Daytona Times - April 23, 2015

Youth pastor to lead new Flagler service SEE PAGE 3

East Central Florida’s Black Voice

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DR. BENJAMIN CHAVIS JR.: Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March SEE PAGE 4

A FASHION SHOW FOR EVERY BODY SEE PAGE 7

APRIL 23 - APRIL 29, 2015

YEAR 40 NO. 17

www.daytonatimes.com

Police chief pledges free academy for qualified Blacks Chitwood announces offer at community meeting with residents, officers

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

Daytona Beach Police Chief Michael Chitwood says his department will pay the full tuition of any Black person who would like to go through the police academy at Daytona State College with the plans of joining the local force upon completion. The education is valued at more than $4,000. Applicants must meet the

requirements of a recruit.

Chitwood says he also will provide a job for the student while in the academy. The chief made that announcement Saturday at a meeting on police and community diversity at Daytona State College. The chief cited incidents in Ferguson, Mo. and South Carolina as well as Florida’s stand your ground law.

“This is a national problem,” he noted.

“People who say the officers aren’t there, they aren’t engaged.

The officers are there,” community organizer Johnnie Ponder told the Daytona Times.

“We want more Black officers, but we aren’t offering as much

money as other people in other places are and people will go where they get more. People go where they can get more money,” she added.

Start with perception The Daytona Beach Police Department, the Daytona Beach branch of the NAACP, Ponder and other community groups organized the discussion on law enforcement and community relations in an effort to continue the dialogue between the two.

Dr. Randy Nelson, a criminologist and Bethune-Cookman University professor who also offers Please see POLICE, Page 2

ASHLEY D. THOMAS/DAYTONA TIMES

Bethune-Cookman University Professor Randy Nelson addresses the audience at Daytona State College.

‘We are loving people’

Pastor Frank Russ remembered as a kind man, lover of nature

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

Members of the Muslim Women’s Association of Daytona Beach stand with community members and elected officials at a community outreach program held in 2014.

Muslims inviting residents to Saturday get-together The Muslim Women’s Association of Daytona Beach is again inviting local residents to a community program to get acquainted with the area’s Muslim community and gain a better understanding of the Islamic religion.

Linda McGhee, spokesperson for the association, says everyone is invited to the free event on Saturday, April 25. “We are open to everyone, please come as you are,” she said. “We want people to learn more about Muslims, to see that we are

loving people.”

There will be free food, drinks and youth activities at the event at the Islamic Center of Daytona Beach, In the past, the event has attracted hundreds of local residents.

Church reaching potential members with burgers and ‘Daily Bread’ FROM STAFF REPORTS

Living Faith World Ministries’ volunteers held a lunch station on the corner of 8th Street and Derbyshire Road on April 18.

Minister Larry Cunningham says the annual event was an effort to reach out to those in the community to fill a need and/or invite them to attend service at the church.

“We do this, giving out hamburgers and hot dogs to the community to those who may be hungry during the lunchtime. We do it for ministry. We do it to help others. This is what

ALSO INSIDE

Christ wants us to do. We usually have this every year but will have another in another three to four months,” Cunningham told the Times.

“We had a lot of folks to come out and gave them packages with CDs, “Our Daily Bread’’ books and information on the church and how they can be saved.

This is what it is about.”

Evangelist Clara Bristol added, “We feed them natural food and we feed them spiritual food. That’s whey we’re here. Whatever it takes to get them in, that is what we do.”

Members of Living Faith World Ministries feed the hungry on April 18.

A celebration of life for Pastor Frank Russ was held April 18 at Living Faith World Ministries. He died on April 10 at Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center.

He was 84.

Russ was the pastor and presiding elder of several Triumph the Church and Kingdom of God in Christ churches throughout Pastor Florida. In later Frank Russ years, he founded Fellowship Union Church of God in Daytona Beach where he was the pastor and overseer until his passing.

“He was a kind man,” his wife, Ruth Russ, told the Daytona Times. “I missed him when he departed and I still miss him.”

The pair was married on Jan. 21, 1968.

“One of the first things that we vowed after we were married were that we would put God first, then each other, then family next, and that is how it was up until the end.”

Enjoyed the outdoors Russ enjoyed playing basketball and had a knack for joining his wife for quiet evenings enjoying nature.

“We loved to go and watch fish jump down on 10th Street,” she shared. “We’d watch the mullet jump and skip and the dolphins play and we’d watch the ships and boats go by the Orange Avenue bridge by the courthouse. He would go with me during our latter years together.”

“We also loved to travel,” Mrs. Russ continued. “We did a lot of traveling. We really enjoyed going to his hometown of Red Bay. It was such a beautiful place. We saw a lot of sites by the Suwannee River. We’d see the deer.”

Mrs. Russ recalled that her husband also enjoyed hunting in his younger years. “He loved to hunt, but never brought anything home to cook,” she said with a laugh.

She added, “He was a godly man, a kind man. He will be missed.’’

Russ was previously married to the late Blondia Lanier. He had 10 children, five of whom preceded him in death.

