Missing Bible the subject of Palm Coast play SEE PAGE 3
EE FR
MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN: What do we do after Charleston? SEE PAGE 4
East Central Florida’s Black Voice
TUSKEGEE AIRMEN TO SPEAK AT EMBRY-RIDDLE SEE PAGE 2
JULY 9 - JULY 15, 2015
YEAR 40 NO. 28
www.daytonatimes.com
Poised to help B-CU go the next level Joe Petrock, new board of trustees chairman, gives an exclusive interview to the Daytona Times on his vision for the university. BY PENNY DICKERSON DAYTONA TIMES
Dr. Joe Petrock, a community pillar and philanthropist, officially took the helm on July 1 as chairman of Bethune-Cookman University’s board of trustees. The longtime local leader has served on the board since 2004 and is committed to a brand of leadership that is based on strong ethics, integrity, and always doing what’s right. In partnership with President Edison O. Jackson, he is poised to advance the university as not just an HBCU but a top-ranked small university in America.
Dr. Edison Jackson, president of BethuneCookman University, and Dr. Joe Petrock, B-CU’s new chairman, are looking forward to building new partnerships and working to improve the quality of life in Daytona Beach’s Midtown.
Petrock’s appointment is preceded by his own generosity and a host of accolades. Last year, he and his wife bequeathed a $1 million commitment to a campus namesake program the Joe and Barbara Petrock College of Health Sciences. The lifetime gift complements 30 years of service to BethuneCookman University (B-CU) where he has worked alongside four past presidents and served as five-time chair of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) campaign to raise $2 million. He also garnered an additionPlease see PETROCK, Page 2
COURTESY OF B-CU
‘Ban the Box’ is official in Daytona BY PENNY DICKERSON DAYTONA TIMES
STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS
Austin Dillon crashes in a dramatic wreck during the Coke Zero 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race early Monday morning.
Cars and flags airborne during holiday weekend at Speedway The Confederate flag was very visible over the weekend.
BY PENNY DICKERSON DAYTONA TIMES
Dale Earnhardt Jr. crossed the finish line Sunday night to win the Coke Zero 400 for the second time at the Daytona International Speedway. In NASCAR tradition, he saw the checkered flag of sucDale Earnhardt Jr. cess wave from his front windshield. But from his rearview, he witnessed the doom of another potentially fatal crash. Driver Austin Dillon’s car hit a competitor’s – went airborne – then slammed into the 22-feet-high catch fence designed to protect fans. The car was totaled, yet Dillon walked away with just bruises to his forearm and tailbone.
‘On the verge of tears’ The crash was “terrifying to watch,” said Earnhardt Jr., whose father Dale Sr. was killed in a last-lap crash at the Daytona 500 in 2001, also in the No. 3 car. Earnhardt Jr. said he was “on the verge of tears” as he looked back just after his victory Monday morning and saw what was unfolding behind him. Jimmie
DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./HARDNOTTSPHOTOGRAPHY. COM
Johnson saw it too and would say afterward: “I’m shocked that Austin Dillon is even alive from what he went through.” While no one was killed Sunday night, 13 fans were assessed for injuries, according to Daytona officials. Eight declined treatment, four were treated by track medics and one was transported to the hospital (that fan was treated and released).
Patriotism vs. heritage The incident raised as much controversy among NASCAR experts and officials regarding
safety as growing discussions regarding the presence of Confederate flags. Last week, NASCAR Chairman Brian France announced that the Confederate flag would be banned from the sanctioning body’s races. In the same week, Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said the flag would be allowed at last weekend’s races in Daytona Beach but fans would be offered an ex- JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS change of an American flag in Austin Dillon, right, walks honor of the nation’s birthday Please see SPEEDWAY, Page 7
away from his car after the crash.
The City of Daytona Beach officially implemented its Fair Chance / Ban the Box Policy during a regular commission meeting this month. The policy went into effect on July 1 and eliminates applicant requirements to disclose criminal backgrounds during the preliminary phase of job applications. In a succinct presentation by Human Resources Director Jim Sexton, the policy’s five salient points were outlined: • Assist the successful integration of previously incarcerated people. • Prohibit criminal history as an automatic barrier to employment. • Prevent the use of an application form that eliminates qualified people. • Mitigate or eliminate the exclusion of people with prior convictions. • Ultimately, provide employment opportunities to qualified individuals who may have a criminal conviction history background.
Timing and exclusions According to Sexton, the policy is not an elimination of the background process but a “timing issue” of when the department will ask for applicants to reveal their criminal background. No one will be hired for City of Daytona Beach employment without that disclosure. Commissioners were provided copies of the revised city application, which reflected the change. Sexton reiterated that the policy has exceptions, including individuals applying for positions of trust and/or confidentiality such as the fire and police departments. A criminal record immediately disqualifies applicants for those jobs.
New process Once an application for other sectors of city employment has been completed, it is submitted to the appropriate department’s hiring managers who will have “zero idea about an applicant’s criminal history.” Following the review and interview phase, including drug and medical screening, conditional employment is offered to those who qualify. At that time, applicants will be asked to disclose their criminal background records on an appropriate form. Please see OFFICIAL, Page 2
ALSO INSIDE
COMMUNITY NEWS: VOLUSIA COUNCIL APPOINTS 15 TO CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION | PAGE 3 COMMENTARY: HARRY ALFORD: THE MORE TRUMP IS ATTACKED, THE STRONGER HE GETS | PAGE 4
7 FOCUS
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JULY 9 – JULY 15, 2015
Tuskegee Airmen to make Sept. 2 presentation at Embry-Riddle University ing. Click here for a map of the campus.
SPECIAL TO THE DAYTONA TIMES
The Embry-Riddle Fall 2015 President’s Speaker Series at the Daytona Beach campus begins Wednesday, Sept. 2, with a presentation by Lt. Col. Leo Gray and Lt. Col. George Hardy, pilots who flew in the Tuskegee Red Tail Squadron in World War II. Headlining the remaining events in the series are political commentator and columnist George Will; political spouse and author Ann Romney; former CIA agent and author Valerie Plame Wilson; and globe-circling pilot Amelia Rose Earhart. Moderated by talk show host Marc Bernier, the series presents speakers who address engaging topics of political, social and cultural importance.
