Daytona Times - September 03, 2015

Florida artist R.L. Lewis to speak at Daytona State SEE PAGE 3

EE FR

DR. BENJAMIN CHAVIS JR.: Life of slain teen Emmitt Till still matters SEE PAGE 4

East Central Florida’s Black Voice

FLAGLER NAACP FOCUSES ON STUDENT EQUALITY AT BANQUET SEE PAGE 3

SEPTEMBER 3 - SEPTEMBER 9, 2015

YEAR 40 NO. 36

www.daytonatimes.com

A major feat for B-CU’s Online College Bethune-Cookman is the first university in the state to receive the certification.

BY DAYTONA TIMES STAFF

Bethune-Cookman University has received a major accomplishment for its online college.

The online college recently was certified as a United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) program.

According to the university, B-CU’s Online College is the first program in Florida and the second HBCU (historical-

ly Black college or university) in the nation to be certified.

The USDLA committee spent three days on campus last week as a culmination to a very lengthy and detailed review process. The online college currently offers nine degrees, including three masters and six bachelors programs.

“This is a very proud moment for B-CU. We are the first to attain this certification

in the state. That speaks volumes about the leaders of this program and their quality of work,” B-CU President Dr. Edison O. Jackson said in a statement this week.

According to the USDLA, a certified program represents an institution that adheres to a recognized standard of performance and is committed to offering a first-quality, distance learning program.

“We are so overjoyed to receive this stamp of approval from the USDLA. We are working hard to make sure Please see B-CU, Page 2

Left to right are B-CU Provost Makola Abdullah; Dr. Robbie Melton, USDLA review member ; B-CU President Edison O. Jackson; Dr. Marilyn Gardner, USDLA review member; Dr. Arletha McSwain, dean of B-CU Online College; and B-CU Vice President Franklin Patterson.

Black breast cancer survivor leads walk-a-thon

Local student chosen for White House initiative

BY PENNY DICKERSON DAYTONA TIMES news@daytonatimes.com

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

Team leader Valencia Robinson addresses the crowd and displays a breast cancer quilt of hope.

Making Strides event takes place Oct. 31 at Riverfront Park

BY PENNY DICKERSON DAYTONA TIMES

W

Above: Volunteers seated “in the round” are all smiles and ready to rally for a cure.

Right: B-CU graduate Rakita Dozier offers a song of hope. Her mother succumbed to breast cancer when Dozier was a sophomore in college.

hen Valencia Robinson was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, she joined the ranks of more than 40,000 AfricanAmerican women in Florida with the disease and is now one more champion who claims survivorship.

She also is the first Black woman in the Volusia/Flagler County area to serve as event chair for the 2015 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk that kicked off in August at the Daytona Beach Shores Resort and Spa. The Making Strides event is an affiliate of the American Cancer Society and its foremost function is the popular “sea of pink” walk-a-thon to be held Saturday, Oct. 31 at

Riverfront Park in Daytona Beach as the culmination of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Advocates for awareness Last year’s local fundraiser boasted approximately 10,000 participants and garnered close to $369,000 raised through local teams comprised of businesses, churches and organizations, families and individuals. They are all advocates with the same goals: to build awareness and find a cure for one of the leading causes of death among women.

“I never did self-breast exams before being diagnosed with breast cancer. I was a busy mother of four who never took the time and never knew I Please see STRIDES, Page 2

An invitation to be part of a White House initiative is a coveted honor and one BethuneCookman University student is among 82 other undergraduate and graduate students from HBCUs to achieve that accolade.

Landon Wright of Orlando, a senior accounting major at BCU, is one of four African-American students at Florida schools chosen for the All-Stars of the White House Initiative on HBCUs (WHIHBCU). They were selected from a pool of 450 national applicants.

Wright is joined by AcNeal Williams of Miami Gardens and Marquise McGriff of Miami, who both are enrolled at Florida Memorial University.

Gilda Brown of Tallahassee will represent Florida Landon A&M University.

Wright Along with his triad of Florida peers, Wright will represent B-CU Sept. 21-22 at the annual White House HBCU Week Conference. He also will attend other events and participate in national calls and web chats with the White House.

Distinguished ambassadors As an HBCU All-Star, Wright is tasked with implementing outreach and communication with his fellow students about the value of education and the role of the initiative as a networking resource.

“The Obama administration is committed to promoting excellence, innovation and sustainability across our nation’s HBCUs. This year’s class of All-Stars has distinguished itself as exemplars of the talent that HBCUs cultivate and noble ambassadors of their respective institutions.” said Ivory A. Toldson, WHIHBCU’s acting executive director.

“We are confident these impressive students will help the White House Initiative on HBCUs meaningfully engage with students, showcase their talent and advance our agenda to advance academic excellence at HBCUs,” Toldson added.

Winning application Academics, leadership and civic engagement were among the key determinants for students who submitted applicaPlease see STUDENT, Page 2

ALSO INSIDE

SPORTS: KOBE AND SHAQ SHARE LAUGHS, FEELINGS ABOUT LONGTIME FEUD | PAGE 7 EDUCATION: MORE FUNDS GOING TO CENTERS THAT HELP CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES | PAGE 8

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7 FOCUS

SEPTEMBER 3 – SEPTEMBER 9, 2015

CHARLES TRAINOR JR./MIAMI HERALD/TNS

A Hollywood Public Works crew distribute free sand bags on Aug. 28 as the city’s residents prepared for Tropical Storm Erika. Volusia and Flagler municipalities also had sand bags available for area residents.

College students from North and South took tropical storm seriously

BY JAHSON LEWIS DAYTONA TIMES

Students in the storm

The 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina coincided with the pending threat of Tropical Storm Erika.

The unpredictable storm formed on Aug. 24 and maintained tropical storm status for five days.

Unlike Katrina, the largest residential disaster in U.S. history, Erika peaked with intensity but ultimately dissipated. In the aftermath, Volusia County remains aware that hurricane preparedness is a must for Florida’s coastal residents and college students alike.

Hundreds of new and returning students had just settled into BethuneCookman University (BCU) dorms and off-campus housing this month when Erika developed.

The allure of year-around seasonal weather make the HBCU a popular collegiate choice, despite being located in the country’s most hurricane prone state.

