Daytona Times - March 06, 2014

New Smyrna, Ormond teams win Black History Brain Bowl

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WALTER FIELDS: Obama’s one-sided responsibility lecture far from impressive See page 4

Flagler youth get Black history lesson in St. Augustine SEE PAGE 3

East Central Florida’s Black Voice

SEE PAGE 3

MARCH 6 - MARCH 12, 2014

YEAR 39 NO. 10

www.daytonatimes.com

Charter Review board to residents: Show up Meeting in Midtown draws low turnout; irks members of commission

BY ASHLEY D. THOMAS DAYTONA TIMES aysheldarcel@gmail.com

Only about 25 people attended the first Charter Review Commission town hall at the Midtown Cultural and Educational Cen-

ter on Tuesday night. The common theme: More people need to show up.

The March 4 meeting was the first of three scheduled around the city before the commission returns to City Hall in mid-April.

The purpose of the local meetings is to allow the commission an opportunity to go into the various communities within Daytona Beach and hear residents’ concerns.

Residents give input on what changes they would like to see on

the Nov. 4 ballot concerning the charter of Daytona Beach.

Ponder: Gain insight The charter is the document that states how the city is run and lets residents determine their own structure of government within state-prescribed legal limits. In this way, the charter can reflect the community’s values and allows the local government to control its own destiny.

“I understand there are a lot of

things you can’t do. We are small in number but we want you to listen,” former Midtown Redevelopment Area Board Chair Johnnie Ponder said as she addressed the commission.

“If you drive around and you are proud of Daytona Beach, something is wrong. I’m not proud of this city,” Ponder added, referring to the amount of vacant homes, lots and buildings, which need more attention or code enforcement. “Everyone has an opinion, whether we like it or

Stetson student steals scene at Oscars

not, but we may gain insight from just a little nugget that someone offers just by listening.”

Charter outdated “It is our charge to do our best,” Charter Review Commission Chairman Glenn Ritchie said, adding that the current charter is not bad but that it is outdated.

“We are gathering the information for the city commission and then that recommendation will Please see CHARTER, Page 2

Counts helping Daytona beef up customer service

BY ASHLEY D. THOMAS DAYTONA TIMES aysheldarcel@gmail.com

Revamping the city’s website, adding a customer advocate, making physical changes to City Hall, and offering another action-packed Citizen’s Academy are all ways the City of Daytona Beach is improving the communication and service for residents.

“We are constantly seeking ways to be better with our service delivery and customer experience,” said Susan Cerbone, spokesperson for the City of Daytona Beach. “The city is addressing customer service at many levels and several significant actions have been taken recently that are a good indication of the city’s commitment.”

Counts named ombudsman

Peter Nyong’o, right, beams in the star-studded selfie that crashed Twitter on Sunday night.

Peter Nyong’o captures worldwide attention in selfie with celebs FROM STAFF REPORTS

His sister snagged an Oscar on Sunday for her gripping portrayal of Patsey in “12 Years A Slave,’’ but Peter Nyong’o captured his share of the spotlight when the star-studded selfie he posed in went viral and temporarily crashed Twitter.

Peter, a 20-year-old freshman at the DeLand university, escorted his sister, Lupita, to the Academy Awards. During the ceremony, he jumped in a selfie photo featuring his sister and Hollywood celebs Ellen DeGeneres, Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie,

Bradley Cooper, Kevin Spacey and Jennifer Lawrence. In the photo, Peter smiles broadly in front of his sister and Jolie.

The selfie was orchestrated by DeGeneres, who hosted the Academy Awards.

Peter is a first-year student in Stetson’s College of Arts and Sciences.

He has not declared a major yet although he has shown interest in acting. Until last year, he was a student at St Andrews, one of East Africa’s elite boarding schools.

On his Facebook page, his profile reveals that he has spent time working at Hebron, a Christian school in Tamil Nadu, India and his interests include a love of the British soccer team Arsenal and a rap group, The Flat 4 -1, that he launched with some friends while at school.

More selfies Peter also scored selfies at the Academy Awards with Spacey, Benedict Cumberbatch, John Travolta, Pitt and Jolie, Gabrielle Union and Piers Morgan.

Lupita joked to Ellen DeGeneres on Monday that she isn’t surprised her brother’s been so forward with Alisters, saying he “lives life in an exclamation point.”

In her acceptance speech for best supporting actress for “12 Years A Slave,’’ Lupita referred to him as “Junior’’ and called him her best friend.

Peter and Lupita have four other siblings. Their father is Peter Anyang Nyong’o, a member of the Kenyan senate and a former minister for medical services in the government.

Mother Dorothy runs a communications consultancy in Nairobi.

One such example is the addition of an ombudsman to help citizens and developers navigate the city’s permitting process, Cerbone said.

Emory Counts, the city’s economic and community development director and fair housing coordinator, is the new ombudsman.

As part of his duties, he will help facilitate communication between interested parties and staff. Additionally, he is available to answer development questions, provide support and help streamline the process of obtaining approvals and permits.

“Typically when people run inEmory to problems, they give me a call. I Counts get involved and see if it is a matter of semantics or what the problem may be,” Counts told the Daytona Times.

Counts will provide residents and business owners with an identifiable point of contact to help resolve utility problems and code enforcement issues that have failed to be addressed through traditional channels.

Customer advocate Additionally, the customer advocate is tasked with identifying problems on behalf of residents and taking concerns to involved parties – from front-line workers up to department heads, Cerbone added.

Please see COUNTS, Page 2

Runners sought for Easter Beach Run

BY ASHLEY D. THOMAS DAYTONA TIMES aysheldarcel@gmail.com

More than 1,200 participants are expected at the sandy finish line on the World’s Most Famous Beach. Celebrating 47 years, the five-part Daytona Beach Easter Beach Run will start at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 19.

The Easter Beach Run was established in 1967 by the Daytona Beach Leisure Services Department. First held on Easter Sunday afternoon to provide an activity for visiting college students, this event has developed into one of the favorite fun races in Florida.

“Our team is looking forward to this year’s Easter Beach Run. We have added

ALSO INSIDE

some new features to keep our runners engaged prior to, during and after the race,” Jacqueline Paquell, Athletic Manager for the City of Daytona Beach shared. “We have already received registrations from two U.S. Olympians, several local students, families and spring breakers, from as far as Germany. This race is truly for everyone.”

All fitness levels Each event will start and end at the Daytona Beach Pier with a half way turnaround point. The entire family can enjoy the Forest Gump-themed activities with races for all levels of fitness and ages.

Awards ceremonies will be held following each race. Each Kid’s Race par-

ticipant receives a participant medal. Custom “finisher” medals will be given for the first 1,200 runners and walkers completing the race. Awards will go to the top male and top female finishers in the two and four-mile races.

Awards also will be handed out to first-place winners in various groups – from children to adults.

Registration can be accomplished online at www.easterbeachrun.org or in person through April 16 at the Leisure Services offices of City Hall, 301 S. Ridgewood Drive, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information, visit www.easterbeachrun. org.