Free event Each 90-minute President’s Speaker Series event is free and open to the public. Some sessions will be broadcast live on FM 93.5 and AM 1150 WNDB and online at the “Marc Bernier Show’’ website and may be rebroadcast later. All events begin at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6 p.m., and are held in the auditorium of the Willie Miller Instructional Center on Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus, 600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd. Overflow viewing rooms will be available with open seat-
Soaring High with the Red Tail Pilots Wednesday, Sept. 2 As Tuskegee airmen in World War II, Lt. Col. Leo Gray and Lt. Col. George Hardy flew with the 332nd Fighter Group, “The Red Tails,” fighting both the Nazi war machine and American prejudice. They will discuss their experiences as America’s first Black military pilots, joined by honorary Red Tail pilot Michael McKenzie, president and CEO of Vision of Flight, an Orlando-based organization that introduces youngsters to aviation/aerospace activities and careers. A question-and-answer session will follow.
Lt. Col. George Hardy, left, and Lt. Col. Leo Gray are scheduled to talk about their experiences as Tuskegee Airmen at the Embry-Riddle event. presidential election field, discuss national and international issues and share his passion for his favorite sport. A questionand-answer session will follow.
An Evening with George Will Tuesday, Sept. 15
Following the Legacy with Amelia Rose Earhart Tuesday, Oct. 6
George Will’s columns, which appear twice a week in approximately 500 newspapers in the United States and Europe, have made him the world’s most widely read columnist and earned him a Pulitzer Prize for commentary. He has published eight collections of his Washington Post and Newsweek columns as well as three books on baseball. At his Embry-Riddle appearance, he will preview the 2016
Amelia Rose Earhart, named after famed aviator Amelia Earhart, piloted a single-engine aircraft around the world in 2014, making 17 stops and accruing 24,300 nautical miles in 108 flying hours. She is the founder and president of the Fly with Amelia Foundation, an organization that helps young women learn to fly through scholarships and educational STEM opportunities. In her presentation, she will
PETROCK from Page 1
al $5 million as chair and co-founder of the annual Mary McLeod Bethune Legacy Awards Gala.
Petrock’s vision Establishing robust fiscal health for B-CU is balanced by Petrock’s litany of community service posts, including three-time chairman of Daytona State College’s board of trustees and chairman of the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce. He’s currently president of the Civic League of the Halifax Area, which includes 110 community leaders dedicated to the overall health and wellness of Volusia County residents. Still, he has a streamlined vision to do more. “As B-CU chair, I look forward to the tasks that are set before us – to raise the academic profile of the institution, to transform the lives of our students, and to impart in them a spirit of wisdom and knowledge that will allow them to enter to learn and depart to serve,” Petrock told the Daytona Times this week. “I want to help the community grow and prosper. In my role as chairman, I get to lead the agenda for the board meeting, but view myself as just one member of a prestigious team.” Petrock will be leading a board that has been faced with a number of controversies this year.
Team leadership approach An inclusive and teamcentered approach sets the tone for Petrock’s leadership. He is quick to point out there is no “I” in the word team and stands on a popular Winston Churchill quote as a guide: “You make a living from what you do, you make a life from what you give.” And what Petrock does is galvanize people to support those causes he believes in most. B-CU is fortunate to be on that list. “We are so very proud to have Joe Petrock as our chair. He brings a level of caliber and strength that is instrumental to B-CU and has the power to transform lives. We ask that the community help us to congratulate Chairman Petrock,” Dr. Edison Jackson, B-CU’s president, said in a statement.
COURTESY OF B-CU
Left to right: Dr. Joe Petrock; Michelle Carter-Scott, trustee; Rev. John Harrington, past board chair; NASCAR’s Lesa France Kennedy; former Daytona Beach Mayor Glenn Ritchey; NASCAR’s Bettye France; and Dr. Edison Jackson.
B-CU BOARD OF TRUSTEES EXECUTIVE TEAM Chairman: Dr. Joe Petrock First Vice Chairman: Dr. Nelson Adams Second Vice Chairman: Attorney Joyce Anne Hanks Moorehead Third Vice Chairman: Bishop Kenneth Carter Jr. Secretary: Joyce Odongo Chaplain: Rev. Annette Stiles Pendergrass Parliamentarian: John J. Schroepfer
A better B-CU Jackson and Petrock are looking forward to building new partnerships and working to improve the quality of life in Daytona Beach’s Midtown area. The leadership team is encouraging professors to more aggressively publish research and new degree programs will be added – seven at the master’s level and one doctoral. “Jackson has been recruiting some of the finest and we have some of the brightest coming into the area to teach. We challenge them to be the best they can be,” said Petrock. “ The goal is not just that our students enter to learn, and depart to serve, but graduate with the knowledge skills and values to be successful citizens in our democratic society. Our professors are their bloodline,” he added. B-CU students majoring in tourism and hospitality management will benefit when the new Westin and Hard Rock hotels join the Daytona landscape. Petrock plans to partner with both entities to place students in intern/extern programs and also enhance the five-star hotelier’s infrastructure by preparing graduates to meet future
employment needs in excellent paying jobs.
Legacy and leadership Petrock also is proud to have the unwavering support of Daytona and Volusia County’s business community. For the past two years, the area’s coveted “Who’s Who” in small and corporate business has helped him sell out the Legacy Awards Gala. “We’re going to continue to grow that list,” said Petrock. “I’m pumped and we’re real excited to have 36 board members from across the country and so much progress has already been made at B-CU. Record enrollment, graduation rates are increasing, everything is moving in the right direction.” The newly elected chairman offers special thanks to the United Methodist Church and Bishop Kenneth Carter Jr. for their support and is ready to lead in an honest and ethical manner by “always doing the right thing.” His vision is clear, his support system is strong, and Petrock is already thinking about how his team’s success will be measured. “Hopefully, we give back,” Petrock added. “We want to help the university grow and prosper and leave it better than when we found it. Each year we’ll be a little better. That’s our goal.”
