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Historic number of Blacks competing in Olympics See page B1

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FEBRUARY 9 – FEBRUARY 15, 2018

VOLUME 26 NO. 6

DOES ‘COMPETITION’ MATTER? The Florida Supreme Court examines the state’s anti-hazing law in an appeal of a former FAMU ‘Marching 100’ band member now serving time for Robert Champion’s death by hazing. COMPILED FROM WIRE AND STAFF REPORTS

TALLAHASSEE – Lawyers representing a man convicted in the death of Robert Champion, a member of Florida A&M University’s renowned “Marching 100” band, tried to convince the Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday that a hazing ritual that resulted in Champion’s death was a “competition” authorized by state law. Champion, 26, was one of six

FLORIDA COURIER FILES

The death of FAMU Marching ‘100’ drum major immediately after the 2011 annual Florida Classic football game in Orlando had extended consequence at the university, including the expulsion of the school’s president and band director and criminal convictions. drum majors who led FAMU’s marching band in 2011. He died on Nov. 19, 2011 during the annual Florida Classic weekend, which has been a critical fundraiser for

Florida’s only public historically Black college. The Florida Classic is the Rattlers’ annual rivalry football game against BethuneCookman University that features

a “battle of bands.” Following a performance at the then-Florida Citrus Bowl that was part of the Florida Classic, Champion participated in a hazing ritual called “Crossing Bus C.” He had to walk down the aisle of a large chartered passenger bus from the front to the back while being pushed around, punched, kicked and beaten with drumsticks and mallets by other band members. Champion died soon after the ordeal. An autopsy by the Orange County medical examiner’s office concluded that he died of bleeding in soft tissues of his body that was caused by the beating administered during the hazing ritual.

Settled the lawsuits Early in the legal proceedings, Champion’s parents, Pamela and Robert Champion Sr., settled wrongful death lawsuits against the bus company and the driver of the bus. The amounts of the settlement have never been publically disclosed.

WATCHING THE SUPER BOWL IN MEDELLIN

‘Big city, small taxis’

In September 2015, the Champions settled with FAMU for $1.1 million, an apology and placement of a commemorative plaque in their son’s memory on the FAMU campus. They also settled with the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando – where the bus was parked during the tragedy – for $800,000.

Wide-ranging impact In the wake of Champion’s death, then-university President James Ammons and longtime marching-band Director Julian White were forced out of their respective positions. The FAMU Marching “100’’ band was suspended from performing. Champion’s death also prompted the Board of Governors of the State University System to investigate FAMU’s handling of hazing on campus. Inspector General Derry Harper released a stinging report concluding that FAMU lacked the internal controls needed to identify and fight hazing before ChampiSee HAZING, Page A2

‘They’ve been invisible’ Study examines Black grandmothers’ roles FROM THE SEATTLE TIMES / TNS

“Madea?” “Big Momma?’’ Please. Those movie characters may have made comical, cultural icons of Black grandmothers, but they don’t do them justice. They’re not even played by actual women. “If that’s what you’re getting, you’re missing what a lot of these women bring to bear on their families and communities,” said LaShawnDa Pittman, an assistant professor of American Ethnic Studies at the University of Washington.

Indispensable to culture

CHARLES W. CHERRY II / FLORIDA COURIER

Florida Courier Publisher Charles W. Cherry II traveled to Medellin, Columbia, South America (shown in this picture taken at dawn) to watch Super Bowl LII with friends. He writes about the experience, which will be published in a future issue of the Florida Courier.

SNAPSHOTS FLORIDA | A3

FROM THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

Scott directs efforts to ease evacuations NATION | A6

OBITUARIES | B2

GOP agenda not what Eatonville mourns lawmakers envisioned passing of former mayor BLACK HISTORY | B4, B5

Some pioneers who paved the way

ALSO INSIDE

‘Guns in church’ bill moves forward The Florida Senate is scheduled Thursday (after the Florida Courier’s Wednesday press time) to take up a bill that could help clear the way for people with concealed-weapons licenses to carry guns at churches. The proposal (SB 1048), sponsored by Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, has been backed by Republican lawmakers who contend it could help prevent incidents such as a massacre last year at a Texas church. But the bill has been opposed by Democrats

and narrowly passed two committees in 6-4 and 7-5 votes. Under current law, people with concealed-weapons licenses can carry guns at churches and other religious institutions, but they are prevented from doing so if schools are on the property. The bill seeks to allow people to carry guns at churches that have schools, though it would prevent carrying firearms during school hours or when school extracurricular activities take place.

“We shouldn’t be talking about the Black experience without talking about Black grandmothers.” Pittman did her doctoral dissertation on Black grandmothers: Their health. Their income issues. Their place in society as a stabilizing, nurturing safety net for families that, without them, might very well fall apart. “Friends started telling me their stories,” she said, “and I became this grandmother repository. And I thought, ‘This is a thing.’” Pittman has turned the stories into a website called RealBlackGrandmothers.com. The site is a place where people can post testimonials about their grandmothers, and archive the experiences of the women “who have played such an important, and unsung role in American society,” Pittman said. “We are relying on these women more and more, and their representation online is not representative of their role in the world.”

Sicker and poorer It is a role they serve with less money and more health problems than the general population. Consider: Around 7.6 percent of Black women have heart disease, compared to 5.8 percent of White women and 5.6 percent of Mexican American women. In 2016, around 46 of every 100,000 Black women died from strokes, compared to 35 of every 100,000 White women. They have a higher rate of diabetes, for developing breast cancer, and are more likely to die from cancer than White women. See GRANDS, Page A2

GUEST COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY III: WHAT HAS AMERICA DONE FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS? | A4 COMMENTARY: RAYNARD JACKSON: NAACP SHOULD FOCUS ON BLACK PEOPLE IN U.S. | A5

FOCUS

FEBRUARY 9 – FEBRUARY 15, 2018

Black people, may your White God bless you I have always had a keen interest in religion. I studied philosophy in college with a concentration in theology, ethics, logic and reasoning. I found that everyone’s religious beliefs – or having no religious belief at all – is a personal matter.

Accept it all I accept where everybody is, and I encourage everybody to live the life that is best for them. People should value what they value and believe what they believe. I will never criticize, attack, belittle or disparage the choices that anyone makes in regard to their own lives and their own faiths. Since I believe in a creative force, or a God, I also believe that devils exist. If there is a Christ, there is also an anti-Christ. Some people are good, some people are bad and so on. In my profession as a journalist, I have had the opportunity to meet and work with a variety of religious men and women – preachers, pastors, imams, and a variety of so-called messengers, prophets, bishops, apostles, disciples and others.

Lots of places I have been to and worshipped at churches, masjids, temples,

LUCIUS GANTT THE GANTT REPORT

synagogues, mosques, ceremonies and other places. Recently, I attended a meeting of evangelicals! Of all of the places I’ve visited, listening to and watching evangelicals at a “megachurch” was an experience I’ll never forget! On the day I was there, there were thousands of people there also. About 20 to 30 percent of the people in the congregation were Black.

Mandatory acceptance I always say when you accept a religious belief as your own, you accept the culture, the practices, the procedures and the protocols of that religion. That acceptance is the same if you’re Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hebrew Israelite, Yoruba, Confucian, Hare Krishna, Satanic, occult, Santeria, atheist or whatever else you may subscribe to. If you believe that God is White, Angels are White, the best and most accurate translators of religious documents are

White, religious historians are White and religious messengers are White, an evangelical church would make you feel very comfortable in your worship activities and events. There you can find a White preacher, White worship songs, White religious art and religious messages that are appealing to the Whites in the congregation. That’s okay if that is what you like, if makes you feel good and makes you want that lifestyle.

It must be personal I have to have a personal relationship with God. I have to discover my religious salvation in my own way and in my own time. I don’t need a preacher or any religious leader of any color, race, ethnicity or creed to tell me how I need to improve my religiosity. I can read the Bible, the Quran, The Book of Mormon, the (Egyptian) Book of the Dead, Yoruba documents, or any other types of religious literature, then interpret what I’ve read for myself.

The true facts

GRANDS

create themselves. They’re born of the racism in this country.” While working on her dissertation at Northwestern University and as a post-doctoral student at the National Poverty Center at the University of Michigan, Pittman interviewed 77 Black grandmothers on Chicago’s South Side about their history, their health and their role in the family. “They were so surprised I wanted to hear their stories,” Pittman said. “They’ve been invisible.”

Fewer benefits Black women have high laborparticipation rates. They start working younger and work longer, often as domestic and agricultural workers who, historically, did not receive Social Security benefits through their work. And, according to an analysis by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Black women who work full-time and year-round earn 64 cents on the dollar compared with White men, the largest group in the labor force. Black women also experience high unemployment “and are overrepresented in jobs with little job security, few benefits and limited opportunity for advancement,” the IWPR said. This continues into old age, when Black women are even more vulnerable economically and tend to assume greater caregiving responsibilities. “So they’re doing more with less, and with impaired health,” Pittman said. All this, while bearing witness to some of the biggest problems society has faced: Drug abuse. Racism. Mass incarceration.

From left to right: Charles W. Cherry III, Chayla Cherry, and Jamal Cherry take a picture with their paternal grandmother, Julia T. Cherry. You can post a testimonial about your own grandmother at www.RealBlackGrandmothers.com.

‘Born of racism’

HAZING

where beatings, boxing is recognized,” Shah answered. Justice Barbara Pariente was even more pointed, asking if “hazings are competitions to see who can stay alive and who dies.” But Shah said the hazing rite met one dictionary’s definition of “competition,” which requires “perseverance and endurance to overcome an obstacle.” Shah’s rationale did not appear to satisfy Pariente. “The idea that you’re advancing a theory of competition, that you’re equating this with a boxing match or a football game or hockey that gets out of hand, but that’s not what this was,” she said later. Shah nevertheless persisted, repeatedly calling the “crossing of Bus C” a ritual that amounts to a competition.

from A1 on was beaten by his fellow band members. The year after Champion was killed, the economic impact of a Florida Classic in Orlando without the Marching “100” was felt when the country’s largest Black HBCU event attracted its lowest turnout since the mid-1990s.

Charged, convicted Fifteen former band members, including Champion’s fellow drum majors, were criminally charged. Most negotiated plea deals with Orlando prosecutors. Dante Martin, who was accused of organizing the fatal hazing activity, went to trial. He was convicted of manslaughter and hazing and received the harshest sentence of all the perpetrators, a 77-month sentence prison term that his lawyers appealed. Manslaughter, a second-degree felony in Florida, is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The maximum for felony hazing, a third-degree felony, is five years. Martin’s attorneys have consistently argued that the state hazing law is unconstitutional and too broad, and that Martin wasn’t

‘Competitions’ not covered? Martin’s lawyer, Rupak Shah, is asking the state court to overturn the conviction because the ritual was a “competition,” as defined by state law, and therefore exempt from banned hazing activities. Under Florida law, hazing “does not include customary athletic events or other similar contests or competitions or any activity or conduct that furthers a legal and legitimate objective.” Shah argued in court filings that the “acts constituting a ‘competition’ are lawful under the statute and that the jury should find, among other things, that the death of Mr. Champion was an excusable homicide.”

