Florida Courier, April 13, 2012, #15

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Fantastic Voyage 2012, Day 3 B1 www.flcourier.com

APRIL 13 - APRIL 19, 2012

VOLUME 20 NO. 15

THE KILLING OF TRAYVON

THE JOURNEY ENDS – AND BEGINS

The criminal justice system kicks into gear as George Zimmerman is arrested and charged with Trayvon Martin’s murder after 44 days of questions, outrage, and protests.

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investigates

DEATH OF A DRUM MAJOR

More hazingrelated problems Experts quit and instructors disciplined

BY DEMORRIS A. LEE SPECIAL TO THE COURIER

RED HUBER/ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT

‘Dream Defenders’ – a Florida-based network of students and youth – blocked the entrance to Sanford Police Department on Monday to protest the department’s handling of the Trayvon Martin homicide investigation.

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

O

n Wednesday, the state of Florida charged George Zimmerman with second- degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. Special prosecutor Angela Corey promised to find the truth in the case that has rocked Florida and captured the nation’s attention.

Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, says he shot 17-year-old Martin under disputed circumstances. Martin was unarmed, but crucial facts haven’t fully and completely emerged within the established timeline of events marked by 911 calls and the arrival of Sanford police on the scene.

Tried in Sanford?

Lawyers who represented Zimmerman in the case until Tuesday have said he acted in self-defense when attacked by

SNAPSHOTS

Martin. National media reported Wednesday that Zimmerman had hired a new lawyer, Mark O’Mara of Orlando.

Zimmerman – who went into hiding after Sanford Police declined to arrest him for Martin’s shooting – was in custody Wednesday after a warrant was issued for his arrest, Corey said at a news conference in Jacksonville. She declined to say where Zimmerman was being held, but said he turned himself in.

Corey said prosecutors haven’t decided what penalty to pursue. Technically, a life sentence is possible in a seconddegree murder case.

When – and if – the case comes to trial, it would default to Seminole County, where the shooting occurred, she said.

But she declined to speculate on whether a fair jury could be found there.

See TRAYVON, Page A2

Black parents dread ‘The Talk’ about race, police FLORIDA | A3

Caylee Anthony law goes into effect

New Florida laws will reverse efforts to expand access to the polls, former Gov. Charlie Crist wrote in Tuesday’s Tampa Bay Times.

“Much is being said about Florida’s controversial new voter registration laws, which make it more difficult for people to register and reduce the availability of early-voting opportunities,” he wrote in an op-ed. “These new measures appear to be a step backward in protecting the right to vote for citizens of the Sunshine State.”

Impacts churches NATION | A6

Health disparities and the generation gap FINEST | B4

Meet Kris from the Joyner cruise

Fight with FAMU board

COURTESY OF MSNBC

Jacksonville-based prosecutor Angela Corey announced Zimmerman’s arrest during a Wednesday press conference.

The dispute between the FAMU Board of Trustees and the anti-hazing committee concerns whether the committee should have changed its mission from that of advisors to the board, which would require compliance with Florida’s Sunshine Laws, to that of a fact-finding panel, which would not.

The group initially was created as a panel that would have been required to meet in the open, but at its inaugural meeting, the trustees agreed to let the group have a factfinding mission. Gov. Rick Scott then said the group should operate more transparently. The trustees reversed the earlier decision and required the more open configuration.

Former U.S. District Judge Stephen Robinson, chairman of the seven-member anti-hazing committee established to help FAMU See HAZING, Page A2

Crist says voter suppression now in place in Florida FROM THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

CULTURE | B4

Florida A&M University’s efforts to stop hazing after the November death of Marching “100’’ drum major Robert Champion have encountered another roadblock – and a reminder of how deep hazing has seeped into FAMU’s band culture.

Two prominent members of its anti-hazing committee – including the chairman, a former federal judge, and a renowned Black psychologist – have resigned amid predictions that more members will follow.

The resignations follow on the heels of the revelation that two FAMU music department instructors will be disciplined – but not criminally charged – for participating in band hazing activities.

The 2011 Legislature cut the number of early voting days in half, rescinded restoration of the vote for ex-felons who had completed their sentences, and excluded the Sunday before Election Day – traditionally a big day for AfricanAmerican churches to send “souls to the polls” – from the early voting period.

Crist also noted that under the new laws, third-party groups who

fail to file new registration forms with the supervisor of elections within 48 hours of collection face stiff fines.

“As a result, groups such as the League of Women Voters and Rock the Vote have decided to suspend their registration drives in Florida for fear that compliance with the new laws is too difficult,” he wrote. “These groups have a long history in Florida of getting the people involved in participating in the electoral process through registration drives.”

Liberalized voting rules In 2007, Crist convinced the clemency board to return the right to vote to ex-felons who have completed their sentences and other legal requirements. During the 2008 presidential election, he issued an executive order extending the hours of operation at Florida polling places.

Crist noted in Tuesday’s op-ed that Florida lawmakers named voter fraud as the reason for the new laws, but said creating barriers to

JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT

Former Gov. Charlie Crist, here speaking in Orlando in 2010, calls restrictive voting calls “a step backward” for the state. voter registration or access to the polls is contrary to American democratic ideals.

“The right to vote is sacred, and people have fought and died to protect it,” he wrote.

Crist left the Republican Party,

ALSO COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4 INSIDE guest cOMMENTARY: ANDREA GIGGETTS: A SCARED NEGRO WILL GET YOU KILLED | A5

which controls the Florida Legislature, in 2010 to run as an independent for the U.S. Senate seat won by the GOP’s Marco Rubio. He is frequently mentioned as a possible Democratic candidate for governor in 2014.

FOCUS

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april 13 - april 19, 2012

Black middle class must wake up and smell the collard greens Seventeen-year old Trayvon Martin is dead because of his race.

In this White supremacist country, it has always been considered much less of a crime to kill a Black man than to kill a White one. And this is the case, whether the killer of that Black male is a White supremacist, or a self-destructive Black thug created by a White supremacist society.

It is important to realize that not all people with White supremacist attitudes are White. There can be and are Blacks with a White supremacist attitude.

These kinds of killings will continue unless the larger Black community, especially its middle-class segment, cease being so

A. Peter Bailey TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

complacent and begin to organize to protect its male children from both the White supremacists and their Black imitators.

What we must do If we as a people were taking care of business the way we should, George Zimmerman would have been afraid to shoot Trayvon Martin down the way he did. What the Black middle class needs to do is best expressed in the following statements from brilliant, thought-provok-

ing journalist and author Lerone Bennett, Jr. Wrote Bennett in his book, “The Challenge of Blackness:” “The Black middle class can no longer avoid its destiny. The Black middle class can no longer avoid the necessity of redefining itself in terms of the needs of Black people. It is necessary now for the Black middle class to become the servant of the Black community and not the mediator of the White community.

Move skills “The dangers of the hour require the Black middle class to become a transmission belt moving goods, services and skills from the White community to the

Black community. This redefinition, in turn, requires a reevaluation of all duties and obligations in terms of the fundamental value of Black liberation. And this means, on the individual level, that Black professionals must recognize that they are Black first and that their first duty is to Black constituencies.”

“Let us speak openly. It is the duty of Black teachers to protect Black children from educational genocide.

It is the duty of Black social workers to protect mothers receiving Aid for Dependent Children. It is the duty of all Black people to represent Black people, and not the White structures which employ them.

“This is, I suppose, a radical idea. But we are in a radical situation. And that situ-

ation requires us to transform ourselves and all the institutions of America.

‘Do something’ “It would help enormously, in this connection, if we could develop a new concept of levels of involvement and engagement. In my opinion, it is not necessary for all Black people to do the same thing. But it is necessary for all Black people to do something.

“It is equally important for the Black community to judge individuals on the basis of their contributions.

Some men can write, some can fix cars, some can cook, some can raise hell: all – the writer, the mechanic, the cook, the hellraiser – are valuable because their skills are complementary and not contradictory.”

Force choices Another very perceptive observation from Bennett is we must remember “that all people do not

HAZING

THE KILLING OF TRAYVON

from A1

MARGOT JORDAN

Flanked by her support team, Trayvon Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, responds to the arrest of George Zimmerman.

TRAYVON from A1 Defending himself Prior to his arrest, Zimmerman took some unusual actions for someone who may have been faced with a murder charge. He launched a website called “The Real George Zimmerman.” The site had a PayPal account to process donations, even though attorneys were working with Zimmerman’s father to start a legal defense fund in the father’s name.

“On Sunday February 26th, I was involved in a life altering event which led me to become the subject of intense media coverage,” Zimmerman wrote on his website. “As a result of the incident and subsequent media coverage, I have been forced to leave my home, my school, my employer, my George Zimmerman family and ultimately, my entire life. This website’s sole purpose is to ensure my supporters they are receiving my full attention without any intermediaries.”

Zimmerman’s website features philosophical quotes from Thomas Paine, Edmund Burke and other historical figures.

A link marked “My race” leads to this quotation by Paine: “The world is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.” From University of Vermont historian James W. Loewen, he posted: “Evidence must be located, not created, and opinions not backed by evidence cannot be given much weight.

Late Tuesday morning, Zimmerman called the office of special prosecutor Corey, the state attorney for Duval, Nassau and Clay counties. Her office refused his call because prosecutors are not allowed to speak to suspects without their lawyers present, the lawyers said.

Zimmerman’s former attorneys described a man who appeared to be unraveling from the stress, the bounty put on his head by the New Black Panther Party, and from more than 40 days of allegedly hiding in a room.

Students take action Zimmerman’s arrest comes two days after current and for-

mer college students from FAMU and other colleges and universities trekked 40 miles between Daytona Beach and Sanford over three days to keep Martin’s name at the forefront of the nation’s consciousness. On Monday, they temporarily shut the Sanford Police Department headquarters down in a show of civil disobedience.

Calling themselves the “Dream Defenders,” (http://thedreamdefenders.com), they are a coalition of student leaders and experienced organizers hoping to inspire a generation of youth to engage in a conversation about the issues surrounding Trayvon’s death and set the foundation for a movement.

“This is the catalyst to give young people the motivation to act,” said Stephen Green, a sophomore at Morehouse College in Atlanta. “We are the ones with the energy to keep this going.”

Ciara Taylor, a 23-year-old FAMU senior, said students outraged by the lack of arrest in the case met together on campus and constructed a plan of action.

Their message, they say, is one of racial harmony.

“People have rushed to conclusions, but there are issues that go beyond George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin,” Agnew said, as he walked through the brush on the shoulder of U.S. Highway 92 in DeLand. “It’s about a young man in a hoodie that was seen as a criminal. People are realizing that racial profiling is a real problem.”

Tensions high The Gainesville Sun reported Monday that police were investigating the beating of a 27-yearold man who was walking home from a bar Saturday night by five to eight men who shouted “Trayvon” as they jumped him.

“We do believe that the crime was racially motivated,” the Sun quoted Gainesville police spokeswoman Cpl. Angelina Valuri as saying. The attackers were Black while the victim was White, Valuri told the Sun. Early Tuesday morning, an unoccupied Sanford Police Department police vehicle was shot up.

No one was hurt. Witnesses reported hearing at least six gunshots, according to multiple local media reports. The vehicle car was parked near the site where Zimmerman killed Trayvon.

According to the Associated Press, the vehicle was parked across from Sanford’s Bentley El-

ementary for several weeks at the school’s request as “a visible deterrent due to tour buses using the school property to park during the day and evening hours.”

‘Moment’ or ‘movement’?

Turning the Trayvon “moment” into “a movement” will depend on whether all the emotion swirling around Martin dissipates over time or coalesces into a permanent desire to make a difference, said the Rev. Willie Barnes, pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church in Sanford.