COMMENTARY: JAMES CLINGMAN: WHO CAN WE TURN TO POLITICALLY? | PAGE 4 ENTERTAINMENT: ARTIST WELDON RYAN’S ‘CARNIVAL’ GOING ON DISPLAY AT PEABODY | PAGE 5

7 FOCUS

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APRIL 23 – APRIL 29, 2015

DeLand commissioner to speak at NAACP banquet in Deltona The West Volusia Branch of the NAACP will host the 25th annual Freedom Fund Banquet at 6:30 p.m. Friday June 5, at New Hope Baptist Church, Deltona. The Freedom Fund and Awards Banquet theme is “Pursuing Liberty in the Face of Injustice.”

The West Volusia Branch Youth Council will make a special presentation and the guest speaker is DeLand City Commissioner Jessica Davis. She is the first Black female commissioner in the seat’s 132-year history.

Elected during the Aug. 26 primary, Davis is a graduate of Florida A&M University where she

Jessica Davis is a Florida A&M University graduate and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

earned her Bachelor of Science degree in broadcast journalism and a minor in education. She is a career coach with Henkels and McCoy Training Services, a partner with CareerSource Flagler Volusia. She works with at-risk youth on GED preparation and work readiness skills.

Davis is a member of the DeLand Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., where she serves as the chapter’s Economic Development Committee chair. She also is a member of the West Volusia NAACP.

Huger golf tourney to be held Saturday The Beta Delta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. will present its fourth annual Jimmy Huger Scholarship Golf Tournament April 25 with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. Huger is a longtime member of the fraternity.

The tournament will be held at the Daytona Beach Golf Club, 600 Wilder Blvd.

Proceeds from the event will fund scholarships for local high school seniors attending college as freshmen in the fall of 2015.

For more information, contact John Leland Huger at 386566-8393.

‘Black Panther Party’ film seeks wider audience

BY JAZELLE HUNT NNPA NEWS SERVICE

Above is a poster depicting the new film.

WASHINGTON – “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution,’’ the first feature-length film to focus on the origin and downfall of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense is making waves in the film community. It’s been a breakout entry at the Sundance Film Festival, and has already won an award at the Pan African Film & Arts Festival in Los Angeles.

But for acclaimed director Stanley Nelson, the real triumph will be in getting the film to the masses.

“We’re going to film festivals…and getting great, great, great responses. But one of the things that we feel is that film festivals reach a certain segment of the population,” says Nelson, the filmmaker behind “Freedom Riders, The Murder of Emmett Till,’’ and other notable documentaries on the African American experience.

“Another segment of the

POLICE

‘Talking at each other is over’

Jean Street or Orange Avenue “How I view the world is as a Black male,” Nelson said of himself. “That’s my view. Everyone will have

Thanks to financial backing from PBS, the film will have a theatrical release in more than a dozen cities across the country this September.

Still, the documentary team hopes to raise additional funds through donations website, Kickstarter (kck.st/1IjSI1V). These funds will support the film’s expansion via broad advertising, and public appearances and events with the filmmakers and Black Panther Party leaders.

“Our hope is that if we raise a bit more money… as we go through these [13] cities, if we’re successful and recoup our investment, then we’ll just put that money into going to more cities,” Nelson explains. “Our goal is not to make a profit, our goal is to get people out and

A special person

ASHLEY D. THOMAS/DAYTONA TIMES

The NAACP passed out pamphlets explaining what to do if pulled over by law enforcement. their perceptions. Whether good bad or indifferent, it’s unique to me. Perception comes with you. Whether you were born in Timbuktu, Oklahoma. Whether you were raised on Jean Street, that’s your perception.

That’s the reality of your situation.”

“Imagine if you are a 5, 6, 7-year old kid, and the only time you see law enforcement is when they have to make an arrest. What are you going to think? You will be fearful,” he said.

“If you are not getting in there and doing other things in that community, you’re [perceived as] an occupier. What would be your perspective and perception of law enforcement?”

Community activist Norma Bland added, “I’m a product of the ’60s and I can remember on International Speedway a police chief who loosed dogs on us, kicked us. But if I would have allowed my mindset to stay in that place, I would have been an Angela Davis.”

so that takes boots on the ground, out of the neighborhood. The first thing they do is service 9-1-1 calls. We probably answer well over 150 to 200,000 calls a year. You break that down –that’s what the issue is.

“That’s why we fought so hard to get the grant to put cops in the schools.

That’s why we tried to try to get our PAL (Police Athletic League) program to be a program that deals with education more than sports because you already have Leisure Services and we can tutor kids who need help in school for free.

That’s what our Shop-WithA-Cop program, our Coffee-With-A-Cop, our citizen’s police academy, all of

“It takes a special person to become a police officer,” Nelson continued. “Can you imagine going to work every day and your job is to look for the bad?”

“When I go to the classroom every day, I don’t go to see how many I can fail, but how many can I impart knowledge to.”

Nelson also noted how law enforcement is one of the only professions where going home each night after work isn’t a guarantee.

“What is their job?” Nelson asked the audience.

“I would think their job would be to hopefully make things better,” one audience member responded.

“The job of the police is to do just that. Their job is not to go out and kiss babies. Either you arrest them, or I’m going to shoot them when they try to come into my house at 3 in the morning,” community activist Bland added.

Cynthia Slater, president of the Daytona Beach/Volu-

Budget issues Another question from the audience was a lack of officers engaged directly in the community. Chitwood explained that many of the concerns also had to deal with cuts to the budget.

