Florida Courier, March 2, 2018

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MARCH 2 – MARCH 8, 2018

VOLUME 26 NO. 9

NEVER THE SAME Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students returned to empty desks as their school reopened Wednesday after America’s latest mass school shooting.

school color (maroon) – made their way back to the campus that two weeks earlier became the site of the deadliest high school shooting in American history.

They ducked a horde of TV cameras and reporters, weaved past well-wishers dropping off flowers and posters at the memorial for the 17 victims and passed hundreds of law enforcement officers who showed up to offer support, some from as far away as New York.

BY ALEX HARRIS, KYRA GURNEY AND CHABELI HERRERA MIAMI HERALD / TNS

MIKE STOCKER/SUN SENTINEL/TNS

Law enforcement officers welcomed students, some escorted by their parents, back to school at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in South Florida.

High attendance level

PARKLAND – It wasn’t a normal school day for the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, but it was a first step.

On Wednesday, students – most wearing clothes with the school’s mascot (an eagle) or the

Despite the anxiety many students felt, roughly 95 percent of the school’s nearly 3,300 students came to class.

When they passed through the gates of the school’s fence, now a mosaic of signs offering messages

of support, the world inside was just as surreal.

“We were just trying to re-instill the sense of normalcy that we all had before,” said Kai Koerber, 17.

“Because at the end of the day, life has to go on, and it doesn’t mean

we forget the people we knew before.”

The focus of the day, as Principal Ty Thompson tweeted Tuesday evening, was on “emotional readiness and comfort not curriculum.”

2018 SEASON / NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

Wade wins one for Parkland victim

Half-day The school day began with fourth period, the class during which the shooting took place.

On the morning announcements, See STUDENTS, Page A2

Minimal federal help HBCUs are on their own

BY EMMA DUMAIN AND ANITA KUMAR MCCLATCHY WASHINGTON BUREAU / TNS

WASHINGTON – Presidents for Historically Black Colleges and Universities returned to Washington for their second annual conference on Capitol Hill Tuesday, unable to cite more than a few measurable victories in the year since Congressional Republicans and the new Trump White House promised to promote and support the institutions.

There have been bright spots – for instance, the restoration of yearround Pell Grants, which provides tuition assistance for low- and middle-income students.

Recently, the White House worked with congressional lawmakers to forgive millions of dollars borrowed from the federal government to rebuild HBCU campuses after damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and ordered 31 government agencies that regularly interact with HBCUs to develop annual plans to “strengthen the capacity” of those schools.

Small percentage

CHARLES TRAINOR JR./MIAMI HERALD/TNS

The Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade celebrates with the crowd after scoring the winning basket in the final seconds against the Philadelphia 76ers at Miami’s American Airlines Arena on Tuesday. The Heat won, 102-101.

Wade dedicated the game to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting victim Joaquin Oliver, a Heat fan who was funeralized and buried wearing a Wade jersey.

SNAPSHOTS FLORIDA | A3

Shooter refused mental help after turning 18 Ford to help Miami drivers NATION | A6

Michelle Obama’s new book is ‘Becoming’

ALSO INSIDE

Dolphins team with ‘5000 Role Models’ for youth conference SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

WOMEN’S HISTORY | B4

A calendar of achievements

MIAMI – The Miami Dolphins today partnered with the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project to host a conference at Hard Rock Stadium designed to promote positive interac-

“HBCUs” are any Black college or university established before 1964 with the principal mission of educating African-American students. Collectively, they enroll nearly 300,000 students and receive money from the federal government through grants, contracts, appropriations and financial aid.

They received $4.7 billion in federal financial assistance in 2013, according to the latest report available.

That sum accounted for 2.8 percent of federal dollars awarded to all higher education institutions.

Taylor appointed

“The best part of this is to see the

On Tuesday, President Trump named Johnny C. Taylor Jr., the respected former chairman of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, as chairman of the White House Board of Advisers on HBCUs. Taylor is a welcome addition to the task force for all those who chafed at the appointment of Johnathan Holifield – a consulting firm co-founder and forJohnny mer National FootTaylor, Jr. ball League player with no HBCU experience – to be executive director of

See DOLPHINS, Page A2

See HELP, Page A2

tion between youth and law enforcement. The conference featured more than 600 high school students and law enforcement from jurisdictions throughout South Florida.

Representatives from several state, local and federal criminal justice and law enforcement agencies were on hand for the day. The group assembled also took a moment to honor law enforcement and first responders for the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last week.

‘Tension relaxed’

COMMENTARY: RAYNARD JACKSON: STRONGER GUN LAWS ARE NOT THE ANSWER | A4 GUEST COMMENTARY: LYNETTE MONROE: KILLMONGER IS REAL MVP OF ‘BLACK PANTHER’ | A5

A2

FOCUS

MARCH 2 – MARCH 8, 2018

‘Nobody Knows’ and the Black clap back One of my favorite gospel singers is the great Mahalia Jackson.

I love to hear her version of “Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen!”

The moving vocals on that song brings to mind investigations of collaboration, cooperation, conspiracy and other misdeeds regarding past and present Russian interference in United States elections.

Nobody knows the trouble Mahalia Jackson sings about.

We know nothing And nobody knows a damn thing about what Special Counsel Robert Mueller knows about vio-

LUCIUS GANTT THE GANTT REPORT

lations of federal and state laws and subsequent criminal conduct involving President Donald Trump, Trump’s campaign staffers, Trump’s congressional flunkies like Rep. Devin Nunes, Russian operatives and mobsters, and related GOP cover-up attempts.

I don’t know what Mueller knows, but I believe he knows a hell of a lot. Mueller has thousands of documents, telephone

recordings, emails, tax returns, real estate transaction receipts, indictments and guilty pleas by accused felons.

People that are “targets” in the Mueller investigation can easily get favorable treatment and reduced charges. All they have to do is tell the truth! But the idiots that think they are the smartest people on Capitol Hill can’t do that.

Too many people associated with Trump try to lie to the special counsel. Then they get nailed and screwed like sheetrock on ceilings and walls.

Mueller doesn’t wait Once he hears a lie, additional charges like “lying to the FBI” are filed almost immediately and afterwards, criminal suspects start singing better than the great Mahalia Jackson.

They start singing like Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley or Otis Red-

ding. They tell everything and quickly become “cooperating witnesses!”

There is, however, one suspect that I expect to remain quiet as a church mouse in a mega-superlarge evangelical house of worship.

Paul Manafort is not so afraid of Special Counsel Mueller. If President Trump’s former campaign manager starts rapping like Kendrick Lamar or Cardi B, I’d be shocked!

Why shocked?

I would be shocked because Manafort is less worried about charges from Mueller. He is more worried about a possible death sentence if he says anything he knows about Russian mobsters that may be seeking reimbursement from million-dollar loans they gave to Manafort! The Russian mafia doesn’t play around!

HELP

Nothing done Grumblings remain, however, that the White House, for all its fanfare, has moved at a painfully slow pace to get its HBCU initiative up and running.

“Almost nothing has happened since Trump named a director,” said Marybeth Gasman, director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions at the University of Pennsylvania.

“We had the stories in sentiment but a quick Lexus Nexus search as well as a review of the website will tell you that aside from a couple announcements of

Not waiting on Trump

school staff thanked the students who came to school on the first day back and praised their bravery. They observed 17 seconds of silence for each of the victims of the Feb. 14 shooting and played the school’s alma mater.

In some classrooms, the empty desks where the slain victims of the massacre once sat were turned into memorials. Koerber’s Advanced Placement Language Composition teacher draped one in velvet cloth with a teddy bear in the seat.

“Words cannot describe how painful it is to see an empty seat,” he said. “You never want to see that in your class. It’s unreal.”

Fenced off The freshman building where the gunman opened fire is now a crime scene. It’s fenced off from the rest of campus, and the fence is covered in posters and art people from around the world sent to Marjory Stoneman Douglas.

DOLPHINS

Vice President of Communications & Community Affairs Jason Jenkins said.

from A1

Model for NFL?

tension relaxed between the police officers and our young men,” Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson said.

“In these workshops, the police and youth reverse roles to learn each other’s responsibilities, and how to respect each other and cut that tension. To have the Dolphins, our hometown team, involved as well, and have them teaching a lesson to the children is just phenomenal.”

“It was an amazing to host this event with the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project. I know it’s important to…owner Stephen Ross, our President & CEO Tom Garfinkel and our players to drive the social justice conversation forward,” Miami Dolphins Senior

“Our hope is that this program can serve as a model across the NFL and professional sports by bringing together youth and law enforcement to reduce tensions and find common ground. We will continue to use our platform to drive social progress in our community.”

Jenkins was joined by several current and former members of the Miami Dolphins, including Jake Brendel, Jermon Bushrod, Troy Drayton, Ja’Wuan James, O.J. McDuffie, Nat Moore, Twan Russell and Kenny Stills.

The sponsorship of the conference is part of a yearly fund for advocacy and social justice programs created by Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross and Miami Dolphins players.

class. We are all trying.”

Teachers passed out letters of support from students around the country, some of which the authors signed with their social media usernames and an offer to talk about what happened anytime.

Christopher Powell, 17, walked off campus Wednesday afternoon holding three of them – one a piece of blue paper shaped like a fish and another a half-colored page from a coloring book.

“I’m gonna (contact) them and I’m gonna leave a message, a thank you,” he said. “The fact that everyone knows who we are and they understand the pain that we’re feeling right now, it definitely helps. I appreciate it a lot.”

tremely grateful for that,” he said.

