’’ was on display at the Yvonne Scarlet-Golden Cultural and Educational Center. The images were on loan last year from the permanent collection of the Southeast Museum of Photography on the campus of Daytona State College. Midway became the center of Daytona’s African-American middle class during the first half of the 20th century. By 1924, its main business district stretched for several blocks along Second Avenue, and benefited from a captive clientele – the byproduct of rigid segregation. Besides Bethune-Cookman, Midway’s main thoroughfare contained three physicians, one dentist, two churches and an assortment of 41 small businesses. Because Blacks were denied service in White eateries, Black restaurants had become especially prominent along Second Avenue; nine of them operated in 1924.
the ECHO Gallery Advisory Committee, which meets as needed to recommend changing exhibits for the gallery in the Ocean Center. The Cultural Council advises the Volusia County Council on matters relating to cultural arts and is the state-designated local arts agency for the county. For more information, contact Julie Adams Scofield at jscofield@volusia.org or 386-736-5953, ext. 12008.
Church to host education forum Issues in K-12 education will be discussed on Feb. 27 at the Unitarian-Universalist Congregation, 56 N. Halifax Drive, Ormond Beach. The free program is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. A panel of educators will discuss topics such as testing (e.g. grading schools, evaluating teachers, student retention in grade); vouchers and charter schools; Common Core curriculum; academic aptitude; and international models. This program is a part of the ongoing Unitarian-Universalist Congregation’s Life Long Learning program series. Panel members will be: Chris J. Colwell, Chair, Department of Education, Stetson University Susan Garrison, retired public school administrator Tom Russell, superintendent, Volusia County Schools Andrew Spar, president, Volusia Teachers Organization Moderator: Dan Kennedy, retired educator and psychologist For more information, email jodan16@juno.com or call 386-6776172.
Thriving middle class “In 1944, Second Avenue contained approximately the same number of Black-owned businesses, including nine restaurants. There were some new additions, however; a vocational school joined Bethune-Cookman College, as did a “colored” chapter of the American Red Cross, a Black Knights of Pythias Hall, an additional church, and a terminal for the all-Black municipal bus line,” said Lampel. “Despite Midway’s small but thriving middle class, most Blacks during the 1920s and 1930s held menial jobs in the city’s hotels and private residences, or worked as laborers in the lumber yards, railroad and turpentine camps, and on the farms and in the citrus orchards that dotted the area.’’ Sponsors of the documentary were VITAS Healthcare, the F.R.E.S.H. Book Festival and the Daytona Times/Florida Courier.
ARE YOU FEELING GAS HIKES AT THE PUMP? IS YOUR WALLET FEELING IT TOO?
If you answered ‘yes’ to both of these questions, then you need to
TRY A DOSE OF FUEL MAX PLUS Super Concentrated Fuel Catalyst helps break down large hard-to-burn fuel particles, capturing more energy from the fuel, resulting in maximum fuel economy with reduced emissions.
• How low expectations of Black students’ achievements can get them higher grades; • Want a great grade? Prepare to cheat! • How Black students can program their minds for success; • Setting goals – When to tell everybody, and when to keep your mouth shut; • Black English, and why Black students must be ‘bilingual.’ …AND MUCH MORE!
www.excellencewithoutexcuse.com Download immediately as an eBook or a pdf Order softcover online, from Amazon, or your local bookstore ISBN#978-1-56385-500-9 Published by International Scholastic Press, LLC Contact Charles at ccherry2@gmail.com
Facebook ccherry2 excellencewithoutexcuse
for info on speeches, workshops, seminars, book signings, panel discussions.
Twitter @ccherry2
HELPS • Boost Power and Performance • Reduce Harmful Emissions • Clean Carbon Deposits • Improve Fuel Stability • Add Lubricity to the Fuel • Reduce Exhaust Smoke
Fuel Max Plus is helping people save as much as $0.30$0.75 per gallon, per vehicle!
• Improve MPG
Get your dose today by calling Cassandra at 386-299-4661 BuyXGnow.com/cassandrakittles
3 7
FEBRUARY 25 – MARCH 2, 2016 COMMUNITY DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006
M A YNEWS OR
NAACP questions lack of access to video challenging suspension To get where she needed to be, Flagler NAACP President Linda Sharpe Matthews sent a sixpage candid letter dated Feb. 15 via email. The written message was addressed to Jacob Oliva, superintendent of Flagler County Schools evoking concern with “the increasing number of recent out-of-school suspensions of Black students from school campuses and school bus service.” The letter mentioned that “your administration has willfully, intentionally and arbitrarily engaged in an unlawful pattern and practice to obstruct and prevent our organization and the parents of the students suspended from school, reasonable access to inspect or review the security video and related documents defined under educational records. These unlawful actions are against the weight of statutory law...” Matthews had need to probe the security video relative to a complaint by parents, challenging the veracity of a suspension. The parents tried to secure the security video, but were denied. Moreover, they gave the civil rights unit permission to procure the tape. This related to a fight that broke out on a bus involving a White female and a Black male. The Black male received an out-of-school suspension while the White female received no time restraint away from the school.