“It’s budget issues,” Chitwood explained to the Times. “When I first got here, I had 241 officers, I’m now down to the low 200s, meaning that when officers come in they spend almost their entire day running from 9-1-1 call to 9-1-1 call

have as many people see it as we possibly can.”

Other documentaries and movies have either focused on Black Panther figures such as Kwame Toure and Assata Shakur or have explored the Panthers as one part of a larger picture.

The new movie focuses solely on the organization in its entirety and weaves together a variety of voices, from Party martyrs to those tasked with their destruction. The film also boasts original content from notables such as Kathleen Cleaver, Elaine Brown, Henry Douglas and Elbert “Big Man” Howard.

“One of the things we tried to do in this film is make sure it’s exciting and we tell a new story to everybody,” both the well-informed and the newcomers, Nelson said. “Some of the great things that have happened in the screenings is, people who were Panthers themselves come up to us and say, ‘You know, I was in the middle of it. I didn’t know half the stuff

that was in the film.’ There’s a lot of new information.”

sia NAACP asked Nelson: “What takes precedent, the badge or the profession?

“They are both the same.

Everybody that puts on a badge represents it. I don’t see a separation of the badge and the profession you can’t tarnish one without tarnishing the other.”

Added Slater, “Some things need to change.’’

the audience.

Video presentation Nelson noted, “I honestly believe that when we see wrong, we have an obligation to speak out on that wrong. Whether you are a teacher, whether you are a police officer, whether you are the lady on the street.”

During the discussion, Nelson showed a video of an officer being shot seven times and another showing a citizen being shot.

Each time Nelson asked the group what happened in the videos.

Three or four different scenarios were given on each video including variations that were untrue.

In one video an officer pulls over a Black male and proceeds to shoot him after asking for his identification when he thought the individual was instead reaching for a weapon.

“How many mistakes were made?” Nelson asked

Screened at festivals Donations through the Kickstarter come with interesting perks, ranging from social media shoutouts for donations as small as $5, to T-shirts, tickets to screenings, autographed photos, and more. For those who cannot donate, Nelson recommends sharing the Kickstarter link with others (kickstarter.com/ projects/blackpanthers/ the-black-panthers-theatrical-release).

New York, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, Berkeley, Chicago, Boston, Portland, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Atlanta, Seattle and Washington, D.C. are the 13 initial cities slated for wide release this fall. The film also will be screened at several film festivals around the country throughout the summer.

More information on these screenings can be found on www.TheBlackPanthers.com.

Ethically correct “That is the question we as police administrators have to ask,” Chitwood said, in reference to police policy and training. “Clearly it is something that we have to address. We have to look at how we train, how we screen.”

“Just because we have laws that say it’s justified (some shooting incidents) doesn’t mean it’s morally and ethically correct. If you’re in the military and that happened, your career is over.’’

Nelson chimed in, “We don’t have to all agree, and we never will. But at least we need to be able to have a conversation.”

The response from community members present at the meeting was positive overall.

“We didn’t know what to expect. We didn’t know whether we’d have two White people and no Black people or all Black people.

We had no idea what to expect. We had room for 75 and that’s what we have here. It was such a great mix, and I just think it was a wonderful turnout, especially for a first effort,’’ said Weegie Kuendig, president of Save our Neighborhoods.

Jumpstart Your Future!

Spring 2015 Open House DSC CREATIVE 3/15

“That’s the whole purpose of today, to start the discussion to making a difference. The time for talking at each other is over. We have to talk to one another, and whether we like what we say or not, it has to be incorporated into the plans going forward,” Chitwood told the Daytona Times following the meeting.

“What I mean by the plans going forward is the president (Barack Obama) has put together a blue ribbon panel that issued a very, very thick report on policing in America and recommended changes.

Well, to implement those changes the whole community has to be brought on board. The changes that we are talking about, everybody in the community has to have a say on what they want to see changed, from tactics to training to screening the candidates.”

During the meeting, a key theme presented by Nelson was the power of perception.

“Start with perception?

What is perception?” he polled the audience.

“My view, how I see things going on,” came answers from the audience.

“Exactly,” responded Nelson.

Kickstarter campaign

these things are to engage with the community. But when your resources come in and they cut everything out on you, you have to do the bare minimum, the very first thing we do is respond to the calls that come in.”

from Page 1

training to law enforcement agencies, was the keynote speaker along with Dr. Michael Humphries, also of B-CU. “If I want to look at police, I can find blame there.

If I want to look at community, I can find blame there.

But what I want to look at is finding solutions,” Nelson said.

population doesn’t go to film festivals, and those people are the people we want to reach in the theatrical release.”

Chance to win $$$ for college! $500 scholarship drawings and door prizes

Advanced Technology College Tuesday, April 28, 5-7 p.m.

1770 Technology Blvd.

Daytona Beach DaytonaState.edu/OH (386) 506-4471 STAY CLOSER, GO FURTHER

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APRIL 23 – APRIL 29, 2015 COMMUNITY DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006

M A YNEWS OR

Folk singer educates local children on Australian culture The Palm Coast Arts Foundation affirms the mission of bringing the arts to children and to such a degree that Australian folk singer Seona McDowell sketches for children a background of Australia, the island-continent. She plays the guitar and explains the continent through social studies, making the subject come alive, using students as demonstrators – like the youngsters at Palm Harbor Academy.