Not buying it But justices seemed skeptical of Shah’s arguments as they questioned the lawyer Wednesday morning. “What ordinary, customary competition is there (in) beating of someone?” Justice Peggy Quince asked. “There are customary events,

Ancient Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, was in what is now North Africa. Egypt and Ethiopia are mentioned in the Bible as much or more than any other countries. I can tell you King James removed most, if not all, references of Black biblical characters. Most people, including myself, believe for instance that Solomon, a king of the Jews, and many others in the Bible were in fact Black. Anyway, I go to places of worship to worship. In Yoruba, it is called “feeding your Elegba.”

Not for me

If that isn’t enough, Pittman said, “they’re more likely to be poor.”

given a fair trial. Martin, now 30, is an inmate at Wakulla Work Camp, according to the state Department of Corrections website.

Born in Africa

We are all entitled to our own interpretations and religious beliefs. But facts are facts. And I can tell you this. All Western religions have African origins. “All” includes Christianity and Islam. The first religious practices can be traced back to Africa, just as the first humans can be traced back to the continent. I can tell you that the widely-

from A1

CHARLES W. CHERRY II / FLORIDA COURIER

used King James Version of the Bible was not a translation of the original Hebrew version of the Bible written by a godly man. King James was a colonial pirate who colonized and robbed people of color all over the world. He was responsible for murders – including the beheading of Sir Walter Raleigh – and was accused of participating in incestuous activities like having sex with his mother!

“People love to focus on the problems of the family,” Pittman said. “But those problems didn’t

An ‘activity’ On Wednesday, several justices also appeared unconvinced by arguments made by Stephen Turner, a lawyer representing the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, which filed a “friend of the court” brief in the case. Turner said the hazing law doesn’t cover the marching band’s hazing practices because the Marching 100 is not a “student organization” like a fraternity or sorority. Instead, bands,

I am not comfortable at churches that say Black people should ignore what happened to Black men, women and children in slavery days. These same churches also say that slaveholders, Confederates and people that think Blacks are only one-fifth of what non-Blacks are, are great people that should be

Started at home Pittman’s interest in Black grandmothers started with her own, Warnella Wells, a nurse’s aide who lived in Kankakee, Illinois. Pittman’s mother Joyce got pregnant with her when she was 15 and gave birth to her when she was 16. Where was her father? “That’s somebody else’s scholarship project,” Pittman cracked. The three women all lived together until Pittman’s mother decided to “establish her own household,” Pittman said, even though she didn’t have a job. “That’s what you need Black grandmothers for,” Pittman said. “She was accountability for my mom. Black grandmothers are the checks and balances for their kids about how they are raising their kids.” She continued, “To the degree that my mother was going to listen to anybody, she was going to listen to her.”

Book also coming Pittman is also working on a book called “Black Grandmothers from Slavery to the Present,” which she believes to be the first

similar to football teams, are “student activities,” according to Turner. Turner also pointed out that Champion wasn’t forced to cross the bus. The drum major willingly participated in the hazing ritual, Turner argued. “This is just an honored tradition,” Turner said. “Just because a tragedy results doesn’t mean that we have to reach out and punish everyone that the statute doesn’t apply to.”

Consent is no defense But the hazing activity doesn’t have to be forced to be a crime, argued Assistant Attorney General Kristen Davenport. And whether the person who was hazed consented is not a defense under Florida law, she added. “The Legislature has determined it doesn’t matter whether he (Champion) wanted to do this,” she told the court. “This statute is trying to protect society from exactly this kind of situation.” Pariente noted that other band members said they didn’t “cross the bus” but felt obliged to participate. “There’s some very strange aspects to this, which are really shaming those that don’t do it,” she said. Davenport also rejected Shah’s contention that the anti-hazing

proud of their racist “heritage.” I don’t believe that God is a White racist. I don’t believe that poor and Black people should be oppressed, exploited and victimized because “God is in charge” and injustice occurs because God wills it to be. I don’t believe civil rights, equal rights and justice movements like Black Lives Matter is “negative” and “fake news.” I don’t believe that evangelicals like Pat Roberson, Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer and other evangelicals are great people that only tell the truth and should be revered.

Doing very well Most evangelical and other religious leaders do well on earth. But the masses of people in many congregations suffer on earth and will enjoy things in heaven. At least that is what they are told to believe by the religious leaders they trust. However, at the end of the day, practice the faith and the religion that is best for you and does what you think a religion should do for you. All of us will go to heaven, hell or six feet in the ground by ourselves!

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.

scientific study of its kind. The book has been a labor of love, but an emotional one, as well. While poring over slave narratives, she came upon the story of an older slave named Sarah who was not moving fast enough for the overseer. So he beat her down to the ground and threw her into a prickly pear bush, “and she died in agonizing pain,” Pittman remembered. “I felt like there needed to be a place to honor that history.” The book will have an academic bent, so Pittman doesn’t expect it to be a mainstream read. The website is for everyone, though – and Pittman sees endless possibilities sprouting from it.

Wisdom and stories With the help of archivist Sara Daise and some summer interns, Pittman has created a place where people can read stories, sayings, news stories and wisdom. She hopes to get testimonials from African-American artists like authors Toni Morrison and Alice Walker; Oprah Winfrey and Nikki Giovanni; and to inspire exhibits about Black grandmothers in African-American history museums here and in Washington, D.C. Pittman wants people to use the website to document their family histories; educators to use it to teach about grandmothers’ roles in African-American history and culture. She wants students, artists and entertainers to plumb it for research and ideas. “Even those just looking for inspiration,” Pittman said. “These incredible women are sure to provide it.”

law violates constitutional freedom of speech guarantees. “There’s no First Amendment right to beat somebody up. There’s nothing that infringes on their right to get together, to chant, to march, to make music. What they can’t do is beat up one of their members,” she said.

Previously rejected In November 2016, a threejudge panel of the 5th District Court of Appeal rejected arguments by Martin’s lawyers regarding the constitutionality of the state law. “The defendant asserts that Florida’s hazing statute encroaches upon constitutionally protected speech or conduct and, thus, the statute is overbroad; however, he does not articulate how the statute is susceptible of application to speech or conduct protected by the First Amendment. … The defendant has not demonstrated that the hazing statute criminalizes any speech or conduct protected by the First Amendment; therefore, his overbreadth challenge fails,” said the ruling, written by appeals-court Judge William Palmer and joined by Judges Thomas Sawaya and Jay Cohen.

Dara Kam of the News Service of Florida contributed to this report.

FEBRUARY 9 – FEBRUARY 15, 2018

FLORIDA

Governor directs efforts to ease evacuations

Motorists spent up to 12 hours on roads during Hurricane Irma

Police: Wife shot husband over HOA complaints

BY JIM TURNER NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

BY TONYA ALANEZ SUN SENTINEL/TNS

TALLAHASSEE – From “dynamic” message signs along Interstate 75 to completing certain turnpike projects on time, Gov. Rick Scott called on Feb. 2 for a series of improvements to help with disaster evacuations. The directives, based in part on suggestions from the state Department of Transportation, came as lawmakers continue to review proposals aimed at addressing fallout from the evacuation of 6.5 million people ahead of Hurricane Irma. During the evacuation, motorists spent up to 12 hours on routes that typically are covered in six to seven hours.

FORT LAUDERDALE – A Boynton Beach woman shot her husband in the head, both arms, right leg and back during an argument over homeowners association complaints Monday night, police said. Lisa Barreca, 53, was arrested and charged with attempted murder, according to a police report. Her husband, whom police have not named, is hospitalized in stable condition, said Stephanie Slater, a spokeswoman for the Boynton Beach Police Department.

More signs, cameras Scott directed the department to immediately expand “emergency shoulder use” along key interstates, a strategy employed in September as traffic backed up while motorists fled north on I-75 ahead of Irma. The governor also called for installing cameras and message signs along I-75 from Ocala north to the Georgia state line and increasing the capacity of the state’s Florida 511 website, which provides real-time traffic information about major roads. Also, by July the department is expected to identify areas along key evacuation routes where more fuel services are needed and look at ways to expand fuel capacity for first responders. “It is critically important that we continue to do all we can to make sure our state is fully prepared in the face of any potential disaster,” Scott said in a prepared statement.

Nelson responds U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, who is expected to face an election chal-

MIKE STOCKER/SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL/TNS

Northbound traffic on the turnpike near Sunrise Boulevard is shown backing up in the rain on Sept. 7, 2017 near Sunrise, Fla. lenge from Scott this fall, issued a release saying that he filed legislation in October seeking the U.S. Department of Energy to set up east and west coast gasoline reserves in Florida and had called for the state Department of Transportation to examine options for additional fuel storage. “Unlike Nelson’s bill, this report today by the governor doesn’t offer any real solutions, it simply asks the state to look at doing something Nelson proposed five months ago,” said Ryan Brown, Nelson’s spokesman. Scott had directed the Department of Transportation in October to work with other state agencies, ports, law enforcement and fuel retailers to determine how to increase fuel capacity during emergencies.

Interchange improvements Scott’s Feb. 2 release continued to advise the department to work with Florida’s ports and the fuel industry on additional fuel storage. His directive also calls for com-

pleting interchange improvements at Florida’s Turnpike and I-75 in 2019. The work is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2019, according to the Department of Transportation report. Scott also said he wants to widen to six lanes a portion of the turnpike between the Lake-Sumter County line to the County Road 468 interchange in Sumter County in 2023, and to widen the highway from the Country Road 468 interchange to I-75 starting in 2025. The work is currently outlined to begin in those years by the state department.

Shoulder plans The department review also suggested emergency shoulder plans for I-75 northbound from Alligator Alley in Fort Lauderdale; on the turnpike northbound from Orlando; on Interstate 95 northbound from Jupiter to south of Jacksonville; and on Interstate 10 westbound from I-75 to just east of Tallahassee. The Florida House and Senate are reviewing a number of evacuation-related proposals, including an extension of the Suncoast

Parkway north from the Tampa Bay region to the Georgia state line.

‘Contraflow’ considered Other proposals include using passenger rail to evacuate citizen; and testing the impact of converting portions of highways during emergencies into all one-way traffic, a process known as “contraflow.” Department of Transportation Secretary Michael Dew told lawmakers in October that contraflow would require increased law enforcement at each interchange, limit the ability of relief operations and fuel trucks to travel into impacted areas and cause backups where lanes merge as the contraflow comes to an end. On Feb. 1, the Senate started to move forward with a proposal (SB 700) to set up a Florida Strategic Fuel Reserve Task Force within the Division of Emergency Management. The task force would recommend by April 30, 2019, a strategic fuel reserve plan to meet needs during emergencies and disasters.

No emotion, remorse The wounded man called 911 and police arrived at the couple’s home at 7:11 p.m. to find that Barreca also had been shot, the report said. She had a gunshot wound in her right thigh, the injury was not life threatening, police said. An argument over HOA complaints escalated into gunfire when the husband followed Barreca to her car where she got her Ruger .380 handgun and he slapped and pushed her, the report said. She shot her husband numerous times, including in the back which police said was indicative of him fleeing rather than attacking. Barreca “showed no signs of emotion or remorse” and did not ask about her husband’s condition, the report said. “She just wants to get home to her dog,” police noted.