Students from as far west as Colorado to upstate New York trade the familiarity of frigid temperatures for Florida’s unknown hurricane zone. This can be

especially frightening for those whose only storm reference stems from cinematic films that depict devastation following catastrophic storms.

Blizzards to beach Ma’isah Jones Nambe is a B-CU student living a long way from home. The Denver resident is accustomed to inclement weather but believes the Central Florida hurricanes hardly rival the West Coast’s snowy blizzards.

“Hurricane season is nothing compared to the snow experienced there,” Nambe told the Daytona

Times. “I came to Central Florida knowing rain and storms would be the worst form of weather I’d experience. During winter in Denver, multiple blizzards pile snow to where driving is impossible, and you can’t work or do normal functions such as walking to the mailbox,” she added.

Nambe maintains a positive outlook and encourages her family and friends to do the same.

“A lot of people from home worry about hurricanes because of the immediate emergencies listed on the news,” Nambe explained. “Personally, I enjoy the hurricane season because it’s better than being stuck in a blizzard.”

Experienced Charley Courtney Treasure is a B-CU student who had no choice in the matter 14 years ago when his parents relocated from Jamaica, a neighborhood in Queens, New York, to Palm Beach.

For nearly two decades, he had grown up experiencing both frigid, northern weather as well as treacherous hurricanes including Charley in 2004.

When he arrived in Daytona, Treasure knew what to expect but was not fond of thunderstorms. His greatest concerns were having the ability to leave campus days before a storm hit and if the roads would be safe.

“Initially, I was very cautious and wanted to prepare being that I was from New York,” said Treasure. “ I wanted to board up windows and stuff like that more than my parents because they are used to it being from the islands. It’s different compared to living in New York where I was used to snowstorms.”

Curious fear He said about Hurricane Charley, “It wasn’t bad at first, and I wanted to see what the chaos looked like outside. We went outside during the eye and it was calm, but we went back in for the other part of the storm,” said Treasure, who added that it was scary to see shutters fly off the house and very dark skies, very bad whistling, and lots of shaking and rumbling.

“The scariest part is roads being blocked by trees, not knowing when they will open, or how long I will be in the house with no power,” offered Treasure who further advised that the best way to prepare for a storm is to stock up on food, gas, and play games.

Volusia County response In anticipation of Erika’s arrival, Volusia County planned a partial activation of its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and remained fully activated to serve as the central coordination center for emergency response.

Key disaster response officials from the county, municipalities and support agencies convened in the EOC to make strategic decisions designed to protect the public and residents were urged to stay tuned to local media outlets to receive storm updates.

Campus hurricane plan B-CU maintains a current response plan for students attending classes and/or residing on campus in the event of a hurricane. Directives vary depending on the category of the storm.

Category 1 implies minimal damage and the cam-

pus is put on alert. Classes may be cancelled and students living in dorms are restricted to residence halls.

Category 2 implies moderate damage. Students will be relocated to the Performing Arts Center or a Volusia County approved emergency shelter.

Category 3 or above indicates the threat of extensive damage. The campus will be evacuated and the appropriate staff will assist with transportation plans.

Preparation vs. panic During a hurricane warning, students are instructed to follow storm preparations and immediately leave the threatened area when directed by local officials. The university policy is that no B-CU student will be allowed to leave campus within 24hrs of a hurricane.

Parents will be notified regarding an individual student’s plan for evacuation and students will be further asked to complete an evacuation/travel form.

It would be prudent to add hurricane preparedness in each student’s personal budget for unexpected travel, food, and water.

Parents (or students) will be responsible for any travel cost incurred as B-CU does not pay or reimburse for transportation.

Students residing off campus are encouraged to contact landlords regarding preventive procedures such as boarding up windows and piling sand bags around the foundation and entrances to an apartment or home.

Jahson Lewis, a Daytona Times intern, is a senior Mass Communications major at BethuneCookman University.

B-CU

from Page 1 that our online programs offer great student and faculty experiences,” added Dr. Arletha McSwain, B-CU’s Dean of the online college.

The USDLA’s goals are to “inform and protect the students; provide a framework for improvement; and assist with continued growth.’’

The certification is awarded for five years and is subject to performance and annual review.

STUDENT from Page 1

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

The “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” kick-off was held with a team celebration at the Daytona Shores Resort and Spa.

STRIDES from Page 1

needed to,” admitted Robinson, who further emphasized that AfricanAmerican women need to take time for themselves, conduct monthly breast exams, exercise regularly, and eat a healthy diet.

When cancer hits home Rakita Dozier was a sophomore enrolled at Bethune-Cookman University when her mother succumbed to breast cancer in 2011. The death was devastating but with the help of her spiritual family at Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church, Dozier graduated from college in 2014 and continues to rely on her ministry as a healthy surrogate.

“She is a member of our church, and we have been helping her financially and spiritually deal with the loss of her mother,” said Robinson, who describes Dozier as their gifted and anointed praise and worship leader.

From diagnosis to donations Funds raised during the Making Strides cam-

paign will help the American Cancer Society do the most for those who are currently dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis, those may face a diagnosis in the future, and those who may avoid a diagnosis altogether thanks to education and risk reduction.

“I am reaching out to the African-American community, specifically businesses and individuals to support this walk,” said Robinson. “We need you to assist through generous financial and/or inkind donations such as water, healthy snacks and more.”

Trailblazing intern Wright recently returned from an internship with PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (PwC), in San Francisco, where he was the only student of 164 interns chosen from an HBCU. He fulfilled his duties with such an impressive performance, Wright was not only offered an opportunity to return the following summer, but also asked to refer other B-CU students. In doing so, he successfully helped another student get an internship with PwC, the top accounting firm in the nation.

A former secretary of the National Association of Black Accountants, Wright is scheduled to complete his third internship with PwC and remains poised to secure a full-time offer upon graduation. He describes himself as “highly driven, detail-oriented, and a professional who does not shy away from pressure.”

Wright plans to pursue his master of science degree in forensic accounting and obtain a CPA license.

Volunteers needed A large number of volunteers are needed to help register participants and set-up logistics the day prior to the walk on Friday, Oct. 30. An appeal to recruit more team leaders is also underway as they play a vital role to not only raise awareness and funds but also recruit more participants and volunteers. Most importantly, they rally those around them to help finish the fight against breast cancer.