Above: Medals like those shown from last year will be given at the finish of the race to top performers at the Easter Beach Run. Left: Male and female runners are seen taking to the sand at the 2013 Easter Beach Run. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CITY OF DAYTONA BEACH

COMMENTARY: RAYNARD JACKSON: REDEFINING TRUTH HAS CONSEQUENCES | PAGE 4 ENTERTAINMENT: RAPPERS’ DISRESPECT OF BLACK ICONS RAISES CONCERNS | PAGE 5

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7 FOCUS

MARCH 6 – MARCH 12, 2014

Black, Brown inmates herded into private prisons New report explores disproportionate number of minorities in correctional facilities

BY JAZELLE HUNT NNPA WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT

WASHINGTON – Although private schools are often lauded for providing a better education to students, the same can’t be said of private prisons, which house a disproportionate number of people of color, according to a report published in the latest issue of Radical Criminology, an online scholarly journal.

“The overrepresentation of people of color in private prisons indicates they are disproportionately siphoned away from public prisons – precisely the types of facilities that provide the greatest access to educational and rehabilitative programs and services,” the report states. “People of color continue to be seen in the national imagination as sources of profit extraction and not necessarily as citizens deserving of public services.”

55 percent increase According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 137,220 offenders were serving time in private facilities, a 55 percent increase over the previous decade.

“One thing that came out of [the data analysis] was that there are fewer rehabilitative programs and educational services available in for-profit facilities, relative to public facilities,” says Christopher Petrella, a doctoral candidate in African American Studies at University of California-Berkeley, and the author of the report.

“So when those two trends collide [racial segregation and fewer programs], it begs a variety of questions.”

One has to do with the use of health and age stipulations in private contracts that directly leads to overrepresentation of Blacks and Hispanics in privatized correctional facilities.

Troubling statistics More than a half million Black Americans 18 to 49 were in public and private state or federal prisons as of 2010, compared to 396,600 Whites, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).

Among inmates age 50 and older, however, White inmate population exceeds their African-American counterparts.

“Private prison management companies responsible for pro-

COUNTS from Page 1

“He investigates the city’s response and determines where breakdowns in communication or service are occurring.”

In addition to the customer advocate, Mayor Derrick Henry shared that another communication option has been implemented for citizens. “We have created a drop box in City Hall that enables residents to write and inform us of their experiences in City Hall or let us know how we’re doing,” he said. “Additionally, our charter review commission is holding town hall meetings, the first of which was held last night at the Midtown community center.”

Technology tracks complaints Improved technology also is making a positive difference for those doing business with the city.

The city’s website – www. codb.us – has been revamped, making more information available and easier to obtain. In addition, software for an internal tracking system has been introduced to improve accountability and ensure complaints and requests are routed to the appropriate department and needed follow-up action is being taken.

Physical changes also are under way at City Hall with the intent of becoming more customer-friendly. A main lobby receptionist has been added so those coming into City Hall are now able to receive assistance with information requests or locate a desired office.

The Building and Permits office also has undergone remodeling. New counters and work areas allow a more personable interaction with customers.

“While we are pleased with

PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS

Shown above is the Orleans Parish Prison in New Orleans. viding health services exempt themselves contractually from accepting and housing prisoners with chronic medical conditions as well as those whose health care costs will be ‘above average,’” the report states.

“This fact results in a prisoner profile that is far younger and far ‘darker’ in minimum and/or medium security private facilities than in select counterpart public facilities. In fact, the states in which the private versus public racial disparities are most pronounced also happen to be the states in which the private versus public age disparities are most salient.”

Contractual terms The most recent data available from the BJS counted 415 privately owned correctional facilities across the country (as of 2005), all engaged in state and/or federal contracts. Today, the two corrections firms with the most beds (Corrections Corporation

the results so far, we will continue to introduce new ways to implement our customer service improvement initiative.”

Citizens Academy begins For residents wanting to become more familiar with their city’s role in everyday activities, the City of Daytona Beach offers a citizens academy program. The latest installment of the class began March 4 with an overwhelming amount of applications.

“We have chiropractors, real estate agents, retirees,” Betty Goodman, Assistant City Manager and facilitator of the citizen’s academy relayed. “It is a very diverse class both race wise and gender. Our first class started on Tuesday and we meet every week for nine weeks. Everyone seems very excited about it.

Because the class was so full, we had to put a hold on accepting more applications.”

Goodman says the overwhelming response was a good thing and has already begun planning this fall’s academy, which will he held in September.

of America and The GEO Group, Inc.) own and/or manage 125 of those facilities, and more than half of the state and local contracts in the United States.

For-profit prisons often cap the amount they will spend on inmate care. Contractual terms with state and local corrections departments explicitly obligate states to funnel older and/or less healthy offenders into state-run facilities, thereby not subtracting from the bottom line of private facilities.

For example, a contract between the Mississippi Department of Corrections and Management & Training Corporation states: “ [MTC] will not be responsible or liable for providing counseling and/or mental health programs. MTC will not be responsible or liable for providing medical, mental health, optometry, pharmaceutical, dental, or similar services. MDOC shall provide security and control of inmates for outpatient needs and / or hospitalization.”

Persistent racial disparities

CHARTER

needs to be eliminated.”

Kimmons also echoed the sentiments of other speakers who queried where everyone was.

“You have to be here to have a voice,” he said.

from Page 1

States most impacted

A 2012 ACLU report estimates that it costs $34,135 per year to house a non-elderly inmate. That figure literally doubles for inmates over 50 years old, who require extra care, even without a chronic or age-related condition.

“Therefore, age and health serve as dual proxies for race when explaining the persistent racial disparities in private versus public facilities with similar population profiles,” according to the report.

Meanwhile, privately owned prisons continue to make headlines for financial mismanagement, violence, abuse, and civil rights violations. In a class-action lawsuit filed last year, for example, the American Civil Liberties Union and Southern Poverty Law Center described “barbaric” conditions at a Mississippi facility managed by Management & Training Corporation.

go on the ballot. Ultimately the voters will decide.”

Why make changes?

A city employee requested that Changing the form of local open communication be available for employees and said that government is a decision that currently she feels a “lock is on isn’t to be taken lightly. The commy mouth.” The employee says mission addresses the short and that what bothers her the most long-range implications potenis that intelligent people, who tially affecting every facet of local may have a lot of good ideas that governance.

Although charters have been may be beneficial to the city are looked over because of the chain changed for many reasons, reviews of local government literof command.

Dr. Willie Kimmons, the vice ature on the subject suggest that chair of the commission, thanked changes in forms of government the employee for speaking up are commonly caused by: A loss of trust in the integrity of the loand “having the nerve to speak.”

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Because national data by race doesn’t exist yet, Petrella conducted his study by looking at the inmate populations of Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. These states each house more than 3,000 prisoners in private minimum or medium security facilities.

Oklahoma and Texas exhibit the most private to public racial disparity: 57 percent of inmates in Oklahoma’s private facilities are of color, compared to 44 percent in public facilities. In Texas, the split is 69 percent and 57 percent, respectively.

These states also have the most age disparity: 36 percent of inmates in Oklahoma’s public facilities are 50 years or older, compared to 11 percent in private facilities. In Texas, elderly offenders make up 37 percent of the staterun facility population, and 17 percent in private facilities.

of unlawful and or scandalous behaviors on the part of local official; unmanageable conflict between local officials that hinders the performance of government; the ability of local government to successfully address unanticipated crisis; the failure of the local government to provide consistency in the delivery of services that the citizens deem to be essential; and/or interest groups seeking to increase their influence in city decision making.