LEGAL NOTICE

If you bought an Amla Legend Rejuvenating Ritual hair relaxer kit, this class action notice may affect your rights. New York and Florida consumers have sued L’Oréal USA, Inc. and Soft Sheen-Carson, LLC (“Defendants”) about whether their Amla Legend Rejuvenating Ritual hair relaxer kit (the “Amla Relaxer”) was misleadingly advertised and unsafely formulated. The Court decided this should be a class action on behalf of two “Classes,” or groups of people, that could include you. This notice summarizes your rights and options. More information is available in a detailed notice. There is no money available now and no guarantee that there will be.

WHO

IS INCLUDED?

The Court decided that the Classes include people who purchased the Amla Relaxer in the State of New York on or after August 19, 2013 and people who purchased the Amla Relaxer in the State of Florida on or after December 1, 2012. The case concerns the Amla Legend Rejuvenating Ritual Relaxer sold under the brand SoftSheen-Carson Optimum Salon Haircare.

WHAT

IS THIS CASE ABOUT?

The lawsuit alleges the Amla Relaxer hair relaxer kit is misleadingly advertised because it claims to have “No-Lye” even though it is harsher on hair and skin than a lye relaxer and because it claims to contain “Amla Oil from India” that will rejuvenate, nourish and condition hair, even though it actually contains minuscule amounts of Amla Oil that provide no benefit. Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that the Amla Relaxer is unsafe and causes damage to hair and skin even when used as directed and that the scalp protector included

in the Amla Relaxer kit does not protect the scalp from irritation and burning when using the product. Defendants deny all of the claims and say they did nothing wrong. The lawsuit seeks money for Class members from Defendants and asks the Court to order Defendants to change their product labeling and related practices. The Court has not decided who is right. The Court appointed two law firms to represent you as “Class Counsel.” The lawyers for the Class will have to prove their claims at a trial set to begin on April 30, 2018. You may hire your own lawyer to appear in Court for you. If you do, you have to pay that lawyer.

WHAT

ARE YOUR OPTIONS?

You have a choice of whether to stay in the Class or not, and you must decide this now. To stay in the Class, you do not have to do anything. If money or other benefits are obtained, you will be notified about how to ask for a share. You will be legally bound by all orders and judgments of the Court, and you won’t be able to sue, or continue to sue about the legal claims in this case. If you exclude yourself, you cannot get money or benefits from this lawsuit if any are awarded, but you will keep any rights to sue about these claims and will not be bound by any orders or judgments in this case. The detailed notice explains how to exclude yourself. The deadline for exclusions is April 2, 2018. Get a detailed notice and other information by visiting www.AmlaRelaxerClassAction.com or calling 1-844-659-0618.

www.AmlaRelaxerClassAction.com • 1-844-659-0618

EDITORIAL

FEBRUARY 9 – FEBRUARY 15, 2018

We must find our way back home When I was in Ghana, I met a country man in a restaurant with his toddler son. They were dressed alike and looked so handsome. I struck up a conversation. The father was proud to tell me that Lil’ Kwame Jr. was born in Reston, Va. He said it bursting with pride, sure that he had impressed this American woman in his country with his story of how when Kwame Jr. became college-age, he would be sent to the U.S. for his education because academic opportunities are scarce in Ghana. Kwame Jr. would be raised in Accra, but shipped to America to attend university. Kwame Jr. would study to become a doctor, a lawyer or whatever of his choosing. He was proud that Kwame Jr. could not be denied any such opportunity because as an American citizen, he could apply to his school of choice.

Home or away? I asked the proud father, “If when Kwame Jr. became a doctor, a lawyer, or an Indian chief, would he stay in the U.S. to benefit and

HELEN L. HIGGINBOTHAM, ESQ., MBA READER COMMENTARY

contribute to the success of that country OR would he return to Ghana to enrich his own country – the country that nurtured, cultivated and inspired him despite his deliberate birth in the U.S., with his newfound talent and wealth?” Much to my dismay – but as expected – Kwame Sr. chuckled as though the question was preposterous, or surely I had bumped my head for even asking. He responded, “Oh, he will stay in the U.S.!” To which I responded, “Then I am not impressed.” I told Kwame Sr. that when he tells me he gamed the U.S. system – which is ripe for gaming – and I ain’t mad at him for doing it for the benefit of his people and his country…THEN I will be impressed.

Not valuing ourselves I told him that as long

as we – ‘cuz Black folks everywhere are similarly guilty – keep valuing other people and other people’s shit more than we value US and OUR own shit, always thinking someone else’s “grass is greener,” that their “ice is colder,” or validation of ourselves resides someplace else or in someone else’s opinion of us, we will never move forward. Not as nations, not as a people. Kwame Sr. understood. He shared with me that there is a saying in Ghana that, “If one’s grandfather who died 100 years before would resurrect, he would have little problem finding his way back home.” The saying speaks to the level of progress or development in the country. IF we keep abandoning and failing to build what is ours, Ghana will never offer enough academic opportunities for Kwame Jrs. Our grandfathers will con-

Republicans will ride with Trump forever After every Donald Trump outrage, we go through a similar routine. Trump says or does something that most sane people believe to be over the top; he is roundly condemned; some Republicans shake their heads; masses of people ask that something be done… and then it all fades into the next news cycle. What was different in connection with Trump’s recent alleged remarks against Africa, Haiti and Latin America – the notorious “shithole remarks”– was that some Republicans who were in the room at the time of the alleged remarks first played dumb and then claimed that the remarks had not been verbalized.

BILL FLETCHER, JR. NNPA COLUMNIST

At that point, there was laughter in the audience.

Nothing done Yet, in talk show after talk show there is a question that keeps getting asked: Why isn’t something being done about this situation? Why can’t Trump be brought back to the standard of a respectable politician? The answer is not very difficult, but has several

Jay-Z drags Trump on Obama’s Black unemployment record On the inaugural edition of “The Van Jones Show,” Jay-Z took issue with Donald Trump taking credit for lowering Black unemployment. Specifically, Jones asked if it’s OK for Trump to diss Whites as long as he “put[s] money in our pockets.” Truth be told, Jay-Z gave a rambling answer filled with rich-man platitudes about money not buying happiness and laced with a riff that ended with him calling Trump a racist “superbug.” This sums up what he said: “It

ANTHONY L. HALL, ESQ. FLORIDA COURIER COLUMNIST

goes back to the whole thing – ‘treat me really bad and pay me well.’ It’s not going to lead to happiness, it’s going to lead to, again, the same thing – everyone’s going

What has America done for us? CHARLES W. CHERRY III GUEST COMMENTARY

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: EAGLES WIN THE SUPER BOWL

“What Did America do for me and my people?” one of my relatives asked, after I asked why she wouldn’t stand up during the Pledge of Allegiance. After thinking a lot about that same question, I realized that quite a few things have been done

DAVE GRANLUND, POLITICALCARTOONS.COM

tinue to easily find their way back home. It is OUR responsibility to give Kwame a reason to want to remain or return home to offer his skills and talents. It is OUR responsibility to make OUR grandfathers proud when they find their way back home, proud that they did not die in vain. We owe them that in honor of the sacrifices made and the trials and tribulations endured for us so that we can be.

parts. Here goes. First, he is not now nor has he ever been a “respectable” politician. Whether as a reality show celebrity or candidate for office or now as President, he has insisted on being provocative. He believes in stirring things up. It is this modus operandi that inspired his right-wing populist base. They were not looking for what they believed as more of the same. It remains far from clear that Trump would understand how to be a respectable politician in either case. It seems to run against his nature. Second, who will do anything about Trump? The Republicans control both houses of Congress, the White House and the U.S. Supreme Court. They look at Trump as a blunt force object that serves the interests of their agenda.

Don’t want to lose Many of them may be personto be sick.?

Trump responds True to form, the thin-skinned Trump perceived a mortal slight that warranted this presidential tweet: “Somebody please inform Jay-Z that because of my policies, Black Unemployment has just been reported to be at the LOWEST RATE EVER RECORDED!” For the record, the 2008 financial crisis caused White unemployment to rise to a high of 16.8 in March 2010. Thanks to Obama’s policies, that rate fell to 7.9 in November 2016, the month Trump was elected president of the United States. Thanks to Trump’s policies, which mostly continued Obama’s, that rate has now fallen to 6.8. The point is that under Obama, for us on our time here in the U.S. Although we’ve been slaves for more than 100 years in the 1800s, many men in the Union decided to stick up for us, resulting in one of the deadliest wars in U.S. history.

War for the Union President Abraham Lincoln sacrificed thousands of soldiers for not only our cause, but to keep the “United” in the United States. Lincoln and his Union gen-

One who returned Patrick Awuah is a Ghanaian who gets it and who has found his way back home to make a difference for his country and his people. After securing significant wealth in the U.S. working for Microsoft, his conscience led him back home to build Asheshi University, a state of the arts liberal arts college just outside Accra. He is committed to inspiring future Kwame Jr’s to first love, nurture and

ally uncomfortable with him, but they know that if they move to take him down, they may provide momentum for the Democrats. They would rather that the United States become and remain a global laughingstock, than lose the political edge. Third, the so-called moderate Republicans who are deeply uncomfortable with the crudeness of Trump worry that they will be challenged in Republican primaries by the extreme right, should they move against Trump. Perhaps they wonder and hope that there will be deeper revelations in the Mueller investigation of alleged Trump/Russia ties, but for now they will do nothing. Thus, holding Trump accountable is a matter of political power. It is not a matter of morality and goodwill. If those who see the Trump regime as a threat to humanity do not engage in mass political action, including, but

not limited to, electoral politics, the situation will go from bad to worse. By worse, I mean growing authoritarianism.

White unemployment fell from 16.8 to 7.9, for a truly praiseworthy drop of 8.9 percent. Under Trump, it fell from 7.9 to 6.8, for a “thanks for not f---ing this up” trend drop of 1.1 percent. Yet after jumping on the trend near this record low, Trump is taking all the credit.

Blacks than any president in U.S. history. If they were not so easily manipulated, however, reporters would be challenging him to explain what specific policies he’s implementing to bridge that unemployment gap. He wouldn’t be able to, of course, because he has no such policies. Lest Trump trolls accuse me of sharing fake data, all of the unemployment data cited above come courtesy of the Trump administration’s own Bureau of Labor Statistics extracted on January 28, 2018.

Another Big Lie Frankly, this is as lame as a runner joining the marathon at mile 23 (of 26.2) and expecting everyone to cheer him for setting a new world record. Unfortunately, the gaslit media will let him get away with this “Big Lie” too. Mind you, at 6.8 percent, the Black unemployment rate is still twice the White rate of 3.7. But this hardly matters to Trump’s Big Lie about creating more jobs for erals wanted us to be free, and they were willing to fight for our rights. After four years of fighting, there finally was an agreement. On December 18, 1865, the 13th Amendment was ratified, ending slavery. Another example was with John F. Kennedy. While we were doing the civil rights movement, Kennedy was trying to help. Before he died, he wanted to diminish the amount of segregation in the South. Soon after Lyndon

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher

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contribute their time, talent and wealth to their native land. He is a living, walking role model to all have abandoned what is ours in search of something better. I have MAD respect for him. Do yourself a favor. Visit the school’s website, http://www.ashesi.edu.gh, or listen to his TED Talk on YouTube and get to know him. And as did he, be inspired to find your way back home.