“You can’t just show up and shout and make noise. You have to do it with the vote,” Barnes said. “You can’t change the system until you change the people who are running it.”

Voter registration has been made more difficult with new laws passed by the Florida Legislature. Voter registration forms can only be collected and turned into elections supervisors’ offices by certified third-party representatives. They must be turned in within 48 hours, or the person collecting the forms can be fined or arrested.

This doesn’t prevent churches from distributing voter-registration forms to members, who turn in the forms themselves. At Allen Chapel AME Church in Sanford, the Rev. Valerie J. Houston keeps a stack of voter-registration forms on a table in the front of the church.

‘A new generation’ Houston thinks Trayvon Martin has become a seminal figure for his generation and that his death can motivate young Blacks to become more politically active. If they don’t like the “stand your ground” law, they need to elect legislators who will repeal or change the law, she said. If they think racism resides inside the Sanford Police Department, they can elect city commissioners who will work to erase it.

“This is a new generation of the civil rights movement. Those of us spiritual leaders, we are going to have to educate our young people,” Houston said. “We have to make sure it is our focus – all the way through the rest of the year.”

David Royse of the News Service of Florida and Arelis R. Hernandez and Jeff Kunerth of the Orlando Sentinel (MCT) contributed to this report.

respond to Champion’s death, had warned trustees at a March 30 emergency meeting that having to give notice of their activities likely would result in the loss of five members. Several members of the panel said giving notice would be too difficult given their schedules, and some said they’d probably quit.

Robinson wrote that trustee Rufus Montgomery, who had compared the committee’s position to “a child not getting their way and Judge saying I’m going Stephen to take my toys Robinson and go home,” influenced his resignation.

Those remarks were “churlish in the extreme,” Robinson wrote in his resignation letter.

R e s i g n i n g Dr. Na’im with Robinson: Akbar Dr. Na’im Akbar, a well-known Afrocentric clinical psychologist based in Tallahassee.

“The time restraints further imbued the assignment with toxic implications that we would be the sacrificial lambs in this complex public relations nightmare,” wrote Akbar in his April 4 resignation letter.

Involved in hazing The week before the anti-hazing brouhaha, two FAMU music department faculty members were put on paid administrative leave after it was discovered that they participated in a hazing incident involving student band members and Kappa Kappa Psi, a national honorary band fraternity at the school.

Diron Torriano Holloway, 37, and Anthony Edward Simons, 36, admitted that they participated in a hazing incident involving band students in 2010. Their actions came to light during a Tallahassee Police Department investigation of the incident that was recently concluded.

Holloway is an associate professor of music and director of clarinets and saxophones and Simons is an assistant professor of music for euphonium and tuba.

Hazing in FAMU’s band came to a head Nov. 19, 2011. Champion, 26, was killed after allegedly undergoing a known hazing ritual. He died of “hemorrhagic shock due to soft tissue hemorrhage, due to blunt force trauma,” according to the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Champion had bruising to the chest, arms, shoulder and back and within interior body tissues, the autopsy report showed. Official reports say fellow band members beat Champion and authorities ruled his death a homicide. To date, no one has been arrested.

Cops notified Just days after Champion’s death, Marching 100 Band Director Julian E. White notified FAMU police about a hazing incident involving Kappa Kappa Psi Fraternity that was brought to his attention by another faculty member. A student said he

dominate for the fun of it, that the function of prejudice is to defend interests (social, economic, political and psychological interests) and that appeals to the fair play of prejudiced people are prayers said to the wind...Communities will change discriminatory patterns if they are forced to make clear-cut choices between bias and another highly cherished value – economic gain, education or civic peace.”

There are some Black middle-class people who are already doing what Bennett advocates, but not nearly enough. Too many are living in fantasy land.

They must remember that the White supremacist haters and their Black thug imitators don’t make distinctions.

Contact A. Peter Bailey at apeterb@verizon.net, or 202-716-4560. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

“had been paddled” while trying to join the fraternity and that Holloway and Simon were there.

According to the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) report, FAMU police told White that the matter had to be transferred to their department because the incident happened off campus.

The FAMU police report was never transferred. “The Tallahassee Police Department found out about the above allegation via the media on January 20, 2012,” the TPD report stated.

After investigating the incident, Tallahassee police learned that 14 “pledges” were brought to Holloway’s house and were separated in a bedroom and a garage. The students were brought to a room one at time where some were paddled, and where “necking” (slapping the pledges’ necks if they did not know certain information) and “prepping” (hitting) occurred in the instructors’ presence.

A statement on Kappa Kappa Psi’s national website said, “Since the investigation has ended, Kappa Kappa Psi plans to move forward in a manner consistent with the policies and practices of the fraternity.”

No criminal charges will be leveled against the teachers because the incident happened outside the two-year statute of limitations for a misdemeanor.

White ‘betrayed’ FAMU President James H. Ammons said, “The university will take appropriate action against faculty members or students, up to and including dismissal.”

A statement from Chuck Hobbs, the attorney representing former band director White, said the faculty members betrayed him.

“Dr. White was appalled to learn that hazing incidents may have been facilitated by band staff, which is why he took it directly to law enforcement immediately upon learning about the same,” Hobbs said. “Dr. White feels betrayed and undermined in that the very antihazing measures that he spent an entire career developing and implementing were usurped by staff members behind his back.”

Chief retires In other news, FAMU’s Chief of Police Calvin Ross announced last week his plans to retire on May 1.

Ross has led FAMU’s police for 11 years. A third-generation Floridian, he has been in law enforcement for 40 years, including service as chief of police of the city of Miami in May 1991.

Ross said Champion’s death delayed his retirement. He said he initially wanted to retire in January to assist his family with a new business venture.

“This caused me to offset my plans for leaving until such time that the investigation into this case reached a conclusion,” said Ross in an April 3 statement. “As of this date, I believe we have reached that conclusion.”

Ross established a complete law enforcement operation at FAMU’s College of Law in Orlando, and implemented an electronic campus alert system and an online registration process for students and staff to acquire parking decals while he was at FAMU. He also implemented a central alarm monitoring system and secured federal and state grant dollars for equipment for the school.

APRIL 13 - april 19, 2012

FLORIDA & NATION

More terror in Oklahoma 3 Black men in Tulsa dead; shootings considered to be racially motivated

BY HAZEL TRICE EDNEY TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

The Tulsa (Oklahoma) Police Department quickly arrested two White men as suspects in the apparently random shootings of five Black men out walking.

Three were killed and two survived the shootings, which occurred at four different locations over four hours starting around 1 a.m. last Friday.

Initially, witnesses described a lone White man driving a White pickup truck as the suspect. Police announced Sunday that they had arrested two White males.

Jacob England, 19, and Alvin Watts, 32, were charged with three counts of murder and shooting with an attempt to kill.

The pickup truck was discovered burned near a house where the two men were found hiding early Sunday.

Slurs on Facebook Police say it was too early to attribute race as a motive, but a posting on England’s Facebook page, shown by CNN, said, “Today is two years that my dad has been gone, shot by a f----ing n---r. it’s hard not to go off between that and sheran I’m gone in the head.”

Though police continue to investigate, speculation is that the possible motive was that England’s father was shot and killed two years ago during an alleged burglary by a Black man who was never prosecuted. England’s girlfriend, named Sheran, reportedly shot and killed herself in front of him and their baby in January.

Police and city officials issued widespread pleas for information from witnesses. Officials credit numerous tips with the quick arrest. As the investigation developed, they expressed fear

that some in the Black community might become vigilantes.

“We feel like he’s targeting African-Americans,” said the Rev. Warren Blakney, Sr., president of the Tulsa NAACP. “We have to handle this because there are a number of African-American males who are not going to allow this to happen in their neighborhood.”

Reminder of race riots The shootings easily sparked recollections of the historic 1921 race riots in Tulsa, described as the bloodiest in U. S. history. Despite what some describe as racial harmony in the city 91 years later, the facts of that incident remain just under the surface since African-Americans never fully received justice.

In that situation, Dick Rowland, a 19-year-old AfricanAmerican accidentally stepped on the foot of Sarah Page, a White elevator operator in a downtown Tulsa office building, who in turn tried to hit Rowland with her purse and he quickly fled.

The incident quickly spread into

Caylee’s Law goes into effect in Florida NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

Died in yard The FBI has joined the investigation to determine whether the shootings are in fact hate crimes.

The three who died are Dannaer Fields, 49, found with gunshot wounds in a yard about 1 a.m. on April 6; Bobby Clark, 54, found an hour later shot in a street; and William Allen, 31, was found shot to death in a funeral home yard around 8:30 a.m.

The two surviving men were found with gunshot wounds in a yard two blocks from where Fields’ body was found.

One of the two survivors said the truck pulled up and someone inside asked the men for directions before firing the gun when they walked away.

“This is an event that is unprecedented in our recent history, and it is certainly one that ... we want to bring to an end very quickly,” said Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett in an interview with CNN’s Don Lemon.

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Jacob England and Alvin Watts a rumor; then a lie that Rowland had raped the woman.

More than 400 Whites gathered at the county jail intending to lynch the Black teen. Meanwhile, two waves of armed Blacks showed up at the jail, offering to help protect the prisoner.

The second wave of Blacks, like the first, was told their services were not needed. As they began to depart, a White man, possibly a deputy, attempted to disarm one of the African-Americans and a shot was fired. Other shots followed, leaving more than a dozen dead.

No justice Within hours, mobs of Whites converged upon the Black residents of Tulsa’s Greenwood Avenue district, a 40-block showcase of Black businesses and homes, known as the Black Wall Street. The governor activated the Oklahoma National Guard and two companies of soldiers from nearby Fort Sill were called to duty.

Machine guns were used to shoot any Black person in sight; airplanes dropped nitroglycerin on the neighborhood. When it was over 16 hours later, at least 300 Blacks were dead, 1,503 residences had been destroyed and more than 600 businesses had been closed, including two

Black newspapers, the Tulsa Star and the Oklahoma Sun. Now, more than nine decades later, victims never got justice. A 2005 Supreme Court ruling said the statute of limitation to file claims in the case had expired.

Heated tensions The shootings also come amidst heated racial tensions around the nation in the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida.

Some see the weekend shootings as revenge killings for the death of England’s father. But, to shoot innocent men because they are the same race as an alleged killer is still categorized as racially motivated; therefore a hate crime. Nevertheless, Police Chief Chuck Jordan will not jump to any conclusions.

“It sickens me. It angers me.

This is not what Tulsa, Oklahoma is all about,” Jordan told reporters Sunday afternoon. “You can look at the facts of the case and appear to come up with a logical theory, but we’re going to follow the leads where they take us…We’re going to explore any possible motives.”

TALLAHASSEE – Prompted by the death of Orlando twoyear-old Caylee Anthony in 2008, Gov. Rick Scott last week signed a measure to bolster penalties for lying to police when a child goes missing.

Known as “Caylee’s Law,” the measure (HB 37) was among a handful of criminal justice bills signed into law on April 6 that included paying funeral expenses for children who die while in state custody.

In contrast, Scott vetoed a measure that would have allowed some non-violent offenders to get out of jail early to fulfill their sentences with intensive substance abuse programs.

Caylee’s Law makes it a third degree felony to give false information to a law enforcement officer in the event of missing child.

The bill was introduced following the trial of Casey Anthony, Caylee’s mother, who was acquitted of murder but charged with four counts of lying to police. Caylee wasn’t reported missing until 31 days after she vanished.

Casey Anthony was sentenced to four years in prison and was released last summer after time served.

Scott also signed HB 173, which gives the Department of Juvenile Justice the authority to pay funeral expenses in some cases if a child dies in the agency’s custody.

The bill follows the death this past summer of Eric Perez in a juvenile lock-up in Palm Beach County, and the initial refusal of the state’s chief financial officer, Jeff Atwater, to pay for his funeral expenses.

