Daytona Times - June 30, 2016

More rave reviews for Linda Cole SEE PAGE 3

East Central Florida’s Black Voice

EE FR

Area firefighters’ advice for residents: Leave the fireworks to the professionals SEE PAGE 8

PALM COAST DELTAS PROVIDE COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENTS WITH TRUNKS FILLED WITH NECESSITIES SEE PAGE 3

JUNE 30 - JULY 6, 2016

YEAR 41 NO. 26

www.daytonatimes.com

A reminder that we have not overcome National NAACP leader Hilary Shelton addresses law enforcement and voting issues during speech at local branch’s annual banquet.

BY ANDREAS BUTLER DAYTONA TIMES

Inequality and injustice remain major concerns of the National NAACP, one of the organization’s leaders said June 25 in Daytona Beach.

Hilary Shelton, the National NAACP’s Washing-

ton Bureau director and senior vice president for advocacy, was the keynote speaker at the Volusia County/Daytona Beach NAACP chapter’s 43rd Annual Freedom Fund & Awards Banquet.

“We must end racial profiling, address issues of police profiling, address prosecuting attorneys who work in racial discriminatory ways, and we must address issues of committees that will look into these matters,” Shelton told a large and diverse crowd gathered last Saturday night at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort.

Disproportionate incarcerations The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services statistics show that drug abuse numbers reflect the American population with Whites accounting for around 60 percent, Blacks 13 percent and Hispanics around 15 percent.

On the contrary, Department of Justice statistics have African-Americans incarcerated more highly at about 87 percent for crack cocaine convictions and incarcerations.

“When you have this, you undermine the trust and integrity that is necessary for law enforcement to be effective,”

Shelton stated.

He also warned about segregation laws still on the books that are not being enforced and political entities wanting to curtail the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution and the dangers of states rights.

Hilary Shelton urged locals to vote in this presidential election.

Voting rights infringements

DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./ HARDNOTTSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

He further warned of infringements on voter rights across the country and used examples of past attempts for photo IDs to vote in states like Kansas, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

See NAACP, Page 7

Construction restarts on apartments owned by city

BY ANDREAS BUTLER DAYTONA TIMES

A lesson from a pro Local students learn football principles and much more at clinic presented by Bruce McNorton Retired NFL player Bruce McNorton held his 10th local football clinic on June 25 sharing his skill and advice with area students.

The free clinic for boys and girls was held at the Derbyshire Park & Sports Complex in Daytona Beach. McNorton, a college scout for the Pittsburgh Steelers, is a 1977 Spruce Creek High School graduate.

He conducts the camp each year with the help of some of his NFL comrades and local athletic leaders.

Along with learning how to have a championship mindset, participants learn about character, sportsmanship, proper techniques, football fundamentals and teamwork skills.

“I do this because athletics was very important to me when I was growing up. My friends and I say we wish we would have had something like this when we were growing up. There are a lot of kids that have been here every year.

They seem to be looking forward to it every year,” McNorton told the Daytona Times during a previous camp.

The Daytona Beach Housing Authority has restarted construction on a long-awaited housing development.

Construction on The Villages at Halifax II, located in the 200 block of Keech Street, started back up in February. It is the site of the former Daytona Village Apartments, which was located there for about 40 years. That property was condemned and foreclosed on, then later purchased by the housing authority.

The Villages of Halifax II complex was built in 2013 and first occupied in early 2014.

The development currently has 10 habitable units. It was originally slated to have around 70 but funds ran out for the project.

“The resources originally intended were thought to be enough but were not. It was only enough to build the original 13 units. We now have Anthony secured addition- Woods al funding for the project,” said Anthony Woods, executive director and CEO of the housing authority.

More units When the new construction is complete, it will have an additional 80 units, bringing the total to 93.

“We were able to secure a low income tax credit from the state.

They do it by a lottery. In the past, we scored well but had a low lottery number. We weren’t even considered but now we meet those criteria for additional funding,” Woods explained.

Other funding came from a Neighborhood Stabilization Program, city and housing authority funds. The cost of total construction is estimated at $14.6 million.

Construction is scheduled to take between 10 to 12 months, weather permitting.

“We were able to purchase additional property located on the east side of the property, which were two homes located on Keech Street. That allowed us to increase the units. It made our application more competitive and more attractive,” Woods noted.

PHOTOS BY DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./HARDNOTTSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM Bruce McNorton works with a youngster during Saturday’s camp. Above, students get a good workout.

19,000 applicants The construction of the new See APARTMENTS, Page 2

ALSO INSIDE

COMMENTARY: REV. JESSE JACKSON: WHY CLINTON NEEDS WARREN AS HER VP | PAGE 4 NATION: SCLC NAMES HEADQUARTERS AFTER CURRENT PRESIDENT AND CEO | PAGE 5

7 FOCUS

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JUNE 30 – JULY 6, 2016

Affordable-housing dreams become Section 8 nightmares

BY DREW JOHNSON URBAN NEWS SERVICE

Congress created Section 8 vouchers to offer very-low-income Americans “decent, safe and sanitary housing in the private market.” But recent examinations have found many such homes far from decent, safe or sanitary.

Despite these promises from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s website, this federal housing voucher program places some Americans in dangerous and filthy conditions, according to former residents and federal investigators.

While touring Jacksonville’s Section 8 Eureka Garden Apartments last May, Senator Marco Rubio called conditions there “atrocious” and “truly unbelievable.” The former GOP presidential candidate probed Eureka Garden after his staffers visited and discovered crumbling stairs, black mold, exposed electrical wires and the smell of natural gas.

‘Dealt with it all’ What Rubio saw may have been troubling, but not so rare, according to one former Section

8 beneficiary.

“I’ve lived in a bunch of Section 8 s***holes,” said Krissy Walker, a native of Chattanooga, who occupied several Section 8 rental properties in Tennessee and Georgia over 12 years.

