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OCTOBER 27 – NOVEMBER 2, 2017
VOLUME 25 NO. 43
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THE TRUMP EFFECT After a heated backand forth with President Trump, threats made on the life of Rep. Frederica Wilson are preventing her from voting in Congress. COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS
WASHINGTON – Embroiled in a verbal fight with the White House over a condolence call President Donald Trump made
to the widow of a slain Army sergeant, South Florida Congresswoman Frederica Wilson was in the national spotlight for days last week. Wilson said Trump was “disrespectful” to Sgt. La David Johnson’s widow, Myeshia, by saying her husband had known what he was getting into by joining the Army, and by calling him “your guy” instead of using his name. Wilson was in the car consoling Johnson’s family as they traveled to Miami International Airport to pick up his casket when Trump called. Johnson’s aunt also said See TRUMP, Page A2
MATIAS J. OCNER/MIAMI HERALD/TNS
U.S. Rep Frederica Wilson, center, attended the burial service of Sgt. La David Johnson in Hollywood, Fla., on Oct. 21.
2017 FLORIDA CLASSIC
Just around the corner
‘Men of Morehouse’ get new president Ivy League educator selected by board SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER
KIM GIBSON / FLORIDA COURIER
The annual showdown between the Florida A&M University football Rattlers and the Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats – and their bands – happens on the weekend of Nov. 17-18. FAMU celebrated Homecoming last week, while the Wildcats celebrate its Homecomong this week in Daytona Beach.
ATLANTA – The Morehouse College Board of Trustees voted Oct. 15 to name Dr. David A. Thomas as the 12th president of Morehouse College, ushering in a new era of leadership for the 150-year-old historically Black institution. Thomas’ appointment ends a sixmonth period of leadership transition at Morehouse that began in April when the board announced its national search for a new Morehouse president to replace Dr. John Wilson, whose employment contract was not renewed. Wilson was temporarily replaced by college Chief Operating Officer William Taggart, who unexpectedly died in June Dr. John 2017 shortly after asWilson suming the interim position. Taggart was replaced by Board of Trustees member Harold Martin, Jr., who will serve until Thomas takes over next year.
The only one Morehouse is the world’s only HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) for men. It has See PREZ, Page A2
SNAPSHOTS NATION | A6
Packages to Puerto Rico too heavy
Biggest hurricane threat is right now BY BRETT CLARKSON SUN SENTINEL / TNS
At this time of year, when a storm forms, it’s more likely to hit Florida. That’s because October storms are more likely to form in the western Caribbean Sea, where they tend to travel north over or near western Cuba and then across southern Florida.
ADOPTIONS | A3
A home for Tommie HEALTH | B3
Medicare enrollment advice
ALSO INSIDE
Northern California fire loss total surges to 8,400 structures
A storm brewing That’s what Hurricane Wilma did in 2005 – 12 years ago Tuesday. And now, forecasters are saying there’s a 50 percent chance a smattering of rainstorms in the western Caribbean will become at least a tropical depression in the next five days. “We’re in a wait-and-see mode,” said Dennis Feltgen, spokesman for the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.
The good news, at least so far, is that this potential system is not expected to become a hurricane. If it becomes a named storm, it would be Phillipe. “I hate to say there’s no chance but there’s nothing we see that would indicate it will be a hurricane,” said Bryan Norcross, senior hurricane specialist at the Weather Channel. “But I always say that with tropical systems, they surprise us as much as they don’t.”
Less warning time Feltgen said part of the challenge with storms that form in the western Caribbean in autumn is that there’s a much shorter lead time, which means not as much time to get the warning out. That’s in contrast to August and September, when storms are more likely to form off the coast of Africa – where they take a significantly longer
time to reach the U.S. According to the National Hurricane Center, 10 major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher) hit Florida in October between 1851 and 2015. That’s second only to the month of September, with its 19 major hurricane landfalls in Florida over that same time period. August ranked third, with six; but no major hurricanes struck in November.
End is near Hurricane season officially ends Nov. 30, but the risk to South Florida in November tends to drop significantly as cool, dry air from the north hinders the development of tropical depressions, storms, and hurricanes. If a storm does form in November, it’s most likely to do so in the Caribbean. But atmospheric conditions then are more likely to steer these storms into the Atlantic, away from Florida. Between 1851 and 2015, only two hurricanes have hit Florida in NovemSee THREAT, Page A2
COMMENTARY: LUCIUS GANTT: FREDERICA WILSON IS ONE OF MY ‘WONDER WOMEN’ | A2 COMMENTARY: CLARENCE V. MCKEE: KNEELING PLAYERS NO MATCH FOR SGT. JOHNSON’S STATUE | A4
FOCUS
A2
OCTOBER 27 – NOVEMBER 2, 2017 Washington, Andrew Young, Julian Bond and even Marion Barry didn’t bite their tongues when it came to talking about issues of importance to Black America! Just like Shirley Chisholm did in the past, today, women in elected office have no fear of the devils in the White House.
Rep. Wilson is one of my ‘Wonder Women’ Devilish Donald Trump and his seemingly wicked and deceitful chief of staff, former General John Kelly, has spent over a week criticizing and trying to defame my friend Congresswoman Frederica Wilson and the family of Sgt. La David Johnson. Instead of explaining how and why Johnson and three other soldiers were ambushed and murdered in the African country of Niger, the president and his puppet of a chief of staff decided to divert the narrative by attacking an African-American congresswoman!
A real servant Rep. Wilson is not “wacky,” as she was labeled by “Trumpty Dumbty.” She is a longtime and tireless servant of the people. She started a well-known mentoring program in Miami long before she became a member of Congress and has a history of working with community leaders, community activists and Black nationalist freedom fighters! The 2018 American elections are predicted to have hundreds of women running for election to a
Not alone
LUCIUS GANTT THE GANTT REPORT
variety of offices, and that is good. There are currently more Black males in public office than there are females but, from my vantage point, the cat’s got their tongue, literally and figuratively!
Where are they? I haven’t seen many of them defending and supporting Rep. Wilson, her cause and her dignity, and her truthful description of presidential disrespect of the wife and family of Sgt. Johnson. I know for a fact that Black male elected officials know who Frederica Wilson is, and they know she doesn’t lie. But when she was called “wacky” by someone that fabricated a sacred conversation about the sacrifice made by a soldier she knew dearly, most Black men in public office were quiet as a church mouse!
COURTESY OF THE GANTT REPORT
A younger Lucius Gantt with Frederica Wilson, the Rev. Al Sharpton, and members of the Congressional Black Caucus and others.
Why the silence? Perhaps it is because some were reluctant to speak because the Democratic Party hadn’t given them permission to speak. Maybe the silence was because their White political consultants and campaign managers told them to stay out of the fray. Or could their inaction and lack of verbal response to attacks on a beloved female elected official be because they just didn’t have a vehicle to get their messages of sup-
PREZ
Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior Studies and a Master of Philosophy in Organizational Behavior degree, both from Yale University. He also has a Master of Organizational Psychology degree from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Administrative Sciences degree from Yale College.
from A1 produced four Rhodes Scholars, several college presidents, and leaders in many other fields. According to the National Science Foundation, Morehouse is the nation’s top producer of Black males who continue their education and receive doctorates. The National Science Foundation also ranked Morehouse as the No. 1 producer of Black men who receive doctorates in education, life and physical sciences, math and computer sciences, psychology and social sciences, as well as humanities and the arts. Morehouse currently has more than 17,000 alumni representing more than 40 states and 14 countries. U.S. News & World Report also consistently ranks Morehouse as one of the nation’s top five HBCUs.
‘Nationally respected’
COURTESY OF MOREHOUSE COLLEGE
Dr. David A. Thomas will take the reins at Morehouse College on Jan. 1, 2018.
Many evaluated The school’s Presidential Search Committee, assisted by Issacson Miller recruiters, reviewed the profiles of more than 100 executives for the role, including several sitting college presidents.
Women also considered “We were searching for the right leader to set the stage for another 150 years of success at Morehouse,” said Presidential Search Committee Chair Dale Jones.
TRUMP from A1 the family took that remark to be disrespectful. “There’s nothing to misinterpret,” Wilson said. “He said what he said, I just don’t agree with it. I just don’t think that’s what you should say to grieving families.”
Trump, Kelly respond Trump then unloaded on Wilson on Twitter. “The Fake News is going crazy with wacky Congresswoman Wilson(D), who was SECRETLY on a very personal call, and gave a total lie on content!” Trump tweeted. White House chief of staff John Kelly then held a rare news conference where he spent 20 minutes criticizing Wilson without using her name and incorrectly recounting a 2015 FBI dedication ceremony speech that Wilson gave in Miramar, Fla. Kelly blasted Wilson without saying her name, just calling her the congresswoman. At one point, he called her a “selfish member of Congress.” “It stuns me that a member of Congress would have listened in on that conversation,” he said. “I would
port out to the public? Well, Rep. Maxine Waters used social media immediately to voice her displeasure at the way her colleague was falsely accused. I guess Facebook accounts, Twitter accounts and other social media accounts of male elected officials were shut down, except for personal posts. I know you don’t like for me to write like this. But not so long ago, Adam Clayton Powell was not hesitant or afraid to talk about Black issues. Maynard Jackson, Harold
William Taggart
Harold Martin, Jr.
“We vetted many candidates, including outstanding women. What we found in Dr. Thomas was a commitment to excellence and invaluable experience. He’s an exceptional leader and the right individual to lead More-
have thought that was sacred.”
‘The most noise’ He referred to Wilson as an “empty barrel.” “A congresswoman stood up, and in a long tradition of empty barrels making the most noise, stood up there … and talked about how she was instrumental in getting the funding for that building, and how she took care of her constituents because she got the money,” Kelly said. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended Kelly. “If you’re able to make a sacred act like honoring American heroes about yourself, you’re an empty barrel,” she said in a statement.
Never happened But video evidence showed that Kelly was wrong. But Wilson never boasted about securing the funds. Video of the nineminute speech posted online by the South Florida Sun Sentinel proved Kelly wrong. The tape shows Wilson thanking then-FBI Director James Comey and other agents and talking about the dangers of the job. She also applauds her own efforts to speed along legislation dedicating the building in honor of Agents
house into the future.” Currently, Thomas is the H. Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and the former Dean of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. According to a press release from the college, Thomas was chosen as the top candidate because of “his visionary leadership as a business school administrator and his proven track record in fundraising,” which includes a capital campaign that raised more than $130 million in five years for Georgetown McDonough. Thomas has 30 years of higher education experience. He holds a
Benjamin Grogan and Jerry Dove, killed during a 1986 shootout with bank robbers south of Miami. She said that her effort and that of other lawmakers “speaks to the respect that our Congress has for the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the men and women who put their lives on the line every single day.”