EDITORIAL

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APRIL 13 - APRIL 19, 2012

Prosecutors are like ghosts Prosecutors and law enforcement officers oftentimes think like Casper, the so-called friendly ghost!

In the world of ghosts, everything is White! “Ghost Hunters” are White and “Ghostbusters” are White or act White.

Have you ever seen or heard of a Black ghost?

Have you come in contact with a Hispanic ghost or an Asian ghost? I think not!

It depends Any time that prosecutors and other law enforcers investigate crimes that involve White and nonWhite perpetrators or victims, your disposition of-

Lucius Gantt THE GANTT REPORT

ten depends on the color of your skin.

Lawmen in Tulsa, Okla. seem to be reluctant to call the shootings of multiple Black people by White shooters a “hate crime!”

Sanford authorities similarly have yet to charge or arrest George Zimmerman, the killer of Trayvon Martin, for a hate crime even though everyone that listened to Zimmerman’s 911

calls that were permeated with racial slurs like the word “coon” knows Zimmerman must have had racial motivations when he shot the Black teenager.

Everybody wants African-Americans to obey local, state and federal laws.

But when those laws are supposed to protect us and help us, our U.S. Constitutional right of equal protection under the law goes right out of the window.

We are different Women don’t have problems raising cases of alleged sexual harassment or sexual misconduct.

Gays don’t hesitate to raise

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: GUNS IN AMERICA

hate crime issues whenever someone merely speaks a so-called gay slur. More than a few prominent athletes have been punished and/or fined thousands of dollars just for saying the F-word in a passionfilled moment at a game or sporting event.

But you can say anything you want to a Black person and do anything you want to a Black person.

This recent rash of murders by White shooters of innocent Black men, women and children must be stopped! In fact, anyone, regardless of skin color, should not shoot another person that has done noth-

‘Kill at will’ laws block justice for Trayvon There has never been any doubt that George Zimmerman pulled the trigger that killed a 17-yearold, unarmed Florida youth named Trayvon Martin. But not much is known about Zimmerman’s accomplice.

PAT BAGLEY, SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

His name is ALEC, which stands for the American Legislative Exchange Council. ALEC is a corporate-financed membership organization for conservative state legislators that, in conjunction with the National Rifle Association (NRA), wrote and promoted the “stand your ground” law that so far has shielded Zimmerman from arrest and prosecution.

Serious increase

Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 136 Trayvon – We shouldn’t celebrate George Zimmerman’s arrest; it’s something that should have happened within 24 hours of Trayvon’s killing. As I view pictures of the various Florida Trayvon rallies, a substantial number of people are smiling and grinning, as if they were at a Florida Classic football pep rally. Remember that Trayvon’s still dead and his family will never fully recover. Giddiness or a misplaced sense of victory is irrational in this tragic situation.

Credit Trayvon’s parents and the pressure from both inside and outside the state with moving this case forward. “The people” turned this around by forcing the criminal justice system, as personified by Gov. Rick Scott, to take a second look, regardless of what anyone says. And at least Angela Corey is doing her job, something ‘hometown’ prosecutor Norm Wolfinger refused to do.

What’s next? Going forward, I’m advising, among other things, that Black Floridians get legally “strapped,” as I wrote next week. Black folks with guns are America’s worst nightmare. Don’t you think that if Black Floridians start walking around legally with holstered guns, the GOP-dominated Florida Legislature will change these crazy gun and gun-related laws here like “stand your ground,” also known as “kill at will?” Y’all know how it works in

quick takes from #2: straight, no chaser

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq. PUBLISHER

America when Black folks start “taking advantage”...the rules and the laws get changed...

U.S. Rep. Allen West – He’s my congressman (I live in his South Florida district). When he said that “about 78 or 81 members of the Democrat Party...are members of the Communist Party,” that threw me back to the 1950s. That’s the last time I heard someone called a “commie.”

West is a real hep cat, but he must be cruisin’ for a bruisin’ from the Dems...

FAMU – Ever wonder why many serious Black folks never want to be involved with leadership of HBCUs and other predominately Black nonprofit entities? It’s because they don’t want to waste their time dealing with the foolishness of aggressive, egocentric board members. More next week...

Contact me at ccherry2@gmail.com; holler at me at www.facebook.com/ ccherry2; follow me on Twitter @ccherry2.

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.

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

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ing to deserve any gun vio- shot in Tulsa would come lence. back and haunt the hell out of America’s closet KlansProtect yourself men and neo-Nazis.”

Since attacks on Blacks If White supremacists in Sanford are arming them- are in fashion once again. selves in anticipation of I urge all of the readers of a riot, perhaps Black citi- The Gantt Report to protect zens worldwide should arm yourself at all times! themselves in anticipation of a race war!

Excerpts from Gantt If Whites are going to take columns are now posted a Casper-like attitude that every week on The Gantt the only good ghosts are Report’s Facebook page; White ghosts and the only become a fan. Buy Gantt’s good people are White peo- latest book, “Beast Too: ple, they should stop and Dead Man Writing” on realize that there are more Amazon.com and from Black people on earth than bookstores everywhere. there are White people!

Comedian Paul Mooney Contact Lucius at www. once cracked that, “There allworldconsultants.net. are no Black ghosts because “Like” The Gantt Report if there were, the Blacks page on Facebook. Click murdered during slavery on this story at www.fldays, during civil rights courier.com to write your struggles and those Blacks own response.

“Stand your ground” is essentially a “kill at will” law which allows a gunman to use deadly force if that person believes he or she is in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm. Since the law was passed in Florida in 2005, the ‘justifiable homicide’ rate in the state has jumped 300 percent.

ALEC has used its close relationship with conservative lawmakers in state legislators throughout the country to pass similar legislation in 25 states – and the tragic body count is growing.

It is bad enough that since its founding in 1981, ALEC has been the shadow author of numerous piec-

MARC H. MORIAL TRICE EDNEY WIRE

es of legislation aimed at boosting corporate power and profits, reducing worker rights, weakening environmental protections, and restricting voter rights.

Now the organization is actively supporting a law that is moving this country back to the lawless days of the Wild West when it was common practice to “shoot first and ask questions later.” That is not the kind of America our children or we deserve in the 21st century.

‘Sunlight of truth’ That is why last week, I stood with a coalition of civil rights groups and hundreds of outraged citizens at a rally in front of ALEC headquarters in Washington, D.C. We came to pull back the curtain so that the world could meet the team of ghostwriters who have written these kill-at-will laws and spread this poison around the nation.

We came to spread the disinfecting sunlight of truth on the real force behind these deadly laws and to demand that the organization end its promotion of stand your ground and other similar firearms legislation.

The same team of ghostwriters is poisoning the constitutional right to vote by promoting these despicable voter ID laws throughout the nation. ALEC’s model voter ID legislation, which is being promoted in dozens of states, has the potential to disenfranchise more than five million voters during this all important presidential election year.

Fortunately, the secretive partnership between big business and conservative politicians is coming under increasing scrutiny across the country. The Center for Media and Democracy has created a website, www.

ALECExposed.org, revealing the bills the organization supports, as well as its corporate and political backers. This should give everyone pause when an inside-the-Beltway group can write and promote laws that corrupt the democratic process, give a free pass to criminal behavior and trample on our civil rights.

Last week, we marched for justice for Trayvon Martin. But until we get to the bottom of the NRA/ALEC relationship and their motivation for promoting laws that go beyond commercial interests, who knows who ALEC’s next victim will be?

Marc Morial is president and CEO of the National Urban League. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Bend over (or squat) and spread ‘em, says Obama When you fall into the clutches of the police, for any reason, or no good reason at all, you can be compelled to bare your private parts before being placed in the general jail population.

Humiliation is now the law of the land.

Five of the nine U.S. Supreme Court justices ruled that Constitutional prohibitions against unreasonable searches end at the jailhouse door, even if there is no reason to suspect that the person under arrest is in possession of anything that could be called contraband.

The decision throws out laws against unreasonable strip searches in at least ten states, and overrides federal law enforcement regulations against intrusive searches.

The high court’s decision also flies in the face of international human rights treaties to which the United States is a signatory.

Search ‘flexibility’ In effect, the Supreme Court majority ruled that the whim of the local jailer trumps any standard of reasonableness. The American Correctional Association, which represents jail guards, is pleased that its members now have the “flexibility” to look into virtually every human orifice that enters their domain, even though the association’s own standards currently discourage blanket policies of strip-searching everyone.

The real motive GLEN FORD BLACK AGENDA REPORT

The casual observer might conclude that the ruling is more evidence of a rightwing court on the warpath against what remains of the Bill of Rights. But on this issue, the Obama administration is marching in lock step with the high court’s right-wing majority.

U.S. Justice Department lawyers spoke and filed briefs in favor of blanket strip searches. Indeed, the oral argument put forward

by Obama’s lawyer was, perhaps, the most curious of all.

Most of the discussion about the smuggling of contraband into jail settings involves drugs or crude weapons and other petty criminal concerns – the day-today stuff of life in a jail. But the administration’s lawyer chose to use hypothetical political protesters as the bad guys of his argument.

In this weird scenario, a protester with a gun, traveling in a car that was about to stopped by police, would hide the gun on his person in hopes of avoiding a pat-down search, and then bring the gun into the jail when he is arrested – presumably for some minor offense connected to the demonstration.

This is quite strange reasoning, and shows what kinds of conversations the Obama folks are having at the Justice Department.

Crushing political dissent, not safety in jails, is what motivates the Obama administration to ally itself with the most reactionary wing of the Republicandominated U.S. Supreme Court.

The Left is not paranoid.

The Obama administration really is preparing its legal arsenal to smash dissent in the United States. They are getting ready for a full-spectrum assault on civil and political freedoms ranging from the big hammer – suspension of all due process through preventive detention – to the intimately chilling effect on potential protesters of knowing that Uncle Sam wants to look into all of your bodily cavities if you get arrested at a demonstration.

Obama’s lawyer was not talking off-the-cuff before the U.S. Supreme Court.

This administration is obsessed with political protesters. They want you to bend over, and spread ‘em – literally and politically.

Glen Ford is executive editor of BlackAgendaReport.com. E-mail him at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

APRIL 13 - APRIL 19, 2012

Greece commits murder by austerity Dimitris Christoulas was a retired pharmacist whose neighbors said had enormous dignity.

At 77 years old, he looked forward to a comfortable old age. He had saved during his 35-year career and did not expect government to be involved in his pension.

But the austerity budget that Greece has imposed on its citizens reduced Christoulas’ pension. So he killed himself, writing in a suicide note that he would rather have “a decent end” than forage thorough garbage to find enough “rubbage to feed myself.”

Neighbors say he wanted to send a political message. They say the law-abiding man was a committed leftist – so meticulous that he paid his condo fees ahead before he took his life.

‘Political act?’

The Christoulas suicide has mobilized many in Greece, some of whom describe his act as one of fortitude, not simply despair.

Some describe it as a “political act” because it took place in a public square during the morning rush hour.

Generally, Greece has a lower level of suicide than the rest of the countries in the European Union,

DR. JULIANNE MALVEAUX TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

but last year suicides rose by 45 percent, giving it now one of the highest rates. Many attribute the increase in suicides to the economic crisis. Anecdotal cases are reported – of the anchorman who killed himself when his contract was not renewed, of the couple with a disabled child whose public sector jobs were eliminated who threatened to throw themselves off a balcony, of a man who set himself on fire when a bank foreclosed on his home.

The United States is threatening an austerity budget. We are threatening, like Greece, to balance the budget on the backs of the least and the left out, of the poor and the needy. We have maintained the Bush tax cuts, even though we don’t need to, because Republicans want to respond to their donors and not to working people.