“Broken plumbing, mice, no heat in the winter, no air conditioner in the summer – I’ve dealt with it all,” Walker said.

Despite costing U.S. taxpayers $21.1 billion annually, HUD’s Section 8 program seemingly fails to provide safe, quality housing to many Americans who struggle to make ends meet.

Section 8 gives very-low-income families taxpayer-subsidized vouchers toward monthly rent payments. Beneficiaries typically devote about 30 percent of their incomes toward rent.

The Section 8 voucher pays their landlords the balance.

Thus, 2.2 million families rent homes that they otherwise might not afford.

Dangerous conditions But a federal audit of Durham, North Carolina’s Housing Authority revealed in May that many of the city’s Section 8 recipients live in dangerous conditions.

APARTMENTS from Page 1

units is a win for a community with a long waiting list for housing assistance.

“This brings an increase of affordable housing inventory to the area. That is a very significant step. We have a large waiting list over 19,000 applicants, which includes 10,000 on affordable housing and 9,000 on assistance housing. It will provide potential housing for people on our waiting list and people moving into the community,” Woods commented.

The new housing units also help the housing authority fulfill its mission.

“We want to increase affordable housing within our jurisdiction and community. Our housing isn’t just affordable, but it is often at the same function and just as competitive with private housing,” Woods expressed.

“Everyone who uses the affordable housing label doesn’t speak to the demographics that we serve, which includes low income, moderate income and unemployed. People just brand the name affordable housing.’’

Addressing utilities, homelessness There also are critics of the housing authority, its practices and its laws. Many believe it doesn’t provide affordable housing and contributes to the lack of housing and homelessness problem.

Woods responded, “Unfortunately, there may be some substance to that. We make sure that our properties are in line with federal, state, local and our own regulations. There are things that make housing unaffordable.

“One of the greatest being utility expenses. If you have structures built so that you use the highest and best use of materials, that helps negate what can be realized by residents or users of the property. You

In one Lackawanna County Section 8 home, furnace and hotwater-heater flue pipes were not sealed, so hazardous fumes entered the unit. The floor beneath the toilet had rotted in another home. This left its only bathroom unusable, as the commode sank into the floorboards.

Long way to go

PHOTO COURTESY OF URBAN NEWS SERVICE

A toilet falls through the rotted floor of a Section 8 home in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.

Among 75 Section 8 homes that HUD officials scrutinized, 69 violated basic federal and local housing-quality standards. This is a 92-percent failure rate.

Thirty of these homes included electrical violations considered “life-threatening” due to potential fire or electrocution. Also in these Section 8 units, cracks in foundations and holes in ceilings and walls commonly allowed insect infestations.

HUD gave property owners $100,000 of taxpayers’ money to fix these violations.

“These deadbeat landlords ripped off taxpayers once by taking tax dollars from the Section 8 program for properties that were in disrepair and never should’ve been rented out,” said David Williams, president of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, a D.C.-based

fiscal watchdog. “Now they’re ripping off taxpayers a second time by getting even more of our hard-earned money to fix up their seedy, unsafe houses and apartment buildings.”

Serious violations Federal inspectors in 2014 checked 80 Section 8 housing units managed by the Lackawanna County Housing Authority in Dunmore, Pennsylvania. Seventy-two of those 80 units violated HUD’s minimum livability requirements — a 90-percent failure rate.

Those 72 units contained “284 violations that needed to be corrected within 24 hours because the violations posed a serious threat to the safety of the tenants,” according to federal auditors.

Elsewhere, one unit’s garage was structurally unsound and at serious risk of collapse. Rotten walls made the garage lean, so the landlord rigged support beams to prop up the ceiling.

The unit’s kitchen was above the garage, which put the tenants in grave danger.

Lackawanna housing officials greeted these urgent federal findings by hiring a local inspector and retraining three staffers.

These examinations left Lackawanna County’s Housing Authority more “knowledgeable, efficient and better suited to meet the needs of our residents,” executive director James Dartt wrote in a June 2014 letter to HUD officials.

Krissy Walker believes HUD officials may be getting more serious about cleaning up unsafe and unhealthy Section 8 properties, but there is still a long way to go.

“In 12 years, no inspector ever set foot in one of the places I lived in. And there are filthy, dangerous Section 8 houses all across America – thousands of them,” Walker said. “It will take years and years to get every Section 8 house fixed up to where they’re all places fit for people to live.”

can often have low rent but high utilities, which makes it unaffordable. We are ensuring that we are using the term and fulfilling the term of affordable housing,’’ he continued.

The housing authority also is trying to address the homelessness issue in the area.

“We plan on starting an initiative called Move Up. It is in accordance with our mission to provide affordable housing. We are not temporary, shelter or transitional housing. We provide permanent housing,” Woods told the Daytona Times.

“Effective July 1, we will have homeless preference on our applications. We plan to work with agencies to identify people who meet that criteria. We look to find ways to get people from shelters and temporary housing into permanent affordable housing. We hope that this helps alleviate and eventually end the problem.’’

What’s included The Villages of Halifax II will have several state-of-the art housing standards, including energy efficient stoves, refrigerators and dishwashers; washer and dryer hookups; ceiling fans; air conditioning; a physical training room; cable TV prewired; security cameras; and possibly a computer room.

The Villages at Halifax II will provide one-, two- and three-bedroom units along with some handicapped accessible units.

Anyone who wants to apply to live in the Villages at Halifax II should go into the office on the property and submit an application.

The Villages at Halifax II are subcontracted to management companies like its sister properties – the Villages at Halifax, Pine Haven and Lakeside Villages (on South Street).

“We have management agreements with companies to ensure our property and mission is still being fulfilled in regards to our agencies requirements and state law,” Woods added.

For more information on the Daytona Beach Housing Authority, visit www.dbhafl.org.