A ‘personal’ issue Wilson’s office declined to comment on Kelly’s remarks, referring to a Wednesday statement. “This is personal for me, not political,” Wilson said. “Sgt. Johnson was a member of my community and of the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project that I founded to help boys of color build successful futures. “He was killed while on a mission to provide training and security assistance to West African armed forces battling vicious insurgents like Boko Haram, the group whose defeat I’ve been fighting for since it abducted nearly 300 Nigerian schoolgirls more than three years ago.” Kelly has yet to apologize for his remarks, and Sanders said that it’s “highly inappropriate” to debate Kelly, a former four-star general. “I feel sorry for Gen. Kelly,” Wilson told CNN. “He has my sympathy for the
“Dr. Thomas is a nationally respected business educator and visionary leader with a support network that will bring transformative change to Morehouse College,” said Willie Woods, chairman of the Board of Trustees. “Having David at Morehouse will raise the profile of our worldclass institution and lead to partnerships that will allow Morehouse to be more competitive for top students, expand our academic programs, improve our facilities, and provide more signature opportunities for leadership that make Morehouse Men among the most sought-after graduates in the country.”
No financial aid According to Thomas, “Morehouse was actually where I wanted to go to college from the time I was 10. I got into Morehouse, but I didn’t receive any financial aid. My second-choice school did offer a scholarship, so I enrolled there, but always with a yearning to be at Morehouse. “As the son of working-class parents who did not attend college, I understand the transformative power of higher education for people of color. I also understand what it means to be a Black male in America, and the determination and strength of
loss of his son. But he can’t just go on TV and lie on me.”
Threats begins Days later, one racist threat against Wilson that surfaced on a Facebook account attributed to Tom Keevers, a 54-year-old Chicago-area man, is being investigated by police. “Need ten good men to help carry out a lynching,” the post read. “Must have own horse and saddle. Rope will be provided. This congresswomen (sic) is a disgusting pig. Someone should take their boot to her face.” Keevers told the Chicago Tribune newspaper that an anonymous “meme-maker” put words in his mouth and that he and his family are now getting death threats.
Threat goes viral Screen grabs of a post purportedly made on Keevers’ Facebook page went viral over the weekend after they were shared nearly 4,000 times on Twitter. But Keevers said that local police promised him there was “nothing for me to worry about. “People threaten Donald Trump all the time and nothing happens,” he said. “I don’t think a lot about what I write on Facebook.” A source close to Wilson
Wilson and Waters are not the only ones. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California, is quick to point out when the president and others in government are dead wrong! The Gantt Report is not scared either. Rep. Frederica Wilson has my full support. I’ve worked with her in the past, helped her in the past and will do whatever I can do to stand by her and support her in these days of government mismanagement and misrepresentation! Holler at me, Frederica. You know how to reach me. You and the other females in elected office that stand up, speak out and tell the truth will always be my Wonder Women!
Buy Gantt’s latest book, “Beast Too: Dead Man Writing,” on Amazon.com and from bookstores everywhere. “Like” The Gantt Report page on Facebook. Contact Lucius at www. allworldconsultants.net. character that it takes to be successful. I will work tirelessly to help raise the scholarship funds necessary so that no deserving student who wants a Morehouse education is left behind.” Thomas is planning to launch a major capital campaign to increase funds for student scholarships, among other needs. He will also focus on making Morehouse a premier institution for research on the Black experience, and will work to expand Morehouse’s international outreach, including in its student recruitment and hiring practices.
Non-alumnus Thomas will be the first Morehouse president in 50 years who did not graduate from the college. The last president who was not an alumnus was Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays, Morehouse’s revered sixth president who mentored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. King graduated with Morehouse’s Class of 1948. “I think the entire Morehouse family will be very excited about the appointment of PresidentElect Thomas,” said Dr. Robert M. Franklin, President-Emeritus. “David is deeply committed to educating African-American men and to innovative approaches to higher education. He has spent his entire career from Yale to Harvard Business School to Georgetown University preparing for this opportunity. “He appreciates the signal honor of being selected as the first non-alumnus Morehouse president since Dr. Benjamin Mays, and we stand ready to support and serve with him.”
confirmed that the Florida Democrat was not in Washington this week due to ongoing threats. Congressional vote tallies show that Wilson last voted Oct. 12, before the House adjourned for a weeklong break. She has missed 19 votes between Monday and Wednesday this week.
Multiple investigations? The source close to Wilson said that there are “some” ongoing investigations into threats on the congresswoman. Threatening a member of Congress is a federal crime that can carry a sentence of up to five years in prison. “Nothing else would keep her from voting,” the source said. Wilson did not respond to a request for comment. “She’s home,” said Rep. Alcee Hastings, a Florida Democrat. “I have not spoken with her about it, but I’ve heard that she’s received substantial death threats and I think she is doing everything she can to ratchet down and let some of us, including me, take over.” Hastings said she expected Wilson to return next week. “Gen. Kelly ought to apologize to Frederica and he should encourage Donald Trump to apologize to Myeshia Johnson,” Hastings said.
“Will they do that? No. Because Donald Trump’s habit is to double down whether he tells a damn lie or not, and he needs to stop the damn lies, not just about Frederica but about an array of individuals.”
Denis Slattery and David Boroff of the New York Daily News, Alex Daugherty and Anita Kumar of the McClatchy Washington Bureau, and Kim Janssen of the Chicago Tribune (TNS) contributed to this report.
THREAT from A1 ber. More likely, but still relatively rare, are tropical storms and depressions hitting in November. Records show there have been six tropical storms to hit Florida in November between 1851 and 2015. But hurricane forecasters also warn that hurricanes can and do form anywhere at any point during the season – and even outside of the season.
OCTOBER 27 – NOVEMBER 2, 2017
FLORIDA
A3
Governor: Hurricane fuels drop in people without jobs THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
Florida’s jobless rate dropped 0.2 percentage points in September – to
3.8 percent – even though the number of people with jobs fell by 42,000 from August. Gov. Rick Scott attributed the drop in the state’s
unemployment rate to Hurricane Irma, a massive storm that swept throughout the state last month. The estimated figures posted Oct. 20 by the De-
partment of Economic Opportunity also stripped Monroe County – still reeling from the powerful storm that made initial landfall in the Keys on
Sept. 10 – of its long-held position of the state’s lowest jobless mark. “Hurricane Irma was the largest storm we have seen, which affected our entire
state and led to the largest evacuation and power restoration effort,” Scott said in a release. “Obviously, our jobs numbers were affected because of this. “Florida is a resilient state and we are working around the clock to rebuild and recover from this unprecedented storm.”
Highest in Hendry Monroe County saw its unemployment mark grow to 3.3 percent, up from 2.7 percent in August. The September number is higher than 20 other counties. Okaloosa and St. Johns counties now hold the mark for the lowest jobless rate, both at 2.7 percent. Rural Hendry County, which was entering the citrus growing season, is the highest at 8.6 percent. Florida’s citrus industry took an estimated $760 million hit due to Irma. “When businesses are closed down, they are not creating new jobs,” Cissy Proctor, executive director of the Department of Economic Opportunity, told Scott and the Cabinet last week. “But, there are a lot of companies and businesses all across the state that are up and running again, and are having their employees come in and work and are creating jobs.”
383,000 jobless
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The Florida numbers released represent 383,000 jobless from a workforce of 10.1 million. The monthly total of jobless is down 25,000 from August, while the workforce has grown by 17,000 in the same time. The federal rate fell to 4.2 percent in September from 4.4 percent in August, but also saw jobless claims grow, in large part to Hurricane Harvey’s impact on Texas.
COURTESY OF PEZZ PHOTO
ADOPTIONS
A home for Tommie SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER
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Meet Tommie
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Tommie is an active, inquisitive kid who loves family and having fun. He’s a diligent student who strives for good grades, and he especially enjoys reading. He likes sports of all kinds, but he’s particularly good at football and dodge ball. He’s a natural leader and would make a great coach or mentor one day. As it is, Tommie looks forward to being a dad and having a family of “all boys plus a girl.” Family is incredibly important to him, and he’s eager to become part of one.
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EDITORIAL
A4
OCTOBER 27 – NOVEMBER 2, 2017
Kneeling NFL players no match for Sgt. Johnson’s stature What a contrast. The picture of the grieving wife of Black U.S. Army Green Beret Sgt. La David Johnson – killed in an ambush in Niger, Africa – sobbing over his flag-covered casket; and that of Black NFL players of his same generation dishonoring the national anthem and the flag for which he died, so that they could have the freedom to disrespect both. These pampered athletes’ major achievements in life include making it to the NFL because they are the best at catching or running with a football, or knocking people down – not quite life-and-death challenges.
Already serving While they were playing football, Johnson at the young age of 25, had become a member of the U.S. Army’s elite Special Forces Green Berets! While NFL protesters’ mission is to win football games, the mission of Johnson’s Green Berets is unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action and counterterrorism to protect us from our enemies around the world. It was in the course of such activities that Johnson and three of his Green Beret brothers were ambushed and killed in Niger. They were supporting local forces fighting terrorist’s groups such as Isis, Boko Haram, and al-Qaida – a bit more difficult than picking up first downs on a football field. Most, if not all, of those raising their fists and kneeling to protest the flag and anthem can’t hold a candle to Johnson in terms of the
CLARENCE V. MCKEE, ESQ. GUEST COMMENTARY
awards and decorations he received in his short life and career, including the U.S. Army Achievement, Good Conduct, War on Terrorism Service, and Global Medals; the U.S. Army Service Ribbon; and the U.S. Army Parachutist Badge Additionally, Sgt. Johnson received the Canadian Parachutist Wings after participating in operations with the Canadian Armed Forces.
Made all proud
VISUAL VIEWPOINT: TRUMP FIGHTS MILITARY FAMILIES
ers stand during the national anthem. If they don’t, they should be fined by the league. Owners should have the discretion to bench them if they refuse to obey.
War is real In most cases, the worst thing NFL players must worry about is a penalty or a game-, seasonor career-ending injury. For soldiers like Johnson and his three colleagues, the worst thing is death. Football is a game – war is real. If you think that there is irony in the contrast of the two images noted above, there’s another irony in this ongoing NFL saga – the racial double standard. Do you really think that a White NFL player could have gotten away with disrespecting the national anthem and American flag as has been the case with these Black athletes? No way! Why? Because the commissioner and owners are White; most, if not all, of the protesters are Black. Also, over 70 per cent of the players are Black. You can bet that the NFL and owners did not want to be called “racist.” They are intimidated by race.
ADAM ZYGLIS, THE BUFFALO NEWS
There’s no doubt that there is a racial double standard at the NFL. If you are White and make controversial statements or protest the flag and anthem against the best advice of the NFL or an owner, you probably wouldn’t have a job for long. The problem for the NFL is that such a double standard where Blacks can protest but Whites
better not may lead to subtle locker room division and resentment, costing victories on the field. If Colin Kaepernick had been White, I am sure he would have been fined or suspended and the matter would have been closed. But don’t dare do that to a Black player or you will be called a racist or get a call from the Rev. Al Sharpton or the NAACP – neither of whom could pay one cent of any player’s salary. It’s not too dissimilar from the case of ESPN Black host Jemele Hill, who first called Trump a “White supremacist” and later said that fans should boycott Dallas Cowboys advertisers because owner Jerry Jones said any player who refused to stand for the national anthem would be benched. Although suspended for the latter, she was not disciplined for
the first comment – unlike White former ESPN host Curt Shilling, who was fired after posting a statement on social media opposing transgender bathroom policies. I’m betting that if she were White, she would have been fired long ago. All of this said, wouldn’t it be a great gesture for the protesting Miami Dolphins, or the entire team – whose stadium is in Johnson’s hometown of Miami Gardens – to step up to the plate and establish a fund to provide for the education of Johnson’s children? Don’t hold your breath.