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Trump’s worldview And here we must all be clear that Trump’s infatuation with authoritarianism is not a simple rhetorical device to increase the ratings. It seems to reflect the centerpiece of his worldview. Life is about Trump; Trump is the savior of the U.S.; Trump’s ideas are the greatest that humankind has every experienced. Those who get in the way of Trump’s truth, therefore, are enemies who must be removed. The challenge is now ours.

Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a talk show host, writer and activist. Follow him on Twitter @BillFletcherJr, Facebook and at www.billfletcherjr.com.

Anthony L. Hall is a native of The Bahamas with an international law practice in Washington, D.C. Read his columns and daily weblog at www.theipinionsjournal.com. B Johnson took office in 1963, he signed the Civil Rights act of 1964. I know there’s been a lot of pain and sadness surrounding us these past few hundred years. But there are people trying to take us past that, and helping us achieve equality for everyone.

Charles W. Cherry III is an eighth-grader at a South Florida middle school.

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FEBRUARY 9 – FEBRUARY 15, 2018

NAACP should focus on Black people in America In another episode of “What the hell are they thinking,” the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over how the agency is treating people from another country. Enough is enough. We live in the United States of America, not the United States of Everyone Else.

What about us? A previous column was about how Black leaders who have been appointed by the mainstream media continue to make every other group’s issues our community’s issues. Now the NAACP has filed a lawsuit against DHS, because they revoked Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for Haitians living in the U.S. According to the lawsuit, the NAACP claims, “[Trump] wishes to reduce the number of immigrants of color in the United States.” They basically are asserting that DHS is terminating TPS for Haitians because of their race and are being denied equal protection and due process rights under the Fifth Amendment. And their radical sister organization, the NAACP’s Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) goes even further in a press release:

‘False stereotypes’ “As evidence of the intent to discriminate, the lawsuit cites public reporting that DHS sought crime data on Haitians with TPS, as well as information on how many Haitian nationals were re-

RAYNARD JACKSON NNPA COLUMNIST

ceiving public benefits. The lawsuit alleges that the Department’s efforts to gather this specific data on Haitian TPS designees “trades on false anti-Black stereotypes about criminality and exploitation of public benefits and suggests the effort to manufacture a public safety rationale for the planned rescission.” So because DHS is seeking information to determine if a specific group who is living under TPS is in compliance with the requirements of the program, that is somehow racist? This is totally idiotic. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), “The Secretary of Homeland Security may designate a foreign country for TPS due to conditions in the country that temporarily prevent the country’s nationals from returning safely, or in certain circumstances, where the country is unable to handle the return of its nationals adequately. USCIS may grant TPS to eligible nationals of certain countries (or parts of countries), who are already in the United States. Eligible individuals without nationality who last resided in the designated country may also be granted TPS.” The Secretary may designate a country for TPS due to the following temporary conditions in the country: “ongoing armed conflict

Black senators silent What is truly disgusting in these Democratic race-baiting rants is the complicity of Black Democratic members of Congress, including the two Black U.S. Senators Corey Booker, D-N.J., and Kamala Harris, D-Calif. In bowing down to the Democratic strategy of calling people who want to protect our borders and restrict illegal immigration “racists,” these Black politicians are showing the world that they care more about pleasing White liberal Democratic bosses and following the party line than about the impact of illegal immi-

Based on the above, President Trump through DHS has total and unilateral authority to decide who can be protected under TPS and when they can have that designation removed. Whether Trump is a “racist,” as the NAACP alleges, has no bearing on the president’s authority to determine who gets TPS and for how long. To further debunk the myth that Trump is a racist, one should take note of ten other countries who have TPS status with citizens in the U.S.: El Salvador, Haiti, yet again expending so much preHonduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, So- cious capital on people who are malia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, not even U.S. citizens? and Yemen. Should they not be more concerned about getting protection No European nations for all the Black Americans in citDo you notice anything that ies like Chicago, Baltimore, and stands out to you? Ferguson, to name a few, whose The NAACP alleges in no un- daily lives are filled with one catcertain terms that Trump “wish- astrophic disaster after another? es to reduce the number of imWhat about the flood of drugs migrants of color in the United permeating the Black commuStates.” If that is the case, why is nity; the tsunami of out-of-wedthere not one country whose citi- lock births; what about the earthzens are granted TPS from a Eu- quake of crime; the civil war going ropean country? They are all from on within the body politic in the countries with people of color. Black community? The NAACP’s lawsuit is frivoI thought the NAACP’s core lous at best and a waste of the mission was to fight for equalicourt’s time at worst. This lawsuit ty for Blacks in America and fight will ultimately be thrown out with against injustice. Just as former the quickness once it gets before President Barack Obama dama judge. aged America’s standing by his misguided intervention across The big question the globe, the NAACP is doing the Why is the NAACP and the LDF same thing by attempting to in-

What will you do? What will you do to celebrate Black History Month? Many will

It quotes U.S civil rights commissioner and former member of the National Labor Relations Board, Peter Kirsanow, who is Black, as saying that Black males, “ . . . are more likely to experience competition from illegal immigrants.” He went on to say, “It is not just the competition and the unemployment of Blacks. It also depresses the wage levels.”

Harms Blacks more

to hear that the poll found that 81 percent of voters want legal immigration reduced and 63 percent want it reduced at least by half! They will really be shocked to learn that the poll found, as Breitbart reported, that Black Americans are more likely than any other demographic group to support lower yearly legal immigration levels – between only one and 250,000 per year. Blacks in Congress should read a February 2017 article in The Daily Signal, “How Illegal Immigration Harms Black Americans.”

The article makes reference to a 2010 Civil Rights Commission study finding that immigration in general harmed the Black community more than others. But don’t let these facts get in the way of Black and White Democrats wanting to play the race card and exploit the immigration issue. It’s gotten so bad that one Black member of Congress, Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., compared U.S Immigration Custom Enforcement (ICE) to Nazi Germany’s secret police, the “Gestapo.” What is so repulsive is that she made her comments on International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2018 – an annual day of commemoration to honor six million Jews and millions of other victims of Nazism. So where was the outrage from the national and New York Jewish community on Clarke cheapening that day with partisan politics? I could not leave this subject without commenting on the uproar over President Trump’s alleged comments regarding “shithole” countries, many of which I

reached out to professional basketball teams to ask them to feature “Lift Every Voice and Sing” –the Negro national anthem that was penned by James Weldon Johnson – sung at games in the month of February. He has commitments from the Washington Wizards, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Golden State Warriors and George Washington JULIANNE University. Other teams, includMALVEAUX ing the LA Lakers and the Atlanta Hawks, are considering the effort TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE as well. Dr. Williams isn’t representing an organization – he just participate in programs at their had a great idea, and started callschools or churches. Some will ing NBA team offices with his regather for lunches and dinners quest. and reflect on African-American history. Some ideas However, I wonder how maWhat will you do to celebrate ny will simply let the month of Black History Month? Will you February slide without doing mount an effort like Dr. Williams? anything to commemorate this What can you do? month? • Join ASALH (www.asalh.org). Carter G. Woodson, the found- Memberships range from $45 for er of ASALH and Black History students to $100 (or more for life Month (originally Negro History memberships). What better way Week), would be spinning in his to celebrate Black History Month grave if he knew how few of us cel- than by supporting the organiebrate this month. zation founded by the man who Dr. Eugene Williams, Sr., a re- made our celebration possible? • Register to vote! The struggle tired educator in the DC area,

for the right to vote is an integral part of our Black history. Rev. Jesse Jackson once said, “The hands that picked peaches can now pick presidents.” There are lots of important races in 2018. • Help someone make Black history. In Georgia, state legislator Stacey Abrams is running for governor. She can win if she can get the voter turnout and financial support that she needs. If you live in Georgia, you can help this woman become the first African-American to be governor of a Southern state. Check her out at www.staceyabrams.com. Help this sister make history! • Make learning Black history a family game. An organization called Urban Intellectuals has developed two volumes of flashcards that explore aspects of Black History. You can check them out on Facebook, order their cards, and learn more of our history. • Give a child a gift of a Black history book. One of my favorites, “Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis” by Jabari Asim, celebrates a contemporary hero, Congressman John Lewis. Another, “Minty: The Story of a Young Harriet Tubman”

They take their Black constituents for granted and are not held accountable by them and much of the Black press. Like Pelosi and U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., they are totally out of touch with much of their constituencies on immigration. I assume none of them have read the recent Harvard-Harris poll that shows an overwhelming percentage – 65 percent – of voters, representing a wide cross

How you can celebrate Black History Month Every year, the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History (ASALH) selects a theme for Black History Month. This year, the theme “AfricanAmericans in Times of War” is meant to commemorate the end of World War I, the war that supposedly made the world “safe for democracy.” It is a war that African-Americans fought for the right to fight in, a war that saw African-Americans go abroad to fight for democracy, only to come home and be oppressed by segregation. Undoubtedly, there will be many programs designed to lift up this theme, which ASALH sees as an opportunity to reflect on the African-American role in all wars, including the contemporary “war on terrorism.”

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: TRUMP AND THE STOCK MARKET

Total authority

section of the political and demographic spectrum, support the kind of immigration plan being proposed by the Trump administration: ending chain migration, the visa lottery, securing the border and giving eventual citizenship to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Pelosi, Schumer, Black Democrats as well as many in the media are probably shocked – and disappointed – that the poll found CLARENCE V. that such a program is supported by 64 percent of Black voters and MCKEE, ESQ. 68 percent of Hispanic voters. GUEST COMMENTARY While Democrats and their allies in the media accuse Trump gration on their Black constitu- of being heartless, the poll reents. vealed that 60 percent of voters Some would even call them are against giving preference to sellouts! parents who brought DACA chilDo they really expect Amer- dren to the U.S. icans to believe that Raj Shah, principal deputy White House Legal and reduced press secretary, whose parents Pelosi and her fellow leftists came to America from India, to be who call controlling immigraa racist because he is promoting tion racist and “making America the immigration proposal? White again” will be disappointed

Taken for granted

(such as civil war), an environmental disaster (such as earthquake or hurricane), or an epidemic, other extraordinary and temporary conditions.”

Dems throw Blacks, Hispanics under political expediency bus If the words “racism” or “racist” were not in the Democrats’ vocabulary, they would not be able to talk. A good example is a recent comment by U.S. House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., calling the White House immigration proposal a “campaign to make America White again.” Then there is Mayor Bill De Blasio, D-N.Y., who called the Justice Department’s plans to crack down on sanctuary cities a “racist assault” on immigrant communities.

EDITORIAL

JOHN COLE, THE SCRANTON TIMES-TRIBUNE

tervene on the behalf of non-residents. Their mission should always be America first, America last, and America always!

We are the priority Does that mean we should not attempt to help others in need? Of course not. But there must be a priority placed on our activities. When your own community is in need and hurting, your first and only obligation is to help your own, even if that means your “neighbor” will suffer temporarily.