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JUNE 30 – JULY 6, 2016 COMMUNITY DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006

M A YNEWS OR

Cole delights audience with jazz classics during café performance Jazz aficionados spent an unforgettable evening on June 24 with vocalist Linda Cole unlocking the great American classical art form of jazz.

On the music front, the venue was billed as a Gospel/Jazz Café in a series by musicians on consecutive Fridays at First Church. The café gave new life to gospel/ jazz music. It was the creative thinking of Pastor Gillard S. Glover.

“Coming to Palm Coast, the Gospel/ Jazz Café was something new,” said Sonia White. “I never thought that a church would think about that. But, it was about bringing people out who really didn’t want to go to church, but at least were able to articulate on a gospel level...in a nice, relaxed setting.’’

The show was sensational minus the everyday rigor of a contemporary jazz club.

Thrilled to perform Cole realized the importance of donning the great American art form of jazz.

She was sixth in line executing the musical message of jazz and/or gospel every Friday evening.

“We are thrilled that we got the call to come to be part of this wonderful series of jazz – jazz, of course, being the great American classical art form that was made right here in our own country,’’ Cole said.

Cole was much talked about, performing with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Temptations, the Count Basie Band, Chuck Mangione, Maynard Ferguson and others. She also recorded “What A Wonderful World,” which debuted in 2014.

Cole and company At the jazz/gospel show, she laid down her vocals on the CD with pianist Joshua Bowlus; on bass, Billy Thornton; drums, Ben Adkins; and on trumpet, Alphonso Horne.

Saxophonist Pat D’Aguanno stretched out the lineup, which included Rob-

Bless the Child (That’s Got Its Own).”

While the songs may define the Great American Songbook, they were also dear in revisiting my childhood in Harlem and remembering them played on the Victrola with my brother, Ronnie, and our parents, Cokey (Rufus) and Clara Coaxum.

Next on stage: FAME Ensemble On the horizon of the Gospel/Jazz Café is the FAME Ensemble, playing the café on July 1, and the Doug Carn Trio, July 8. The shows are scheduled from 7-9 p.m., and the ticket price is $15.

The FAME Ensemble will be performing a passel of gospel and jazz classics. The Doug Carn Trio is headlined by organist Doug Carn, guitarist Robert Whiting, and drummer Carlos Felder for a strikingly gutsy delivery.

A delicious ode will be a fish fry, served every Friday, 5 p.m., for $8.

First Church, located at 91 Old Kings Road North in Palm Coast, can be reached at 386-446-5759.

PALM COAST COMMUNITY NEWS JEROLINE D. MCCARTHY

ert Brown on the controls operating the sound at the café.

D’Aguanno proves himself exciting to audiences.

He has gained fame leading his band.

He’s performed with Myles Savage, Herbert Rawlings Jr., Floyd Miles and others. He evoked Kenny G’s “Ocean Breeze,” “Let It Flow” from the Grover Washington Songbook, plus favorites accompanying Cole.

The chanteuse set the stage for the audience, which relegated to swooning and enthralled by her light, polished, and easy jazz interpretation.

Sung by the late Ella Fitzgerald – in answer to a song made famous by the late Frank Sinatra, Cole aligned these words as the history behind Ella Fitzgerald’s vocal, “The Lady Is a Tramp.”

“This is the kind of jazz that I like,” I mentioned while dialoguing with Linda Epps.

“You can go down to the Village (in New York) and listen to this kind of music,” Epps replied.

“And pay good money,” I answered.

Good music, good company We were in good company, delighted with “mocktails” of virgin daiquiris, pina coladas and margaritas. At the table sat my husband, Louie; Wilmoth and Hazel Edwards, and Gerri Wright-Gibson, who leads the Daytona Beach Symphony Guild as the new president.

Across the way, taking in liquid refreshments, enchanted by Cole’s lyrics, were

JEROLINE D. MCCARTHY/DAYTONA TIMES

Linda Cole and Pat D’Aguanno take a breather prior to performing at the Gospel/Jazz Café.

Flagler County Commissioner Charlie F. Ericksen Jr. and from the Flagler County Planning and Development Board was Pam Richardson, who’s running for Flagler County Supervisor of Elections.

We watched, enjoying Cole vocalizing from the Great American Songbook with the backdrop, “Embrace Me,” written by George and Ira Gershwin, and made famous by Cole’s cousin, Nat “King” Cole.

We traveled the musical journey and Cole’s singing Cole Porter’s “I’ve Got You Under My Spell” and Nat and Natalie Cole’s “Unforgettable.”

Atop the banner of the Great American Songbook, Cole passionately opened everyone’s eyes, observing Billie Holiday and her mother – both poverty-stricken, living on the cutting edge of working in a brothel. And, because their money had run out, it became the cause and effect of Holiday’s writing and recording, “God

How to support symphony, new president Gerri Wright-Gibson is continuing to define the music landscape, leading the Daytona Beach Symphony Guild as the new president. Wright-Gibson ascribes to your receiving the symphony society’s schedule for the 65th season of 2016-2017.

Great picks are on the horizon, like Georges Bizet’s most popular opera, “Carmen,” and the Vienna Boys’ Choir delighting audiences with a diverse repertoire.

You can write the Daytona Beach Symphony Society at P.O. Box 2, Daytona Beach, FL 32115; call 386-253-2901, or log on at DBSS.org.

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

Celebrations Birthday wishes to James “Bob” Banks, June 30; Jimmy Goodridge, July 1; Wilfred “Vinnie” Carr, July 4; Alexandria Johnson, July 5; and Donald Bryant, July 7.

Sorority’s ‘College Trunk Party’ assists Flagler students The Palm Coast Flagler County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. hosted a “College Trunk Party” for its 2016 scholarship recipients on June 4 at the Hilton Garden Inn at Town Center in Palm Coast.

Trunks for the students were filled with a wide assortment of items that would be needed by anyone leaving home to live in a college dormitory room.