Two additional town hall meetings will be held outside of City Hall. They are March 18 at the City Island Recreation Hall, 110 East Orange Ave. at 6 p.m., and April 1 at the Peabody Auditorium, Rose room, 600 Auditorium Blvd. at 6 p.m.

For more information, contact Surprised Baby_Horizontal Half-Page the city at 386-671-8600.

In-depth overview The only cost is a commitment of time.

Throughout the interactive weekly sessions, participants will get an in-depth overview of the structure and various functions and services provided by the city.

Counts also suggested those who have not attended the Daytona Beach Citizen’s Academy to attend the class.

“Forty people have already signed up and are going to classes right now. I would urge people, if they really would like to know how the city functions and all of the many things that are involved in it, to come through the Citizens Academy. I think they would really start to appreciate government and how it works.”

The LATCH system makes it easier to be sure your child’s car seat is installed correctly every time. Just clip it to the lower anchors, attach the top tether, and pull the straps tight. To find out more, visit safercar.gov.

M A YNEWS OR

MARCH 6 – MARCH 12, 2014 COMMUNITY DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006

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Flagler youth take in Black history of St. Augustine Youth groups from the Chi Delta Omega Chapter (SMART AKAdemy and Emerging Young Leaders) of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority accompanied by the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church Youth Ministry, the Delta Gems, and the Girls Mentoring Group of the Flagler Public Schools traveled on a Black Heritage Tour of St. Augustine.

Kowanna Johnson, Chi Delta Omega’s Ivy Leaf Reporter, made the connection with the media regarding the Black Heritage Tour.

The combined group celebrated Black History Month by selecting St. Augustine because of its profound mark on AfricanAmerican history. The group visited Fort Mose, the country’s first settlement of free Blacks, where the young people learned of the fort’s historical significance to the Underground Railroad.

Plenty of historical sites The group observed the churches where the civil rights assemblage had held their meetings. They “took in” the homes where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lodged during his visits; the home of Dr. Robert B. Hayling, the first Black Florida dentist; as well as the former high school built expressly for Blacks.

They also visited the St. Augustine Town Square and the Bridge of Lions, allowing the attendees to view the sites signifi-

BRIEFS Sorority seeks little girls to participate in Bud Deb program The Gamma Mu Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. is looking for girls between the ages of 5 and 8 years old to participate in its Bud Debutante program.

The girls will take part in several workshops, fundraising activities, and one girl will be crowned “Little Miss Bud Deb.” For more information or applications, contact Khalelah Jones at 386-852-8533 or Valerie W. Lowery at 386-2531753.

Allen Chapel A.M.E. celebrating 104th anniversary Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church, 580 George W. Engram Blvd. will celebrate its 104th anniversary March 9 at 10 a.m.

The church is under the leadership of Pastor Nathan M. Mugala.

Co-chairs for the anniversary are Bettye Ivey and Jackie Mole. The theme is “Standing on Faith – 104 Years.” The community is invited to attend.

For more information, call 386-255-1195.

Free family-friendly movies returns in Palm Coast Movies in Central Park, hosted by Palm Coast Parks and Recreation, are free and family-friendly. The first movie of 2014 will begin at 7:45 p.m. Friday, March 14, at Central Park in Town Center, 975 Central Ave., Palm Coast.

Bulldog Drive is currently closed to through traffic for road improvements so participants can access Central Park from Central Avenue off Belle Terre Parkway or from Central Avenue off Town Center Boulevard (off State Road 100).

Movies in Central Park are offered on the second Friday of every month, from March through November. The movie always starts around dusk – or about 15 minutes after official sunset.

For more information about the movies, visit www.palmcoastgov.com/movies.

Harvest Time International seeking volunteers Harvest Time International’s Volunteer Services Department has many volunteer positions available.

Individual volunteers and group volunteers are essential in helping with the local community assistance program.

The volunteer opportuni-

PALM COAST COMMUNITY NEWS JEROLINE D. MCCARTHY

cant to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s - including the Woolworth Store, where Blacks were jailed for trying to eat at the lunch counter - and the crossing where the Rev. Ambassador Andrew Young was beaten leading a march that had entered the plaza.

Historic markers recognizing Ambassador Young’s leadership and beatings allow visitors to “walk in his footsteps” while the old City Market provides for paying homage in memory of the slaves that were sold there.

The tour afforded lasting insight into the rich culture, traditions and historical contributions of Blacks in African-American history by means of St. Augustine.

Affordable Care Act program in Palatka This will be the last opportunity to learn about the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) via insurance and health professionals, who will answer your questions and enroll you in an advantageous program for your particular situation.

Come and learn whether mon-

Flagler County sororities joined hands with Mt. Calvary Baptist Church and the Girls Mentoring Group for a tour with young people in St. Augustine. ey can be saved in addition to applying for a family comprehensive plan. Learn the penalties of not applying. How can unemployment and being unable to afford health care impact you?

The opportunity to learn more about the Affordable Care Act will arise March 8 at Jenkins Middle School, 1100 North 19th St., Palatka, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The event is free and sponsored by the Palm Coast/Flagler County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Lalita Thomas is the sorority’s president.

The speaker is none other than Dr. Loray Britt, the Daytona Beach practitioner, along with Richard Downing and Andrew Chen, both knowledgeable agents in insurance and the Af-

fordable Care Act. To find out more, contact Michaelyn Pitts at michaelyn_ pitts@yahoo.com.

Deltas to host EMBODI event The Palm Coast/Flagler County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. will once again sponsor the annual EMBODI event (Empowering Males to Build Opportunities for Developing Independence).

This year’s theme, “Navigating the Game of Life,” will take place March 15, at Bunnell City Hall, 200 Church St. The free event will be provided 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and will include lunch.

Since registration is a prerequisite, please call 386-527-4393.

Food giveaway March 8 at First Church The Women’s Missionary Society of First Church - the Rev. Gillard S. Glover, pastor - has scheduled the monthly food giveaway for March 8, 1 to 3 p.m., at 91 Old Kings Road North, Palm Coast.

The food includes, but is not limited to, canned goods, jarred items, soft-packaged and boxed food items.

The Women’s Missionary Society is one of the organizations rooted in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Among the varied duties is the focus of charitable deeds.

At the helm of the missionaries at First Church is Mattie DeVore.

For information relating to the giveaway, call 386-446-5759.

ties consist of sorting or stocking of relief products such as household goods, and food for distribution in the Community Hope Center. The center in Port Orange provides immediate assistance upon qualification. Families in need are able to receive same day assistance after qualifying through the client services office.

If interested, email Maria Delgado at maria@harvesttime.org.

Halifax Health offering free support to caregivers Halifax Health is now offering a free Caregiver Support Line. Sponsored by the Halifax Health – Center for Transplant Services, the hotline offers information and uplifting support to residents who are currently providing long-term care for loved ones.

The support line is open Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Calls received Friday, Saturday and Sunday or after hours will be returned within 48 hours.

Caregivers are encouraged to call 386-947-4652 to reach the Caregiver Support Line.

