Five Flagler youth to compete in national NAACP competition SEE PAGE 3
EE FR
CHARLENE CROWELL: States shift higher education costs to families See page 4
New studies shatter myths about Black cohabitation and marriage SEE PAGE 8
East Central Florida’s Black Voice MARCH 20 - MARCH 26, 2014
YEAR 39 NO. 12
www.daytonatimes.com
Makeover of Volusia Mall starts this month 13 of the 17 contractors for the project are supposed to be local firms BY ASHLEY D. THOMAS DAYTONA TIMES aysheldarcel@gmail.com
The owner and manager of Volusia Mall announced Wednesday that the shop-
ping center is getting a multi-million-dollar facelift. The mall opened in 1974 and October will mark its 40th-year anniversary. CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. acquired the property in 2004 and states that it is committed to reinvesting and enhancing its appeal to both retailers and shoppers. The more than one million square feet of retail
mall houses four department stores – Dillard’s, JCPenney, Macy’s and Sears as well as more than 120 specialty shops. The renovations are expected to be completed by November 2014. The last major renovation of the mall occurred in 1996. “The renovation of Volusia Mall is designed to enhance the shopping experience for our customers,” said Wayne Bohl, the prop-
erty’s general manager. “We are excited to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the area by reinvesting in the property. With this renovation, Volusia Mall will remain a source of pride for the community and will continue to be the premier shopping destination in the area.”
Thriving area The mall upgrades come at a time of economy ac-
tivity along the immediate stretch of International Speedway Boulevard. Two new restaurants have opened over the past 12 months, including an IHOP and Bahama Breeze. A third restaurant, the Olive Garden, moved its business to the booming area as well. The billion-dollar Daytona One and Daytona Rising projects are both on schedule as well in the same area. “With the major de-
A lesson on soaring against the odds
partment stores and the 100-plus specialty stores, the Volusia Mall is unlike other malls which aren’t doing so well in other areas,” remarked Daytona Beach Commissioner Patrick Henry. “It’s not dying; it’s actually thriving. I think that with all the development in the surrounding area, it is a good thing for the community.” Please see MALL, Page 2
Daytona finally fills fire chief vacancy BY ASHLEY D. THOMAS DAYTONA TIMES aysheldarcel@gmail.com
After a yearlong vacancy, City Manager Jim Chisholm has appointed Dru R. Driscoll as Daytona Beach’s new fire chief. Driscoll began his employment as the city’s 19th fire chief on Monday. Residents had voiced their displeasure at multiple city commission meetings over the time the city was without a chief. The job opening ran from March 27 to May 3 of last year after former chief James Bland, now the fire chief of neighboring Holly Hill, retired. Fifty-three people applied – 24 from Florida and 29 from out of state. Among those applying for the job was Daytona Beach Fire Department employee Lt. Larry Stoney Jr. If chosen, Stoney would have been the second Black to hold the position in the city’s history.
Grew up here
PHOTOS BY DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./ HARDNOTTS PHOTOGRAPHY
Students Aneecia Reed, Jared Jackson, Principal Dr. Earl Johnson, Danny Coleman and Xavier Dickerson, stand behind Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Hiram Mann after he spoke to a group of about 100 fifth graders at Turie T. Small Elementary.
Famed Tuskegee Airman tells students to never give up BY ASHLEY D. THOMAS DAYTONA TIMES aysheldarcel@gmail.com
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Lt. Col. Mann served in the 332nd Fighter Group, flying P51-D Mustangs. He shared a story with Turie T. Small Elementary students on Wednesday about how he survived after coming under enemy fire in World War II.
ALSO INSIDE
t has been more than 70 years since Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Hiram E. Mann applied to the U.S. Armed Forces. The 92 year-old told a group of eager students at Turie T. Elementary on Wednesday that he put in that same application three times before he became a pilot for the United States Air Force. The first time he received a rejection letter stating that there were “no facilities to train Negroes to fly in any branch of the United States military.” A second time he was rejected because although he passed a rigorous mental and physical test he only had one year of post-high school education and he needed to have two. The third time was the charm. “I told my bride I was applying for the service, and my bride (Kathadaza Please see AIRMAN, Page 2
Driscoll, 36, began his public safety career as a firefighter for the City of Daytona Beach in January 1999. After serving as a firefighter from 1999 to 2004, Driscoll held several progressively responsible positions for the department to include his most recent assignment as the interim fire chief since April 2013. Growing up in the Daytona Beach area, Driscoll graduated from Seabreeze High School and Please see JOB, Page 2
Insurance enrollment Sunday in Daytona Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry is encouraging every uninsured resident to sign up for health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act. The deadline to purchase health insurance for 2014 to meet the bill’s mandate is March 31. The City of Daytona Beach and Halifax Medical Center will host an enrollment event on Sunday, March 23, at Halifax Medical Center on Clyde Morris Boulevard in Daytona Beach from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Registration and enrollment will be in the France Tower. Enrollment counselors will be present to help navigate the process. Those attending the event are asked to bring proper documentation, including identification, Social Security numbers, proof of income and any existing health insurance information. You can sign up for health coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week at HealthCare.gov or by calling 800-318-2596.
COMMUNITY NEWS: LIBRARIES PLAN FINANCE PROGRAMS FOR MONEY SMART WEEK | PAGE 3 COMMUNITY NEWS: PULITZER PRIZE WINNER TO DISCUSS THURGOOD MARSHALL BOOK | PAGE 5
7 FOCUS
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MARCH 20 – MARCH 26, 2014
Pulitzer Prize winner to discuss his Thurgood Marshall book
COURTESY PHOTO
A rendering of the Volusia Mall in its final state shows new tile floors and enhanced lighting.
MALL
from Page 1 13 local subcontractors Henry further noted that 13 of the 17 subcontractors being used for the undertaking will be local subcontractors. General contractor services for the Volusia Mall renovation will be provided by EMJ Construction of Chattanooga, Tenn. EMJ is a national construction firm with more than 500 million square feet of projects to its credit. A request for information from EMJ about subcontractors was not provided by the Daytona Times’ Wednesday night deadline.
AIRMAN from Page 1
“Kitty’’ Henderson) told me if I volunteered she would shoot my toe off,” he said with a chuckle. “I still have my toe.” That was the beginning of Mann’s 30-year stint as a Tuskegee Airman.
Who they were The Tuskegee Airmen is the popular name of a group of African-American pilots who fought in World War II. Formally, they formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Forces. “They said that we did not have the mental capacity to fly airplanes back then,” Mann told the room full of fifth graders. “They said all Negroes are lazy. All Negroes are stupid. All Negroes are cowards – that if they were to get into combat they would turn tail and run.” But that didn’t hold
CBL has tapped MSTSD, Inc., a commercial design firm, to provide design services for all of the essential elements for the mall’s renovation, including all building and site entrances, all public portions of the mall interior, and interior furniture, fixtures and equipment.