Items donated included bedding, batteries, irons, mops and toiletries.

The Palm Coast Deltas decided to extend their gifts of scholarships to donations of necessities for first-year college students.

Each student received a trunk and donated items from the sorority.

The scholarship recipients are: • Najare Johnson, a Flagler Palm Coast High

School graduate. She is attending the University of South Florida, and is studying to be a forensic psychiatrist.

• Samantha Brown, Matanzas High School grad, who is planning to attend Tuskegee University. She is studying to be a chemical engineer.

• Cameron Burns, an Interlachen High School graduate, is attending Florida A&M University.

She is studying to be a pediatrician.

• Tiara Hampton graduated from Flagler Palm Coast High School and is attending University of South Florida. She plans to be a teacher.

• Osteria Williams, a graduate of Palatka High School, plans to attend Florida Atlantic University. She is studying to be a nurse practitioner.

The members of the Palm Coast Flagler County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority are shown with four scholarship recipients.

Police captain: Keep drones, lanterns grounded during holiday The Flagler Beach Police Department is requesting that aerial drones and floating sky lanterns stay grounded during this year’s Fourth of July festivities.

“One of the most efficient methods used by law enforcement to address the egress of traffic associated with large events like the Fourth of July, is a helicopter serving as our ‘eye in the sky,’” said Flagler Beach Police Captain Matt Doughney. “The helicopter allows us to identify traffic problems in real time and create solutions that are not easily recognizable at ground level.”

The increased use of aerial drones by the public over the past few years, along with the release of numerous floating sky lanterns after last year’s fireworks presentation, has prompted this request.

Risk to pilot In cases requiring an emergency response by Fire Flight, the helicopter may be required to land in a public area or near the beach.

Flying drones in or near an emergency helicopter pose a risk to the pilot as well as the general public and under FAA guidelines, unless you have a permit, they’re unlawful in Flagler Beach due to our close proximity to Flagler County Airport.

For more information, call 386-517-2022.

Palm Coast plans fireworks, ceremony The City of Palm Coast will have a public Independence Day ceremony titled “By the Dawn’s Early Light.” The ceremony will begin Monday at 8 a.m. at Heroes Memorial Park, 2860 Palm Coast Parkway NW, Palm Coast (half mile west of the Flagler County Library).

Speakers will be Nikki and Larry White of the American Flag Project and Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts.

Elected officials from Palm Coast and Flagler County will take part in a reading of the Declaration of Independence.

The Palm Coast Community Band will perform and the presentation of colors will be done by the Palm Coast Fire Department Honor Guard.

In case of rain, the ceremony will be held at nearby Fire Station 21, 9 Corporate Drive, Palm Coast.

Fireworks are scheduled Sunday, July 3, at 9 p.m. at Central Park in Town Center, 975 Central Ave. Pre-fireworks family activities will begin at 5 p.m.

For more information, contact Cindi Lane at 386-986-3708 or clane@palmcoastgov.com.

R4

7 EDITORIAL

JUNE 30 – JULY 6, 2016

Murder and the judgment of history “Investigation of the 1964 Murders of Michael Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman: Case Closed.”

So stated federal and Mississippi state officials this past week in declaring at an end their long attempt to bring to justice all the men who had committed one of the most notorious crimes in modern American history – the murder of three civil rights workers near Philadelphia, Miss. in June 1964.

Although seven men involved in the murder were convicted in 1967 of federal conspiracy charges, most of the mob of at least 19 escaped justice. Four decades later, however, the Mississippi attorney general’s office revived the investigation and, based on new evidence, arrested Edgar Ray Killen, the ringleader of the death squad, and charged him with three counts of manslaughter.

Old, locked up In 2005, a Mississippi jury found him guilty, and he was sentenced to serve 60 years in the Mississippi state prison. He is, at 91, still alive.

The Justice Department decision is only the latest in its long investigation of more than 100 suspected racist murders in the South in the postwar decades to encounter witnesses holding to past lies or refusals to cooper-

ate, and the time-driven obstacles of witnesses having died or no longer able to reliably remember, and of pieces of physical evidence having vanished.

(Independent scholars said they’ve identified hundreds more cases that also deserve federal investigation.)

The dread and the certainty that racial violence, especially in the South, could and would strike at any moment – were part of being a Black American in those years as they had always been.

That was the barbarism Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. referred to in his “Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial when he said, “I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. ... from areas where your quest for freedom has left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality.”

A declaration

Never redeemed

LEE A. DANIELS GEORGE CURRY MEDIA COLUMNIST

I suggest we adopt another perspective. We should make a parallel declaration to that of federal and state officials about the murder of the three civil rights workers: “Investigation of the 1964 Murders of Michael Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman: Case Never Closed – The Judgment of History.”

What I remember most about the night of June 21, 1964 – when my brother and I heard that three civil rights workers in Mississippi were missing – is the feeling of dread and certainty. They’re dead, of course. They’ve been murdered for sure. Their bodies would not be found for 44 days, buried 15 feet beneath an earthen dam near Philadelphia, Miss.

Diversity, race – or privilege?

Our country is convulsing over issues of diversity and race. Police departments from Baltimore to Minneapolis are talking about diversity hiring as the antidote to anti-Black police brutality. Last year, Hollywood scrambled to find diverse Academy Award presenters after realizing its nominees were mainly White.

Last week, a deeply divided United States Supreme Court upheld the use of racial preferences in admissions at the University of Texas, giving an unexpected reprieve to the type of affirmative action policies it has allowed for nearly four decades.

A polite term “Diversity” sounds polite and hopeful. It is how we talk when we cannot talk about race, or when Whites get nervous.