Discover your roots in historical newspapers Learn how to explore America’s past and your personal roots using a historical newspaper database from 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 12, at the Daytona Beach Regional Library at City Island.

Genealogy librarian Kim Dolce will offer an introduction to America’s Historical Newspapers, a collection of digital books, pamphlets, broadsides, newspapers, government documents and ephemera printed in America from 1690 to 1922.

Reservations are not required. For more information, call Kim Dolce at 386-257-6036, ext. 16315.

Learn about other upcoming library events at www.volusialibrary.org.

Attorney to address elder law at library Michael Pyle will discuss elder law during a free program at 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 12, at the Daytona Beach Regional Library at City Island.

Pyle, a Daytona Beach attorney and elder law specialist, will explain the effects of age and the need for nursing home care, wills, trusts, powers of attorney and health care designation documents in case of incapacity.

The free program is sponsored by the Friends of the Daytona Beach Library.

Reservations are not required. For more information, call Adult Program Coordinator Deborah Shafer at 2576036, ext. 16264.

“Lee Daniels’ The Butler’’ stars Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker.

Cinematique to host civil rights film festival this weekend The Friends of the Daytona Beach Library and Cinematique will present a two-day film festival featuring three films that dramatize events from America’s civil rights and post civil rights eras. The films will be shown at the Cinematique Theater, 242 S. Beach St., Daytona Beach.

They include: • Lee Daniels’ “The Butler”: 7:30 p.m. March 8. The 2013 film is based on the true story of Cecil Gaines, a White House butler who served eight American presidents over three decades.

• “Selma, Lord, Selma”: 2:30 p.m. March 9. Based on

true events, this film tells the story of “Bloody Sunday” through the eyes of an 11-year-old African-American girl named Sheyann Webb.

• “Fruitvale Station”: 5:30 p.m. March 9. This film logs a day in the life of Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old San Francisco Bay area resident who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family and strangers on the last day of 2008.

Following each film, Ben Trotter will lead a discussion of the film and its background. Trotter, a library assistant at the Daytona Beach Regional Library at City Island.

There is no charge for the movies, but tickets are required. To obtain tickets, contact Deborah Shafer at dshafer@volusia.org or 386-257-6036, ext. 16264.

New Smyrna, Ormond teams win Black History Brain Bowl Teams from New Smyrna Beach High and Ormond Beach Middle School went home with the top prizes at this year’s annual Black history competition staged by the Daytona Beach Section of the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. The New Smyrna team was comprised of 14-yearold twins Jaida and Jasmine Purkiss, Alexis Merrick, 15, and Gabbriella Henderson, 15. Veteran educator Juliet Austin served as their coach. Each girl received a laptop computer.

“We love doing this for the kids and the community,” said Valerie W. Lowery, chairwoman of the Daytona Beach Section’s brain bowl committee. The event, which took place Feb. 22 at Daytona State College, is open to both high school and middle school students.

Schools, churches, clubs and other organizations are invited to enter teams.

Members of the team from Ormond Beach Middle were Shania Pope, Azaline Thompson, Corey Sheperd and Cameron McClaine. The team was coached by Constance Poitier. The winners each received a tablet device.

Part of ‘Educate to Elevate’ program Lola C. Young, president of the Daytona Beach Section, said the group started the event almost a decade ago to fill a void in local observances of Black History Month and also as part of its “Educate to Elevate” program, part of its national mandate.

The members of the New Smyrna Beach High team pose with their coach Juliet Austin, far left, and Lola C. Young, president of the Daytona Beach Section. The girls, from left, are Jaida Purkiss, Alexis Merrick, Jasmine Purkiss and Gabbriella Henderson.

“We would like to thank all of the businesses and residents that donate funds to help us put this program on,” added Eyvette Presley, co-chairman of the committee.

Judges for this year’s competition were Dr. Winifred Johnson and Dr. Ray Victor, both of Bethune-Cookman University; Dr. Roberta Brown-Carew, from Valencia Community College; and Monique Reed, an educator in the Port St. Lucie school system.

The National Council of Negro Women Inc. was founded by Mary McLeod Bethune in 1935. The nonprofit 501©(3) organization works to improve the lives of women and their communities. Membership is open to men and women regardless of race.

For more information about the Daytona Beach Section, call 386-253-1753.

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7 EDITORIAL

MARCH 6 – MARCH 12, 2014

America the land of the free The state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint; exemption from external control, interference, or regulation; the power to determine action without restraint; political or national independence; personal liberty as opposed to bondage or slavery; exemption from the presence of anything specified; freedom from fear; the absence of or release from ties, obligations; ease or facility of movement or action; to enjoy the freedom of living in the country; frankness of manner or speech; general exemption or immunity; freedom from taxation; the absence of ceremony or reserve; a liberty taken; a particular immunity or privilege enjoyed, as by a city or corporation; freedom to levy taxes, civil liberty, as opposed to subjection to an arbitrary or despotic government; the right to enjoy all the privileges or special right of citizenship, membership, etc., in a community or the like; the right to frequent, enjoy, or use at will; philosophy, the power to exercise choice and make decisions without constraint from within or without; autonomy, and finally, self-determination are all dictionary.com definitions for the word, freedom.

However, The Thirteenth Amendment Section One states: Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to

DARLENE AIKEN GUEST COLUMNIST

their jurisdiction, seems to supersede the dictionary’s definition and is currently only applicable to those who naturally lack melanin, but share the same color of blood inside and out.

I cannot help but firmly believe that those who seek annihilation based on race, culture, hair texture and/or style, stereotypes, ignorance, etc. possess a deep seated detestation of God coupled with the desire to continuously protect ancestors based on fear of retribution instead of repenting and starting anew.

Fear is not the answer I also do not condone those who are not lacking of melanin, that choose to voluntarily function in a manner devoid of consciousness, which equates to fear, thus contributing to “slavelike” behavior which upholds the aforementioned acts…but what else is expected from such individuals. How long will it be proven that marches do not work?

How long will it take for us to see that hatred does not work? How long will it take to recognize that fear is not the answer, either?

Regardless of what side one is

on, the common denominator is fear. Since God has not given His children a spirit of fear, but of wisdom, power, and a strong mind, that is what I will subscribe to and challenge each of you to follow suit. Some may say that this is a weak approach, but we are challenged by God to have mustard seed faith. A mustard seed, is one of the minutest seeds ever, however, it becomes magnified 100 times when challenged to possess it and to do so perpetually.

If you have ever stridden by faith and experienced the results, you know there is no other elation like it. Nonetheless if you have not ever had that experience, you share in being a part of the hindrance. Let us genuinely make this the land of the free and not prolong the time to remain as the land of the free to criminalize African-American boys and men, the land of the free to kill African American boys and men.

The women in their lives fall victim, as well. Only those, regardless of race, who tread in fear seek to engross in that type of boorish behavior and are what is preventing us all from truly being America the land of the free.

Darlene Aiken is an adjunct lecturer, international bestselling author, publisher, transformational speaker, awardwinning self-esteem & personal growth coach and founder of Inner Beauty Solutions, Inc. Write your own response at www.daytonatimes.com.