Sgt. Johnson died because of American foreign policy
like “Gold Star family” and make the case for continued American aggression around the world.
even when they look like us. They die because they are trying to kill other people.
Easy target
Specifics don’t matter
The desire to be affirmed by American society has dangerous consequences for Black people. This pernicious dynamic creates the inclination to worship any Black face in a high place or to defend questionable activity. The death of special forces Sergeant La David Johnson in Niger is a case in point.
It is pointless to ask about the specific circumstances of Johnson’s death. He died along with three other soldiers in the murky circumstances that are to be expected in warfare. Any questions posed should be about America’s ever-expanding empire and the determination to make war on as many places in the world as possible. Black people should feel no need to validate themselves through military service or any other undertaking. As the people who have suffered through centuries of unpaid labor, Jim Crow apartheid and constant oppression, we should feel no need to uphold this system. Yet we have already proven a willingness to die for the interests of a corrupt and dangerous state. There is frankly no reason to show pride in Johnson’s death or to allow a member of the CBC to turn an important issue into nonsensical grandstanding versus Trump. At this juncture in history, all talk of patriotism is at best foolish and at worst a call for continued crimes and mass murder. It is also high time to end the deification of the American war dead,
What about other deaths?
A simple task Donald Trump’s racism and stupidity prevented him from performing the simple task of conveying appropriate condolences to Johnson’s widow. The ensuing brouhaha focuses on what Trump said in the phone call overheard by Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) member Frederica Wilson. Almost no one is asking about the fact that American troops are stationed in Africa at all. Few people realize that such a thing as the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) exists, and that the military forces of most African nations have been under the de facto control of America since the George W. Bush administration. There is similar silence about
He was quite a guy! His family, community, state, and nation can be proud of him. They can be proud of his service, sacrifice, and selfless devotion to his country. The same applies to those who died with him. In honoring Johnson, Florida Governor Rick Scott said that he and his three colleagues “made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country and our freedom. We will never forget their heroic actions. We will continue to pray for the safety of all our brave military members across our country and abroad.” It’s too bad that the actions of those athletes who continue to dishonor the flag and the anthem send the opposite message – whether they, the NFL, team owners and their allies admit it or not. That’s why the NFL should require – not suggest – that play-
MARGARET KIMBERLEY BLACK AGENDA REPORT
the role that the United States played in bringing groups designated as terrorists into nations such as Niger and Mali. The decision to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi in Libya is directly responsible for Boko Haram and Al-Qaeda affiliate groups gaining a foothold throughout the region. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and their NATO partners in crime were not just responsible for the deaths of thousands of Libyans, slavery in that country, and an ongoing humanitarian crisis. They are responsible for bringing state-sponsored terror to the entire region. Focusing on Donald Trump’s bad behavior is a sure path to confusion and accommodation. Instead of denouncing imperialism, otherwise sensible people are waving the flag and attacking Trump using right-wing terminology. They use ludicrous terms
Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 306 QUICK TAKES FROM #2: STRAIGHT, NO CHASER
CHARLES W. CHERRY II, ESQ. PUBLISHER
Congrats, Chayla! My daughter, now a high school senior, served as co-captain of her South Plantation High School volleyball team and took them to the state regional tournament for the first time in recent school history. She left everything on the floor before losing in the quarterfinals. Giving your all is all an athlete can do…
Real double standard
Wilson vs. Trump – I’ve previously referred to “Trump Derangement Syndrome” that can drive people crazy in any number of ways. Trump supporters suffering from the ‘syndrome’ will lie, cheat, steal and even destroy their own reputations to stay in Trump’s good graces, keep their jobs, or show their public support of him. The latest extremely severe case: White House Chief of Staff John Kelly. Kelly – considered to be one of the rational “adults in the room” in a White House that has been described as an “adult
Condolences to Johnson’s family are appropriate. But they are also appropriate for the millions of people who lost loved ones to American empire-building in Niger, Somalia, Libya, Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq. That is a short list which only includes the victims of American war crimes committed in the past 20 years. No one should be fooled by crocodile tears from White Americans with grudges against Trump. If Sergeant Johnson had been killed by a police officer in an American city, many of the same White people who now rush to call him a hero would either shrug their shoulders in indifference or applaud his death. They should not be allowed to jump on the bandwagon of fake concern because Trump is their target. As for Congresswoman Wilson, she has a golden opportunity to discuss the impact of American interventions abroad and question their rationale. But like the rest of her CBC colleagues, her interests are confined to reliance on the largesse of the Democratic Party and their corporate benefactors.
day care center” with a single resident named Donald Trump – impugned his character irrevocably by making excuses for King Don’s failure to accomplish what columnist Margaret Kimberley rightfully calls “a simple task”: conveying condolences on behalf of a grateful nation to a grieving military family. What is it about the ‘syndrome’ that will make people tell boldface lies, when the truth is easily verifiable? Why would Kelly tell an unnecessary lie about one of Congresswoman Frederica Wilson’s speeches? Why would Sean Spicer, on the first full day of
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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Clarence V. McKee is a government, political and media relations consultant and president of McKee Communications, Inc., as well as a Newsmax.com contributor. This article originally appeared on Newsmax.com.
Trump’s bad behavior makes him an easy target for scorn and a convenient punching bag for the useless Black political class. If Wilson wants to take on the president it ought to be for more substantive reasons. Likening his boorishness to “Benghazi” uses a right-wing trope for ridiculous effect. Any discussion about Sergeant Johnson ought to point out that he was a victim of the “poverty draft.” Before enlisting, he worked at Walmart – a sure path to continued poverty or to the dubious odds offered by the Army. Trump said that Johnson “knew what he signed up for,” but that is probably not true. He took a chance and hoped for the best. Unfortunately, the machinations of Bush, Obama, Clinton and Trump made his choice a bad one. If the congresswoman wants to have a debate, she could start with the realities of Johnson’s life and how it ran afoul of United States foreign policy. Only then would her fight with a president be worthwhile.
Margaret Kimberley’s column appears weekly in BlackAgendaReport.com. Contact her at Margaret.Kimberley@BlackAgendaReport.com.
the Trump administration, tell a boldface lie about the size of Trump’s inauguration crowd? Did they both forget about the presence of digital cameras that record everything? The worst part is that the lies don’t matter. Spicer got out of the White House and immediately got a six-figure job. Kelly will eventually get out of the White House, write a book on leadership, and be a Fox News commentator. Ohhh, to be White, male, and delusional in Trump’s America…
I’m at ccherry2@gmail.com.
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OCTOBER 27 – NOVEMBER 2, 2017
House (of Representatives) Negroes rally against Russia The Congressional Black Caucus is “the heart and soul of the resistance movement in Congress,” said California Rep. Barbara Lee, speaking at a “State of Black America” panel at Laney College in Oakland, Calif., last week. Lee’s right. She and her Black corporate Democratic colleagues are in the forefront of a kind of “resistance” – but not resistance to the routine murder of Blacks by police, or the economic race to the bottom led by the Caucus’s patrons on Wall Street, or to gentrification, hyper-militarization and war.
Their own resistance Instead, the Black Caucus has been waging a desperate resistance to the incipient grassroots movement that emerged in Ferguson, Missouri, three years ago. This perversion of “resistance” now speaks in anti-Russia tirades. But that’s only the CBC’s latest diversionary tactic as it scrambles to reclaim its squandered legitimacy. Like the rest of the Black Misleadership Class, the Caucus feared that a revival of movement politics might unleash forces that could not easily be contained. The Black elite’s job is to keep the lid on Black protest – the real resistance – so that the dispersal, disempowerment and demoralization of Black communities can be accomplished with as little disruption as possible. The rebellions in Ferguson and Baltimore threatened the carefully constructed arrangement between corporate power and the Black political class – a deal forged and mediated largely through the structures of the Democratic Party.
and led by the people, not by a political party.” Just two months before a Ferguson cop gunned down Michael GLEN Brown, the Congressional Black FORD Caucus showed its true allegiances when 80 percent of its memBLACK AGENDA REPORT bers voted against a bill that would have halted Pentagon transfers of Owned by Dems weapons, gear and training to loThe Black political class lives cal police departments. and feeds within the institutional confines of the Democratic Party, Congressional which has colonized most of the distraction Black community’s civic groups Two years later, when all of Black and churches. America was in mourning or enFor the Black elite, “resistance” gaged in outraged action over the means defense of the Democratpolice murders of Alton Sterling in ic Party against all challengers – Baton Rouge and Philando Casincluding independent political tile in Minnesota, the Congressiochallenges from grassroots Black nal Black Caucus tried to change America, which is decidedly to the the subject, staging a diversionary left of the Democratic Party. sit-down on the floor of the U.S. Ferguson thus created a crisis, House demanding gun control – not just for the ruling order in gen- as if that had anything to do with eral, but also for the corporate- mass police killings of Black peodependent Black Misleadership ple. Class, rooted in the Democratic With the defeat of corporatist Party. Democrat Hillary Clinton by the The first casualties were the overt racist Donald Trump, the Reverends Al Sharpton and Jesse Black Caucus exited from realityJackson, as well as lesser lights of based politics altogether. Atlanta their ilk, whose legitimacy as Black Congressman John Lewis forgot leaders was rejected by a new cad- all about Republican voter supre of activists. pression, which had stolen at least
DNC rejected The Democratic National Committee’s attempt to absorb #BlackLivesMatter was also rebuffed – for the time being, at least – in the late summer of 2015, when #BLM leaders declared: “The Democratic Party, like the Republican and all political parties, have historically attempted to control or contain Black people’s efforts to liberate ourselves. True change requires real struggle, and that struggle will be in the streets
Vietnam, the worst years of our lives – Part 2 During the presidential election of 1964, candidate Lyndon B. Johnson told a group of military supporters, “Get me elected and you can have your damn war.” He delivered on the promise. By 1965, our nation was in full swing. Soon there would be up to 500,000 U.S. military involved. Body bags would start shipping home to the tune of 500 per week. The mid-1960s became chaotic, with anti-war demonstrations growing stronger and stronger. Our government was disingenuous and lied to the public. Life in America became depressing and tense.
Bitter times Racism within our military was apparent and a very bitter pill to take. There wasn’t much of a difference between racial tension during World War II and the Vietnam War. You would think progress had been made but it wasn’t. Throughout the South, the institutional racism was slow to fade away.