Although most students returned to Stoneman Douglas on Wednesday, Runcie said that the roughly 170 who stayed home won’t be penalized. Only 15 students have asked for information about transferring to a new school, something the district has previously said they’re happy to help with. Four employees out of 215 have asked about working somewhere else.

President Trump signed the HBCU Executive Order on February 28, 2017, in the Oval Office of the White House. opportunities in federal agencies, very little has been done.”

Many HBCU advocates remain shaken by some aspects of Trump’s fiscal 2019 budget blueprint, which proposes investments in training programs rather than in traditional college degrees, cuts Pell Grants and reduces work-study funding.

No ‘photo ops’ Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., who represents a congressional district where an HBCU – Concor-

dia College – recently shuttered, told McClatchy in a statement that Trump’s budget, along with House Republican legislative efforts, “threaten to deprive HBCUs of the resources that make their work possible…The time for talk and photo ops is over. We need substantive legislative action to save our HBCUs.” Trump vowed to outdo Barack Obama in supporting the nation’s historically Black colleges when he signed the executive order, which placed oversight of the schools directly in the White

COURTESY OF THE MIAMI DOLPHINS

from A1

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., who organized the HBCU fly-in Tuesday as they did for last year’s summit, refused to acknowledge areas where Congress’ efforts or those

“This is not a policy-centric conference,” said Scott. “This year is about … creat(ing) a pipeline of opportunities that are not filled with government-centric suggestions and recommendations and solutions, but one that is actually focusing on connecting HBCUs with industries.”

The lawmakers also sought to separate themselves from what the Trump administration was and was not doing.

“I appreciate the Trump administration where they want to partner with us and move forward,” said Walker, “but this is something we don’t have to wait on other people to engage until we pick up the mantle and move forward.”

AUDE GUERRUCCI/ABACA PRESS/TNS

Hundreds of high school youth in South Florida linked up for a conference with law enforcement and current and former Miami Dolphins pro football players.

STUDENTS

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.

of the White House might have fallen short.

At a news briefing between panel discussions, Scott and Walker took some credit for restoring the year-round Pell grants, saying HBCU presidents made that request at last year’s summit.

They noted they arranged for the day-long conference to focus on connecting students to careers in industry, honoring a request that this year’s gathering have that emphasis.

The two men said they saw themselves as facilitators who could help HBCU officials meet new people and hear new ideas rather than as legislators who could promise to deliver on certain demands.

from A1 the White House HBCU initiative. “(Taylor) understands the plight of our institutions and at least there is a person who is chair who can perhaps articulate some critical needs,” said Lester C. Newman, president of Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, Texas.

Taylor’s appointment also comes on the heels of the departure of Trump aide Omarosa Manigault Newman.

“She meant well,” said Phyllis Worthy Dawkins of Bennett College in Greensboro, N.C. “She graduated from HBCUs, and she cares about HBCs, so I think her heart was in the right place. Maybe the strategy wasn’t the right strategy.”

One last thing. I loved former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele’s Black clap back after a GOP closet Klansman said it was a mistake to give Steele a leadership role in the Republican Party because Steele is Black.

Steele correctly stated that Republicans should not be hesitant to tell the truth about a Republican president that got elected after getting help and influential media assistance from a hostile and unfriendly foreign government!

Good for you, Michael Steele!

Just like The Gantt Report, you talked about the beast!

Teachers, parents and students alike hope classes are never held inside again. The school district has said it plans to demolish the building and replace it with a memorial, and Florida legislators have promised to help build new classrooms.

In the meantime, school administrators have reorganized class schedules to accommodate the approximately 900 students who attended class in the building.

Senior Taylor Morales said a different classroom made it easier to face returning to campus.

Hid for hours In band class, students talked about what happened, about hiding for hours in the closet, before pulling out guitars and learning how to play “Tears in Heaven” by Eric Clapton, said 15-year-old Liam Kiernan.

In another English class, the teacher handed out a notebook and asked students to write messages to one of their former classmates, 14-year-old Cara Loughran.

Alishba Hashmi, 14, said her teacher told the class she planned

to give the notebook to the Loughran family, because all the rest of Cara’s schoolwork is locked inside the freshman building.

There were also 150 counselors on campus – and, of course, dozens of therapy dogs.

In Taylor’s study hall, one less student was present. Nicholas Dworet, a senior and a swimmer with Olympic aspirations, was among the 17 victims.

‘Like a snow globe’ A school therapist talked the students through their grief, inviting them to cry if they wanted to cry and support each other.

The therapist told them their situation was like a snow globe: All the snowflakes are settled at the bottom until something thrusts each of them into chaos. They’ll settle at the bottom again, but never in the same place as before.

As some of her classmates wept, Taylor tried to keep her composure.

‘All trying’ “You see how hard it is for some people – a lot of us – to be there,” Taylor said. “But we are still in

House. But Black college leaders were dismayed after the administration failed to quickly follow through, especially when Trump’s much-hyped executive order included no additional money for Black colleges.

Careers, not policies

Support worldwide After school ended for the day, Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie also talked about the outpouring of support the community has received.

“We’ve seen the worst of humanity, but we’ve also seen that followed by incredible acts of kindness and support from throughout Broward County and across the world, and we’re ex-

New identity Although Runcie said the first day back felt like “a family reunion,” he acknowledged that it will be impossible to return to normal.

“We know that things will never, ever be the same, but we’re going to try to make sure that we can figure out how to move forward,” he said.

And for some students, that means taking on a new identity: survivor.

“It’s a weird thing to call yourself a survivor,” said 16-year-old Ramis Hashmi. “You never get used to that title.”

MARCH 2 – MARCH 8, 2018

FLORIDA

A3 dle being in ‘regular’ school.”

The district decided in January 2016 to allow him to spend half his day at Cross Creek and half at Stoneman Douglas, as a way of easing him into the larger and less structured school environment.

“The transition period went from January to June, and seemed to have a satisfactory outcome,” Runcie said. “My understanding is it went well.”

Threat under probe Runcie said he wasn’t aware of a February 2016 report to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, claiming Cruz threatened on Instagram “to shoot up the school.”

The posting included a photo of a juvenile with a gun, but it’s unclear from a Broward Sheriff’s Office report whether Cruz was the student in the photo, and why it wasn’t investigated further. Sheriff Scott Israel said he is investigating the deputy who responded to this call.

A report said the deputy determined Cruz possessed knives and a BB gun and that information was forwarded to School Resource Officer Scot Peterson, who worked for the Sheriff’s Office.

‘Lot of incidents’

DAVID SANTIAGO/MIAMI HERALD/TNS

Parents and students arrive at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 25 for an open house as parents and students returned to the school for the first time since 17 people were killed at the school in Parkland on Feb. 14.

Shooter refused mental health services when he turned 18 Superintendent says federal law tied Broward school officials’ hands on dealing with Cruz.

ommended in November 2016 that he be placed in a school for students with emotional and behavioral students, Runcie said.

“You can’t make someone do something when the law says they have the right to make that determination,” Runcie said.

BY SCOTT TRAVIS SUN SENTINEL/TNS

Series of problems

PARKLAND – When Nikolas Cruz turned 18, he refused to let the school district continue providing him with crucial mental health and other services — and there was nothing officials could do about it, Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie said Monday.

Federal law tied their hands, he said, and also prevented them from forcing Cruz to attend a school for special needs students.

Once Cruz was considered an adult, he could stay at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, even though a team of specialists rec-

Even if the school believed he posed a danger to others, they couldn’t remove him based on what he did previously, experts say. As a special needs student, Cruz had certain federal protections.

When he gave them up, the school still had to wait for a new reason to transfer him to an alternative school or to expel him.

The district’s inability to remove a clearly troubled student is the latest in a series of problems that have come to light since Cruz, 19, killed 17 people and wounded 16 at the Parkland school on Feb. 14.

In PROMISE program In a wide-ranging interview Monday, Runcie also said: About nine or 10 Stoneman Douglas students out of 3,300 and five teachers out of 215 have asked about possibly transferring to another school. He said he would accommodate them.

Cruz was not part of the district’ PROMISE program, in which students committing minor crimes can avoid going to jail.

The district plans to conduct an internal review of how it handled the Stoneman Douglas mass shooting, in addition to a review called by Gov. Rick Scott.

Runcie plans to look into metal detectors, bullet-proof glass and other safety enhancements but no decisions have been made yet.

Tailored plan As a youth, Cruz was considered a special needs student and had an educational plan tailored to help him succeed.

Although Runcie wouldn’t discuss specifics, typical services for such a student include sessions with licensed therapists, ongoing assessments of behavior, and accommodations such as extra time on tests, experts say.

When Cruz was in the eighth grade, he was required to transfer from Westglades Middle in Parkland to Cross Creek School in Pompano Beach, which offers a program for emotionally and behaviorally disabled children of all ages.

System report He didn’t want to be there but stayed through January as a 10thgrader.

“Nikolas’ personal goal is to (be) mainstreamed to his home high school,” according to a Broward school system report from June 2015, the end of his ninthgrade year. “He often perseverates on the idea that his current school is for students that are ‘not smart’ and that he can now han-

Runcie said he didn’t know whether Peterson shared that information with the school district, and if it was shared, whether that would be serious enough to remove Cruz from school.

“Knives and a BB gun at home.

That’s different than somebody that has an assault weapon and a cache of ammunition and firearms,” Runcie said.

Cruz became a full-time student at Stoneman Douglas in August, but by November “the situation had deteriorated. There were a lot of incidents,” Runcie said, declining to be more specific.

“The decision was made to refer him back to Cross Creek. It seemed to be a better environment,” he said.