Obama’s one-sided responsibility lecture Too often during the presidency of Barack Obama, the nation’s first African-American president has felt the need to chide Black Americans to take responsibility for their destiny. In announcing his new “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative targeting young men of color at the White House, the president again waded in the personal responsibility waters and told the nation our Black and Latino young men simply have to do better, be better. After all, President Obama shared how he was the product of a single parent, did not have a relationship with his father and was sometimes angry about that, got high and made some bad choices. But look at him now, all grown up and occupying the White House.

It’s not like we have not heard this pitch before. If you have spent any time in a Black church, chances are you have heard that sermon on multiple occasions.

And contrary to popular belief, Black people actually confront irresponsible behavior on a frequency that would shock White America. What’s different here is that the message is coming from our highest and most powerful elected official, and someone whose reflection in the mirror looks like us.

Rhetoric reinforces negative perceptions My level of disgust for this message delivered by the president is similar to the anger I feel when I hear the generalized “you people” when a White person seeks to de-

WALTER FIELDS NNPA COLUMNIST

children who simply wanted to go to school. I do not have a memory of President John F. Kennedy telling White, southern men who bombed churches and murdered Black children to be responsible.

Nor for that matter did JFK dress down southern governors like George Wallace for being blatantly racist and trampling on the Constitution.

Who holds White, male CEOs responsible when they mismanage billion-dollar corporations, causing thousands of workers to lose their jobs but walk away with million dollar golden parachutes as a ‘reward” for their incompetence? And who holds corporations, run by predominantly White, male directors, responsible when they hire these failures to run their enterprises, running the risk of creating more collateral damage in the form of displaced workers and devastated families?

It seems that responsibility is a one-way street on which only Black people are expected to travel.

I do not need to hear the president’s personal story of redemption. Too many of us could one-up him when it comes to the burdens we have carried as Black men.

What the nation should hear is the truth and the acknowledgement that the reason the president’s new initiative is needed is because young men of color are the latest in a line of Black casualties.

monize Black people. When President Obama uses such rhetoric it reinforces the perception among many Whites that if only Black people would get their act together they could make something of themselves. It reminds me of the movies I despised when I was a child; the films with the depiction of the mumbling and self-deprecating Black house servant who put down Blacks to curry favor with the White boss but was too ignorant to understand he was insulting himself. The crowd the president plays to with this message is predisposed to discount the value of Black people, including the one in the Oval Office.

I can’t recall a White president delivering that message to White men. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and the wigged crew from 1776 certainly looked the other way when they and their White brethren were buying and selling Africans like cattle. My father served in World War II but I don’t remember reading that President Truman publicly rebuked White male military leaders for allowing Black soldiers to bleed for their country but be treated as second-class citizens.

Perhaps I missed the kinescope Walter Fields is the Execuof President Dwight D. Eisenhow- tive Editor of NorthStarNews. er chastising White men for spit- com. Write your own response ting on and cursing at little Black at www.dayotnatimes.com.

Redefining truth has consequences In all organized sports, there are clearly defined rules that must be adhered to. In all universities, there are clearly stated guidelines for admittance. In all religions, there are shared beliefs that all members must adhere to. Without these clearly defined rules of engagement (ROEs), there can be no order within groups; and without order there is nothing left but chaos.

You join the Boy Scouts, for example, because you are a boy and you join the Girl Scouts because you are a girl. You are a male because you are born with a penis and you are a girl because you are born with a vagina. These things used to be unquestioned statements of fact.

Now some parents are filing lawsuits because their daughters want the legal right to join the Boy Scouts. Some males, on the other hand, want the right to join a sorority while some females want the right to join a fraternity. To call this a ball of confusion is an understatement.

Sexuality not absolute Sadly, sexuality is no longer determined at birth and is no longer absolute. You now can legally (in California) “self-identify” your

RAYNARD JACKSON NNPA COLUMNIST

sex. You can be born a male and simply wake up and say you “selfidentify” as a girl and legally you can play on your high school’s girls softball team; you must be allowed to use the girls bathroom; and you must be allowed to wear a dress to class.

Now, right is wrong; up is down, black is white; and there are no rules.

Rules are created in order to maintain order and control. No matter where you go throughout the world, the rules for basketball, American football, and baseball are the same.

Conversely, when you have no clearly defined rules, you have chaos instead of order. This is exactly what is happening in America in particular and the world in general. Rules are the glue that keeps a society together. Rules make the family into a functioning unit. Rules create the framework for dispute resolution.

How can you have a function-

ing country when you can no longer define the family unit? Study after study has shown that the family unit is the most stabilizing force in a society and that children who are reared with a mother and father are best positioned to be successful in life.

I am a huge proponent of individual freedom, but freedom can’t exist without some agreed upon rules of engagement. You can’t have children born as one sex and then be allowed to simply “self-identify” as to something totally different. You can’t – or shouldn’t – seek to become a member of, say, a Pentecostal church and then refuse to comport yourself in a manner consistent with their rules (including a prohibition against homosexuality), and then call them a bigot if they refuse you membership.

This altering of what it means to be an American will lead to our demise as a global leader. Even freedom has its orderly limitations.

Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a Washington, D.C.-based public relations/government affairs firm.

Write your own response at www.daytonatimes.com.

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: OBAMACARE OSCARS

RICK MCKEE, THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE

The Jim Crow impulse Arizona’s Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, after nearly a week of reading the political tea leaves, vetoed a bill Feb. 27 from her state’s GOP-controlled legislature that its advocates stated had the innocuous purpose of shoring up protections for the “free exercise of religion.”

In fact, the legislation would have revived for use against gays and lesbians one of the oldest planks of the centuries-long state-sponsored bigotry against Black Americans: religion.

Or, perhaps, it’s more correct to characterize it as religious mumbo-jumbo.

The bill, SB1062, would have amended Arizona’s constitution, to allow any individual, business owner, association, corporation, partnership or church to discriminate against gays and lesbians if they claimed they were following a “sincerely held” religious belief.

In fact, current state law does not provide protection for gays and lesbians against discrimination; so, the bill would have increased the legal advantages of those operating an enterprise in the public sphere who wanted to discriminate.

Sounds eerily familiar The bill also could also protect those who would discriminate against Muslims because they are offended by Muslim religious beliefs. It would have overridden specific city ordinances of Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff protecting the rights of gay and lesbian individuals. And it would have undermined policies of private businesses that were inclusive of gays and lesbians.

Do those provisions of law sound familiar?

You don’t have to go too deep into the American past to find their rancid antecedents. Southern segregationists of the 19th and 20th centuries pioneered the use of religious mumbojumbo to try to sanctify the rank prejudice in the thousands and thousands of discriminatory laws southern state legislatures, city councils and other rule-making bodies enacted to deny Black Americans full citizenship.

LEE A. DANIELS NNPA COLUMNIST

Despite its advocates’ mealymouthed claims that the bill was to protect the “religious freedom” of “Christians,” the Arizona bill’s intent was so obvious that progressive forces throughout the country immediately mounted a campaign against it.

The forces of progress prevailed in this instance. The Brewer veto is another clear signal, along with public opinion surveys, federal court decisions striking down state bans against same-sex marriages, and the refusal of six state attorneys general to enforce such homophobic laws, that substantial progress is being made in expanding a true definition of freedom for all Americans.