Leila Hardison, Ed.D., retired adjunct professor, initiated developing the Dr. Leila children’s programs for the Hardison arts foundation. Hardison sits on the board of trustees at the Palm Coast Arts Foundation.

She brought friends from the foundation – Christian clinical counselor Dr. Maria Pinto-Barbosa and McDowell, who has performed throughout the U.S. for the Kennedy Center, in addition to her role as a former Cleveland host of her own public radio show.

Bunnell Early Learning Center, Trinity Loving Care Educational Center of Trinity Presbyterian Church, and Palm Harbor Academy – a charter school – were three schools apprized of the arts presentation.

Singing, dancing, learning Palm Harbor Academy, whose principal is Mrs. Esther Hamilton, was the only school in the county to score an “A” on last year’s FCAT. The Rev. Dr. Gillard S. Glover is founder and chairman of the board of trustees at the academy.

It was audience participation and singalongs, dancing, and storytelling for discovering the indigenous Aborigines of Australia, their customs, wildlife and terrain.

Demonstrators, animating gum trees – known as Eucalyptus trees – rose up from the audience, which pinch-hit as tree-dwelling koalas, and backed-up with hand-claps and McDowell’s guitar playing and the koalas singing: “Give me a home among the gum trees, with lots of plum trees – a sheep or two and a kangaroo – a clothesline out back, a veranda round the front, and an old rockin’ chair.”

McDowell elucidated that scientists are

PALM COAST COMMUNITY NEWS JEROLINE D. MCCARTHY

of the opinion that during the Ice Age, the Aborigines walked across from Southeast Asia – from as far up as southern China – “and came into Australia, but didn’t know the earth was warming up and the ice was melting...,” she said. “And so now, they’re on this big island – the biggest island in the world, the smallest continent, and the only country that’s a continent and an island.”

Spellbinding stories The presentation was imaginative and inviting to learning about the Aborigine culture – the in-depth-sounding didgeridoo, a decoratively crafted instrument made from a tree branch that was once hollowed out by termites.

McDowell played the didgeridoo to the beat of a kangaroo’s hopping, which proved delightful to the kids and, moreover, to teachers for whom she sometimes gives classes showing how the arts are an essential aspect of history and the human experience.

A dingo, a wild, hungry dog – the size of our medium-size dog – was watching the kangaroo, she said. McDowell once more shed light, and this time on a kookaburra, a bird, that eats some of the most poisonous Australian snakes. She said the kookaburra was sitting in a tree laughing at the dingo chasing the kangaroo. These and other stories were related by McDowell, including stories about wombats, frillnecked lizards, the Tasmanian devil, together with having the youngsters and teachers performing the Woolshed Bush Dance following a long day as farmers.

The Palm Coast Arts Foundation brings the passion of the arts to the area. The foundation’s website affirms that the institution was established in 2004 with 806 founding members “determined to broaden the public’s access of the arts.

The Foundation continues to grow with a single vision – to design and build a Cen-

JEROLINE D. MCCARTHY/DAYTONA TIMES

Australian folk singer Seona McDowell, left, presented a fun way of bringing the arts to children and their teachers at Palm Harbor Academy. ter for the Arts that will establish the Palm Coast-Flagler area as a world-class forum for the performing, visual, literary, and graphic arts.” The Palm Coast Arts Foundation is famous for presenting a picnic and concert titled “Picnic & Pops with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra.”

Inc. and Sigma Alpha Iota Sorority, Inc. will be part of the lineup this Sunday for the Youth Entertainment Ministry.

First Church, at 91 Old Kings Road North in Palm Coast, is pastored by the Rev. Dr. Gillard S. Glover. The church can be reached at 386-446-5759.

Mt. Calvary to start youth service

Churchwomen to host White Elephant Sale

Beginning April 26 at 11 a.m., Mt. Calvary Baptist Church will premiere a Youth Church Service on the church campus at the Family Life Center, which is under the pastoral leadership of the Rev. Edwin Coffie. The Rev. Dr. David Lawson Blow Sr. is serving as youth minister. A place of praise has been provided.

In this place of praise, young people – born during or after 1996 – will be saved, healed, delivered and developed into dynamic disciples.

Rev. Blow, a man of God, Dr. David has studied to show himLawson Blow self approved. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in telecommunications from Morgan State University, a Master of Divinity and a Doctorate of Ministry from Howard University.

The place of praise will bring young people to Christ and membership in His family, as well as to develop Christ-like maturity.

Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, at 75 Pine Lakes Parkway North, Palm Coast, can be reached at 386-447-5719.

A shopping adventure awaits at the Gwendolyn Howard White Elephant Sale – a Women’s Day event at First Church taking place on April 25, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

It’s in memory of Howard, who started the commodity exchange with other fundraisers, for unprecedented financial support to the church.

Decor, accessories, collectibles, and clothing are available, along with purchasing refreshments.

In addition, space or tables can be rented at $15 to sell merchandise.

First Church can be reached at 386-4465759.

Sunday at First Church Christian hip-hop, a major influence today, is making its way again at First Church come April 26 for the 10 a.m. service. It’s that time when the music genre will continue its trend to give praise on the fourth Sunday through young hip-hop worshipers. Christian hip-hop has become a way to reach the masses.

Faith is evident since several young people at First Church have surrendered their lives to Christ.

Nathaniel Shropshire III – assistant director of the Edward Waters College Choir, schoolteacher, and director of the church’s youth choir – sets the Youth Entertainment Ministry in motion.