HARRY C. ALFORD GUEST COLUMNIST
My mentor, Dr. Arthur A. Fletcher, told me of the time when he was shot by a Nazi sniper during guard duty while serving in Germany after the D-Day invasion of Normandy. He lost his spleen and was hospitalized for months at a hospital in the Canary Islands. He was extremely disappointed that the Army officials would not grant him a Purple Heart medal for being wounded in action. The military doctor told him that they did not keep the bullet that went into his body, and therefore could not determine if it was a German Army weapon that did the damage or just one of General Patton’s “Southern rednecks” taking some target
The value of being unreasonable Paraphrasing British playwright George Bernard Shaw, “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world, the unreasonable man adapts the world to himself; therefore, all progress is dependent upon the unreasonable man.” Jesus Christ was unreasonable enough to think that by challenging the social and class norms of his day, he could draw all men unto God. Samuel Cornish and John B. Russwurm, the founding editors of Freedom’s Journal, were unreasonable enough to fight the vicious stereotypes about freed and enslaved Africans using the Black Press nearly 40 years before the Civil War. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was unreasonable enough to believe that, through non-violence, he could melt the hatred in mankind.
In a similar manner, President Trump, Steve Bannon, Congressman Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Congressman Ken Buck (R-Colo.) and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), will have a similar impact, specifically on the Black community. Transformative change rarely comes from expected quarters. Jesus Christ was a lowly carpenter; Cornish and Russwurm were upstart journalists; King was a wanna-be preacher plucked out of obscurity. Yet, their lives are still relevant to our world long after their deaths.
Global impact
‘Paradigm shift’
Because of their unreasonableness, all four of the above-mentioned people had a global impact on the world, with their effects still being felt to this very day.
Trump’s presidential campaign was all about transformative change and totally upending the status quo and the establishment, globally. He shifted the conversation about the Black vote from,
RAYNARD JACKSON NNPA NEWS WIRE
two presidential elections in this century and surely played a decisive role in Trump’s 2016 victory. Instead, the first thing out of Lewis’ mouth after the Electoral College verdict was “...Russians!” And that’s all the Black Caucus has talked about ever since. Barbara Lee and Maxine Waters, who were among the eight Black Caucus members that voted to halt the Pentagon’s wholesale militarization of local police in 2014, have now made common cause with the rest of the Caucus in de-
EDITORIAL VISUAL VIEWPOINT: DONALD TRUMP AND PUERTO RICO
STEVE SACK, THE MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE
manding that Facebook, Google Black Caucus has become the War and other social media gatekeep- Party’s rhythm section, beating the ers censor their pages to prohibit drums of the New McCarthyism. “promotion of division and racial animosity and racial hatred.” Annual conference On November 4 and 5, the Black Excuse for censorship Is Back Coalition will hold its anGoogle was eager to interpret nual conference and march on the this as a mandate to censor the White House under the theme, Left. The corporation openly brags “The Ballot AND the Bullet: War that it has altered its algorithms to and Peace in the Era of Donsuppress “controversial” subject ald Trump.” There is a consensus matter, resulting in dramatic de- among the Coalition that the balclines in visitation to a whole range lot can be useful in conjunction of left-wing web sites, especially with struggles for social and ecothose singled out by the Washing- nomic justice, Black self-determiton Post right after the election, as nation, and peace. giving aid and comfort to Russia. But the Black Misleadership (Black Agenda Report is the only Class, which includes the vast bulk Black site targeted by the Post.) of Black Democratic office holdThe Black Caucus has found its ers, is loyal to nothing but its own comfort zone, in the heat of battle class fortunes and personal caagainst Russia (and China, Vene- reers. When the crunch comes, zuela, Cuba, Syria and everybody they change the subject, and then else on the imperial hit list). opt for war. The CBC motto: “My master’s enemy is my enemy.” They have Glen Ford is executive editor taken the meaning of “House Ne- of BlackAgendaReport.com. Egro” to a new level. Having noth- mail him at Glen.Ford@BlackAing to offer their constituents, the gendaReport.com.
practice on some colored soldiers death from combat. This should whom they detested. Art was for- have been automatic. Speedy was ever bitter about that. from Stephens, Ark., and many of the induction centers in the South were notorious for racial inequiNot unusual I later found out that such de- ties. I had a flashback of another nials went on during the Vietnam War. Recently, I have been re- friend who was killed while servsearching the records of some of ing in Vietnam. His mother commy friends who were killed dur- plained of the same experience. She thought the mother of her ing the Vietnam War. Ivra Allen Tatum, known to all son’s child must have received of us as “Speedy,” was drafted and the benefits instead of her. But four months after arriving in Viet- maybe no one received the bennam was killed. In pulling up his efits. record online (www.virtualwall. org), his name appears on Panel I will find out 23E, Line 32 on the Vietnam War I must now investigate both Memorial in Washington, D.C. matters. I get the feeling that this I noticed something startling. may turn out to be “a Black thing.” The record stated he was indeed It has been fifty years since these killed, but there was no record of things happened. I am going to the automatic Purple Heart. find out the real story. Justice must be served! No benefits Another form of discrimination I contacted his surviving sister. our Black veterans suffered from With apparent anger, she stated was “rank reduction.” This hapthat her parents were not given his pened in both the Vietnam War Purple Heart. Then she dropped and World War II. After serving 20-plus years in a bombshell. They didn’t receive the U.S. Army with tours in Viethis death benefits, either. When you are inducted into the nam, the Army had a strange reservice, you receive a life insur- tirement gift for my first cousin, ance policy ($15,000 as I recall at Robert L. Alford. They informed that time) which will be given to him that they were going to reyour stated beneficiary upon your duce his rank from lieutenant col“Will he get any Black votes?” to “How many Black votes will he get?” This type of paradigm shift is a marketer’s dream. Trump’s recently departed senior adviser, Steve Bannon, is likewise transforming the Republican conversation about engagement with the Black community from “Why bother?” to “Let’s work together on common goals.” A few weeks ago, I took about 20 very successful Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs – some of them hard-left Democrats – to meet with Bannon. Without exception, they all expressed their willingness to join forces with Bannon to focus on creating a more conducive economic environment for the small and minority business community to thrive. Reps. Gosar, Buck, McMorris Rodgers and I have all become fast friends based on a common belief that the Republican Party needs to do a much better job cultivating relationships within the Black community, especially with Black entrepreneurs. They, along with their respective staffs, went all-in with their support last month of my 527 SuperPAC’s first annual economic policy forum. Black Americans for a Better Future gathered 100 top Black entrepreneurs from across the country under the theme, “A Republican Vision for Creating Opportunities for Black Entrepreneurs.”
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onel to major. It took him a couple of years, but he won his case. So much thanks for his service! It is not coincidental that this was happening during World War II. As the war was winding down, my father-in-law was notified that his rank was being reduced from captain to first lieutenant and he would be discharged from active duty as such.
Legal battles That’s how they treated this celebrated Tuskegee Airman. He had to formally sue the United States government (Google “DeBow vs. United States”). Eventually they relented and restored his rank and seniority. He retired from the Air Force Reserve as a lieutenant colonel after much stress and many legal battles. These two incidents are not coincidental. This is nothing but a Black thing and a very strange way to thank Black veterans for their service. They say, “War is hell.” I guess there are more reasons than one.
Harry C. Alford is the cofounder and president/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce. Contact him via www.nationalbcc.org. ager, that they somehow are bad people. These same establishment folks said Ronald Reagan would never be president nor would Donald Trump. These same consultants who go from losing campaign to losing campaign never will see any value in the Black voter. Their electoral track record proves it. Now I have built serious relationships with a group of unreasonable elected Republicans, consultants, staffers, and operatives, who are just unreasonable enough to believe that Black voters have value and are worth cultivating relationships with. They believe that Black voters should have a voice and input into legislation that effects all Americans and are willing to provide that forum and opportunity. Why am I so optimistic? Because I am very unreasonable.
The fascinating thing about Gosar, Buck, and McMorris Rodgers is that even though they don’t have many Blacks in their congressional districts, they recognize that recruiting more Blacks into the Republican party is incredibly important and the right thing to do, and it’s also good for America. So, while many are looking for change to come out of Republican institutions like the Republican National Committee (RNC), the transformative change that Blacks are screaming for will more than likely come from the likes of Gosar, Buck, and McMorris Rodgers. The reason they will be at the forefront of this change is because they are unreasonable people. They also encourage their respective staffs to be just as unreasonable as they are. They are unreasonable enough to ignore people like famed Republican pollster Frank Luntz, who never misses an opportunity Raynard Jackson is foundto pontificate about the futility of er and chairman of Black even paying attention to the Black Americans for a Better Future vote. (BAFBF), a federally registered Super PAC established to get Don’t believe it So don’t believe the hype from more Blacks, especially entrethe media and “establishment” preneurs, involved in the ReRepublicans about people like publican Party. For more inBannon or Corey Lewandowski, formation, visit www.bafbf. Trump’s former campaign man- org.
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Health dilemma Her 12-year-old son, James Lopez, was born with one bad lung, a weak immune system and requires a machine to pump food into his stomach; if done improperly, it could lead to an infection. Because of his health problems, her son needs a nurse by his side at school. Flores looked at James on the bed next to her. A blue face mask lay between them. “I may need to go to school to personally feed him,” she said. “I may become his nurse. “We have an opportunity to move forward,” Flores said. “We didn’t lose our home, and I’m compelled to help others.”
‘Difficult and sad’
GENARO MOLINA/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS
A U.S. flag hangs from the remnants of a fire-ravaged home on Willowview Court in the Coffee Park neighborhood of Santa Rosa, Calif., on Oct. 18.
Northern California fire loss total surges to 8,400 structures BY RUBEN VIVES AND RICHARD WINTON LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS
SANTA ROSA, Calif. — The wine country wildfires destroyed at least 8,400 homes and other buildings, authorities said Monday, a significant increase in the already staggering property loss.
Efforts continued by firefighters to gain control of the fires and by searchers looking for more victims. The death toll as of Monday remained at 42, making the fire series the deadliest in California history. The estimate of structure losses jumped from 7,700 reported over the weekend.
Officials said 5,000 firefighters remain on the lines, battling 10 different fires across Northern California.
100,000 displaced About 100,000 people were displaced by the fires, and some evacuees are wondering whether they can stay in the region for the
long term. Sitting on a bed inside an evacuation center, Imelda Flores had nothing to do but think. Her Santa Rosa home had been spared by a massive wildfire, but her son’s caretaker wasn’t so lucky. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to find another nurse now,” she said. “I don’t have anyone who
The mother and son have been staying at the Grace Pavilion on the Sonoma County Fairgrounds for two weeks now. She said the first three days at the evacuation shelter were difficult. “People were waking up screaming, some were crying, and some people would storm in here, desperately looking for relatives,” she said. “It was just difficult and sad.” But amid the chaos, she said, Red Cross volunteers at the shelter helped ease her worries by providing them clothing and other essentials. She said Lopez’s doctor and nurses from the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center came by to check on the young boy.
Prone to sickness Though the shelter is now mostly empty, Flores said she has decided to stay longer because lingering smoke from the massive fires could endanger her son’s health. “He is prone to getting sick,” she said. “A cold can turn into pneumonia.” Even when things clear up, she feels she can’t let her guard down. “He’ll still have to wear a mask a few more days,” she said.