Upgrades, remodels and do-overs Construction is scheduled to begin this month and will include a redesign of the mall entrances and exterior signage, new tile floors and carpet throughout the mall, a remodeled Food Court with new seating areas, a remodeled Center Court with enhanced lighting and trellises in the skylights, upgraded lighting elements throughout, new paint, new soft seat-
Mann back. In fact he shared a story with the students that proved that was as wrong as wrong can be. “We would not give up. The eyes of America were on us,” he shared. “You had to make the right decision or you paid with your life,” Mann explained. The strafing mission he was on that day was to destroy enemy infrastructure. “Air fields, oil fields, anything to put them out of commission to perform properly.” Before he took off, he popped two pieces of gum in his mouth. It was then that a bullet whizzed by the Airman who was flying top speed of around 500 miles per hour. “I saw the bullet and thought, ‘Is the plane moving faster than the bullet?’” Until another bullet flew by that he knew didn’t come from his own trigger. Mann’s, along with three other planes, maneuvered into a straight-line formation, dropped the extra gas they had, and started shooting down low.
ing areas, upgraded restrooms with new amenities, a new Children’s Play Area, and updated outdoor landscaping. All of the enhancements are expected to be finished in early November, with a “Grand Celebration” event being planned for shoppers at that time to mark the completion of the project. “Our goal is to wrap up the project just in time for the holiday shopping season,” Bohl added. “Upon completion of the project, a celebration with special events will be held, which will include the opening of the new Children’s Play Area sponsored by the Jon Hall/Ritchey Automotive Group, prizes and fun activities. It’s going to be an exciting time for Volusia Mall and all of our shoppers.”
“The enemy was shooting at me,” he related. “The best way to get out was to go straight to the fire. Turning would expose more of the plane.” When he returned to the base and got out of his plane, the gum he’d been chewing was almost nonexistent. “All I had was a mouth full of little b.b’s,” he said to laughter. “There were holes in my plane, but I came out successful,” he added.
Message to students Mann couldn’t stress enough the importance of education. English is extremely important. Many words have many different meanings and many words the mean similar things, he told the students. Dr. Earl Johnson, principal of Turie T. Small Elementary, encouraged the students to listen to Mann as he instructed them to maintain a high grade point average, practice good study habits now, and to think of jobs other than
New Daytona Beach Fire Chief Dru Driscoll is shown with City Manager Jim Chisholm.
JOB
from Page 1 is a Daytona Beach resident. He holds an associate degree in fire science and anticipates getting his Bachelor of Science in public safety in July 2014, according to the application he submitted for the job. In addition to Driscoll’s several certifications, he is a graduate of the Emergency Services Leadership Institute (Florida Fire Chief’s Association) and a graduate of Leadership Daytona, a three-month course offered by the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce on various aspects
basketball, football and baseball. “Other than people of authority, your teachers, police officers and parents, when people tell you you can’t do something, if you really want to, you do so and prove them wrong,” Johnson added.
Gilbert King will lead a discussion of his Pulitzer Prize winning book, “Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America,” at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 12, at the Daytona Beach Regional Library at City Island. The nonfiction book details events that took place in Lake County in 1949 when a young lawyer named Thurgood Marshall became embroiled in a case that would help change the course of the American civil rights movement. Patrons are encouraged to read the book and then reserve a seat for the discussion. Reservations are required and may be made by calling Deborah Shafer at 386257-6036, ext. 16264. The book has been part of a month-long community read based on the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read program, which is designed to “revitalize the role of literature in American culture and encourage citizens to read for pleasure and enlightenment.”
Free program This free event is part of the library’s Connecting with the Community Series, a two-year program funded in part by a partnership grant from the Florida Humanities Council. Throughout 2014, the library is sponsoring book talks, dramatizations, panel discussions, films and music programs commemorating the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act. The grant will continue into 2015, when the programming emphasis will change to contemporary issues. Connecting with the Community programs are co-funded by the Friends of the Daytona Beach Library. For more information, call Adult Program Coordinator Deborah Shafer at 386-257-6036, ext. 16264.
Loud & Clear and FREE Florida residents with a hearing loss are eligible to receive a free amplified phone from the non-profit Florida Telecommunications Relay, Inc. Cordless and corded phones for persons with mild to severe hearing loss are available at 23 distribution centers statewide. Limit one per customer.
ContaCt your area Center for details easter seals/deaf and Hard of Hearing services 1219 Dunn Avenue Daytona Beach, FL 32114 386-944-7806 (v) 386-257-3600 (tty) Current FTRI clients: If your phone isn’t working properly or your hearing has changed, or should you no longer need your phone or are moving out of Florida, call FTRI at 888-554-1151 for assistance.
Smokers Age 18-65 Needed of the Daytona Beach area and to enhance one’s personal leadership skills as well. “It is an honor to represent the 106 men and women of the Daytona Beach Fire Department as we continue our mission to serve this community with unwavering commitment,” said Driscoll.
Stoney’s qualifications The city’s first Black fire chief, Dwayne A. Murray, held the position for just a year – from January 2007 to January 2008. He was the city’s 16th fire chief. He came to Daytona Beach after retiring from a 24-year career with the fire department in Birmingham, Ala.
In March 2010, Stoney was promoted as the department’s public information officer where he is responsible for working with the media to disseminate information to the public on various activities and initiatives of the fire department. He has 11 years with the department, serving as a firefighter, driver/engineer, lieutenant, chaplain and critical incident stress team leader. Serving the city since 1909, the Daytona Beach Fire Department responds annually to 19,000 calls for service providing fire protection services and advanced life support from seven strategically located fire stations throughout the city.
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1900 Mason Ave., Ste. 140 Daytona Beach, Fl 32117
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M A YNEWS OR
MARCH 20 – MARCH 26, 2014 COMMUNITY DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006
Five Flagler youth to compete in ACT-SO competition Since they brought home a medalist before – namely, Xavier Ryan and his bronze medal in photography – they are on the move with five finalists for racking up more at the 105th Annual NAACP National Convention in Las Vegas. They singled out the ACT-SO winners during a banquet recently at the African American Cultural Society to determine who will compete at the national competition. The local ACT-SO Culinary Arts Competition will take place April 19, 1 p.m., at LeCordon Bleu in Orlando. ACT-SO centers on 26 categories ranging from performing arts and music to mathematics, biology and business for the 36th Annual Awards Ceremony of the Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics, a major youth initiative of the NAACP. Emcee Rose Griffin geared up with the ACT-SO Committee to present awards, entertainment, and a motivational speech by Terence S. Culver, Ph.D, principal of Belle Terre Elementary School. Linda Sharpe Haywood is the branch president; Stephanie Ecklin, the ACT-SO Chair, along with her title of President of the African American Cultural Society. Assisting Ecklin is the ACTSO Co-Chair Barbara Solomon. It is worth mentioning that the ACT-SO sponsors are Vitas Innovative Hospice Care, LeCordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, Staples, the Flagler County Youth Center, and Walmart. It is also worth saying that there was down-home cooking prepared by Edward Tucker Caterers Unlimited. Revving up and ready to hit Las Vegas come July are Shekinah Maybin for her talent in drama; Geraldine Simon for photogra-
PALM COAST COMMUNITY NEWS JEROLINE D. MCCARTHY
phy; Dominic Davis, playwriting; Alexis Williams, vocal; and Elexus Jefferson, sculpting. Hovering around the finalists to coach them were Denise Rose, Andre Maybin and The Main Ingredient’s lead singer Cuba Gooding, Sr., best known for “Everybody Plays the Fool” as well as the proud dad of actor Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Pastor continues ‘Letting Go’ series Shouts rang out with handclaps of acclamation for a sermon preached by the Rev. Gillard S. Glover. It was part of a series begun March 9 at First Church. The electrifying worship and dynamic preaching are on fire through the presence of the Rev. Gillard Holy Spirit. S. Glover If you are seeking good preaching and sound teaching, I invite you as a steward at First Church to join us. The invite is open to the inclusiveness of all people. You’ll access the sermon series, “Letting Go,” which will shed light on a path of turning away from the same issues. Join Pastor Glover on March 23 for his dynamic sermon, “Letting Go of the Persistent Pursuit of Profit,” from John 2:13-25; March 30 for “Letting Go of the Passion for Possessions,” from Matthew 19:16-23, and April 6, “Letting Go
BRIEFS
Summer lifeguard tryouts continue There’s still time to apply for a summer job as a part-time lifeguard with Volusia County’s Beach Safety Division. Swim tryouts will be on these dates: • Saturday, March 22: 8 to 10 a.m. at the DeLand YMCA; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Deltona YMCA, 280 Wolf Pack Run; and 2 to 4 p.m. at the Ormond Beach YMCA • Wednesday, March 26: 5 to 7 p.m. at Daytona State College, 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd. Applicants must be at least 17 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 hiring will undergo a background check, physical and drug screening. Starting pay is $9.77 an hour with EMT certification and $9.37 an hour without certification. Those who meet the requirements must attend training classes and complete a 40-hour first responder/CPR course. For more information, visit www.volusia.org/beach or call Beach Safety Ocean Rescue at 386-239-6414.