Homegrown and local Being appointed B-CU’s board chairman and serving as executive director of Halifax Health’s Foundation/Government Relations is not a quantum leap for Petrock, who grew up in Daytona Beach and graduated from Mainland High School. He then earned an Associate of Science degree in Business/Computer Science in 1973 and in 2008 earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Day-
discuss her efforts to raise the profile of women in aviation through her foundation. A question-andanswer session will follow.
‘Whatever You Choose to Be’ with Ann Romney Monday, Oct. 26 Ann Romney will discuss her life as the wife of former presidential candidate and governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney, as well as her new book, “Whatever You Choose To Be: 8 Tips for the Road Ahead.’’ In this memoir, she details her struggle with multiple sclerosis, an incurable disease that afflicts 2.3 million people worldwide, and the sources of faith that have strengthened her and her family of five sons and 22 grandchildren. A book signing will follow a
tona State College, where he has served as chairman of the board of trustees there for the past three years. Petrock was bestowed an honorary doctorate by B-CU in 2014. He has traditionally looked “local” for leadership influences who have taught him how to get involved in community activities, raise money, and most important, how to give back.
Groomed to lead Among his revered leaders are some of the community’s strongest stalwarts, including two former BCU presidents: Dr. Richard V. Moore, Sr. (1947-1975) and Dr. Oswald P. Bronson, (1975-2003). “Dr. Richard V. Moore, Sr. taught me about Bethune,” stated Petrock. “Moore was passionate and talented. I learned from the way he treated people. He had high ethical standards, and I also learned fund-raising and how to sell a product from him.” Moore served as the third president of B-CU and during his tenure, the college was accredited by the Southeastern Association of College and Schools, joined the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and erected the Carl S. Swisher Library in addition to other construction that led to expansion. Petrock met Bronson through Daytona Beach’s Rotary Club and also credits him for fundraising tutelage. Under Bronson’s leadership, the institution’s annual budget grew from $6.2 million in 1975 to $51.4 million in 2003.
Doubled UNCF funding As five-time chairman of the UNCF campaign, Petrock sought to make a difference and maintained Bronson’s legacy by increasing the university’s “financial match” each HBCU member school is required to raise in order to receive assistance. Petrock negotiated with the nonprofit organization and ultimately “doubled” B-CU’s funding. “I think when you had the role models that I had early in my career and you chair the things they encouraged me to chair like arts, education, economics and manufacturing, you just meet a magnitude of people,” added Petrock. “When you share what you’re trying to do, those same persons will support your dream.”
question-and-answer session.
‘My Life as a Spy’ with Valerie Plame Wilson Tuesday, Nov. 10 Former covert CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson will discuss the current political scene, her life as the wife of former U.S. ambassador Joe Wilson and the events chronicled in her New York Times best-selling memoir, “Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House,’’ which was made into a major motion picture of the same name starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn. A book signing will follow a question-and-answer session. Learn more about the President’s Speaker Series http://erau. edu/about/president-speaker-series/index.html.
Pharmacist to discuss advances in Parkinson’s meds Dr. Roger Accardi will describe new medications on the horizon for Parkinson’s disease patients from 2 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, July 22, at the Daytona Beach Regional Library on City Island, 105 E. Magnolia Ave. Accardi is a pharmacist and president of Accardi Clinical Pharmacy in Orange City. Reservations are required; call 386-676-6375 by noon Monday, July 20. The free program is co-sponsored by the Parkinson Association of Greater Daytona Beach and the Friends of the Daytona Beach Library.
OFFICIAL from Page 1
“For those who have already applied for a job and are on the eligibility list, we will ‘redact’ that portion of the application,” Sexton explained. “Let’s just say we have 47 applicants for Maintenance Worker III. Instead of trying to track down every prospect and requesting they fill out a new application, we will place a sheet of paper over that portion of the application. Following department review and a conditional offer, we will already have their disclosure.”
Tracking success With regards to a measurement of success, Sexton offered that prior to July 1, criminal convictions were not an automatic barrier to employment because the city traditionally extended employment to people based on their background checks. “It’s not something that we have previously tracked or is it required by the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission),” Sexton stated. “Even race and gender questions are voluntary, but I do have to report them on an EE- IV report that reviews our application process.”
Many thanks Prior to and following Sexton’s presentation, the commission chambers resonated with acknowledgments of thanks. Ernestine Maddox, an African-American woman and city personnel officer, was thanked by Sexton for “completing a lot of the research and authoring the policy.” Mayor Derrick Henry, in return, thanked Sexton for addressing how the city will handle previously submitted applications. “It’s never folks’ intent to not hire based on that element [criminal history] and some folks have felt that’s why they weren’t given an opportunity,” said Henry. “By bringing ‘Ban the Box’ into fruition, we certainly know that the element of criminal history will be eliminated.”
First advocate Henry acknowledged Mychal Tairu as the first person to bring the issue to the commissioning body and, he too, was given a round of thanks for his advocacy. Tairu is Florida program coordinator of the Vincentian Reentry Organizing Project (VROP), a grassroots organization that partnered with the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in support of “Ban the Box.” During his public address at the July 1 meeting, Tairu offered, “I just want to thank you all for your leadership, dedication, love and compassion. I’ve been in several meetings for ‘Ban the Box’ across the state, but this one is really important to me. “This is my community. I was educated in this community, raised here, pay taxes here, and this is where I’m raising my family. I’m not sure if you really know the impact and hope that this brings to individuals who think their fate is relegated to a box they have to check,’’ he added.