America’s care packages to Puerto Rico are just too heavy noticed him “acting suspiciously and with a nervous behavior” on the night of Oct. 7. He gave a written confession; Inspector Jose Hernandez Rocha wrote in the criminal complaint. A federal grand jury has since indicted Encarnacion-Sandoval for mail theft and he has pleaded not guilty.
A welcome sight
AL DIAZ/MIAMI HERALD/TNS
U.S. Postal Inspector Julian Eliezer holds a broken Priority Mail box caused by the weight of the items inside at the cargo area of the San Juan Luis Munoz Marin Airport in Puerto Rico on Oct. 21. BY DAVID OVALLE MIAMI HERALD/TNS
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — In San Juan’s post offices, it feels lately as though all of America has started sending care packages. And that’s a lot of work. Thousands upon thousands of parcels have finally started pouring in on flights from the mainland. They are stuffed into giant silver containers, off-loaded at a special cargo area at the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport and driven to two processing facilities. But since Hurricane Maria cut a terrible path across Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, the logistics of handling all the packages have been daunting. U.S. Postal Service inspectors from as far away as Seattle have been flown in to help keep the cargo area secure from potential thieves. The backlog of packages is so great that the local post office wants to hire 100 temporary employees to help sort them. Adding to the work: It’s not uncommon for generators at the processing facilities to go out, plunging everyone into darkness.
Break during flights Mail carriers, many already enduring tough living conditions at home, cannot access unsafe areas in the island’s interior. Traveling any of the routes is a slow process because post-storm traffic across Puerto Rico is often gridlocked. And then there are the packages themselves — many are just too heavy. Loved ones are stuffing boxes so full of water, cans and clothes that many of the containers break during flights. At the cavernous hangar that serves as the packages’ first stop — run by a private company called Cargo Force — damaged packages are set aside in big boxes.
Patching them up On one afternoon last week, postal inspector Eliezar Julian picked up a white box meant to hold up to 70 pounds. A ragged gash revealed cans of Spam, Chef Boyardee spaghetti and meatballs, corn and evaporated milk. What fell out was anyone’s guess, but it could have been the bag of Hal-
loween chocolates, peanut-butter stuff pretzels, water bottles or feminine hygiene pads, all part of the pile of loose goods that had escaped packages. Five giant boxes were whisked away to a “patch up” operation, where employees did their best to assemble a jigsaw puzzle of canned goods. Often times, the public mistakenly thinks their packages have been looted. “Too heavy and it will break and you will lose the contents,” said Julian, a federal agent and spokesman. “It will be very difficult for us to put it back to where it belongs.” He picked up another package box, weighing 18 pounds, wrapped tightly in heavy-duty clear tape. “This packaged is reinforced right,” Julian said.
More security With so many goods flowing into the needy island, the need for security at Cargo Force is clear. Weeks after the storm, inspectors arrested a subcontractor, Christian Joel Encarnacion-Sandoval, after he was found with four generators in his car at the
Cargo Force loading dock. According to a criminal complaint, a supervisor
Before the hurricane, Puerto Rico’s postal service was getting some 60,000 parcels of mail each day. With the backlog and added relief supplies, that number has skyrocketed. Mail carriers, especially in the ravaged rural areas, must climb over downed trees and debris on the streets to deliver care packages. “They cry and they hug you and kiss you. Their families are sending batteries and food,” said mail-
man Jorge Mendez, 47, a former Clearwater resident who also sometimes brings water to the elderly residents on his route in Sabana Grande, about two hours from San Juan. “I can’t even describe the feeling.”
Happy for help Employees are working seven days a week — with help being sent in from offices around the country, including postal inspectors and cops from Miami to New York. Alfredo Santiago, a postal police officer whose job is to patrol the airport, has been working nonstop since the storm damaged his home island — and his apartment in the town of Loiza. But he’s happy for the assistance. “We’re very grateful they’ve come to help us,” he said.
HEALTH | FOOD | TRAVEL | SCIENCE | BOOKS | MOVIES | TV | AUTOS COURIER
IFE/FAITH
Sheila E makes strong statement with new album See page B5
SOUTH FLORIDA / TREASURE COAST AREA
OCTOBER 27 – NOVEMBER 2, 2017
SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE
Hearty meals to bring families together See page B6
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‘A MOSTLY PEACEFUL DAY’ FLORIDA PULLS OUT ALL THE STOPS TO KEEP WHITE NATIONALIST’S SPEECH AT UF FROM TURNING TRAGIC.
BY JIM TURNER THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
White nationalist Richard Spencer’s speech on Thursday, Oct. 19, at the University of Florida prompted a state of emergency, carried a $600,000 tab and drew more than 2,500 demonstrators. But law enforcement summarized the contentious event, which devolved into an antagonistic affair, as “a mostly peaceful day.” The emergency declaration issued by Gov. Rick Scott on Oct. 16, requested by Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Richard Darnell, enhanced Spencer law enforcement presence and planning in advance of Spencer’s appearance at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Gainesville.
Just two arrests A joint law enforcement press release issued late Oct. 19 credited lessons learned from incidents in Charlottesville, Va., and Berkeley, Calif., for a “reasoned, rational response” to Spencer and members of his National Policy Institute. “The joint coordination and careful planning by multiple law enforcement agencies led to a mostly peaceful day, with minimal acts of violence and only two arrests,” said Darnell, University of Florida Police Chief Linda J. Stump-Kurnick, Gainesville Police Chief Tony Jones and Florida Highway Patrol Col. Gene S. Spaulding.
‘Love wins’ University of Florida President Kent Fuchs expressed gratitude to the law enforcement and Scott. “Despite our worst fears of violence, the University of Florida and the Gainesville community showed the world that love wins,” Fuchs said in a release.
In an op-ed penned for the school newspaper, The Alligator, shortly before midnight, Fuchs wrote that “racist” Spencer “failed miserably” to disrupt the campus, inundated by journalists. “The whole world was watching, and the whole world saw how we responded to a hateful and despicable bully,” he wrote.
‘Minor’ injuries The university, which initially rejected Spencer’s request to speak, spent an estimated $600,000 to enhance security that resulted in five “minor” injuries – each treated on the scene – and two arrests. Sean Brijmohan, 28, of Orlando, was charged with possession of a firearm on school property. According to a tweet from the sheriff’s office, Brijmohan was working as a security guard for a media outlet. David Notte, 34, of Gainesville, was charged with resisting an officer without violence. A total of 44 federal, state and local agencies from one end of the state to the other – including the Miami-Dade Police Department, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Okaloosa Sheriff’s Office – participated in the joint effort.
Officers everywhere The law enforcement troops kept those who didn’t get inside the venue where Spencer spoke corralled on a barricaded street where uniformed officers stood watch on the road, on roofs, in nearby woods, in helicopters and through drones. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Federal Bureau of Investigation also participated in the effort. “The greatest #BREAKING news is that ZERO Law Enforcement were injured during this event,” the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office tweeted that night. Scott late that Thursday night tweeted a thanks to “our law See UF, Page B2
Above: There were thousands of demonstrators in Gainesville the day of the speech. Left: Scores of law enforcement officers patrolled the area.
A protester promotes ANSWERcoalition.org. ANSWER stands for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism.
PHOTOS BY DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./ HARDNOTTS PHOTOGRAPHY.COM
CALENDAR & OBITUARIES
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Bethune-Cookman’s football team faces Hampton on Oct. 28 at 4 p.m. More on the Daytona Beach HBCU’s Homecoming: Cookman.edu BCUATHLETICS.COM
KEYSHIA COLE
The singer performs Nov. 17 at House of Blues Orlando.
JA RULE 95.7’s Beats By the Bay starts at 2 p.m. Nov. 4 at Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg. Performers: Ashanti, Ja Rule, Brandy, T-Pain, Mase and Mario.
BET.COM
Working with his indispensable collaborator Dave Bartholomew, Domino showed an uncanny knack for taking songs from diverse genres — country, Tin Pan Alley standards, folk songs — and turning them into unmistakable Fats Domino records. He rarely strayed from the basics of New Orleans-style R&B, and his adherence to his hometown’s unique mash-up of blues, country, Dixieland and zydeco made Domino a beloved figure in the city. But his impact was international. He was adored by British youth, and the opportunity to meet Domino was a treasured perk for the Beatles. “Ain’t That a Shame” was the first song John Lennon learned, and Paul McCartney often performed it in his own concerts. McCartney also paid homage with the Beatles’ Domino-style record “Lady Madonna.”
Hero to fans, stars He was an acknowledged hero to Elton John, and when Billy Joel inducted Domino into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Tampa: The Hillsborough County affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness will host its second Making Strides for Mental Health 3K Walk/Run on Nov. 4 at YMCA Camp Cristina in Riverview. Details: NAMIHillsborough.org.
Orlando: Tryouts for the Orlando Anarchy women’s tackle football team are Nov. 4 and Nov. 11, 9 a.m. to noon. More info: www.cfanarchy. com
Miami Gardens: Free one-one business consulting sessions are available through December for Miami Gardens residents. Call M.D. Stewart & Associates for an appointment at 305-890-4984.
Miramar: The Florida Jam Fest is Oct. 28 at the Miramar Regional Park Amphitheater with Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Lenny Williams and Third World.
Tampa: A Dashiki in The City celebration is Oct. 29 from 3 to 8 p.m. at the Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association 2005 N Lamar Ave. Free entry.
Orlando: So You Think You Can Dance’s tour stops at Hard Rock Live Orlando on Oct. 28.
St. Petersburg: Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan will be on stage at the Mahaffey Theater on Nov. 5.
Robert Guillaume, star of ‘Benson,’ dies at 89 EURWEB.COM
Fats Domino, one of the architects of rock ‘n’ roll — and one of its last surviving members — died Tuesday. He was 89. According to the Associated Press, Mark Bone, chief investigator with the Jefferson Parish, La., coroner’s office, said Domino died of natural causes. New Orleans TV station WWL-TV first reported the news and said Domino died at home surrounded by family. Fueled by archetypal 1950s hits such as “Blueberry Hill,” “Ain’t That a Shame,” “I’m Walkin’” and his version of “My Blue Heaven,” Domino’s music gave the nascent genre a shot of rhythm and blues and boogie woogie from his native New Orleans. And he was often credited as proving that the piano had a vital place in rock ‘n’ roll.
International impact
Miami: Kool and the Gang performs Oct. 28 at the James L. Knight Center. The show starts at 8 p.m.
Miami: “The Mighty Gents,’’ a play about former members of a Black youth gang, continues through Oct. 29 at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center. Details: www.ahcacmiami.org or call 305-638-6771.
BY RICHARD CROMELIN AND JAMES REED LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS
In the 1950s, Domino was one of the biggest stars in popular music, selling more records in that decade than anyone except Elvis Presley. Thirty-seven of his singles made the Top 40 — more than Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry combined — with 11 of them reaching the Top 10. Domino was one of the cornerstones of rock ‘n’ roll, helping define the form with such R&B-rooted early-’50s records as “The Fat Man,” “Goin’ Home” and “Please Don’t Leave Me.” The singer and pianist followed his 1955 national breakthrough, “Ain’t That a Shame,” with a barrage of mainstream hits, including “Blueberry Hill,” “Walking to New Orleans,” “Blue Monday” and “I’m Walkin’.”