Shropshire recently announced that members of a fraternity and sorority with special music interests - particularly, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America,

Friends of the Library series win state award

Florida’s future is only as bright as theirs.

With an education, Florida students can change more worlds than just theirs.

It’s why we’ve contributed more than $27 billion to education over the past 27 years. That’s more than a billion dollars to education every year. We don’t just believe in the future of our state. We’re investing in it.

Visit flalottery.com/education.do to learn more about our commitment to education.

flalottery.com

Must be 18 or older to play. Play responsibly. © 2015 Florida Lottery

The “Connecting with the Community” series, created and coordinated by the Friends of the Daytona Beach Library, has won the Florida Library Association’s 2015 Friends, Foundations and Boards Award for Outstanding Program.

The series of social and cultural presentations, which began in November 2013 and culminated with a tribute to Dr. Jimmy Huger on April 11, highlighted the important role AfricanAmericans have played in Volusia County’s history.

In 2014, programs focused on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

This year’s programs addressed contemporary issues and continuing traditions.

Lectures, forums After receiving an $8,000 grant from the Florida Humanities Council, the library volunteers developed an ambitious schedule of lectures, community

Catholic Guild plan May 2 jazz concert Keep your eyes open for attending “An Evening of All-Star Jazz” sponsored by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Black Catholic Guild.

The concert will kick off May 2, 7 to 9 p.m., at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Hall, 4600 Belle Terre Parkway in Palm Coast.

The Black Catholic Guild of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church – under the leadership of the Rev. Jason Trull, pastor – has been showcasing the gallery of jazz for the past 19 years.

Vocalist Linda Cole will liven up the stage, surrounded by other leading figures: Kenny MacKenzie on keys, John Pelligrino on bass, Ray Winer on drums and Ray Guiser, saxophone. Come expecting to receive free refreshments. The donation to the concert is $20.

To purchase tickets, call Andrea Parham, 386-439-0430; Sharon Waring, 386585-4717; or Aimee’s Hallmark Card Shop, 386-445-0985.

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

Celebrities Birthday wishes to Florastine Hancock, Kevin Senior, April 23; Joan Bennett Walker, April 24; Roy Benjamin, April 25; Dorothy “Booby” Robinson, Carolyn Bridges, April 26; and James Morrison, April 28.

forums, book reviews and musical presentations that attracted more than 1,400 attendees.

Friends’ representatives and library staff will accept the award at the Florida Library Association’s Friends Day Luncheon in Orlando on May 14.

The Friends group was founded in 1968 to raise funds, stimulate use of the library’s resources, and support staff in developing programs and services.

For information on becoming a member, contact Deborah Shafer at dshafer@volusia.org or 386257-6036, ext. 16264.

Human Services Advisory Board to meet Tuesday The Human Services Advisory Board will meet at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 28, at the United Way of Volusia-Flagler Counties, 3747 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach.

Members will discuss the Community Services Block Grant reports from January through March, review the grant’s organizational standards, approve

the grant’s budget modification, approve new board members, and review community needs assessments responses. Members will also discuss the 2014-2015 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

The advisory board assists the Volusia County Council in developing Community Services Block Grant program goals and objectives, identifying community needs, and evaluating program effectiveness.

For more information, call Myralis Hopgood at 386-736-5956, ext.12985.

AACS to meet April 25 The African American Cultural Society (AACS) will hold a general membership meeting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 25, at The Cultural Center, 4422 US Highway 1 North.

Free morning refreshments will be available to those who arrive early at 10:30 a.m.

For information, call 386-447-7030; for membership details, call 386-4458403.

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7 EDITORIAL

APRIL 23 – APRIL 29, 2015

A young sister ‘hashtagged’ me out of my silo When a colleague dropped the line, “You can’t hashtag your way to freedom,” I loved it! I laughed out loud, and promised that I’d not borrow the line, but steal it because I was so enamored of it.

I’ve used it quite a few times since then, and gotten my share of grins and guffaws.So I used it again and again, always getting the same reaction.

Imagine my surprise, then, when Frenchie Davis, 35, the Howard University alumna who burst onto the music scene with her 2003 turn on “American Idol,” took me to school by telling me she thought my remark was “condescending.” I didn’t mean to be condescending, just to make the point that there is a difference between tweeting and fighting for change. Hashtags are not votes. Even if a million people hashtagged #bringbackourgirls, the hundreds of Nigerian young women abducted by Boko Haram are still missing.

Dismissive remark Frenchie Davis thought my glib remark dismissed a form of communication that young people find effective, a form of communication that raises their awareness. She is right to point out that electronic and social media is far more consequential today than it was just a decade ago, and that her generation relies on social media more heavily than it does traditional media. While many people of my Baby Boomer generation use electronic media, we are not as immersed in it as younger folks are.

Reality check. The median age of the African-American recorded in the 2000 Census was 30.4, compared to the national mean of 34.4. As of 2013, the mean age of U.S. born Blacks was 29, compared to a national mean of 37.

DR. JULIANNE MALVEAUX TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

not heard of the Grammy Award nominee before, which perhaps reveals the generational silo I occupy.

I’m uncomfortable in my silo.

