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FEBRUARY 2 – FEBRUARY 8, 2018

VOLUME 26 NO. 5

‘WE’VE BEEN HAD,’ VERSION 2.0 Another dorm deal gone bad spawns another lawsuit involving BethuneCookman University. BY THE FLORIDA COURIER STAFF

DAYTONA BEACH – The financial partner involved with Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU) on a second dormitory construction project has sued the school, alleging that B-CU kept its precarious financial condition secret before finally and suddenly pulling the plug on the deal without notice to the other parties involved. Palm Beach County-based Heron Development Group, Ltd. alleges that B-CU engaged in fraudulent or negligent activities when it continued to give assurances that it could carry through

FLORIDA COURIER FILES

A South Florida company sued Bethune-Cookman University, alleging that the schooled reneged on a deal to build new student housing. on promises made to complete the project. Heron also alleges that B-CU fraudulently concealed the fact that the university had financial challenges as it continued to negotiate terms and conditions of the construction project, and that it breached a lease associated

with deal, in a court action filed late last week in Volusia County’s Seventh Judicial Circuit. The lawsuit requests that the university pay compensatory damages to Heron exceeding $1 million, as well as the company’s lost profits, attorneys’ fees, and interest.

If Heron wins, B-CU could be on the hook for tens of millions of dollars on the lost profits allegation alone.

Property already purchased Heron claims that it already has spent more than $1 million to

2018 SUPER BLOOD MOON

Another rare sight in the sky

purchase real estate which it otherwise would not have bought in reliance on B-CU going forward with the deal. “Based upon the continuing representations of B-CU with respect to its commitment to Phase I (new off-campus housing) and the Initiative (to sublease apartments to B-CU students), and… the agreed upon restructure of the deal… Heron proceeded with the closings on…parcels located in the City of Daytona Beach with a total purchase price of $1,491,305.32,” the lawsuit states. The land is now vacant. B-CU allegedly refused numerous requests from Heron to restart the project.

‘Behind the B-CU Curtain’ In a section of the lawsuit that tracks press reports publicizing concerns about the univerSee B-CU, Page A2

Mad with Trump? Get in line Speech angers long list BY ANITA KUMAR AND FRANCO ORDONEZ MCCLATCHY WASHINGTON BUREAU / TNS

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump struck a rare bipartisan tone in his first State of the Union address Tuesday night. But he still managed to anger plenty of people. The list starts with Democrats, who showed their displeasure over a year’s worth of policies and personal attacks by withholding their applause and remaining seated throughout most of his 81-minute speech before a joint session of Congress. Here is a partial list of those nowhere near as jubilant as many congressional Republicans with Trump’s speech and what they found lacking or maddening.

Black unemployment

RED HUBER/ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS

Birds take flight as the super moon (orbiting at its closest point to Earth) set behind Orlando’s Orange County Courthouse on Wednesday. It was also a blue moon, the rare event when two full moons are observed in the same month.

Congressional Black Caucus members remained seated – and coldly silent – as Trump touted job growth and drops in unemployment. Even as he paid special attention to jobs for Blacks. “Something that I’m very proud of African-American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded,” Trump pausing for effect, before continuing, “… and Hispanic American unemployment has also reached the lowest levels in history.” The cameras panned to the Black lawmakers, many of whom had kente cloth in their pockets to protest Trump’s alleged remark referring to African nations as “shithole” countries during immigration talks. See SOTU, Page A2

SNAPSHOTS NATION | A6

Democrats and Black women voters

FLORIDA | A3

Major changes for FSU groups IMMIGRATION | B3

What to do if stopped by officer

ALSO INSIDE

Nonprofit houses of worship may apply for FEMA help SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) policy update has made private nonprofit houses of worship eligible to apply for potential funding to help with certain disasterrelated costs. FEMA provides supplemental federal disaster grant assistance, typically 75 percent reimbursement of eligible costs, for Emergency Work (debris removal and life-saving emergency protective measures) and Permanent Work (repair, replacement or restoration of certain disaster-damaged facilities). The deadline for Florida houses of

worship to submit a request for Hurricane Irma-related expenses is Thursday, Feb. 15.

Eligibility requirements To be an eligible applicant, a house of worship must: • be owned or operated by a private non-profit (PNP) organization; • have damage or costs caused directly by Hurricane Irma in Florida between Sept. 4 and Oct. 18, 2017; • be open to the general public; • for Permanent Work-like repairs, the PNP may not have received funding or had insufficient funding after applying for a U.S. Small Business Ad-

ministration disaster loan; • provide a current ruling letter from the IRS granting tax exemption under Section 501 (c) (d) or (e) of the IRS Code of 1954 or be registered with the Florida Division of Corporations as an active charitable organization. Houses of worship may apply for an SBA loan online at www.sba.gov/disaster. Houses of worship may submit a Request for Public Assistance online at www.floridapa.org through Thursday, Feb. 15. They do not need to wait for an SBA decision to apply for FEMA help.

COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: IT’S ‘RIDE OR DIE’ TIME FOR B-CU ALUMNI | A4 GUEST COMMENTARY: DR. BOBBY MILLS: PRESIDENT TRUMP AND UNGODLY CONSERVATISM | A5

FOCUS

FEBRUARY 2 – FEBRUARY 8, 2018

The greatest, Muhammad Ali, once proclaimed, “You can’t win a fight by singing, you have to get a championship title by swinging!” I think the champ was paraphrasing words said earlier by one of his friends and religious idols, Malcolm X. College students and other youth minimize the support that was necessary for our historical ancestors to be able to accomplish many goals desired by African-Americans, Africans and other people of color.

glory and recognition for fighting the good fights. However, truth be told back then and truth be told right now, few if any accomplishments by past freedom fighters and the brothers that stand up and speak out today could have or can be made without the courage, the loyalty, strength and sacrifices of the Black woman! Women have stuck with male freedom fighters through sickness and health, through poverty and wealth, and even in times of death! Today’s movements of flavor like Dream Keepers, Black Lives Matter, the New Black Panther Party and other organizations will soon be gone like Occupy Wall Street, the Malcolm X Front, the Black Federation Alliance. Or they’ll be dead in the water like so many reactionary groups that show up when someone gets beaten, someone gets choked or some unarmed Black teenager or adult gets shot – and then disappear before the next similar crisis comes about!

Men get the praise

Women sacrificed, too

It is the men in the past civil rights movements, voting rights movements, Black Power movements, Freedom Rides, sit-ins and other protests and movements that get most of the praise,

Women loved the men that put their careers, their families and their lives on the line to help their people, their communities and this world repel the beastly attacks on Black life and Black

Let me tell you about ‘the radical heart’ This column was inspired by B. J. Turner from Athens, Georgia, and the love shown to a longtime Georgia freedom fighter. It’s February 2018 and Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Take at least a minute, if possible, to appreciate your family member, friend or significant other on the day of desire! Many young people that consider themselves involved in today’s movements roll their eyes and turn up their noses when it comes to recognizing and understanding all it takes to fight for rights in America and around the world.

Not original Instead of creating new battle strategies to obtain successes for the oppressed, exploited, enslaved and victimized people and ethnic groups across the globe, what young people seem to do today is copy or “parrot” what Black and African heroes did years and years ago. They want to march, they want to pray, they want to shout and the youth of today want to sing!

LUCIUS GANTT THE GANTT REPORT

existence. You can’t talk to me about Black freedom fighters and ignore the women that stood by their sides, took care of their children, assisted in paying the bills and fought the fight too, like so many African warrior-women that came before they did. You are quick to buy and wear hats and T-shirts of so-called freedom fights, but you’re slow as hell to equally recognize the women that were more consistent than the men, more loyal and monogamous than many of the men, and more responsible than most of the men.

Heroes had backup The men you like to idolize all had female backup. Nat Turner had a woman. Demark Vesey had a woman. Medgar Evers had a woman. Marcus Garvey had a woman. Nelson Mandela had a woman. Eldridge Cleaver had a woman. Everybody at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference had a woman. And the dumbest person in the ‘hood should know Martin King had Coretta and Malcolm X had Betty! This Valentine’s Day, as African-Americans and Africans, let’s show some love to and for the women that have shown love to us and to our male ancestors.

SOTU Despite the applause, the Black lawmakers did not give an inch. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, DN.C., flatly stated that any credit for drops in Black unemployment belongs to Obama. “President Trump boasting that African-American unemployment is at an all-time low because of him. Two words he should be saying instead: Thanks, Obama. #SOTU,” Butterfield tweeted.

Officials who run the nation’s cities have been waiting for Trump to make good on a campaign promise to find money to repair the nation’s highways, airports, dams and bridges. They didn’t get that Tuesday. Trump called on Congress to produce a bill that generates at least $1.5 trillion for infrastruc-

B-CU from A1 sity’s financial woes, the lawsuit alleges what it states was really going on with the university that caused it to walk away from the second dorm deal. “B-CU was in dire financial straits with a sinking credit rating, engaged in a corporate governance free-for-all, and already embroiled in an unrelated student housing fiasco that would cost the University in excess of $300 million over the life of the deal, making it impossible for BCU to proceed with Phase I and the Initiative,” it alleges. “At all material times, none of the foregoing events were disclosed by B-CU to Heron. Rather, at all material times from the commencement of the negotiations regarding Phase I and the Initiative…B-CU continued to represent to Heron that it was fiscally sound, internally stable,

Buy Gantt’s latest book, “Beast Too: Dead Man Writing,” on Amazon.com and from bookstores everywhere. “Like” The Gantt Report page on Facebook. Contact Lucius at www.allworldconsultants. net.

North Korea

Immigration

Infrastructure

Recognize that the community activists, the freedom fighters, the revolutionaries and the radicals have hearts and they need love, too. The men on the front lines in the streets and the warriors in the suites need to be comforted, need to be nurtured and oftentimes they need to be broke off, so to speak! Even the editorial columnists that continue to be threatened by devilish bigots and haters for telling you the truth need love on the holiday and every other day. The year 2018 will be a year for women leading men in politics, in business and in many other areas. Brothers better recognize! I, for one, want to honor the love shown to The Gantt Report by Black women. TGR’s most fervent supporters are women and they buy most of my books. What I’ve discovered is if you truly love the right Black woman, she will love you more!

ganda boon for our enemies” and a distraction for our allies. The camp remains open nine years after Obama signed an executive order stating the camp “shall be closed as soon as practicable, and no later than one year from the date of this order.”

from A1

Trump immediately angered those who supported him based on his pledge to crack down on illegal immigration by trying to sell lawmakers on what they ruefully insist is amnesty. His contentious immigration plan ends the Obama-era program Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals granting temporary, renewable work permits to young immigrants brought into the country illegally by their parents, but only after offering 1.8 million of them legal status and a chance at citizenship. Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which has been pushing for enforcement measures for years, said Trump went further in touting “amnesty” than his aides had when he boasted that he was including “three times more people than the previous administration.” “He promoted his amnesty proposal as legalizing more illegal aliens than Obama’s DACA program, as though that’s a good thing,” he said.