St. Petersburg: Bones Thugs-NHarmony will perform Oct. 28 at Jannus Live.
Daytona Beach: Catch Irma Thomas, Blind Boys of Alabama and the Preservation Hall Legacy Quintet on Nov. 19 at The Peabody.
Rock ’n’ roll pioneer Fats Domino dies
Barrage of hits
OCTOBER 27 – NOVEMBER 2, 2017
AVIV SMALL/ZUMA PRESS/TNS
Antoine “Fats” Domino performs at the Pink Elephant at a tribute event honoring him on Nov. 8, 2007 in New York City. Fame in 1986, as one of its first 10 inductees, he called him “the man that proved that the piano was a rock ‘n’ roll instrument.” Domino was also popular in Jamaica, where he influenced the ska sound that evolved into reggae.
Family life His ambitions were modest, his life unassuming. Despite his hectic schedule of touring and recording, he remained rooted in his childhood neighborhood, where he enjoyed cooking Louisiana dishes, cracking a bottle of beer and spending time with his family. He married Rose Mary Hall in 1948 and they had eight children with their father’s initial in common: Antoinette, Antoine III, Andrea, Anatole, Anola, Adonica, Antonio and Andre.
Variety of jobs Antoine Domino Jr. was born Feb. 26, 1928, the youngest of nine children. It was a poor family, and a musical one, and Antoine learned piano from a brother-in-law, Dixieland musician Harrison Verret. The youngster was performing in public by age 10, and at 14 he quit school to work at a variety of jobs. One of them, at a bedspring factory, nearly ended his career before it started when he cut his hand so badly that the doctor who examined him advised amputation. Domino declined, and at age 18 he was a member of Billy Diamond’s band playing the Hideaway club. Before long, Domino was leading his own band and drawing crowds to the Hideaway.
‘Fat Man’ history One fateful night in 1949, Bartholomew dropped in to
size up the young singer. The popular New Orleans trumpeter and bandleader had signed with Los Angeles-based Imperial Records, whose owner, Lew Chudd, commissioned him to sign artists to the label. “When I went down there, people were standing in line, trying to see him,” Bartholomew told the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 2010. “It was rough trying to get in there. It looked like the whole of New Orleans had turned out to see him. In December 1949, Bartholomew took Domino to the J&M recording studio, located behind an appliance store and music shop and beneath a bookie operation. One of the eight songs they cut that day, “The Fat Man,” reached No. 2 on the R&B chart in 1950 and would become a perennial contender in the “what was the first rock ‘n’ roll record?” debate.
More hits Imperial kept the Domino releases coming. Several did well in the R&B market, and a few even sneaked onto the pop chart. Then came 1955 and “Ain’t That a Shame” (mistakenly titled “Ain’t It a Shame” on the original release), which hit the promised land of the pop Top 10. He would return there repeatedly over the next five years, with “Blue Monday,” “All by Myself,” “Blueberry Hill” (the Los Angeles recording was one of his few songs cut outside of New Orleans), “Whole Lotta Lovin’” and more, most written by Domino and Bartholomew. Domino received a lifetime achievement Grammy in 1987, but his shyness and growing performance anxiety made him increasingly reclusive. He did his last tour in 1996 and then was in and out of the public eye.
Actor Robert Guillaume, a twotime Emmy winner for portraying the acidic butler Benson on two ABC sitcoms, has died following a battle with prostate cancer. He was 89. Guillaume – who also starred in theater and voiced the Robert wise mandrill Rafiki Guillaume in Disney’s 1994 film “The Lion King” and its related sequels, video games and TV series – died Tuesday at home in Los Angeles, his widow, Donna Brown Guillaume, told The Associated Press. Guillaume’s penchant for playing distinguished characters resolutely defied racial stereotypes — as he did on ABC’s critically acclaimed Aaron Sorkin series “Sports Night” when he played Isaac Jaffe, the managing editor of an ESPN-style news program.
Stroke in 1999 In 1999, Guillaume had a mild stroke while in his dressing room on the “Sports Night” set. “I was fortunate in the sense that the stroke I suffered was not so debilitating that I could not move around with some degree of regularity,” he said in a 2008 interview. “My wife, Donna, suggested to Aaron that perhaps we could incorporate the stroke into the series and he agreed … it allowed me to come back and not pretend that I had not had a stroke.”
‘Soap’ to ‘Benson’ His portrayal of Benson DuBois endured for nine years, first in three seasons on “Soap” (1977-80) and then on the spinoff “Benson,” which ran until April 1986. Benson’s personal arc went from butler/cook to state budget director and finally to lieutenant governor. He even ran for governor against his former boss, Eugene X. Gatling (John Noble), but that race — a season-ending cliff-hanger — went undecided because the show went off the air.
Screen, stage star Guillaume’s Emmy for outstand-
UF from B1 enforcement from across the state who worked hard in Gainesville today.”
Drowned out Inside the Phillips Center, Spencer and his supporters tried to belittle several hundred members of a diverse and raucous audience that repeatedly drowned out his message by shouting and through chants that included “Nazis are not welcome here,” “go home Spencer” and “Black lives matter.” The crowd also blamed Spencer for a death at a “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville in August when Heather Heyer
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Tampa: Catalina Charitable Foundation will present a Trick or Trot 5K benefiting the 1Voice Foundation and the Lawrence A. Martucci Benefit Corp on Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. to noon at the :00 University of South Florida MLK West Lawn. Details: lawrenceamartucci.com/event/182/ Fort Lauderdale: Broward Citizens for Seniors will present its annual Seniors Prom on Nov. 18 at the Bahia Mar Hotel from 5 to 10 p.m. Tickets and sponsorship: Call 954303-4900. Tampa: The Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival and the Entrepreneur’s Collaborative Center will hold a free workshop for property investors and aspiring investors on Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 2101 East Palm Ave. (Ybor City). Register at www.TampaBlackHeritage.org/seminars or call 813813-250-3131. Tampa: The Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists’ annual Griot Drum Awards & Scholarship Banquet is Nov. 9 at the Florida Aquarium. Details: tbabj.com
ing actor in a comedy in 1985 made him the only Black man to win in that category. He also received the supporting comedy actor trophy in 1979, earning six nominations in all for playing Benson. He also earned a Tony nomination for best actor in a musical in 1977 for playing Nathan Detroit in a revival of “Guys and Dolls,’’ and he replaced the original Phantom Michael Crawford in an L.A. production of “The Phantom of the Opera.’’ He was born Robert Williams in St. Louis on Nov. 30, 1927, and raised by his maternal grandmother. Following high school, he served in the U.S. Army, then, attended St. Louis University. He majored in business administration but all the while fantasized about singing with the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
Aspen to Broadway Guillaume persevered with his dream and won a scholarship to the Aspen Music Festival. He parlayed that opportunity into an apprenticeship at Cleveland’s Karamu Theater, where he appeared in operas and musical comedy. He moved to New York and went on to perform in a number of musicals and big productions on Broadway, starting with “Finian’s Rainbow’’ in 1960 and then with “Kwamina,” “Tambourines to Glory’’ and “Purlie.’’ Guillaume also appeared in the films “Seems Like Old Times” (1980), “Lean on Me’’ (1989), “Death Warrant” (1990), “The Meteor Man” (1993), “First Kid’’ (1996), “Spy Hard’’ (1996) and “Big Fish’’ (2003). And he wrote, directed and starred in the 1986 ABC telefilm “John Grin’s Christmas.’’
Other achievements Guillaume also starred as a divorced marriage counselor in the 1989 ABC series “The Robert Guillaume Show’’; served as the narrator of the HBO animated series “Happily Ever After’’; and gueststarred on “Julia, Marcus Welby, M.D.,’’ “All in the Family,’’ “The Jeffersons,’’ “Good Times,” “The Love Boat,” “L.A. Law,” “Diagnosis Murder,’’ “Touched by an Angel” and “8 Simple Rules … for Dating My Teenage Daughter.’’ In 1992, Guillaume partnered in The Confetti Co., which published read-along books and audiocassettes (he was the narrator) of traditional fairy tales written with a multiethnic approach. Two years later, he received a Grammy Award for his Rafiki vocals on a spoken-word album for kids. was killed after a car plowed into a crowd of counter-protestors. Dozens of others were injured. David Parrott, UF vice president of student affairs, tweeted he was “Very proud of our students for using their voices and rallying together in support of one.”
Spencer responds But Spencer mocked his critics, many of them students, accusing them of acting like “childlike Antifa” – anti-fascists – and calling them “a bunch of screeching and grunting morons.” One of Spencer’s supporters painted the overwhelmingly negative response as a boon for the White nationalist movement. Mike “Enoch” Peinovich, host of The Right Stuff podcast, told the crowd that their chants and actions “is the best recruiting tool you can ever give us.”
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Diversity report shows small gains for Black coaches, GMs BY IRA BOUDWAY BLOOMBERG NEWS/TNS
From the owner’s box to the sideline, White men occupy most positions of authority in the National Football League, according to the latest report from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida. Twenty-six of the league’s 32 teams have a White general manager. Twenty-four have a White head coach. Among majority owners there are only two people of color: Shahid Khan, a Pakistaniborn billionaire who bought the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2012 and Kim Pegula, an Asian-American woman who bought the Buffalo Bills with husband Terry in 2014.
8 minority coaches Lopsided as they are, these numbers reflect modest improvements for people of color in positions of power. Six NFL teams have Black men making roster decisions this season as either general managers or heads of football operations, an increase by one from last season. The hiring of Vance Joseph with the Denver Broncos and Anthony Lynn with the Los Angeles Chargers earlier this year moved the total of Black and Latino head coaches to eight, tying the NFL high set in 2011. “I’ve been disturbed for the past couple of years at the decline in what I consider to be the two key positions of head coach and principal in charge or gen-
The balance of racial power in the NFL has been at the forefront since August of last year when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided not to stand during the national anthem as a protest against police brutality and racial injustice. eral manager,” said TIDES director Richard Lapchick. “So the fact that they went up in both categories and tied their all-time high in the coaching area was encouraging to me.”
Overall B grade TIDES grades the NFL and other sports leagues annually based on the diversity of their players, coaches, team executives, and league offices. This year, the NFL again got an A for racial hiring practices and
ALLEN J. SCHABEL/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, left, and Los Angeles Chargers owner and chairman of the board Dean Spanos, right, listen as head coach Anthony Lynn speaks during a ceremony to kick off Chargers football going to Los Angeles at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Jan. 18. an overall grade of B; the league’s mark for gender hiring slipped from C-plus to C. The league provides the personnel information, and TIDES grades it based on the percentages of people of color in the various categories, weighted by group and compared to rates when TIDES began tracking the data in 1988.
Anthem controversy The balance of racial power in the NFL has been at the forefront since August of last year when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided not to stand during the national anthem as a protest against police brutality and racial injustice. Dozens of players have since followed suit. In September, President Donald Trump said that players who refuse to stand during the anthem should be fired. The suggestion led to widespread displays of solidarity during the national anthem at games the following week. Khan, one of eight NFL owners who donated to Trump’s inaugural fund, was the first of many owners to lock arms with his players during the anthem.