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JULY 9 – JULY 15, 2015 COMMUNITY DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006
M A YNEWS OR
Missing Bible becomes subject of hilarious play Theatergoers elicited lots of laughs attending a mystery comedy, taking charge of finding a 2,000-year-old Bible. It wrapped around a dinner theater recently presented by the Stewardess Board at the First Church of Palm Coast. It dished on the characters while garnering the title, “Theft of the 2,000-Year-Old Bible.” The play, created and written by church member/playwright Sybil Dodson Lucas, was cast with church members and other thespians from the community. Insight into a bygone era revealed that heirs from the plantation known as “Big Bucks” were alive and living in Palm Coast. A dinner was planned and all the Palm Coasters turned out to see the historic Bible in addition to celebrating their pastor’s 60th anniversary. They offered prayers of thanksgiving for the late “Moe Money,” the last remaining servant and his remaining offspring, “Show Me Da Money.” Arrangement of the scenery and the properties is noteworthy. As it turns out, the 2,000-year-old Bible goes missing, along with the money - and this is where the hullabaloo takes center stage.
Funny banter The guest list read like a “Who’s Who,” or rather should I say, like “wannabees” arriving at the dinner and some guests staking out their claim to the fortune. During a search of handbags by a detective agency to reveal the missing Bible, it turns out that: Mrs. Grant is asking her husband, “Why did you bring me here? Do I look like I would steal...I come from well-educated, cultured, classy people. I don’t need to steal. “...The nerve of them to insinuate that I, of all people, would steal,” Mrs. Grant reiterates. “I don’t have to steal. I can buy 100 Bibles with my pension check.” “Don’t they know who I am?” inquired Mrs. Franklin. “Don’t they know that my family roots go deep. Deep I tell you, deep into the history of this town.” “Well, my family comes from kings and queens,” Mrs. Grant replies. “Yea, right from Queens, N.Y.,” chides Mrs. Franklin. “...You don’t understand. I married ‘down,’ well beneath my station,” reacts Mrs. Grant.
Outrageous antics Marva Jones portrayed Mrs. Grant, taking center stage, along with Mrs. Franklin, who was depicted by Patricia Town. The role-playing was a riot, including
PALM COAST COMMUNITY NEWS JEROLINE D. MCCARTHY
the search of the heirs’ handbags to find the missing Bible and the money. Instead of recovering the Bible, other items were pulled out of the pocketbooks – a hot water bottle, a package of “Depends,” handcuffs, a wig, back scratcher, a flask, whiskey, a bikini, teddy bear, toilet paper, marimbas, etc. The scene took the audience on a ride, a ride that no one would have imagined. However, the pivotal details lay with Sachiko Glover, the real First Lady of the First Church of Palm Coast. Mrs. Glover portrayed “Detective Ms. I Toll You So,” who characterized the part Sachiko in her native tongue of JapGlover anese. She held the key to the whereabouts of the missing 2,000-year-old Bible.
COURTESY OF RONALD SMITH
Above is the cast of the stage play, “Theft of the 2,000-Year-Old Bible.”
Historical nuggets Playwright Lucas cranked out the plot, using chronological, historical data, which revealed: The African slave trade took momentum in British North America and was recognized by the 13 original colonies. In 1845, the great potato famine took place in Ireland and the Irish worked as indentured slaves to pay off their passage to the New World. During the 1850s, the Chinese migration to the United States began, and in 1868, a large-scale migration from Japan took place in Hawaii and then in the United States. However, I do not want to divulge the ending. But, suffice it to say, the historical nuggets configure into recovering the 2,000-year-old Bible.
Audience participation The play maintained the interaction of the audience. Mistress of Ceremonies Esther G. Hamilton had everyone to take a break after discovering that the Bible was missing. This resulted in Hamilton going into a tailspin and deciding that everyone should have dinner to quell the antics, and, thereby, she asked someone to pray.
PHOTO BY JEROLINE D. MCCARTHY/DAYTONA TIMES
Playwright Sybil Dodson Lucas, left, and Stewardess Board President Nellie Chapman Davis read the list of credits that attributed to the success of the play. The moment led the real Pastor Gillard S. Glover to bless the dinner – the food to be partaken in the play and the meal to be taken in by the audience for the dinner theater. Soulful vocals during the scenes featured Nathaniel Shropshire, III; Octavia Evans and Marria Adams. Slated to find the missing Bible, the play was produced and directed by Stewardess Board President Nellie Chapman Davis and the food was catered by Carolyn Able, steward/liaison to the Stewardess Board. The show’s stage director/manager was James Sims while Robert Brown was the sound engineer.
Comedic cast
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The script was written to include the Washington Family, portrayed by Richard and Rose Williams; the Lincoln Family, rendered by Thomas Edmunds and Yolaine Goodridge; the Hamilton Family, by James and Ruby Sims; the Jacksons, by Henry and Thea Smith. Mr. Grant was depicted by William “B.J.” Jones and Mr. Franklin by Leslie Town. Other cast members evoking laughter from the audience were Detective “Mr.”
County Council appoints 15 to Charter Review Commission The Volusia County Council has appointed 15 citizen volunteers to serve on the Volusia County Charter Review Commission. The committee will spend the next year studying the Volusia County Home Rule Charter, which is the equivalent of a local constitution for the operations of Volusia County Government. The charter, passed in June 1970 in a countywide vote, requires a citizen review at least every 10 years. The Charter Review Commission can look at the structure of county government operations and the charter itself. Recommended amendments to the charter will be placed on the general election ballot in November 2016. The commission also can present a report on matters that do not require a vote by the Volusia electorate.
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Meetings will be open to the public, and commission members are subject to the Florida Sunshine law. Times, dates and locations of meetings along with background information, meeting minutes and other matters concerning the Charter Review Commission’s work will be prominently displayed on the Volusia County Government website, volusia.org. Members appointed at the July 2 meeting of the County Council are Dr. T. Wayne Bailey, J. Hyatt Brown, Frank Bruno Jr., Frank Darden, Patricia Drago, Stanley Escudero, Dr. Philip T. Fleuchaus, M. David Haas, Peter Heebner, James Stephen Morris, Patricia Northey, Glenn Ritchey Sr., Derek Triplett, Mark Watts and Lisa Ford Williams.