‘The drum’

Uncomfortable with how easy That means the average African-American is closer in age to it is to join a conversation about generational differences without Frenchie Davis than to me. embracing generational similarities. “Back in the day,” a phrase I ‘Step in the probably should use much less, right direction’ many of our radio shows or staMembers of that generation – tions were called “The Drum,” too often disdained by their elders for their work ethic, com- after the drumbeat form of commitment to civil rights, or style of munication. Hashtag can rightdress – are the ones who will pro- ly be seen as another word for pel the Civil Rights Movement in- drum. And getting out of my sito the future. So Sister Frenchie lo, it’s important that drummers was right to call me on my snarly/ (or hashtaggers) both teach and funny remark about hashtag- learn.

How do we get young people ging to freedom. If the hashtag takes you to a conversation, and involved in the Civil Rights Movethat takes you to action, then the ment? Many already are involved hashtag may be a step in the right – check them out at #Blacklivesdirection. matter.

My conversation with Frenchie Are we insisting that young Davis took place when I moderat- people be involved in the moveed a panel on “Race, Justice, and ment as we know it? Has anyone Change,” as part of the Washing- marketed the contemporary Civil ton, D.C. Emancipation Day com- Rights Movement to younger Afmemoration. By way of back- rican-Americans? Do we feel that ground, the Compensated Eman- we need to? Do we expect people cipation Act of 1862 paid the to show up (where?) and roll their owners of 3,100 slaves $300 each sleeves up, task undefined? to emancipate them; for the past I am energized, enlightened, decade D.C. commemorates this and privileged when I am pushed day with an official holiday.

The other panelists, Malik Yo- out of my silo. I am grateful to ba, Doug E. Fresh, and Mali Mu- Frenchie Davis, Malik Yoba, Mali sic, are, like Davis, socially and Music and Doug E. Fresh for helppolitically active artists, who are ing me connect the drums with also concerned with ways to in- the hashtags. crease involvement in civil rights Julianne Malveaux is a Washmatters. Mali Music, 27, was the youngest member of the panel. ington-based writer and econHis comments about young Black omist. She can be reached at male alienation offered an im- www.juliannemalveaux.com. portant perspective in a conver- Click on this article at www. sation structured to address vot- daytonatimes.com to write your ing, policing, and organizing. I’d own response.

Who can we turn to politically?

“Who can I turn to, when nobody needs me? My heart wants to know, and so I must go where destiny leads me.” Listening to an old album by the Temptations, “In a Mellow Mood,” made me think about the political trick-bag Black folks are in now that Barack is on his way out and the focus is on 2016 presidential candidates.

I thought about how Black folks are nowhere in the political conversation, neither on the Democratic or Republican side. Based on the last mid-term election, after which pundits said the emphasis must now be placed on White men and Hispanic voters, Blacks find ourselves on the outside looking in, asking, “Who can I turn to?”

Black votes unneeded Politically, Black voters are obsolete – no longer needed, and in some cases, no longer even wanted. Who can we turn to, now that’s over? Terms such as the “middle class,” “minorities,” “LGBT,” and other nebulous classifications do not identify a group of people who have been in this nation since it began, and do not ad-

JAMES CLINGMAN NNPA COLUMNIST

dress our needs or our deserved compensation, in some form or another, for the labor and wealth that we generated.

Docile and compliant Oh, we are good little boys and girls when it comes carrying the water for the Democrats for the past 80 years or so. We are so docile and compliant as we traipse to the polls every four years to choose from the two persons put in front of us by the real powers in this country. It’s nearly always a case of voting for the lesser of two evils — and sometimes the evil of two lessers. But we continue to rely on a corrupt political system to do right by us.

We are so good at crying in front of statues and on bridges and at gravesites. We are great at listening to rousing speeches that cause us to feel good but nev-

er make us go out and “do good” for ourselves. We are so captivated by many of those for whom we vote, and we really believe they will work for us when they get to Washington, rather than work for themselves. Our naiveté is off the charts when it comes to politics, which is now causing us to ask: “Who can we turn to?”

Abraham Maslow said, “If a hammer is the only tool you have, every problem in front of you will look like a nail.” As the new political season gets underway, I reiterate that although we have a trillion other tools, called dollars, the only tool we have relied upon has been the vote. Thus, we now face a political climate that has absolutely no concern for the Black electorate because they already know what we are going to do – and not do.

Jim Clingman, is the founder of the Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce. Click on this article at www.daytonatimes.com to write your own response.

Normalizing relations with Castro I was standing in Jacksonville, Fla. airport awaiting a flight home when I looked up at the television at the gate. CNN was repeating the story that President Obama and Cuba’s President Raul Castro were to have a one-on-one discussion and were also to speak to the press. This was a sight that, until a few months ago, I had never expected.

The change in U.S./Cuba relations has been a long time in coming. The U.S.A. has attempted through a combination of a blockade, assassinations, invasions, and support of terrorism, to undermine and overthrow the Cuban government. Though it has succeeded in creating great misery for the Cuban people, it never shattered their reserve. In effect, the Cubans stood firm.

‘Global brat’

BILL FLETCHER, JR. NNPA COLUMNIST

2015 “Summit of the Americas” approached, the isolation of the U.S. and Cuba became very evident, necessitating that something change.