A for NBA
expected without the new rule.
Among the people who could decide to hire free agent Kaepernick — owners, general managers, and head coaches — 13 out of roughly 100 are African-American, according to TIDES. This paucity, said Lapchick, is a “contributing factor” in Kaepernick’s unemployment. “But the reality is when you compare the NFL to other leagues on racial hiring practices, they are doing pretty well.” The NBA also has an A from TIDES for racial hiring. Baseball gets a B.
Bias starts early
Rooney Rule The NFL has a long list of diversity initiatives, including a recruiting program aimed at people of color and women and a Diversity Council, established in 2002 to help foster an inclusive work environment. In 2003, after the number of Black head coaches had dwindled to just two, the league instituted the so-called Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate for any vacancy. A study last year by professors at Georgetown, George Washington, Emory and Iowa State University found that the rate of increase in non-White hires was not far ahead of what might otherwise have been
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The study, which covered 1,200 coaches from 1985 to 2012, also found persistent bias in favor of White people throughout the NFL coaching hierarchy. White people were both more likely to be hired into positions with the best chance of leading to a head coaching job and, once hired, were more likely to be promoted than were similarly performing minority coaches. Earlier studies suggest that racial bias shapes football careers starting as early as high school.
Quarterbacks sacked A 2013 study by professors at Kennesaw State University and the College of Mount St. Joseph found that Black high school quarterbacks were more likely than their White counterparts to be moved away from the position when they reached college. TIDES no longer tracks players’ race by position, but from 1999 to 2014, the percentage of Black quarterbacks rose just one percentage point, from 18 percent to 19 percent. Over the same time period, the percentage of Black players in the league has hovered just below 70 percent.
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expand their Medicaid programs (California (where it’s called Medi-Cal), Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, New Mexico, New Jersey and Washington) and those that didn’t (Alaska, Georgia, Louisiana and Utah). Even prior to 2014, newly diagnosed cancer patients were less likely to be uninsured in the nine states that expanded Medicare. In 2013, 5 percent of these patients lacked health insurance, compared with 8.4 percent in the four states that did not expand Medicare.
Four states’ stats
OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/TNS
President Barack Obama signs the health insurance reform bill on March 23, 2010, as Marcelas Owens looks on.
With Obamacare, fewer Americans were uninsured when told they had cancer BY KAREN KAPLAN LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS
nosed with cancer.
As President Donald Trump and his allies in Congress keep pushing to get rid of Obamacare, new research shows that the contentious law has succeeded in expanding health insurance coverage for Americans with cancer. But not everywhere. This upside of Obamacare — known formally as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or ACA — was seen primarily in states that participated in the Medicaid expansion that the law made possible. By comparing states that expanded Medicaid to states that didn’t, the researchers determined that the law reduced by about half the percentage of patients who did not have health insurance when they were diag-
The findings, published Oct. 19 in the journal JAMA Oncology, are based on five years of data from 13 states collected by the National Cancer Institute. The states in the NCI registry have a demographic profile that mirrors that of the country as a whole, and the cancer patients who are tracked are between the ages of 19 and 64. Overall, the situation in the years 2010 to 2013 looked markedly different than the situation in 2014, the first year that Obamacare and the Medicaid expansion went into effect.
Years of data
By the numbers In the pre-Obamacare years, 5.73 percent of the patients who
were newly diagnosed with cancer did not have health insurance to help them pay for their treatment, the researchers found. In 2014, that figure dropped by onethird, to 3.81 percent. The percentage of uninsured patients fell for each type of cancer reported. Among patients who were told they had breast cancer, the proportion that lacked health insurance fell 26 percent in the first year of the Obamacare era. For patients with prostate cancer, the figure was 29 percent. It was just under 33 percent for those diagnosed with lung, bronchial or thyroid cancer.
Racial breakdown When looking at cancers by stage at diagnosis, the law’s benefits were spread pretty evenly among patients diagnosed with
local, regional or metastatic disease that had spread to distant organs. In all three cases, the percentage of patients without health insurance fell by 33 percent to nearly 35 percent. After the law went into effect, new cancer patients of all races and ethnicities were less likely to be uninsured. Among Whites, the percentage without health insurance fell by 37 percent, compared with an 18 percent reduction for Blacks. Among Latinos, the percentage of uninsured patients dropped by 40 percent. Declines were similar in counties with more poverty (33 percent) and those with less poverty (36 percent).
Medicaid impact The biggest differences were between the states that chose to
Even before 2014, cancer patients in the nine states that expanded Medicare were less likely to be uninsured at the time of their diagnosis. In 2013, for instance, 5 percent of these patients lacked health insurance when they were told they had cancer, a figure that dropped to 2.5 percent the following year. Meanwhile, in the four states that didn’t expand Medicare, the percentage who were uninsured when they were diagnosed rose from 8.4 percent in 2013 to 8.8 percent in 2014 (an increase that wasn’t large enough to be statistically significant). The researchers used the nonexpansion states as a proxy for what would have happened nationwide if Obamacare had never become law.
No predictions After accounting for demographic and other differences in the two groups of states, they calculated that the law’s passage reduced the percentage of uninsured first-time cancer patients by 2.38 points — or just about half. The study makes no predictions about what would happen to these cancer patients if the Republicans promising to “repeal and replace” Obamacare succeed in that goal. But the gains seen in the study might not necessarily be erased, said study leader Aparna Soni. Perhaps the patients who got insurance through Medicaid now see its value and would be more likely to pay for it themselves even if their subsidies went away, said Soni, a doctoral candidate in economics and public policy at Indiana University in Bloomington. However, it’s also possible that insurance rates may fall below 2013 levels if new kinds of lowskilled jobs are less likely to come with health insurance benefits, she said.
How to save money, avoid strain of Medicare enrollment BY SUSAN JAFFE KAISER HEALTH NEWS/TNS
Older or disabled Americans with Medicare coverage have probably noticed an uptick in mail solicitations from health insurance companies, which can mean only one thing: It’s time for the annual Medicare open enrollment. Most beneficiaries have from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7 to decide which of dozens of private plans offer the best drug coverage for 2018 or whether it’s better to leave traditional Medicare and get a drug and medical combo policy called Medicare Advantage. Some tips for the novice and reminders for those who have been here before can make the process a little easier.
Pay attention to the mail If you are already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage or drug plan, carefully read the “annual notice of change” or “evidence of benefits” letter from the insurer. It is not another sales pitch or more insurance mumbo-jumbo. That required letter highlights the cost and benefit changes in store for next year. Ask the insurer for another copy if you can’t find it. “Some people just tend to get that mail and throw it all in the trash, but it’s really important that they read it,” said Francine Chuchanis, director of entitlement rights at Direction Home Akron Canton Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities, an Ohio group that assists older adults and people with disabilities.
Traditional or Medicare Advantage The open enrollment period is your opportunity to switch plans, including moving between the government-run traditional Medicare program and Medicare
Advantage. Medicare Advantage plans are offered by private insurers, which receive payments from the federal government to help cover the costs of beneficiaries. They restrict members to their network of doctors and hospitals and a list or formulary of covered drugs. With some rare exceptions, you cannot leave the plans midyear — even if the plans drop drugs from the formulary or your hospitals, physician specialists or medical equipment suppliers leave the plan. But unlike traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans often cover dental, hearing and vision care, and they cap your out-of-pocket expenses. Once you reach that limit, the insurer pays for covered services, and you pay nothing. But details of these plans — such as the caps on member spending, the premium prices and service areas — can change from year to year. On the other hand, with traditional Medicare, patients can go to any provider who participates in the program, and most providers do. Because there is no limit on the share of medical expenses beneficiaries pay, most purchase “Medigap” supplemental policies or have other insurance to lower those costs.
Check plan’s network If you choose Medicare Advantage, contact your doctors, hospital and other providers directly to find out if they are in the plan’s network. Be sure to give the office the plan’s full name, not just the name of the insurance company since insurers offer multiple plans that may have similar names, said Gina Upchurch, executive director of Senior PharmAssist in Durham, N.C. If you have the plan’s code numbers, she said, those can help the doctor’s office check.
DREAMSTIME/TNS
Medicare open enrollment started on Oct. 15. Beneficiaries have until Dec. 7 to make changes. Floridians impacted by Hurricane Irma have until Dec. 31.
Confirm where drugs are available When choosing a drug plan, also known as Medicare Part D, the total costs are most important. Consider factors beyond the premiums. You may pay different amounts when the plan first begins each year than when you’re in the coverage gap called the doughnut hole and after you get out of that hole. Find out whether the lowest price is available at your favorite pharmacy or if you must travel elsewhere to get that price. Most plans offer their lowest prices only at their preferred, in-network pharmacies. Also, ask what other restrictions apply. For example, do you need prior authorization or have to try another drug first before you can get the one your doctor prescribed? Also, will the price vary depending on the frequency or the quantity of your prescription? “You can save thousands of dollars just by switching pharmacies,” said Christina Dimas-Kahn, director of the San Mateo County office of the California Department of Aging’s Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program. That’s because drug plan
prices can depend on whether a drugstore is a preferred pharmacy within the plan’s network. She helped a senior reduce his drug bill last year from $119,000 to $18,000 after changing pharmacies.
Do you qualify for a subsidy? Low-income people can qualify for the “extra help” subsidy that pays for the premiums of certain drug plans and other costs. They may also be eligible for assistance to reduce their share of medical costs in traditional Medicare. Premiums and subsidy amounts can change each year, so if you already have the subsidy confirm that it is enough to cover the plan’s premium next year. Otherwise, you can be billed for the difference.
Check calendar There’s a lot to consider and only seven weeks to do it. And remember, this enrollment period is different from the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace enrollment, which begins Nov. 1 and lasts through Dec. 15. Federal officials have granted seniors who live in areas affect-
ed by this year’s hurricane damage — Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands — or depend on caregivers in those areas until the end of December to make their choices.
Getting help Individual assistance is free from the federally funded Senior Health Insurance Information Program (www.shiptacenter.org), the Medicare Rights Center (800333-4114 and its website Medicare Interactive (www.medicareinteractive.org) as well as from Medicare’s plan finder website and helpline (www.medicare. gov, 800-633-4227). Still, studies have shown that most Medicare beneficiaries don’t switch plans. “They are likely to stay with whatever plan they’re in because they are afraid to make a change,” said Bonnie Burns, a consultant for California Health Advocates. Kaiser Health News’ coverage of aging and long-term care issues is supported by The SCAN Foundation and its coverage related to aging and improving care of older adults is supported by The John A. Hartford Foundation.
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OCTOBER 27 – NOVEMBER 2, 2017
Meet some of
FLORIDA’S
finest
FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT
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Think you’re one of Florida’s Finest? E-mail your high-resolution (200 dpi) digital photo in casual wear or bathing suit taken in front of a plain background with few distractions, to news@flcourier. com with a short biography of yourself and your contact information. (No nude/ glamour/ fashion photography, please!) In order to be considered, you must be at least 18 years of age. Acceptance of the photographs submitted is in the sole and absolute discretion of Florida Courier editors. We reserve the right to retain your photograph even if it is not published. If you are selected, you will be contacted by e-mail and further instructions will be given.