Knit and Crochet Club to meet March 26 The new Knit and Crochet Club will meet at 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, at the Daytona Beach Regional Library at City Island, 105 E. Magnolia Ave. Experienced crafters will share their knowledge with beginners as the group knits and crochets for fun and charity. Members create personal items for friends and family; lap blankets and shawls for people in nursing facilities, group homes and hospice care; baby hats, blankets and booties for hospital newborns; and sweaters and hats for children’s services organizations. The club is sponsored by the Friends of the Daytona Beach Library. For more information, call Adult Program Coordinator Deborah Shafer at 386-257-6036, ext. 16264.
Palm Coast, NCCAA to offer free Youth Sports Clinic Free basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball and golf clinics are scheduled for Saturday, March 22 at James F. Holland Memorial Park, 18 Florida Park Drive, and the Palm Harbor Golf Club, 20 Palm Harbor Drive. From 9:30 a.m. to noon, children ages 5 to 16 will have the opportunity to learn and practice sport-specific skills from student-athletes and coaches from National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) member schools. Lunch will be provided by Chick-Fil-A. Pre-registration is required to participate in this free clinic. Sign up at www. palmcoastgov.com (search for “activities”). Call Palm Coast Parks and Recreation at 386-986-2323 for more information.
Shekinah Maybin, Geraldine Simon, Dominic Davis, Alexis Williams and Elexus Jefferson will take an all-expense paid trip to Las Vegas to compete in the national ACT-SO awards ceremony.
of Popularity,” Matthew 27:22-23 and John 12:12-13. Pastor Glover’s preaching will continue April 13 with “Letting Go In Prayer,” from Matthew 26:34-46; Easter Sunday, 6 a.m., with “Letting Go of the Grave , Part I”, and Easter Sunday, 10 a.m., for the Resurrection Celebration, “Letting Go of the Grave, Part II.” First Church is located at 91 Old Kings Road North, Palm Coast, which can be reached at 386-446-5759.
Libraries plan finance programs for Money Smart Week Volusia County libraries will host special financial programs in recognition of Money Smart Week, April 5 to 12. These free programs will address a variety of topics including investing, retirement, credit, debt and savings. Money Smart Week, sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and the American Library Association, is a national public awareness campaign designed to help consumers better manage their personal finances.
At Daytona library Daytona Beach Regional Library, 105 E. Magnolia Ave.: • “Blank Check”: 2 p.m. Sunday, April 6. Find out what happens when a child is given a blank check during this family movie. Bring your own snacks. Parental supervision is required. Rated PG, 93 minutes. • Women and investing: 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 8. Financial adviser Steve Hood will provide a brief overview of investment vehicles and discuss women’s investing needs during each stage of their lives. • Where does my paycheck go? 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 9. Librarian Deborah Shafer will take homeschooled teens through exercises that illustrate the difference between gross and net income, the importance of paying yourself first, and the effect of short-term financial decisions on long-term credit standings. • Children’s move and craft: 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 9. “Money Rock,” a Schoolhouse Rock movie, teaches children about allowances, savings, stocks and bonds through catchy songs. The movie will be followed by a piggy-bank craft. Seating is limited for the craft. Rated G, 30 minutes. • First-time home buying: 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 9. Fair Housing Coordinator Luxmy Panzardi will conduct this workshop on first-time home buying, fair housing and fair lending. HUD-approved counselors and fair housing advocates will provide information about credit, mortgage financing, scams and the home purchasing process.
At Deltona library Deltona Regional Library, 2150 Eustace Ave.: • “Inside Job”: 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 8. This Academy Award winning documentary provides an analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008, which, at a cost over $20 trillion, caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes and nearly caused a global financial collapse. The film, narrated by Matt Damon, traces the rise of a rogue industry that has corrupted politics, regulation and academia. Rated PG-13, 109 minutes. • Rocket banks: 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, April 8. Children in grades K -5 can “blast off” on their way to savings by making futuristic rocket-shaped banks with the help of library staff. • Write your resume – in Spanish: 9:30
Board cancels Black Heritage Festival The Afro-American Caribbean Heritage Organization’s Board of Directors has decided to cancel the Black Heritage Festival scheduled for March 22 at Palm Coast Community Center. The board anticipated having a quality event, but knowing that all things must work together to achieve a successful festival, the board decided to cancel the event. Moreover, they are planning the festival’s return in 2015.
••• As always, remember our prayers for the sick, afflicted and bereaved.
Celebrations Birthday wishes to Christopher W. Robinson, March 21; young Mason Sword, Arthur Pete, Rory Ragoonan, March 22; Evangelist Robin Darling Campos, March 24; Vicki Seward, March 26, and a belated birthday to Joy Eurie, March 19.
a.m. Wednesday, April 9. Library Associate Lisa Doig will host this Spanish-speaking class, offering tips to write a resume in Spanish and explaining how to look for a job using online resources. • Women and money: 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 9. University of Florida/Volusia County Extension Agent Kathleen Bryant will explore basic money management including credit and debt management, saving and investing, retirement, insurance, and end-of-life financial needs. • Show me the money for college: 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 9. Florida Department of Education outreach representative Pedro Hernandez will answer teens’ questions on how to become college bound. • Careers in nursing: 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 10. Florida Hospital Fish Memorial nursing managers Michelle Cyphers and Tracy Egan will explain how to get started in the nursing field and how to advance the job into a lifelong career. The program will cover opportunities and careers in general nursing. • Hydroponic gardening: 6 p.m. Thursday, April 10. Join JuicePlus+ wellness educators Christine Kee and Patricia Valdez for a sustainable living presentation on the health benefits and ease of hydroponic gardening. Free samples of local vegetables grown hydroponically will be available. • Business trends in Deltona: 2:30 p.m. Friday, April 11. Jerry Mayes, economic development manager for the City of Deltona, will present the latest news on the city’s business opportunities. Light refreshments will be served.