Revoked services But Cruz had turned 18 two months earlier and refused to go to Cross Creek. And, with his mother’s support, he chose to revoke the services provided as a special needs student, Runcie said.

The district is not allowed to provide those special services once students revoke their rights, said Wendy Bellack, executive director of the Broward County chapter of the Family Network on Disabilities, an advocacy organization for parents of special needs students.

“It would basically be illegal for them to provide those services without consent,” she said.

It wouldn’t matter if some staff members had concerns about him staying there, Runcie said.

Ford working on solution for Miami’s bad drivers

BY ROB WILE MIAMI HERALD/TNS

MIAMI – Can autonomous cars possibly be worse than Miami’s current drivers? We’re about to find out.

On Tuesday, Ford announced it had chosen Miami-Dade to be the first large-scale test site of its selfdriving vehicle fleet.

The cars will be traveling throughout the county to test their readiness to handle a challenging urban environment like Dade — and give residents a sense of what the future of transit could look like. Though they will be controlled by computer, the cars will feature a human “safety driver” as backup.

Self-driving cars Miami Mayor Carlos Gimenez has previously hinted at self-driving cars as a solution to solving the county’s transport woes.

In a new interview, Gimenez said he foresees a future in which autonomous vehicles combine with ride-sharing operators to create a scenario that makes owning a car less attractive for Miamians — taking more cars off the road.

“The new generation absolutely wants less and less to drive their own vehicle,” he said. “Even someone in my generation, if I can with a high degree of certainty summon a car that safely takes me where I want to go (and) that reduces my cost by 50 percent, I’m

doing that.”

Offering options Does that mean long-standing efforts to expand mass transit will take a back seat?

Said Gimenez: “We’re still committed to mass transit. This doesn’t take away from that. This is giving people options.”

Despite Miami’s notorious traffic, the Magic City was chosen over about nine competitors because of its weather, its variety of driving environments — from its densely packed downtown to its more residential exurbs — and the receptiveness of city officials to the new technology, said Sherif Marakby, Ford’s vice president of autonomous vehicles and electrification.

“Miami had a really nice composition, and the city itself and the openness of (Mayor Gimenez) and the city to this solution was a big factor in it,” he said.

No taxpayer cost The testing fleet will be relatively small — Marakby wouldn’t give an exact number — and shouldn’t impact already messy traffic, he said.

The project will come at no cost to taxpayers, and Ford is assuming full liability for anything that goes wrong during the project, which will have an indefinite run time.

Ford will be rolling out two types of vehicles, which will be housed at an undisclosed depot

FORD/TNS

Ford cars will travel throughout Miami-Dade County to test their readiness to handle a challenging urban environment. in Wynwood.

Pizza by robot The first will come equipped with mapping technology and will have the task of learning to adapt to Miami’s urban environment, with the goal of improving Ford’s wider autonomous fleet.

The second fleet will be tasked with delivering the classic delivery cuisine: pizza.

Ford is partnering with Domino’s to test how people will react to getting their food by what is essentially a rolling robot. Ford

is also partnering with delivery service Postmates to bring other goods to residents here.

No passengers yet While Ford’s cars will not be taking passengers in this early test, Marakby hinted that they could do so in the future. Ford has already formed a partnership with Lyft.

The project was borne from Gimenez’s visit to the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where he spotted a Ford vehicle with no steering wheel or

pedals.

He also found out that Ford was partnering with five other cities on its Ford Chariot shuttle service. The mayor’s office spent the rest of the year recruiting Ford to Miami, and a final decision was made two months ago.

Gimenez said Dade residents should see Ford’s project as a way to prepare for what’s to come.

“We need to start getting used to seeing vehicles with no driver in them picking up passengers.

That day is coming a lot sooner than people think.”

EDITORIAL

A4

MARCH 2 – MARCH 8, 2018

Stronger gun laws are not the answer Here we go again.

On Valentine’s Day, 17 students were murdered by a former classmate at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Another school massacre – and another overreaction by liberals who want to play politics with the Second Amendment.

As tragic as the murders were, sometimes I am confused by the way people react to tragedies. In the aftermath of a mass shooting, many people want the government to immediately pass new gun control laws.

No protection The hard truth is that there is absolutely nothing the government can do to protect you from tragedies like the horrific massacre in Parkland.

Tragedy, by definition is, “an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, such as a serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophe.” Sometimes good people are beset by tragedies, randomly and without warning.

If you ban guns, do you really think violent tragedies will go away? One need look no further than Japan to find the answer.

In Japan, it is illegal to possess, carry, sell or buy guns. So it is extremely rare, if ever, for a shooting death to occur in Japan. For example, in 2014, Japan had sixgun related deaths compared to 33,599 in the U.S.

Killings still occur In 2016, however, nineteen people were killed and 26 injured

RAYNARD JACKSON NNPA COLUMNIST

in a stabbing massacre in Tokyo, which was Japan’s deadliest mass killing since World War II. In 2008, a man ran over a group of people with his truck and then stabbed 18, killing seven in Tokyo’s Akihabara gaming district. In 2001, eight children were killed when a former employee, a janitor, entered an elementary school in Osaka and stabbed them to death.

The point is that even if guns were outlawed in the U.S., a person determined to commit an act of violence will always find a weapon of choice to unleash their diabolical schemes.

Irresponsible mainstream media outlets take advantage of these crises, broadcasting the anguish and misery of distraught family members just to boost their own ratings. As they say, “if it bleeds, it leads.”

Other weapons available Let’s game out one of the liberal arguments that outlawing guns is the solution to these mass shootings, that seem to happen with more frequency.

Japan has outlawed guns. Now, killers in that country use knives and cars to inflict massive carnage upon their fellow citizens.

If the U.S. outlawed guns and

Speaking to our children about violence A familiar verse penned from the gospel writer Luke said the angels proclaimed at the birth of Christ “peace on earth and goodwill toward men” (Luke 2:14).

This powerful verse should have special meaning now as the entire nation is reeling from the trauma of the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. More than anything else, the word “peace” beacons, welcomes, and comforts us at a moment in our history where there is so much turmoil and confusion. We truly need peace.

Subtle differences In the original Greek in which that verse was written, “peace on earth to people of goodwill,” or “peace on earth toward men and women who have won God’s favor,” are both accurate translation of the original text.

The difference may seem subtle, but the key idea is that peace is not an entitlement. Peace is the

DR. “DAN” COLLINS, PH.D TRICE EDNEY WIRE

byproduct of living a life rich in character.

Peace, according to a more complete understanding of Luke’s account, is the outgrowth of a lifestyle of compassion, cooperation, and community. Peace on an individual level is justice on a collective level.

I believe that this brand of peace remedies so many problems.

The hot topic of the day is the arms debate. But we should not be fooled into thinking that the symptom is the problem.

Symptom, not problem Guns are the symptom. But the culture of violence is the core

Why mass shootings will continue America has a unique history with firearms. The settler colonial state enshrined gun ownership into the constitution because of a determination to maintain chattel slavery and the violent enforcement which had to go with it.

More than 200 years later, that imperative remains. This society demands that the slave patrol never disband. There are even arguments made to expand it.

A bad idea Not only must we live with armed police officers, but there are new proposals to arm teachers in the classroom. These same teachers target Black students for punishments and “zero tolerance” policies made necessary by

MARGARET KIMBERLEY BLACK AGENDA REPORT

the deeds of violent White people.

The latest shooter was diagnosed with mental illness, but there are psychiatric patients all over the world. Only in this country does illness beget periodic bloodbaths that do nothing to change public policy.

While the hand-wringing goes on about high body count events in public places, little is said about the 1,000 fatalities which are committed every year by the police –

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: ARMING SCHOOLTEACHERS

preemptively banned, let’s say, ice picks and utility knives, then individuals that are committed to killing other people will simply use whatever else they can get their hands on.

Cars and trucks might become the weapons of choice. Should we ban them, too? If we go down that road, where will it end?

Values and morals What liberals refuse to address is the lack of values and morality in our society.

Religion instills in a society a sense of right and wrong and demands some type of structure in our lives, but liberals have run prayer out of our nation’s schools. Any mentions or references to God in the public square are questioned, mocked or maligned outright.

Regardless of one’s religious beliefs, can anyone legitimately argue that the Ten Commandments are not good standards for any society to live by? Thou shalt not murder, lie, covet, etc.

In American society today, many people have bought into the notion that man, not God, is the measure of all things. There are no rules. No restraints. American society has cast the traditional nuclear family by the wayside. For liberals, normal is whatever you feel like doing at any given moment.

Liberal Hollywood elites, the most vociferous advocates for gun control, refuse to take responsibility for the violence and lack of morals that are constant themes in their movies and TV problem. It’s in the movies we watch, the video games we purchase. Violence is a pervasive presence in our culture.

But if we borrow some wisdom from Luke the physician, we are encouraged to step into a culture of peace. It’s a peace that can only come about if we are willing to be courageous enough to have a dialogue about the real issues.

We are violent in part because we are afraid of each other, and we are afraid of each other because we don’t know each other. And we don’t know each other because we rarely take the time.

Let’s receive today that angelic invitation: “Peace on earth, to people of goodwill.” It can transform us if we work at it.

A practical application of this peace is being able to talk about violence with our children, especially regarding an event like the Sandy Hook massacre.

Terrible tragedy Collectively our hearts were broken when we all learned of the tragic loss of life at Sandy Hook Elementary School. We would need to invent new words to capture the depth of our outwho are now to be trusted with keeping Black children safe, when cops kill an average of three people every day.