Raynard Jackson is founder and chairman of Black Americans for a Better Future (BAFBF), a federally registered Super PAC established to get more Blacks, especially entrepreneurs, involved in the Republican Party. For more information, visit www.bafbf.org. am sure few members of the press and Congress – Blacks included – would choose as family vacation spots.

African leaders disagree But after all of the outrage from Black and White liberals in the U.S., it was African leaders who came to Trump’s defense. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, who is also head of the 55 country African Union, called him a friend and thanked him “for the support we have received from you, personal, and your administration . . . I thank you very much.” He was joined by Uganda President Yoweri Museveni who said, “I love Trump because he tells Africans frankly . . . Africans need to solve their problems.” By playing the race card, Democrats show, as polls reflect, how much they are out of touch, disrespecting the common sense and intelligence of Black, Hispanic, and White Americans on immigration issues. The sad fact is that Democratic leaders have thrown Black and legal Hispanic immigrants under a political expediency bus.

Clarence V. McKee is a government, political and media relations consultant and president of McKee Communications, Inc., as well as a Newsmax.com contributor. This article originally appeared on Newsmax.com.

by Alan Schroeder, tells the story of the Maryland icon who helped dozens of enslaved people escape through the Underground Railroad. “The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist” by Cynthia Levinson will motivate young people to activism. “Sit In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down” by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney will also motivate young people to take on activist roles. There are so many other things you might do to celebrate Black History Month. Encourage your friends, regardless of race, to learn more about the amazing story of African-American survival and resilience despite the racism that defines this country. May your Black History Month be exciting and enlightening!

Julianne Malveaux is a Washington, D.C.-based economist and writer. Her latest book, “Are We Better Off? Race, Obama and Public Policy,” is available at www.juliannemalveaux.com.

NATION

TOJ A6

FEBRUARY 9 – FEBRUARY 15, 2018

GOP agenda not what lawmakers envisioned ‘Poor tactical move’

Whittling of grand ambitions reflect pressure of midterm

With previous Senate commitments to take up health care stabilization bills related to reinsurance and the current law’s costsharing reduction subsidies, or CSRs, those issues will be “dealt with in some shape, form or fashion,” Meadows said. “To allow those things to go on their own track without conservative input would be a poor tactical move,” he said when asked if conservatives are open to funding the CSRs given their previous opposition.

BY LINDSEY MCPHERSON CQ-ROLL CALL

WASHINGTON – The 2018 Republican legislative agenda is on a diet. As House and Senate GOP lawmakers huddled at a West Virginia resort Jan. 31-Feb. 2 for their annual retreat, they discussed a handful of legislative items they would like to tackle this year, including defense, infrastructure, workforce development and the budget process. It was a whittled-down version of what many Republicans had originally envisioned, reflecting the pressures of a midterm election year and its typically unfavorable climate for major legislative achievements. The 2018 legislative calendar is tight, given that floor time in the coming weeks, and possibly months, will be eaten up by must-pass government spending and immigration bills, as well as scheduled recesses, including a long October break for campaigning. But intraparty dynamics are also at play.

Off the table After passing a landmark tax bill last December – the GOP’s biggest 2017 accomplishment – Republicans got a confidence boost and had high hopes for the new year. They talked of taking another shot at repealing and replacing the 2010 health care law, overhauling welfare programs and cutting mandatory spending. Many of those grand ambitions originated in the House Republican Conference. While some senators were thinking similarly big - especially when it came to redeeming themselves on health care after the 2017 effort stalled in their cham-

Overhaul lite

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/TNS

House Speaker Paul Ryan speaks as President Trump looks on during a celebration over the tax bill’s passage with members of the House and Senate on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017, during an event at the White House. ber – Majority Leader Mitch McConnell quickly tamped down expectations, saying at the end of the year that both health care repeal and entitlement changes were likely off the table.

More welfare talk Despite McConnell’s comments, House Republicans continued their push. Speaker Paul D. Ryan never stopped talking about tackling welfare programs as a way to reduce the poverty rate. And several others said they hoped health care and welfare overhauls would be discussed in West Virginia in the days leading up to the retreat. “I’m hoping that I’m going to hear that we’re going to work on welfare reform this year,” North Carolina Rep. Richard Hudson said Jan. 29. “And I hope we’re going to talk about health care, because we can’t accept the Senate’s answer that they don’t have the

votes to do anything because people back home are hurting.”

Delayed by crash Some members, however, saw the writing on the wall. “I don’t know that I’m optimistic that welfare reform is going to get done,” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows said before the retreat. The North Carolina Republican had been similarly dour on prospects for overhauling the health insurance system. When the retreat opened – slightly late after a train carrying GOP lawmakers, their families and aides from Washington to White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, crashed into a dump truck on the way – Ryan provided an overview of the major topics up for discussion. Those were infrastructure, immigration, workforce development, health care and budget

caps and the debt ceiling, according to Republican Study Committee Chairman Mark Walker.

Brief discussions Only two of the topics, infrastructure and workforce development, had full breakout sessions on Thursday, the main day of the retreat. The others were discussed briefly, and no significant decisions were made on immigration, the budget caps or the debt ceiling. On health care, Republicans seemed to concede that a repeal and replace effort will not happen, despite their interest. That’s largely because most senators don’t want to go through another partisan exercise on the topic via the budget reconciliation process – which Republicans acknowledge will not be used in 2018 – especially as they work with a one-vote cushion.

Any health care stabilization effort would require bipartisan support, and years’ worth of partisan hard feelings over the 2010 law make that a heavy lift. Ryan, speaking to reporters on Feb. 1, provided a brief overview of some of the agenda items they discussed and made sure to mention welfare. “We need to help people move from welfare to work so they can tap their true potential,” the speaker said. But what Republicans discussed during the retreat was effectively welfare overhaul lite.

Terminology change Rather than the laundry list of policy ideas outlined in the House GOP’s “A Better Way” welfare agenda from 2016, lawmakers are talking about a smaller set of “workforce development” policies, like requiring beneficiaries of food stamps and other government programs to do job training or otherwise show they are making an effort to get employed. The phrasing evolution from “welfare reform” to “workforce development” is deliberate, an acknowledgement that the latter has more campaign appeal. “We would never change terminology like that to make it more marketable, we wouldn’t do that, no,” Walker joked.

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Diversity at Olympics

Figure skater Debi Thomas captured a bronze medal at the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary. Shani Davis earned speedskating gold medals at the 2006 and 2010 Winter Games in Turin and Vancouver.

Geography matters The 2014 U.S. women’s Olympic bobsled team, which featured five Black women, captured silver and bronze medals at the Winter Games in Sochi. Some experts say economics and geography are barriers that keep communities of color from participating in winter sports in large numbers. Sports such as ice hockey, speedskating, skiing and figure skating are expensive and often require traveling distances to get to slopes or rinks to practice or play. “The NHL has done a good job in trying to make hockey popular in urban areas and I think they’ve had some success in the last 15 years or so,” said Richard Lapchick, director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida. “However, when you look at all the sports across the board, there just aren’t facilities in urban areas where such a significant percentage of African-Americans live. And they’re expensive sports to play, for the most part.”

Blacks participating in Winter Games the highest in history BY WILLIAM DOUGLAS MCCLATCHY WASHINGTON BUREAU/ TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON – Forget about using #OlympicsSoWhite during the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The XXIII Winter Olympics will have the largest contingent of Black athletes and coaches in Winter Games history, helping to shatter the stereotype that Blacks are averse to so-called non-traditional winter sports. Many experts, though, think the numbers should be higher. The United States this year will have its most diverse team ever. Ten Black, 11Asian-American, and two openly gay male athletes will be among the record 242-member U.S. team to march into the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony of the Feb. 9-25 Winter Games.

More diversity In addition, three Caribbean and SubSaharan African nations will join the U.S. in the diversity parade. Jamaica is back at the Winter Games, this time with its first women’s bobsled team and its first skeleton athlete. Nigeria will make its Winter Olympics debut with its own women’s bobsled team and a skeleton athlete. Ghana will have a lone Olympian in Pyeongchang, the nation’s first skeleton racer. “It’s important because it demonstrates that there is progress being made

through the hard work perseverance and talents of athletes of color who are making the U.S. Winter Olympic team look like the United States, and that’s something we should celebrate,” said David Leonard, a Washington State University’s Department of Critical Culture, Gender, and Race Studies.

How it’s scored But Leonard and others say the diversity issue is far from settled. Some winter sports, notably biathlon and speedskating, fell short of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) leadership’s 2016 diversity and inclusion scorecard benchmarks for athletes of color on U.S. national teams, the most recent data available. The diversity goals are different for each sport and include criteria such as financial resources, staff size, and a particular sport’s NCAA pipeline. “The fact that there’s still work to be done demonstrates that issues surrounding access, surrounding inequalities, persist,” Leonard said.

Encouraging numbers Jason Thompson, the USOC’s director for diversity and inclusion, acknowledged that the organization “is not where we want to be” in terms of diversity but is encouraged nonetheless by the number of players of color competing in Pyeongchang. He said the some of the gains can be attributed to athletes like bobsled pilot Elana Meyers Taylor, who has personally re-

Olympian Elena Meyers Taylor has recruited minority athletes from track and field and other sports for the U.S. bobsled program. 1

DEAN RUTZ/SEATTLE TIMES/TNS

Bobsledder Vonetta Flowers is shown at the U.S. Team Media Summit in Colorado Springs, Colo., in October 2005. cruited minority athletes from track and field and other sports for the U.S. bobsled program.

Lack of education

Top bobsledders

But others say that attitudes and stereotypes within some winter sports are bigger obstacles for athletes of color to overcome. Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian, the Jamaican bobsled team’s pilot, recalled the looks she and her teammates received when they arrived at a recent meet in Europe. “When you walk into a place and you’re expected to look a certain way to do your job or a sport, that’s very demeaning,” said Fenlator-Victorian, who was a member of the 2014 U.S. women’s Olympic bobsled team. “To me, it’s a lack of education and lack of representation. If we can continue to get representation out there that means there are more opportunities to educate more people.”

Three of the four members U.S. women bobsledders — including Meyers Taylor — competing in Pyeongchang are African-American, as is the team’s backup athlete. Seven of the nine women on the 2017 U.S. women’s national bobsled team are Black. “She creating an incredible legacy,” Thompson said of Meyers Taylor. “Every female that we interview on the team says ‘Yeah, she recruited me.’ It’s a simple thing that she did, it didn’t cost anything. It just shows what can be done.”

Still lagging However, several winter sports continue to lag when it comes to racial diversity, despite achievements by Black athletes at previous Winter Olympics. Sixteen years ago, Vonetta Flowers became the first African-American athlete to win an Olympic gold medal when her two-person bobsled finished first at the Winter Games in Salt Lake City.

Erin Jackson, from Ocala, is a long track speedskater and a University of Florida grad. 2

Jordan Greenway is the first AfricanAmerican to play on a U.S. Olympic hockey team. 3

Hockey history The U.S. delegation is a team of firsts. See OLYMPICS, Page B2

Jazmine FenlatorVictorian and Carrie Russell will compete for Jamaica’s bobsledding team. 4

Nigeria will make its Winter Olympics debut with a women’s bobsled team. 5

EVENTS

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR

FEBRUARY 9 – FEBRUARY 15, 2018

Miami: Rapper Tyler the Creator performs Feb. 12 at the James. L. Knight Center.