disparities affecting Black students and establishing a community-based coalition that will serve as a discipline advisory committee for monitoring discipline data and recommending changes in disciplinary policies to the district. According to news releases, Matthews is said to have described the process as productive and useful - yet incomplete. In addition, the agreement puts a cap on the number of out-ofschool suspensions, and the branch president agreeing that some progress has been made. Dr. Amir Whitaker, Esq. – representing Flagler’s Black Students for the Southern Poverty Law Center – concurred that a class-action complaint had been filed against five Florida districts in 2012, and Flagler was one of them. The other districts were: Escambia, Okaloosa, Bay, and Suwannee. The Flagler NAACP factored in the complaint - under branch president Linda Sharpe Haywood (now Matthews) - and the NAACP Washington Bureau pointing the SPLC in the direction of the branch.
2015 agreement reached with SPLC
Requests for tapes denied
It was last June that the Flagler School District and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) had reached a unanimous agreement revising the school district’s policies on disciplinary
Matthews targeted other demands, putting in writing that “we are concerned about the FlaglerLive article posted Jan. 14, 2016, regarding the Florida Department of Education’s
PALM COAST COMMUNITY NEWS JEROLINE D. MCCARTHY
data showing the dismal and decreasing graduation rate of Black students which is in direct contraction to your own touted figures of success. “We have also received information that conditions at BTMS (Buddy Taylor Middle School) have gotten increasingly worse under Principal Nathan Lovelette. We understand that teachers and staff are not feeling safe at the school, and that School Board member Andy Dance was present at their safety meeting. We understand that student behavior has gotten worse and that students are increasingly more aggressive and disrespectful to the school staff. Students are in the hallways running, yelling, traveling in mob groups and that profane language is being directed at teachers...” Oliva and School Board Chair Colleen Conklin were reported – by news releases – as being “surprised” by the claim while under the impression that relations were cordial with the NAACP but unaware of the challenges facing the middle school. Both Matthews and First Vice President Eric Josey were denied access to the security tapes, which were consistent in having their phone calls and text messages go unanswered – and particularly pressing when the detriment of children are involved.
Advocating for ‘justice and equality’ Oliva claims a challenge is posed on other students, who might appear in the video, and where each student is protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). It was suggested to employ the use of technology to blur out any unwanted images, and Oliva concurs with exploring the idea. He says that each concern will be vetted and a meeting set ahead with the NAACP. Matthews said in an exclusive with the Daytona Times that “the letter was submitted to the school board because it is not enough to agree to a settlement, you must abide by it. “There have been instances where students and their parents have not been given due process prior to significant disciplinary action. There is a pro-
“There have been instances where students and their parents have not been given due process prior to significant disciplinary action. There is a protocol in place that must be followed.’’
Linda Sharpe Matthews
tocol in place that must be followed,” she said. “To hear that the Flagler School Board was surprised to receive the notice of dispute because we have been operating on a cordial basis amazes me. We can be cordial as long as they are operating in good faith. I never said I was a diplomat. I am a fierce advocate for justice and equality,” said Matthews. If a dispute should arise that cannot be resolved between the parties, arbitration will be sought or a complaint filed with the Family Policy Compliance Office of the U.S. Department of Education for noncompliance with statutory laws.
Flagler job fair is March 11
A limited number of spaces could be available for businesses interested in having a free table at the Third Annual Flagler County Job Fair. It takes place March 11, 12 p.m. - 6 p.m., on the Palm Coast campus of Daytona State College, 3000 Palm Coast Parkway,
S.E., Building 3. More than 500 job seekers last year attended the Second Annual Job Fair, hosted by the Flagler County Department of Economic Opportunity, CareerSource, Daytona State College, and the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce. This powerhouse partnership has joined again this year to positively impact Flagler County’s economic vitality. “In order to support local businesses seeking employees, booths are offered to them free of charge,” said Rebecca DeLorenzo, president of the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce. “However, spaces are limited, and there are already dozens of companies signed up.” Among the businesses that have already registered are SeaRay, Florida Hospital Flagler, Flagler County Schools, the Hammock Beach Resort, and Adveo Engineering. A full list of companies is available at www. flaglercountyjobfair.com. Other businesses wishing to secure a place at the fair, and job seekers interested in registering for preparation workshops, should visit the website listed above. For additional information, contact Katrina Austin at 386313-4070, or email at kaustin@ flaglercountyedc.com ••• As always, remember our prayers for the sick, afflicted and bereaved.