Raising their voices The White students who survived the massacre are rightly speaking out about their experience and attempting to break the institutional support for killing sprees. But Black protest against hyper-policing and its inevitable death toll is dismissed. So is anyone who opposes U.S. military violence or that of its allies which take place around the world.

The cause of the anomalous death toll here is not difficult to understand. This country is awash in violence because of angry, entitled White people. One would think that they were the aggrieved party. They certainly seem to think so with their explosive anger which can be directed at anyone at any moment.

NATE BEELER, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

shows. Most of them won’t even acknowledge the negative effects that their industry has on the minds of young people.

The result is generations of children who become desensitized to violence and mayhem, who then lash out in real life, without ever considering the repercussions of their actions.

No critical thinking These kids don’t wake up one day and decide to go on murderous rampages at their schools, simply because someone picked on them during lunch or they experienced a bad breakup. We have all gone through that as teenagers and young adults and we got through it without killing and maiming dozens of our classmates.

What is different now? Today, it’s very hard to get teenagers and young adults to think critically about the world they live in. rage, grief, and sadness caused by the senseless violence that occurred. As President Obama said, “What happened in Newtown, Connecticut could have occurred anywhere,” even right in our own neighborhoods.

A crisis like the one we are addressing causes enormous confusion and chaos for children and parents alike. When children are assaulted and killed in a school, many conflicting emotions are stirred up. Children may feel frightened about their own well-being; confused about death, especially about children their own ages dying in school.

They may feel unsafe. Some may feel that they will be attacked in school, despite the promises by adults. They may feel vulnerable. If they are attacked, there may be no one who could protect them. For example, an extreme reaction could be “school phobia;” that is, your child not wanting to go to school at all out of fear that they would be gunned down too.

How to cope As a parent, your role is crucial to help your child cope with this It is a lethal combination in a society on the edge of financial and ecological collapse without any principle which might unify the population to struggle together.

The opposite is true. Anti-Black racism tears even White people from one another. The past history of a racialized polity makes solidarity almost impossible and chaos all too likely. The combination of racist mental illness, denial and adherence to White supremacy will ensure that firearm violence continues.

Both parties fail The crazed duopoly system also puts guns in the hands of dangerous people. Republicans are rightly identified with the NRA, which donated $20 million to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

But Democrats have passed up opportunities to make good on their supposed desire to es-

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No one wants to accept personal responsibility for anything that happens in their lives. Everyone gets a trophy. Everything bad that happens to them is always someone else’s fault.

The state of Florida and the FBI are going to spend millions of dollars trying to figure out why this kid killed students and faculty members at that school in Parkland. In reality, there are no simple solutions to most problems that we wrestle with as a society.

Unfortunately, sometimes bad things happen to good people.

Banning guns won’t change that.

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. situation. Affinity’s approach is the LEARN Model of responding to violence: L – Listen rather than lecture.

Follow the content your child gives you to avoid overloading them with “too much information.”

E – Encourage your child’s emotional expression about the crisis.

A – Accept and expect a range of feelings your child might share.

R – Recognize and redirect useless emotions (i.e., panic, worry, rage and despair) toward the healing emotions such as empathy, compassion and hopefulness, etc.

N – Nurture your child through the crisis with reassuring words and gentle affection.

Dr. Dan Collins is vice president of Behavioral Health at Affinity Health & Medical Systems. This article was first printed in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. tablish some form of gun control. Who can forget John Kerry in 2004 wearing hunting gear that made him look like cartoon character Elmer Fudd? Or that Barack Obama ended the ban on firearms in national parks?

White voters in rural Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin who were courted by duplicitous Democrats ran straight to the arms of Trump and ignored the fakery.

Gun fatalities are emblematic of so much that is wrong in America. Racism creates hypocrisy and a climbing death toll. The open lovers of White supremacy make their voices heard while two-faced cowards court them in secret.

The tragic public drama will go on. So will the bloodshed.

Margaret Kimberley is a cofounder of BlackAgendaReport.com, and writes a weekly column there.

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MARCH 2 – MARCH 8, 2018

Erik Killmonger is the real MVP of ‘Black Panther’ Editor’s note: Commentaries on this page contain spoilers for the “Black Panther” movie.

Marvel’s big screen adaptation of “Black Panther” surpassed all expectations of its debut, topping $700 million after its second weekend.

When I went to see “Black Panther” during the opening weekend, the excitement from the crowd radiated throughout the theater’s lobby. The joy I inhaled while standing in line took me higher than a preacher’s Sunday sermon.

The drums and opening verse to Kendrick Lamar’s “Black Panther” echoed in my head: King of my city, king of my country, king of my homeland King of the filthy, king of the fallen, we livin’ again King of the shooters, looters, boosters, and ghettos poppin’ King of the past, present, future, my ancestors watchin I loved the film, but we should remember that Wakanda is a figment of imagination. More accurately, Wakanda is a creation of White imagination. Killmonger is “our” reality.

An anomaly Wakanda is convenient for the consciousness of “the colonizer.”

A fictional, technologically-advanced African utopia lightens the weight of oppression by using the singular case of Black excellence, embodied in Wakanda, as the benchmark instead of a beau-

LYNETTE MONROE NNPA GUEST COMMENTARY

tiful, aspirational anomaly. It then places the responsibility of reconciliation on the backs of the oppressed.

Champions of truth must not only embrace the triumphs of our history, but also the painful, complicated facts of our past.

Erik Killmonger represents an uncomfortable truth. He is the Black Panther’s Kryptonite. The pain of Killmonger’s conflicted reality disrupts T’Challa’s idealistic, progressive world.

The ultimate victory of Black Panther is only secured through a cinematic miracle. Even then, the Black Panther cannot find it in himself kill Killmonger; it is Killmonger himself who chooses his own end after his final battle with T’Challa.

“Bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped from ships, because they knew death was better than bondage,” Killmonger said in his final scene as he watched the sun set on Wakanda.

Centuries of resilience isn’t some kind of honor; it is simply survival.

‘Panther’ can help I am convinced that we can use Black Panther and Princess Shuri to help young people imagine their own STEM futures and the role they can play in driving in-

TYRA METOYER

novation as we all prepare for the fourth industrial revolution. This revolution will be characterized by a range of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and digitization. This revolution can be led by the next generation of “STEMinists.”

The Wakandan princess is the youngest of the strong, female characters showcased in this Ryan Coogler-directed blockbuster. She is unapologetically smart, funny, brave, and beautiful. Her language even demonstrates her tech-savvy leadership of the most technologically advanced nation in the world.

As Shuri emerges as an unlikely “shero,” her position is challenged

Existing fan base The character, created for Marvel Comics by Stan Lee in 1966, already had generations of fans. Its A-list cast and crew include a number of Academy Award and Golden Globe winners and nominees. Setting aside its cultural impact, “Black Panther” has been hailed as one of the best-acted, best-directed, best-created superhero movies of all time.

But let us not set aside its cultural impact. Representation of women and people of color in film also has been an issue as long as there have been films.

Actor and playwright Dylan Marron a few years ago introduced a web series entitled “Every Single Word,” which highlights the shockingly small amount of dialogue spoken by

MARC H. MORIAL TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

actors of color in mainstream films. The entire Harry Potter series – more than 1,200 minutes of film – includes precisely 5 minutes and 40 seconds of what Marron calls “POC talk time.”

In 2015 and 2016, we took the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to task for the woeful lack of diversity among Oscar nominees.

Too often, even when women and people of color do have significant roles in film, negative stereotypes are reinforced.

The Bechdel Test, named for cartoonist Allison Bechdel who popularized it, determines whether a work of fiction features at least two women characters who speak to each other about something other than a man. Only half of all films pass this test.

when M’Baku tries to dismiss her as a mere child. Yet, we are introduced to energy spears, kimoyo beads, sound-absorbent sneakers, variations of the Black Panther suit, vibranium cars, and virtual modes of transportation – all out of the imagination and innovation of the young, hip princess.

A glimpse

GUEST COMMENTARY

‘Black Panther’ is the movie we deserve As long as there have been movies, there have been movie heroes.

From Douglas Fairbanks’ swashbuckling heroes like Zorro and Robin Hood in the 1920s, to Luke Skywalker in the 1970s to Harry Potter in the 2000s, the movies have always provided inspiration and role models for young people and a source for fantasy and imagination.

Most of these figures, as one might expect, have been White and male. That is why “Black Panther” is such a significant milestone.

Killing freedom

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VISUAL VIEWPOINT: DONALD TRUMP’S ‘BRAVERY’

DAVID FITZSIMMONS, THE ARIZONA STAR, TUCSON, AZ

the ruling class. Killmonger is the rage of millions of people who were displaced, disregarded, and discarded. Black Panther is a fictional depiction of the moral consciousness of Black people the hope for both the oppressed and the oppressor. He is the grace of God to a people undeserving.

Mainstream dialogue on race relations in the United States naively suggests that White people simply refuse to acknowledge that the crimes of American slavery and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade continue to fuel significant disparities across the planet.

conscious relegation of persons of color is reduced to collateral damage necessary to maintain power, wealth, and leadership.

As Killmonger fell, I longed for a Black Panther/Killmonger partnership. The partnership of rage and compassion, of power and responsibility, of justice and reconciliation deserves exploration.

Resolving the conflict between the Black Panther and Killmonger is the precarious tightrope that Black folks must walk to freedom.

Killmonger’s death is also a figment of White people’s imagination. His conflicted fight for freedom lives on in the hearts of Black people across the globe.

My knowledge of comic book adaptations is limited to Superman and the X-Men; in both movie franchises, characters faced deep moral decisions. These decisions are most often a test of character or weight of priority.