Cut from the same cloth But before progressives celebrate too much, they’d do well to note that similar “religious freedom to discriminate” bills – all sponsored by Republicans – exist in the legislatures of nearly a dozen states. Progressives would do well to note that these proposals are cut from the same cloth as the voluminous GOPsponsored bills intended to suppress the vote of Democratic Party-leaning Americans, especially Blacks, and restricting the reproductive rights of women.

That fact underscores one of the key political questions of the day: Is the Republican Party – not just in Arizona but everywhere – suffering from a kind of collective memory loss? Have they forgotten the evil the Jim Crow impulse created in an era not all that long ago?

Finding the antidote to eliminate that poison from their system is the “freedom movement” the GOP needs to be focusing on.

Lee A. Daniels is a longtime journalist based in New York City. His latest book is Last Chance: The Political Threat to Black America.

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.

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MAYOR

MARCH 6 – MARCH 12,DECEMBER 2014 ENTERTAINMENT 14 - 20, 2006

Rappers’ disrespect of Black icons raises concerns Minaj’s Malcolm X image, Lil Wayne’s comment about Till provoked outrage

BY JESSE WASHINGTON ASSOCIATED PRESS

Malcolm X and rap music have always fit together like a needle in the groove, connected by struggle, strength and defiance. But three recent episodes involving the use or misuse of Malcolm and other Black icons have raised the question: Has rap lost touch with Black history?

Chart-topping rapstress Nikki Minaj provoked widespread outrage with an Instagram post featuring one of Black history’s most poignant images: Malcolm X peering out the window of his home, rifle in hand, trying to defend his wife and children from firebombs while under surveillance by federal agents.

Superimposed on the photo: the title of Minaj’s new song, which denigrates certain Black men and repeats the N-word 42 times.

That came after Minaj’s mentor Lil Wayne recorded a verse last year using the civil rights martyr Emmett Till in a sexual metaphor, and the hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons posted a Harriet Tubman “sex tape’’ video on his comedy channel.

Nicki Minaj has apologized for the superimposed photo of Malcolm X on her new song that includes the N-word 42 times.

Not ‘in tune’ What is happening to mainstream rap music, which was launched by Simmons and is now ruled by the likes of Minaj and Wayne?

“I don’t want to say today’s rappers are not educated about Black history, but they don’t seem as aware as rap generations before them,’’ said Jermaine Hall, editor-in-chief of Vibe, the hiphop magazine and website.

While previous generations had to struggle with the racism and neglect of the 1970s or the crack epidemic of the 1980s, Hall said, today’s young people have not faced the same type of racial struggle – “They’re sort of getting further and further away from the civil rights movement.’’

“In the `80s, whether it was KRS-One, Public Enemy, or the Native Tongues, that entire movement, it was very in tune with Black history,’’ Hall said.

“They knew everything about Malcolm, about Martin, about Rosa Parks. Now, the new rappers just aren’t as in tune.’’

Song called dehumanizing Indeed, Minaj issued a statement expressing disbelief at the uproar and apologizing to Malcolm’s family “if the meaning of the photo was misconstrued.’’

Wayne wrote to the Till family to “acknowledge your hurt, as well as the letter you sent to me via your attorneys.’’ Simmons was the only one to say, “I am sincerely sorry.’’

The apologies did not change much for Pierre Bennu, a filmmaker and artist who said Malcolm X’s life was dedicated to advocating for the humanity of Black people, while Minaj’s song was simply dehumanizing.

When he saw Minaj’s manipulation, Bennu said, “I felt punched in the gut.’’

The episode inspired him to

he was an emcee,’’ Davey wrote.

Various mainstream rap artists seem reluctant to defend Minaj and Wayne; The Associated Press sought out five, but none returned calls for comment.

Jasiri X, a rapper whose music focuses on Black empowerment and current events, said many of today’s mainstream rappers use images of revolutionary Black icons to promote an anti-establishment image.

“All the while, they’re being funded and pushed by major corporations,’’ he said.

“I see Nikki and other artists, whether Kanye or Jay-Z, adopting these revolutionary images or using a clip or saying their name, but never practice the principles which these revolutionaries gave their lives for,’’ Jasiri said.

It was not always so.

Hip-hop began in the early 1970s as an alternative to gang activity. Before the music was recorded, founding fathers like DJ Afrika Bambaataa – whose slogan was “peace, love, unity and having fun’’ – would play Malcolm X’s voice over instrumental break beats.

“Not only did it sound funky but it helped raise our consciousness,’’ Davey wrote on his website.

Tubman revered

Malcolm idolized

DAVID SANTIAGO/EL NUEVO/MCT

Hip-hop recording artist Lil Wayne poses for a picture during the Houston Rockets vs. Miami Heat game at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami on Feb. 6. post a mash-up video (http://bit. ly/1fpoFYB) laying Minaj’s song over the infamous 1941 Walter Lantz cartoon “Scrub Me Mama

With A Boogie Beat,’’ which depicts a town of lazy Black people hypnotized by a seductive washerwoman.

Davey attended many early rap concerts at Harlem’s Audubon Ballroom, where Malcolm was assassinated. As the music gained steam, X was constantly honored on wax. KRS-One duplicated Malcolm’s gun-in-thewindow pose on the cover of his 1988 classic album, “By Any Means Necessary.’’ In 1991, Tupac rhymed on “Words of Wisdom’’: “No Malcolm X in my history text, why is that? / Cause he tried to educate and liberate all Blacks.’’

Malcolm’s voice and image appeared on so many records and videos, “many would remark that

Tubman also is a longtime rap staple, mentioned by everyone from Ice Cube (“She helped me run like Harriet Tubman’’) to Pharoahe Monch (“A railroad to underground like Harriet Tubman’’). Till, too, has been mentioned in songs such as Kanye’s breakthrough 2003 single “Through The Wire.’’

But today’s rappers reflect our money-obsessed society, said Bakari Kitwana, whose Rap Sessions organization just moderated a series of community dialogues between the civil rights and hip-hop generations.

“We see a lot of things going on with our young people, and we don’t feel like we are teaching them values that can compete with the way the value of money is ingrained in our culture,’’ Kitwana said. “Everything is just focused on money. If you can get money, whatever else you’re doing doesn’t matter.’’

“It’s reached a crisis point,’’ he said. “I came up in the `70s and `80s, and greed has always been present, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it like it is now.’’

He was echoed by Paradise Gray, who performed in the 1980s with the Afrocentric rap group X Clan.

“Mainstream rap music has lost its reverence for anything besides money,’’ Gray said.

Today’s rappers threaten to kill people who disrespect them, “but they sit back and let you disrespect our legacy, our culture, our history,’’ he said.

“What,’’ Gray asked, “will the disrespect of your humanity and your blackness cost you?’’

Jesse Washington covers race and ethnicity for the Associated Press. He is reachable at www.twitter.com/jessewashington or jwashington@ap.org.

VH1 dumping ‘Single Ladies’ after Season 3

Arby’s buys Pharell Williams’ Grammy hat

EURWEB.COM

EURWEB.COM

Pharrell Williams’ brown 10-gallon hat, which he debuted at the Grammy’s last month, has earned more than $44,000 for his educational nonprofit after it was sold to the highest bidder on eBay. The new owner is roast beef chain Arby’s, whose official logo is nearly a carbon copy of the Vivienne Westwood-designed lid. The restaurant announced that it had the winning bid of $44,100. The proceeds will go to Pharrell’s educational nonprofit From One Hand to Another.