President Obama, despite protests from many domestic rightwingers, recognized that the jig was up and that the USA/Cuba relationship needed to alter. Undoubtedly, what the U.S. now hopes to accomplish is to subvert Cuba through various economic incentives. Time will only tell whether such an approach will work. What is clear, however, is that the Cuban government, while looking forward to an improvement in relations, is not planning on getting on its knees in front of the U.S.

At the same time, the U.S. took on more and more the appearance of, not only a global bully, but also a global brat. It has had to have its way at whatever cost.

The problem is that its belliger- ‘Different ideas’ Ironically, at the same time that ence towards Cuba continued to backfire, leading to a situation of U.S./Cuba relations were improvincreasing isolation. As the April ing, the U.SA. worsened its re-

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: GATOR WRESTLER

lationship with Venezuela, announcing that Venezuela represented an alleged security threat to the U.S. Most of the Western Hemisphere rejected this characterization and also rejected the approach of the U.S. toward Venezuela, apparently forcing the Obama administration to reconsider its stand towards Venezuela.

The ruling elite in the U.S. seems to have great difficulty appreciating that Latin America is not its property. There really is something called “national sovereignty,” that nations on this planet are supposed to respect. Yet, when it comes to Latin America there is a long history — dating back to the Monroe Doctrine of the 19th Century — of assuming that the entire hemisphere is made up of different components of Washington, D.C.’s realm.

In looking at President Castro on CNN the other day, it was clear that he had different ideas.

Bill Fletcher, Jr. is the host of The Global African on TelesurEnglish. He is a racial justice, labor and global justice writer and activist. Click on this article at www.daytonatimes.com.

BILL DAY, CAGLE CARTOONS

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March On October 16, we will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March. In the subsequent two decades Black Americans, have experienced great triumphs, tragedies and tribulations.

This anniversary of the Million Man March will have a special meaning and significance for Black America and all who continue to thirst and struggle for freedom, justice and equality. Preparing for this milestone will require not only reflections of the triumphs of that great day of successful mass mobilization, but also that we assess where we are today and where we should be in the future to progress and advance our cause.

‘Spiritual unity’ Of course, there are today millions of younger Black Americans who are under the age of 20 and many of them may have heard or read about the Million Man March. But most of our youth today are not really aware of the pivotal life-changing impact of that “Holy Day of Atonement, Reconciliation and Responsibility” for the more than 1.2 million Black men that assembled resolute in spiritual unity at the Million Man March on Monday, October 16, 1995 in Washington, D.C. There is an old African proverb that says if you do not share your triumphs and achievements with the youth of the village, then the future of the village’s progress will be put in greater jeopardy. Likewise, there should be a concerted effort to inform our youth about how the Million Man March had a positive change effect on the men and their families who participated in the largest single gathering of Black Americans in the history of America.

Change the mindset When the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan issued the call for the Million Man March, I believed that it was not only possible to achieve the goal of getting more than a million Black men of all ages and backgrounds to assemble and stand together,

DR. BENJAMIN F. CHAVIS, JR. NNPA COLUMNIST

but also I knew that it would have the potential to change the mindset, consciousness and behavior of millions of our brothers.

We must remember that prior to October 1995, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) had declared that young Black American males had become an endangered species because of the escalating rate of fratricide and homicide among young Black males. On the day of the Million Man March, the Black on Black crime rate went down to its lowest rate since crime statistics have been recorded. The Million Man March also caused a significant decrease in Black high school dropout rates immediately during the first year after the march. There was an increase in Black voter registration by more than 1.5 million after the march.

There will be certainly much more written and hopefully done to prepare for the much needed “revival” of the spirit and substance of the Million Man March going forward. The future of the oppressed is not in the hands of the oppressor.

Our future is in our own capable hands if we would all work together more effectively.

By God’s grace and love, may we all find the courage to work together anew to raise the consciousness of men, women and youth about our mutual responsibilities to be thy brothers and sisters keepers beyond just at an anniversary moment.

Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. was National Director of the Million Man March Organizing Committee. He is the President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA). Click on this article at www.daytonatimes. com to write your own response.

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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APRIL 23 – APRIL 29, 2015 COMMUNITY DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006

M A YNEWS OR

Artist to bring ‘Carnival’ to Peabody Auditorium Artist Weldon Ryan will present “Carnival at the Peabody’’ from May 6 to June 1.

His “Carnival’’ series will be featured at the Peabody Auditorium in the Rose Room gallery, 600 Auditorium Blvd., Daytona Beach, An opening reception is May 6 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The reception will feature island music from Steel Daddy. Light refreshments will be served.

“Carnival is known for participants’ colorful costumes and exuberant celebrations. It is an explosion of color, music, revelry, and creativity,” Ryan writes.

His art for the exhibit is inspired by Trinidad’s Carnival “with its massive masquerade bands, spectacular costumes, pulsating music and unparalleled stamina for partying,” he adds. “Nothing on earth can rival the abandon, euphoria and stunning spectacle of Trinidad’s festival.’’

Ryan was born in Trinidad and Tobago and arrived to the U.S. at age 6 in the Bronx, New York, where he spent most of his childhood.

Artistic experience He graduated from the High School of Art and Design in 1977, the state University of New York (New Paltz) and later the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Before retiring in 2004 and relocating to Palm Coast, he served for 15 years as a police officer and sketch artist with the New York Police Department.