8. Former Pinellas County extension specialist Karen Saley will describe the economic versatility of soup. Chili, chilled, chowder, stews and purees are a few of the varieties of tasty, affordable soups that can be readily prepared. Free samples will be offered while supplies last. • Gifts on a budget: Money origami: 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 9. Bring clean, crisp bills of any denomination and a ruler and learn how to turn money into works of art! Limited seating is available. Registration is required by calling 386676-4191, ext. 21084. • Be bullish with your savings: 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 9. Children are invited to keep their savings safe and sound by making their own bull bank craft in the children’s room. • Teen budgeting workshop with craft: 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 9. Library staff will talk with teens about budgeting and the four money choices they can make: saving, spending, donating and investing. Teens will receive a budgeting worksheet to track their choices and will make duct tape money envelopes. • Women and money: 1 p.m. Friday, April 11. University of Florida/Volusia County Extension Agent Kathleen Bryant will explore basic money management including credit and debt management, saving and investing, retirement, insurance, and end-of-life financial needs.
At DeLand library
New Smyrna Beach Regional Library, 1001 S. Dixie Freeway: • Personal finances: 11 a.m. Saturday, April 5. Financial adviser Jim Johnston will explain budgeting, paying off debt, and getting the most from retirement. • Estate planning: Noon Tuesday, April 8. Attorney Michael Pyle will discuss how wills, trusts and powers of attorney pertain to planning estates. • Build a confident retirement: Noon Wednesday, April 9. Dan Landrau, David Carson and Brian Wheeler of Carson, Wheeler, & Associates will help participants plan their retirement dreams and explain how goals can be achieved. They will also discuss prioritization of retirement savings and spending plans and identify risks that can throw plans off track. • “The Hudsucker Proxy”: 2 p.m. Friday, April 11. This movie tells the ragsto-riches tale of a fool who bumbles into money and power and invents the hula hoop. Bring your own snacks. Rated PG, 111 minutes. Regularly scheduled library programs such as story times and crafts will also feature financial themes this week. Reservations are not required unless otherwise specified. Programs are cosponsored by the Friends of the Library. For specific program information, branch locations or contact numbers, visit www.volusialibrary.org. For more information about Money Smart Week, visit www.moneysmartweek.org.
DeLand Regional Library, 130 E. Howry Ave.: • Couponing 101: 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 7. Join Mary Edwards of Couponers United as she shares tips and tricks for saving money on everyday purchases – all by using coupons. • Identity theft prevention: 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 8. DeLand police officer Rod Hancock will lead a workshop for residents who want to learn how to protect themselves from identity theft. • Estate planning: 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 8. Life insurance and annuities specialist Gary Schinner and local attorney Gary S. Wright will explain the nuances of estate planning and annuities. • Chemical reactions: 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 9. Homeschoolers can learn how to make pennies shine and other fascinating chemical reactions. • Get out of debt: 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 9. Marcia Miller, community outreach coordinator for CredAbility.org, will address the importance of getting out of debt and managing credit. • Play with money: 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 9. Bring the family and learn important financial skills by playing classic games like Monopoly, The Game of Life and Money Bingo. • Craft supply swap: 11 a.m. Thursday, April 10. Crafters can drop off their unused craft supplies and leave with other supplies.
At Ormond library Ormond Beach Public Library, 30 S. Beach St.: • Meals in a bowl: 1 p.m. Tuesday, April
At New Smyrna library
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7 EDITORIAL
MARCH 20 – MARCH 26, 2014
The GOP’s ‘culture of poverty’ gambit The 2014 mid-term elections are just eight months away – and the Republicans are worried about Black voters again. They have good reason to be – that is, to worry about a repeat of 2012. Then, despite the best efforts of GOP-dominated state legislatures to block Blacks’ access to the polls, Black voters’ turnout rate surpassed that of Whites for the first time ever. That achievement, along with the substantial turnout of both Hispanic-American and Asian-American voters, helped underwrite President Obama’s decisive re-election victory. Equally important, Obama’s name on the ballot was only partially responsible for Blacks’ march to the polls, because the Black vote had been rising markedly since 1996. So, despite the predictions of some politicos and pundits that the Democrats will lose the Senate in November, the vote of voters of color may once again prove the president’s party’s ace in the hole.
‘Problem people’ That’s part of the political lens through which to consider the recent comments by Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin Republican chairman of the House of Representative’s budget committee, and Bill O’Reilly, the Fox News talk show host, painting Black Americans as “problem people.” O’Reilly, responding to President Obama’s late February announcement of a Black Male Initiative to help young males of color prepare for a productive adulthood, commanded Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett to “attack the
these are simply code words for what he really means: ‘Black.’”
LEE A. DANIELS NNPA COLUMNIST
fundamental disease if you want to cure it … get people like Jay Z, Kanye West, all these gangsta rappers to knock it off.” Daily Beast.com columnist Jamelle Bouie drily noted O’Reilly’s ignorance, pointing out that “Jay-Z is a multimedia mogul with a gift for business and the credibility of the art world. Kanye West is a hyper-talented producer and visual artist who has refined and redefined the sound of pop music several times over. And in their relentless drive for accomplishment and success, they embody the American dream. Ryan, who’s tried mightily to erase the public’s memory of his spectacular failure on the 2012 GOP presidential ticket by talking about the country’s crisis of poverty, claimed it was largely due to a “tailspin of culture, in our inner cities in particular, of men not working and just generations of men not even thinking about working or learning the value and culture of work. So, there’s a real culture problem here that has to be dealt with.” California Democrat Rep. Barbara Lee quickly and bluntly got ahead of the resulting firestorm, characterizing Ryan’s remarks as a “thinly veiled racial attack … [that] cannot be tolerated. Let’s be clear,” she said, “when Mr. Ryan says ‘inner city,’ when he says, ‘culture,’
‘Inarticulate’ Lee added that Ryan should “produce some legitimate proposals on how to tackle poverty and racial discrimination in America. His uninformed policy proposals continue to increase poverty, not solve it.” Ryan at first insisted such criticism was unwarranted. Then, when the heat continued to build, claimed he’d been “inarticulate” in expressing his thoughts. Ryan, who was once believed to be knowledgeable about America’s economic history, somehow forgot that in 1999, at the end of the nearly decade-long period of prosperity, the Black unemployment rate (now at 12 percent), fell to an historic low of 7.6 percent. The reason: the demand for workers in the economy’s lowwage sector was so great, those jobs opened up, finally, to poor Black men. Those job-takers were pushed not by the pronouncements of civic or political leaders, Black or White, but by their own desire for honest work. They don’t need any condescending lectures about the value and dignity of work. They just need the opportunity to work.
Lee A. Daniels is a columnist for the National Newspaper Publishers Association. His most recent book is Last Chance: The Political Threat to Black America. Write your own response at www.daytonatimes.com.