President Obama had it exactly right when he railed against Republican values. The most recent statistics about poverty point

EDITORIAL

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VISUAL VIEWPOINT: OBAMA VS. THE GOP

to its upward trend, not a downward decline. To be sure, these data measure challenges between 2009 and 2010, and many think that when data come out in September to speak to 2011 poverty, rates may trend down, just as unemployment rates have.

Docile Americans The unemployment rate in Greece is 21 percent. The unemployment rate in Black America exceeds 25 percent. Yet we Americans are docile recipients of our poverty and unemployment. Except for the Occupy movement, there has been extreme silence about our current conditions.

Still, the Christoulas suicide makes me wonder what silent acts of desperation Americans are experiencing because of economic austerity. How many robberies or suicides are economically motivated, and how many are unreported because they don’t take place in the public square?

How many seniors are actually foraging for food, or lining up at soup kitchens because they don’t have enough to eat? How many young brothers feel that they improve their lives by going to jail where they at least get “three hots

JOHN COLE / CAGLECARTOONSCOM

and a cot?” How many folks care enough to explore these questions and find answers?

While killing oneself is an extreme way to protest economic inequities, it has also been a way to rivet Greece’s national attention on the hardships that too many in that country are facing.

What does it take in the United States, with unemployment still high, with foreclosures still out of control, with too many people managing “underwater” mortgages? What would happen if the economically aggrieved showed

up in a public square?

The Christoulas suicide shines light on the human effects of austerity budgets, not just in Greece but also in the rest of the world.

We should take heed on his public action, as it is repeated, though silently, behind closed doors.

Julianne Malveaux is author of “Surviving and Thriving: 365 Facts in Black Economic History.” Click on this story at www. flcourier.com to write your own response.

Become an American by using your passport It is often said that people truly cannot understand the United States of America until they have thoroughly traveled the nation.

I’d like to challenge that reasoning somewhat – expanding it to argue that one really cannot understand our nation until they have obtained a passport and traveled outside its borders.

This is particularly true for Black Americans who are often trapped in inner cities and regularly surrounded with seemingly inescapable crime, violence, discrimination and poverty. For these people, foreign travel can provide a unique experience.

One of the greatest privileges one has as an American citizen is the ability to obtain a passport and travel the world. It is amazing how many countries there are in the world for which American citizens are not required to have visas in order to visit.

DR. B.B. ROBINSON PROJECT 21

Get your passport!

It is because of this that I highly recommend – irrespective of any immediate plans – that people go to their local post office, pick up a passport application, complete it and submit it to obtain a passport. From serving as an official government issued-ID that can be used at a polling place to traveling to the farthest reaches of the world, opportunities become almost limitless with a passport in hand.

For instance, and most obviously, one can use a passport for tourism. If someone thinks they

are through with America, they can also use the privilege of foreign travel to look for someplace else where they might find employment and the dignity they believe they lack at home.

On that note, foreign travel provides perspective. Black Americans will find that racial discrimination exists in distant lands, although it may manifest itself differently.

Structurally, much of the world is evolving to look like the United States. Observant travelers will notice how the United States and its culture are influencing the political, military, or cultural of the rest of the world. Much of this is due to large amounts of assistance the U.S. government gives to foreign peoples, governments and regions. As a taxpayer, you have every right to know (and see) how your tax dollars are being spent outside of the United States.

A scared Negro will get you killed, part 1 As a Black history aficionado and an ardent student and observer of human behavior, it is days like today that I yearn to speak with Harriet Tubman.

Harriet Tubman believed in “running away.” She “ran away” to resist being enslaved, further dehumanized, or economically exploited. She “ran away” from whips, chains, and unspeakable torture by serial masters and overseers. She “ran away” from an environment that touted religion, yet did not practice Christianity.

She “ran away” to boycott heartache, tears, and the auction of families. As a result of “running away,” her heroic efforts yielded freedom for hundreds of family members, friends, and neighbors.

As she so aptly stated, “I never lost a passenger!’

Decided to remain However, Harriet Tubman’s civil disobedience ran afoul with some of the enslaved African-Americans she was trying to “free” from bondage. For instance, with extraordinary personal courage, Harriet returned to Maryland seeking to liberate her husband. He refused to accompany her to freedom, thus opting to remain in his current position.

During other death-defying trips, the “Moses of Her People,” as she was rightfully called, returned South again and again to help scores of other enslaved AfricanAmericans seek freedom.

While some enslaved African-Americans were more than willing to defy the odds by escaping, others had to be

ANDREA GIGGETTS GUEST COLUMNIST

forced under threat of being shot by Harriett if they didn’t comply with her orders.

“I freed a thousand slaves,” she said. “I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.”

Which brings me to Sasser, Ga. On April 4, I, along with other “runaway” African-Americans, led a peaceful demonstration at the governmental offices of Terrell County. Our attempted request, for the third time, was simple – remove the racially charged and culturally offensive highway sign called “Chain Gang Road.”

This highway sign resurrects a powerful and shameful imagery that symbolically represented racial oppression and atrocities rendered to primarily Southern African-American convict laborers.

Language is critical Language is a transmitter of culture and ideas that often shape perceptions that can be used to perpetuate demeaning characterizations, racial bias, and could easily evoke grossly inflammatory mental images and inaccurate exaggerations synonymous with AfricanAmericans. Take for example, the killing of Trayvon Martin.

Hateful language, racist expressions, epithets, and slurs that are transmitted or

transposed on or via governmental property intimidates, incites violence, or causes a prejudicial action against a protected individual or group.

Our peaceful demonstration was met with its usual dose of vindictiveness and hatefulness from the majority White commissioners. Instead of welcoming the participation and attendance from a group of polite, civic-minded African-Americans who were interested in exercising their rights in the democratic process just like the White civic-minded attendees, the chairman, upon observing a sea of Black faces entering the room, abruptly cancelled the business meeting!

However, we were not deterred. Our group reconvened the peaceful demonstration at the Babcock Furniture store that is the worksite of one of the commissioners. It is worth noting that this is the same commissioner who represents the district in which the detestable Chain Gang sign is displayed.

Why am I in search of wisdom from Harriet Tubman?

Because it is evident that most of the African-American populous within Terrell County are scared.

Next week, part 2: Who are these scared Negroes?

To help eliminate the “Chain Gang Road” sign, contact Jacksonville resident Andrea Giggetts at andrea@giggettsandassociates.com or (904) 7426105. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

The U.S. government has also facilitated the dramatic expansion of American businesses abroad.

It raises the question of why our government aids firms in relocating so many jobs overseas.

Discrimination happens When and if discrimination is encountered while traveling, it may be found that it is because of the negative images of Black Americans that the American media has broadcast to the rest of the world. On the other hand, it may also be found that – especially if someone is large in stature or possesses a certain flair – that they are treated well because they resemble famous Black American athletes or entertainers.

Whatever experience one has while traveling abroad, it will undoubtedly enhance an understanding of how our nation operates. Moreover, it provides an

opportunity to develop new perspectives because it allows one to look at our nation from the outside.

It is with these two important perspectives of America – from both domestic and international experiences – that one really understands the nation in which they live. It is only by understanding the nation that one can understand completely what it means to be an American.

This process of understanding starts by applying for the little blue passport book that opens so many doors to discovery.

Dr. B.B. Robinson is a member of the national advisory council of the Project 21 Black leadership network. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Alvin Boutte is an unsung business hero Many African-Americans don’t even know a single Black entrepreneur.

Most American Blacks are unaware of the roles or accomplishments of Black entrepreneurs.

So the passing of one of the country’s most influential contemporary Black businessman should be duly noted. Earlier this month, Alvin Boutte Sr. died in his home outside Chicago. He was 82.

Boutte fits the mold of a successful Black entrepreneur. He was born in Lake Charles, La., and earned a degree in pharmacy from New Orleans’ historically Black Xavier University. When he later moved to Chicago, the pharmacy profession gave him a foothold in the city’s business community. Boutte started owning and operating his own drugstore, which later grew into a chain of stores.

WILLIAM REED BUSINESS EXCHANGE

ness and political progress are both critical to the growth of Black communities. Boutte said that while he never thought of himself as one who would leave a legacy, he “hopes that people will remember him as honest and successful.”

The spirit of Boutte continues in the actions and deeds of a select few in Black enclaves. Between 2002 and 2007, the number of Black-owned businesses in the U.S. increased to 1.9 million. Black-owned firms saw their receipts rise to $137.5 billion during those years. The average revenue at those businesses was $72,000 a year, compared to an average of $490,000 at those owned

by Whites.

For African-Americans that came of age during the civil rights movement, much introspective on our roles and relationships to capitalism is required. Integration distracted Blacks in the 1960s and ‘70s from building our own businesses and financial infrastructures. Too many Blacks are ignorant of the fact that the majority of new jobs and opportunities are created in the nation’s small business sector. Since 1987, the number of Black-owned businesses soared.

Alvin Boutte enhanced the profile and recognition of Black entrepreneurs.

the Independence Bank, which became the largest Black-owned bank in the U.S. Independence was the first Black-owned bank to purchase a substantial White-owned bank when it acquired Drexel National Bank.

Boutte is to be emulated for the way he “thought and acted Black.” Chicago’s groundbreaking Black business community also included John H. Johnson, publisher of Jet and Ebony magazines.

“When people talk about Chicago being the Mecca for Black business, it was because of that generation of African-American leaders who showed the way,” said John Rogers, chief executive officer of Ambitious man Boutte took pride, and Ariel Investments. identified with, his family’s Creole heritage. May- Funded activists When Dr. Martin Lube because of his orientation and family bonds, ther King Jr.’s civil rights throughout his life Boutte campaign needed funds was alert to business op- to bankroll the Southern portunity and success and Christian Leadership Conwas known as “tremen- ference (SCLC), Boutte convened a meeting of dously ambitious.”

Boutte’s successes offer Chicago’s Black business proof of the advantages of leaders to raise $55,000.

“He invited Dr. King to Blacks working together.

In his dealings with Chica- Chicago...he was fundago’s Black businesspeople, mental to those moveBoutte became acquaint- ments for justice,” said William Reed is pubed with George Johnson, Jesse Jackson. A unique purveyor of Ultra Sheen blend of businessman lisher of Who’s Who in and Afro Sheen hair prod- and activist, Boutte under- Black Corporate Ameructs, and the two started stood how success in busi- ica.

TOj A6

NATION

APRIL 13 – APRIL 19, 2012

Health disparities and the generation gap SPECIAL REPORT Health issues cause financial burdens for families, system and communities

BY KIMBERLY N. ALLEYNE SPECIL TO THE NNPA

WASHINGTON – Health disparities are creating economic burdens for families, communities and the nation’s health care system. Across the country, infant mortality and chronic diseases continue to affect people of color at rates far higher than those for Whites.

In recent years, the focus has increased on the impact of disparities on minority communities, with public officials, community activists, civic leaders and health care experts proposing ways to improve access to medical care and raise awareness of positive benefits of preventive care. But health experts say the economic toll of health disparities and substantial costs associated with lost productivity are being overlooked.

“Racial and ethnic groups have higher incidences of diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer, et cetera,” says Brian D. Smedley, vice president and director of the Health Policy Institute at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington, D.C. “That prevalence (of chronic diseases) comes with a price tag in terms of excess direct medical costs, nearly $230 billion over a four-year period that we studied.”

E. JASON WAMBSGANS/ CHICAGO TRIBUNE/MCT

Infant mortality rates, by race and Hispanic origin of mother: United States, 2007

Above: Dr. Daniel Sulmasy examines a patient in the acute care clinic at University of Chicago Medical Center in Chicago on March 6. Sulmasy also is doing research on how doctors and patients handle faith and healing.