We all need love

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/TNS

Congressional Black Caucus members wore kente cloth in protest during President Trump’s State of the Union message before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. ture, but with every federal dollar leveraged to produce investments by state and local governments and, possibly, the private sector. But Trump provided no specifics while repeating a proposal that irked city officials last year when he suggested that cities and states put in their fair share. Mark Stodola, mayor of Little Rock, Ark., and president of the National League of Cities, said localities have put in the vast majority of money spent on infrastructure, about $3 for every $1 the federal government spends. Stodola also said Trump gave few details on where the money would be coming from. While campaigning for president, Trump promised a job-creating $1 trillion infrastructure bill within his first 100 days in office. That goal was not met. His first budget proposal, which did not pass, only included $200 billion for infrastructure.

#Metoo movement

and in need of and fully committed to Phase I and the Initiative. “Other than its request to restructure the deal solely for accounting purposes, B-CU never disclosed to Heron that B-CU had fiscal or other internal problems that would derail the Phase I and Initiative. Just the opposite was represented.”

the deal was being negotiated – worked consistently to draft and modify documents, and assured Heron that they had authority from B-CU’s Board of Trustees to do so. “BC-U’s officials who had worked with Heron on the Initiative and Phase I had always represented that they were authorized to bind B-CU to the Lease, and then the LOI (Letter of Intent) and LOI Agreements. “In fact, B-CU’s current interim President Hubert Grimes was B-CU’s General Counsel and BCU’s current General Counsel and Sharon King-Dudley was Deputy General Counsel when the Lease was renegotiated and the LOI executed. “B-CU’s current Chief Financial Officer Angela Poole was the B-CU officer that requested the restructuring of the Lease and was the principal architect of the LOI Agreements. The June 2017 LOI specifically reaffirmed the existence and enforceability of the Lease and contemplated that

‘News to Heron’ According to documents attached to the court action, thenPresident Edison Jackson signed a lease agreement and other related documents on at least two separate occasions for the sixstory, 290-bed building to be used as student housing space. The complex was to be located a short distance away from the campus and be managed by B-CU for a fee, according to the court documents. Heron also alleges that top BCU officials – including current Interim President Hugh Grimes, who acted as the school’s general counsel during part of the time

The #Metoo movement was seen all over the Capitol with scores of lawmakers wearing black and inviting survivors of sexual assault and harassment as their guests. But you couldn’t tell by listening to Trump’s speech. Trump spoke about a flurry of topics, domestic and foreign, but failed to mention the issue that has taken down prominent actors, journalists and even members of Congress. Laura Dunn, a campus assault survivor turned advocate, was disappointed – but not surprised – he failed to mention the issue. “Why would the abuser-inchief draw attention to a movement sweeping the nation and galvanizing women and our allies like never before?” Dunn asked. “Brushing aside national concerns around sexual harass-

ment and abuse during tonight’s State of the Union shows that he is unwilling to acknowledge issues within his administration, the federal government and in Congress around ongoing sexual abuses.”

Guantanamo Human Rights groups quickly cried foul after Trump announced for the first time that he would keep open the controversial detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, reversing a decision by President Barack Obama. Groups, including Human Rights First and Amnesty International, condemned the decision, which they said threatens United States’ national security and is out of step with American ideals. Major General Michael Lehnert, the first commanding officer of Guantanamo when it opened in 2002, called the prison a “propa-

the LOI Agreements would ‘ultimately replace the Lease,’ the lawsuit alleges.

Moving forward Heron is also pushing the court action aggressively, having served B-CU with a request for production of documents. The request demands that the university provide Heron with documents associated with the second dorm project, Board of Trustees minutes and resolutions regarding the project, the university’s tax returns, and documents related to its financial condition, as well as documents related to the separate lawsuit BCU filed against Jackson, its former president, and others alleging fraud and corruption with regard to a separate on-campus dormitory construction project.

“Not made aware” As of the Florida Courier’s press time late Wednesday night, B-CU had not filed any respon-

North Korea took more hits from Trump, stoking concerns from global civil society groups that the U.S. president risks provoking another tense Twitter and rhetorical confrontation with North Korea’s leader. Trump didn’t mention “Rocket Man” as he has referred to Kim Jong Un, but Trump said North Korea’s “reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles” could soon threaten the United States. He warned Americans that they only needed to look at the “the depraved character of the North Korean regime” to understand the nature of the nuclear threat. Groups, such as the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons said such language only heightens instability between the two adversaries. “This is not ‘Peace through strength,’ but instability through terror,” said Beatrice Fihn, executive director of ICAN.

Tax overhaul They may be conservative, but deficit hawks are not fans of Trump’s tax law. The president took some time to brag about his biggest legislative victory, touting that 3 million people received tax cuts and everyone will benefit from a higher standard deduction. But fiscal conservatives slammed Trump’s $1.5 trillion tax bill that’s projected to blow up the federal deficit – the difference between the amount of money the government spends and takes in. “It totally left out the point that there is no economic model that suggests growth will eliminate the increase in the deficit,” said Ryan Alexander, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense.

Lesley Clark and Emma Dumain contributed to this report.

sive pleadings to the lawsuit. However, B-CU Vice President of Institutional Advancement emailed a response to the lawsuit on behalf of the university. “The Heron Development project was not approved by the Bethune-Cookman University Board of Trustees. The Board was not made aware of any negotiations with this group until a special task force revealed it as a part of its findings last year. “Interim President Grimes, who was previously employed as General Counsel for the institution, was only aware of the negotiations after a request for an extension of time by the Heron Group. “It appears that former BCU staff members participated in talks with the Heron Group, but those discussions and any subsequent actions were not authorized by the Board of Trustees of the institution. We will continue our efforts to seek a resolution that will be in the best interest of our students and the institution.”

FEBRUARY 2 – FEBRUARY 8, 2018

FLORIDA

FSU reveals major changes for fraternities, sororities TALLAHASSEE – Florida State University President John Thrasher on Monday

partially lifted the suspension of activities by fraternities and sororities on his campus while outlining a series of major changes prompted by the death of a

student. Thrasher suspended the fraternities and sororities following the Nov. 3 death of Andrew Coffey, 20, who died from alcohol poison-

ing after an off-campus fraternity initiation.

Nine charged Thrasher said the tragedy, which also resulted in

criminal charges for nine fraternity members, has made “a resounding difference” in how students view some of the questionable activities associated with

the Greek organizations. “I regret that (death) more than anything, but I will tell you I think it has made a difference,” Thrasher said Monday at a press conference announcing the new policies. “Hazing and alcohol abuse in these contexts that created this particular incident has got to stop.”

Student input

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Thrasher praised the students, fraternity and sorority leaders and others for working with the administration to come up with a series of policy changes, including limits on alcohol use and more supervision for the organizations. “I’ve said all along that in order for there to be real change on campus, students must be part of the solution,” Thrasher said. “Our students are now beginning to fully understand the serious obligation they have to behave responsibly.”

Alcohol ban Thrasher said the sororities and fraternities, which have about 7,000 members, will now be allowed to recruit new members and engage in philanthropic activities. But an alcohol ban will remain in place for fraternities, sororities and some 700 student organizations as the new policies are implemented. “If they prove to be responsible in implementing these activities, we will allow the fraternities and sororities to hold social events later in the semester,” Thrasher said.

Major changes Thrasher and Amy Hecht, FSU’s vice president for student affairs, outlined a series of major changes for the fraternities and sororities, including limiting events with alcohol to four in the fall semester and six in the spring. “They’re not meant to take away the fun and the social aspect of fraternity and sorority life, but they’re meant to ensure that our students can be successful … that they’re graduating, that they’re having positive experiences through our Greek community,” Hecht said about the new policies.

Six-week cap Under the new policy, any events involving alcohol, including tailgating at football games, will require the presence of a police officer or security guard. The induction of new fraternity members will be limited to a six-week period, a 25 percent reduction from the current eightweek cap. In a new requirement, each of the fraternity and sorority chapters will be required to maintain a minimum 2.5 grade-point average. Sorority and fraternity members will also have to perform an average of 10 hours of community service for the fall and spring semesters, another new requirement.

Orientation required

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All students seeking to join a fraternity or sorority will have to attend an orientation session. There will be more training and education for sorority and fraternity members, including mandatory participation by chapter leaders in a training program that will include topics such as “hazing prevention” and “creating a culture of care.”

Public ‘scorecard’ Fraternities and sororities with more than 75 members will be required to have at least two local advisors. Faculty and staff members will be added to student-conduct review panels. FSU will also create a public “scorecard” – which will include information about grade point averages, community-service performance, chapter sizes, awards and highlights – for each fraternity and sorority.

EDITORIAL

FEBRUARY 2 – FEBRUARY 8, 2018

It’s ‘ride or die’ time for B-CU alumni We live in a world which respects power above all things. Power, intelligently directed, can lead to more freedom. Unwisely directed, it can be a dreadful, destructive force. – Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, “Last Will & Testament” Let me establish my Bethune-Cookman College/University bonafides for some folks who believe that our associated family-owned media entities nor I are in position to criticize the institution’s last two presidential administrations. Dr. Bethune recruited my dad, a Morehouse College business administration graduate with a master’s degree in accounting from Alabama State University, from Claflin College where he was working in 1955. He became the school’s business manager under President Dr. Richard V. Moore before transitioning to the classroom, then ended his career some 25 year later under Dr. Oswald P. Bronson as the then head of then-B-CC’s first internship program. I was born in Daytona a year after Mom and Dad got there. The family lived in faculty housing before Dad built a home and moved his growing family into it.