These films, set in city centers, often display massive property damaged and presumed loss of innocent life.

However, the central internal conflict in “Black Panther” cen- ‘Collateral damage’ I argue that they are fully aware tered upon killing the radical purLynette Monroe is a graduate of their crimes, but interpret them suit of freedom.

The truth Killmonger is a villain of White through a filtered lens of con- student at Howard University.

Although we would all like for culture, the worst nightmare of quest. I argue that White people’s Twitter: @_monroedoctrine.

‘Black Panther’ showcases STEM applications As I sat in the theater mesmerized by Marvel’s record-breaking “Black Panther,” there were so many moments and messages that filled me with an overwhelming sense of pride.

The Black Girl Magic was palpable. King T’Challa was a strong, thoughtful king who loved and respected all of his leading ladies.

Erik Killmonger was the best supervillain I’ve seen in a really long time. And of course, I want my next trip to the continent to include a visit to the breathtakingly beautiful Wakanda.

However, all of those moments paled in comparison to my fascination with the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) applications and the genius of Princess Shuri.

Wakanda to exist, it doesn’t. The painful truth is that Black people were forcefully dispersed throughout the globe, isolated from our culture, countries and families. The campaign of carnage that White people led worldwide cannot be reconciled through broad aid and well-intentioned community centers.

Partnership and collaboration, two of the many underlying themes of the film, prove elusive for Killmonger. The love between Okoye and W’Kabi ended civil war. The connection between the spiritual world and technology is the lifeline of the nation. The cooperation of M’Baku and Ramonda brought hope back to life.

And the love between Nakia and the T’Challa is slated to save the world.

Killmonger was not bestowed the privilege of partnership.

EDITORIAL

In her very first scene, after lovingly teasing her brother, she snaps back, “Just because something works doesn’t mean it can’t be improved.” Hence, our first glimpse into her engineering mind.

Yes, we fell in love with the way she proudly showed off her latest advances in her lab, but hopefully you took note when Agent Ross expressed his skepticism stating that, “Bullet wounds don’t just magically heal overnight.” Shuri chided him, saying, “They do here, but not by magic. By technology.”

For now, I will forgo my strong desire to lay out the numerous parallels between vibranium (the fictitious precious metal) and natural gas and oil, but I will say that they are not only driving our advanced manufacturing renaissance in this country, but are also the building blocks of innovations

er than race,” and New York Times critic Manola Dargis devised a variation, the DuVernay test – named for African-American film director Ava DuVernay – asks whether “African-Americans and other minorities have fully realized lives rather than serve as scenery in White stories.”

“Black Panther” shatters the very precepts on which these tests rest. The significance of a powerful, intelligent, wealthy and resourceful Black hero cannot be overstated. The women of Wakanda are the true force behind the throne, and are as complex, varied and layered as White male characters usually are given the freedom to be.

When the first Black actress to win an Academy Award, Hattie McDaniel, faced criticism in the 1940s for accepting roles that reinforced negative stereotypes, she retorted, ““Why should I complain about making $700 a week playing a maid? If I didn’t, I’d be making $7 a week being one.”

No bowing

Thankfully, the world of Wakanda is light-years from the plantations where McDaniel’s’ “Mammy” character bowed and scraped to Scarlett O’Hara.

I’m thankful that our children have the opportunity to see themselves on screen as kings Racial test and queens, warriors, scientists, Screenwriter and novelist artists and most importantly, Nikesh Shukla proposed the the heroes of their own stories.

Shukla Test, which determines Marc Morial is president “two ethnic minorities talk to each other for more than five and CEO of the National Urminutes about something oth- ban League.

that will support prosperity, dis- to address the challenges of tocovery and human advancement morrow. That future is a STEM future, no matter what career or proacross the world. fession we choose. Based on everything we understand now and Major job source The energy industry is and will contemplating the disruptions we continue to be a major source of haven’t yet imagined that are sure job opportunities in STEM fields. to define this fourth industrial revThe natural gas and oil indus- olution, we know that our future try supports more than 10.3 mil- will be characterized by constantlion U.S. jobs, and recent reports ly-evolving technology. project 1.9 million job opportunities by 2035, nearly 40 percent Kids can thrive of which will be held by AfricanI imagine a future where our Americans and Latinos. children thrive on innovation, In addition to the large number work in labs like Princess Shuri’s of engineers, more than a million and participate in making choices jobs can be characterized as semi- for how to make our communities skilled and skilled craft trades po- safer and better. I am passionate sitions. I like to say that every job about our industry’s workforce of in our industry is a STEM job, be- the future and the role I get to play cause they will all include technol- in building awareness that I hope ogy and problem-solving (engi- will lead to more jobs for more neering). women and people of color.

More than ever, I am convinced I hope you are raising or menthat jobs are the solution to so ma- toring the real-life Shuris, who ny of our national and global chal- will push the boundaries of what’s lenges. Jobs (careers) are not only possible and lead the innovations a way out of poverty, but they also of the future. I can’t wait to meet give people’s lives purpose, mean- them. ing, and a reason to get out of bed Tyra Metoyer is a manager of every morning. When we’re really External Mobilization for the fortunate, jobs fuel our passion.

The future belongs to those in- American Petroleum Institute. novators who are preparing now On Twitter: @tyram02.

‘Black Panther’ is enemy propaganda I finally got around to seeing “Black Panther.”

I’ve been Black nearly seven decades. My Blackness does not require affirmation from the Disney/Marvel comics universe, where Tony Stark is a greedy Pentagon contractor; where Captain America is a genetically-modified organism; where the Wakandan king and the wannabe king both work with or for the CIA; and where Daredevil’s pals note that investigative reporting on “teachers’ union scandals” is as personally perilous as crossing the Mafia.

For those of us aiming to build a better world, this movie is nothing short of enemy propaganda.

#GetMeTheHellOutaWakanda

BRUCE A. DIXON BLACK AGENDA REPORT

#TheThirstIsReal The movie disrespects its audience and is a standing insult to science fiction and Afro-Futurism.

As Dr. Jared Ball points out, we can’t just go make and market another movie to compete with this one. Disney/Marvel Studios put tens of millions into the promotion of this thing alone. Millions of people are buying their message.

That’s called cultural hegemony.

Those who would drink from this nasty water for “affirmation” and “Black joy” must be deeply desperately thirsty. And evidently thirst confuses before it kills.

The only good thing I got from this movie was the motivation to look for and find some real, respectful, challenging and innovative science fiction and AfroFuturism, preferably written by some Black women to wash the rancid taste of Marvel’s superhero industrial complex from the inside of my head.

In the “Black Panther,” all the Wakandan players are royalty: their counselors, their advisors or their rivals. All the strikingly beautiful and capable Wakandan women take orders from men. The only unambiguous good guy is the Frodo-looking CIA agent.

The homicidal Killmonger character is calculated to sully the very notion of Black rebellion against unjust authority, while Pan Africanism and humanism are defecated upon from multiple angles.

Cinematic bar fights, car chasBruce Dixon is managing edies and battle scenes are a dime a dozen. Worst of all, Wakanda isn’t tor of BlackAgendaReport.com. even rendered in any visually in- Contact him at bruce.dixon@ blackagendareport.com. spiring way.

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MARCH 2 – MARCH 8, 2018 her fix a problem with one of her devices, refusing to leave when she asked him to, she alleges.

At a holiday party, Lee “was slapped in the face by an intoxicated male co-worker for no apparent reason,” according to the suit.

More incidents In January 2016, while working late one night, she was approaching her work space when she saw a male colleague whom she had never spoken with “on all fours, underneath her desk,” she claims. When he saw her, the man “jumped up and shouted, ‘You’ll never know what I was doing!’” according to the suit.

“She was frightened by his comment and believed he may have installed some type of camera or similar device under her desk,” the lawsuit states.

The next day, a co-worker grabbed the name badge hanging from a lanyard around her neck, asking her name and grazing her breasts with his hand, she claims.

Claims ‘unsubstantiated’

DREAMSTIME/TNS

In addition to making lewd comments to her and ogling her “constantly,” a fired Google engineer says male co-workers spiked her drinks with whiskey and laughed about it; and shot Nerf balls and darts at her “almost every day.’’

Google’s ‘bro culture’ led to violence, sexual harassment and suit states tural reckoning.

BY ETHAN BARON MERCURY NEWS/TNS

Mired in controversy

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – As a young, female software engineer at male-dominated Google, Loretta Lee was slapped, groped and even had a co-worker pop up from beneath her desk one night and tell her she’d never know what he’d been doing under there, according to a lawsuit filed against the Mountain View tech giant.

The lawsuit comes as Silicon Valley’s tech industry, dominated by White men, has been roiled by a series of sexual-misconduct scandals and gender-related upheavals as the MeToo movement against sexual assault of women has prompted a nationwide cul-

Google has been the focus of considerable gender-related controversy. It fired engineer James Damore over his memo claiming a biological basis for the gender gap in tech.

It sacked a transgender man who then sued the firm, claiming he was ousted for opposing bigotry in the workplace. And lawsuits by the U.S. Department of Labor and a former Googler have accused the company of paying women less than men.

Now, Lee’s lawsuit — filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court — alleges the company failed to to protect her, saying, “Google’s bro-culture contribut-

ed to (Lee’s) suffering frequent sexual harassment and gender discrimination, for which Google failed to take corrective action.”

‘Rising star’ fired She was fired in February 2016 for poor performance, according to the suit.

Google said that it has “strong policies against harassment in the workplace” and reviews every complaint it receives.

“We take action when we find violations, including termination of employment,” a company spokesperson said.