For more information, contact Valencia Robinson at robinsonvalencia01@ gmail.com or 386-7534526.

tions that included a transcript, resume, essay and letter of recommendation.

Wright’s application for the WHIHBCUs AllStars included a detailed explanation of why he would be a great candidate. He spoke of his personal experiences as a student at B-CU and some of the barriers he has overcome as a young professional.

He also chose to highlight the National Ocean Policy – a policy on how to manage the country’s oceans – and how it would benefit B-CU. His essay, along with a stellar resume and recommendations were instrumental in Wright’s 2015 acceptance.

“This is a great accomplishment for me and BCU,” Wright remarked. “I will be able to keep my university informed and updated on the latest developments, and it’s another way for me to give back.”

Outreach and networking

Valencia Robinson, center, is a breast cancer survivor and first African-American to lead the Volusia/ Flagler county’s walk-a-thon.

In the upcoming year, the HBCU All-Stars will provide outreach and communication with their fellow students about the value of education and the role of the Initiative as a networking resource.

Through social media and relationships with community-based organizations, Wright will share promising and proven practices that support opportunities for all young people to achieve their educational and career potential.

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SEPTEMBER 3 – SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 COMMUNITY DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006

M A YNEWS OR

Quality education for students the focus of Flagler NAACP banquet

BY JEROLINE D. MCCARTHY DAYTONA TIMES

It was a suave affair, drawing attention to the school-to-prison pipeline that resulted in positive change. On Saturday evening, the Flagler County NAACP sponsored its Freedom Fund Banquet in Palm Coast at the exquisite Hammock Beach Resort.

The Aug. 29 event was a blacktie splash in fine dining and dancing in a remix of musical favorites by Darnel Butler & Xpressions. Opening the evening’s festivities was Freedom Fund Chairman Donald A. Matthews.

Diversely esteemed guests and sponsors listened as keynote speaker Amir Whitaker, Ed., Esq., carried them back to the thick of his childhood in Plainfield, N.J. If you had a problem with one of his 17 co-peers in middle school, you had a problem with them all!

Donald A. Whitaker said Matthews that three of his peers graduated from high school, five were shot, most were involved in the adult criminal justice system, and both of Whitaker’s parents were incarcerated. He was raised by his grandparents with 14 all together residing in the home.

Two out of the 18 peers went to college, where only Whitaker earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., graduating cum laude with a 3.51 GPA. He holds a prestigious Phi Beta Kappa key.

The challenges would have devastated others. Whitaker was an unlikely person to achieve what he has.

He was suspended from school as early as the first grade and, at age 15, ran a crack house. He felt lost returning to school after multiple suspensions and having to play catch-up with his studies. Despite the issues, he scored high on tests, but the schools did

Votran makes route changes for Labor Day weekend SPECIAL TO THE DAYTONA TIMES

Votran will operate on a limited service schedule Monday, Sept. 7.

Riders are encouraged to plan their travel in advance to avoid possibletravel conflicts.

• West Volusia routes 22, 24 and 60 will not operate. Connecting SunRail Routes 30, 31, 32 and 33 will not operate because there will be no SunRail service.

• Route 20 will operate every two hours. The bus leaves Wal-Mart on the odd hour between 7:26 a.m. and 5:26 p.m. The northbound trips leave the Orange City Marketplace on the even hour between 8:32 a.m. and 4:32 p.m.

Routes 21 and 23 will operate on a Saturday schedule.

• Route 21 will operate every two hours. The westbound trips leave Wal-Mart in Osteen on the odd hours between 7:26 a.m. and 5:26 p.m.

The eastbound trips leave the Orange City Marketplace on the even hour between 8:32 a.m. and 6:32 p.m.

• Eastside routes 1, 3, 4, 10, 15 and 17 will operate on a Sunday schedule.

• Buses will operate out of the Intermodal Transfer Facility at the Ocean Center.

• Routes 40 and 41 will operate every two hours. The first Route 40 southbound trip will depart from Dunlawton Avenue and U.S. 1 at 6:42 a.m.

Northbound trips will depart from Canal Street and U.S. 1 on the odd hour from 7:44 a.m. through 5:44 p.m.

• Votran will not serve Swallowtail so the bus will depart Nova/Dunlawton at eight minutes past the even hour between 8:08 a.m. and 4:08 p.m. The bus will transfer passengers to Route 4 and 17 on Orange Avenue at Dunlawton.

• Route 4 and 17 passengers should get off at U.S. 1 and

not recognize his grades.

Whitaker said, “I consider myself a casualty of what we call the school-to-prison pipeline, and that’s just a system where students, by virtue of the schools they are in, have increased likelihood of being in the criminal justice system.”

A turning point An uncle set him on course to defy the odds at Whitaker’s breaking point of dropping out of school. Whitaker became his own self-advocate. He encountered a counselor, who took a look at his test scores.

She said, “We shouldn’t have done this” and apologized, saying, “You are clearly a bright student. We should have talked to you at least, done some sort of intervention, but we shouldn’t have just kicked you out.”

That was the turning point for Whitaker to become an educator and earn a master’s in educational psychology and a doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Southern California at Los Angeles, including a Juris Doctorate from the University of Miami School of Law. The Freedom Fund journal published that Whitaker is founder/director of Project Knucklehead, a “national nonprofit for at-risk youth and juvenile offenders to increase educational outcomes and reduce delinquency.”

He is an attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), representing Flagler’s Black students and offering his brand to improve the school district.

Landmark agreement In 2012, the SPLC filed a classaction complaint against five Florida school districts identifying outof-school suspensions, and Flagler was one of the districts.

As reported in the Daytona Times, a formal complaint was filed in June by the SPLC “on behalf of three African-American students and a same-race popu-

Mirroring picture-perfect smiles are keynote speaker Dr. Amir Whitaker, NAACP branch president Linda Sharpe Haywood and the Rev. Edwin Coffie, pastor of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church and recipient of the Community Service Award.

Linda Sharpe Haywood presents Flagler Palm Coast High School freshman Jayson Dwyer, who won the gold medal for filmmaking in July at the NAACP’s 37th ACT-SO Awards Ceremony. Matanzas High School senior Dominic Davis won the bronze medal for playwriting. lous of others whose education and civil rights were similarly affected.”

Key highlights of the Flagler County School Board and the SPLC landmark agreement state from the journal that: “Suspensions will be reduced by at least 70 percent, allowing students to regain thousands of hours of education.