Poorer care, more barriers The study found that between 2003 and 2006, 30.6 percent of direct medical care expenditures for African-Americans, Asians and Hispanics were excess costs due to health inequalities.

The study estimated that eliminating health disparities for minorities would have reduced direct medical expenditures by $229.4 billion and slashed indirect costs associated with illness and premature death by more than $1 trillion for those years.

The 2010 National Healthcare Disparities Report documented that racial and ethnic minorities often receive poorer care than Whites while facing more barriers in seeking preventive care, acute treatment or chronic disease management.

The report is produced by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Higher rates of hospitalization According to the report, minorities also experience rates of preventable hospitalization that, in some cases, are almost double that of Whites; African-Americans have higher hospitalization rates from influenza; and Black children are twice as likely to be hospitalized and more than four times as likely to die from asthma as White children.

Thomas A. LaVeist, director of the Hopkins Center for Health Disparities at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, says increased health risks for minorities are directly related to where they live and work.

“The fact is that we have an inequitable distribution of opportunity,” he says. “Where you live determines what schools your children get to attend. It determines if your house will appreciate or de-appreciate and whether you can create wealth. It also determines whether you are exposed to environmental inequalities and the type of health care facility that is available to you. Where you live, work, play and pray affects quality of health care.”

‘Needlessly sicker’ Jennifer Ng’andu, deputy director of the Health Policy Project at the National Council of La Raza in Washington, speaks even more pointedly: “If we look at communities of color, we see that many racial and ethnic groups live in unsafe environments, there is poor housing and there is loss of productivity because of illness.

“Essentially, every time a person of color goes to the doctor, 30 percent of their bill is due to health disparities so they end up paying more in the doctor’s office because over time they receive

health care that is not appropriate or effective,” she says.

“They become needlessly sicker and are more likely to die prematurely, so they end up paying more medical expenses.”

Harder to achieve Health experts and civic leaders say financial strains are adversely manifested in varying ways in communities and have a huge impact on children, often involving academic performance.

“There are direct biological consequences in that a child who does not have good access to health services will experience developmental setbacks because they are sick or their parents are sick,” Ng’andu says.

“It makes it harder for them to achieve in school and can have serious consequences on their future. We have to invest in children early, their health early, their education, making sure they have healthy communities to grow in.”

Asthma, kids and poor air quality According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, the percentage of children and adolescents with a chronic disease swelled from 1.8 percent in the 1960s to 7 percent in 2004.

The increase has an adverse impact on childhood education. For example, a report by the American Lung Association says asthma is a leading cause nationwide of youngsters missing school.

Asthma affects Puerto Rican and African-American children more often, perhaps because they often live in communities with poor air quality.

“Studies show a spread of diabetes among children, but particularly among Black and Latino children,” says Sinsi HernandezCancio, director of health equity at Families USA in Washington.

“There are long-term effects.

You are more likely to lose a limb, have a heart attack or lose a kidney, and the longer you have the disease, the greater the toll on life quality. We can expect to see this as these children grow older.

There is also an impact on children when other family members have a disease because they sometime miss school to care for an ill family member.”

A toll on entire family Because racial and ethnic health care disparities can hinder a breadwinner’s earning capacity, the entire family is often affected adversely.

“Kids are forced to be translators at the doctor’s office,” Hernandez-Cancio says. “That has an enormous toll, so they see firsthand all this information on how mommy or daddy is not doing well.

“We have had stories of children staying home to take care of their parent or another sibling.

Stresses such as these affect their ability to develop into an independent, productive individual in the future.”

Ng’andu agrees. “When kids are hungry, when they are exposed to serious nerve stress and environmental stresses,” she says, “it affects them and their ability to learn and perform well academically. Investment in their health is very important to their future success and achievement and also their ability to work and contribute to their communities.”

Infant mortality rate Hernandez-Cancio says disparities in infant mortality rates also take a toll on minority families. While the 2010 rate for Whites was 5.63 per 1,000 live births, it was 13.31 per 1,000 live births for African-Americans, 9.22 for American Indians or Alaska Natives and 7.71 for Puerto Ricans, according to the CDC. “The infant mortality rate is considered a very basic measure of how a country’s health care system is working, and it is an indication of other symptoms,” she says. “We rank 41st globally. As an advanced, wealthy nation, we are not doing well.”

Hernandez-Cancio says that disparities in chronic diseases is also a major problem, that millions of dollars are spent battling such diseases that have been treated improperly or, in some cases, could have been prevented.

Chronic diseases and annual deaths Each year, she says, health care inequities result in 100,000 premature deaths in the United States, and many are attributed to chronic diseases.

“The health care system is so expensive. If you look at the numbers, a huge portion of health care costs is improving chronic diseases. When these diseases spiral out of control, it raises costs. We have to get a handle on these diseases to bend the cost curve.”

Data indicate extreme disparities in chronic diseases, including heart disease, certain cancers, strokes, diabetes and arthritis.

According to the CDC, these diseases cause seven of 10 deaths annually in America and more than 75 percent of health care costs.

Smedley says African-Americans experience higher incidences of diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and other chronic diseases.

Early detection, improving care According to the Joint Center study, chronic diseases cost the U.S. health care system nearly $232 billion from 2003 to 2006.

Early detection, quality of care and improving prevention management are important as it becomes clear that doing so in communities of color is crucial to curbing costs.

“If we don’t get a handle on these diseases, it is going to be harder to manage the system,” Hernandez-Cancio says, adding that prevention can alleviate many costs.

The health care reform law includes provisions that improve financing and delivery while also improving access for vulnerable populations and investing in prevention.

‘Pay now or pay later’ “Investments in prevention go a long way in preventing racial and ethnic health inequality in the first place,” Smedley says.

“About five cents of every federal health dollar is spent on prevention. Prevention works. It works to keep our population healthy and reduces health care costs.

“We pay now or pay later. We’re going to be paying the price in higher health care costs, but also a population that is less healthy and unable to participate in the nation’s economic recovery.”

Racial and ethnic minorities are much less likely than the rest of the population to have health insurance, according to the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, part of the National Institutes of Health, a component of HHS. These minorities constitute about onethird of the U.S. population but are more than half of the 50 million uninsured.

They are also overrepresented among the 56 million people in America with inadequate access to a primary care physician.

The Joint Center study found that “the combined costs of health inequalities and premature death in the United States were $1.24 trillion” between 2003 and 2006.

The cost is expected to increase. By 2042, people of color are expected to be 50 percent of the U.S. population, signaling significant economic implications for minority communities.

“About 47 percent of American children under 18 are children of color,” Hernandez-Cancio says.

“That really indicates this is the future of this country.

The fact that they don’t have the mentorship who can provide structure for them, either because of financial pressures, chronic disease or premature deaths, can be highly detrimental to their future.

“Whether or not you are directly connected to these communities, you have a vested interested in their development and future.

“We cannot afford not to address financial burdens and health care disparities that contribute directly to instability of our health care system. We have to tackle this problem now.”

This story is special to the NNPA from America’s Wire.

America’s Wire is an independent, nonprofit news service run by the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education and funded by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. For more information, visit www. americaswire.org.

HEALTH FOOD || HEALTH TRAVEL | |MONEY SCIENCE | BOOKS | MOVIES | TV | AUTOS LIFE | FAITH | EVENTS | CLASSIFIEDS | ENTERTAINMENT | SPORTS | FOOD April 13 - April 19, 2012

IFE/FAITH

‘Think Like A Man’ stars hoping for diverse audience See page B3

SOUTH FLORIDA / TREASURE COAST AREA

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

Southern Servings: Recipes with Georgiagrown produce See page B6

www.flcourier.com

A ‘bittersweet’ day in Jamaica

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Fantasia gives an emotionally charged performance on Day 3 (March 27) of the cruise.

DELROY COLE/ FLORIDA COURIER

Day 3 on the Fantastic Voyage included exasperating Internet issues, an intriguing afternoon in Ocho Rios, and a fascinating performance by Fantasia

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of prison” because they weren’t spending any money.

Comedian Rodney Perry from the “Mo’Nique’’ show had walked with us from the ship. He had his sights on the popular Margaritaville hangout, so he ended up catching a ride with us in Delroy’s taxi.

Delroy pulled up to a brightly colored shopping area and spoke to a proprietor who led us to a tiny back room where two old computers were set up. Those may be okay for checking e-mail, but not for transferring documents and highresolution pictures.

After about 20 minutes of trying to hook up my laptop, we were told that a rainstorm the previous night likely had knocked out the entire area’s Internet service. Lisa and I decided to give up on the Internet, just pay for it when we returned to the ship, and enjoy the rest of our day.

he third day of the Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic Voyage turned out to be “bittersweet” – from start to finish.

It was a nerve-racking morning as we scrambled to get online to get some work done – I write on a tight deadline for a living – but the day soon unfolded into a beautiful experience that I would cherish for many years to come.

The Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas cruise ship had arrived in Ocho Rios, Jamaica but my fellow Florida Courier colleague and cabin mate Lisa Rogers-Cherry and I had a story and photos to upload to the Internet before we could start sightseeing and shopping.

The Internet system on the cruise had been iffy, so we thought we’d have better luck in Ocho Rios.

Wrong. On our short walk from the ship into the town, we darted into the Ocean’s 11, a laidback outdoor bar advertising Internet access. After paying $5 each for 30 minutes each, we were directed to a bar table and stools in a back corner with electrical outlets that served as the WiFi center. No service.

No problem. We got our money back, overlooked (for now) the tempting alcoholic concoctions being created by the wait staff, and left in search of another Internet café.

Once back in the street, 35-year-old Ocho Rios native and tour guide Delroy pressed himself into our service. He insisted on driving us to another nearby Internet cafe and offered to be at our beck and call for shopping, dining, sightseeing. His fee after a little haggling: $20 each.

Because the proprietor had been so nice, I promised to return on the way back to the ship to do some shopping.

We did.

Because it was my first visit to Jamaica, I was heartened – and a little disheartened – by the many people hustling for a living. A bedraggled young man begged for a dollar to get something to eat while others hounded us to buy everything from beads to wooden-carved animals, T-shirts, jewelry and Lord knows what else.

I was thinking of some of my cousins back in the States who could benefit from the work ethic of many of the Jamaicans. Yes, the vendors were overzealous, but who am I to judge how people feed their families?

No Internet, no problem

‘Running season’

The owner of Delroy Tours, an old taxicab that seated five, he was just one of many guides vying for the attention of the cruisers. As we followed Delroy to his vehicle, I heard another taxi driver shout that the Joyner cruisers who were walking past him “must have just gotten out

Once we left, Delroy handed me a laminated sheet with local tourist attractions on the front and back – the famous Dunn’s River Falls, the Mystic Mountain, Mahogany Beach, Shaw Park Gardens & Waterfalls and Dolphin Cove. We decided to sightsee first, then eat.

p

Comedians Huggy Lowdown (second from left) and Chris Paul (right) of the “Tom Joyner Morning Show’’ are shown hanging out with friends in Ocho Rios.

DELROY COLE/ FLORIDA COURIER

Beggars and bargains

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BY JENISE GRIFFIN MORGAN FLORIDA COURIER

Gloria from D.C. and her sister from England are shown during dinner on White Night.

LISA ROGERS-CHERRY/ FLORIDA COURIER

Delroy, driving on the left side of the road like a madman, didn’t seem too interested in speed limits or the safety of his passengers. Neither did the other drivers on the road.

The hilly roads and narrow streets were crowded with erratic drivers, but I was fascinated by the number of people walking past – not the tourists, but the throngs of young students walking by dressed in school uniforms. Delroy explained that they were students from Iona and Ocho Rios High Schools, respectively.

With all of the people walking past, it made Delroy talk of running. “We’re in running season,” he explained. He talked about how Jamaica was great for producing the world’s best runners. Think Usain Bolt.