Celebrations
Birthday wishes to Shauntice Shephard, Feb. 25; my sisterin-law, Renata McCarthy, Feb. 26; Jasmyne D. Hendrix, Doug Brown, Feb. 27; Jennie Timmons, Feb. 28; Kristara Peddlar, Shirley Davis, March 1; Sybil Dodson Lucas, Jazmine Major Arnold, March 2. Happy anniversary to Roy and Gloria Benjamin, Feb. 25; Dr. and Mrs. Irving Robinson, Feb. 28. And congratulations to Jazmine Major Arnold and her husband on the birth of their son in California.
BEYOND MIDWAY THE EVOLUTION OF A DAYTONA BEACH AFRICAN-AMERICAN NEIGHBORHOOD IN HONOR OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH, WDSC TV15 PROUDLY PRESENTS THE PREMIER OF THE DOCUMENTARY “BEYOND MIDWAY” SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016 7 PM
PANELISTS FOR “BEYOND MIDWAY” HAROLD V. LUCAS, JR. BETSEY HARDEMAN WARREN TRAGER DR. LEN LAMPEL CHARLES W. CHERRY II JAMES DANIELS PERCY WILLIAMSONMODERATOR
PRESENTED BY WILLIAMSON INDEPENDENT PRODUCTIONS
PHOTO OF MIDWAY BY GORDON PARKS 1943
R4
7 EDITORIAL
FEBRUARY 25 – MARCH 2, 2016
What is ‘Black Constitutional Patriotism?’ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “…we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.” He went on to say, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed.” It is said that we should carefully choose the words we use, because we may have to eat them one day. That is the case with words written by this nation’s founders. The only problem is, even though several have brought attention to those words, little or nothing has been done to change or enforce their intent when it comes to Black people.
Truth spoken “David Walker’s Appeal,” in 1829, turned the words of the Declaration of Independence back on those who celebrated the victory of throwing off the tyranny of King George. Walker stated, “Do you understand your own language? Compare your own language … extracted from your Declaration of Independence, with your cruelties and murders inflicted by your cruel and unmerciful fathers and yourselves on our fathers and on us – men who have never given your fathers or you the least provocation!” Walker continued, particularly referring to the abuses of the king: “…I ask you candidly, [were]
JAMES CLINGMAN NNPA COLUMNIST
To have accountability for the words people say – especially politicians’ words – they must be recanted and rewritten by those to whom those words apply. That is why the One Million Conscious Black Voters and Contributors will insist on verbal and written support of its political Words matter planks by any political When put together just the right way, words can have secandidate seeking our rious, consequential effects on people. votes. your sufferings under Great Britain one hundredth part as cruel and tyrannical as you have rendered ours under you?”
‘I must mourn’ Later, Frederick Douglass cited the words of the Declaration
Does any candidate deserve the Black vote? Michelle Alexander, the brilliant author of “The New Jim Crow,” writes in The Nation magazine that Hillary Clinton does not “deserve” the Black vote. She makes a strong case. She reminds us that the Bill Clinton administration yielded a draconian crime bill and welfare “deform” (I call it “deform” instead of “reform,” because the Clinton changes made a bad system worse) that demonized poor women. While Bill and Hillary Clinton are two different people, Alexander uses Hillary quotes to illustrate the ways she supported her husband’s policies.
Neither one Michelle Alexander is right to say that Hillary does not deserve the Black vote. She declines to endorse Bernie Sanders, though, describing him as “the lesser of two evils.” To his credit, says Alexander, Sanders opposed welfare deform and has been a far more vocal and aggressive critic of banks than
DR. JULIANNE MALVEAUX TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM
Hillary. But Alexander says he still doesn’t get “it” around issues of racial justice, and notes that both he and Hillary supported the Iraq war. I’m intrigued by the concept of “deserving” a vote. From my perspective Bernie doesn’t deserve it, Hillary doesn’t deserve it, and none of the motley crew of Republican candidates deserve it. No Democrat or Republican has ever deserved the Black vote. The dictionary defines deserve as, “to do something or have or show qualities worthy of (reward or punishment).” To say someone “deserves” the Black vote suggests that someone is entitled to it or has a right to it. What has either Hillary or Ber-
Don’t be fooled by Trump’s attack on Bush 43 Something weird happened on February 13 at the Republican debate in South Carolina. Donald Trump went after Jeb Bush over the record of his brother, former President George W. Bush. Trump attacked George W. Bush for the invasion of Iraq and for providing insufficient security for the U.S.A., as represented by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. There are a few things to consider about this incident. The first is that despite all of the evidence to the effect that the administration of George W. Bush lied us into a war with Iraq, there are still people – particularly in
and Constitution in his famous speech in 1852, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” Douglass said the Fourth of July was a day of celebration for White Americans but a day of mourning for slaves and former slaves like him, because they were reminded of the unfulfilled promise of equal liberty for all in the Declaration of Independence. “This Fourth [of ] July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony.” To have accountability for the words people say – especially politicians’ words – they must be recanted and rewritten by those to whom those words apply. That is why the One Million Conscious Black Voters and Contributors will insist on verbal and written support of its political planks by any political candidate seeking our votes.