The term “affirmative action” was first used in the United States in “Executive Order No.10925”,

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

“Diversity” sounds polite and hopeful. It is how we talk when we cannot talk about race, or when Whites get nervous. signed by President John F. Kennedy in March of 1961, which included a provision that government contractors “take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and em-

Why Warren should be Clinton’s VP Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for president, is now sorting out her pick for her running mate and potential vice president. She’s launched the “search,” the traditional and often irritating public surfacing of various possibilities, paying respect to different constituencies and different personalities, before settling on a choice.

One possibility being floated clearly merits serious consideration. Consider the résumé: Raised in a family struggling to get by, this prospect started working while still in high school, went to college on a debate scholarship, graduated from law school, and became a Harvard Law professor and expert on bankruptcy law, particularly as it relates to how the financial industry preys on families in crisis.

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: AMERICA’S LIFEGUARD SHORTAGE

REV. JESSE L. JACKSON, SR. TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

Worked hard This person wrote path-breaking books on the economic pressures on working families, then chaired the Congressional Oversight Panel monitoring the federal bailout of the U.S. banking system and created the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), ushering it from conception to passage into law.

Then elected as U.S. senator, immediately gaining a national reputation as a progressive leader willing to take on the big banks

Last week’s development underscores the extraordinary and damning fact of America’s history that its White majority for so long tolerated a substantial chain of crimes against Black Americans that will never be redeemed by the legal system. But something else can be done to redeem the tragedy of the three civil rights workers, and others who perished.

Scholars and other writers can continue to build on such works Taylor Branch’s magnificent trilogy of King and the civil rights movement that does describe what happened the night the men were murdered to add new details, and expand the responsibility for these crimes against hu-

ployees are treated during employment, without regard to race, creed, color or national origin.”

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued Executive Order 11246 which required government employers to take “affirmative action” to “hire without regard to race, religion and national origin.” In 1967, gender was added to the anti-discrimination list.

Equal access Affirmative action is intended to promote the opportunities of defined minority groups within a society and to give minority groups equal access to that of the majority population.

The significance of upholding the University of Texas case and the importance of having a Supreme Court at full strength is that in past decisions, at least four Supreme Court justices believe affirmative action is unconstitutional.

In his concurrence to the first Fisher opinion, the late Justice Antonin Scalia wrote, “The Constitution proscribes government discrimination on the basis of race, and state-provided educa-

and stand up for working people, this leader has demonstrated a tough mind, a full heart, a strong will and a gift for inspiring people.

What’s not to like?

Sen. Elizabeth Warren is, of course, a woman. Some suggest it’s impossible to have two women lead the party’s ticket. But haven’t we gone far beyond that?

We’ve had two men lead parties forever, so there’s no tradition of gender balance. Hillary Clinton should be looking for the strongest candidate. And on that criterion, Warren is hard to beat.

High credibility Warren would help Clinton heal the divisions of the primaries.

She appeals to the Bernie Sanders wing of the party, to independents and the young.

Indeed, before Sanders announced, progressives organized across the country to urge Warren to run. She speaks with a credibility earned by her willingness to take the side of working families against powerful interests and the Washington establish-

DAVE GRANLUND, POLITICALCARTOONS.COM

manity in the ‘court’ of history.

Further, federal and state officials’ decision should remind us of several other things that occurred after the murder of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner.

Activism continued For one thing, a week after they disappeared, 300 more volunteers from across the country arrived in Mississippi to reinforce the civil rights groups’ “Freedom Summer” project, and 400 more came within a month. For another, within two weeks, President Johnson signed the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Finally, throughout the South, civil rights activism continued, leading the next year to the land-

tion is no exception.” Never mind that it was state discrimination to begin with!

On the same grounds, Justice Clarence Thomas said affirmative action is equivalent to Jim Crow.

‘Just stop’

CREDO OF THE BLACK PRESS The Black Press believes that Americans can best lead the world away from racism and national antagonism when it accords to every person, regardless of race, color or creed, full human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person. The Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief...that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back.

Julia T. Cherry, Senior Managing Member, Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Cassandra CherryKittles, Charles W. Cherry II, Managing Members

Shouldn’t be heard The audacity of the decision is that it even reached the Supreme Court! This case not only threatened the use of racial preferences at the University of Texas-Austin, but across the nation. In that sense, the 4-3 decision targeting only the Texas policy amounts to a partial victory for proponents of affirmative action.

To fully understand the significance of this decision, one must understand that privilege is defined as a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group. Had it not been for her “privilege,” this case would have been stricken at the lower level!

ment. She’s already demonstrated the fire needed to call out Donald Trump and the party that is about to nominate him.

Warren exemplifies Clinton’s goal to be a “progressive with results.” She had to take on the banking lobby, Barack Obama’s treasury secretary, entrenched regulators, and Republican and more than a few Democratic members of Congress to get the CFPB enshrined in law. Already that agency has helped consumers recover more than $10 billion from credit card companies and banking institutions that had defrauded them.

Warren has been a leader in the effort to expand Social Security, now an emerging consensus in the Democratic Party. She led the effort to reduce student debt from college. She’s been a strong supporter of lifting the minimum wage and creating a floor under workers.

al security. But what is required there is intelligence and judgment. No one doubts she has the intelligence to learn what is at stake in any crisis. She exhibits the judgment – and a skepticism about foreign military adventures – that is badly needed in any White House. And, of course, she’s already shown she will call them as she sees them, ensuring that Clinton would get her best informed and unvarnished opinion, no matter who is lined up on the other side.

Clinton, like most presidential candidates, will make her choice on the basis of political judgment, extensive vetting and personal affinity. She will want to choose someone who will add strength to the ticket, and to the administration if elected, and have her confidence. She should not let the fact that Warren is female get in the way of giving her strong consideration.

Good judgment

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

Warren has less experience in international affairs and nation-

Dr. Valerie Rawls-Cherry, Human Resources

Charles W. Cherry, Sr. (1928-2004), Founder

diums; that has a 70 percent chance or more of getting hired; that can rely on help from passers-by if she’s assaulted in public.