A ‘B-Cean’ B-CC has been a part of my life from the time I was born in 1956 until I left Daytona Beach for Atlanta and Morehouse College in 1974. In the interim, I grew up with and played with kids of other B-CC instructors, administrators, and staff from kindergarten through high school. That included riding almost annually on the pickup truck with “Future B-Ceans” during the Homecoming parade. Some of those kids went on to attend B-CC. Some work there right now at all levels throughout the institution. Every kid in Daytona looked up to B-CC students as “grown people.” Every college sports activity was a community event, especially football and basketball games. Black kids in Daytona helped build Homecoming floats, and followed the then-all-male “Marching Men of Cookman” on the miles-long Homecoming parade route from the college though downtown Daytona Beach and back. Occasionally the “Men” would step on a kid who got too close, or somebody would get hit when he or she got in the way of a trombone player swinging his horn while marching.

You understand There’s more, but you should get it by now. I’m a long-time interested non-alumnus stakeholder. I WANT THE SCHOOL TO SUCCEED. And even if I wasn’t a stakeholder and didn’t care, we are a newsgathering organization. We have the First Amendment right to dig for the facts and ask hard questions. Enough warm and fuzzies. Let’s get to the point.

Corruption of power Tragically, there’s no better example of power “unwisely directed,” in the words of Dr. Bethune, than the administration of former B-CU prez Dr. Edison Jackson. For those who don’t know the sorry details, Jackson is accused of putting the college in more than $300 million of debt without the permission of the institution’s Board of Trustees (BOT). Jackson’s legal defense – and

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: TRUMP’S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

graceful conduct.

CHARLES W. CHERRY II, ESQ. PUBLISHER

it is a potent one – is that the BOT signed off in advance, or ratified after the fact, everything he did. And he will have the board resolutions and minutes to prove it in court. This week, another shoe dropped when the developer of another dorm project sued the institution for millions as a consequence of B-CU backing out of the project. To defend themselves, the BOT will surely claim (again) they didn’t know, even though the current interim president, Hugh Grimes, approved the letter of intent that helped move the deal forward. (One initial question. How many dorms does B-CU really need?)

Power directed Ironically, the whole board of trustees structure is designed to “intelligently direct,” again in Dr. Bethune’s words, the power that’s inherent in the presidency of an organization like B-CU. And as you read the list of names (and titles) below, it will be hard for a judge, a jury, or both to believe B-CU’s legal theory (with apology and all due respect to Malcolm (X) Shabazz: “WE DIDN’T KNOW. We been had! We been took! We been hoodwinked! Bamboozled! Led astray! Run amok!” (Insert rolling-eye emoji here.)

The ‘Hall of Shame’ As the litigation lurches forward, this list (taken from the B-CU website) of doctors, lawyers, preachers, educators, politicians, entrepreneurs – and a former judge and college president or two – will be increased to include former trustees who are no longer on the board, but whose active collaboration or silence allowed Jackson and his alleged posse to go forward: Chairperson Dr. Joe Petrock; 1st Vice Chair Dr. Nelson L. Adams, M.D.; 2nd Vice Chair Joyce Anne Hanks Moorehead, Esq.; 3rd Vice Chair Bishop Kenneth H. Carter Jr.; Secretary Joyce Odongo; Chaplain Rev. Annette Stiles Pendergrass. Parliamentarian John A. Rogers, Esq.; Dr. J. F. Bryan IV; Dr. Linda F. Wells, Esq. Dr. Michelle Carter-Scott; Rev. Thom Shafer; Rufus L. Wilson; Immediate Past Chair Rev. Dr. John W. Harrington. At-large members Jennifer Q. Adams; Audley Coakley; Antonio T. “Tony” Coley; Dr. Joyce Cusack; Wayne A. Davis; Gregorio “Greg” A. Francis, Esq.; Dr. La-Doris McClaney; Dr. Lucille O’Neal; Belvin Perry Jr., Esq; Dr. Terry Prather; Rev. Catherine Fluck Price; Rafael A. Ramirez Jr.; Dr. Kent Sharples; M. Decker Youngman. Ex-officio members: Student Government Representative Keshon Kindred; Dr. Gary Spencer; Paulette Monroe; BCU President Judge Hubert L. Grimes; faculty representative Dr. Jeffery Haynes. Many of these folks should be thankful they live in 21st-century America rather than 12thcentury Japan. These days they can only get sued for money or locked up in the case of a criminal offense. In Japan, they would have been forced to commit ritual suicide under the samurai code as restitution for dis-

What should happen next? Here’s a partial list of my suggested courses of action, generally in random order. Instead of killing themselves, the current Board of Trustees should: • Restructure the BOT bylaws in significant ways, including downsizing the number of board members to some odd number less than 15, including three alumni representatives appointed by the B-CU National Alumni Association (NAA) without BOT input or ability to veto the NAA’s choices. • Start writing large checks to save the institution. There are actual and alleged millionaires on the BOT. B-CU has no problem that large amounts of money, properly administered, cannot fix. Administration of the funds is addressed below. • Once these tasks are done, the entire board should resign en masse. Any further BOT service from them is tainted, and they cannot be trusted to fix what is wrong other than by making large donations and putting the new BOT in an optimal position to fix the mess. Drop your pencils and go home, people. Interim President Hugh Grimes should: • Make public all details of the purported “forensic audit” that he says is underway. A copy of the retainer agreement and the details of the scope of the audit should be immediately uploaded to the cookman. edu website. • Settle the lawsuit filed by the NAA against B-CU, including payment of their attorney’s fees. This can be easily done in conjunction with restructuring the board as recommended above. • Publicly issue a statement that he is removing his name from consideration as the next permanent president of the institution. • Once these tasks are done, he should resign. Any further BOT service from him to the institution is tainted, and I take no personal pleasure in saying that. Here’s why. I’ve known Hugh Grimes since he came to the Daytona Beach area some 30 years ago. His wife Daisy was informally related to me by marriage. I’ve respected his integrity and temperament as a judge, and I don’t question his desire to uplift the Black community, especially Black youth. There are two main reasons Grimes can no longer serve. First: He can no longer devote all of his waking hours to leading the fight for B-CU’s survival and eventual restoration. Unless this litigation is settled quickly, which seems highly unlikely as of this writing, he may be fighting for his own legal, financial, and professional survival as a consequence of his intimate involvement in many of the decisions and transactions that are subject to litigation. He’s worn way too many “hats” at B-CU: as its general counsel; as its lead trial counsel in the Ray Brinson lawsuit; as Jackson’s personal attorney; as interim president; and now as the main mover in the institution’s lawsuit against Jackson and his alleged “mafia.”

Here’s what’s coming Grimes has already been called as a witness in one lawsuit. He can expect to be either personally sued by Jackson or called as a witness; called again as a witness in the latest

STEVE SACK, THE MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE

lawsuit involving the allegedly aborted dorm deal; be subject to scrutiny in any criminal, civil or administrative investigation; and be subject to scrutiny from the Florida Bar for possible conflicts of interest in his various legal representation of parties whose interests are now diametrically opposed to each other. The second reason is a concept Grimes, as an experienced attorney and former judge, is very familiar with: “the mere appearance of impropriety.” That’s legal-speak for, “Do these actions pass the ‘smell test’ for the average person who otherwise doesn’t know the facts?” In my mind, if you have to ask that question, the appearance of impropriety already exists. I don’t know if Grimes was involved as a co-conspirator with Jackson in the second dorm deal, as B-CU may be forced to allege, or if he intentionally and illegally violated the attorney-client privilege and used “secret” information to sue Jackson, as Jackson will surely allege. Even if Grimes is never investigated or is completely cleared of all possible criminal, civil, or administrative violations, his credibility has been irreparably wrecked with a substantial number of BCU stakeholders. And that’s enough for him to step down and not be in the presidential running. Just as in the case of the board, Grimes cannot be trusted to fix what is wrong other than by making large donations. The new BOT should: • Review the terms and condition of Grimes’s existing forensic audit and expand it if necessary to get to the bottom of the dorm deal’s financial transactions. • Select a new interim president willing to sign a binding agreement that he or she will not be considered for the permanent position. The names of longtime professor Dr. Herbert “Shubie” Thompson and former Daytona Beach city agency head Percy Williamson have been mentioned. There are others who are qualified and may be willing to serve as a temporary “placeholder.” • Select a reputable search firm and get on with the task of selecting a new permanent president. • Settle all remaining litigation as quickly and “reasonably” as possible. • Work closely with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the American Association of University Professors, and other professional organizations to finalize board restructuring, modify the bylaws, and establish board governance and presidential oversight protocols. NOTE: The following recommendations are conditional upon the entire BOT restructuring and downsizing itself before resigning as indicated above. The B-CU National Alumni Association should: • Commit to saving the institution “by any means neces-

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher

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sary.” That’s the threshold decision that must be made. If it’s not, the other recommendations contained in this column don’t matter. • Call a press conference. Demand the resignations of the current BOT and Grimes as well as investigations by the Daytona Beach Police Department, the FBI, IRS, state and federal Departments of Education, and SACS as to possible criminal, civil, and administrative violations by B-CU’s leadership. • Establish a fully transparent “shadow” endowment with on-demand online financial reports, managed by a small board and an experienced fund manager. The endowment can be used to pay the institution’s attorney’s fees or legal settlements as necessary. • Establish a fully transparent online giving program to financially fund the shadow endowment. Interested alumni should: • Commit to saving the institution “by any means necessary.” • Hold Dr. Richard V. Moorestyle fundraising “Green Waves” wherever they go, among many other fundraising ideas. (If you don’t know about the Green Wave, ask somebody.” Interested non-alumni should support the efforts of the new BOT, the NAA and interest alumni, especially financially. From Dr. Bethune: Faith, courage, brotherhood, dignity, ambition, responsibility – these are needed today as never before. Alumni are now forced to save the college from its dysfunctional leadership. Do they have the faith that they can do it? Do they have the courage to publically wash the institutions proverbial “dirty laundry” – greed, corruption, pride, egocentrism, incompetence, fear – and deal with the aftermath? Will alumni leadership emerge organically to assist in leading this institution through the dark days to come? Will the struggle to save B-CU be waged with dignity, humility and respect, as Dr. Bethune would desire, or with hatred, bitterness and incrimination? Will the current BOT humble themselves and financially contribute to an effort to save B-CU that they can’t control? Do alumni still have the ambition to achieve Dr. Bethune’s institutional directive: “to rear increasing numbers of strong, purposeful men and women, equipped with vision, mental clarity, health and education”? Time will tell. One last recommendation. The change from “B-CC” to “BCU” has been a disaster, perhaps symbolized by B-CU’s penchant for filing and defending lawsuits over the two past presidential administrations. The sooner the name “Bethune-Cookman UNIVERSITY is consigned to the “ash heap of history,” the better. Time to come home, B-CC.