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. St. Petersburg: Wyclef Jean will be at Jannus Live in St. Petersburg on Feb. 18. 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. 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 Experience is Feb. 27 at the Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center.

MIKE EPPS

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

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.

TASHA COBBS LEONARD & PIECES OF A DREAM

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, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Pieces of a Dream and Joe. Full lineup: www.jazzinthegardens.com

Viera: Catch The Wailers on Feb. 11 at the Space Coast Daily Park. Showtime: 3 p.m. 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. 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 Recreational Complex. Vendors: Call 305-474-3011. Sponsors: Call 305-914-9070.

Temptations singer abused before his death, court documents allege BY ERIN HEFFERNAN AND DENISE HOLLINSHED ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH/TNS

ST. LOUIS – Chicago police are investigating allegations that Dennis Edwards, a Grammy-winning singer with the Motown group the Temptations, was abused shortly before his death. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee died at a Chicago hospital on Feb. 1 from complications of meningitis, according to his wife, Brenda Edwards. He was 74 and had lived in the St. Louis area for more than 30 years. Court documents filed by an adult protective services investigator allege that weeks before the singer’s death, Brenda Dennis Edwards abused her Edwards husband.

Wife accused An investigator with the Healthcare Consortium of Illinois filed the protection order request on behalf of Dennis Edwards Jan. 12 in Chicago, where the couple lived together before Edwards’ death. The documents allege that Brenda Edwards had attempted to suffocate her husband by holding his head face down on a bed. The investigator also accused Brenda Edwards of taking her husband’s hearing aids from him, according to a petition for an order of protection.

Removed from home The documents say Edwards was “bedbound and immobile.” Dennis Edwards was removed from the home because of medical issues,

OLYMPICS from B1 Jordan Greenway, a forward for Boston University hockey team and a 2015 second-round draft pick of the National Hock ey League’s Minnesota Wild, will be the first AfricanAmerican to play on a U.S. Olympic hockey squad. His path to Pyeongchang was paved when the league announced that it wouldn’t suspend its operations to allow players to compete for their countries at the Olympics, as it had since 1998. The move forced U.S. hockey officials to build an Olympic team with collegiate and minor-league talent and Americans playing professionally in Europe and Russia.

Florida speedskater Black athletes will compete in a host of other sports.

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according to the Jan. 12 document. An emergency protective order against Brenda Edwards was granted Jan. 18, barring her from contact with Dennis Edwards. A hearing that would have allowed Brenda Edwards to respond to the allegations was scheduled for Feb. 2, but was canceled after her husband’s death the day before.

Married 18 years Brenda Edwards disputed the allegations in a brief statement released Monday night. “I loved Dennis and we were married for 18 years,” she said. “I would have never done anything to harm him. These allegations are false and defamatory and will be proven as such. Until this is all over, I have no further comment.” The Chicago Police Department confirmed Monday that there is an open criminal investigation into the matter. Until recently, Dennis and Brenda Edwards lived in north St. Louis County, and property records show the house remains listed in Dennis Edwards’ name. The couple recently moved to Chicago to seek better health care, according to Dennis Edwards’ daughter Denise Edwards.

Official sixth member Dennis Edwards lived in the St. Louis area for more than 30 years. He was born in Alabama and moved to Detroit as a young boy, but moved to the St. Louis area in the 1980s to be closer to his mother. While Edwards wasn’t an original singer with the classic Temptations lineup — David Ruffin, Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams and Otis Williams — he was the offi-

Erin Jackson, a 25-yearold competitive inline skating veteran and roller derby skater from Ocala, Florida, is the first Black American female long track Olympic speedskater, qualifying for the team after making the transition from wheels to steel blades in four months. “It’s kind of a known thing that there aren’t many people of color in the Winter Olympics,” Jackson said. “If there’s a young Black girl out there watching the Winter Olympics and she says, ‘There aren’t many people like me out there,’ she might feel discouraged trying some of these sports that she sees. “I’m looking forward to being someone who she can see in the Olympics, on TV, and think ‘There someone out there like me, so I can do it, too.’ ”

One to watch Maame Biney, a Ghanian-born 18-year-old from Reston, Virginia, is the first U.S. Black female Olympic short track speedskater.

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 glwillingham@hotmail.com.

cial sixth member. It was his rough-and-tough signature voice that helped guide the Temptations through its funk-psychedelic period on classic tunes such as “Cloud Nine,” “Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World is Today),” “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” and “I Can’t Get Next to You.” (“Cloud Nine” and “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” were Grammy-winning songs.) The Temptations were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

Solo career Williams fired Edwards in 1977, but he was in and out of the group for years to come. Through it all, he focused on a solo career, scoring a huge hit with “Don’t Look Any Further” featuring singer Siedah Garrett in 1984. The song received new life years later after rappers and singers heavily sampled its beat. His solo career also included “(You’re My) Aphrodisiac” and “Try a Little Tenderness.” While touring as Dennis Edwards & the Temptations, Edwards ran into legal problems with his former group mate Williams and changed the group name to the Temptations Review.

‘One of the greats’ Ronald Isley of the Isley Brothers, a longtime friend of Edwards, called him “one of the greats. He had a gift, a talent, and he really sang. There aren’t many people left with voices like his.” Isley, who knew Edwards had been ailing, said “we prayed for him and hoped he would get himself together and be able to come back. But he’s with the Lord now.” A number of other famous names paid tribute to Edwards, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Kenny Rogers, Roland Martin and the Pointer Sisters (Edwards was briefly married to Ruth Pointer in 1977). Survivors of Dennis Edwards include five daughters, a son and several grandchildren.

Kevin C. Johnson of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.

Many predict she’ll become a star. “She’s got the physical tools to be the world’s best,” said Nathaniel Mills, a three-time Olympian who coached Biney when she was younger at a learn-to-skate program at a Washington, D.C. indoor ice rink. “If she stays healthy, she could rewrite the record book.”

Other key skaters Biney and Jackson are among five African-Americans on the speedskating teams. Long track legend Davis, the first AfricanAmerican to win an individual gold medal at the Winter Games, returns for his third Winter Olympics. Kimani Griffin, 28-yearold long track skater from Winston Salem, N.C., makes his Olympic debut. And Anthony Barthell, from High Point, N.C., coaches the U.S. short track team. “We’re taking over another sport,” Griffin joked. “I don’t know why this is happening, but I like it.”

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

Eatonville mourns passing of former mayor FROM STAFF REPORTS

Former Eatonville Mayor Bruce Mount died on Jan. 29. He was 56. A funeral service celebrating his life was held on Feb. 3 at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in Eatonville. Mount served as mayor of Eatonville from 2009 to 2015. He was a member of the National League of Cities, the Florida League of Cities, the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials, the Florida Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials and the World Conference of Black Mayors.

Accomplishments Current Mayor Eddie Cole touted Mount’s accomplishments in a statement posted on the town’s website. “Among many things, he was instrumental in securing the Hungerford High School property, he shepherded the development of the Family Dollar Store; successfully acquired federal funding of $4 million dollars for the Catalina Park underground sanitary sewer upgrades, road resurfacing, and lift station,” Cole stated. “As you travel along Kennedy Boulevard, you will notice the Eatonville Gateway; former Mayor Bruce Mount championed to secure Federal Funds Bruce for the construction of this beautiful Mount iconic landmark for the Historic Town of Eatonville. This marker can easily be seen as you travel along the corridor of I-4.’’

‘Dedicated local leader’ He also was a longtime sound engineer at WFTV Channel 9 in Orlando. The Bethune-Cookman University graduate was a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. National League of Cities CEO and Executive Director Clarence E. Anthony called Mount a friend and dedicated local leader in his community and beyond. “As a member of both the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials and the Florida Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials, he championed the African American community locally, nationally and at the state level.’’ “A friend of mine who cared deeply about his community and constituents, Mayor Mount and his family are in our thoughts and prayers. His service to his community will not be forgotten and we will miss him greatly,” Anthony added.

for preK–12 students with financial or special needs learn more at

S tepU

F S tudents.org

p or

a nurse

Every child deserves a chance to succeed.

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FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

FEBRUARY 9 – FEBRUARY 15, 2018

Meet some of

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.

FLORIDA’S

finest

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

Olympics features diversity in broadcast booth too know or care little about hockey. That perception was recently reinforced by a “Saturday Night Live” skit in which Chance the Rapper played a New York Knicks basketball sideline reporter hopelessly trying to analyze a New York Rangers hockey game. “Let’s do that hockey!” Chance the Rapper said in the skit that went viral on social media.

BY WILLIAM DOUGLAS MCCLATCHY WASHINGTON BUREAU/ TNS

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea – Anson Carter expects to surprise some casual sports fans who tune into the 2018 Winter Olympics for ice hockey. “You might not watch the whole game, but you might see what’s happening between periods, and then you see a Black face on TV talking about the game, giving some insightful analysis on what’s going on,” Carter said. The 2018 Winter Games, which officially began Friday, will have the largest contingent of Black athletes in its history, helping to debunk the stereotype that Blacks don’t participate in socalled non-traditional winter sports. The games will also feature diversity on the air. NBC’s Mike Tirico makes his debut as the prime time face of the Winter Games, succeeding Bob Costas, who had hosted the networks’ Olympic prime time coverage since 1992.

Veteran player Carter, a Canadian who played 11 seasons in the National Hockey League, will analyze hockey games played in Pyeongchang from NBC Sports Group’s International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Connecticut. Although he’s known to regular hockey viewers from his NHL

Some know hockey

BIRDIE THOMPSON/ADMEDIA/ZUMA PRESS/TNS

NBC’s Mike Tirico succeeded Bob Costas as broadcaster at Winter Games in South Korea. and college hockey coverage on NBC Sports Network and “The MSG Hockey Show” in New York, Carter realizes that he might seem like an unconventional choice to those who only pay attention to the sport during the Olympics. “I want to make sure I’m bringing my ‘A’ game to the table because it is all about diversity,” he

said. “You can’t talk about being diverse on the ice but then off the ice you don’t have the diversity as well when you have people capable of doing the job just like anybody else.”

Viral skit Carter said he’s aware that a perception that Black people

The parody hit Carter’s funny bone, but then it quickly hit home. “I loved it, I thought it was funny,” Carter said. “But at the same time, there are enough Black people out there who know the game of hockey that you’re like, ‘Can we actually move past this point?’ There’s a lot more knowledgeable Black fans out there than we get credit for.’” Carter knows hockey from experience. He tallied 202 goals and 219 assists in 674 games over 11 seasons with the Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Columbus Blue Jackets and Carolina Hurricanes.