He related the local post-race celebrations.

“It’s crazy, mon. After they win their race, they drink and get drunk. Good runners always go to the Olympics,” he stated proudly.

Invited back to party He also told us about himself. A guy with seven sisters, he also had a son, 12, and a girl, 4. Had lived in Ocho Rios all of his life. Had never been to the United States, but would like to visit someday. He encouraged us to come back and stay in a hotel for a week, which he insisted was the best way to enjoy a visit to Ocho Rios.

Growing up in Southwest Florida, I was used to beautiful beaches. But the See VOYAGE, Page B2

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CALENDAR

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FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR

APRIL 13 - APRIL 19, 2012

S

THE DELFONICS

The Stylistics, The Delfonics and Blue Magic will perform during the Mother’s Day Classic at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables May 13 for an 8 p.m. show.

Miami: A community festival to celebrate the South Florida philanthropic and cultural community will be held April 14 from noon – 6 p.m. at Midtown Miami Greenspace, 110 NE 36th St. This family-friendly atmosphere welcomes kids of all ages and seniors. Music, art, fashion, food and entertainment and community resources. More information: www.philanthrofest.com.

Port St. Lucie: Free one-onone genealogy assistance is available at the Morningside Branch Library in April. Guidance, information and assistance with Internet searching using free sources will be provided to interested researchers on April 18 and 25 from 12:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. at 2410 SE Morningside Blvd. More information and to set an appointment: Patti Kirk at 772-567-7463 or ckirkfirst@ comcast.net.

Port St. Lucie: The Morningside Branch Library continues its children’s programs for April with Wednesdays, April 18 and 25 at 10:30 a.m. – Join Miss Sarah in the children’s room for storytime with music, books, creative movement and more; Thursdays, April 19 and 26 at 10:30 a.m. – Join Miss Carol Ann or Miss Sarah in the children’s room for storytime with music, books, creative movement and more. 2410 SE Morningside Blvd., Port St. Lucie.

All programs are free and open to the public.

Fort Lauderdale: Broward County Library presents the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center highlights for April to include Prearranged Group Tours, available during library hours. 2650 Sistrunk Blvd. More information: 954-357-5950. Free homework help is also available for students grades K through 12 at 3 p.m. More information: 954357-6157.

Miami: The Best of The Best

DOUG E. FRESH & SALT N PEPA

Doug E. Fresh, Kid N Play, Slick Rick, Salt N Pepa and other artists will perform at the Legends of Hip Hop Miami at the Arena at the Don Taft University Center on April 2. The show is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. concert will be held Memorial Day weekend May 27 at Bicentennial Park. Featured artists include Shaggy, Mavado, DJ Khaled, John Holt and Marcia Griffiths. Information: Bestofthebestconcert.com.

Pembroke Pines: The Family Christian Association of America (FCAA) will host its 13th annual Faith-Keepers Golf Tournament April 26, 8 a.m. at the Grand Palms Hotel and Golf Resort.

All proceed will benefit the FCAA youth and family services programs. More information: Rosalyn Alls, 305-685-4881 or ralls@fcaafamily.org.

Fort Lauderdale: The Broward County Office of Economic and Small Business Development and Purchasing Division presents How to do Business with Broward County, April 19 at 3 p.m. Location: 2650 Sistrunk Blvd. More information: 954357-6400.

Miami: Shine America, the producer behind The Biggest Loser, MasterChef and Tabatha Takes Over, is seeking women who aspire to begin or have just begun a career in modeling. No experience necessary and all types are

welcome to compete. Must be at least 18 years of age and those 5’7” and above are encouraged to apply. Registration required.

Date: April 21 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Miami Beach Convention Center. More information: www.thefacecasting.com.

Fort Lauderdale: Can’t get credit due to bad debt? Learn how to change that and improve your credit report by examining, challenging and having negative items deleted from your credit file. Please bring a copy of your credit report with pen and paper to be ready to write the letters to your creditors and credit agencies, April 25, 6 p.m. 2650 Sistrunk Blvd. More information: 954-357-6224.

Miami: Betty Wright joins R&B singer Monica at the James L. Knight Center May 13 for a Mother’s Day Special show at 7 p.m.

Miami Gardens: Councilwoman Lisa C. Davis of Seat 2 is sponsoring a Mother’s Day Contest for City of Miami Gardens residents. To nominate someone for Mother of the Year, write in 300 words or less why they should be selected. Letters

can be mailed or hand-delivered

by April 13 to City of Miami Gardens City Hall, Attn: Councilwoman Lisa Davis, 1515 NW 167 St., Building 5, Suite 200, Miami Gardens, FL 33169. More information: 305-622-8063.

Fort Lauderdale: Celebrate April as National Poetry Month at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC) on April 21 at 2 p.m., 2650 Sistrunk Blvd. Participants and students can recite their own original poems or choose other poems to read. A panel of judges will consider the poem’s merit, dramatic appropriateness and level of difficulty, public reaction among others. The winners of the competition will have their poem recorded professionally, placed on a CD and uploaded to a dedicated website for the winner to promote their project to the general public. Free and open to the public, registration required: 954-357-6224.

Miami: Tickets to see Madonna at the American Airlines Arena Nov. 19-20 are now on sale.

Coral Gables: R&B group New Edition will be at the BankUnited Center May 5 for an 8 p.m. show.

VOYAGE

A variety of South Florida employers will be setting up a table at the AfricanAmerican Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC) on April 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to meet with job applicants.

The employers include Community Blood Centers of Florida, ProLogistix (a warehouse staffing firm), Verizon Wireless, AGLA Insurance, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Goodwill Industries, the Peace Corps, Target, Education Dynamics (recruiting for a call center), Juice Plus, AFLAC, Balance Staffing (line cooks, housekeepers, drivers), New York Life (Insurance), CarePlus Health Plans, Holy Cross Hospital and other companies. Job seekers are encouraged to bring their résumés and dress appropriately for an onsite interview.

Also participating is the Dream Home Organization, Inc. This organization will be assisting in efforts to give local assistance to unemployed homeowners. The Florida Housing Finance Corporation will be providing federal funds for Unemployment Mortgage Assistance, providing up to six months of payments to help borrowers with their first mortgage until they can resume full payments on their own and a Mortgage Loan Reinstatement payment to bring a delinquent mortgage current (up to $6,000) for a homeowner who has returned to work or recovered from underemployment.

For additional information (including detailed eligibility criteria) and/or to apply for these programs, visit www.FLHardestHitHelp.org.

This event is sponsored by Minority Development & Empowerment and the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center.

Workshops too In addition to an opportunity to meet employers, the job fair will offer workshops designed to provide participants with information to assist them in their job search. Workshops will cover such topics as résumé critiquing, interview techniques and tips on networking.

Participants also will be introduced to a wide range of social services agencies, including Broward County Family Success Administration Division, Broward Health Department, Children Services Council of Broward County and many others.

The African-American Research Library and Cultural Center is located at 2650 Sistrunk Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale.

For more information, call 954-3576282.

the afternoon by then. Although we wanted to get in some shopping before heading back to the ship at 5:30, Mom’s staff took their own precious time.

from B1 water was blue/purplish, a beautiful hue that instantly brought me peace. “Every Sunday, there’s a party on the beach,” Delroy continued. “That’s where you go to see the real people. You want to go there.’’

Then he quickly pulled off on the side of the road.

Lisa, who was in the back seat, turned to look at where he was going. We realized it was to urinate.

No worries about who saw him. The traffic whizzing by. No problem.

‘Ya’ll gon’ make me act a fool’

p

‘Eight Rivers’

A crowd gathers at the Ocean’s 11, a popular bar near the cruise ship pier in Ocho Rios.

p

According to Ocho Rios history I read on the Internet, the name, translated from the Spanish, means “Eight Rivers.” It’s a town in the parish of Saint Ann on the north coast of Jamaica.

Delroy then drove us to Shaw Parks Gardens, which boasts a majestic waterfall that cascades down a rocky bank, surrounded by beautiful flowers. One of the most fascinating sights was the residents who walked up and down the road to the Gardens following the tour buses, some on stilts and covered in leaves to reflect the Gardens theme.

They were hawking their crafts and jewelry as the tour buses and vehicles lumbered by.

Our guide pointed out guesthouses owned by Black families. Most go to Church of God Church; others were Seventh-Day Adventists, Delroy said.

He wanted to know when people went to church in America.

“Over here, most people prefer to go to church on Saturday,” he noted. With church out of the way on Saturday, Turtle River Park, near Island Village on Main Street, was the hangout on Sundays for great music

South Florida center to host job fair April 17

Ocho Rios native Delroy was the Florida Courier staffers’ tour guide while they were in Jamaica.

PHOTOS BY LISA ROGERS-CHERRY/ FLORIDA COURIER

and fellowship.

Oxtails at Mom’s We passed by KFC and Burger King, which were not places Delroy frequented. He pointed out banks and the hotels in the distance before pulling into one of his favorite haunts, Mom’s Restaurant.

It was a small spot, reminiscent of a soul food eatery in any ‘hood. Nearly all of the seven tables were filled with cruisers.

Delroy sat with us until

a group of cruisers showed up and he was shooed from the table by Noel, who seemed to run the joint.

Delroy seemed to take it in stride – it was all about satisfying the customers.

After we had ordered oxtails and rice, we were joined at our large table by Andrea and Wayne Adolph of Virginia Beach, Lera Cupid of Washington, D.C. and Gary Guilhand of Florida. Andrea had grown up in Trinidad. There soon were orders of Red Stripes

and carrot juice with milk along with ackee and salt fish.

A small-framed and overly friendly guy, Noel soon was referred to at the table as a “huckster,’’ especially when he slyly motioned over an older friend who suddenly broke out into song at our table. The older man, who wasn’t a good singer at all, was eager for some change during his attempt at a Jamaican song.

It was getting late in

On the way to the market, Delroy pulled to the backside of Dunn’s River Falls so that we could have a peek at it. He was about to show us a small entrance so that we could see the famous waterfalls and the swimmers enjoying the beach, when a man approached us.

He offered to climb up a fence and take a photo for Lisa – with her camera –for a small fee. That’s how he made a few bucks. Delroy argued with him for a few moments, then ushered us back to the taxi.

After picking up some Tshirts, the spot to be was the Ocean’s 11 Restaurant and Watering Hole, the same spot we had stopped hours ago for Internet service. This time, I couldn’t resist a frozen fruity rum drink. The $9 drink was worth every slurp.

Four sisters were tearing up the dance floor while the deejay, Tony G., played hip-hop music.

DMX’s “Party Up’’ – “y’all gon’ make me act a fool up in here, up in here’’ – had patrons laughing, bobbing their heads, swaying in their seats and immensely enjoying a bright afternoon in Jamaica.

After a while, more drinks were flowing and the wooden dance floor soon was filled with dancers who got a “Soul Train’’ line going.

‘White Night’ It soon was time to return to the Navigator of the Seas. We donned our pristine white attire and headed to dinner. It was White Night and the dinner mood seemed to take on a sophisticated glow.

After a terrific day in Ocho Rios, the night turned out to be equally as special.

That evening, we enjoyed watching Shai, H-Town, Silk and Boyz II Men, who all gave great performances. Because of the time, we missed the Ruben Studdard show. There wasn’t another one scheduled with him either. Too bad.

But it was not the “End of the Road’’ for us that night.

‘Bittersweet’ ending We headed to the Budweiser Presents Fantasia show at Studio B. Having seen Fantasia perform live before, I knew I was in for another treat.

Interacting with the audience on the floor of the auditorium seemed to give her energy. She belted out a number of her hits, including one of my favorites, “Bittersweet,’’ for which she won a Grammy and NAACP Image Award.