Children and Families Advisory Board to meet July 14 The Children and Families Advisory Board will meet at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 14, in room 516-C of the Florida Department of Health in Volusia County, 1845 Holsonback Drive, Daytona Beach. Members will review and score contingency applications and request for statement of qualifications applications for
Hugh Reap, presented by Ernestine Logan; Detective Mr. Hoo Waat, depicted by James Goodridge; Mr. Moe Money, Ron Ambrose; Miss Show Me Da Money, Margaret Young; Miss Gim Me Some Money, Stephanie Robinson; Miss Short on Money, Edwina Smith; and Mr. and Mrs. Old Money, Fred Canty and Barbara Jackson. Other comedic representation was made by ushers Ruth Brown and Pamela Hulse; “the Sassy Lady in Red” was depicted by Shirley Davis; and responsible for cluing in the whereabouts of the 2,000 year-old Bible was Joseph Matthews, who portrayed the historian. Albeit, with thanks to videographer Herbert Booker, the play can be accessed in its entirety on YouTube at “Theft of the 2,000-year-old Bible.” ••• As always, remember our prayers for the sick, afflicted and bereaved. •••
Celebrations Birthday wishes to Yolaine Goodridge, July 9. Happy anniversary to Henry and Thea Smith, July 15.
2015/2016 funding. The Children and Families Advisory Board assesses and evaluates strategies to meet needs, monitors program compliance, advertises funding availability, recommends appropriations for programs serving children and families, and provides recommendations to the Volusia County Council on children and family issues. For more information, call Brittany Scott, children and community programs coordinator, at 386-736-5955, ext. 12959, or visit www.volusia.org/cfab.
Volusia seeking Citizens Academy recruits Applications are being accepted for Volusia County’s Citizens Academy, a hands-on awareness program designed to educate citizens about county government operations. Classes will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays from Aug. 18 through Nov. 3. There is no charge for the program, but applicants are asked to commit to attending all 12 classes. Members will meet at various county facilities including the Sheriff’s Communications and Emergency Operations Center, Tomoka Landfill, Volusia County Branch Jail, Marine Science Center, Ocean Center and Daytona Beach International Airport. They also will tour county construction projects. Topics will include growth management, community services, public protection, property assessments and budgets. Participants must be residents of Volusia County and at least 21 years old. Basic knowledge of computers is helpful as class materials are posted online and email is used to communicate with class members. Applications are available online at www.volusia.org/government/citizensacademy and must be turned in to the county manager’s office by July 24. The program is limited to 25 participants. For more information, contact program administrator Cindy Finney at 386-7405160.
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7 EDITORIAL
JULY 9 – JULY 15, 2015
The more Trump is attacked, the stronger he gets It is no coincidence that two of the top three Republican candidates right now are non-politicians. The American people are becoming frustrated in the typical career politician. Donald Trump and Dr. Ben Carson are blazing a trail in most states and they haven’t even gotten into full gear. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) isn’t that worried about Carson. They believe they have the Black vote wrapped up, no matter who they put in front of us.
Trump scares Dems What is scary to them is the fact that Donald Trump keeps rising in the polls no matter what he says or whom he offends. The Donald is telling it like it is and keeping it real. He has his own money and is not beholden to anyone. When he says something insulting, the pushback doesn’t faze him. He doubledowns on his point, and most of the time he is convincing. Personally, I like him as a leader and someone who depends on his own skills and holds himself accountable. He’s no typical politician looking for blame and excuses all the way to the polls. The DNC can’t figure him out and they are trying in earnest to throw some kind of scandal on him. They think they can turn the Hispanic vote against him by calling him a racist for saying our Mexican border is immoral and
HARRY C. ALFORD NNPA COLUMNIST
filled with rapists. They say, how could he speak against Hispanics in this matter?
He’s not lying According to the Democratic-leaning Huffington Post: “As the number of Central American women and girls crossing into the U.S. continues to spike, so is the staggering amount of sexual violence waged against these migrants who are in search of a better life. According to a stunning Fusion investigation, 80 percent of women and girls crossing into the U.S. by way of Mexico are raped during their journey. That’s up from a previous estimate of 60 percent according to an Amnesty International report.” “This year alone, immigration authorities expect more than 70,000 unaccompanied minors to come through the United States unlawfully, the majority of whom are from Central American countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. The number of unaccompanied Central American girls caught at the Southwest border has rapid-
ly outpaced the number of boys, according to a July Pew Research study. “Through May, the number of unaccompanied girls younger than 18 caught at the US-Mexico border increased by 77 percent… Rape can be perpetrated by anyone along the way, including guides, fellow migrants, bandits or government officials, according to Fusion…The assaults are so common that many women and girls take contraceptives beforehand as preventative measures.”
Media unleashed One of the pit bull media outlets being unleashed on Trump is Univision, the Hispanic television network. In protest, Univision dropped the annual Ms. USA Pageant that Trump owns. Ironically, Univision owns the Fusion outlet that broke the sexual violence story and has documented it. This is all about the Hispanic vote. I believe it is going to backfire on the DNC. No one approves of rape and sexual abuse. They are trying to ignore it as if it will go away. Trump is exposing it and making it the big issue it should be. Another pit bull for the DNC is Macy’s department stores. They have pulled their Trump shirt and tie collection. Trump laughs, saying it made him little money and besides the product was being made in China with cheap labor and that was bothering him.
What do we do after Charleston? I am a native South Carolinian. Charleston is my maternal ancestral home. My great-grandmother was born during slavery. My great grandfather, I have been told, was a plantation overseer. Never have I been more proud and more ashamed of my dueling ancestral heritages than in the aftermath of the terroristic murders of nine Black Christians engaged in Bible study at Charleston’s historic Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church by a young White man infected by what Dr. King called, after President Kennedy’s assassination, “a morally inclement climate.” The young White visitor to the weekly Bible study came with a troubled spirit and racial rage inflamed by a White supremacist website. He was enabled to become a mass killer by readily accessible and largely unregulated guns – more than 310 million in citizens’ hands and only 4 million in America’s law enforcement and military hands. But his dastardly
MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN NNPA COLUMNIST
deeds were bathed in an amazing spirit of forgiveness among the victims’ families.