“In the 2015-2016 school year,

the previous maximum suspension of 10 days will be cut in half, so that students cannot be suspended for more than five days unless approved by the District Discipline and Behavior Coordinator.

“In 2016-2017, students cannot be suspended for more than three days without the specified district approval” – and gradually eliminating suspensions entirely.

Dunlawton Avenue to wait for Route 40. The first southbound trip on Route 41 departs Canal Street and U.S. 1 at 6:47 a.m. Regular trips will depart there on the even hour between 8:47 a.m. and 4:47 p.m. Oak Hill will be served only with the 2:47 p.m. trip.

• All other routes and New Smyrna Beach Flex Service will not operate.

• For Votran Gold service changes, contact a reservationist or Votran customer service at 386-761-7700.

For more information, visit votran.org.

Allen Chapel to present antibullying workshop The Men’s Ministry of Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church will host a workshop on anti-bullying at 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept.12, during a fellowship prayer breakfast. The church is at 580 George W. Engram Blvd.

The guest speaker is Jacqueline Waters, founder and CEO of “U” Niquely “U’’ Inc., noted for teaching methods for identifying and prevention of bullying will discuss the importance of identifying bullying traits.

According to Waters, who lives in Ormond Beach, the organization was created in direct response to the dramatic increase in bullying related incidents across the country.

“Saving our children begins with candid discussions to help identify and embrace what make us different, while empowering self-love and awareness. We must educate youth and offer a positive support system to avoid the pitfalls that can derail their lives,” Waters said.

The workshop and breakfast are free and open to the public.

For more information about the workshop, call the church at 386-255-1195.

Wes and Denise Powell were pleased with the landmark agreement to reduce the number of school suspensions in the Flagler District.

In addition, “a communitybased coalition will serve as a discipline advisory committee.

This committee will monitor discipline data on a monthly basis, hold quarterly public meetings and recommend changes in disciplinary policies, including the code of conduct, to the District.”

The suave affair championed a landmark agreement of positive change. whose research and books about the Florida Highwaymen triggered a renaissance of demand for their paintings in recent years.

The Highwaymen were inducted into Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2004. Today, their original art can command thousands of dollars.

Monroe’s most recent work tells the story of Mary Ann Carroll, the only woman among the renowned landscape painters who Monroe calls the First Lady of the Highwaymen.

WISE lineup

Florida Artist Hall of Fame inductee R.L. Lewis will discuss his work during the Sept. 22 program at Daytona State.

Daytona State program to feature member of Florida Highwaymen On Sept. 22, the Daytona State College Foundation’s Wisdom in Senior Education (WISE) program will feature R. L. Lewis, one of the 26 African-American painters who emerged during the 1950s and 1960s to become known as the Florida Highwaymen.

In 2009, Lewis captivated a WISE audience of nearly 250 people who came to hear his account of the Highwaymen and witness a demonstration of his creative method.

Lewis will be introduced by Daytona State photography professor Gary Monroe, a leading authority on the Highwaymen who has authored several books on the artists. Monroe tells a story that relates the racist attitudes of the past, the nostalgia for a once unspoiled Florida, so-called “outsider art” and the entrepreneurial spirit of the original 26 painters.

Theirs is a story of entrepreneurs who sought to rise above the meager existence offered by the agricultural and citrus industries - a common vocation for many African-American workers in Florida at the time.

“Windermere” is a painting produced by R.L. Lewis.

Hall of Fame inductees Art to the Highwaymen was a craft, a way to earn a living. At the time, no gallery would show the work of unknown, self-taught African-American artists. Instead the Highwaymen painted from their garages and backyards on inexpensive Upson board, framed their work with crown molding, then traveled Florida’s east coast on weekends to sell their paintings to hotels, offices, businesses and tourists.

They were a prolific group. Volume was a key to their survival as artists. Their technique allowed them to produce brilliantly colored landscape paintings quickly and efficiently. It is estimated that more than 200,000 of their original works exist, according to Monroe,

The WISE season kicks off on Tuesday, Sept. 15, with a presentation about the history and future of Daytona Beach International Airport by Steve Cooke, the airport’s director of business development.

On Oct. 13, Andrew Sandall, executive director of the Museum of Arts and Sciences, will talk about some of the more than 30,000 objects and artifacts housed at Florida’s largest museum of its kind.

WISE patrons interested in estate planning and how to avoid probate won’t want to miss a Nov. 3, presentation by attorney Randal Schecter, and, on Nov. 17, Tim Weaver, general manager of Trader Joe’s in Winter Park, will share the history of the burgeoning grocery chain that in recent years has developed somewhat of a cult following.

Daytona State’s own Chef Costa Magoulas, chair of the Hosseini College of Hospitality Management, will close out WISE’s fall season on Dec. 1, with demonstrations and tips on how to create holiday spreads.

The Foundation created the WISE program to provide continuing education and cultural enrichment activities to senior members of the community. WISE is open to anyone age 50 or older.

All WISE presentations will take place at DSC’s Daytona Beach Campus Hosseini Center, 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd., from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

A complete listing of fall presenters is online at DaytonaState.edu/ wise. For more information, contact Kent Ryan at 386-506-4425 or RyanK@DaytonaState.edu.

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7 EDITORIAL

SEPTEMBER 3 – SEPTEMBER 9, 2015

LeBron gives kids from hard streets a chance This year in the NBA playoffs, LeBron James silenced all the chatterers who questioned his legacy. He put his team, decimated by injuries, on his back and willed them to the NBA finals.

He showed that he is the greatest basketball player in the game today.

Off the court, LeBron is building an even greater legacy, one that provides a model for athletes and leaders across the country.

Last month, while hosting an event for 5,000 students and their parents in his I Promise program at an amusement park, James announced that his foundation was teaming up with the University of Akron to provide a potential scholarship – a full ride of tuition and fees worth $38,000 over four years – to each of the approximately 1,000 students now in the “I Promise” program and to 1,300 more scheduled to be enlisted.

Struggled to survive James was raised in Akron by a single mother who struggled to survive. After rising to prominence and wealth, he set up the LeBron James Family Foundation, which has focused on giving back to that community and helping at-risk kids.