BILL FLETCHER, JR. NNPA COLUMNIST
the Republican Party – who insist on believing that there was sufficient justification for an invasion that violated international law and precedent. In other words, they will not let the facts get in the way of their opinions. Such delusional thinking is always unsettling.
When Thomas Jefferson used words that attacked slavery in his draft of the Declaration of Independence, he initiated the most intense debate among the delegates gathered at Philadelphia in the spring and early summer of 1776. Jefferson’s passage on slavery was the most important section removed from the final
nie done to “deserve” the Black vote? No candidate should claim the sentimental right to the Black vote either, and I think, in some ways that is what Hillary Clinton is attempting.
Irrational loyalty As Michelle Alexander correctly points out in her article, some African-Americans are almost irrationally loyal to the Clintons. Many other African-Americans, though, have a measured view of the Clinton years, celebrating historic appointments, like that of Alexis Herman as Secretary of Labor, condemning the ways that Lani Guinier and Jocelyn Elders were abandoned by the Clintons, and balancing policy failures like welfare deform with some policy successes. Hillary Clinton’s standalone record includes a sensitivity to diversity that Sanders lacks. As a senator and as Secretary of State, she had staffs that were very inclusive, with several African-American women in particular serving in leadership roles in the State Department. Her record shows that as president, she would continue her commitment to diversity and that we might finally have a cabinet that “looks like America.”
Walled off Second, within the Republican camp – and frequently out of the view of many liberals and progressives – there are those who are what might be described as “neo-isolationists.” They tend to believe that the USA should wall itself off from the rest of the world, in some cases literally – such as Trump’s call for a wall on the border with Mexico – but in most cases figuratively. This element believes that the USA should not engage the international community, but instead should leave everyone to their own devices. Right-wing isolationists want “their USA” to be protected, and one must be clear as to what that means. When one listens to the rhetoric of candidates, such as
VISUAL VIEWPOINT: HILLARY CLINTON AND WOMEN VOTERS
BOB ENGLEHART, CAGLECARTOONS.COM
document. It was replaced with a more ambiguous passage about King George’s incitement of “domestic insurrections among us.” Here’s part of Jefferson’s original passage: “He has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life and liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating and carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither. This piratical warfare, the opprobrium of infidel powers, is the warfare of the Christian King of Great Britain. Determined to keep open a market where men should be bought and sold, he has prostituted his negative for suppressing every legislative attempt to prohibit or restrain this execrable commerce…” Had those words not been stricken from the Declaration, just imagine the effect they would have had, then and now. Does her commitment to diversity alone make her entitled to the Black vote? The Black vote should be earned, not bequeathed. But too many African-Americans seem to think that voting is the most, not the least, they can do. We must vote for politicians based on their track record and also on their promises. But then we must hold them accountable so that they keep their promises. We didn’t do it with Clinton in 1996 when we voted for him even after welfare deform. We didn’t do it with Obama in 2012, when we voted for him after a disappointing first term. African-Americans, like others, must make demands of those who hold public office – or they are free to ignore us.
Few alternatives The challenge is that our twoparty system too often fails to provide us with a satisfactory set of alternatives to the status quo. While I was disappointed with President Obama’s first term, I probably would have cut my hand off before voting for Mitt Romney. Similarly, as disappointing as Clinton’s welfare deform was, another Clinton term was far preferable to a Bob Dole presidency. We too often are faced with imperfect
Trump, “their USA” is a White, non-immigrant America; that is, the “White republic” of old. They see this White republic under threat by demographic changes, economic changes, and a changing world. For them, the USA– defined as a White-dominated USA– must withdraw from world affairs. We were hearing elements of this in Trump’s rhetoric at the debate.
Dominate and disengage It can be misleading because it sometimes sounds like what we progressives have said. But the reality is that Trump wants to retreat into a mythical past. He wants America to be able to dominate the world when it sees fit, but to otherwise disengage with the rest of the planet in resolving common planetary challenges.
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.
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. Glenn W. Cherry, Sales Manager
W W W. DAY T O N AT I M E S .C O M
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
Jenise Morgan, Senior Editor Angela van Emmerik, Creative Director Cassandra Cherry Kittles, Willie R. Kittles, Circulation Penny Dickerson, Staff Writer Duane Fernandez Sr., Kim Gibson, Photojournalists
MEMBER
Florida Press Association
National Newspaper Publishers Association
Society of Professional Journalists
National Newspaper Association
Associated Press
What lessons? So what lessons can Black people take from “Black Constitutional Patriots” like Walker, Douglass, MLK, and others who recited the very words that are “the bond of the Union?” Black leaders of old made the Founders eat their sacrosanct words, and it is shameful that we have not continued to keep today’s politicians on a steady diet of those same words. David Walker believed the nation belonged to all who helped build it. He went even further, stating, “America is more our country than it is the Whites – we have enriched it with our blood and tears.” Are we MEN? – I ask you, O my brethren! Are we MEN?