Other analysts Now he’s part of a small but growing group of Black hockey analysts and broadcasters on national and local airwaves. Kevin Weekes, a former NHL goaltender, mans the analyst’s desk on the NHL Network while

Dodge lambasted for MLK voiceover in Super Bowl ad BY LAUREN VICTORIA BURKE NNPA NEWSWIRE

There were ads with Morgan Freeman rapping and ads with babies from around the world and fast cars with singer Steven Tyler. There were ads with medieval themes, magic and song. Then there was the ad using the words and voice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to sell Dodge Ram sell trucks. “Everybody can be great,” King said in a speech in 1968, two months before he was murdered. “You only need a heart full of grace;

soul generated by love.” The advertisement featured images of football players, cowboys, U.S. troops and first responders as a backdrop to King’s voiceover. The advertisement ended with an image of a soldier, a Dodge truck, and the words “Built to Serve.”

Daughter responds The commercial for Dodge trucks provoked protest on social media shortly after it aired from many Super Bowl LII viewers. It also induced a reaction tweet from the King

Center and Bernice King, the daughter of the late civil rights leader. “Neither @TheKingCenter nor @BerniceKing is the entity that approves the use of #MLK’s words or imagery for use in merchandise, entertainment (movies, music, artwork, etc) or advertisement, including tonight’s @Dodge #SuperBowl commercial,” The King Center tweet stated not long after the ad was broadcast.

Torrent of tweets April 4, 2018 was the 50th

anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee, at the hands of James Earl Ray. “The worst commercials are those that use icons like Martin Luther King Jr to sell things like a Dodge Ram truck,” tweeted Boston Globe Deputy Bureau Chief Matt Viser. He wasn’t the only one who noticed. “So, Ram Truck appropriated Martin Luther King Jr. and used an all white cast + 1 token black to sell trucks to Trump supporters as if we’re back in the 1950s. #SuperBowl,” stated

David Amber co-hosts the late Saturday game on “Hockey Night in Canada,” that nation’s equivalent of “Monday Night Football” in terms of viewer popularity. Tarik El-Bashir provides sideline and studio insights during Capitals broadcasts, where he’s sometimes joined by Carter. Everett Fitzhugh is the voice of the minor league Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.

‘It takes time’ Carter hopes his Winter Olympics work and the participation of 10 African Americans on the U.S. team along with Black athletes from Jamaica, Nigeria, Ghana and other nations will help put the myth about Blacks and winter sports to rest. While some hail the increased presence of Black athletes at the Winter Games as a milestone, they also caution that the numbers are still small since that more than 2,900 athletes are competing in Pyeongchang. “As the percentage of the total team, I would think that’s still, as they would say in a university setting or research setting, statistically insignificant,” said Richard Lapchick, director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida. Carter disagreed. “You’ve got to start somewhere, right?” he said. “You can’t all of sudden jump in and be a majority. It takes time.”

Lucy Amato on Twitter. “Using a “Martin Luther King” speech and completely taking it OUT OF CONTEXT for a truck commercial is a disgrace,” another Twitter user reacted in a typical statement.

Expect more analysis Super Bowl advertisements have become an annual obsession as the expensive and targeted marketing to a huge audience has become a place where products are debuted for the first time. The ads also have become an annual time to analyze and study the ma-

ny marketing strategy, as well as the “hits and misses” of the ads seen during the game. The Dodge ad might reignite discussion on some of the decisions being made by Dexter King and Martin Luther King III regarding the use of their father’s image and words. Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist, political analyst and a frequent contributor to the NNPA Newswire and BlackPressUSA. com. She can be contacted at LBurke007@gmail. com and on Twitter at @ LVBurke.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

FEBRUARY 9 – FEBRUARY 15, 2018

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THE ENTREPRENEUR

THE SINGER

THE EXPLORER

THE ACTIVIST

Madame C.J. Walker, 1867-1919

Mamie Smith, 1883-1946

Matthew Alexander Henson, 1866-1955

A. Philip Randolph, 1889-1979

She was born Sarah Breedlove, daughter of a poor farm couple who died while she was still a little girl. She was married at 14; when her husband died, she supported herself as a washerwoman. In 1905, Walker perfected a formula for straightening the hair of Black women; it was the beginning of a cosmetics empire that, by the time of her death would make her a millionaire — one of the first Black Americans to achieve that status, if not the first. Walker denied herself no luxury — her mansion at Irvington-on-Hudson, N.Y., is said to have been a regal showplace. But the hair-care magnate was also a generous contributor to good causes; she funded scholarships and gave to the indigent and the needy.

Bessie Smith was better known, but Mamie got there first. Her hit, “Crazy Blues,” recorded in 1920, was the first blues vocal ever recorded and also the first recording by an African-American woman. Despite that distinction, Smith did not think of herself primarily as a blues singer — she was a vaudevillian who sang many different styles. The Cincinnati-born vocalist spent the ‘20s and ‘30s barnstorming across the United States with her Jazz Hounds, a band that included such luminaries as James “Bubber’’ Miley and Willie “The Lion” Smith.

On the day in 1887 that he first met Robert Peary, Henson, though only about 21 years old, already had experience as a stevedore, seaman, bellhop and coachman. Peary thought Henson might make a valuable valet on Peary’s attempt to become the first man to reach the North Pole. But Peary soon discovered that Henson’s abilities and experiences made him even more valuable as a colleague. As Peary once put it, “I couldn’t get along without him.” The men mounted seven expeditions to the Arctic, including the last, in 1908 and 1909, when they finally stood together at the top of the world, the first explorers to do so.

His courtly, Sphinx-like demeanor belied the soul of a fighter. Randolph, a leader of the “New Negro” movement of the early 20th century, was tapped by Black railroad workers to lead their fledgling union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, in 1925. It would take years for the union to even get the Pullman Co. to recognize them, years more before an agreement was hammered out, but when it was over, Randolph and his union had won workplace concessions once unthinkable for Black employees. In later years, Randolph was instrumental in pushing President Franklin Roosevelt to do away with segregation in the defense industry. He was also an organizer of the 1963 March on Washington.

Adam Clayton Powell Sr., 1865-1953

THE JOURNALIST John Russwurm, 1799-1851

Although he was technically born a slave in Jamaica, Russwurm enjoyed many privileges of freedom because his father was a White American bachelor. His father, also named John Russwurm, provided a quality education for his son at Bowdoin College in Maine (he graduated in 1826, the third African-American to graduate from an American college). When the elder Russwurm relocated to Massachusetts, he took the boy with him. In 1827, this child of privilege took up the plight of the American slave. With his partner, Samuel Cornish, he founded Freedom’s Journal, the first Black newspaper published in the United States. The paper’s then-controversial credo: Complete freedom and equality for African slaves. As the editors put it in their first editorial, it was time for Black people to plead “our own cause.”

ometimes, history forgets. Sometimes, the big names everyone knows crowd out the smaller ones fewer people recall. Sometimes, when it is time to apportion honor and assign recognition, men and women who ought to be singled out are not. And so, those who inspired the dreams, fanned the flames and stood in the thick of revolutionary change can find themselves left out of the books, short-changed in the reminiscences. In this annual season of Black history’s celebration, much will be said, and deservedly so, about giants such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. DuBois. But here, in 10 fields of American endeavor, are 10 other names, lesser-known women and men whose contributions and heroism we should remember, always. — Leonard Pitts Jr., The Miami Herald

He was the grandson of slaves, the father of a flamboyant namesake congressman and a towering figure in his own right. As a boy, Powell, a Virginia native, is said to have learned the alphabet in a day. A year later, he was reading from the Bible. A grandfather nudged Powell toward the ministry and he eventually served as pastor of churches in Connecticut and Pennsylvania. The pastorate that made him famous, however, was at Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City. Under Powell’s leadership, Abyssinian practiced a social gospel that did not limit itself to the pulpit and pews; the church operated a facility for the aged, helped feed the poor, and agitated for racial and economic justice. By the mid1930s, Abyssinian claimed 14,000 members, making it the largest Protestant congregation in the United States.

THE POLITICIAN

THE FILMMAKER

THE SOLDIER

THE FIGHTER

P.B.S. Pinchback, 1837-1921

Oscar Micheaux, 1884-1951

Henry Johnson, 1897*-1929

Jack Johnson, 1878-1946

Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback was the free-born son of a White planter and a woman the planter owned and later freed. In 1862, he was assigned the duty of recruiting African-American volunteers for the Union Army forces, but resigned his captain’s commission in protest of the discriminatory treatment of his men. During Reconstruction, he was a leader in the founding of the Louisiana Republican Party and was elected president pro tempore of the state Senate in 1871. Pinchback became lieutenant governor when the incumbent died. Then, the governor was suspended during impeachment proceedings, and Pinchback succeeded him, too, serving as acting governor of Louisiana from December 1872 to January 1873. He was the first African-American governor in history and, until L. Douglas Wilder became chief executive of Virginia in 1989, the only one.

Oscar Micheaux came of age during the days when filmmakers routinely ignored African-Americans or confined them to subservient, demeaning roles. This was, paradoxically, the key to his success. During the ’20s and ’30s, Micheaux wrote, directed and produced about 30 films keyed to Black audiences. Micheaux operated on a budget of next to nothing, raising money directly from his audiences. Thus, there was no such thing as “Take two” in a Micheaux movie — not even when an actor blew his lines. Not surprisingly, the movies were usually awful. Also not surprisingly, an audience starving to see itself reflected on screen flocked to his films. Micheaux, a consummate promoter, would travel from town to town, screening his current movie while raising funds for the next.

Early on the morning of May 14, 1918, Henry Johnson and Needham Roberts were standing sentry on a bridge near the Aisne River in France when, without warning, they were attacked by a force of 32 Germans. Cut off from their regimental headquarters and armed only with pistols, knives and a few hand grenades, the two Black soldiers somehow stood off the much larger force, pressing the fight even though Johnson was wounded three times and Roberts twice. At one point, the Germans rushed the pair and took Roberts prisoner. By now reduced to using only a bolo knife and the butt of his empty pistol, Johnson nevertheless charged the Germans. He managed to wound as many as 10 of them and to kill at least four more. The startled Germans dropped their prisoner and ran. Johnson and Roberts were both awarded France’s highest military honor, the Croix de Guerre. *Approximate year of birth

Before there was Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis or Jackie Robinson, there was John Arthur Johnson, a boxer who became history’s first Black heavyweight champion in 1908 with a victory over Tommy Burns. Johnson spent 15 rounds whipping Burns, carrying on a running dialogue with him as he did so. Finally police stopped the bout. The victory was all the more impressive in light of the fact that Burns’ manager served as referee — a concession Johnson had to make in order to get Burns to agree to the fight. Johnson’s victory polarized the nation — a state of tension made worse by the fact that he was a swaggering, boastful champion given to publicly romancing and marrying White women. Proponents of White supremacy seized upon former champion Jim Jeffries as their “great White hope” for snatching the title back from this unruly Black man. But the overweight Jeffries, who returned from retirement for the bout, was no match for Johnson, who toyed with him for 15 rounds before knocking him out.