Williams performed his Oscar-nominated single “Happy” on Sunday in a black version of the hat, to go with his black tie and formal shorts.

Not practicing principles

Pharrell Williams’ hat created a stir at last month’s Grammy Awards.

“Single Ladies” has gotten the boot from VH1.

The Atlanta set and produced series from Queen Latifah‘s Flavor Unit will end its run after three seasons.

As of now, the Season 3 finale is scheduled to air on March 24.

“We’ve been proud to deliver three seasons of the drama, romance and style that engaged viewers in each episode of Single Ladies,” VH1 said in a statement.

“Although we’ve decided not to move forward with another season, we hope to work again with the talented cast, creatives and producers as well as our partners at Flavor Unit Entertainment in the near future. We also thank the show’s fans for their support since the premiere in 2011.”

It’s interesting to note that “Single Ladies,” which started off as a made-for-TV movie, went on to success as a series and opened the door to “Hit The Floor,” which became a breakout hit when it launched.

The cast of “Single Ladies’’ included DB Woodside, left, Charity Shea, Denise Vasi, front, LisaRaye McCoy and Travis Winfrey.

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the show. There was the firing of Stacey Dash and then, right after it was renewed for a third season, in August 2012, creator/executive producer Stacy A. Littlejohn left. Fans had to wait a full year and a half for season 3 to launch this past Janu-

ary and now this.

According to Deadline, the premiere airing and its same night encore combined, “Single Ladies” grew each seasons, posting 2.9 for the season premiere, 3.2 million for the Season 2 opener and 3.5 million for Season 3.

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Votran is an equal opportunity employer and a drug and tobaccofree workplace.

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MARCH 6 – MARCH 2014 DECEMBER 14 - 20,12, 2006

Harvick holds off Earnhardt Jr. to win at Phoenix

BY RICK BONNELL CHARLOTTE OBSERVER/MCT

AVONDALE, Ariz. — For Kevin Harvick, the guy with the car nobody could top, this amounted to a “don’t screw this up” moment.

Restart after restart over the last 25 laps of Sunday’s The Profit on CNBC 500, Harvick felt Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s speed next to him and Joey Logano’s aggressiveness right behind him. Logano kept tapping Harvick’s back bumper, portending this might get rough.

“Restarts are crazy,” Harvick said after winning his fifth Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway. “You’re very vulnerable, particularly to the (third-place) car. Joey was on my bumper all day. Then my line is full of speedy dry and crumbs through turn 3.”

So many things could go wrong, but one stood above the rest.

“My thing was to make sure we didn’t get spun out,” Harvick recalled. “You go into that corner and prepare to get hit. To defend yourself. I just felt like if I could get into that first corner and hit the throttle, I could get away from him.”

Fastest in practice He did, every time. That was good for a Harvick victory in just his second race driving for Stewart-Haas Racing. Earnhardt finished second Sunday and Brad Keselowski third. Logano and Jeff Gordon completed the top five.

Harvick’s decision to move over from Richard Childress Racing looked like the right one throughout the weekend when he was consistently fastest in

JEFF SINER/CHARLOTTE OBSERVER/MCT

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Kevin Harvick (4) and Kyle Busch (18) are shown during driver introductions for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 23. Harvick was victorious during race on March 2 at Phoenix International Speedway. practice, then led 224 of a possible 312 laps.

“You do this to win. In this arena it’s about winning a championship,” Harvick said of his decision to switch teams, two years in the making. “I needed that enthusiasm to show up to work.”

Harvick and new crew chief Rodney Childers started everything from scratch from the end of last season.

‘Great combination’ The early indications were impressive enough that the No. 4 team was the

talk of the garage all weekend.

“They beat everybody before they came to the track,” said Keselowski, who won the pole here.

“A great combination and they were ready for everything. They were really prepared all the way through testing. Clearly dominant. They look like the 20 car (Matt Kenseth) last year – the honeymoon syndrome and taking full effect from it.”

Harvick knew he had the best equipment, though he felt Earnhardt’s wasn’t far behind. Sometimes that

creates confidence, but it can also create pressure, particularly among such a new group.

“It’s a lot of pressure to have such a fast car, especially so early into the team,” Harvick said. “It’s our responsibility as driver and crew chief to control everybody’s emotions and expectations.

“Everybody is waiting for you to say something or do something. I’m very excitable in the right situation.”

Some heavy damage The first half of this race was quite uneventful. The

First AfricanAmerican to win Winter Olympic Gold is AKA

vis Kvapil) car sustaining heavy damage.

A flurry of cautions late had two effects; it reduced the chance the leaders might run out of gas and it created new jeopardy for race leader Harvick each restart.

Earnhardt, winner of the season-opening Daytona 500, kept chasing to no avail.

“He’s not a rookie. The guy has been around for a long time. He was going to be very, very, very hard to pass.” Earnhardt said. “His car is just so good he had me handled easily.”

Fantasia to perform for MEAC basketball tournament March 7

NNPA NEWS SERVICE

Vonetta Flowers, the first African-American to win a gold medal at a Winter Olympic games is also an honorary member of the historically Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. The Olympian, who won the gold in bobsledding at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, is one of a number of honorary Alpha Kappa Alpha members, from author Maya Angelou to civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks.

Honorary membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha is considered the sorority’s highest honor, given to those making extraordinary strides in their field, according to the sorority’s website.

Alpha Kappa Alpha was founded in 1908 at Howard University in Washington, D.C. and is the oldest of the four historically Black sororities.

only early yellow flag was a scheduled one – a “competition caution” 35 laps in, allowing crews to inspect tires and make adjustments. That was in reaction to heavy rains Saturday night that presumably washed away much of the rubber laid down over practice, qualifying and the Nationwide race.

Things changed dramatically in terms of cautions later on. The yellow came out for debris twice and on one of those occasions the restart got wild, with the No. 57 car (Justin Allgaier) and the No. 32 (Tra-

DEAN RUTZ/SEATTLE TIMES/MCT

Vonetta is pictured at the U.S. Team Media Summit in Colorado Springs, Colo. in October 2005.

The annual Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) men’s and women’s basketball tournament tips off March 10-15 at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va. The tournament brings all 13-member teams together under one roof competing for the conference tournament title and a chance to play in the Big Dance, the NCAA Division I Championship. The tournament schedule of events features an array of community activities and fun-filled entertainment line-up.

A pre-tournament concert featuring Fantasia is scheduled March 7 at 8 p.m. at Chrysler Hall, Norfolk, Va. Tournament fun begins on Saturday, March 8 from 2 to 4 p.m. with the second annual MEAC Youth Clinic at Echol’s Hall at Norfolk State University. The clinic is a community outreach program that connects youth ages 10-12 with MEAC head coaches of both men’s and women’s programs.

Participants participate in basketball drills with the MEAC head coaches and gain valuable information through open discussions on various youth sports issues. Participants receive an official clinic T-shirt and basketball.

To see a complete lineup of activities, visit www.

MEAChoops.com.