Lee started at the company in 2008 in Los Angeles and later switched to the firm’s Mountain View campus, according to the suit, which asserts that she “was

considered a talented and rising star” who received consistently “excellent” performance reviews.

Ogled, slapped Lee claims that the “severe and pervasive” sexual harassment she experienced included daily abuse and egregious incidents.

In addition to making lewd comments to her and ogling her “constantly,” Lee’s male co-workers spiked her drinks with whiskey and laughed about it; and shot Nerf balls and darts at her “almost every day,” the suit alleges.

One male colleague sent her a text message asking if she wanted a “horizontal hug,” while another showed up at her apartment with a bottle of liquor, offering to help

Lee’s superior and the firm’s human resources department learned of that incident and repeatedly tried persuading her to officially report the alleged groper, but she resisted out of fear of being ostracized as an “informer,” she claims.

After she was written up for being uncooperative, she relented and reported the man, but HR found her claims “unsubstantiated,” according to the suit.

“This emboldened her colleagues to continue their inappropriate behavior,” the suit says.

Damages sought Her fear of being ostracized was realized, she claims, with co-workers refusing to approve her code in spite of her diligent work on it. Not getting her code approved led to her being “labeled as a ‘poor performer,’” the suit says.

Lee also alleges that Google failed to accommodate her after she suffered a disabling back injury from a car crash, with the company telling her she must get treatment and therapy on her own time.

She is seeking unspecified damages in excess of $25,000 for harassment, gender discrimination, failure to prevent sexual harassment, disability discrimination, wrongful termination and retaliation.

Former Fox commentator running for Congress

BY JAVIER PANZAR LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

LOS ANGELES – Conservative commentator Stacey Dash has opened a federal committee to raise money to challenge California Democratic Rep. Nanette Barragan, who represents a Los Angeles district where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans, 61 percent to 10 percent.

Dash filled out federal paperwork Monday morning declaring her intent to run in the 44th Congressional District as a Republican and set up a campaign committee dubbed “Dash to DC.” The “Clueless” actress has not yet submitted the paperwork with the Los Angeles County Registrar. She has until the March 9 deadline to get herself on the June 5 primary ballot.

Dash’s representatives and the committee treasurer did not respond to calls. Her website shows only the “Dash to DC” logo.

Twitter teases Dash, 51, has been teasing a political run recently on Twitter.

“In response to numerous calls for me to run for office, I am considering a run for Congress. Would love to know what my fans and friends think,” Dash tweeted on Feb. 10.

She rose to fame in 1995 as a supporting actress in the cult classic and has been in a number of television shows

AARON POOLE/AMPAS/SUMA PRESS/ TNS

Stacey Dash appears at the Academy Awards on Feb. 28. and films.

She is now known as a conservative television commentator. She wrote a book called “There goes my social life: From Clueless to Conservative.”

Suspended by Fox Dash, who has been described as “Bajan, African American and Mexican,” has called for an end to Black History Month.

She was suspended from her job at Fox News after she said President Barack Obama didn’t “give a s--- about terrorism. She left her job at Fox News last year.

She is registered to vote in Rep. Adam Schiff’s West Hollywood district and faces long odds in the 44th Congressional District running as a Republican thanks to the lopsided voter registration.

About 51 percent of voters in the district are Latino, 25 percent are Black and 5 percent are Asian, according to the California Target Book.

RICKY FITCHETT/ZUMA PRESS/TNS

Michelle Obama gives her final speech as first lady on Jan. 6, 2017. She was honoring the 2017 school counselor of the year in the East Room of the White House.

Former first lady’s memoir ‘Becoming’ coming in November

BY RACHEL DESANTIS NEW YORK DAILY NEWS/TNS

Former First Lady Michelle Obama announced her “deeply personal” memoir, “Becoming,” will hit shelves Nov. 13.

Obama, 54, revealed the work’s title and release date in a tweet Sunday, and said the book will chronicle her life, leading up to and including her time in the White House.

“Writing ‘Becoming’ has been a deeply personal experi-

ence. I talk about my roots and how a girl from the South Side (of Chicago) found her voice,” she wrote.

Book tour too The accompanying website describes “Becoming” as “warm, wise and revelatory…

The deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations — and whose story inspires others to do the same.”

Obama will embark on an international book tour closer to publication, and is slated to read the audiobook version.

Her book deal — along with husband Barack’s — was announced by Penguin Random House in February 2017.

She previously penned a 2012 cookbook called “American Grown” that promoted healthy eating, a cause she championed as First Lady with the Let’s Move! initiative to fight childhood obesity.

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Adorning Wakanda Meet Douriean Fletcher, the jewelry designer for ‘Black Panther’

PHOTOS BY KIRK MCKOY/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

Douriean Fletcher, a Los Angeles-based jewelry designer and special jewelry costumer, created the jewelry and armor for Marvel’s Black Panther movie.

“I tried to make it look like (vibranium, the fictional metal that powers Wakanda).

The intention was to show something raw — mixing jewelry with fine art.”

BY KEVIN CRUST LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

No one will ever underestimate King T’Challa of Wakanda again.

“Black Panther,” proving its $200-million opening weekend was no fluke, eclipsed $108 million over its second, trailing only “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” as the largest second weekend of all time, according to data from measurement and analytics firm ComScore.

Directed by Ryan Coogler, and starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong’o, Mar-

tic direction of the costumes. But mostly, I liked her personality. We laughed a lot.”

I

‘A good match’

n creating the world of Wakanda, the fictional African country that’s home to T’Challa, Shuri and the other characters in Marvel Studios’ new “Black Panther” movie, much care was given to special effects, landscapes and spaceships.

Even the seemingly small details of the armament worn by the Dora Milaje, the king’s guards led by Danai Gurira’s character Okoye, and the accessories worn

by Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and other members of the royal court required the big-budget production to turn to someone innovative.

This is where Douriean Fletcher, the jewelry designer for “Black Panther,” was able to thrive. Fletcher had been making jewelry for less than 10 years when she met longtime Oscar-nominated costume designer Ruth E. Carter at a jewelry show in New Orleans.

Douriean Fletcher, Jewelry designer

‘Black Panther’ annihilates competition with $108-million second weekend

BY JEVON PHILLIPS LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

Chance encounter Weeks later the two crossed paths again while Carter was working on the 2016 adaptation of “Roots” and Fletcher was an extra getting a costume fitting.

“At first, I didn’t even recognize her,” Carter said recently. “But when I did, I told her to take off her costume and get to work creating pieces on my show.”

When Carter was later hired to work on “Black Panther,” she didn’t hesitate in bringing Fletcher aboard.

“I liked how committed she was towards her craft,” Carter said. “I thought her style — this sort of handmade, seminal style — fit into the African diaspora and ultimately what I considered to be the artis-

For Fletcher, personality played a part in her on-set work. Although she was shown images of what the production wanted her to create, it took her a while to filter those ideas through her own aesthetic and to choose which materials and metals to use for the designs.

She wasn’t hired to create only jewelry, she also made integral sections of some of the futuristic, African-inspired costumes and armament the characters wear.

“Ruth showed me what kinds of things Wakanda reflected to her, what it meant to her,” Fletcher said recently. “So I was able to go off and do some things and bring them back to her. It was just a good match.”

Outfitting warriors One of the major costuming feats Fletcher assisted with was in helping to create the look of the Dora Milaje. The colorful costuming of the women warriors practically jumps off the screen, and although there were specifications in terms of the armored adornments she was asked to make, Fletcher was still able to bring her own flair to it.

“I feel like (with) my style … there’s been this type of Afro-chic or Afro-couture (labeling),” Fletcher said. “Or maybe even a primal chic or primal couture. In the (‘Black Panther’) poster of Okoye you can see — I don’t know if you’ll notice because the average person won’t look — but you can see the hammer marks on her armor.

See FLETCHER, Page B2

already makes it the highest grossing February film ever.

Internationally, the Disney release tallied $83.8 million to bring its worldwide total to $704 million.

A distant second, “Game Night,” Warner Bros. actioncomedy starring Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams, debuted with $16.6 million, apace with analysts’ projections but higher than the studio’s reported expectations.

No competition

King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) confronts Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) during a scene in the “Black Panther.’’ vel Studios’ latest superhero epic continued to monopolize the domestic box office, easily sweeping aside the week’s newcomers — “Game Night,” “Annihilation” and “Every Day” — its three-day total accounting for more than 50 percent of the weekend’s gross.

Best February film “Black Panther’s” $400-million North American total

Holdover “Peter Rabbit,” Sony’s hybrid live-action/ animation adaptation of the Beatrix Potter children’s classic, held on to third place with $12.5 million in its third weekend.

In fourth place, British writer-director Alex Garland’s sci-fi thriller “Annihilation,” his first film since the critically acclaimed “Ex Machina” in 2014, earned $11 million.

Rounding out the top five was “Fifty Shades Freed” at $6.9 million, also in its third weekend.

DuVernay film coming For its third weekend, “Black Panther” squares off against Eli Roth’s Bruce Willis-starring “Death Wish” remake and Jennifer Lawrence headlining the spy thriller “Red Sparrow.”

“Black Panther’s” Disney cousin, Ava DuVernay’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” arrives March 9.

EVENTS

B2

MARCH 2 – MARCH 8, 2018

STOJ

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR Jacksonville: A-Train Live The Experience: Mark Gregory is April 20 at the Ritz Theatre & Museum.

Fort Lauderdale: A Pastors and Leaders Conference hosted by Apostle W. L. Mitchell of Judah Worship Word Ministries International. Is March 14-16 at the church, 4441 West Sunrise Blvd.