James Clingman is the nation’s most prolific writer on economic empowerment for Black people. His latest book, “Black Dollars Matter!” is available at Blackonomics.com. options, and in choosing the lesser of two evils. Michelle Alexander addresses the flaws of the two-party system in her article, and talks about a “revolutionary movement” of people who believe that human rights and economic justice are attainable goals. There won’t be a revolutionary movement before November 7, 2016. So who deserves the Black vote? The candidate who works hardest for it. The candidate who addresses the Black community most directly and with the most relevance. The candidate who not only schedules very public meetings with Rev. Al Sharpton, but lesswell-covered meetings at a day care center, in a halfway house, in a hospital. The Black vote should not be something a candidate deserves. It should be something a candidate earns!
Julianne Malveaux is a Washington, D.C.-based economist and writer. Her latest book, “Are We Better Off? Race, Obama and Public Policy,” is available at www.juliannemalveaux.com.
Trump is correct that the Iraq invasion was based on a lie; the neo-conservatives in the Republican Party disagree vehemently with him. Yet his vision assumes that America can have its cake and eat it, too, and that America can obtain resources from the rest of the world – and act not as a partner, but as a periodic bully when it does not get its way. While we may agree with Trump’s criticism of George W. Bush, none of us should ever assume that he has seen the light.
Bill Fletcher, Jr. is the host of “The Global African” on Telesur-English. He is a racial justice, labor and global justice activist and writer. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and at www.billfletcherjr.com.
Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC, P.O. Box 48857 Tampa, FL 33646, publishes the Florida Courier on Fridays. Phone: 877-352-4455, toll-free. For all sales inquiries, call 877-352-4455; e-mail sales@flcourier.com. Subscriptions to the print version are $69 per year. Mail check to P.O. Box 48857 Tampa, Fl 33646, or log on to www.daytona.com; click on ‘Subscribe’.
SUBMISSIONS POLICY SEND ALL SUBMISSIONS TONEWS@DAYTONATIMES.COM Deadline for submitting news and pictures is 5 p.m. the Monday before the Thursday publication date. You may submit articles at any time. However, current events received prior to deadline will be considered before any information that is submitted, without the Publisher’s prior approval, after the deadline. Press releases, letters to the editor, and guest commentaries must be e-mailed to be considered for publication. The Daytona Times reserves the right to edit any submission, and crop any photograph, for style and clarity. Materials will not be returned.
FEBRUARY 25 – MARCH 2, 2016
5 7
BLACK HISTORY DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006 M AMONTH YOR
book club chose “The Warmth of Other Suns,” but was glad they did. Obiala, who is originally from the South Side, says his family sold the house where he grew up when Black people moved into the neighborhood. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten much, much, much more liberal,” he says. “I’m fortunate I have many, many Black acquaintances and friends (who) I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed in my teens and twenties. So from that standpoint, the book was reinforcing what my beliefs have tended to become: that the African-American people were treated so, so unfairly for absolutely no reason. They certainly deserved a better shake than many of them got. All of us intellectually know that, but actually reading about that, and being able to relate to some of the people really drives the point home.”
Lively discussions
ANTONIO PEREZ/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS
Jo Anne Willis, manager of the Austin branch of the Chicago Public Library, poses for a portrait at the Austin library on Feb. 1. She says there is a waiting list to check out books on racial discrimination at her branch.
Black Lives Matter, racial injustice inspire reading lists BY NARA SCHOENBERG CHICAGO TRIBUNE (TNS)
For 21 years, Lisa Shorney’s book club has focused on fiction, but in September they made an exception. They read “Between the World and Me,” African-American journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates’ searing indictment of racism in America, told in the form of a letter to Coates’ teenage son, a young man raised far from the mean streets where his father came of age but nevertheless grappling with many of the same issues: racism, police violence, the legacy of centuries of political and economic inequality. “Everybody said that was one of the best discussions we’ve had,” says Shorney, 56, of Glen Ellyn, Ill. “We live in a very suburban, white bubble out here. My friends, for the most part, we’re pretty liberal, and even so, I remember one girl who’s so bright, saying, ‘This can’t be true.’ And I said, ‘What do you mean?’ And she said, ‘Well, it’s so much worse than I thought.’”
Influential books Shorney, who gave “Between the World and Me” to friends and
family for Christmas, is part of an emerging trend on best-seller lists, in book clubs and at libraries and publishing houses. At a time when a string of highprofile shootings and deaths of African-Americans is inspiring public activism and private soulsearching, readers are increasingly turning their attention to what some are calling the Black Lives Matter reading list — a series of influential books that highlight racial injustice. The list is fluid but almost always includes three essentials. In addition to “Between the World and Me,” a National Book Award Winner and longtime best-seller, there’s also the surprise hit “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,” legal scholar Michelle Alexander’s argument that mass incarceration is the new legalized segregation. The book debuted in 2010 but didn’t hit the New York Times best-seller list until 2012.