Hit me up at ccherry2@ gmail.com.

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FEBRUARY 2 – FEBRUARY 8, 2018

Donald Trump and ungodly conservatism The election of Donald Trump represents a profound spiritual-moral crossroads for American society, especially given that 81 percent of Christian rightwing evangelicals voted their racial prejudices and religious fears rather than voting for the Constitution (a spiritual document). Had they voted for a God-fearing individual who would honor and respect the spiritual tenets of the Constitution in all of its magnificence, American society would already be in a different place spiritually and democratically. Now, America is at a crossroads. Do we violate the tenets of the Constitution and therefore tweet our way to hell? Or do we spiritually and morally embrace the spiritual-moral-tenets of the Constitution? Which way, America? National unity or internal immoral chaos?

tion with some of the super-rich class and with the moral complicity of Christian right-wing evangelicals, is restructuring the wealth of the nation upward, not toward middle and working-class families. The Biblical story of a rich man’s success in the Lord is told. He had bumper crops with his barns already filled to capacity, but his greed made him desire to build more barns. “But, God said unto him, ‘Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?’” (Luke 12: 20).

Embrace unity

Ask Buffett, Gates

For America to experience national unity, Americans must embrace moral, spiritual, national unity of purpose based upon, “We hold these TRUTHS to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” By and large, most White Americans have embraced this premise, including Christian rightwing evangelicals: “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.” (Proverbs 23: 7).

BOBBY E. MILLS, PHD GUEST COMMENTARY

When God blesses us, He desires that we bless others! President Trump, why don’t you ask Warren Buffett and Bill Gates how to incorporate blessing others through spiritual/moral processes? Trump promised Republican Party voters that if he were elected President, he would “drain the swamp.” But instead, HE is the swamp. Shame! He seems unable to “Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.” (Isaiah 1: 17). The obvious reason? Trump has disdain for God, logic and good. His ‘supporters’ are co-conspirators against Restructuring wealth God. God-fearing Americans unPresident Trump, in conjunc- derstand that. “For whatsoever

How the HUD Act can reduce poverty Section 3 of the Housing and Urban Development Act is a program designed to provide job training and business development opportunities for people living in public housing or under the poverty level. It was first written in 1968 because of the first Watts riot in Los Angeles. It was rewritten and strengthened in 1992 because of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles.

Floridian complains We first became aware of the program in 1993 when James Alford of Jacksonville, Fla., (no relation) filed a Section 3 complaint against Jacksonville public housing and received a Voluntary Compliance Agreement. That meant that there was merit in his complaint and the Jacksonville Housing Authority agreed to come to terms. James and his wife Maggie received a $20,000 settlement and were assured that they would not be discriminated against any longer. It’s now 2018, and James and Maggie are still waiting on the

HARRY C. ALFORD GUEST COLUMNIST

discrimination in the Jacksonville Housing Authority to end. Section 3 is a great law with a promise of economic development, business creation and wealth building, but compliance eludes us.

What the law says Section 3 is guided by 24 Code of Federal Regulation Part 135. Its purpose “is to ensure that employment and other economic opportunities generated by certain HUD financial assistance shall, to the greatest extent feasible, and consistent with existing Federal, State and local laws and regulations, be directed to low- and very low-income persons, particularly those who are recipients of government assistance for housing, and to business

Robert Mercer rules, along with Donald Trump If it can be said that any one person is responsible for Donald Trump’s election, then Robert Mercer is the clear choice. The founder of the Renaissance Technologies hedge fund is a billionaire backer of Republican politicians to the tune of $25 million in 2016, and patron of the effort to take the United Kingdom out of the European Union. When Trump’s campaign was foundering under the onslaught of Hillary Clinton’s $1 billion, Mercer brought him a lifeline of cash, and staff like Steve Bannon. The corporate media have said far too little about Mercer’s influence, preferring to create elaborate scenarios of Russian government interference. Vladimir Putin is the scapegoat for Democratic Party chicanery and incompetence and is a perennial target because he insists on acting in his country’s interests.

MARGARET KIMBERLEY BLACK AGENDA REPORT

Clear to see The Mercer story is a secret hiding in plain sight. It is the stuff of spy thrillers, but it is all too real. An ultra-rich right winger put Trump in the White House and now controls the country’s political agenda. According to a former Mercer employee, he is not just conservative. He is an outspoken racist, too. David Magerman says that Mercer told him the following: “The United States began to go in the wrong direction after the passage of the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s; African-Americans were doing fine in the late ‘50s

EDITORIAL VISUAL VIEWPOINT: RIGHT-WING EVANGELICALS AND TRUMP

is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” (1 John 5:4). Trump has an unusual negative habit of giving nicknames to perceived opponents without spiritually understanding that “what goes around comes around.” He has absolutely earned the nickname, “Lying Trump!” “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that he shall also reap.” (Galatians 6:7). Now is the time for all God-fearing Americans to come together. History has shown through a Civil War that a “house divided against itself cannot stand.” “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.” (Isaiah 1: 18-19).

BILL SCHORR, CAGLE CARTOONS

We need more women in general seeking public offices. Given the state of political discourse and the spiritual mindset of most White males – Republicans as well as Democrats – it seems they are philosophically aligned with Republican governing tenets. Blacks cannot and will not apologize for being Black and having spiritually-sound minds Turning clock back Alabama senatorial candidate and strong bodies capable of Roy Moore emphatically stat- walking and chewing bubble gum ed that America was great when at the same time. chattel slavery existed. Moore’s statement represents a desire Ask God to apologize on the part of many like-mindIf White males want an apoloed White males to turn back the gy, then ask God to apologize to clock and place Blacks back into them, because God made Blacks chattel slavery. in His image and likeness. “And It is alarmingly evident in God said; let us make man in Our American society that most White image, after our likeness…” (Genmales are in absolute agreement esis 1: 26). Christian right-wing with Moore’s racial declaration evangelicals, please remind Presbased upon their voting. Minor- ident Trump that God made a ities cannot in good conscience man from the dirt, and the oldest vote for most White males, espe- skeletal remains of a human becially Republican White males. ing were discovered, as he puts it, On the other hand, it seems as on the “shithole” continent of Afthough most White women do rica. not have overt, deep-seated raPresident Trump has divided cial animist toward minorities. Americans by exacerbating ani-

concerns which provide economic opportunities to low- and very low-income persons.” According to the Act, “contractor” means “any entity which contracts to perform work generated by the expenditure of section 3 covered assistance, or for work in connection with a section 3 covered project.” “Employment opportunities generated by section 3 covered assistance” means “all employment opportunities generated by the expenditure of section 3 covered public and Indian housing assistance (i.e., operating assistance, development assistance and modernization assistance…)” With respect to section 3 covered housing and community development assistance, the Act states, “this term means all employment opportunities arising in connection with section 3 covered projects…including management and administrative jobs connected with the section 3 covered project. Management and administrative jobs include architectural, engineering or related professional services required to prepare plans, drawings, specifications, or work write-ups; and jobs directly related to administrative support of these activities, e.g., construction manager, relocation specialist, payroll clerk, etc.”

Legal set-aside

and early ‘60s before The Civil Rights Act; The Civil Rights Act ‘infantilized’ African-Americans by making them dependent on government and removing any incentive to work; The only racist people remaining in the U.S. are Black; and White people have no racial animus toward AfricanAmericans anymore, and if there is any, it’s not something the government should be concerned with.”

Great for the rich

Linked together Mercer certainly isn’t forcing Trump to do anything he doesn’t want. The two are in sync politically and ideologically. Not only are the two racists, but they want to reduce government to “the size of a pinhead.” A man who hates Black people and wants to destroy any governmental authority is the one who made good on the White American yearning for their very own president. Trump is still a highly soughtafter Mercer prize. When Steve Bannon was identified as a source for the recent book “Fire and Fury,” he was immediately and very publicly cut off from Mercer’s largesse. After attacking Trump, Bannon is a now a nonperson in the eyes of his former boss.

Section 3 firms which are contractors who hire Section 3 workers (living under the poverty level) are set aside 10 percent of allHUD funded contracts. They must hire Section 3 workers to comprise 30 percent of the entire workforce. During the post-Hurricane Katrina rebuild, we achieved $3.2 billion in Black business contracts. We applied Section 3 whenever possible. However, there were unforeseen challenges. Many of the public housing residents did not want to work. They resisted these new job opportunities. Many preferred to hustle in the streets for money as opposed to doing 9-to5 gigs. Also, tenant associations were an obstacle. They considered us invading onto their turf of authority. They were “poverty pimps” not wanting outside interests in making job opportunities for the residents. It was a power struggle.

mus among Americans and by pitting one social group against another. Such ungodly actions are tantamount to Lucifer in heaven attempting to explain to his base of angelic devilish followers that he is God almighty! Lucifer and his evil-mindedfollowers were all kicked out of heaven! Now they are on earth going to and fro, and declaring, “Follow me and I will set you free, because I and I alone can fix it.” But every God-fearing Christian American understands “That God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5-7).

Bobby Mills has a Ph.D. in sociology from Syracuse University and a professional degree in theology from Colgate Rochester Divinity School.

construction unions who consider public housing their personal hustle. So here we are today in 2018. We have a new HUD secretary, Ben Carson, who has said on a few occasions that he wants to exercise Section 3. Secretary Carson, the National Black Chamber of Commerce replies, “Bring it on!” We know this and are ready, willing and capable to spread the application of this nearly 50-year-old regulation throughout our nation for once and for all. We know the program, can implement it, and make it a total success despite the racist construction unions. If we need to challenge his words, we will do so.

The time is now!

Time is truly passing and there is no guarantee. We must move to take our brothers and sisters living under the poverty level to job training and career building. Our patience is running out. It is good to hear a Cabinet secSuccess stories retary state the need for Section The two most successful pro- 3. We are set to react in a very aggrams we have seen were in Co- gressive and positive fashion. lumbus, Ohio managed by Smoot Harry C. Alford is the coConstruction, and San Francisco Bayview Projects under the founder and president/CEO of Mayor Willie Brown’s manage- the National Black Chamber ment. Both were not long-term of Commerce. Contact him via due to stiff resistance from White www.nationalbcc.org.