Confront the challenges I hope this latest chapter in America’s pervasive history of domestic terrors against millions of Black citizens victimized by slavery and Jim Crow, denied full citizen rights throughout our history, relegated to subhuman threefifths status in our Constitution and treated similar to beasts of burden to fuel our unjust economic system can be squarely confronted. Until the United States sees and cures its profoundly evil birth defects of slavery, Native American
VISUAL VIEWPOINT: DONALD TRUMP AND IMMIGRATION
genocide, and the exclusion of all women and non-propertied men of all colors from our electoral process, these birth defects will continue to flare up in multiple guises to threaten our Black community’s and everyone’s safety, our nation’s future, and render hollow our professed but still inadequate commitment to ensuring equality for all. Slavery was followed by thousands of lynchings and racially instigated terrorism through hate groups like the KKK during the Jim Crow era. And it continues to be reflected in the unjust racial profiling and killings of Black boys and men by law enforcement agents and a mass incarceration system.
Children trapped Millions of Black and Latino children and people of color are trapped in a cradle-to prison-pipeline lodged at the intersection of race and poverty. That Black children are the poorest,
RICK MCKEE, THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE
Social media is showing some of them were made in Mexico. They are trying to “kill” Donald Trump, but he is getting stronger. He is the only person in the vast field of candidates who makes and accounts for his own money.
Crony capitalism The others sit around and become wealthy through their inheritance, cronyism, and conniving ways. Hillary Clinton is the best example of this. She has built more than a billion-dollar nest egg selling us out and skirting the rules. Donald Trump’s wealth is most mis-educated, most incarcerated, most unemployed, and most demonized of any group of children in America is a continuing legacy of slavery and Jim Crow that must end now. Let’s seize this latest tragic racial terrorist act to confront our history and how we teach our history. And we must all act together to reject our present-day racism in all its structural, cultural and hidden manifestations with urgency and persistence. We must pass on to our children and grandchildren a more honest and just nation and a future free of the violence of racism, poverty and guns. I believe we are called in the aftermath of the Charleston massacre, the latest in a long and egregious history of unjust Black deaths, to confront the realities of our true history so that a new generation of White youths does not carry forth the poison of racial supremacy and White privilege. We also must act so that millions of Black, Native American and Latino children – soon to be the majority of our country’s children in a majority nonwhite world – do not have to continue to strug-
straight up. He knows how to make an honest dollar and create jobs. That is what the nation is looking for and the reason he is getting stronger the more they mention his name. In Donald Trump, we have a successful businessperson who can survive all the scrutiny, and that is so puzzling to the DNC. Don’t count Trump out until he is indeed out – which may not happen.
Harry C. Alford is the cofounder and president/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce. Contact him via www.nationalbcc.org. gle against overt and covert culturally ingrained racism.
Reject the symbols We must firmly reject all symbols glorifying slavery and hatred that divide us. We must reject all efforts to subvert fair and democratic election processes, including the precious right to vote. We must end mass incarceration and ensure equal justice under the law for all. We must confront massive inequality of wealth and income and end poverty – beginning with child poverty – now. It is time to commit America to become America and to close the gap between creed and deed. Let’s send a ray of hope throughout our nation and world that we are committed to honoring our dream of equality for all. What an “amazing grace” moment we have been given to help our nation move forward together.
Marian Wright Edelman is president and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund (www. childrensdefense.org).
Supreme Court preserves fair housing tool A long-awaited decision by the United States Supreme Court led to a June 25 ruling that preserves the usage of “disparate impact,” an important legal principle sometimes known as the “discriminatory effects” standard. The majority opinion held that housing discrimination under the nation’s 1968 Fair Housing Act (FHA) occurs by effect – as well as by intent. Writing the decision, Justice Anthony Kennedy concluded, “[S]ince the passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968 and against the backdrop of disparate impact liability in nearly every jurisdiction, many cities have become more diverse. . . .The Court acknowledges the Fair Housing Act’s continued role in moving the Nation toward a more integrated society.” Joining Kennedy to form a 5-4 majority were Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor.
CHARLENE CROWELL NNPA COLUMNIST
Long-awaited ruling Although the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) codified the use of disparate impact in 2012 through its rule-making process, the case of Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. The Inclusive Communities Project, Inc., had its oral arguments on January 21. Consumer advocates and mortgage industry professionals alike awaited the decision. Among civil rights and housing advocates, the decision was as widely applauded as the number of amicus or “friend of the court” briefs that were filed. The lengthy
list of briefs came from diverse organizations, including AARP, the Howard University School of Law Housing Clinic, Judicial Watch, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, National Black Law Students Association, the National Fair Housing Alliance and the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL). “When Americans are denied equal opportunity to housing, they are denied access to good jobs, quality education, safe streets, transit, and a clean and healthy environment, all of which are critical to leading healthy and prosperous lives,” said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of more than 200 organizations. “We have observed, documented, and reported on disparate impact in mortgage lending, auto lending, student lend-
ing, and a suite of other financial services,” said Mike Calhoun, CRL president. “We have witnessed what happens when a single community cannot access such credit – and we know that these consequences are indicative of deeper, more systemic, more troubling realities in lending practices.” Calhoun’s claims are strongly substantiated by the recently released “2015 State of the Nation’s Housing” from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. In part, the report states, “And despite the [housing] rebound in much of the nation, a number of minority and low-income neighborhoods remain severely distressed.” The report’s data points further illustrate the disproportionate problems faced by consumers of color: • As of 2014, the homeownership rate for minorities remains 25.5 percentage points lower than that of Whites;
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.
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• More than 40 percent of Latino and Black households with mortgages report paying interest rates above 5 percent, compared to less than a third of White and Asian/other minority households; • Housing wealth represents a much larger share of the net worth of the typical Black or Hispanic homeowner – 58 percent, than of the typical White homeowner – 37 percent; and • Negative equity – borrowers owing more than their homes are actually worth – is highly concentrated in minority and lowincome neighborhoods.
Charlene Crowell is the Communications Manager for State Policy & Outreach with the Center for Responsible Lending. Contact her at Charlene. crowell@responsiblelending. org.
Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC, P.O. Box 48857 Tampa, FL 33646, publishes the Florida Courier on Fridays. Phone: 877-352-4455, toll-free. For all sales inquiries, call 877-352-4455; e-mail sales@flcourier.com. Subscriptions to the print version are $69 per year. Mail check to P.O. Box 48857 Tampa, FL 33646, or log on to www.flcourier.com; click on ‘Subscribe’.
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M ANATION YOR
JULY 9 14 – JULY 15, 2015 DECEMBER - 20, 2006
Ku Klux Klan planning protest in South Carolina on July 18 Joann Brown, of Columbia, left, embraces Dee Partridge, center, and Kat Morgan, both of Charleston, during a rally to show support for the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the South Carolina State House on June 23 in Columbia, S.C.
BY ZENITHA PRINCE TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE
The Ku Klux Klan is rallying its troops to protest plans to remove the Confederate flag from the South Carolina statehouse grounds. The Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, which is based in Pelham, N.C., plans to demonstrate before the South Carolina capitol July 18, according to a report by USA Today. “We will be at the State House in Columbia, S.C., standing up for our Confederate history and all the southerners who fought and died against federal tyranny,” an automated message on the Loyal White Knights’ answering machine said, according to the newspaper. A spokesman for the South Carolina Budget and Control Board confirmed plans of the rally, which is scheduled July 18 from 3 to 5 p.m. “They are trying to wipe us out of the history books,” the White separatist group claims in a post on its website. “People seem to forget that Black people and even the Cherokee nations fought for the South. Tell this cultural Marxist government they better not dare to dishonor our ancestors [sic] graves.”
‘The time has come’ Controversy surrounding the long divisive Confederate symbol erupted after the shooting deaths of nine African-American worshippers at an AME church in Charleston, S.C., by a White man who claimed he wanted to start a race war. On June 27, Bree Newsome, 30, of Charlotte, N.C., was arrested after she
TRACY GLANTZ/THE STATE/TNS
removed the Confederate banner currently erected on a 30-feet flagpole before the South Carolina State House. Just a week before, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley called for the flag to be totally removed from the state property in the wake of the church massacre. “For many people in our state, the flag stands for traditions that are noble, traditions of history, of her-
itage and of ancestry…. At the same time, for many others in South Carolina, the flag is a deeply offensive symbol of a brutally oppressive past,” Haley said at the press conference while surrounded by lawmakers and officials of different parties and races. “We are here in a moment of unity in our state, without ill will, to say it is time to move the flag from the cap-
itol grounds. 150 years after the Civil War, the time has come,” she added. “My hope is that in removing a symbol that divides us, we can move forward as a state in harmony, and we can honor the nine blessed souls who are now in heaven.”
This story is special to the Trice Edney News Wire from The Afro American Newspaper.
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White family with Black guest for holiday gets ‘KKK’ spray-painted on car BY STEPHEN A. CROCKETT JR. BLACKAMERICAWEB.COM
The Fourth of July holiday weekend had barely started for one family in Spring, Texas, when they awoke to find racist and vulgar messages spray-painted on the family’s truck. “My Black friend, he’s been here for two days,” Darren Franke told KHOU-TV. “Me and him hung out in the yard and just mowed the grass and hanging out around the house yesterday. We woke up this morning and he goes, ‘Man you need to go look at your truck!’” When they walked outside on July 3 morning, they saw that someone had spray-painted racist messages and “KKK” all over the family’s white Ford pickup truck. “I have no affiliation with the clan whatsoever!” Franke told the news station. “It was scary and it was embarrassing,” Franke’s wife, Hayli, added.
Sobering experience Neighbors who couldn’t believe what they were seeing took photos, while others shook their heads in disbelief. “It’s absolutely disgusting,” neighbor Anita Johnson told KHOU. “What’s America coming to? I live around the corner; you can’t even park your vehicle out front now?” The family tried to drive the truck to the car wash, but the ride there was painful as many people stopped and pointed at them believing that they had written the hateful messages. “I don’t feel comfortable driving around,” said Hayli Franke. “Driving to the car wash and back. We had so many different looks and people throwing their hands up at us like we did this to our own vehicle! It’s 2015. People need to get over racism.” The Frankes drove the car home and spent the better part of the day scrubbing off the racist moniker using nail polish remover and with help from neighbors.
KHOU-TV SCREENSHOT
Darren and Hayli Franke say they were shocked when they woke up to find racist messages spraypainted on their truck. The Frankes believe the incident happened after they had a black friend over to their house during the Fourth of July weekend.
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7
M SPORTS AYOR
JULY 9 –14 JULY 2015 DECEMBER - 20,15, 2006
1.
SPEEDWAY
1. Members of the military hold up flags at the Coke Zero 400 race on Sunday, July 5, at the Daytona International Speedway.
from Page 1
celebration and the governing body’s decision. Patriotic American fans and those giving homage to southern heritage converged for Sunday night’s race, including three war veterans who were presented Congressional Medals of Honor during a special ceremony. Ryan Pitts (New Hampshire) and Sal Giunta (Denver) both fought in Afghanistan while St. Petersburg resident Gary Littrell is a Vietnam vet. Each served the United States Armed Forces with pride and valor. In an Orlando Sentinel story, Pitts was quoted as saying, “The American flag is what binds us all together. Everybody under that flag is equal. It doesn’t matter the color of your skin or where you came from.’’ “We fought to defend the Constitution of the United States and all the freedoms people are entitled to buy it. And, yes, that includes the right to display a flag that, whether intended or not, is a divisive symbol of this country’s racist past and still empowers modern-day racists like the monster who shot nine people dead at Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston,” Pitts added. “There’s only one flag I follow,” Giunta offered. “It’s the prettiest flag I’ve ever seen in my life — the American flag.” Littrell took his patriotism to another level and paid a $500 zoning variance to the city council in his hometown so he could erect a 30-foot flagpole and fly a 5-by-8 foot American flag.