Wanting new and old Pulitzer Prize-winner Isabel Wilkerson’s “The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration,” an unstinting look at the trials and triumphs of Southern African-Americans
who migrated north in the 20th century, is the third of the big three. But readers, editors and bookstore owners also point to a book of poetry, “Citizen: An American Lyric” by Claudia Rankine, which is currently climbing the bestseller lists. And they say there are signs of renewed interest in old favorites such as the 1990s bestseller, “‘Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?’: And Other Conversations about Race.” “Those books are super-popular,” says Jo Anne Willis, manager of the Chicago Public Library’s Austin branch. “If you would just take a casual look at our catalog, those are the books you have to place a hold for; there’s a waiting list. That’s one way you can tell how popular they are. But also just in general conversation with my patrons, those books are hugely popular. People find them to be super-relevant, and they generate a lot of discussion.”
Prompted by tragedies Kris Kleindienst, co-owner of Left Bank Books in St. Louis, which launched its Black Lives Matter reading list after the death
AL SEIB/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS
Chawne Kimber, right, is hugged by spectator Joan D’Angostino, left, with tears in her eyes as they stood in front of Kimber’s quilt, “The One For Eric,” which was a first-place Improvisation winner at QuiltCon in Pasadena, Calif., on Feb. 18.
Social issues get blanket coverage at quilt event BY JESSICA GELT LOS ANGELES TIMES (TNS)
LOS ANGELES—She found her inspiration in the overnight violence report sent every morning to her husband, a district leader for the Chicago public school system. It cataloged students
who had been shot, stabbed and killed the night before. Jacquie Gering said her husband wore that weight on his shoulders, and that they would watch the news, and the kids in those reports were never mentioned. She felt profoundly disturbed, so Gering did what she
does best. She made a quilt. It featured a 5-foot tall black handgun with blood dripping out of its muzzle and pooling beneath its trigger. She titled her quilt, “Bang You’re Dead.” She put the quilt on her blog and wrote that it was not meant to be humorous. It was meant to be final.
Rare quilts The finality of death, whether at the hands of a police officer or a rogue armed citizen, is at the heart of some striking quilts
of Michael Brown in 2014, has also noticed an uptick in interest. And Diane Wachtell, executive director of The New Press, which publishes “The New Jim Crow,” says the book’s success has been fueled, in part, by outrage over police shootings. The book, which launched in 2010 with an initial printing of just 3,200 copies, got an early boost from an eloquent author, supportive Black churches and some TV coverage, Wachtell says. But in 2012, when 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and the Black Lives Matter movement was born as a hashtag of protest on social media, it became clear that a new dynamic had emerged. “It is with really mixed emotions that (the author) Michelle and I communicate about the book going up and up the best-seller list, because its rise and fall correlate almost exactly to horrible things happening in the world,” Wachtell says. “Whenever there’s a front-page story about police brutality or an unarmed Black man being shot without provocation by the police, the book goes up the list.”
Wide interest Readers interviewed by the Tribune gave a wide range of reasons for their interest in the books, from Shorney, who was raised by a mother who was passionate about racial justice and equal opportunity, to Mike Obiala, 69, of Lake Forest, Ill., who said he couldn’t quite remember why his
on display at QuiltCon West in Pasadena through Feb. 21. These quilts are a rarity at the show, where nearly 10,000 people from 49 states and 15 countries came largely to see more traditional designs. But work centered on racial inequality and the violence rooted in racism signals the strength of a modern quilt movement, which emphasizes individual feelings and experiences. These quilt artists are using “their needle and thread to prick the consciousness of the people,” says Marsha MacDowell, professor at Michigan State University, curator of folk arts at MSU Museum and author of a forthcoming book about quilts and human rights. MacDowell points out that textiles have long served this purpose. In the 19th century and early 20th century, quilting provided some women’s only voice, resulting in quilts that championed women’s suffrage and Fannie B. Shaw’s “Prosperity Is Just Around the Corner,” whose imagery depicted optimism at the height of the Great Depression. Decades later the massive AIDS Memorial Quilt made its statement in 1987 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
History lessons Recently, however, heightened interest in the art of quilt making has mixed with nationwide protests over social injustice. Add the Internet and you’ve got explosive results. Blogs with titles such as Subversive Stitchers and organizations like QuiltForChange.org are gaining traction, as are community-driven efforts, including the Lynch Quilts Project spearheaded by LaShawnda Crowe Storm. Its mission is to examine
Kristin Martin, 43, of Chicago, says that her book group, which reads very eclectically, wanted to include a book that was politically timely. When they chose their list for the year in December, three out of seven members nominated “Between the World and Me,” so now the book is on the schedule for 2016. Willis, who leads a Chicago Public Library book discussion group in the largely AfricanAmerican Austin neighborhood, says the books spark lively and far-ranging conversations, with senior citizens telling 20-somethings their personal stories, of, say, growing up in the South, and younger members talking about their experiences at Black Lives Matter protests. “In general, the reason we like to read these books and discuss these books is because they relate to our own lives,” says Willis. “They make us think, we get to know the other person’s viewpoint and, ultimately, I think it creates community — a sense of sistership, or fellowship.”