James has done more than donate money. He’s devoted time and energy through his foundation to build a remarkable program. And he’s leveraged his stature to enlist other institutions as partners.

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

LeBron is providing an exemplary model of what can be possible.

His focus – on saving at-risk kids growing up in the inner city – is clear. His core value – that they must work hard to earn what they get – is sound.

The I Promise program seeks to raise the graduation rate in Akron public schools. It sponsors a six-year program that provides mentoring, tutoring and afterschool and summer school programs for at-risk youth. JP Morgan Chase provides technology staffers as volunteers to help ensure the kids stay on track for graduation.

Using partnerships The scholarship program is

similarly leveraged. The University of Akron guarantees a full scholarship for every student in the I Promise program who graduates from high school with the appropriate grades and test scores for admission. Akron President Scott Scarborough said the university would join with the foundation to raise funds to support the scholarships. The first wave of students will come in 2021.

“These students have big dreams,” LeBron said, “and I’m happy to do everything I can to help them get there. They’re going to have to earn it, but I’m excited to see what these kids can accomplish knowing that college is in their futures.”

James, who bypassed college to jump directly to the NBA, understands just how important this is.

“As a kid growing up in the inner city and a lot of AfricanAmerican kids, you don’t really think past high school,” he said.

“You don’t really know your future. You hear high school all the time, and you graduate high school and then you never think past that because either it’s not possible or your family’s not financially stable to even be able to support a kid going to college.”

Changing futures Michele Campbell, the executive director of the LeBron James Family Foundation, said James became visibly emotional when

Racism is re-emerging and unashamed It used to be that any egregious or heinous racially motivated action or statement immediately became the subject of public scorn and ridicule. I know that not everyone agreed with the resulting condemnation, but it was typically condemned from much of society. In my opinion, the reason for this condemnation was PUBLIC EXPOSURE and GUILT! Since I’ll speak about RACISM this week, a brief restatement of what racism is seems to be in order. RACISM is an act to disadvantage another based upon racial designation, combined with the POWER to enforce that disadvantaged position.

Requires action Racism is not to be confused with prejudice, which is merely an attitude or belief system. Of course, racial prejudice gives fuel to the fire of racism. But it takes an

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

action to create racism.

Now that I’ve cleared that up, let’s get down to the meat on this bone. What’s happened to the national shame and outrage against obvious acts of racism?

During the 1950s and ‘60s when the organized demand for racial justice and civil rights was peaking, it seemed that the American conscience was in the throes of dissonance. After all, there was no way to justify the brutality inflicted on citizens seeking the full measure of their rights or to reconcile the conflict between stated national ethics and the realities of racism.

Americans could not explain away the reason for the killing, beating and maiming of people of color – much of it seen on television as it happened. The whole world was watching!

Guilt forced change The brightness of the moral superiority projected across the world by the U.S. became increasingly tarnished by homegrown acts of violence against dark people living here. The result: Americans felt guilty, and from that guilt came change. Any vestige of racism became unacceptable in polite society.

Knowledge of that part of our history begs us to answer another question regarding racism. If public exposure and guilt led to the reduction of overt acts of racism in the past, why now are so many acts of racism accomplished in the light of day without

Emmett Till’s life still matters Racially motivated murder of young Black Americans across the United States is not a new or rare phenomenon. For too long, this brutally fatal manifestation of the madness of American racism has persisted in the face of public horror and disgust.

August 28 marked the 60th anniversary of the death of 14-yearold Emmett Louis Till, who was abducted, beaten and murdered near Money, Miss. for allegedly whistling at a White woman. At the time, Mississippi led the nation in the number of lynchings, according to records kept by the Chicago Tribune.

Positive inspiration The brutal death of the teenager visiting from Chicago served as inspiration for the Montgomery bus boycott, which began in December 1955 – four months after Till’s death.

The current Black Lives Mat-

DR. BENJAMIN F. CHAVIS, JR. NNPA COLUMNIST

ter movement also engenders vivid memories from the past.

The anniversary of Emmett Till’s murder and the subsequent “not guilty” verdicts that were given to Till’s confessed White killers stand as a painful reminder that systemic racial injustice in the U.S. has been a long-term reality for Black America.

We must credit the raw courage of Emmett Till’s beloved mother, Mamie Till Mobley, for not allowing her son’s murder to go unnoticed throughout the nation and world. She resisted the advice of the funeral director and insisted that the casket carrying the badly mutilated body of her

son remain open for public viewing. She said, “I wanted the world to see what they did to my baby.”

And that is exactly what happened. Jet magazine and hundreds of Black-owned newspapers across the country put the horrible picture of Emmett Till’s crushed face on the front page of their publications. Millions of Black Americans and others responded with calls and demands for justice for Emmett Till and his family.

Spoke to her I had the opportunity on several occasions over the years to speak and meet with Mamie Till Mobley in Chicago and in New York City before she died in 2003.

Sister Mobley was also a staunch civil rights activists and leader.

She once told me, “We have to keep on fighting for freedom no matter what obstacles that may put in our path. We have suffered

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BOB ENGLEHART, THE HARTFORD COURANT

discussing the impact the program could have on these kids.

“He has a chance to change their futures,” Campbell said.

“Not everybody can be an NBA superstar, so to be able to provide the framework to make your dreams come true is overpowering.”

Many great athletes have difficulty dealing with the wealth and prominence that they suddenly gain at a very young age. We read often about their excesses and their mishaps.

LeBron is providing an exemplary model of what can be possible. His focus – on saving at-risk kids growing up in the inner city – is clear. His core value – that they must work hard to earn what they get – is sound. His commitment – that his foundation will give them the tools, tutors, support and resources to reach their

potential – is the game changer.

a hint of guilt or remorse?

One only has to examine the number of Black people gunned down by police and others to see the reality of our current circumstance. These assassins operate with a cavalier approach to the elimination of Black life and, in no uncertain terms, tell our community that their actions have reached the level of normalcy.

speak of mass deportation, including native-born U.S. babies, subverting portions of the Constitution they don’t like, and building an impenetrable wall between a neighbor state and us.

As they have done with our Blackness, they’ve now criminalized the Brownness of certain immigrants and distorted their image into something entirely antithetical to “The American Way.” They’ve changed their mantra, but the euphemistic “Make Our Nation Great Again” plays the same tune as “Let’s Take Our Country Back.”