Dr. E. Faye Williams is national chair of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc. Contact her via www.nationalcongressbw.org.

Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Sales Manager

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

Lee A. Daniels is a former reporter for The Washington Post and the New York Times. He is writing a book on the Obama years and the 2016 election.

Contact him at leedanielsjournalist@gmail.com.

In reference to voluntary school desegregation plan – which he struck down – Chief Justice John Roberts has said, “The way to stop discriminating on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race,” as if race-consciousness is the same as racism.

If I understand correctly, the dissenting Justices believe Ms. Fisher is part of an oppressed class. A class that has endured years of unequal access to education, housing and employment and the like; a class in which women are paid on average only 77 percent of what men are paid, with Black women paid only 64 cents and Latinas just 55 cents.

A part of an oppressed class that can turn on the TV and continuously see her ‘sisters’ wellrespected and widely represented in the News and all other me-

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher

Opinions expressed on this editorial page are those of the writers, and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of the newspaper or the publisher.

mark Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Ensuring that Black Mississippians would have the unfettered right to vote was the primary focus of the 1964 Freedom Summer project there.

In other words, the civil rights forces’ work to make America a democracy went on. It went on because its activists took to heart the words of one of the movement’s most powerful anthems: “Keep your eyes on the prize, fight on.”

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

MEMBER

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Subscriptions to the print version are $69 per year. Mail check to P.O. Box 48857 Tampa, Fl 33646, or log on to www.daytona.com; click on ‘Subscribe’.

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5 7

M ANATION YOR

JUNE 3014–- JULY 6, 2016 DECEMBER 20, 2006

SCLC names headquarters after current president Charles Steele Jr., the only person to serve twice as president of the civil rights group, has been widely recognized for raising most of the $3.5 million to erect the two-story building.

of Dayton, Ohio, and treasurer Spiver Gordon of Eutaw, Ala. on Nov. 13, 2009 after the two were suspected of operating unauthorized bank accounts that siphoned off more than $500,000 from the organization. The two went to court seeking reinstatement, but were unsuccessful.

Lots of leaders After Steele’s five-year stint, the SCLC went through a series of leadership changes. The charismatic president and fundraiser was succeeded by Rev. Howard W. Creecy Jr., who served from 2009-2011, when he died accidently while still in office.

Isaac Farris Jr., a nephew of Dr. King, was dismissed in 2012 after serving less than a year as president. He was followed by civil rights icon Rev. C.T. Vivian, who agreed to serve on an interim basis until SCLC could select a new president.

For stability, SCLC turned again to a reliable face.

Steele, the only person who has ever served twice as president of the storied civil rights group, has been widely recognized for raising most of the $3.5 million to erect the two-story building on Auburn Avenue and providing the leadership to resurrect the troubled organization.

BY GEORGE CURRY EMERGENEWSONLINE.COM

ATLANTA – The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Atlanta-based civil rights organization co-founded

by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., has named its international headquarters at 320 Auburn Avenue N.E. in honor of Charles Steele Jr., its current president and CEO. Steele, a former Alabama state senator from Tuscaloosa, Ala., served from 2004-2009 as its sixth president since the founding of SCLC in 1957. When he assumed office, the organization could not pay its utility bills and was nearly $2 million in debt.

Charles Fred ShuttlesSteele Jr. worth, the leader of the Birmingham, Ala. civil rights struggle and a former SCLC president, had written off his organization as dead, saying: “Only God can give life to the dead.”

Deeply touched

Short ‘retirement’ When he took over, a confident Steele answered that criticism directly, saying, “Well, I talked with God as well and he said he was not coming, but he sent me.”

And the record appears to support his godly assertion.

Steele said within three years, he had raised approximately $20 million – half in cash and the other half through in-kind contributions.

Having accomplished his primary mission, Steele decided to return to his life as a businessman in 2009. But his “retirement” would be short-lived.

COURTESY OF JOHN STEPHENS

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s Atlanta headquarters now bears the name of the renowned civil rights leader.

Verge of collapse In 2014, Steel was asked by the board of directors to give up his full-time private consulting business to return as president to an organization again on the verge

of financial collapse.

“Dr. Steele has returned as president because of a very important need at this point which is fundraising and fund development. That’s a primary responsibility of the president, and he

has excellent skills and contacts in that arena to help us maintain our financial stability,” Board Chairman Bernard LaFayette, Jr. said at the time.

The board of directors ousted its chairman, Raleigh Trammell

The building, which opened in 2007, carries the official name: “SCLC International H.Q. – Charles Steele, Jr. Bldg.” A marker is prominently displayed above the front entrance of the building.

“Here is a president who, for the first time, made it possible for SCLC to own its own headquarters,” said LaFayette, the SCLC board chairman. “This is not just a building, it’s an international headquarters named to emphasize our international thrust.”

Steele said he was deeply touched by the decision to name the building in his honor.

“I could go on forever without the personal recognition,” he said in an interview. “But to put my name on the building gives respect to all of the people who supported me, especially my family. It’s a blessing from God and the expression of gratitude says that my work has not been in vain.”

Economic power of consumers limited by ignorance about credit New survey shows how credit scores create financial woes

BY HAZEL TRICE EDNEY TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

Despite the level of economic destruction suffered by millions of Americans – and disparately

by African-Americans – during the housing crisis, many people still have only basic knowledge of credit scoring rather than knowledge of the complexities still impacting their financial lives, according to a new survey.

“The good news is that consumers understand the basics of credit scores, such as the importance of making loan payments on time,” said Stephen Brobeck, executive director of the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), which recently released the results of its sixth annual credit score survey.

“The bad news is that this knowledge is limited and, each year, can cost them hundreds of dollars in fees on services and additional interest on consumer loans,” he said in a release announcing the survey results.