States shift higher education costs to families As the nation’s trillion-dollar student debt continues to rise, a new analysis of public higher education’s funding finds dwindling state support is the key factor driving rising tuition costs and deepening student debt. According to Demos, a public policy organization advocating economic opportunity and inclusive democracy, over the last two decades, state support for higher education funding shifted to a new paradigm. As government support of higher education dwindled, public institutions raised tuition costs to recover those lost funds. These increases occurred at both fouryear and two-year public institutions. And in that process, families were handed a larger financial burden to fund their children’s college education. A quarter of a century ago, according to Demos, tuition costs at public colleges and universities were only 20 percent of the actual cost of studies. By 2012, however, tuition paid for 44 percent. Since the Great Recession, 49 states – all but North Dakota – spend less per student on higher education. Among these 49 states, 28 have cut higher education funding by more than 25 percent.
CHARLENE CROWELL NNPA FINANCIAL WRITER
higher education for a variety of reasons including the desire to lower taxes, cut spending, or deal with constrained budgets that resulted from the financial downturn. In the meantime, families are increasingly finding themselves priced out of higher education. Demos found that the average total cost of tuition, room and board for one year consumes more than one-third of the median household income in 23 states. Nationwide, the average amount of state funding for fulltime enrollment in the 2011-12 school year is $6,796, a 26.7 percent drop in funding since the 2008-08 school year. A total of 23 states have higher education funding cuts higher than the national average. The most severe cuts by state include: Arizona (51.1 percent); Oregon (45.9 percent); South Carolina (43.5 percent); Louisiana (40.6 percent); Massachusetts (37.3 percent) and Florida, (37.0 percent). Similarly, the national averHigher education age cost of state tuition for the more expensive 2011-12 school year was $7,701 States reduced support for at a four-year institution. Even
so, several state tuition rates surpassed the national average and include: Pennsylvania ($11,818); Illinois ($11,252); Massachusetts ($10,104); Michigan ($10,527); and California ($8,907). “The result has been the debtfor-diploma system in which most students fill the gap between what their parents can pay, available grant aid and their earnings from part-time work, by taking on student debt,” states the report. If anyone would wonder what happened to federal financial aid – beyond loans — Demos’ findings are equally dim. “Federal financial aid no longer provides grants robust enough to defray the rising cost of college: the Pell grant once covered $7 out of every $10 in college costs; today it covers only $3 out of every $10 needed to attend a public college or university.” Later this year, lawmakers will set federal priorities in education funding through a reauthorization act. Funding levels for both federal student loans and Pell Grants will be included. But it will be left to each of the 50 states to decide whether higher education funding will become a budget priority.
Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending. Write your own response at www.daytonatimes.com.
Romancing the vote, but not the dollar It’s so silly for Black people to fight over the Dems and Repubs when it is counterproductive for us to be enslaved by either party. Between the late 1800s and the early 1900s we voted nearly 100 percent Republican. Now we vote nearly 100 percent Democrat. What has that gotten us besides being ignored and taken for granted? Do we have real political power? We have been instructed and admonished to be independent and only give our votes to individuals who act in our best interests, but we have failed miserably in response to that advice by doing the exact opposite. It makes no sense to give virtually all of our support to one political party and receive patronizing crumbs in return.
Not the final step To a large extent, our problem is centered on our romance with the vote itself. We hold our ability to cast a ballot in such high esteem, sadly, as though that alone will solve our problems. Not so. Voting is simply the first step, not the final step. Without power behind our precious votes, we are a paper tiger, helpless to effect positive change for ourselves in the politi-
VISUAL VIEWPOINT: EXECUTIVE POWERS
JAMES CLINGMAN NNPA COLUMNIST
cal arena. The key word in the last sentence is ourselves, because we have certainly helped make things better for other groups. So, with our political predicament in mind, here are my thoughts: If we are unwilling to vote as independent critical thinkers, we should stay out of the voting booth. If we are not inclined, on a local and national level, to collectively leverage our voting power, then all we will ever have is the power to vote. If all we are going to do is vote, there is no need to vote at all. Now before some of you get your jaws tight, just think about all the energy Black folks have put into voting. Think of all the sacrifices we have made, all the mistreatment we have suffered and even this month, as we remember “Bloody Sunday,” how we are still fighting to keep our precious vote. Compare all of that to what
we have gained by merely casting our votes and then going back to sleep. We have treated elections like popularity contests and euphoric exercises that only give someone a “job” for as long as they want it, whether they produce or not. We have misused and abused our precious vote by being uninformed on issues and candidates alike, and by being unwilling to do anything except vote for whatever or whomever the party tells us to. That’s sheer nonsense. If our vote is so sacrosanct, why do we mistreat it? We want “voting power” but we settle for the “power to vote.” We fight for the “right to vote” but we fail to “vote right.” Voting is a means to gain political power, not an end that simply allows one to participate in the act. If we fail to follow that truism, we may as well not vote.
Jim Clingman is the founder of the Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce and an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati and can be reached through his Web site, blackonomics. com. Write your own response at www.daytonatimes.com.
STEVE SACK, THE MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE
America, the land of the free! The doctor says, ma’am, you’ve been feeling under the weather because, great news, you are pregnant! The immediate thought is supposed to be one of jubilation, yet the only emotion that rears its head is the one of, Oh! Lord, please let it be a girl, please, please, please! I do not want to raise a male in a country where he is hated. Hated because of the color of his skin, his natural athletic ability, his natural ability to possess SWAG, his natural intellect, his natural comprehensive strength, his natural ability to function in a chameleonlike manner which is attractive to many. So much so that those who possess melanin, but have allowed the system to beat them to a bloodied pulp, prey on him as well as the melaninless who fear annihilation preys on him too. The major difference with the melaninless predators is that they usually wield the power to destroy the future of the one in which they fear. Their fear is so deeply rooted because that is the one area in which they lack the power to bring about a change, in their favor, so they resort to other measures at the expense of their own salvation. Lady you are crazy to think like that. You should want to give birth to any child that would possess great attributes. Yeah! Bittersweet is the emotion and the experience. While he’s small, they’re patting him on the head and pinching his cheeks discussing that he is cute and cuddly. If he grows up to reach the age of seven, those same people lock their car doors when he crosses the street, clutch their purses when they see him in the same store, and accuse him of raping their daughters. Those same people attempt to indoctrinate him into believing that he is inferior to all and that his ancestor’s only contribution to this world was slavery. He will get beat and maimed by his own for wearing the wrong colors and being smart as well as beat by others for wearing the wrong color and being smart.
A target no matter what Bittersweet because if he
DARLENE AIKEN GUEST COLUMNIST
grows up to smoke crack, drink Ciroc and Henny, wears his pants under his buttocks, listens to hip hop/rap, sports the free designer wear in the penitentiary from time-to-time, he has accomplished society’s goals and expectations. However, if he attends college and does so on a full scholarship academic or otherwise, is a successful entrepreneur/businessman, has a clean criminal record, and has home training, he’s a threat, thinks he’s better, and a target for the dream killers. Dream killers come in all hues and many times reside within our family structure and look just like us. So, what is the difference if the end result is death? His death can come at any time and any place for any reason or lack thereof, just ask the families of Trayvon Martin, Sean Bell, Jordan Davis, Amadou Diallo, Yusef Hawkins, Michael Griffith, Rodney King, Osmane Zongo, Timothy Stansbury, Calvin Washington, Allen Newsome, Jamil Moore, and others. Black parents are the only species that harbor feelings of fear every single moment that their male children are not in their presence. So sad that there are seasons to hunt wild animals, but there is not a season in which Black males are off limits to be hunted. There are television and radio campaigns to save the wild animals, but there are not any campaigns to save Black males from becoming extinct. In fact, the campaigns are in favor of the extinction of Black males. God will NOT be mocked, watch out!