The ultra-rich far right have reached their Holy Grail. They have gotten more from Trump than from any other Republican, but one wouldn’t know that from reading a newspaper. The corporate media say hardly a word about the man who is most responsible for Trump’s presidency and who intends to get rid of as much governmental power as he possibly can. Trump has already dismantled net neutrality, appointed Cabinet officers who destroy the work of their respective agencies and uses every opportunity to pull Obamacare apart piece by piece. The recent tax bill accelerated the bipartisan effort to give rich people even more money and in so doing starve the government of revenue. As for Mercer, “He’s happy if people don’t trust the government. And if the president’s a bozo? He’s fine with that. He wants it all to fall down.”

Dems not innocent Note that Democrats have played their own role in destroying an array of governmental protections. Bill Clinton did away with the right to public assistance

and was on the verge of a deal with Newt Gingrich to privatize Social Security. Barack Obama bailed out the banks, extended the Bush era tax cuts for the wealthy and began governmental austerity that cut the budget of every federal agency. One would think that Mercer would be a target of Democratic Party ire, but his name goes unmentioned. He is a problem for them because they have done in small steps what he is doing in one fell swoop. The Democrats are happily beholden to rich people, too. They have had a sort of deal wherein they do the minimum to fight for more inclusive policies while they also do the bidding of banks, Big Pharma, school privatizers and any other interest group who will pay for their loyalty. But Mercer and Trump have cut out the middle man. They have the power to gut it all. The people are at the mercy of the far right and have no effective political opposition.

Margaret Kimberley is a cofounder of BlackAgendaReport.com, and writes a weekly column there. Contact her at Margaret.Kimberley@BlackAgendaReport.com.

TOJ A6

NATION

FEBRUARY 2 – FEBRUARY 8, 2018

Dems have work to do with Black women voters important to know what appeals to African-American women because, like all voting groups, they vote to “make sure the country represents us.”

Top concerns Gholar said Black women are often the most affected by the economy, education and health care, so these issues would be at the forefront of their concerns. “So many people forget that, when talking to Black women,” she said. “They feel they have to go immediately to identity.” But McCrary also said polling showed African-American voters also cared about confronting racism and focusing on criminal justice overhaul. This was reflected in the Black Women’s Roundtable survey, which showed that the top four issues for Black female voters were affordable health care, a criminal justice overhaul, education and wages. A rise in hate crimes, which wasn’t polled in previous years, ranked fifth.

Research under way

TONY PUGH/MCCLATCHY WASHINGTON BUREAU/TNS

Autumn Sanders, right, and Zaria Lumsden, both students at Hampton University, a historically Black university in Hampton, Va., head to the polls on Nov. 7, 2017, to vote in the Virginia governors race.

While they recognize their clout and want serious consideration for their interests, there is evidence that their patience with the Democratic Party is growing thin. BY ERIC GARCIA CQ-ROLL CALL/TNS

WASHINGTON – After African-American women played a key role in Doug Jones’ victory in the Alabama Senate race in December, Democrats are working on more effective messaging for them in hopes they will do the same thing in midterm races. To have a chance to win, the Jones campaign had hoped for a turnout among African-Amer-

icans comparable to their percentage of the Alabama population — around 27 percent. But Black voters made up 29 percent of the election electorate, exit polls showed, a slightly higher percentage than the Black turnout in the state for President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election. And Black women, who accounted for 17 percent of voters, went nearly unanimously for Jones. “That saved us,” said Paul Maslin, who did polling for the Jones campaign.

Looking elsewhere While African-American women recognize their clout and want serious consideration for their interests, there is evidence that their patience with the Democratic Party is growing thin. In September, the Black Women’s Roundtable and Essence released a survey showing that 74 percent of Black women felt

the party best represented their views — down from 85 percent in 2016. “Looking at shifts and changes, millennial voters, people are looking elsewhere,” said Melanie Campbell, who convened the Black Women’s Roundtable. “Black women were saying we were getting to a place where our vote and our benefit are being taken for granted.”

Late outreach Zac McCrary, who did polling for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee during the Alabama special election, said a common problem is that Democratic campaigns engage with African-American voters only toward the end of a race. “That’s not how it works,” McCrary said. Democrats need to have a “longer conversation” with Black voters over the duration of a campaign, like they do with independent White voters,

he said. “Does the dollar go to base Democratic voters, does it go to turnout, does it go to television?” McCrary said. McCrary said Jones was fortunate he had more financial resources than his Republican opponent, Roy Moore, allowing for an “all-of-the-above” outreach.

The issues Since the 2016 election, the party has been divided about whether to focus on economic issues or matters of racial justice. But McCrary said polling showed African-American voters cared about what Jones dubbed “kitchen-table” issues. “It’s bread-and-butter, education, public schools. Improving schools is often the front, also health care,” McCrary said. A’shanti Gholar, who previously worked on African-American outreach for the Democratic National Committee, said it is

Priorities USA Action, a Democratic super PAC, is already conducting research to improve party messaging for African-Americans. It recently released memos on messaging to Black voters and those not registered to vote. The findings showed that both groups care about economic issues such as better wages and good jobs, as well as racial justice topics such as a criminal justice overhaul. “Young African-Americans want to know Democrats have a real plan,” said Symone Sanders, a spokeswoman for the group. Sanders said the study was done because enthusiasm among younger African-Americans was low during the 2016 elections. “The key to keeping this momentum going is continuing to engage with community,” she said.

Hire Black staff Gholar said another potential solution to improving outreach efforts is making sure campaigns have African-American staff. “The thing is, we need to be considered year-round,” she said. “A lot of this has to do with who campaigns hire. Have a Black campaign manager. Have a Black finance director. “Hire a Black field organization to help you with your outreach,” she added. “It’s not just about Black women voting. Investing in Black women. Supporting Black women. We are much more than just voters.”

Pot industry to Trump: What about us? MCCLATCHY WASHINGTON BUREAU/TNS

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump told world leaders that America is open for business. But one budding U.S. industry — marijuana growers and sellers — sees irony in this boast, which comes as they feel forced by the administration to invest millions in cannabis businesses across the border. Take Privateer Holdings, one of the biggest U.S. venture capitalist firms in the cannabis industry, and MedMen, a major operator of dispensaries and production facilities. They are leading a group of U.S.-based cannabis companies that, having raised hundreds of millions in cannabis funding, are looking to Canada and overseas where their financing and investment is out of reach of regulatory roadblocks and the Trump administration’s threatened crack down on legal marijuana sales.

‘Falling behind’ “Our hope is that this sounds the alarm,” said Brendan Kennedy, CEO of Privateer Holdings. “The United States is falling behind the rest of the world. Jobs, capital, investment is flowing to other countries.” Trump took his “America first” speech on Jan. 6 to the crowd of global leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland where he touted strong U.S. economic growth and tax cuts while pitching the United States as the ideal place for foreign business and investment. “Now is the perfect time to bring your business, your jobs, and your investments to the U.S.,” Trump said.

‘Risks are looming’ Those in the cannabis industry, though, say the president’s sales pitch rings hollow. “People would welcome that gesture, but there is nothing that is warm and fuzzy about his body language that would suggest that there is a green light and safe harbor to invest in marijuana,” said Matt Karnes of Greenwave Advisors, an industry financial firm. “His administration has made it clear there are still risks are looming.”

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/TNS

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists are shown on Jan. 10, 2012, when the “Doomsday Clock” to five minutes before midnight. Last week, it was moved to two minutes before midnight.

‘Doomsday Clock’ moved closer to midnight DPA/TNS

WASHINGTON — The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has moved its Doomsday Clock 30 seconds closer to midnight for the second year in a row, declaring the world to be “two minutes to midnight.” The clock hasn’t been so close to midnight since 1953, the year the United States and the Soviet Union reached significant milestones in their development of nuclear weapons.

The announcement on Jan. 25 in Washington followed the scientific advocacy group’s action a year ago to move the clock from three minutes to 2 1/2 minutes to midnight. Every move closer to midnight implies a step closer to the apocalypse, says the group. “To call the world’s nuclear situation dire is to understate the danger and its immediacy,” said Rachel Bronson, president of the group.

Reasons for move She cited the “lack of pre-

dictability in how the United States is thinking about the future and future use of its own nuclear weapons, an unpredictability that is embodied in statements and tweets by the president of the United States.” Other problems included: the lack of negotiations to advance arms control and nuclear non-proliferation; North Korea’s weapons testing; Russian nuclear posture; and “an enhanced commitment to nuclear weapons in Pakistan, India and China,” Bronson said.

Advice for Trump A year ago, the Bulletin cited the “ill-considered” comments about expanding the U.S. nuclear arsenal by President Donald Trump, then newly sworn into office, as one of the reasons for moving the clock. This year, the scientists urge Trump to “refrain from provocative rhetoric regarding North Korea,” said Sharon Squassoni, a professor at George Washington University and member of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ board.

IFE/FAITH Art, culture, music at Hurston festival See page B2

FEB. 2 – FEB. 8, 2018

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

Monae tells Grammys crowd: ‘Time’s Up’ See page B5

SOUTH FLORIDA / TREASURE COAST AREA

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PHOTOS BY CRAIG KOHLRUSS/FRESNO BEE/TNS

Jacob Ayuen was a Lost Boy of Sudan who escaped the country’s civil war as a young boy without his family 30 years ago. Ayuen and his wife, Alakiir Deng, sit with their six children in their California home.

LOST BOY OF SUDAN’S MISSION

Jacob Ayuen walked 1,000 miles on bloody feet. Now he’s helping other refugees have a better life.

when wild animals chased him. Boys died. “Some killed by lion. Some give up because they couldn’t keep walking. Some die of thirst.” They ate anything. “Whatever we were killing is what we would eat. Or you would just eat the wild foods, the leaves. I know at one point they had to kill an elephant and we were lucky to get something to eat.” After three months and 1,000 miles from the cattle camp he had fled, Ayuen and the other boys crossed the border to Ethiopia. No one greeted them. There were no buildings. No homes. No running water. The boys divided into groups of about a dozen.