“Even though I left you, I can’t forget you. ‘Cause when I think about you, it’s bittersweet. It’s bittersweet,” she lamented.

Winding down About 4 a.m., Lisa and I headed to our cabin. I reflected on the day, including Delroy and other brothers and sisters who hustle hard to make ends meet. I reflected on those blessed to grow up entrenched in the wonderful music of Bob Marley.

I also recalled the enthusiasm of the young stars of the 1980s and 1990s – Boyz II Men and the rest – who, though they are now older, are still in demand and continued to give great performances of songs that you know every word.

And there was Fantasia’s emotional and heartwrenching performance.

Everybody on the ship who watched her show spoke of the passion that was felt when she sang.

Day 3 was indeed “bittersweet.”

STOJ

APRIL 13 - APRIL 19, 2012

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

Meet some of

FLORIDA'S

finest

submitted for your approval

B3

Think you’re one of Florida’s Finest?

E-mail your high-resolution 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.

FINEST NARRATIVE More than 4,000 cruisers joined nationally syndicated radio talk show host Tom Joyner on the 13th annual Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic Voyage 2012 aboard Royal Caribbean’s “Navigator of the Seas,” one of the world’s largest cruise ships. The Florida Courier spotlights some of the best-looking people on board.

Kris Cain, a Houston resident, was on her first Tom Joyner cruise.

Chris Simmons, who lives in Kansas City, was on his first Tom Joyner cruise.

DELROY COLE / FLORIDA COURIER

kris chris Former NFL star Warren Sapp files for bankruptcy EURWEB.COM

Former NFL defensive lineman Warren Sapp has joined the ever growing long list of ex-millionaire athletes who find themselves broke and having to file bankruptcy.

Reports say Sapp owes more than $6.7 million to creditors and back child support and alimony, according to a Chapter 7 bank-

ruptcy filing in South Florida.

Sapp’s $6.45 million in assets includes 240 pairs of Jordan athletic shoes worth almost $6,500, a $2,250 watch and a lion skin rug worth $1,200. He also reported losing his 2002 Super Bowl ring with the Bucs and his 1991 national championship ring from the University of Miami.

The court documents were filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court

in Fort Lauderdale on March 30 and was first reported by TMZ.

From Bucs to ‘Dancing’ Sapp’s average monthly income is $115,881, according to the filings, and includes $45,000 for a final contract payment with Showtime, $48,000 for an appearance with CCA Sports and $18,675 as an advance for a book deal. His contract with the NFL

Network ends in August, the filings show, and it was unknown if the contract will be renewed.

During his 13-year NFL career, Sapp played defensive tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders. He was also a contestant on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.”

Sapp was arrested in 2010 following an alleged domestic violence incident at a Miami Beach

Newark residents hit with Houston’s final funeral bill EURWEB.COM

According to reports, the final result is $187,000 but billed to the residents of Newark, N.J. The funeral attracted hundreds, if not thousands of fans and service attendees and caused the local police department to erect barriers to prevent unruliness.

The bill is the overtime pay for officers who worked during the funeral, representing 5 percent

hotel. He would have faced one count of misdemeanor domestic battery, but prosecutors declined to prosecute saying in court documents that there Warren Sapp were inconsistencies in the victim’s statements and evidence.

of the department’s yearly budget.

So now locals are questioning who is going to foot the bill, being that they didn’t plan for this to happen or even vote for a tax increase to cover celebrity funerals.

One resident spoke to CBS News, mildly upset about the whole situation, explaining that it should be the responsibility of those who put the funeral on.

“If they wanted to go that far, do that much, they should have been the ones providing for it.”

Police were called in to help maintain control over the vast crowd which had amassed outside of Newark’s New Hope Baptist Church where the funeral was held and the justification and necessity of their presence was conveyed by city councilor Mildred Crump who was quoted by CBS: “If they [Newark Police] had not been there someone may have been trampled, seriously hurt.”

Bobbi Kristina wants to play mom in biopic The promotion above includes a Black cast, but the stars say non-Black viewers can relate to the subject.

‘Think Like A Man’ stars hope to appeal to a diverse audience Although the cast and filmmakers of the new comedy “Think Like A Man” are proud of the African-American presence both in front of and behind the camera, they’re hoping that non-Black viewers won’t stay away from the movie believing the subject matter is not relatable.

“The script was so good that if you would’ve taken us out and plugged in Ashton Kutcher and Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Gosling, and it had totally been cast in a different direction, all of the themes

would have still been applicable,” said cast member Terrence J of BET’s “106 & Park.”

“And you could’ve probably still had most of the same jokes because it was that universal of a storyline of love and relationships,” he continued. “Those are the core things of the human experience. Everybody can relate to this film because it’s so universal and it does transcend.”

The film follows four men realize their significant others have been taking relationship tips from Steve Harvey’s best-selling book “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man,” and use the book’s teachings to give the ladies a taste of their own medicine. Terrence J’s character Michael is in a relationship with Candace, played by Regina Hall.

The actress also hopes the film, opening nationwide on April 20, will attract a diverse audience.

EURWEB.COM

The New York Post is reporting that Whitney Houston’s daughter Bobbi Kristina told friends that she would like to portray her mother in the upcoming film biopic.

Recent reports have circulated that Rihanna, Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks and Brandy are all currently under consideration for the role. According to TMZ, Bobbi Kristina told friends that she believes she’s the “perfect person” to play her late mother in a biographical film because “no one knew her better.”

Clive Davis, record label executive and long-time friend of Houston, had been working on a possible biopic even before the singer’s untimely death in February at age 48. A source recently told People UK, “Whitney knew about the project and was excited to see where it would lead. It’s hoped the biopic will

Whitney Houston is shown with daughter Bobbi Kristina.

be as successful as Tina Turner movie “What’s Love Got To Do With It,’ which landed two Oscar nominations for Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne who played Tina and Ike Turner.”

In a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey, Kristina revealed that she did have dreams

of becoming a movie star, commenting “I’m her daughter, I gotta keep movin’, I gotta carry on her legacy. We’re gonna do the singing thing, we’re gonna do some acting, some dancing, you know. It’s a lot of pressure, but she prepared me for it.”

CULTURE

TOj B4

STOJ

APRIL 13 – APRIL 19, 2012

Barber Luke Walker washes the hair of Davan Smith, 18, at Luke Walker’s Barbershop in Pasadena, Calif., on April 5.

FRANCINE ORR/ LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT

An old, painful conversation FOR Shooting of Kendrec McDade in California last month has older African-Americans discussing importance of ‘The Talk’

BY CHRISTOPHER GOFFARD AND RICHARD WINTON LOS ANGELAS TIMES/MCT

PASADENA, Calif. – When Martin A. Gordon talks to his 19-year-old son about the history of race relations in America, he invokes the Black Panthers, Martin Luther King Jr. and the watershed moments of the civil rights era.

It’s a story of hard-won rights that fills the 1960s-era activist with pride. Then the conversation turns urgently personal, survival its theme: On the wrong street, at the wrong time of day, he tells his son, pride might be his undoing.

“I know my son can be a moment away from being killed if he acts the wrong way, if he’s arrogant,” Gordon said. “He started to learn about this as a child.” Gordon was speaking in a Pasadena, Calif., church, blocks from where an unarmed Black college student, Kendrec McDade, was fatally shot March 24 by two White police officers pursuing two men who they mistakenly believed were armed robbers.

From King to Obama

Black parents

The memories are long at Luke Walker’s barbershop on North Fair Oaks in the heart of Black Pasadena, not far from the site of the McDade killing. Recent conversations have circled around the wearily familiar subject of relations with police.

Walker, 71, an Arkansas native who remembers his father going door-to-door selling poll tax certificates in their tiny Southern town, began cutting hair in Pasadena in the late 1960s.

He’s seen generations of Black families grow up in his shop, where the walls are hung with photos of King, Malcolm X and Barack Obama. He has seen troubled young men grow into good citizens.

“You don’t know what you’re taking away from the community when you kill our kids,” Walker said. “That kid could be the one who cures a disease, and you might have that disease.”

Villains first

Police say the incident began when the 19-year-old McDade and a friend stole a backpack from a car, and the owner lied to police, telling them the thieves were armed.

The incident, which remains under investigation, followed the controversial shooting death of unarmed Trayvon Martin in Florida by neighborhood watch leader George Zimmerman.

For many Black parents, the shootings have given fresh relevance to a painful generations-old conversation. “The Talk,” some call it. “Certain things are a reality for him – he needed to understand that early on,” Jim Collins, a longtime Pasadena resident, recalled of his conversation with his son. “The Talk is because they have to know what to do and not do.”

He said police once pulled a gun on him in nearby San Marino, when he was showing a friend some of the beautiful homes. “If I’d made any move, I could have been shot,” he said.

“I think they see us first as villains.” Walker said that when his grandson, now 20, was learning to drive a few years ago, he started hammering home certain realities about dealing with police. “I tell him one of the worst things to do is be belligerent with police,” Walker said. “Whether you’re right or not.”

In the shopping plaza parking lot outside the barbershop, Collins sits in his car wearing a Tuskegee Airmen cap. “Things are far better with police, but being careful with the police can save your life,” he said. Collins, 64, said he has a good relationship with the Pasadena police and believes that young men in hooded sweatshirts and saggy pants are a recipe for trouble.

But he added: “I drive slowly because truth is, I don’t want to be stopped, and that’s what I told the kids.”

All about survival

Getting the message

Follows Martin case

Parents say some version of the conversation, ubiquitous in African-American life, is necessary regardless of how high they climb on the socioeconomic ladder.

It is about learning to say “Yes, sir” and “No, sir” when a policeman pulls you over, no matter how unjustified the stop seems.

It is about keeping your hands on the steering wheel and giving officers no cause for panic. It is about swallowing your anger and pride and coming home alive.

Gordon, an activist with the Pasadena Community Coalition, said he worries when his son stays out late.

“If I wake up and he’s not there, I go, ‘Oh, boy,’ “ Gordon said.

He said he speaks at seminars, instructing Black youths about how to handle themselves around police. He wants them to know their rights, but also to be respectful. “Just because you asserted your rights doesn’t mean you won’t get your butt kicked,” Gordon said. “You can be dead and no one’s there to speak for your rights. That’s what scares me most.”

Joe C. Hopkins, the 70-year-old publisher of the Pasadena Journal and a civil rights attorney, keeps a sign in his office that reads “Whites/Colored.”

With arrows pointing in opposite directions, the sign once adorned a municipal building. He has three grown sons, one of whom is a police officer. He said he never gave them The Talk in a formal sense. It was more like a series of conversations over the years.

“I got the message across over time,” Hopkins said, regarding how to handle a police encounter. “I always told them, ‘Just answer the questions and you will be safer.’ “

The dress, language

He said the controversy about hoodies reminds him of how Black leather jackets were once supposed to signify a dangerous character, and that there is no excuse for prejudging those who wear them.

But he added, “Parents need to tell kids the truth is, their dress, language – and thinking they can do whatever they want – can get them killed.”

Hopkins said he has met with Pasadena Police Chief Phillip Sanchez to discuss the McDade incident, which began when a 911 caller told police he had been robbed by two men at gunpoint. Police said that the caller later admitted he lied about the gun but that McDade had served as a lookout when the caller’s backpack was stolen from his car.

Another tragedy “If the police officers reasonably believed that Mr. McDade had a deadly weapon and would use it on the officers, the officers have a right to use deadly force,” Hopkins said. “Obviously the loss of a young man is a tragedy.”

Pasadena’s history of racial segregation, and strained relations between the community and the police, are not distant memories, Hopkins said. But he sees signs of progress. He praised Sanchez’s effort to allay community anxieties in the wake of the shooting.