Ryan has exhibited at various sites in New York, including the Fashion Institute of Technology, Bronx River Art Center and the

Harlem State Office Building in New York City. He also appeared on “The Ricki Lake Show’’ for his artistic skills and his art has been shown on “The Geraldo Rivera Show’’ and CNN. The Weldon Ryan Studio is located in the Salvo Art Project, 313 Old Brick Road, Bunnell. Ryan can be reached at weldon@ weldonryan.com.

Alzheimer’s Association to present workshop for caregivers Beverly Engel of the Alzheimer’s Association of Central and North Florida will present “Living with Alzheimer’s: A Workshop for Caregivers” from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 29, at the Daytona Beach Regional Library at City Island, 105 E. Magnolia Ave. The workshop will provide information about the early and middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

Attendees will hear from those who have been affected and learn what they need to know, what they need to plan for, and what they can do at each point along the way.

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

Reservations are required and may be made by calling the Alzheimer’s Association at 800-2723900.

New Smyrna Beach library to offer free movies in May The New Smyrna Beach Regional Library, 1001 S.

Dixie Freeway, will show free Hollywood movies every Friday in May. The recent releases include: • “Fury”: 2 p.m. May 1.

Determined to strike a victory for the Allies during World War II, a sergeant leads his five-man tank crew on a treacherous mission behind enemy lines.

Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf star. Rated R, 135 minutes.

• “Exists”: 2 p.m. May 8.

Five friends camping in the Texas Big Thicket are terrorized by an evil force seeking murderous revenge. Rated R, 86 minutes.

• “Lucy”: 2 p.m. May 15.

A woman falls prey to sinister underworld forces, but gains superhuman abilities that allow her to strike back. Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman star.

Rated R, 89 minutes.

• “The Remaining”: 2 p.m. May 22. The rapture disrupts a young couple’s wedding, leaving them to fight for their lives in a world decimated by God’s wrath. Rated PG-13, 83 minutes.

• “The Song”: 2 p.m.

May 29. An aspiring singersongwriter’s life and marriage suffer when the song he writes for his wife propels him to stardom. Rated PG-13, 129 minutes.

For more information, call the library at 386-4242910, option 4.

Flagler career fair takes place April 24 CareerSource Flagler Volusia, VMA (formerly known as the Volusia Manufacturers’ Association), Flagler County Economic Development and Daytona State College are teaming

Weldon Ryan’s “Carnival’’ artwork will be on display May 6-June 1 in Daytona Beach. up to be a part of a statewide Manufacturing Career Fair on April 24 in Flagler County.

It will be held at Daytona State College, 3000 Palm Coast Pkwy, SE, Bldg. #3, from noon to 6 p.m.

For more information, visit CareerSourceFV.com.

Health, public services expo Monday Daytona State College will host a Health & Public Services Jobs Expo on Monday, April 27, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The expo will be held at Daytona State College, 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd. (Building 1200), Hosseini Center, Daytona Beach.

For information regarding registration, call Becky Nero-Wall at 386-506-3610.

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APRIL 23 – APRIL 29, 2015

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APRIL 23 – APRIL 29, 2015 DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006 COMMUNITY

NEWS MAY OR

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‘Out of the Box’ fashion show helps domestic abuse victims

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

T

he first “Out of the Box’’ fashion show for over 200 locals in the DeLand community was held April 18 at the Chisholm Community Center.

Dr. Primrose Cameron of Cameron Enterprises, Alicia Monroe of Deliverance Outreach Ministries as well as Mitzy Caine and Kimeca Caine of Mitzy’s First Impressions Hair Salon came together to host the sold-out affair.

Women and men of all shapes, sizes and ethnicities packed into the center, some from as far as Texas.

“We sold out,” Cameron told the Daytona Times on the night of the event. “We estimated about 150 people and are definitely at 202 or more. It is definitely out of the box.”

Empowering women Cameron, who is a plus-sized model, says the idea came to her a year and a half ago while in Atlanta at a fashion show. It was then that she began talking about her vision on Facebook.

“We went with the vison and we moved. I said, ‘If you’re with it, I’m with it’,” Cameron said. “We thought about how can we empower women and the community, to feel about self? This is our community, why can’t we do more?”

A portion of the proceeds from the event were donated to a foundation to assist domestic abuse victims.

“We started with empowering people, empowering the community and moving into what’s bigger than ourselves. How can we really help? So we thought about the Mary Kay Foundation,” Primrose continued. “I’m a Mary Kay independent beauty consultant and Mary Kay has a foundation longstanding for domestic abuse awareness.

Why can’t some of the proceeds go there?”

‘You can only be you’ The fashion show included older adults and children, plus-sized models and those who fit the mold of a Hollywood model size.

“Everyone should be able to feel good about themselves, that they are a beauty queen. They are a model of their own and they don’t have to focus on what society says that looks like. “‘The size is any size that you are. So if you’re a size 16, then that’s ‘the size.’ If you are a size 0 or a 2, than that’s ‘the size.’ The 2 cannot be a 16 and the 16 cannot be a 2,” Cameron added. “You can only be you.”

Talks of having the fashion show in Daytona Beach are being considered. Following the success of the DeLand show, Cameron says she will definitely consider bringing it to the east side of the county.

The organizers of the fashion show were Kim Caine, left, Mitzi Caine, Dr. Primrose Cameron and Pastor Alicia Monroe.

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7APRIL 23 – APRIL 29, 2015