BY BARBARA ANDERSON THE FRESNO BEE

ANFORD, Calif. – Sometimes when refugees are at their lowest emotional point in his office in Hanford, Jacob Awar Ayuen, a psychiatric physician assistant, will tell the patients his own story of being a lost boy, walking thousands of miles to escape a bloody civil war. “Being somebody of that background myself who went through a war-torn country – from refugee camp to refugee camp with no food, no shoes – I feel like I can relate to them.” He was about 8 years old in 1987 when civil war in Sudan drove him and an estimated 20,000 other boys mostly ages 8 to 12 to walk 1,000 miles from their villages to safety, first to Ethiopia, and eventually to a refugee camp in Kenya.

Some died Ayuen, now a 39-year-old medical professional dressed in a dark suit and shiny black shoes, recalls the terror-filled, barefoot trek: “Four or five times we were caught in crossfire where some of us were killed.” He and the others who survived the unforgiving journey came to be called “The Lost Boys of Sudan” for their likeness to the orphaned boys in Peter Pan. In 2001, the United States accepted 4,000 of those refugees who came to begin new lives in a country at peace. Ayuen was one of them.

9/11 arrival But armed conflict seemed to follow him. His arrival in America was delayed by the 9/11 terror attacks. And fighting in South Sudan is never far from his mind.

The civil war in Sudan drove boys to walk 1,000 miles from their villages to safety.

Jacob Ayuen is a physician assistant at Adventist Health Medical in Hanford, Calif. Ayuen has family still there. South Sudan continues to uproot people. Kakuma, the Kenyan refugee camp that Ayuen left in 2001, is full once again of children and families. The 20-year-old civil war in Sudan ended in 2005, but peace didn’t last long. After South Sudan gained independence in 2011, a civil war erupted in 2013.

Fighting continues A 2015 peace agreement dissolved in 2016 and fighting, mostly along ethnic lines, has continued. “People are still suffering, still dying,” Ayuen says. He has brought children out of war-torn South Sudan to Kenya to go to school. It’s a way he can make life better for people who remain in the country that he fled as a Lost Boy three decades ago.

1987 and war Ayuen was herding cattle outside his village when the warning came. It was not safe to stay. Young boys in southern Sudan often lived in cattle camps away from their families, and Ayuen was at such a camp in 1987 when war erupted. There was no time, and it was too dangerous, to go home to his mother. He followed older men who led the young herders out of the camp. Barefoot, barely clothed, Ayuen walked until his feet bled. And walked some more. “You step on something sharp and you just keep moving. You can’t dig it out. After awhile, you get used to it.”

Ate anything There were nights without sleep and days filled with fear

Temporary haven Ayuen helped build houses, chopping trees and cutting grass with machetes for thatched roofs. By 1991, the Ethiopian camp had become a refugee haven. The United Nations had built a school and Ayuen was in third grade. But normalcy did not last. Ethiopia was at war and the inhabitants of the camp were in danger. Four years after he had fled Sudan, he had to go back through the strife-ridden country to reach the border with Kenya. It was the same unforgiving trip. The boys once again fought hunger, thirst, wild animals. They were shot at as they reached the banks of the Gilo, a wide, fast-moving river. To avoid bullets, they dove and swam underwater. Ayuen knew how to swim, but even some of the boys who could swim drowned, pulled underwater by others who could not.

More danger The boys continued on foot to Pochalla, a small town in southern Sudan where they huddled for two months. But as the civil war raged closer, they moved to another town near the Kenyan border. Within hours, they had to run. A day later, they stopped to rest, Ayuen recalls. “There was nothing there. No houses, buildings, running water. Just like the wild forest. We just sleep in trees.” They walked farther to another town, and a rescue convoy came three weeks later. Ayuen hopped into the back of a cattle truck packed with refugees going to Kakuma.

Kakuma to America He entered fourth grade at a school at the Kakuma Refugee Camp that local Kenyans had built for the children. A good student, by the end of elementary school he had earned high grades and was allowed to attend a high school outside of the refugee camp. In addition to his native Dinka and some Swahili, he spoke English. His studiousness would help him be selected as one of 4,000 Lost Boys to be resettled in the United States. He broke the news to friends at the camp: “I am going to America.” On Sept. 11, 2001, he was on a plane to the United States.

Calm on 9/11 An hour before the plane was to land in New York, two airline jets crashed into the World Trade Center’s twin towers. “None of us could believe that America could be attacked by planes,” Ayuen says. Passengers were scared, anxious and worried, but he remained calm as the pilot diverted the plane to See LOST BOY, Page B2

EVENTS

FEBRUARY 2 – FEBRUARY 8, 2018

STOJ

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

Cultural events, music and more in Eatonville The Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities wrapped up on Jan. 28 following nine days of educational programming, cultural presentations, artists’ talks and concerts. Featured guests included poet activist Sonia Sanchez, co-authors Sen. Bob Graham and Chris Hand, cultural commentator David Banner. The outdoor Eatonville festival included the Zapp Band, Lakeside Band (right) and rapper Chubb Rock.

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Experience is Feb. 27 at the Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center.

Jacksonville: Mary Wilson will perform at the Ritz Theatre on Feb. 3 and Feb. 24 for the Legendary Ladies of Motown show at The Peabody in Daytona Beach. Tampa: The Colorectal Cancer Alliance will present its Tampa Undy RunWalk at Al Lopez Park on Feb. 3 starting at 9 a.m. More information: undyrunwalk.org Ponte Vedra: Mavis Staples takes the stage of the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall on Feb. 25 for an 8 p.m. show. Tampa: The Florida State Fair returns to the Florida State Fairgrounds from Feb. 8-19. Full list of entertainment, attractions and events, visit floridastatefair.com.

Tampa: Rema Ma featuring 6ix9ine, Jacquees, Ball Greezy and Mike Smiff will perform Feb. 23 at the USF Sun Dome. Punta Gorda: The Ultimate Motown

Jazz in the Gardens returns March 17-18 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Performers will include Anita Baker, Smokey Robinson, Chaka Khan, Fantasia and Joe. Full lineup: www.jazzinthegardens.com

Miami: Rapper Tyler the Creator performs Feb. 12 at the James. L. Knight Center. Fort Lauderdale: The Robert Cray Band performs Feb. 20 at the Parker Playhouse and the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall on Feb. 21. Miami: Ja Rule, Ashanti, Fat Joe, Trina and Piles are scheduled Feb. 22 at the James L. Knight Center for an 8 p.m. show. Orlando: The Reggae Love Fest takes place Feb. 11 at Hard Rock Live Orlando featuring Tarrus Riley, Dean Fraser and the Blak Soil Band. Viera: Catch The Wailers on Feb. 11 at the Space Coast Daily Park. Showtime: 3 p.m.

Hollywood: Mary J. Blige’s Strength of a Woman tour stops at Hard Rock Live on Feb. 19 and Tampa’s Amalie Arena on Feb. 21.

FANTASIA

Daytona Beach: The Legendary Ladies of Motown show is 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24 at The Peabody. Performers: Mary Wilson, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. Fort Lauderdale: The free opening reception of the 15th annual African Presence Art Exhibition is Feb. 8, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at Nova University. Details: www.nova.edu/ blackhistory.

WYCLEF JEAN

DON ‘DC’ CURRY

The rapper and musician will be at Jannus Live in St. Petersburg on Feb. 18.

St. Petersburg: First Unity Spiritual Campus is hosting Bishop Carlton Pearson on Feb. 11 as the guest speaker at the 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. services. Address: 460 46th Ave. N. Miami Gardens: The Fifth Black Heritage Festival is Feb. 17 noon to 4 p.m. at the Betty T. Ferguson

The Platinum Comedy Tour is Feb. 17 at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa with Mike Epps, DeRay Davis and Don “DC” Curry.

Recreational Complex. Vendors: Call 305-474-3011. Sponsors: Call 305-914-9070. Overtown: The fourth annual “Walk Together Children’’ walking tour is 10 a.m. to noon Feb. 17 starting at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 301 NW Ninth St. More information: Call 305-633-3583 or e-mail

LOST BOY Newfoundland, Canada. “This was not the worst experience for us.” In the United States, Ayuen would be settled in Vermont.

Family life

Factory work

Plan for his future But he had a plan when he came to the United States, and it did not involve quitting: He would become a citizen, go to college and have a career. While attending community college in Vermont he worked at the facto-

Fort Lauderdale: The Fort Lauderdale Community Center will present its fourth annual Black Empowerment Summit Feb. 8-15 and Feb. 22 at Dillard High School’s Recital Hall from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $10. More information: www. flccenter.org

shot in her left foot before the family reached the Kenyan border. “We just tie the foot not to bleed out and we move on.”

from B1

He lived with a host family for two weeks before moving into an apartment with five other Lost Boys. They cooked together, played soccer and dominoes, attended church. And they got jobs – Ayuen at a soap factory. It was culture shock. “In the factory, you have to deal with the supervisor ... you don’t know how it works. Break time, go to the bathroom. Get back to work. Assembly line. The machine is moving very fast. You’re too slow. The supervisor is saying you have to get things going.” The United States did not match the image of the country that he and his friends had created in their minds. “You’re making $7 an hour, pay all the bills and try to send some money.”

glwillingham@hotmail.com.

CRAIG KOHLRUSS/FRESNO BEE/TNS

Jacob Ayuen stands outside his job at the Adventist Health Medical Offices. ry and got another job at the American Red Cross, screening blood donors. Ayuen went to Adventist Health Community Care in Hanford in 2014 as a psychiatric physician assistant after graduating from Union College, a Seventhday Adventist college in Lincoln, Nebraska. He had attended college on a National Health Service Corps scholarship that required service after graduation in an underserved area. Hanford met that requirement, and xxx

Relates to patients Ayuen says Adventist Health aligned with his values and personal beliefs.

Gary L. Hoffman, the behavioral health services clinical director, says “patients took” to Ayuen. “A lot of the concerns that our patients bring to us have to do with the challenges they face, integrating into a community, being uprooted, displaced.” Hoffman hasn’t talked with Ayuen about being a Lost Boy, but he’s been amazed and impressed at how he has established himself in the community. “I appreciate him as a colleague and a friend, and I hope he’s with us for a long time to come.”