‘A safe place’ Shorney, a bookseller at Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, says she’s always been concerned about racism. But her commitment deepened after a May 2015 “racial reconciliation” bus trip through the American South that brought members of her mostly White church together with members of a predominantly AfricanAmerican church from the South Side. “The main thing I learned on that trip is that it’s not enough to say, ‘I am not a racist.’ You have to be anti-racist. You have to do something,” she says. When she heard about “Between the World and Me,” she knew she had to read it. She suggested it to her book group, and led the discussion.
the “history and ramifications of racial violence in the United States,” and its quilts feature gutpunching images from some of America’s darkest days. In another sign of how much the quilting world has cracked open, last year the Craft & Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles staged “Man-Made: Contemporary Male Quilters.” “The quilting world can be conservative, politically speaking,” says quilter Chawne Kimber, 45, adding that the Internet brought powerfully diverse voices into the fold. Kimber’s QuiltCon offering is “The One for Eric” and features the tragic last words of Eric Garner, the African-American man killed on Staten Island by an apparent police chokehold. “I can’t breathe” is quilted over and over again, in white block letters on a black background. When QuiltCon opened Feb. 18, “The One for Eric” won first prize in the improvisational piecing category. When Gering, who is chairwoman of the Modern Quilt Guild, announced the win, she could barely conceal her tears.
Message through fabric An early retiree from the tech world, quilter Karen Maple stitched a quilt titled “Black Lives Matter” emblazoned with the word “Black” in all capital letters written backward over a Confederate flag after last summer’s church shooting in Charleston, S.C. “The goal is to make that quilt’s message break through the fabric,” Maple says. “And what I like about being able to display it at a quilt show is that so many people are going who are not expecting it. If you affect one of those people with thoughts about racism, maybe it will touch their heart.”
R6
7 CLASSIFIEDS
FEBRUARY 25 – MARCH 2, 2016
WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK.
These homeowners were helped by the program. To hear their story, go to MakingHomeAffordable.gov
J O I N O U R O N L I N E C O M M U N I T Y AT Text VETS to 69866 to get started.
If you’re struggling to keep your home, there is help. Today, many people are at risk of foreclosure through no fault of their own. Making Home Affordable is a free program from the U.S. government that has already helped over a million struggling homeowners. The sooner you act, the better the chance we can help you.
MakingHomeAffordable.gov
|
1-888-995-HOPE (4673)
7.875 in. 7.0 in.
D A T A A N D M E S S A G E R A T E S M A Y A P P LY.
A childhood only lasts 6,570 days.
Take time to
be a dad today.
Call 877-4DAD411 or visit www.fatherhood.gov
7
M ASPORTS YOR
FEBRUARY 25 – 14 MARCH 2, 2016 DECEMBER - 20, 2006
PHOTOS BY DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./HARDNOTTSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
The Daytona 500 ended with a thriller Sunday when Denny Hamlin edged Martin Truex Jr. at the Daytona International Speedway to win the big trophy. Hamlin beat Truex to the finish line by inches — .011ths of a second.
NASCAR from Page 1
program for ethnically diverse candidates with high academic standing from elite institutions; and the NASCAR Opinion Leader Initiative, which engages multicultural community, civic, and professional organizations. “Becoming more diverse and inclusive is a huge priority at NASCAR and we continue to make longterm investments to boost female and minority participation across every level of our sport, on and off the track,” said Jim Cassidy, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations. “Widening our appeal is critical to our continued expansion and we are proud to honor today’s winners, and many others across the industry, for their hard work and support.”
Other winners Industry Ambassador Award: Claire B. Lang, NASCAR radio host and current host of “Dialed In”
on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Diverse Driver Award: Abraham Calderon, 2014 NASCAR Mexico Series Champion Ignition Award: Daniel Suárez, 2015 NASCAR Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year, Joe Gibbs Racing and NASCAR Drive for Diversity alum Outstanding Intern Award: Victoria Kim, a Penn State graduate and Pocono Raceway’s first NASCAR
Diversity Internship Program Partner Award: Chevrolet, for demonstrating a commitment to NASCAR diversity and inclusion goals through its program support and engagement with NASCAR Multicultural Development Young Racer Award: Macy Causey, 15, youngest participant in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Combine Crew Member Award: Rafael Diaz and Mike Russell, both of Roush Fenway Racing and part of the 2015 NASCAR Series. Championship team
A military group performs at the Speedway.
Right: Mike Russell of North Carolina accepts the Crew Member Award from NASCAR’S diversity program. Below: A color guard stands ready to get things started Sunday. Above: Ken Griffey Jr. was the honorary starter for the Daytona 500. Left: Candace Walker sings the national anthem before the race.