County launching beach safety mentoring program for teens Volusia County’s Beach Safety Division is launching a Lifeguard Trainee Mentoring Program for 16-yearolds who want to prepare for jobs as tower guards.

Trainees will shadow and assist seasoned tower guards, but will not assist in water rescues, according to Beach Safety Director Mark Swanson.

Swim tryouts for 16-year-olds will be on these dates: • Saturday, March 8: 8 a.m. to 10

a.m. at the DeLand YMCA, 761 International Speedway Blvd.; and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. at the Ormond Beach YMCA • Saturday, March 15: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. at the Ormond Beach YMCA Applicants must be at least 16 by March 24 and be able to swim 500 meters in under 10 minutes, swim 50 yards in under 30 seconds, and run a half-mile in under 3 minutes, 15 seconds. Candidates considered for hir-

ing will undergo a background check, physical and drug screening.

Those who meet the swim requirements must pass a stringent selection process, attend an orientation and training class, and complete a 40-hour first responder/CPR. Starting pay is $8.51 an hour. A $500 bonus will be given to new hires who work specified hours and days.

For more information, visit www. volusia.org/beach or call Beach Safety Ocean Rescue at 386-239-6414.

CIAA tournament to stay in Charlotte for six years

ago. The move is expected by 2016 at the latest.

The Division II tournament, which is known for its weeklong parties that include national celebrities, has been held in Charlotte since 2006. However, the contract expired following the completion of this year’s tournament, which wrapped up this past weekend.

“Charlotte did a really good job of bringing all of its key leaders together to see how this agreement could stretch beyond the CIAA tournament,” Carpenter said in a news conference Monday in Charlotte. “I think it’s a great opportunity to embed ourselves in the community here.’’

As part of the agreement, the city of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority will provide various benefits, includ-

ing $1.4 million in funding per year to the CIAA. The money will be distributed among the conference’s 12 schools.

Games will continue to be played at Time Warner Cable Arena, home of the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats.

The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority said the 2013 CIAA tournament generated $29.86 million in direct spending and $47.17 million in economic impact.

The CIAA is the oldest AfricanAmerican athletic conference in the nation and consists of Bowie State, Chowan, Elizabeth City State, Fayetteville State, Johnson C. Smith, Lincoln, Livingstone, Saint Augustine’s, Shaw, Virginia State, Virginia Union and Winston-Salem State.

BY STEVE REED ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association is returning to Charlotte. This time for good.

CIAA commissioner Jacqie Carpenter announced Monday that not only will the conference’s men’s and women’s basketball tournaments remain in Charlotte for “at least six more years,’’ but that the CIAA is moving its headquarters to the city, too.

The CIAA headquarters have been based in Hampton, Va., since the conference formed more than 100 years

A concert featuring Fantasia is scheduled March 7 in Norfolk.

R8

7 PERSONAL FINANCE

MARCH 6 – MARCH 12, 2014

Most states have no rules for independent tax preparers

BY ELAINE S. POVICH STATELINE.ORG

Only four states require testing and continuing education for hundreds of thousands of independent tax preparers who make a living deciphering the nearly 74,000-page U.S. tax code for many Americans.

After a federal appeals court threw out proposed IRS rules regulating tax preparers, the Wild West of the tax preparation industry will continue for another tax season. In its Feb. 11 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said the IRS was not authorized to write the proposed regulations, asserting that power was reserved for Congress and the president.

Certified accountants who do taxes for clients are regulated, as are lawyers and tax specialists called “enrolled agents,” who must pass a test and be recertified periodically by the IRS. But many of the small, independent tax ROBERT COHEN/ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH/MCT preparers are subject to no standards at all. They sim- Retired payroll tax manager Mabeline Julien, left, helps Pearline Brown file her income taxes in St. Louis, ply hang out a shingle and Mo., on Feb. 12, 2013. fill out tax forms for clients. tax preparers make a living clients and pocket part of tain types of banking offi- the wrinkle that anyone 1.2 million deciphering the labyrinth the money, according to cials: who is delinquent in child U.S. tax code for taxpay- consumer groups.

In California, prospec- support payments is depreparers Robert Kerr, senior di- tive tax preparers must nied a tax preparer’s liConsumer groups note ers. The IRS reported 63 that independent prepar- percent of all returns were rector of government rela- take a 60-hour course, pur- cense.

In 46 states, there are no ers are less regulated than done by tax preparers in tions for the National Asso- chase a $5,000 tax preparhair stylists, who are re- 2013 and estimates are that ciation of Enrolled Agents, er bond, apply to the state such regulations. quired to be licensed in about half were filed by un- said in “most states, you California State Education have higher requirements Council and pay a $25 fee. all states and the District regulated preparers.

Pushing for to be a barber than a tax In Oregon, the requireof Columbia. Estimates of preparer. The downside of ments are a little stiffer, re- regulations how many unregulated tax The downside A consumer group efpreparers exist vary widely, Things that have gone a bad haircut pales in com- quiring a high school disince they are not required wrong in returns filed by parison to a bad tax pre- ploma or GED certificate, fort is under way in Ohio to register anywhere. some tax preparers range parer. In the meantime it is 80 hours of tax law educa- to get the legislature to apThe Institute for Justice, from errors that might cost the Wild West — there are tion, and passing an exam- prove requirements for ination with at least a 75 tax preparers. David Rothwhich successfully fought taxpayers part of their re- no cops on the beat.” stein, director of public afpercent grade. the proposed IRS regula- funds or result in a taxpayMaryland’s require- fairs for the Neighborhood tions in court, estimates er having to pay restoration Stiff requirements that more than 350,000 and penalties for illegal In four states, there are ments mirror Oregon’s, ex- Housing Services of Greatsmall independent tax pre- deductions, to deliberate requirements for indepen- cept the registration fee is er Cleveland, said he is working with Republicans parers would have been af- fraud cases where prepar- dent tax preparers who $100 for two years.

New York’s program is and Democrats in the legers consciously misstate are not CPAs, “enrolled fected by the regulations.

All told, up to 1.2 million refunds or deductions to agents,” attorneys or cer- similar to the others, with islature to “try to get them

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to put forward regulations that would require preparers to be registered in the state of Ohio. It would require a certain level of competency and certain disclosures.”

“It wouldn’t be that burdensome,” Rothstein said.

“Now, the floor is extremely low — because there really isn’t one.” He said recertification is important because tax laws, both state and federal, change every year and keeping up with new laws is critical.

But Elmer Kilian, an 80-year-old independent tax preparer who hangs a wooden sign outside his home in Eagle, Wis., every tax season, said the certifications wouldn’t help much and would be costly for small operators.

Meeting the requirements

He said it wouldn’t cut down on fraud because “we’re responsible for the taxes listed on the forms, but it’s the taxpayer who is responsible for the numbers on the forms. The preparer just puts them in where they are supposed to go.” He told Accounting Today that he does his returns by hand and charges only $30 to $40 for an individual client.

Kilian said he does not object to training in principle, but was upset that the initial IRS rule exempted CPAs and attorneys. He said big tax firms like H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt would have no problem meeting the requirements because they already have systems in place to train their employees. But independents don’t, he said.

“I do individual forms, and small businesses with income of less than half a million,” he said. “When you get over half a million, you need more expertise.”