Thousands of Caribbean culture lovers converge on South Florida every year before and during the Columbus Day weekend to attend the annual Miami Broward Carnival, a series of concerts, pageants, parades, and competitions. On Carnival Day, “mas” (masquerade) bands of thousands of revelers dance and march behind 18-wheel tractor-trailer trucks with booming sound systems from morning until nightfall while competing for honors. Here are some of the “Finest” we’ve seen over the years. Click on www.flcourier to see hundreds of pictures from previous Carnivals. Go to www. miamibrowardcarnival. com for more information on Carnival events in South Florida. CHARLES W. CHERRY II / FLORIDA COURIER
Sheila E makes strong political statement with ‘Iconic’ album BY KEVIN C. JOHNSON ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH/TNS
The last couple of years, while working on two different albums, singer-percussionist Sheila E. realized she had to shift gears. One of the albums was a dance record; the other was an album she felt compelled to make after longtime friend Prince died in 2016. (They were frequent collaborators, and he’s credited with transforming her career.) “I was doing the dance record, and it was just about done,” she says. “It was fun, and I wanted to get it out. And then Prince passed away. I just shut down and started writing another record after his passing.”
Changed direction Juggling those projects while watching the political climate, Sheila E., 59, figured “it was time to stand for something.” “I couldn’t release a dance record,” she says. “That didn’t make sense. I couldn’t do the other record, either. There was too much going on.” So she stashed those projects and refocused. In response to what she calls a presidential administration of “lies, discrimination, prejudice and institutionalized supremacy,” Sheila E. has released “Iconic: Message 4 America,” in which she re-imagines a number of classics by the likes of Marvin Gaye, the Beatles and Parliament-Funkadelic.
Songs still relevant She hopes the songs work as a force of positive change.
Tyler Perry’s Madea scares up more laughs in “Boo 2.’’
The set includes “Come Together” featuring Ringo Starr, “Everyday People” featuring Freddie Stone, “Jesus Children of America” featuring Israel Houghton, “JB Medley” featuring Bootsy Collins and “One Nation Under a Groove”/”Mothership Connection” featuring George Clinton. The album also includes “America,” her remake of a Prince song that now features Candy Dulfer, and “Funky National Anthem: Message 2 America.” “I needed to get a record out now,” she says. “I asked myself, ‘How can I get this done?’ I began listening to music from the ’60s and ’70s — songs that are still relevant.”
Why the Beatles Rather than call what she has released an album of covers, she believes it makes a statement. “These songs were important to me growing up and are important to me now. Lyrically, this is what I have to say, though I changed a few words here and there.” Choosing the songs for “Iconic: Message 4 America” was a big undertaking. There are many that fit the bill. “I made a list of 40 songs,” she says. “I said, ‘I know I can do this one, I know I can do that one. Which songs can I do justice to?’” She knew she had to include a Beatles song. “That was first on my list,” she says. “I also wanted to do ‘Come Together.’ “I just remembered growing up, seeing the Beatles on TV for the first time, screaming and thinking they were so cute. They changed pop music, brought their own thing to it creating something that had never been done. And they
AMAZON/TNS
“Iconic: Message 4 America” is a new album by Sheila E. The singer/drummer said “it was time to stand for something.” wrote a lot of songs that touch your heart.”
Angela Davis contributed “Inner City Blues,” immortalized by Marvin Gaye, is full of lyrics that speak to her upbringing, as well as about policing and gun control. Civil rights activist Angela Davis is featured on “Yes We Can Can,” originally recorded by the Pointer Sisters. She’s known Davis for years. “I kept in touch with her off and on. She was important to my life and still is. We’d been on someone else’s record together, and I
A box-office debut win for Madea Halloween movie FROM WIRE REPORTS
“Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween” took first place dur-
She says part of her “ministry” at her concerts is about love. “Love unites people. Hate divides people,” she says. “There’s
5,000 and 10,000 people at the shows, and it’s like a domino effect with people turning around and saying ‘I love you.’ It’s so powerful.” The album is notable: It’s the first time Sheila E. has appeared on the Billboard charts in 26 years. She didn’t realize that fact until it was brought to her attention. “I had a discussion with the team, and someone asked me the question,” she says. “I didn’t even think about it until they said we charted. It’s cool. You never give up. You always strive to do your best and hope someone notices.”
ing its debut weekend, Oct. 2022. The sequel came in first place in the box office, raking in an estimated $21.6 million in the U.S. and Canada. The film follows Perry’s popular character Madea, who is tasked with protecting her grandniece at a haunted campground. “Boo 2!” received an A-minus
on CinemaScore and an 8 percent “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The new film earned a little less than Tyler’s “Boo: A Madea Halloween,’’ which opened to $28.5 million last year. Behind the “Boo 2’’ movie on opening weekend was “Geostorm,” a disaster epic that took in $13.3 million.
told her to write something I can start or end a song with or put inside a song. I’m happy she did.” Sheila E. performs several of the new songs in her live show, including “One Nation Under a Groove” and “Everyday People,” “Inner City Blues”/“Trouble Man.” She also will deliver classics such as “The Glamorous Life,” “A Love Bizarre,” “Holly Rock” and “The Belle of St. Mark.”
Made Billboard
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OCTOBER 27 – NOVEMBER 2, 2017
STOJ
ROASTED GARLIC MARINARA BRAISED CHICKEN WITH LINGUINE Recipe courtesy of Sean and Catherine Lowe Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 60 minutes Servings: 4-6 23 ounces Bertolli Rustic Cut Roasted Garlic Marinara Sauce 6-8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 pound whole-wheat linguine 8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms 1/2cup small diced onion 1/4 cup white wine (optional) 3 ounces baby kale Parmesan cheese Heat oven to 350 F. In 3-quart Dutch oven over medium heat, heat sauce. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. In large skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Add chicken, skin-side down, and cook 3-5 minutes, or until skin is crisp and deep golden-brown. Turn chicken over and cook 3-5 minutes until golden-brown on second side. Remove chicken from skillet, leaving fat in pan. Set aside skillet to be used later. Add chicken to sauce in Dutch oven in single layer, skin-side up, with skin just above surface of sauce. Cover and bake 40 minutes. Begin to boil water for pasta. Remove cover from Dutch oven and cook in oven 10 minutes. Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions. Drain. Heat reserved skillet and fat over mediumhigh heat; add cremini mushrooms and onions; saute until lightly browned. Deglaze with white wine, if desired, and cook until dry. Add kale to mushrooms and toss gently to wilt. Remove Dutch oven from oven and gently transfer chicken to large plate. Add pasta to sauce in Dutch oven and stir gently to coat. Place portion of pasta in pasta bowl and make well in middle. Spoon mushroom-kale mixture into center of well and top with one piece of chicken. Shave Parmesan cheese over dish to finish. Substitution: Portobello, shiitake or button mushrooms may be used in place of cremini mushrooms. Tip: Serve with creamy polenta instead of pasta. In saucepan, combine 2 cups chicken stock, 2 cups milk, 2 tablespoons butter and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to boil and whisk in 1 cup instant polenta and cook, while stirring, 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese and whisk to combine. Spoon polenta into serving dish and make a well in middle. Place mushroom-kale mixture in well. Top with marinara sauce and one piece of chicken.
FAMILY-FOCUSED FOODS Hearty meals to bring the family together FROM FAMILY FEATURES
Gathering the family around the table with delicious, traditional meals is the ultimate combination for many home chefs like Catherine Lowe, winner of the 17th season of ABC’s “The Bachelor.” Lowe, who partnered as a celebrity spokesperson with Bertolli to create this Roasted Garlic Marinara Braised Chicken with Linguine recipe, enjoys adding authenticity to the table with recipes that provide homemade taste and layers of flavor. “I pride myself on my strong Italian roots,” Lowe said. “My dad taught me how to cook at a young age, and growing up, it was an event to make and enjoy dinner with his side of the family. It’s important for me to remember and celebrate that heritage.” Full of hearty vegetables you can see and taste, and inspired by the simple goodness of Tuscan cooking, Bertolli Rustic Cut Pasta sauces help bring homemade flavor to your table. Offered in four varieties – Marinara with Traditional Vegetables, Spicy Marinara with Traditional Vegetables, Roasted Garlic Marinara with Garden Vegetables and Sweet Peppers with Portobello Mushrooms – it’s Lowe’s secret ingredient to helping make family meals more enjoyable. Find more family-friendly recipes to bring everyone together at bertolli.com.
THREE-CHEESE FARMSTAND CUPS Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Servings: 6 2 cups cooked mini penne pasta 1 cup small broccoli florets, cut into 1/2-inch pieces nonstick cooking spray 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese 3 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 jar (23 ounces) Bertolli Rustic Cut Sweet Peppers and Portobello Mushroom Sauce, divided 1 1/2cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil Heat oven to 375 F. Divide penne pasta and broccoli evenly between 12 standard muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Whisk in mascarpone until smooth; gradually whisk in eggs. Stir in Parmesan, 2 cups sauce and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Spoon 1/4 cup egg mixture over pasta and broccoli in each cup; with spoon press filling down gently. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until set. Sprinkle tops with remaining mozzarella cheese halfway through bake time. Let stand 3 minutes before unmolding. Warm remaining sauce and serve over top of cups with basil.
GRILLED MEDITERRANEAN STUFFED PEPPERS Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Servings: 6 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 1/2 cups (10 ounces) uncooked orzo pasta 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) vegetable broth 1 jar (23 ounces) Bertolli Rustic Cut Spicy Marinara with Traditional Vegetables Sauce, divided 6 ounces crumbled feta cheese 1/2 cup (2 ounces) coarsely chopped smoked almonds 1/2cup chopped fresh mint, divided 6 large red, yellow or orange bell peppers, top 1/2 inch removed and seeded Heat grill to high. In medium skillet on medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add pasta; cook and stir 2-3 minutes, or until light golden brown. Stir in broth and 1 cup sauce; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover. Cook 4 minutes, or until pasta is al dente,
stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Stir in cheese, almonds and 1/4 cup mint. Brush outsides of peppers with remaining oil. Grill 4-6 minutes, or until crisp tender and lightly marked on all sides, turning frequently; cool slightly. Place peppers in center of 12-by-12inch square of heavy duty foil. Bring sides of foil up and shape foil around each pepper, leaving tops open. Shape foil into stable base to secure peppers firmly. Keep upright while grilling. Fill each pepper with 1 tablespoon sauce and about 3/4 cup orzo mixture. Grill peppers 8-10 minutes, or until filling is heated through. Remove from foil. Warm remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mint before serving with warmed sauce. To prepare peppers: Heat oven to 400 F. Prepare orzo mixture as directed but do not grill peppers. Fill raw peppers with orzo mixture and place on foil squares. Bring sides of foil up and seal tops to fully enclose each pepper. Arrange on rimmed baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes, or until peppers are soft and filling is heated through.