PHOTO CREDITS: PHOTOS OF P.B.S. PINCHBACK AND ADAM CLAYTON POWELL SR. COURTESY OF THE OHIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY; A. PHILIP RANDOLPH COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES; MADAME C.J. WALKER COURTESY OF THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE; PHOTO OF OSCAR MICHEAUX COUTESY OF SOUTH DAKOTA STATE ARCHIVES; JOHN RUSSWURM COURTESY OF BOWDOIN COLLEGE; JACK JOHNSON COURTESY OF MIKE DELISA; HENRY JOHNSON COURTESY OF THE HENRY JOHNSON MEMORIAL; PHOTO OF MAMIE SMITH COURTESY OF FRANK DRIGGS; MATTHEW ALEXANDER HENSON COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

STOJ

FEBRUARY 9 – FEBRUARY 15, 2018

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

What’s your B.H.I.Q.? BY ELI SANDERS THE SEATTLE TIMES

Black History Month began with historian Carter G. Woodson, who early in the last century came up with the idea for a “Negro History Week,” which he envisioned as a celebration of black history and achievement, as well as a time for education. In 1926, with the support of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, the first “Negro History Week” was held during the second week in February. The timing was meant to honor the birthdays of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and President Lincoln. Over the years, the event grew in popularity, and in the early 1970s, the association (which later changed its name, replacing the word “Negro” with “Afro-American”) expanded the celebration and renamed it “Black History Month.” Now, in keeping with Woodson’s idea of focusing on black history and education, we offer this Black History Month quiz: 1.The founder of the Nation of Islam was: a) Elijah Muhammad. b) Elijah Wood. c) Ralph Ellison. 2. Thurgood Marshall was: a) A prominent black thinker and architect of the Marshall Plan. b) The first black Supreme Court justice. c) A Harlem Renaissance writer. 3. Negro League pitcher Satchel Paige played with which famous band leader? a) Benny Goodman. b) Duke Ellington. c) Louis Armstrong. 4. Which amendment to the Constitution guaranteed black people (and all citizens) equal protection under the law? a) The 15th. b) The 26th. c) The 14th.

(Black history intelligence quotient) True or false:

discovered decades before the experiment ended.

10.When the United States’ founding fathers wrote “all men are created equal,” they meant black slaves, too.

12. The holiday Kwanzaa was created by black activist and scholar Maulana Karenga in 1966.

11. In the “Tuskegee Experiment,” the United States monitored 399 black men with syphilis for 40 years to see what would happen to them — even though the men were never told they had syphilis and a cure for the disease was

13.Participants in the Harlem Renaissance included Jean Toomer, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston and Claude McKay. 14. The historically black college Howard University is located in Atlanta.

15.Match the following black Americans with their ideas: A. “It is not integration that Negroes in America want, it is human dignity.”

■ Martin Luther King Jr. ■ W.E.B. Du Bois ■ Malcolm X ■ Booker T. Washington ■ Maya Angelou ■ Zora Neale Hurston ■ Langston Hughes ■ Marcus Garvey

B. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be selfevident, that all men are created equal.’” C. Encouraged black people to pick themselves up by their “bootstraps” and said: “In all things that are purely social, we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress.”

Washington apologizes for injustice, does not rightly value the privilege and duty of voting, belittles the emasculating effects of caste distinctions, and opposes the higher training and ambitions of our brighter minds ... we must unceasingly and firmly oppose (him).” F. Read the poem, “On the Pulse of Morning” at President Clinton’s inauguration: “You, created only a little lower than/ The angels, have crouched too long in/The bruising darkness/ Have lain too long/Face down in ignorance./Your mouths spilling words/Armed for slaughter./And

D.Wanted to start a colony of black Americans in Liberia and said: “There shall be no solution to this race problem until you yourselves strike the blow for liberty.” E. Wrote “The Souls of Black Folk” and said of Booker T. Washington: “(When) Mr.

5. Black people, women and people ages 18 to 21 have all been kept from voting at some point in the history of the United States. In what order were these groups given the right to vote? a) Black men, then women, then people 18 to 21. b) People 18 to 21, then black men, then women. c)Women, then black men, then people 18 to 21. 6. What landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision struck down the idea of “separate but equal” schools for black people and whites? a) Plessy v. Ferguson. b) Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka, Kan. c) University of California v. Bakke. 7. The incarceration rates for black people in America have long been decried as a reflection of a biased justice system. At the end of 2000, what percentage of all black males in the United States ages 25 to 29 was in prison? (For comparison, the answer is 2.9 percent for all Hispanic males in that age group, and 1.1 percent for all white males.) a) 5.6 percent. b) 9.7 percent. c) 24.3 percent. 8. The holiday Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when: a) Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, thus freeing slaves. b)Word reached Texas that Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation. c) Lincoln declared war with the South over the issue of slavery. 9. Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the first secretarygeneral from sub-Saharan Africa, is from what country? a) Ghana. b) South Africa. c) Nigeria.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY RON CODDINGTON/MCT

1. Jesse Owens: Olympic athlete 2. Harriet Beecher Stowe: Author of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” 3. Joe Louis: Athlete 4. Hiram R. Revels: First black U.S. senator 5. Abraham Lincoln: President when slaves were freed 6. Marcus Garvey: Back to Africa movement leader 7. John Brown: Abolitionist 8. Harriet Tubman: Abolitionist 9. Booker T. Washington: Educator 10. Duke Ellington: Musician

11. Granville T. Woods: Inventor 12. Henry Highland Garnet: Abolitionist 13. Frederick Douglass: Abolitionist 14. Martin Luther King Jr.: Civil rights leader 15. Thurgood Marshall: Supreme Court justice 16. Sojourner Truth: Abolitionist 17. Elijah J. McCoy: Inventor; “The Real McCoy” 18. Rosa Parks: Civil rights leader 19. Marian Anderson: Singer 20. Barbara Jordan: Politician

the Rock cries out to us today, you/may stand upon me/But do not hide your face.” G. Wrote the poem, “Harlem,” a passage from which reads: “What happens to a dream deferred?/Does it dry up/like a raisin in the sun?/Or fester like a sore — /And then run? ... Maybe it just sags/like a heavy load./Or does it explode?” H. “I do not belong to the sobbing school of Negrohood who hold that nature somehow has given them a lowdown dirty deal and whose feelings are all hurt about it. Even in the helterskelter skirmish that is my life, I have seen that the world is to the strong regardless of a little pigmentation more or less. No, I do not weep at the world — I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife.”

ANSWERS: 1. A; 2. B; 3. C; 4. C; 5. A; 6. B; 7. B; 8. B; 9. A. 10. False. When this country was founded, black slaves were not considered equal. In fact, the government counted each slave as only three-fifths of a person. 11. True. Years after the experiment, modest cash payments were given to survivors and their families. And in 1997, President Clinton issued a formal apology, saying the experiment was “racist” and “profoundly, morally wrong.” 12. True. Karenga wanted to “give a black alternative to the existing holiday.” At the center of Kwanzaa are its seven principles, which are represented by seven candles: umoja (unity), kujichagulia (selfdetermination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujaama (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity) and imani (faith). 13. True. 14. False. Howard University is located in Washington, D.C. 15. A. Malcolm X. B. Martin Luther King Jr. C. Booker T. Washington. D. Marcus Garvey. E. W.E.B. Du Bois. F. Maya Angelou. G. Langston Hughes. H. Zora Neale Hurston.

FOOD

FEBRUARY 9 – FEBRUARY 15, 2018

STOJ

FROM FAMILY FEATURES

Olive oil is a flavorful and versatile cooking oil that is often trusted in popular cooking methods such as sauteing, stir-frying, dressing, marinating and grilling. It can also earn your trust when it comes to baking. With seven olive oil varieties to fit almost any need, each Filippo Berio olive oil has its own distinct color, aroma and flavor characteristics. Among those seven, the Extra Light Olive Oil offers a delicate aroma and subtle flavor that can complement your favorite baked goods. Its high smoke point helps keep those goodies moist, and with strong flavors like chocolate, it also lets the sweetness come through. Additionally, it provides high levels of mono-unsaturated fat (“good” fat) and low levels of saturated fat (“bad” fat), making it a more nutritional choice when compared to butter or margarine. Because you need less olive oil than butter in baking, you’ll save calories as well. One easy way to incorporate olive oil in your baked goods is during the prep work: where recipes call for buttering or flouring pans, instead brush the pan with olive oil and dust with flour for the same effect as butter. Explore more tips and recipes using olive oil at filippoberio.com. DARK CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 18 minutes Servings: 2 1/2 tablespoon Filippo Berio Extra Light Olive Oil, plus additional for coating pan 1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus additional for coating pan 4 ounces 70 percent cocoa dark chocolate 1 ounce 30 percent heavy cream 3 egg whites 2 egg yolks pinch of cream of tartar Heat oven to 375 F. Grease two 6-ounce ramekins with olive oil and dust with sugar. In double boiler, melt chocolate, 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and cream; let cool. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Whisk egg yolks into cooled chocolate mixture; fold in egg whites, 1/4 cup sugar and cream of tartar. Pour into prepared ramekins; bake 15 minutes. Tips: This recipe can be easily doubled. Garnish with fresh berries, if desired.

Better, healthier baking DOUBLE-CHOCOLATE OLIVE OIL CAKE WITH SALTED CHOCOLATE CARAMEL ICING Recipe courtesy of Chef Sharon Sanders Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 35 minutes Servings: 8-10 1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, Filippo Berio Extra Light Olive Oil, divided, plus additional for coating pan 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4teaspoon table salt 1/2 cup half-and-half 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1/4 cup, plus 1/3 cup, mini dark chocolate chips, divided 1 cup canned dulce de leche flaky sea salt (optional)

DOUBLE-CHOCOLATE BISCOTTI Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes Servings: 40 3 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup cocoa powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup Filippo Berio Extra Light Olive Oil, plus 1 tablespoon for coating pans 1 cup packed light brown sugar 2 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk 1/3 cup milk 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate morsels On sheet of waxed paper, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; set aside.

Using electric mixer, beat olive oil with sugar until smooth and light. Add eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, beating until smooth. Add milk and vinegar; beat until smooth. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture, beating until just combined. Stir in chocolate morsels with large spoon; cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Heat oven to 325 F. Grease two large baking sheets with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil each. On lightly floured surface, divide dough into quarters. Roll each piece of dough into log, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place logs on baking sheets, leaving space in between. Bake about 30 minutes, or until golden and set. Transfer to rack; let cool 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 F. On cutting board using serrated knife, cut each log into 3/4-inch-wide slices diagonally. Place slices, cut-side down, on baking sheets. Bake 15-18 minutes, or until toasted. Transfer to racks; let cool.

AVOID OLIVE OIL ENEMIES Maintain olive oil’s flavor and quality by avoiding exposure to heat, light and air. Be sure to store olive oil in a cool, dark place and not over or near the oven.

Position rack in center of oven and heat to 350 F. Lightly coat 9-inch round cake pan with olive oil and line bottom with parchment paper. Lightly coat parchment with olive oil. In large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in half-and-half, 1/2 cup olive oil and vanilla. With electric mixer, beat in egg until well blended. Scrape batter into prepared cake pan and sprinkle top with 1/4 cup mini chips. Bake cake 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Place cake on cooling rack 10 minutes then turn cake out onto rack and let cool completely. In medium saucepan, heat dulce de leche over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add remaining olive oil and chocolate chips and stir until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. Remove pan from heat. Transfer cake to serving plate. Pour icing over cooled cake, sprinkle with flaky salt, if desired, and serve.