Darlene Aiken is an adjunct lecturer, international bestselling author, publisher, transformational speaker, award-winning self-esteem & personal growth coach and founder of Inner Beauty Solutions, Inc. Write your own response at www.daytonatimes. com.
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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M AHEALTH YOR
MARCH 20 – MARCH 2014 DECEMBER 14 - 20,26, 2006
More veterans suffering from ALS Those in military twice as likely as general population to develop Lou Gehrig’s disease BY MARTHA QUILLIN NEWS & OBSERVER/MCT
REIDSVILLE, N.C. — Thomas Corbett may never know what — if anything — from his five years as a heavy-equipment mechanic in the Marine Corps brought on the disease that likely will steal from him the use of nearly every one of his muscles and, sometime in the next several years, his very breath. Since he was diagnosed in 2012 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, Corbett, 50, said he has wondered: “Was it some of those shots I took when I was going in and out of the country? Was it something in the water at Camp Lejeune? Was there something on some of those old ships I was on?” In fact, no one knows why U.S. military veterans are twice as likely to develop ALS than the general population, or why those who deployed during the Gulf War in 1990-91 may be twice as likely to get the disease as other troops. Although it’s still a rare illness, affecting about 30,000 people across the country, it is so devastating to its victims and their families that the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have made a mission out of trying to reduce their suffering. “I tell people there are two different worlds for people with ALS,” said Suzanne Gilroy, senior social work manager for the North Carolina chapter of the ALS Association, the national not-for-profit group dedicated to fighting the disease and helping patients cope with its effects. “There’s the one for people who are veterans, and the one for everybody else. “The veterans get taken care of.”
TRAVIS LONG/RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER/MCT
Marine Corps veteran Thomas Corbett, 50, left, transitions from a walker to a stationary bicycle with the help of his wife Doris Corbett, 51, on March 5 at their home in Reidsville, N.C. dates of service ranged from before World War II to the post-9/11 war in Iraq.
Service-connected illness
Nationwide registry The military began to notice an increase in the number of ALS cases among troops who had deployed to the Persian Gulf and suffered from what became known as Gulf War syndrome. By the early 2000s, neurologists and epidemiologists were finding an increased incidence of ALS throughout the military, across all branches, over all periods of service, regardless of where or whether the troops had deployed. Many were considerably younger than the average ALS patient, who is diagnosed in middle age. Most had been extremely physically fit for most of their lives. In 2003, the VA set up a nation-
MCT
Marine Corps veteran Thomas Corbett, seen in this undated photograph, who is now 50, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease) in late 2011. wide registry of veterans with ALS to find out how many were living, track their health status, collect data, including DNA samples and clinical information, and to provide a way for the VA to inform them about research studies in which they might participate. When it stopped enrolling people in the registry at the end of 2007, it had found 2,121 veterans with ALS nationwide. The
So compelling were the findings that in 2008, the VA took the unusual step of declaring ALS a service-connected illness for nearly all veterans diagnosed with the disease, regardless of where or when they had served. The declaration presumes that something about their military service caused or aggravated the condition. The declaration makes veterans with ALS eligible for monthly disability compensation, plus a monthly stipend; a monthly payment for survivors; health care for life, including prescriptions, medical supplies and specialized equipment; home-based primary care; home-improvement grants to increase accessibility and safety; vocational and occupational therapy; money for handicapped-accessible vehicles; funeral expenses and other benefits. And, because it’s a progressive, degenerative disease that is most often fatal within two to five years of diagnosis, the VA now declares patients 100 percent disabled as soon as they’re diagnosed so they don’t have to keep going through the agency’s lengthy re-evalua-
Healthy eating tips for college students on the go BY ZAVIA FERGUSON SPECIAL TO THE DAYTONA TIMES
The countdown begins. With less than an hour on the clock, sweat rolls off the brow of Sierra Taliaferro as she races with fellow classmates to complete the Recycle Mania challenge on the campus of Bethune- Cookman University (B-CU). The challenge was a nationwide competition for college campuses to become more aware about recycling materials. This Wisconsin native is a B-CU senior who balances academics while maintaining a social life on campus. With no time to fix breakfast, Taliaferro tries to remain on track by grabbing an orange as a source for nutrition and vitamin C just before entering her class. For the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. member, this is a healthy snack that provides her energy when breakfast is skipped. “I eat fruits, veggies and drink a lot of water,” said Taliaferro. “I also enjoy a nice jog around campus on a nice sunny day to get that dose of physical activity in for a healthy lifestyle.”
Eating right in college According to eatright.org, National Nutrition Month is a nutrition education and information campaign sponsored annually every March by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The cam-
On the other hand, stress and other reasons play a role in peo-
Long, who lives in South Raleigh, was diagnosed with ALS in 2011. The disease manifests and progresses differently for each patient. For Long, symptoms began with speech and respiratory problems. “We thought maybe he had had a stroke,” said his wife, Barbara. “He started choking on his food. He kept saying he felt like his tongue wasn’t working.” The first neurologist mentioned ALS but said he didn’t think Long had it. The second ruled out everything else — the way every ALS diagnosis is made, because there is no single test for the disease — and struggled to find a way to tell the couple. “Doctors have a very hard time giving that diagnosis,” Barbara Long said, “because they know it’s a death sentence.” Since identifying ALS as a disease in 1869, experts have been unable to determine a cause, find
BY JIM TURNER THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
Know what you are eating Eat healthy foods to refuel your body, including granola bars, dried or canned fruit Enjoy your food, but eat less Exercise on a regular basis Get plenty of sleep Don’t fight stress by eating Limit sugar and caffeinated beverages
‘You are what you chew’
Tough diagnosis
a prevention or develop an effective treatment. According to the ALS Association, the prognosis for a person who develops ALS now is essentially the same as it was 145 years ago. As the disease attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord, the patient loses the ability to control muscle movement, resulting eventually in total paralysis. Patients can’t walk, move their arms, talk or breathe independently. Meanwhile, their minds usually remain sharp.
Frustrating situation Long, 52, is still working, but the time is coming when he’ll need to conserve the energy that requires. When he overdoes it, his wife says, he pays the price in sore muscles and halted speech. ALS patients are cautioned against over-exertion, because when they lose strength in a muscle, it doesn’t come back. “It’s frustrating to see your abilities diminish,” Long said, his words understandable but slurred in the way of a dental patient shot full of lidocaine. “One day you can speak clearly and whistle, and the next day you sound like you’re chewing on marshmallows. One day you can do whatever you want, and the next you can’t button your shirt.”