Bride’s journey Ayuen had an incentive

to build a career when he came to the United States. Before leaving Kakuma Refugee Camp, he had proposed to Alakiir Deng, another refugee. He needed money for a bride’s price – a dowry – to marry and to bring Deng to the United States. Deng, 35, had experienced her own harrowing escape from her village in southern Sudan in 1988. She was only 3 years old but had to walk the 1,000 miles to the refugee camp in Ethiopia. Her mother carried a younger brother. And on the journey four years later from the Ethiopian camp to Kenya, Deng says her stepmother was

Deng met Ayuen at the elementary school at the Kakuma Refugee Camp. They wed in Kenya in 2004. After the wedding, Ayuen returned to the United States to continue his education and to save money to bring Deng, who was pregnant with twin boys, to the United States. Ayuen briefly returned to Kenya to visit his wife and sons Biar and Mach in 2007; twin daughters, Nyang and Apajok, would be born in 2008. Deng and the children joined Ayuen in 2008 in Omaha, Nebraska. She is now studying to be a licensed vocational nurse, taking classes in Fresno. Deng and Ayuen, the two sets of twins and younger daughters, Ayak, 7, and Abeny, 3, live in a two-story home in a gated community in Hanford. They have made friends with neighbors, attending children’s birthday parties.

Missing home But they miss South Sudan – weddings, dances and cultural interactions. And Deng and Ayuen worry about family and friends who remain in South Sudan. Among them are Deng’s mother, father and a brother. Ayuen has a brother and sister in Kenya. His father

died in 2011, and his mother, four sisters and a brother are in Kenya. “We’re helping our families back home,” Deng says. “They don’t have anything there. Our country is still in war and people are still suffering.”

Giving back Ayuen wants to keep helping children in South Sudan. He has brought a dozen children to a school in Kenya, who arrived last month. “I’m the primary support for food and school,” he says. It costs $25 a month for tuition for one child. Education made his life better, he says, and he wants others to have the same opportunity. “I’m happy to give back because I was a refugee like them.”

RF ENGINEER II Sprint Corporation, Tampa, FL. Design, plan and oversee installation and maintenance of wireless radio communications systems. Apply at www.sprint.jobs, Req # 237037BR. Sprint is a background screening, drug screening, and E-Verify participating employer and considers qualified candidates with criminal histories consistent with applicable law. EOE Minorities/Females/ Protected Veterans/Disabled.

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FEBRUARY 2 – FEBRUARY 8, 2018

IMMIGRATION

B3 taken to a detention center.

Permanent residents The experts recommend that permanent residents keep their immigration documents with them, such as the permanent residence card or green card. In the case of foreigners with non-immigrant visas, the I-94 card, employment authorization or other valid document that proves the registration with the Citizenship and Immigration Service. If you do not have them, stay calm and remain silent.

Memorize ID numbers This includes the foreign A # registration number with a ninedigit series and, if arrested, the prison identification number or name. Also memorize the telephone number of a close relative, any medications you take, your current immigration status and any criminal records.

Consult a lawyer Before answering any questions, you can immediately ask for a lawyer. You are also entitled to a local call and to contact the consulate of your home country. However, the United States does not guarantee free lawyers in immigration cased. And most notaries are not lawyers.

Plan of action GINA FERAZZI/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

Guadalupe Plascencia, right, is consoled by her daughter Mahria Torres, as she recounts her ordeal of being falsely arrested and transferred to ICE custody, despite the fact she is a U.S. citizen, on May 24, 2017, in San Bernardino, Calif.

What to do if immigration officer confronts you Laws include the right to remain silent, the right to deny permission to a search of your person, vehicle or home, and the right to ask for a lawyer. BY DANIEL SHOER ROTH EL NUEVO HERALD/TNS

MIAMI — The anti-immigrant rhetoric and some decisions of the Donald Trump government have revived the fear of immigration raids and mass deportations. Recently, agents of the Of-

fice of Immigration and Customs raided a dozens of 7-Eleven stores nationwide on suspicion that they were hiring undocumented immigrants. And in South Florida, U.S. Border Patrol agents stopped a Greyhound bus on the way to Orlando and demanded citizenship documentation, taking a Jamaican citizen in custody.

Your rights In confrontations like those, whether in public spaces, places of employment or private homes, legal and undocumented immigrants can exercise basic constitutional rights in response to the authorities. “These enshrined rights are applicable to all people regard-

less of their immigration status and are a muscle that people should use,” said Adonia Simpson, director of the Family Defense program of Americans for Immigration Justice, based in Miami. However, Simpson said, that “does not guarantee that the rights are not violated; that immigrants are not detained.” The laws include the right to remain silent, the right to deny permission to a search of your person, vehicle or home, and the right to ask for a lawyer. What should you do when the authorities ask for your papers?

Keep silent Everyone has the right to remain silent by refusing to answer

questions. It is advisable to give your name and the date of birth, so that your relatives can easily find you. But if you wish to exercise this right, say: “I exercise my right to remain silent.”

Do not lie, sign You do not have to answer questions about place of birth or how you entered the country, or give explanations or excuses. But never lie, claiming to be a U.S. citizen if not, or give false identity documents. Do not sign papers without legal advice, or reveal your immigration status to anyone other than your lawyer.

Naturalized immigrants Naturalized immigrants can inform agents that they are citizens of the United States. In theory, citizens should not be detained by ICE, but if they cannot immediately corroborate their citizenship status by presenting a passport, voter’s card, naturalization certificate and other evidence, then they can be

If you are detained, it is preferable to have an action plan outlined, with an authorized emergency contact to search your children at school and make medical and legal decisions on their behalf. Keep in a secure place proof of your physical presence in the United States such as rental agreements, income statement and financial information.

Deny home entrance If ICE agents arrive at your home, you do not have to open the door unless they have a search or arrest warrant. Ask them to pass the order under the door and verify that it is signed by a judge. A deportation/ removal order (ICE warrant) does not authorize entry without your permission. If you want to deny their entrance, you can say: “I do not give you permission to enter. I will remain silent until I speak to an attorney. “ Sources: National Immigrant Justice Center, Florida Immigrant Coalition, Americans for Immigrant Justice, and the American Civil Liberties Union. For more information, visit the websites of these organizations.

New Border Patrol target: Volunteers helping migrants BY MOLLY HENNESSY-FISKE LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

It is the job of U.S. Border Patrol agents to capture people crossing into the country illegally. In Arizona this month, they chose another target: one of the many volunteers who provide food, water and other supplies aimed at helping migrants survive in the desert. Scott Warren, 35, a faculty associate at Arizona State University and longtime volunteer with aid group No More Deaths, was arrested Jan. 17 near the town of Ajo and charged in federal court with felony alien smuggling. Immigrant advocates say the charge is retaliation against the Tucson-based aid group, which released a report and videos alleging Border Patrol agents destroyed supplies left for migrants. “This is really an escalation in the criminalization of humanitarian aid work,” said Lee Sandusky, a volunteer with the group, which publicized the arrest. “We’ve long had a tenuous relationship with Border Patrol and other agencies in the borderlands, and there seems to be an uptick in the targeting of humanitarian aid work in the past year.”

Volunteers charged The arrest comes a month after federal officials filed a range of misdemeanor charges against nine volunteers from the same group for leaving plastic jugs of water in the desert.

Several groups routinely leave aid for migrants along the southern border from California to Texas. Volunteers say their goal is to save migrant lives, not break the law. No More Deaths has attracted dozens of volunteers, many from out of state, since its founding in 2004.

Not held accountable The group largely avoided clashes with the Border Patrol, which has long had a policy of not disturbing vital supplies left for migrants. Officials said they encourage aid groups to file complaints if the policy is violated. But Sandusky said Border Patrol supervisors have been reluctant to punish agents even when volunteers showed them videos of misconduct. “There is no means to hold these agents accountable, which is part of the reason for the report,” Sandusky said.

Water jugs destroyed The report said that more than 3,586 gallon jugs of water left for migrants had been destroyed in an 800-square-mile area in southern Arizona between 2012 and 2015. Videos posted with the report on Facebook drew nearly 700,000 views. “Hundreds of vandalism acts cannot be dismissed as the misguided behavior of a few bad apples,” the report said. “The culture

DON BARTLETTI/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

Water jugs are routinely spray painted black to make them less visible to authorities. and policies of the U.S. Border Patrol as a law-enforcement agency both authorize and normalize acts of cruelty against border crossers.” Warren was arrested hours after the report was released. Agents were surveilling a building known as “the Barn,” saw what they believed to be two immigrants entering, and intervened, according to the federal criminal complaint.

Provisions left The men identified themselves as Mexican nationals and told the agents they knew there would be food and water inside because they researched their route online, looking for “the best ways and methods to cross the border illegally,” the complaint said. “Warren met them outside and gave them food and water for ap-

proximately three days,” it said. One of the migrants, Jose Arnaldo Sacaria-Goday, told the agents that Warren “took care of them in ‘the Barn’ by giving them food, water, beds and clean clothes.” Warren is free while he awaits trial. No date has been set.

Targeting denied William Walker, an attorney for No More Deaths, said Warren did nothing illegal. “Everyone knows this building,” he said. “Border Patrol has watched it for years. They know it’s used as a medical facility, for people to get respite, get an IV and food. Just providing food and water and medical care is not a crime.” “It’s if you hide them,” he said. “Scott didn’t hide them.” A Border Patrol spokesman denied that the agency targeted

Warren or the aid group. “It’s not retaliation,” said Steven Passement, the agency’s acting special operations supervisor in Tucson. “We have a mission to do. If we’re focusing on the same folks, obviously we’re going to cross paths. We have tried to work with the groups out here. They want to save lives; we want to save lives. Intentionally targeting them and looking at them — that’s not what we’re doing.”

Rescue beacons Along the Arizona frontier, the Border Patrol maintains a system of 34 rescue beacons, some paired with satellite phones, to aid migrants stranded in remote areas. Passement said water left for migrants in the desert will never be enough to sustain them and instead “is giving them false hope.”