Details: 954-791-2999 Miami: The Mays High School All Classes Reunion is June 1417. Classmates can sign up to attend by calling 305-238-2604.

Ponte Vedra: Tower of Power performs March 2 at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall for an 8 p.m. show.

Miami: The Global Cuba Fest is March 10 at the Miami Dade County Auditorium. 8 p.m.

Fort Lauderdale: The African Presence Art Exhibition is open through March 12 at Nova Southeastern University’s Alvin Sherman Library. More info: nova.edu/blackhistory Miami Gardens: Jazz in the Gardens’ Poetry in the Gardens is March 15 for spoken word artists 21 and up. Info and how to sign up: jazzinthegardens. com/poetry

S.O.S. BAND

Jazz in the Gardens returns March 17-18 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. An opening night concert on March 16 will feature the S.O.S. Band. www.jazzinthegardens.com/night

KATT WILLIAMS

REGINA CARTER

The comedian’s tour stops at the James L. Knight Center in Miami on April 6 and 7.

He will be at the Amway Center in Orlando on April 13 and Tampa’s USF Sun Dome on April 14.

Tickets are on sale for the Miami Downtown Jazz Festival April 26-28. Performers: Arturo Sandoval, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Kurt Elling, Lizz Wright, Regina Carter and more. miamidowntownjazzfestival.org.

North Carolina legislators want to replace White supremacist with Graham

BY ALEX GANGITANO CQ-ROLL CALL/TNS

WASHINGTON — When the Rev. Billy Graham died last week at the age of 99, it set in motion a plan to memorialize him in the U.S. Capitol — and to kick out a White supremacist.

North Carolina’s legislature wants to add a statue of the noted evangelical preacher to the Capitol’s collection, replacing that of Charles Aycock, a supremacist and North Carolina’s 50th governor.

While then-Gov. Pat McCrory signed a bill requesting the swap two years ago, it had to wait until Graham’s death, since the National Statuary Hall Collection — which features two statues from every state — bars likenesses of living people.

Rare Capitol honor Now members of Congress from North Carolina are speaking out in favor of the plan.

“Not only do I agree with that decision, I will do anything I can to work and promote it and I will do everything I can to do it as expeditiously as possible,” Rep. Mark Walker said last week after Graham’s death.

It was Walker who introduced the resolution that authorized Graham to “lie in honor” Wednesday and Thursday in the Capitol Rotunda. He is the fourth person to have that honor.

Fitting tribute For him, the switch is less about replacing Aycock, who has stood in the Capitol since 1932, and more about honoring Graham.

Rep. Robert Pittenger said the statue would be a fitting tribute to Graham, even if it clashed with his doctrine of humility.

“As someone who spent his life deflecting praise and giving all glory to Jesus Christ, Dr. Graham probably would have turned down this honor.

Yet given the tremendous impact Dr. Graham had on my life, and the lives of millions of Americans, I can’t think of a more fitting and enduring honor than placing his statue in the United States Capitol,” the congressman said in a statement.

He added, “The statue will publicly and permanently honor a North Carolina native and ‘America’s Pastor,’ a humble servant who faithfully fulfilled God’s calling The Rev. Billy Graham died on Feb. 21 at age 99. for over eight decades.”

FLETCHER

pen. I got really emotional watching them. I saw a lot of Black men crying.”

from B1

Understanding audience Mixing jewelry with comicbook culture might not appear to be a profitable undertaking despite the clamoring for a different type of action film and the glowing reviews “Black Panther” has garnered.

However, Fletcher’s study of jewelry, YouTube videos and Black Panther’s comic-book roots has helped her shape what she believes consumers want.

“I did want to also create things for people who aren’t avid fans but can still appreciate the idea and the culture of Wakanda,” Fletcher said.

“There’s a crossover between my aesthetics and Wakandan aesthetics.”

I like it to look imperfect, to look homemade, like someone took their hands and made it.

You use gold or silver so that it has that fine-art aesthetic, but it still looks like someone made it from their heart and is based off of some kind of ancestral DNA. I just call it art.”

Dressing royalty Many of the main characters in “Black Panther” are royalty — not just Bassett’s Queen Ramonda and Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa, but the inventive Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright) — so what they wear in the film could be considered haute couture in Wakanda.

Kings, princesses and queens communicate status with what they wear, and Fletcher was also keenly aware of this.

“To me, couture for Wakanda would be anything that Shuri or Ramonda would wear,” Fletcher said. “Shuri has a very upscale, contemporary look to her style.

She’d be more couture avantgarde. Geometrical. … Kind of like Lady Gaga a few years ago.

“Ramonda, like the (look) that’s on the poster, is very couture and regal — a gold piece that is adorned by a lot of crystals,” Fletcher continued. “I tried to make it look like (vibranium, the fictional metal that powers Wakanda). The intention was to show something raw — mixing jewelry with fine art.”

2008 preparation Working on “Black Panther”

BOB LEVERONE/CHARLOTTE OBSERVER/TNS

Promise manifested

KIRK MCCOY/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

Douriean Fletcher has been granted the license to produce “Black Panther” lines of jewelry. The jewelry line is available on Fletcher’s website, www.douriean.com. was the culmination of a dream, one Fletcher said she had unknowingly prepared for when she began creating jewelry.

“In 2008, I studied in Durban, South Africa, for a semester before I got into jewelry,” she said.

“The thing that got me into jewelry was seeing the Zulu people.

I stayed in Durban, and it’s predominantly Zulu, so I was really intrigued by the functionality of the jewelry. Everything they put on means something.

“It made me realize, ‘Oh, these things aren’t just non-communicative tools,’ ” Fletcher said. “You can tell someone who you are without having to speak.”

Jewelry line Fletcher was given the license to produce “Black Panther” lines of jewelry, and she said she feels a responsibility to create pieces that will be universally loved and will probably have more meaning to some fans, including African

Americans.

The line is available on Fletcher’s website, www.douriean.com, with more to be released later.

“I really want to do something for the ‘Black Panther’ fans. After the first trailer came out (last year), I got obsessed with watching reactions and YouTube clips,” Fletcher said.

“I didn’t realize how many men of color, specifically AfricanAmerican men, had been waiting for something like this to hap-

Two years before “Black Panther,” Fletcher posted on her Facebook page a promise that came true: “One day you will be wearing my earrings,” she wrote under a photo of Bassett.

On set with Bassett, Fletcher said, “I put some jewelry on her during a fitting for the movie and I had to step out because I started crying.”

Bassett even wore some of Fletcher’s jewelry to the “Black Panther” premiere in Los Angeles last month.

Going forward, Fletcher has plans for other “Black Panther” jewelry inspired by the Dora Milaje and the film’s villain Erik Killmonger, played by Michael B. Jordan.

Fletcher has also secured the jewelry rights to the upcoming Marvel films “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp.”

STOJ

MARCH 2 – MARCH 8, 2018

TRAVEL

B3 and a cathedral.

Once in Pienza, we each set off on our own. I ambled around, looking at modern shops, coffee bars and cafes that operated behind old facades. Eventually I stumbled upon the cathedral that displayed the coat-of-arms of Pope Pius II. Because of the schedule, I wasn’t able to visit it or the papal palace, but I did have time to enjoy the panoramic view of the valley below from the village walls.

Back on the bus, we traveled to a small family factory, called Mulino Val d’Orcia (mulinovaldorcia.it), that produces organic wheat and bran flour.

The young miller, Amadeo Grappi, explained how wheat is ground in his stone mill, and demonstrated the making of pici (a thick spaghetti) with only flour and water. The business also produces penne, fusilli, tagliatelle and other pastas. The Adler serves their pasta and breads, and makes other baked goods from their flours.

The most unforgettable part of the visit was an invitation to the mid-day meal. On a covered patio sat a long table, spread with big bowls of pici in tomato sauce, platters of cold meats, baskets of fresh bread and plenty of wine. Smells of bread baking in nearby ovens wafted by as we ate. Ah, la dolce vita!

The dinner meal When I returned to our guestroom, I found my sister well rested and revitalized after hours in the thermal pool. She said, “The heat of the pool is amazingly good for the body.” My body was revitalized, too, if not rested.

Dinner is served in the same dining room as breakfast, but the buffet tables have been replaced by an attentive wait staff delivering trays of food. Lights are low so as to highlight the glittering stars overhead.

The menu changes daily and features Tuscan dishes made with locally sourced products. Much of the traditional dishes come from a poorer time in Tuscany, so you’ll see cannellini beans in soups like Minestroni and dishes using stale bread like Panzanella salad. Nevertheless, there is the popular Bistecca alla Fiorentina and dishes made with the expensive truffle.

The wines come from Adler’s wellstocked cellar.

A GIRLS TRIP UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN PHOTOS COURTESY OF ELEANOR HENDRICKS MCDANIEL

Montalcino is a real wine town. Vineyards that grow Sangiovese grapes thrive in the Montalcino region.

BY ELEANOR HENDRICKS MCDANIEL SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

T

ravel can be exhausting. After a busy week in Rome, my sister, Valerie, and I decided to take a break and “chillax” under the Tuscan sun.

Well-known cities, like Florence and Pisa are located in Tuscany – one of the most popular regions in Italy. We made reservations at the renown Adler Thermae and Spa (adler-thermae.com) in Bagno Vignoni. We hopped the train to Chiusi (the closest train stop to Bagno Vignoni) for a 2 ½ hour ride.

The resort’s driver met us at the station, and, in about 45 minutes, we pulled up at the Adler, a striking modern structure that blends perfectly into the rural landscape.