Florida Senate committee backs medical tourism bill
TIPS FOR STUDENTS
paign is designed to influence people to eat healthier and make smarter physical habits. “Eating right in college is important because good nutrition practices are necessary to maintain classroom concentration levels, manage weight gain, and sustain the level of energy needed to make it through any given day,” says Tonia Marchena, a nutritionist with the Department of Health of Volusia County. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cafeterias, all-you-caneat dining facilities, vending machines, and easy access to food 24 hours a day make it tempting to overeat or choose foods loaded with calories, saturated fat, sugar, and salt.
tion process every time their condition degrades. “That keeps people like me from having to go back to the VA every six months and saying, ‘Hey, look what else I can’t do,’ ” said Jeff Long, a 23-year veteran who served in the Marine Corps and then the Air Force before retiring in 2008 to work in the private sector.
Sierra Taliaferro is pleased to have a delicious and nutritious treat handy. ple not eating right. If concerned about weight, talk to a health care provider about diet, physical activity, and other health habits. About 65 percent of adults in Florida are at an unhealthy weight. Shawn Noseworthy, a nutritionist with Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center states it plainly: “You are what you chew!” Instead of eating foods that are high in fat, calories or salt, taste buds can be intensified with eating right. Instead of frying foods, try grilling, baking or broiling poultry and fish.
Zavia Ferguson is a senior majoring in mass communications at Bethune-Cookman University. She is an intern with Volusia County’s Health Department.
TALLAHASSEE – The state will spend $5 million next year to entice people to bring their aches and pains to Florida, under a measure that completed its first Senate committee exam on Monday. The Commerce and Tourism Committee unanimously backed the “medical tourism” measure (SB 1150) by Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach. The bill would require Enterprise Florida, the state’s public-private business recruitment organization, and Visit Florida, the state’s tourism arm, to promote health care options in Florida. “Florida can and should be a top-tier health care destination,” Bean said. Medical tourism can range from seeking specialized cardiac surgery and orthopedics to routine procedures for dental care or cosmetic surgeries, according to a legislative staff report.
Sick ‘seeking answers’ In support of the proposal, Layne Smith, representing Mayo Clinic Hospital in Jacksonville, said officials with the medical facility estimate the center draws more than 20,000 people a year to Florida for ser-
vices at the facility. “Patients that come as medical tourists tend to be sicker, because they’re seeking answers,” Smith said. “When a person comes as a medical tourist, a lot will bring their family as a support group with them. They’re staying for the long haul.” Visit Florida would receive $3.5 million to set up a fouryear plan to promote Florida’s medical providers, their services and specialties. Visit Florida would also be directed to use $1.5 million of its state funding to establish a matching grant program for local and regional economic development organizations that have medical tourism marketing programs. Meanwhile, Enterprise Florida would be directed to work with the Department of Economic Opportunity to market Florida as a health care destination. The proposal must still go through the Health Policy and Appropriations committees. The House companion (HB 1223) has yet to make any of its three scheduled stops: Finance and Tax Subcommittee; Appropriations Committee; and Economic Affairs Committee.
7 CLASSIFIEDS
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MARCH 20 – MARCH 26, 2014
Florida Health Care Plans www.fhcp.com EOE/AA A Drug Free – Smoke Free Work Place
East Central Florida’s Black Voice
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M ASPORTS YOR
MARCH 20 – MARCH 2014 DECEMBER 14 - 20,26, 2006
During March Madness, fans see a bit of themselves Lovers of college basketball like to root for underdog BY DAVID WHARTON LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT
Most college fans would be hard-pressed to tell you anything about the Eastern Kentucky basketball team. The school from just south of Lexington has no All-Americans on its roster. The coach isn’t famous and the fight song isn’t particularly catchy. But during the NCAA tournament, don’t be surprised if people start paying attention to — and rooting for — the Colonels. The reason is simple. As forward Deverin Muff says: “They want to see us upset a big school.” March Madness gets much of its excitement and unpredictability from the underdog. With 68 teams in a bracket that matches top seeds against lower-ranked — and lesserknown — opponents, no other sporting event offers so many chances for David to slay Goliath.
The potential giant killers That makes for dramatic television and cutthroat office pools. Just as important, underdogs personify one of our favorite cultural beliefs: With enough grit, anyone can succeed. “We’re talking about the concept of the Cinderella,” says Annemarie Farrell, an Ithaca College professor who studies fan behavior. “It focuses on American ideology.” This year’s lineup of potential giant killers includes Wofford, Milwaukee, Coastal Carolina and North Dakota State. Like Eastern Kentucky, they earned their place in
This year, with an estimated 50 million workers filling out brackets and following their picks on company time, U.S. businesses could lose $1.2 billion in productivity, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a global outplacement firm. That’s where our love of the underdog becomes complex. “Conflicted fans,” as Wann calls them, root for an upset so long as it doesn’t spoil their chances of taking the pot. Support for the little guy wanes even more as the tournament progresses. One or two dark-horse teams in the Final Four is acceptable, but fans — especially those who do not watch the sport closely during the regular season — ultimately gravitate toward familiar faces. “The big-name players are the stories that people have followed throughout the year,” Horrow said. “I think you’re hoping for a mix, and that often happens.”
the tournament by finishing atop their small, out-ofthe-way conferences. Now they will face the likes of Florida, Duke and Kansas, schools with championship pedigrees and much larger athletic budgets.
Remember Florida Gulf Coast? History suggests the favorites will prevail. But a series of early-round upsets over the last decade has proven anything can happen. Lehigh has knocked off Duke. Bucknell has defeated Kansas. Last year, Florida Gulf Coast and its “Dunk City” offense ran past Georgetown and became the first No. 15 seed to reach a regional semifinal, eventually earning the coach a job at USC. “We remember those monumental upsets,” said Rick Horrow, a sports business consultant. “The fans are looking for this year’s big story.” Researchers at Bowling Green State University studied this dynamic in 1991, asking subjects to choose sides in a hypothetical sporting event. More than 80 percent preferred the team identified as the underdog. That might explain the cheers heard in arenas nationwide come tournament time. With games held at neutral sites, where neither team has a homecourt advantage, crowds often turn against the favorite.
Safe emotional investment Studies have suggested several reasons for this. Some people root against a heavy favorite simply because they don’t want to see a lopsided game. “Fans are smart that way. They understand how to
1979 a turning point ETHAN HYMAN/RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER/MCT
Eastern Kentucky Colonels’ Orlando Williams (15) fouls N.C. State Wolfpack’s T.J. Warren (24) during the first half at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., on Nov. 30, 2013. get the best bang for their buck,” said Daniel Wann, a psychology professor at Murray State. “Picking the obvious front-runner — there’s not a whole lot of fun in that.” The underdog also represents a safe emotional investment. Wann explained: “If you lose, it was expected ... you don’t have as much at stake.” Other reasons for liking the little guy run deeper in our collective psyche. People who face challenges in their lives can re-
late to a team fighting an uphill battle. When the underdog prevails, research has shown, spectators feel more optimistic about their own prospects.
Disdain for favorites On a broader scale, upset victories strike a familiar chord with a culture raised on Horatio Alger stories and “Rocky” movies. Americans like to think of their nation as a meritocracy where success is determined by hard work, not status or birthright. As a kid, Jordan Adams watched George Mason make its unexpected run to the 2006 Final Four. He recalls cheering for the Virginia school — which compensated for a lack of NBA talent with balanced scoring — because it could “come in and shock the world.” Now that Adams plays for UCLA — which, despite
its recent struggles, still ranks as a traditional powerhouse — he has experienced the flip side, the disdain for favorites. “If you have our four letters on your chest,” he said, “you have a big target on your back.”