R8
7HEALTH
FEBRUARY 25 – MARCH 2, 2016
CHRISTINE VESTAL/STATELINE/TNS
A self-serve supply of needles and containers for their disposal at a Vermont needle exchange center in Burlington that distributes more than 2,500 needles ever day. As the opioid epidemic mushrooms, the demand for treatment is outpacing capacity.
Waiting lists grow for drug to fight opioid addiction Obama’s new budget proposes $1.1 billion to expand the availability of buprenorphine and other opioid-addiction medications. BY CHRISTINE VESTAL STATELINE.ORG
BURLINGTON, Vt. — After more than a decade of getting high on illicit opioid painkillers and heroin every day, Christopher Dezotelle decided to quit. He saw too many
people overdose and die. “I couldn’t do that to my mom or my children,” he said. He also got tired of having to commit crimes to pay for his habit — or at least the consequences of those crimes. At 33, he has spent more than 11 of his last 17 years incarcerated. The oldest of seven children, he started using marijuana and alcohol when he was 12. It’s been five years since Dezotelle started treatment the first time, and he still hustles for drugs every day. Only now, instead of heroin or OxyContin, he’s trying to score buprenorphine, one of three federal-
ly approved opioid-addiction medications. He says heroin is much easier to find, and it’s less than half the price of buprenorphine on the streets and parking lots of this college town.
Long waiting lists Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin, a Democrat, was among the first in the nation to address the opioid epidemic. He devoted his entire State of the State address to the crisis in 2014. Since then, his administration and many of Vermont’s private practice doctors have made treatment more available than it is in most of the country. But it’s not enough.
How can
make your
In this state of about 626,000, almost 500 addicts are on waiting lists to receive medication for opioid dependence. More than half will wait close to a year. Nationwide, a shortage of doctors willing to prescribe buprenorphine, which reduces drug cravings, and a federal limit on the number of patients they can treat, prevents many who could benefit from the addiction medication from getting it. Less than half of the 2.2 million people who need treatment for opioid addiction are receiving it, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said this month, previewing President Barack Obama’s new budget, which was released Feb. 9 and proposes $1.1 billion to expand the availability of buprenorphine and other opioid-addiction medications.
Course for doctors More than 900,000 U.S. physicians can write prescriptions for opioid painkillers such as OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin by simply signing on to a federal registry. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants can also prescribe opioids. But to prescribe buprenorphine to people who become addicted to opioids and heroin, doctors must take an eighthour course and apply for a special license. So far, fewer than 32,000 doctors have received the license and the vast majority who have one seldom, if ever, use it. Vermont has 248 doctors licensed to prescribe buprenorphine, according to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. All but a few treat only their existing patients who have opioid dependence.
In the weeks ahead, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is expected to propose a change to the federal rule that limits the number of patients each doctor can treat with buprenorphine. The proposed change would likely increase the number of patients a doctor can treat, possibly with the addition of new licensing requirements. But many who work in the field of addiction question whether allowing licensed doctors to treat more patients will do much to alleviate the shortage. As in Vermont, very few doctors across the country come anywhere close to maxing out on the number of patients they are allowed to have.
Long-term solution The solution, they say, is for more doctors to prescribe the medication. But that’s a long-term solution that involves teaching newly minted doctors about addiction during their residencies and trying to change the hearts and minds of physicians already in private practices, said Dr. John Brooklyn, the medical director of the Howard Center’s opioid treatment program here in Chittenden County. “We’re making progress,” he said. “But it will take time.” Advocates for greater access to buprenorphine also support a bipartisan bill in Congress — the Recovery Enhancement for Addiction Treatment or TREAT Act — that would allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants to prescribe it. Without legislation, HHS only has authority to adjust the patient limit and licensing rules for physicians. Melinda Campopiano, chief medical officer at
HHS’ Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, agreed that patients with opioid addiction would be better served if more doctors offered addiction screening and treatment. “What is a concern to me is that more physicians don’t feel the responsibility to step up” and get a license to provide buprenorphine, she said.
Purchased on street When it was approved in 2002, buprenorphine was the first opioid-addiction medication that could be prescribed by doctors. The only other medicine available for addicts at the time was methadone, which had to be dispensed daily at highly regulated clinics. (A third addiction medication, a 30-day injectable form of naltrexone, which has been used to treat opioid addiction since 1984, has since been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but it is expensive and not widely used for opioid addiction in much of the country.) Although buprenorphine does not produce the euphoric effects of heroin or OxyContin, many drug users purchase it on the street to tide themselves over until they can score the real thing. Some, like Dezotelle, use it to selfmedicate. Clinical research shows that all three opioid-addiction medicines offer a far greater chance of recovery than treatments that do not involve medication, such as 12-step programs and residential stays. Staying in recovery and avoiding relapse for at least a year is more than twice as likely with medications as without them. Medications also lower the risk of a fatal overdose.