Racism never went away. Many have recognized it festering under the surface of social interaction.

Our greatest concern should now be how to combat its unremorseful public re-emergence and its unrepentant willingness to take us back to an age of hatred, intolerance and injustice.

No remorse Rather than remorse, they explain to us and to the world how deserving their latest victim was of fatal justice. Delinquent child support, wearing a hood, playing loud music, selling loose cigarettes, playing with a toy gun on a playground, holding a display air rifle in a Wal-Mart store, and an alleged improper lane change have all risen from minor infractions to capital crimes!

We easily hear voices from society’s conservative fringe attempting to justify these acts. From the mouths of Republican presidential candidates, we see their justification for vilification of immigrants and Brown people. They

too much to let anything or anyone take us backwards as a people.” Her words are still true and relevant today.

As we are now preparing for the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March: Justice Or Else! on October 10 in Washington, D.C., the legacy of Emmett Till and the piercing truth of the long life and struggle of Mamie Till Mobley still scream out to this day demanding justice and equality for Black America and all those who have been victimized and oppressed by racism and injustice.

Recently, at Emmett Till’s gravesite in the Burr Oak Cemetery near Chicago, there was a memorial service organized by the Mamie Till Mobley Memorial Foundation. Airickca GordonTaylor, co-founder of the foundation and a relative of Till, stated, “I see many parallels with what happened to Emmett, you can connect the dots…. Our family, we had dealt with injustice for 60 years. We never had justice for Emmett Till’s murder.”

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.

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.

Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Sales Manager

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

Dr. Valerie Rawls-Cherry, Human Resources

Charles W. Cherry, Sr. (1928-2004), Founder Julia T. Cherry, Senior Managing Member, Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Cassandra CherryKittles, Charles W. Cherry II, Managing Members

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

MEMBER

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Society of Professional Journalists

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Associated Press

Model for others LeBron has only begun to demonstrate his greatness on the court. And at a remarkably young age, with rare intelligence and grace, he is already creating his legacy off the court.

Thousands of young children growing up on hard streets with the deck stacked against them are being given a real chance because LeBron has decided to be a hero not only on the court but in his community. Too often we hear about those who go wrong.

Let’s celebrate LeBron James, who is surely going right.

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

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

Shared pain Yes, the dots are being connected. The Black Lives Matter is growing and the memory of what happened to Emmett Till serves as an important reminder. Geneva Reed-Veal, the mother of Sandra Bland, the young Black American woman who was arrested in Texas and found hanged in a jail cell just a few weeks ago, was also at the Till’s gravesite memorial. The pain that the Till family still feels is the pain that the Bland family feels. This is pain that Black America feels.

Each generation of Black Americans has had to endure this pain, but at the same time continue to demand and struggle for racial justice, freedom and equality. Black Lives Matter. Emmett Till’s life still matters.

Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association.

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.daytona.com; click on ‘Subscribe’.

SUBMISSIONS POLICY SEND ALL SUBMISSIONS TONEWS@DAYTONATIMES.COM Deadline for submitting news and pictures is 5 p.m. the Monday before the Thursday publication date. You may submit articles at any time. However, current events received prior to deadline will be considered before any information that is submitted, without the Publisher’s prior approval, after the deadline. Press releases, letters to the editor, and guest commentaries must be e-mailed to be considered for publication.

The Daytona Times reserves the right to edit any submission, and crop any photograph, for style and clarity. Materials will not be returned.

5 7

SEPTEMBER 3 – SEPTEMBER 9,DECEMBER 2015 ENTERTAINMENT 14 - 20, 2006

MAYOR

tions to play.

“I read the script, and saw everything the character would have to do, and the responsibility to help carry the film. It was a tremendous challenge,” he said. “I was honored that they chose me.

So I jumped at it.

“Tony has an incredible arc of emotion. You go from hating the guy to cheering the guy to being confused about the guy, and all kind of things. “ And he recognized Jordan’s journey in his own. Jordan, he said, was completely focused on his business life — wanting to end up owning his company. “He was locked in on that, and everything else got in the way.

“If you take out ‘pharmaceutical salesman’ and replace it with ‘the NFL,’ replace it with ‘football,’ that is what I wanted. If you got in the way of it, you would get pushed aside. Even the Lord. I tried to take him along with me, as opposed to letting him lead me to what he wanted me to do.”

Personal journey

TRISTAR PICTURES/TNS

T.C. Stallings is one of the actors in the Christian film. It made $11 million in its debut weekend.

Standout football player stars in Christian film ‘War Room’

BY RICH HELDENFELS AKRON BEACON JOURNAL/TNS

If you happen to see the new movie “War Room,” leading man T.C. Stallings may look familiar.

When called Tony Stallings, he was a standout football player at Bedford High School near Cleveland and later made some impressive moves on the field for the University of Louisville — the first person in his family to go to college, he said.

He also played pro ball in NFL Europe, Canada and the Arena league and had a moment in the TV spotlight in 2004 when he won Animal Planet’s “King of the Jungle” reality competition.

In spite of all that, he never achieved his dream of playing in the NFL stateside. Stallings now thinks that the NFL was not what he was meant for. Instead, he says, the Lord had something else in mind: a ministry, giving talks about his faith — and, in recent years, acting.

Spiritual reawakening The acting is also part of his witness, as “War Room” is a firmly Christian movie. The makers are the Kendrick Brothers, who over the course of five films — notably “Courageous” and “Fireproof” — have found considerable financial success through modestly bud-

geted, faith-based movies.

“War Room” features Stallings, 37, as Tony Jordan, a pharmaceutical salesman whose charm in business is matched by a harsh, domineering way at home. As Stallings described it, Jordan just does not understand that other people have feelings. That is tearing at his marriage to Elizabeth (Priscilla Shirer, a minister taking her first major film role).

Things change when Elizabeth meets Miss Clara (Karen Abercrombie), an elderly woman who challenges Elizabeth’s faith and introduces her to the idea of a “war room” devoted to prayer. Before the movie is over, Tony, too, will have a spiritual reawakening,

though not without trouble along the way.

Christian in real life Stallings has most often been seen in Christian films but does not rule out secular productions.

“I’m not necessarily a Christian actor,” he said. “I’m an actor who happens to be Christian. I won’t do a film that dishonors God. But there are some really good, clean roles out there, and I’m going to grab some of them.”