2. Military man Derrick Napper attends Sunday’s race with his family – Charmain Napper, Chaka Birdette, Wyatt Birdette, Willow and Wayden Birdette, Cianna and Dedrick Napper. 3. Mayor Derrick Henry gives a welcome on July 3. 4. Jade McCrary presents a check to a NASCAR driver. McCrary is part of the Industry Service 2010 Internship Program, a diversity program through the Daytona International Speedway.
2.
Dangerous allure
PHOTOS BY DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./ HARDNOTTSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
Alongside fans from every ethnicity, they disregarded racism and withstood a nearly four-hour rain delay to indulge NASCAR fans two favorite bedfellows: speed and excitement. But flags and fun aside, officials are most interested in protecting fans. Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Speedway in Alabama are NASCAR’s two fastest tracks and are also the most dangerous tracks on the circuits. Experts suggest a more secure barrier than a catch fence. While the safety fence kept the car out of the stands and helped save Dillon’s life, debris from the crash – including what appeared to be pieces of car paneling – flew through the chain-link fence that is reinforced by strong steel cables. The resulting accident leads experts to the alternative of moving fans back or removing the bottom rows of seats – even if it cuts attendance and revenue. Safety expert Sam Gualardo said the Speedway’s current catch fence “is not doing its job.”
Fence fails fans “Fans should not have to go to a race and ever risk being injured while enjoying something that they love,” said Gualardo, past president of the American Society of Safety Engineers, a group that has examined ways to make racing safer. Larry McReynolds, a former Sprint Cup Series crew chief and NASCAR analyst for Fox Sports, says tracks should consider moving fans back. “A bit of a buffer zone between the catch fence and seats would be a good thing,” McReynolds said.
3. Earlier safety changes made by NASCAR probably helped Dillon walk away from Monday’s wreck, McReynolds noted. In the most vulnerable areas, experts say, tracks might be wise to install another barrier behind the catch fence. It could be made from Lexan — the ultra-strong transparent plastic used in NASCAR windshields, said H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler, former president of Charlotte
Motor Speedway. Because grime would accumulate as races progress, Wheeler said, the challenge would be to keep the plastic clean so fans can see clearly. “I think every good track operator knows his first responsibility is to protect the spectator,” Wheeler said. “It’s things like this (crash) that bring about innovation.” The least popular solution for
4. fans would be NASCAR lowering the speeds at Daytona and Talladega with a rules package that restricts the cars’ ability to reach 200 mph. The two NASCAR drivers whose sentiments best bookend racetrack symbolism – from flags to safety – are the Coke Zero 400 winner and Dillon. Regarding the Confederate flag, Earnhardt Jr. stated last week, “I
think it is offensive to an entire race. It really does nothing for anybody to be there, flying. It belongs in the history books and that’s about it,’’ he said. Dillon said early Monday following the crash about the speeds at Daytona: “It’s not really acceptable, I don’t think. I mean, we’ve got to figure out something. I think our speeds are too high, I really do.”
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7PERSONAL FINANCE
JULY 9 – JULY 15, 2015
223,000 jobs For years, groups that advocate for small businesses have expressed fear that increasing the minimum wage would lead to higher prices for consumers and less job opportunities for those who often need them the most: young people, poor people and people of color. With each company, city and jurisdiction that announces immediate or future plans to raise the minimum wage, those fears begin to fade away. The national unemployment rate edged down from 5.5 percent in May to 5.2 percent June, but the E-POP also dipped from 59.4 percent to 59.3 percent. The economy added 223,000 jobs last month, but the jobs numbers for April and May were revised down, shedding 60,000 jobs. Still reeling from the broad sequestration cuts that went into effect in 2013, the public sector, where Blacks tend to find jobs at higher rates than in the private sector, didn’t add a single job in June and has only added 8,000 jobs this year, Elise Gould, the senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, a progressive think tank focused on low- and middle-income families, wrote in a blog post at EPI.org.
‘Stay the course’ CRISTINA FLETES-BOUTTE/ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH/TNS
Esther Houston works on coding during CoderGirl, a meetup last year sponsored by LaunchCode, for women who are interested in programming jobs in St. Louis.
Black women see job prospects improve BY FREDDIE ALLEN NNPA NEWS SERVICE
WASHINGTON – Job prospects for Black women improved in June as they recorded better employment numbers than the other major adult groups, the latest jobs report by the Labor Department shows. The jobless rate for Black women over 20 years old fell nearly a full percentage point last month
from 8.8 percent in May to 7.9 percent in June. The unemployment rate for White women declined just one-tenth of a percentage, from 4.3 percent in May to 4.2 percent last month. The unemployment rate for Black men over 20 years old also improved but not as quickly as for Black women – falling from 10.2 percent in May to 9.7 percent in June. It was still more than double the 4.2 percent un-
employment rate for White men, which hasn’t changed since May.
E-POP increase As the number of Black women entering the labor market increased last month, the share of adult Black women that have jobs compared to the total population of Black women, known as the employment-population ratio (E-POP), also increased. The E-POP for Black women climbed from 56.5 percent to 57.1 percent in June, compared to the E-POP for White women, which receded from 55.1 percent to 55 percent in June. The E-POP for Black men decreased from 61.5 percent in May to 61.2 percent in
June and the ratio of workers in the White male population didn’t budge in June and was the same as it was in May at 69.1 percent. William Spriggs, an economics professor at Howard University and the chief economist at the AFL-CIO, a national labor group, took to Twitter to note that the jobless rate for Black women fell “for right reasons,” due in part to the growth in the employmentpopulation ratio. In a later tweet, Spriggs wrote: “Despite waves of state and local minimum wage hikes, employment in food services continued to trend up +30k in June, +355k over the year.”
In a separate blog post, Gould wrote that wages have only grown 2 percent since last June, another clear indicator of the uneven recovery. “Employers don’t have to offer big wage increases to get and keep the workers they need,” Gould explained. “And this remains true even as a jobs recovery has consistently forged ahead in recent years.” Gould cautioned the Federal Reserve against raising interest rates in an effort to prevent inflation. In a brief statement about June’s employment situation, Gould wrote, “In light of this jobs report, it is more than obvious that the Federal Reserve needs to stay the course – if they act too soon, they will take the remaining wind out of the economy’s sails.”