Added Joe Brown, president of the Pasadena chapter of the NAACP: “Our race relations have improved significantly, I’d say, over the last year and a half. We’ve been working hard at that. We’ve not allowed situations such as this to come between us.”

Outreach efforts Pasadena Police Lt. Phlunte Riddle, a 28-year veteran, is the daughter-in-law of the city’s first AfricanAmerican officer, Ralph Riddle, who joined the department in 1946. The urban race riots of the 1960s intensified the push to diversify the department, as did a consent decree in the 1980s requiring the hiring of more minorities.

Now, in a city of roughly 140,000 residents where African- Americans make up 11 percent of the population, the department’s Black officers comprise 17 percent of the force. She said the department engages in myriad community outreach efforts, most recently with the chief’s attempt to open a dialogue with residents about the McDade shooting.

“So, we hope that citizens do not feel that their survival is in jeopardy,” Riddle said.

History lesson In Pasadena, such conversations unfold against the backdrop of a long, fraught racial history. This is the place where baseball legend Jackie Robinson grew up, and left in disgust.

“We saw movies from segregated balconies, swam in a municipal pool only on Tuesdays, and were permitted in the YWCA one night a week,” Robinson wrote about the city’s treatment of Blacks. “In certain respects, Pasadenans were less understanding than Southerners and even more hostile.”

This is the place where the city-owned pool was not desegregated until 1947, and where the Board of Education in 1970 employed busing to satisfy a school desegregation order, one of the first school systems outside the Deep South to do so. It is where police went door-to-door handing out business cards in hopes of improving community rapport after the 2009 shooting of a Black man.

BARBARA DAVIDSON/LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT

The police shooting of Kendrec McDade took place at this intersection in Pasadena, Calif., and was marked by a memorial for the youth on April 4.

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APRIL 13 - APRIL 19, 2012

YOUTH

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For the

BOYS

Mentoring changes lives FROM Family Features

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t age 11, Willie was headed for disaster. His home life was full of violence and abuse, and he was full of self-hatred and anger.

“I felt no one loved me,” he says. “So at twelve, I started digging my own grave in the canyon behind my house.”

But then something happened. Some caring mentors came alongside Willie and changed his life. As he puts it, “They kept pursuing me because they saw what I could not — my true potential.”

Boys at risk Willie was considered an at-risk youth. Kids like Willie have problems that put their health, development and overall success in life in jeopardy.

The National At-Risk Education Network defines at-risk in two ways: • At-risk of dropping out of school • At-risk of not succeeding in life due to being raised in unfavorable circumstances How do young people end up at-risk? To look at the dropout issue, there is no single risk factor to predict who is likely to drop out of school — it’s actually a combination of circumstances.

The National Dropout Prevention Center/Network at Clemson University reviewed 25 years of research and found that dropping out of school is related to individual, family, school and community factors. It’s described as a long process of disengagement that adds up over time.

Being raised “in unfavorable circumstances” includes factors such as poverty, limited access to opportunities, and the lack of positive adult influences in their lives.

“Boys naturally look toward men for guidance, but too many young men don’t have solid male role models to look up to,” said Craig McClain, cofounder of Boys to Men Mentoring Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to guiding boys through their passage to manhood. “Growing up without fathers, male mentors or positive role models has a devastat­ing effect on young men, and ultimately our society.”

At-risk boys get the chance at a better life with programs like the Boys to Men Mentoring Network.

Having mentors and positive role models lets boys know that they have value, that someone cares, and that they can grow up to be good men.

Mentoring tomorrow’s men Mentoring is the development of a caring, suppor ive relationship that helps someone reach their fullest potential. The National Mentoring Partnership (www.mentoring. org) says that formal mentoring relationships help reduce delinquency, substance abuse and academic failure. They also promote “positive outcomes, such as self-esteem, social skills and knowledge of career opportunities.”

“A lot of boys today don’t have anyone showing them or telling them how to be a good man,” says Joe Sigurdson, cofounder of Boys to Men. “We help boys become better men. We bring good men into boys’ lives to be mentors and role models. We teach and model integrity, accountability, character, compassion and respect. And it works.”

How it works The Boys to Men mentoring program has three components: an experiential mentor training for carefully screened mentors, a Rites of Passage weekend and ongoing group mentoring. The group mentoring allows the boys and their mentors to meet in a group setting to strengthen relation­ships, share the challenges in their lives, and get positive support.

“We’ve seen some major changes in these boys’ lives,” said McClain.

“Over 5,300 men and boys have been through the program over the years, and we’ve seen boys overcome incredible odds to become loving fathers, husbands and good men.”

Started in San Diego in 1996, Boys

to Men has expanded to communities in 27 cities and 4 countries.

Their newest strategy for reaching young men is a site-based mentoring program that focuses on middle and high school boys who have been identified by schools as atrisk.

At the Gateway Community Day High School, participants have improved their GPAs by an average of 57 percent, reduced discipline referrals by 216 per­cent, and defied the school’s historic dropout rate of nearly 36 percent with a 0 percent dropout rate.

“The teenage years are critical in a young man’s life, when boys are making decisions that affect the rest of their lives,” said Sigurdson. “With the site-based program, we give boys a place to talk about what’s really going on in their lives, as well as a community of mentors who listen, believe in them and help them make better choices. And the data from our Gateway program shows that it’s remark­ably effective.”

You can make a difference Unfortunately, there is a constant need for mentors. To become a mentor, you don’t have to be an expert in anything, and you don’t have to have all the answers. The National Mentoring Partnership says that successful mentors: • Sincerely want to be involved with young people • Respect young people • Are active listeners • Have empathy for others • See opportunities and solutions • Are flexible and open “We have seen the difference it can make in boys’ lives when

someone gives them the support they need,” said McClain. “We’ve had the privilege of hearing young men share their moving stories and have walked alongside them as they’ve journeyed into manhood.

It’s an exciting thing to be a part of, and I encourage every man to be a part of it.”

And as for Willie? He’s ready to give back to others. “Boys to Men was the catalyst for a change in my life so dramatic that my whole being was altered. I can look a kid in the eyes who is hurting and in need of some love, and I can offer him my love, experience and wisdom. I can say ‘I know you’re hurting, but you don’t have to be strong anymore because I’m here for you.’”

To learn more about the Boys to Men men­toring program visit www. boystomen.org, or email mentor@ boystomen.org. It’s an easy way to find out how you can help change a life.

Becoming a mentor Mentoring doesn’t just benefit the youth. Mentors find they not only have fun, but they grow personally, feel more productive, understand other cultures more, and develop better relationships with their own children.

When choosing a mentorship program to become involved in: • Talk to the organization’s volunteer coordinator.

Ask about the time commitment, types of activities and opportunities available, and the process of matching young people with mentors.

• Find out about training and support for mentors, as well as the application process. Some programs require a written application, personal and profes­sional references, as well as a background check.

• Ask yourself some questions, too: What kind of time commitment can you make? What age group would you like to work with? Are you willing to take on the challenges and rewards of mentoring someone? Are you willing to grow as a person?

FOOD

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APRIL 13 – APRIL 19, 2012

From family Features

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f you think Southern cooking is all about deep-fried food, you’re missing out on some wonderful dining opportunities. Chef Rosemary Rutland has created three mouthwatering recipes that showcase Georgia-grown peaches, blueberries, watermelons, pecans and Vidalia onions.

Whether you’re looking for a refreshing ambrosia, a delightful tilapia dish or a unique salad, these recipes give you a whole new way to think about Southern cuisine.

Discover more recipes designed for Georgia grown produce at www.gfvga.org/georgia-grown/.

Panko-Crusted Tilapia with Georgia Watermelon, Peach and Vidalia Onion Salsa

By Rosemary Rutland Yield: 4 servings Salsa: 1 cup chopped fresh peaches, cut into 1/4-inch dice 3/4 cup chopped watermelon, cut into 1/4-inch dice 1/3 cup chopped Vidalia onion, cut into 1/8-inch dice 1/2 cup seeded, chopped English cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch dice 1 medium-size jalapeño pepper, sliced lengthwise, seeds removed, chopped fine 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste Tilapia: 4 6-ounce tilapia fillets 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 1/4 cups panko bread crumbs

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Vegetable or canola oil for pan frying Make salsa a few hours ahead of time by combining all salsa ingredients in bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and then cover and refrigerate until use.

For the fish, prepare three shallow bowls such as pie pans. In the first, place flour, paprika and cayenne, stir­ ring to combine. In the second, place beaten eggs. In the third, place panko.

Pour almost 1/4 inch of oil into a large sauté pan. Heat over medium heat until shimmering and hot.

Season fillets liberally on one side with salt and pepper. Dredge each fillet, one at a time, first in seasoned flour, then egg, and finally panko, gently shaking off any excess after each step.

Gently put one or two fillets in sauté pan without crowding. The oil should come almost halfway up the thickness of the fish. Pan fry until golden brown, turning once, about 2 minutes each side.

Place fish on a paper-towel lined plate. Repeat process with remaining fillets.

Place fish on serving plates and top with desired amount of salsa. Enjoy immediately.

Did you know?

• There are more than 40 different varieties of peaches grown in Georgia. A versatile fruit, peaches can be used in sweet dishes as well as a complement to savory meals. Learn more at www. gapeaches.org.

• Warm days, a few cold nights, and just the right growing condi­tions make Georgia blueberries plumper and sweeter than other varieties. They’re high in fiber, have no fat and have just 80 calories per cup.

Find out more at www.georgiablueberries.org.

• Georgia pecans have the highest amount of antioxidants of any tree nut. Enjoy them as a healthy snack, in sweet treats, and in main dishes. For more information, visit www.antioxiNUT. org.

• Sweet Vidalia onions are only available during spring and summer. Hand planted and hand harvested in south Georgia, these uniquely mild favorites are so sweet you can even eat them raw. Get more serving ideas at www.VidaliaOnion. org.

Baby Spinach Salad with Pecan-Crusted Goat Cheese, Blueberries and Peach–Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette

By Rosemary Rutland Yield: 4 servings Salad: 1/2 cup finely chopped toasted pecans 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint 1 8-ounce log goat cheese, chilled 1 bag (6 ounces) raw baby spinach, stems removed 3/4 cup fresh blueberries 1 1/3 cup watermelon cubes, 1/2- to 3/4-inch dice Dressing (yield: 3/4 cup): 1 cup fresh peach slices 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 5 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil 1 teaspoon sugar, as needed 2 tablespoons finely chopped Vidalia onion Salt and pepper to taste Combine chopped pecans and mint.

Spread pecan mixture on a plate or cutting board, and gently roll cheese to coat evenly.

Place peaches, lemon juice and cider vinegar in blender and puree until smooth. Add 1/8 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Add canola oil, and then puree until smooth and thickened.

Remove from blender, stir in onion, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate if not using right away.

In large bowl, add spinach and add enough dressing to coat all of the leaves evenly. Divide dressed spinach on four chilled plates and garnish with blue­berries and watermelon.

Slice goat cheese into eight equal pieces using tautly held, unflavored dental floss or a knife. Add two slices of goat cheese on top of each salad.

Serve immediately.

Georgia Summer Ambrosia

By Rosemary Rutland Yield: 8 servings; 1 cup per serving 2 ripe Georgia peaches, peeled, pit removed, cut into 1/2-inch slices 3 cups watermelon cubes, about 3/4-inch dice 1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed 2 ripe mangos, peeled, seed removed, chopped into 1/2-inch dice 1 cup sweetened coconut (toasted if desired) 1/3 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice 1 1/2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or Triple Sec 4 teaspoons honey Pinch kosher salt 1 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped In large bowl, combine peaches, water­melon, blueberries, mango and coconut.

In small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, Grand Mariner, honey and salt.

Pour lime mixture over fruit and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for no more than 30 minutes.

Just before serving, mix in pecans.

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