At the same T.C. time, he sees “War Stallings Room” as a step forward for him, a break from what he considers mean characters such as a gang leader in “Courageous” and “the evil anti-Christ-type supporter” in “Rumors of Wars.” Tony Jordan provided a wider range of emo-

While he thought of himself as a Christian, and had gone to Blessed Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Cleveland, he said he was not really keeping the faith.

He was called on it by another student during his sophomore year at Louisville. “That was my moment when I really started laying into Scripture myself and, from that point on, tried to have the Lord lead my life.”

But he was still thinking about football. “I was headstrong on everything. The Lord got my attention this way: No matter how good I would do on the field, I couldn’t get where I wanted to get to, which was the NFL. I started getting worn out, physically and mentally. That’s when the Lord took that opportunity to say, ‘I want you to do something else.’ “ He began more closely reading the Christian preacher-writer Francis Chan and, after an accident in 2009, Stallings said to himself, “OK, let’s wake up, dude.”

That wake-up call led to acting, starting with a Christian competition in Florida, and now to “War Room.” And, again, he sees in his life what happens to Tony Jordan — that it can take time, and more than one try, to get to where you need to be.

R6

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M ASPORTS YOR

SEPTEMBER 3 – SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006

Bryant and O’Neal make up during podcast Former NBA Lakers teammates talk and laugh about years of arguments and disagreements

getting older. I don’t want that. I don’t want that.’ And they just wanted to move in a new direction.”

Jackson ‘really fair’

BY BRODERICK TURNER LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

More than a decade after a feud between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal led to the breakup of one of the NBA’s most dynamic duos, the two shared stories about their bickering Lakers days and why it all fell apart.

Bryant, entering his 20th season with the Lakers, and O’Neal, an NBA analyst on TNT, reminisced on O’Neal’s podcast released on Monday about those turbulent moments with the Lakers from 1999 to 2004.

Bryant and O’Neal won three championships together, in 2000, ’01 and ’02, and lost in the 2004 NBA Finals to Detroit, but they argued all along the way, the end coming when now-deceased Lakers owner Jerry Buss shipped O’Neal to the Miami Heat.

‘A work beef’ When he went on O’Neal’s “The Big Podcast With Shaq,” Bryant recalled how vicious some of their attacks were against each other.

“When you say it at the time, you actually mean it,” Bryant said. “And then when you get older, you have more perspective, you’re like, ‘Holy … I was an idiot as a kid.’ To me, the most important thing is you keep your mouth shut.

There’s no need to go to the press. You keep it internal.

KEVIN SULLIVAN/ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER/TNS

The Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant share a laugh during the final minutes of the Lakers’ 117-103 victory over the New York Knicks at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on March 10, 2002.

“We have our arguments and our disagreements.

But I think … having our debates within the press was something I wished would been avoided.”

O’Neal, 43, began the podcast by saying it was “time to clear the air” about their relationship.

“I just want people to know that I don’t hate you, I know you don’t hate me. I call it today a ‘work beef,’ is what we had,” said O’Neal, who retired after the 201011 season. “I was young, you was young. But then as I look at it, we won three [championships] out of four so I don’t really think a lot was done wrong. So I just wanted to clear the air

and let everybody know that, no, I don’t hate you.

We had a lot of disagreements, we had a lot of arguments. But I think it fueled us both.”

Bryant, 37, recalled the time when he and O’Neal almost came to blows in 1999.

Standing up to Shaq Bryant was 21 at the time, but he wasn’t going to back down to the 7-foot-1, 330-pound O’Neal.

“In ‘99, I think Shaq realized that this kid is really competitive and he’s a little crazy,” said Bryant, who is heading into what could be his final NBA season.

“And I realized that I prob-

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ably had a couple of screws loose because I nearly got into a fistfight and I actually was willing to get into a fight with this man. I went home and I was like, ‘Dude, I’ve either got to be the dumbest or the most courageous kid on the face of the Earth.’ ” O’Neal viewed it then as an affront to his authority as the team leader, but these days he sees it differently.

“That just showed me, ‘You know what, this kid ain’t going to back down to nobody,’ ” O’Neal said.

“Kobe seen me punk everybody in the league. So when this kid would stand up every day [to me], I’m like, ‘This kid ain’t going to back down.’ I knew then, if I’m down by one and I kick it out to someone, he’s going to shoot it and he’s going to make it.”

Both Bryant and O’Neal laughed.

“He was either going to beat the … out of me or I was going to get it done,” Bryant said. “I was comfortable with either one.”

Lots of humor Even today, O’Neal said, the public sometimes reminds him of the disparaging comments he made about Bryant.

“They’ll say, ‘I read an article where you said you was going to kill him.’ Yeah, I did say that, but I didn’t mean it,” O’Neal said, laughing.

Bryant remembers that too.

“Of course I remember

Bryant suggested imagining Wilt Chamberlain in his prime playing with upand-coming Michael Jordan, and Jordan decides he wants to take the controls.

“How long is that going to last before Michael says, ‘You know what, it’s time for me to show what I can do,’” Bryant said, adding of O’Neal, “That’s why he and I are one of a kind when it comes to tandems, because you literally had two alpha males playing together on one team, and that normally does not happen.”

O’Neal said Lakers coach Phil Jackson never played favorites between the two players.

“He was really fair,” O’Neal said. “He only got fed up one time and he came in and said, ‘Both of ya’ll need to cut it out.’

And that’s the only thing he said.”

Bryant on future

that day,” he said, laughing. “I was like, ‘All right, then come on then.’ Dude, if you could have seen this … you’d be like, ‘OK, Shaq is going to … kill this kid.’

But, really, his response to that and what America would think, that shows how different we are. He keeps telling people, ‘Listen, it wasn’t like that, it wasn’t like that.’ And my response is, ‘ … I don’t care what they say.’ That’s how we felt about each other.

That’s how we rolled with each other.”

O’Neal said, “I definitely did not want to leave L.A.,” even though he requested a trade after the 2004 season.

This is the last season on Bryant’s Lakers contract, and it pays him $25 million. He has played in only 41 games the last two seasons because of injuries.

O’Neal asked Bryant if this would be his last season.