Ultimate reality TV The appeal of the underdog is not the only reason for the tournament’s success. CBS paid more than $10.8 billion for broadcast rights through 2024 because the event fills a gap in the calendar between the NFL and NBA playoffs. Television loves a winor-go-home format that squeezes dozens of tense games and ample storyline into three weeks. Horrow calls it “the ultimate reality television.” March Madness has also benefited from the explosion of office and Internet pools.
This blend of old and new has propelled March Madness into the national spotlight. Experts point to 1979 as a turning point. The championship matchup between Magic Johnson’s powerful Michigan State and Larry Bird’s upstart Indiana State still ranks as the most-watched college game ever. Two decades later, Jeff Neubauer was an assistant for the No. 14 Richmond team that upset No. 3 South Carolina in the first round. People with no connection to his school were on their feet. Now coaching at Eastern Kentucky, Neubauer hopes to generate that kind of emotion when the 15th-seeded Colonels face second-seeded Kansas on Friday at St. Louis, saying, “The crowd really does matter.” His team may not have celebrity status, but his players understand the power of the underdog. “America loves a Cinderella story,” Muff said. “We’ll take the support however we can get it.”
Foxx, Hart among celebs at Union/ Wade shindig EURWEB.COM
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NBA star Dwyane Wade lunches with his wife to be Gabrielle Union in Miami on Feb. 26.
Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, pop star Kelly Rowland and comedian Kevin Hart were among the guests who turned out for Gabrielle Union’s engagement party in Miami last weekend. The actress accepted a proposal from her NBA fiancé Dwyane Wade in December and the couple threw a shindig for friends and family in Miami Beach on March 15 to toast the engagement. Foxx sang for the couple at the Pearl Champagne Lounge at Nikki Beach. Earlier in the night, the couple shared a private dinner with family at steak/seafood restaurant Prime 112, and Union had emceed the Call of the Game Dinner at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. T There, Union talked of overcoming sexual abuse as a teenager in front of an audience that included LeBron James and Heat president Pat Riley.
Brooklyn Nets sign Collins for rest of season ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK – Jason Collins has been signed for the rest of the season by the Brooklyn Nets. The NBA’s first openly gay player had finished his second 10-day contract, which meant the Nets had to sign him for the remainder of the season if they wanted to keep him. Collins has added five points, six rebounds and six steals in eight games since signing his first deal on Feb. 23. He’s been a reliable veteran big man on a team that has lost center Brook Lopez for the season and has recently been without Kevin Garnett because of back spasms. Collins is playing his 13th season in the league, including six previous seasons with the Nets.
MICHAEL GOULDING/ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER/MCT
The Nets’ Jason Collins warms up before Brooklyn’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 23.
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7 RELATIONSHIPS
MARCH 20 – MARCH 26, 2014
While reports in the past have indicated that couples who live together before marriage have a higher divorce rate, new studies show that’s not necessarily the case and age is a major factor.
Research: Shacking up before marriage doesn’t cause divorce New studies shatter myths about Black cohabitation and marriage BY JAZELLE HUNT NNPA NEWS SERVICE
WASHINGTON – Decades of research and the warnings of Black mothers everywhere are being challenged by an emerging body of research that finds no link between cohabitation and chance of divorce. Further, researchers are asserting that cohabitation actually boosts the stability of resulting marriages for women who typically have lower marital rates such as Black women. As one study, published in the Journal of Marriage and Families asserts, “…the positive association between cohabitation with commitment, and marital stability existed only among select subgroups of women who faced greater risks of dissolution (i.e.,
women who were Black, had a premarital birth, had less than a college degree, were raised in single or stepparent families, or had more than the median number of sex partners).” According to Census data, married couples lead 28.5 percent of African-American households. Many Black couples choose to share their lives before they are willing or able to make it official. This is particularly true for low-income couples that find cohabitation economically convenient, or as a solution to unexpected economic problems.
Age a factor Between 2006 and 2010, the National Center for Health Statistics surveyed more than 12,000 women on their cohabitation experiences. In the survey, Black women had 51 percent chance of cohabiting by age 25. Between 1995 and 2010, the study reported a 39 percent increase in cohabitation as a first union for Black women.
By three years of cohabiting, 31 percent of Black women had transitioned to marriage, while another 41 percent continued living with their partner. As recently as five years ago, researchers would have guessed that most of these marriages would eventually fail. But a series of white papers, released this month by the Council on Contemporary Families (CCF), finds that length of the relationship, age at cohabitation, and circumstances leading to cohabitation are better predictors of future marital misfire than cohabitation itself. In fact, age can be such a strong predictor of marital success that it can override other relationship risks.
Unconventional, but stable For example, one CCF researcher, Evelyn Lehrer, finds that women who delay marriage – past 23 years old, but ideally into the 30s and 40s – tend to enter
unconventional, but stable marriages. In her work, unconventional marriages included couples with differing races (as well as different religions, education or economic levels, or previously-married men). Blacks in general, but AfricanAmerican women in particular, have low rates of intermarriage. The Pew Research Center reports that in 2010, only 17 percent of all African-American newlyweds had married outside of their race – 9 percent of Black women wed a non-Black spouse, compared to 24 percent of Black men. “These [unconventional, later-in-life] marriages have two advantages,” Lehrer continues. “One is that each person has greater economic resources by that time…and also, they are more mature at later ages. We found a lot of solid unions in these marriages. They are making better choices [for partners].”
Cohabitation risk overstated Cohabitation has the best effect on marriage stability for women who are engaged first, then cohabit, according to the Journal study. Their risk of separation or divorce is even lower than that of women who don’t cohabit.
Furthermore, the CCF’s data asserts that the link between premarital cohabitation and divorce rates has been overblown, if it ever existed at all. “Studies have consistently overstated the risk of premarital cohabitation, and continue to do so even for marriages formed since the mid-1990s. This is because they have been comparing couples by their age at marriage rather than by their age when they moved in together,” says Arielle Kuperberg, another researcher on the CCF project. “My study finds that when couples are compared by the age at which they move in together and start taking on the roles associated with marriage, there is no difference in divorce rates between couples that lived together before marriage and those that didn’t.”
Cultural shift Stephanie Coontz, historian and co-chair and director of Research and Public Education for the CCF, points to Australia for insight into this current cultural shift. Fifty years of research there also painted a picture of cohabitation as the harbinger of separation and divorce – up to the late 1980s, when the trend reversed so much that cohabitation actually bolstered marital stability. “Divorce rates were much lower than they are today, partly because marriages in that era were based on predefined, rigid gender roles. Both parties knew exactly what was expected of them. It was much easier to figure out how to make a marriage work than it is today when there is so much more to negotiate,” Coontz says in the series’ conclusion statement. “Now that prior cohabitation is the normative route to marriage, and especially now that marriage requires more negotiation skills and deeper friendship than the past, the United States may well follow the same pattern that researchers found in Australia. Who knows what other old rules may be shattered in the next few years?”
Jazelle Hunt is a Washington correspondent for the NNPA News Service.
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