Low scores, more costs Brobeck led a June 13 phone conference announcing the survey results. He said one of the most critical unknown facts about credit scores is that “low scores can add hundreds – even thousands of dollars – to your credit costs every year.”

The results are not broken down by race, but financial experts indicate this lack of knowledge has more severely impacted African-Americans and Latinos since they already suffer more economic disparities than people of other races.

Financial experts at the Durham-based Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) says racial minorities are often even targeted for financial abuse; then when their credit scores plummet, their financial lives become even

more difficult.

“Every day working for CRL, I’m reading information about finances. And invariably from one issue to the next, Black people – Blacks and Latinos – are getting the short end of the stick. It’s just horrible,” says CRL spokeswoman Charlene Crowell.

Survey findings Among the findings of the CFA survey of 1,005 adults in April are as follows: Consumers greatly underestimate the cost of low credit scores.

Only 22 percent know that a low score, compared to a high score, typically increases the cost of a $20,000, 60-month auto loan by more than $5,000.

A significant minority do not know that credit scores are used by non-creditors. Only about half (53 percent) know that electric utilities may use credit scores (for example, in determining the initial required deposit), while only about two-thirds know that these scores may be used by home insurers (66 percent), cell phone companies (68 percent), and landlords (70 percent).

Over two-fifths think that marital status (42 percent) and age (42 percent) are used in the calculation of credit scores. (While these factors may influence the use of credit, how credit is used determines credit scores.)

Only about half of consumers (51 percent) know when lenders are required to inform borrowers of their use of credit scores – after a mortgage application, when a consumer does not receive the best terms on a consumer loan, and whenever a consumer is turned down for a loan.

Too unprepared Attaining the necessary knowledge about the financial world, including about credit scoring, can be the key to a new economic beginning, experts say. Ron Busby, president/CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Black Chambers Inc. says, “The number one, two and three concerns for Black businesses is access to capital.”

DETROIT FREE PRESS/TNS

A credit card statement of a debt just under $12,000 shows that, if payed at the minimum amount, it will take 53 years to pay off at a cost of $62,000.

Some business credit difficultly has been related to historic discrimination against Black-owned businesses. But often times when seeking to attain credit, Busby said, “I do believe we just go unprepared.”

Helpful tools To help prepare communities and individuals with crucial information, the CFA has a credit knowledge quiz by which current or prospective borrowers can learn how much they don’t know, but also learn new, valuable information. The 12-question quiz can be found at creditscorequiz.org.

Other important credit information is also readily available on line, including personal credit scores, says Barrett Burns, president/CEO of VantageScore Solutions.

VantageScore is a 10-year-old credit scoring model created by the three national credit reporting companies, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, which

aims to “address the economic realities” of the 21st century.

“Access to scores and to the tips and explanations that accompany them on many of the sites give consumers a better chance to understand their credit worthiness before applying for a loan,” Burns said on the phone conference.

“These scores help consumers take charge of their credit profiles and to improve their credit scores before they seek credit and when they’re ready to apply for a loan these websites help consumers consider many different credit products side by side on an online dashboard allowing them to make more informed decisions.”

Advice for everyone The national survey also revealed that millennials (18-34 year-olds) know less about credit scores than do generation-exers (35-51 year-olds). This indicates the need for early credit education.

“On eight of nine key knowl-

edge questions, gen-exers scored more highly than millennials,” the release states.

In a nutshell, the CFA survey advises consumers of all ages to “raise their credit scores or maintain high scores” by doing the following: • Consistently make loan payments on time every month.

• Use a small portion of the credit available on a credit card.

• Pay down debt rather than just moving it around, as well as not open multiple new accounts at the same time.

• Check credit reports to make sure they are error-free by contacting annualcreditreport.com or by calling 800-322-8228.

Crowell concludes, “Whether it’s buying a car, buying a home, managing credit card debt, managing student loan debt, all of those things contribute to your credit scores. You don’t want to default on a loan, whether it’s a car or a home – you don’t want to do that.”

R6

7 CLASSIFIEDS

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7

JUNE 30 – JULY 6, 2016 COMMUNITY DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006

M A YNEWS OR

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

A large crowd attends the 43rd annual Freedom Fund & Awards Banquet presented by the Daytona Beach/Volusia County branch of the NAACP. It was held at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort.

NAACP from Page 1

“These laws haven’t helped anybody anywhere.

It is a tool to prevent those who don’t have driver’s licenses from voting. They say it is to prevent fraud at polling places. The question is, how much fraud have we had in the past?

Only in Kansas could we find one instance in the past 30 years,’’ he said to the larger crowd gathered at the Hilton Oceanfront Resort in Daytona Beach.

No endorsements The NAACP also is encouraging high voter turnout in this year’s presidential election in November.

“The largest turnout of Americans in a presidential election was in 2008 when Barack Obama was first elected to the White House. The largest single demographic was AfricanAmerican youth ages 1824,” he explained.

“They outdid themselves in 2012 with even a higher turnout. We hope this turnout continues. We want our beliefs and values carried out in this 2016 election. Not participating is one of the worst things we can do.’’

Despite encouraging political participation, the NAACP doesn’t endorse candidates, Shelton noted.

“The concept of democracy calls for us to be informed and not just spectators but active participants,’’ he said. “The NAACP, we are non-profit and non-partisan. The NAACP does not endorse any candidates or political parties.”

“We should make sure that every American cast a vote and have it counted,” he said.

Despite the NAACP’s history of achievements for equality since its creation in 1909, there is still much work to do.

“Those who do not understand their history are destined to repeat it. If we are to move forward, we must know where we have come from,” Shelton added.

Davon Robinson and John Huger Jr. receive scholarships.

Times journalist among honorees Each year, the local NAACP awards individuals, businesses and organizations for their service to the community.

At Saturday’s banquet, the Daytona Beach Red Cross was presented the President’s Award.

A community service award went to Daytona Beach Leisure Services Director Percy Williamson.