FOOD

FEBRUARY 2 – FEBRUARY 8, 2018

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FROM FAMILY FEATURES

When hosting a game-day party, you’d think the focus would be on the score or the award-winning commercials, but it’s actually a great reason to indulge in flavor-filled bites. When the big day rolls around, let your guests obsess over the game while you serve up ooey-gooey dips, saucy wings and football-themed desserts that can keep them happily glued to their seats. Dip into delicious. No watch-party menu is complete without a cheesy dip. This over the top dip brings big flavor and is perfect for kicking the party up a notch as your team works to post that next big win. Slow cook your cornbread. Not only does this recipe for cornbread amp up the flavor with paprika, garlic powder and cheese, you can set it, forget it then enjoy it with your favorite chili or ribs. Go ahead and wing it. Wings and football go together like quarterbacks and touchdowns. This year, try a south-of-the-border version and rub wings in cheesy taco seasoning. For extra flair, serve them on a platter with taco fixings. Fan-favorite desserts. Win or lose, there’s always room for dessert. It can be surprisingly simple to create fun and tasty footballthemed treats. These bite-size truffles require just five ingredients and are the perfect finishing touch(down) for your game-day spread. Find more flavorful game-day recipes and ideas for your party at McCormick.com. CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY FOOTBALL COOKIE TRUFFLES 4 cups crumbled chewy chocolate cookies 1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme 2 teaspoons McCormick Raspberry Extract 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped 1 ounce white chocolate, melted In large bowl, mix crumbled cookies, marshmallow creme and raspberry flavor until well blended. Shape mixture into 1-inch ovals. Set aside. Melt chocolate as directed on package. Using fork, dip one cookie truffle at a time into chocolate. Tap back of fork 2-3 times against edge of dish to allow excess chocolate to drip off. Place on wax paper-lined tray. Refrigerate 30 minutes, or until chocolate is set. Spoon melted white chocolate into small, re-sealable plastic bag. Cut small piece from one bottom corner of bag. Close bag tightly then pipe lines on truffles to resemble football stitching. Let stand until chocolate is set. Note: Cookies can be stored in covered container at room temperature up to 5 days.

Big flavor for the

BIG GAME CHEESY TACO WINGS 2 1/2 pounds chicken wing pieces 1 package McCormick Cheesy Taco Mix nonstick cooking spray 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce

TEXAS TRASH DIP 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese 1 cup sour cream 2 cans (16 ounces each) refried beans 1 can (4 1/2 ounces) chopped green chilies, drained 1 package McCormick Taco Seasoning Mix 4 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided nonstick cooking spray chopped cilantro (optional) tomatoes (optional) sliced olives (optional) avocado (optional) tortilla chips Heat oven to 350 F. In large, microwavable bowl, heat cream cheese and sour cream on high 1 minute, or until cheese is softened. Remove from microwave. Mix with wire whisk until smooth. Add refried beans, green chilies, seasoning mix and 2 cups cheese; mix well. Spread bean mixture into 13-by-9-inch baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 25 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Top with cilantro, tomatoes, sliced olives and avocado, if desired. Serve with tortilla chips.

1/4 cup finely chopped tomato 2 tablespoons sliced green onion 2 tablespoons crumbled queso fresco Heat oven to 450 F. In large bowl, toss chicken wings with seasoning mix. On large, shallow foil-lined

baking pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, arrange wings in single layer. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and skin is crisp. On large serving platter, arrange lettuce. Top with wings, tomato, green onion and queso fresco.

SLOW COOKER CHEESY CORNBREAD Nonstick cooking spray 1 cup milk 3 eggs, beaten 2 packages (8 1/2 ounces each) corn muffin mix 1 teaspoon McCormick Paprika 1/2 teaspoon McCormick Garlic Powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup frozen corn 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided Spray inside of 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. In slow cooker, mix milk, eggs, corn muffin mix, paprika, garlic powder and salt until well blended. Stir in corn and 1 cup cheese. Place clean kitchen towel over slow cooker and cover with lid. Cook 2 hours on high, or until toothpick in center of cornbread comes out clean. Uncover. Sprinkle cornbread with remaining cheese. Let stand, uncovered, 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

STOJ

FEBRUARY 2 – FEBRUARY 8, 2018

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

Meet some of

FLORIDA’S

finest

Think you’re one of Florida’s Finest? E-mail your high-resolution (200 dpi) digital photo in casual wear or bathing suit taken in front of a plain background with few distractions, to news@flcourier. com with a short biography of yourself and your contact information. (No nude/ glamour/ fashion photography, please!) In order to be considered, you must be at least 18 years of age. Acceptance of the photographs submitted is in the sole and absolute discretion of Florida Courier editors. We reserve the right to retain your photograph even if it is not published. If you are selected, you will be contacted by e-mail and further instructions will be given.

Thousands of Caribbean culture lovers converge on South Florida every year before and during the Columbus Day weekend to attend the annual Miami Broward Carnival, a series of concerts, pageants, parades, and competitions. On Carnival Day, “mas” (masquerade) bands of thousands of revelers dance and march behind 18-wheel tractor-trailer trucks with booming sound systems from morning until nightfall while competing for honors. Here are some of the “Finest” we’ve seen over the years. Click on www.flcourier to see hundreds of pictures from previous Carnivals. Go to www. miamibrowardcarnival. com for more information on Carnival events in South Florida. CHARLES W. CHERRY II / FLORIDA COURIER

Grammys slow to address #MeToo, Time’s Up BY LORRAINE ALI LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

Grammy winners

For two full hours, it was as if 2017 never happened. The first half of the 60th Grammy awards was filled with the usual fare of booty-shaking performances, sleepy ballads and sleepier acceptance speeches. And then singer Kesha stepped on stage to remind everyone that the past year had been anything but business as usual. The pop singer turned social warrior was nearly destroyed, professionally and personally, when she leveled sexual assault accusations against her powerful producer in 2014. But when she performed her redemptive hit “Praying” during Sunday’s live telecast from Madison Square Garden, it sent a clear message to an audience who had been waiting for an acknowledgment of the #MeToo moment beyond white roses, and to an industry that’s hardly begun to deal with its own demons.

s + -AGIC

Bruno Mars

Record of the year Song of the year

s 4HAT S 7HAT ) ,IKE

Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip

Album of the year s + -AGIC Bruno Mars

Best new artist s Alessia Cara

Best Rock album s ! $EEPER 5NDERSTANDING

The War on Drugs

Best Rap album

s $AMN

Kendrick Lamar

Best R&B album s + -AGIC

Bruno Mars

Best Country album

s &ROM A 2OOM 6OLUME

Chris Stapleton

Source: National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences

Men dominate While film, television and news media are being overhauled by women coming forward to speak against the men who used their power to sexually harass and assault them, the recording industry hasn’t had the same sort of reckoning. The Grammys were potentially where that reckoning would begin. In the days leading up the awards, Voices in Entertainment, music’s answer to film’s Time’s Up movement requested that everyone wear white roses on the red carpet and stage in support. The same day, USC released a report that found between 2013 and 2018, just 9.3 percent of Grammy nominees were women.

Hip-hop recognition It was a shocking revelation given that music has heavily banked on female artists including Lady Ga-

LIONEL HAHN/ABACA PRESS/TNS

Janelle Monae at the Grammys: “We come in peace, but we mean business.’’ ga, Taylor Swift, Adele, Beyonce and Rihanna, to pull them out of a recession. But Sunday night, the recording academy’s big leap into the future appeared to be a long overdue recognition of hip hop as a cultural force — just two decades after the rest of the planet. For the first time ever, two rappers were nominated for best album (though neither Kendrick Lamar nor Jay-Z won), and rappers dominated many top categories outside the usual urban music areas they’ve been stuck in since the institution first recognized the genre in 1989. (They

didn’t sweep in those either.)

Five for Lamar Kesha’s powerful single “Praying,” the performance of which was advertised non-stop ahead of Sunday’s show, lost to Ed Sheeran’s earnest ode to a girl’s body, “Shape of You.” Sheeran was the only male nominee in the category, which also included Lady Gaga, Kelly Clarkson and Pink. And it wasn’t just the academy who seemed numb to the world outside the arena doors. Artists had little to noth-

ing to say about the climate that should, but apparently doesn’t, influence their craft. That was left up to rapper Kendrick Lamar, was up for seven Grammys but won five. (He did better than Jay-Z who was up for eight and won none.)

Profound opening Lamar opened with a powerful performance of “XXX.,” as the screen flashed “This is a satire by Kendrick Lamar” and then it cut to comedian Dave Chappelle: “Hi, I’m Dave Chappelle and I just wanted to remind the audience

that the only thing more frightening than watching a Black man be honest in America is being an honest Black man in America. Sorry for the interruption.” Than back to Lamar’s performance, where he rapped as a woman banged away on a huge drum. The music simulated gunshots as back-up dancers in hoodies fell to the ground as if shot. It was a chilling and profound opening. But the Grammys have pulled this trick before, letting Lamar make all the poignant political points then moving on to (please see his amazing “To Pimp a Butterfly” performance in 2016).

Monae’s message What was missing here for, especially the first twothirds of the show, was any acknowledgment that this was the year women pushed back — and kept pushing against individuals and institutions who have either abused them or turned a blind eye to such abuse.

The ceremony, which was hosted by James Corden and featured 20 performances, didn’t even address the elephant in the room until Janelle Monae got up to introduce Kesha’s performance. “We come in peace,” she said, “but we mean business … And to those who dare try to silence up, we offer you two words: Time’s Up. We say Time’s Up for pay inequality, discrimination or harassment of any kind, and Time’s Up for the abuse of power.’’

Clinton’s cameo The singer then went on to perform “Praying” alongside Cyndi Lauper, Camila Cabello, new artist nominee Julia Michaels, Andra Day and Bebe Rexha as well as members of the Resistance Revival Chorus, a collective of women who perform protest songs. Corden followed up with a brotherly statement of support, and an inspired pre-taped bit in which Hillary Clinton read from “The Fire and Fury,” but for the most part it seemed as if the Academy, which is made up of people who have held sway in the industry for decades (there is no transparency when it comes to knowing who the Grammy voters are), are not ready to face reality.

Dreamer speaks up In presenting U2, singer Camila Cabello introduced herself as a dreamer who was “proud, Cuban-Mexican immigrant, born in eastern Havana, standing in front of you on the Grammy stage in New York City.” It was one of the more powerful and moving moments of the show. Then they cut to the band playing. If only these moments had arrived earlier. Instead, they felt tacked on to a ceremony that spent more energy dancing around the throes of culture than simply addressing the tumult.

FEBRUARY 2 – FEBRUARY 8, 2018

1897

2018

Alfred L. Cralle invents the ice cream scoop.

Maya D. Jones scoops her own ice cream for the very first time.

This Black History Month, take time to celebrate the achievements of African Americans, from the lesser-known inventions that helped weave the fabric of our day-to-day lives, to the more widely-known achievements that revolutionized our culture. All of these accomplishments come together to pave the way to a bright—and sweet—future. Join Publix in the celebration of Black History Month. Explore African American contributions to food history at publix.com/BlackHistoryMonth.