“I’m training and getting ready for the season,” said Bryant, who has resumed shooting after surgery to repair a torn right rotator cuff. “I’m really excited about this is my 20th [season]. Twenty years. That’s nuts! I couldn’t imagine playing for 20 years back in the day. So I’m just getting ready. I’m really excited for the team.”

Trade to Miami

Five rings

O’Neal was seeking a contract extension, and at training camp in Hawaii in 2003, he ran down court after scoring a basket during an exhibition game and yelled at Buss, “Now you gonna pay me.”

Buss wasn’t happy, adding to the tension O’Neal had with Bryant. Buss traded O’Neal to Miami on July 14, 2004, ending the pair’s eight-year partnership.

Buss then placed his bets on Bryant, re-signing the guard the very next day to a seven-year, $136-million deal.

“Again, it was two alpha males and the business aspect kicked in,” O’Neal said. “I was getting older. Management was like, ‘Hey, you’re getting older, we know you want this, but we want to give you that.’

And in my mind, ‘I’m not

When Bryant won his fifth championship in 2010, O’Neal, who won four, said he was upset.

“He gets No. 5 and a reporter says, ‘You feel good you got one more than Shaq?’ ” O’Neal said.

“Then Kobe was, ‘Yeah, I got one more than Shaq.’ I was like he got me.”

For his part, Bryant said he was driven even more after O’Neal got his fourth ring in 2006 with Miami.

“I knew he was going to push me to win more, because I always wanted to get to where Magic [Johnson] was, where Michael [Jordan] was,” Bryant said.

“So four was something that was really on my radar.

It pushed me even more.

It drove me even more. So when I got five, I was like, I just had to turn the knife a little bit.”

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Daytona Beach Commissioner Patrick Henry throws the first ball out.

Daytona Tortugas draws Black baseball fans The Daytona Tortugas’ game against the Tampa Yankees was rained out on Aug. 29.

However, Daytona Beach Commissioner Patrick Henry got to throw the first pitch at the Minor League Baseball game at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

Negro League player Doc Graham, 86, who played with baseball great Jackie Robinson, also attend the game.

The Daytona Tortugas was known as the

Daytona Cubs from 1993 to 2014 when the team was an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.

The team plays in the Florida State League (FSL) and is the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.

Tortugas is Spanish for “turtles,” which are abundant in the Daytona Beach area.

According to an MILB.com report, the club’s name change became necessary after the Chicago Cubs organization declined to renew its 22-season affiliation with Daytona, opting to align with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans as their Class A Advanced affiliate instead. Shortly thereafter, Daytona signed a four-year affiliation agreement with the Cincinnati Reds.

Visit www.daytonatortugas.com for information on the team and its schedule.

R8

7EDUCATION

SEPTEMBER 3 – SEPTEMBER 9, 2015

More US funds for children with disabilities State resource centers around country get $14 million from education department

BY JAZELLE HUNT NNPA NEWS WIRE

WASHINGTON – Just in time for the start of the school year, the Department of Education has allocated nearly $14 million to state resource centers for parents of children with disabilities.

These parent training and information centers (PTIs) were created as part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). They are essentially allin-one resource hubs, leadership training grounds, and peer support groups for parents of children up to age 26 with physical, developmental and learning disabilities.

Nearly 1 million Black children receive services under IDEA, or 15 percent of all children with disabilities, according to the Department of Education.

“Funding is crucial to help families understand the educational system, specifically for families from diverse backgrounds,” said Isabel Garcia, president and CEO of Parent to Parent of Miami, a community parent resource center serving Miami-Dade and Monroe counties in Florida.

“It’s just become such a challenge across the nation to meet the needs of children and families to ensure they have better outcomes in the educational system. I don’t think enough families know that the parent centers are there for them to be accessed and to give them support.”

Advocates for kids In addition to PTIs, many states have community parent resource centers (CPRCs) that do the same work, but in underserved communities. At both PTIs and CPRCs, families can learn how to navigate the school system, how to help their child succeed in school; and how to ensure their rights are respected at school.

NNPA NEWS WIRE

About 1 million Black kids in the U.S. receive help through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

“Sometimes there’s conflict at the school level…we call and try to mediate. We resolve issues, instead of having [the families] just file for due process and end up in litigation. That takes years,” Garcia explained.

“The fact that we can advocate for them gives them confidence, so they’re more likely to go to meetings, and to get involved with their child’s education so that they’re child can have better outcomes.”

At CPRCs, parents can also participate in workshops and trainings to become advocates themselves and teach other parents to do the same.

‘Peer-to-peer assistance’ In addition to education resources, the centers help decipher and access Medicare benefits, help parents develop strategies to keep their child safe at

home and in their neighborhood, help parents plan for their child’s future, and help them secure connections to lifelong services. All of the centers’ offerings are at no cost to families. “[Parents] appreciate the peerto-peer assistance, the personal attention, the fact that we’re all parents of kids with disabilities and there’s no judgment. The only information they need is to have is a concern about their child’s disability or just their developmental stage,” said Garcia, who has two adult daughters, one of whom has cerebral palsy.

Garcia began accessing the Miami center in 1989 and eventually became a volunteer, board member, and advocate.

Parents are not required to bring any particular or official information to a PTI or CPRC. In some cases, parents can receive some assistance even if their child

has not been diagnosed, often by using Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (http://www2.ed.gov/ about/offices/list/ocr/504faq. html#interrelationship). Centers also help such parents by simply connecting them to other parents with similar concerns.

The Department of Education gives five-year grants to CPRCs and PTIs in batches of states per year – no centers in the 25 states funded this year will be able to apply for funding until 2017.

Across these 25 states, 40 centers have been awarded funding.

Not enough funding Centers must “compete” for awards through an intricate application process, and funding varies from year to year. Since the services must remain free to families, many centers fundraise and receive donations to fill the gaps when federal money falters.

“The challenge is that there’s so many families who need support and services, and there’s really not enough funding to…be able to meet the needs of families in general,” Garcia said.

As of the 2012-2013 school year, roughly 6.4 million students – or, 13 percent of all students 21 and under – have disabilities, according to Department of Education estimate. Almost half have a learning disability or speech/language impairment.

“The most important work of the parent center is that we let these families know they are not alone,” Garcia said. “That’s really the most important message the IDEA sends to families with the parent centers – this is the one place you can call and get information from parents who have been there. Some of us have made it, and have been successful at it, and there’s hope.”