Daytona Times and Florida Courier photographer Duane Fernandez also received a community service award.

“I enjoy doing what I do. I got to learn the community while I’ve been out here doing my photography,” Fernandez said.

Scholarships for two recent grads John Huger Jr. and Davon Robinson were awarded scholarships for academic excellence.

Robinson graduated from New Smyrna Beach high with a 4.2 grade point average. He did dual enrollment at Daytona State College and earned an associate’s degree before graduating from high school.

He was the only AfricanAmerican awarded the Daytona Beach News-Journal Medallion of Excellence, which honors students who stand out in academics as well as extracurricular and community activities.

Robinson will attend the University of Central Florida and plans to major in bio-medical sciences.

“I am thankful. I am glad and proud of the NAACP and what they do for justice,” said Robinson. “Earning my AA in high school was challenging but I had the support of family and friends.”

Huger graduated from Atlantic High School this year with a 3.0 grade point average. He was a member of the football team and made it to the state finals in weightlifting. He will attend Bethune-Cookman University and major in mass communication.

“It’s a huge honor receiving this scholarship. It was a result of a lot of hard work academically, socially, and in the community,” Huger said.

Percy Williamson, center, receives a community service award from local NAACP President Cynthia Slater and Dr. Walter Fordham, a member of the Executive Committee.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ASHLEY THOMAS

Daytona Times photojournalist Duane Fernandez also receives a community service award at the banquet.

Florida Rep. Dwayne Taylor poses with some of the area’s Boy Scouts.

BethuneCookman University President Dr. Edison Jackson attends with his wife, Florence.

A Salvation Army representative accepts the President’s Award from Cynthia Slater.

Among the attendees: Daytona Commissioner Patrick Henry, far left, and Mayor Derrick Henry, third from left.

R8

7COMMUNITY NEWS

JUNE 30 – JULY 6, 2016

Votran schedules changes for race days, holiday Votran will operate a limited bus service schedule on Monday, July 4.

• West Volusia routes 22, 24 and 60 will not operate. Connecting SunRail Routes 31, 32 and 33 will not operate as there will be no SunRail service July 4. Route 20 will operate every two hours beginning with the 7:26 a.m. southbound trip at WalMart. Northbound trips will depart Market Place every two hours from 8:32 a.m. to 4:32 p.m. Routes 21 and 23 will operate on a Saturday schedule.

• East Volusia routes 1, 3, 4, 10, 15 and 17 will operate on the Sunday schedule from the Intermodal Transit Facility in Daytona Beach.

• Southeast Routes 40 and 41 will operate every two hours. Route 40 will not serve Swallowtail Drive and Village Trail. The first Route 40 southbound trip will depart Dunlawton Avenue and U.S. 1 at 6:42 a.m. Northbound trips will depart Canal Street and U.S. 1 every two hours from 7:44 a.m. through 5:44 p.m. The first Route 41 southbound trip will depart Canal Street and U.S. 1 at 6:57 a.m.

STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS

Above are fireworks shown following the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 6, 2013.

Firefighters urge residents to celebrate safely With Independence Day on the way, Volusia County Fire Rescue officials are encouraging residents to leave the big show to the professionals.

“The safest way to enjoy fireworks is by watching public displays,” said Fire Chief Jeff Smith. “We caution residents against using fireworks because when used improperly, they can cause fires and injuries.”

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safe-

ty Commission, more than 10,000 Americans were treated in emergency rooms for injuries associated with fireworks in 2014.

“If you’re buying fireworks for a backyard party, you’re breaking the law,” Smith said. “Basically, if it flies or explodes, it’s illegal for recreational use.”

Banned on beaches Florida law allows adults to purchase fireworks by signing a waiver in which they

agree to use the purchase to scare birds away from farms or fish hatcheries.

Personal fireworks are also banned on Volusia County’s beaches, where they not only leave a mess – they can frighten nesting sea turtles and cause birds to abandon their nests.

Sparklers are one of the few fireworks that are legal, but they are very dangerous, Smith noted. They burn at temperatures of 1,200 degrees, which is as hot as a blow torch. When children hold sparklers close to their bodies, they can burn their skin or set fire to their clothes.

Over 60 percent of the injuries sustained in fireworks accidents are burns, and 40 percent of those affect children under 15.

Safety tips Volusia County Fire Res-

cue offers these safety tips for consumers who purchase legal fireworks: • Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks, including sparklers.

• Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse.

• Light fireworks one at a time, then move away from them quickly.

• Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire.

• After fireworks stop burning, douse them with water from a bucket or hose.

• Pick up all debris and spent fireworks.

“Please keep a watchful eye on the children as we celebrate of our nation’s independence,” Smith urged.

No Flex service Regular trips will depart every two hours from 8:47 a.m. through 4:47 p.m. The 2:57 p.m. trip departing Canal Street and U.S. 1 will be the only trip serving Oak Hill. Northbound Routes 4 and 17 will transfer passengers at Dunlawton and Orange avenues. Southbound Routes 4 and 17 will drop off passengers for Route 40 at Dunlawton Avenue and U S. Highway 1.

All other routes and New Smyrna Beach Flex service will not operate. Votran Gold will run a limited schedule and times to coincide with the July 4 fixed-route service. For Votran Gold service changes, contact the Votran Call Center.

Race day delays Votran bus passengers can expect some delays in service from Thursday, June 30, through Sunday, July 3.

Route 11 will not serve the Daytona Flea Market and Bayless or Fentress boulevards all four days.

Night service on Saturday will be disrupted due to traffic from the Coke Zero 400 race at Daytona International Speedway. After the race, traffic patterns will not allow buses to travel west of Halifax Health Medical Center. Traffic patterns may change without notice.

Votran riders are encouraged to visit www.votran.org and click the “join” button at the bottom of the homepage to receive timely notices about bus service changes. The website also provides up-to-date alerts and real-time bus information.

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