From the terrace of our guestroom, we looked out upon spears of cypress trees that punctured the viridian valley; we could also see and hear swimmers splashing in the resort’s mineral pools.

It was October, but the temperature bordered on hot, except with the occasional whisper of a breeze.

The temperature of the pool water is 122 degrees Fahrenheit.

Many hill towns There was a gym outfitted with

Once again, Valerie and I arose early. She, with plans to return to the mineral pool, and I, anticipating a minibus excursion to Montalcino, a real wine town. Enotica, or wine shops, along with cafes for drinking only wine are everywhere.

Vineyards that grow Sangiovese grapes thrive in the Montalcino region because of its altitude and climate. Brunello, a red wine, is its specialty.

After a short stint in the town, we went to visit La Palazzetta (palazzettafanti.com), a winery located in the little hamlet of Castelnuovo dell’Abate, on the edge of Montalcino. The vineyards and winery are owned by the Fanti family. The patriarch, Flavio Fanti, cultivates his vines organically, and ages his wines in French oak barrels.

Our group was ushered into a bright dining room with breathtaking views of the hills from the windows. We munched on Italian sausages and cheeses with crusty bread, accompanied by plenty of wine. We sampled Flavio’s Brunello, along with his Tortarano Toscano, Sant’Antico Rosso and more.

He explained the making of each wine as he set it out. Again, la dolce vita!

Squeezing it all in

The next day Waking early, we dressed for breakfast, which, plus the afternoon tea buffet and dinner, was included in our package. It was served in an open-air dining room where an international clientele ate, clothed in only terrycloth robes before heading off to their spa treatments.

Servers engaged them in their respective language. But talk was hardly necessary as we helped ourselves from heavy-laden buffet tables, filled with breakfast meats, fruit, cereal, made-to-order omelets, hot and cold cereal, fresh bread and rolls.

It was time for Valerie and me to go our separate ways. I toured the facility with the manager, Anton Pichler, and Valerie was off to her personal mission of rest and relaxation. Anton and I checked out a spa salon that offered beauty treatments from head to toes: hair services, manicures, pedicures and facials.

Day three

The Pienza dates back to the ninth century. the latest equipment, the spa and wellness center’s many treatment rooms, a Finnish sauna, an underground salt bath area, an Etruscan steam room and an indoor pool that opened up to the outdoor mineral pool. The waters are fed from a subterranean aquifer at a temperature of 122 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tuscany is filled with hill towns that had flourished during the Middle Ages. Each one carries

you back in time because Italy has maintained the ancient exteriors of the buildings. Adler Thermae conducts complementary excursions for its guests.

Therefore, along with 14 other persons, I was off to Pienza in the resort’s minibus. The bus drove to a dirt road where we disembarked to walk the rest of the way.

High on a distant hill towered our destination, Pienza, sparkling in the sun like gold.

La Palazzetta Winery produces splendid wines in the little town of Castelnuovo dell’Abate.

In Pienza One outstanding aspect of this medieval hamlet is its papal ties.

In 1459, the newly elected pontiff, Pope Pius II, (born Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini,) began to improve Pienza, which was his birthplace, known at that time as Corsignano.

He rebuilt the entire ninth-century village as an “ideal town” and renamed it Pienza in his honor. For himself, he built a papal palace

It was our final day and our last opportunity to utilize Adler Thermae’s amenities. We took a yoga lesson, worked out in the gym and had pedicures.

After lunch, it was spa time. Valerie arranged for a Green Stamina anti-aging facial, and I chose an aqua Zen massage. The rest of the day was spent relaxing poolside.

We recovered our strength and vitality after those few days at Adler Thermae. We were more than able to continue our travels.

Eleanor Hendricks McDaniel is a seasoned travel journalist who enjoys writing about girlfriend getaways, history, culture, food, wine, and some of the people she meets along the way. Her travels have taken her throughout the United States, Europe and other countries.

Formerly of Philadelphia, now resides in Ormond Beach. Follow her on Twitter: @ellethewriter, Instagram: @eleanor1004, Facebook: Eleanor.hendricks. mcdaniel and her website: flybynighttraveler.com.

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

B4

MARCH 2 – MARCH 8, 2018

July 7, 1981: Sandra Day O’Connor is nominated as the first woman Supreme Court Justice.

July 12, 1984: Rep. Geraldine Ferraro, D-N.Y., is chosen as the first female to run for vice president. She joined Walter Mondale, D-Minn., on the Democratic Party ticket.

July 19-20, 1848: The Seneca Falls Convention, the country’s first women’s rights convention, is held in Seneca Falls, N.Y.

J A N U A RY Jan. 5, 1925: Nellie Tayloe Ross is inaugurated as governor of Wyoming, becoming the first female governor in the U.S. Jan. 7, 1896: Fanny Farmer’s first cookbook is published with standardized cooking measurements.

Jan. 8, 1977: Pauli Murray becomes the first female AfricanAmerican Episcopal priest.

Jan. 25, 1980: Mary Decker became the first woman to run a mile under 41/2 minutes, coming in at 4:17.55.

Janet Reno

Toni Morrison

AUGUST

F E B R U A RY Feb. 4, 1987: The first National Women in Sports Day is celebrated.

Feb. 15, 1953: Tenley Albright becomes the first American woman to win a World Figure Skating championship.

Feb. 24, 1967: Jocelyn Bell Burnell makes the first discovery of a pulsar, a rapidly rotating neutron star.

Feb. 27, 1922: The U.S. Supreme Court upholds the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, guaranteeing women’s right to vote.

Aug. 9, 1995: Roberta Cooper Ramo becomes president of the American Bar Association. She is the first woman to hold that office.

Aug. 26, 1920: The 19th Amendment of the Constitution is ratified granting women the right to vote.

Aug. 26, 1970: Betty Friedan leads a nationwide protest called the Women’s Strike for Equality in New York City on the 50th anniversary of women’s suffrage.

Aug. 30, 1984: Judith A. Resnick joins the maiden flight of the space shuttle Discovery, becoming the second U.S. woman in space.

Sally Ride

MARCH March 4, 1917: Jeannette Rankin, R-Mont., becomes the first female member of Congress.

March 11, 1993: Janet Reno is confirmed as the first woman U.S. Attorney General.

March 13, 1986: Susan Butcher wins the first of three straight, and four total, Iditarod dog sled races.

March 20, 1852: “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” by HarN AT I O N A L A R C H I V E S riet Beecher Harriet Beecher Stowe Stowe, is published. It becomes the best-selling book of the 19th century.

APRIL April 7, 1805: Sacagawea begins work as an interpreter for Lewis and Clark on their expedition.

April 7, 1987: The National Museum of Women in the Arts opens in Washington, D.C. It’s the first museum devoted to women artists.

April 19, 1977: Fifteen women in the House of Representatives form the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues.

April 28, 1993: The Ms. Foundation sponsors the first “Take Our Daughters to Work” day. In 2003, the day was changed to “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work” day.

SEPTEMBER

By Wendy Zang, McClatchy-Tribune

It wasn’t until 1987 that Congress declared March Women’s History Month, in celebration of women’s contributions and achievements.

The month was a step up from Women’s History Week, which had been recognized, first in Sonoma, Calif., in the late 1970s, and then a few years later nationally.

While March provides some time to focus on female accomplishments, great women should be celebrated for more than 31 days.

Here’s a look at some important dates in women’s history to recognize all year long.

M AY May 5, 1938: Dr. Dorothy H. Andersen presents results of her medical research identifying the disease cystic fibrosis.

May 8, 1914: President Woodrow Wilson signs a proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. May 21, 1932: Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to complete a solo transatlantic flight, flying 2,026 miles from Newfoundland to Ireland in just under 15 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS hours.

Amelia Earhart May 29, 1977: Janet Guthrie becomes the first woman to qualify for and complete the Indy 500.

JUNE June 9, 1949: Georgia Neese Clark is confirmed as the first woman treasurer of the United States.

June 10, 1963: Equal Pay Act is enacted prohibiting discrimination based on gender in the payment of wages June 18, 1983: Dr. Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space.

June 25, 1903: Madame Marie Curie announces her discovery of radium.

Sept. 12, 1910: In Los Angeles, Alice Stebbins Wells becomes the first woman police officer with arrest powers in U.S. Sept. 20, 1973: Billie Jean King defeats Bobby Riggs in the battle of the sexes tennis match.

Sept 26, 1973: American Baptist minister Capt. Lorraine Potter becomes the first woman U.S. Air Force chaplain.

Sept. 29, 1988: Stacy Allison becomes first U.S. woman to reach the summit of Mt. Everest.

OCTOBER Oct. 4, 1976: ABC’s Barbara Walters becomes the first woman co-anchor of the evening news.

Oct. 4, 1993: Ruth Bader Ginsburg becomes second female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

MCT Oct. 8, Ruth Bader 1993: Toni Ginsburg Morrison wins the Nobel Prize for Literature; the first African-American woman to do so.

Oct. 23, 1910: Blanche Stuart Scott becomes the first American woman pilot to make a public flight.

NOVEMBER Sandra Day O’Connor

Rosa Parks

Mary McLeod Bethune

Geraldine Ferraro

Nov. 1, 1848: The New England Female Medical School opens becoming the first medical school for women. In 1874 it merges with Boston University and becomes one of the world’s first coed medical schools.

Nov. 11, 1993: The Vietnam Women’s Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C., honoring the 265,000 women who voluntarily served during the Vietnam era.

Nov. 14, 1946: Emily Greene Balch, co-founder of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Nov. 28, 1881: The first organizational meeting is held for the predecessor group to the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

DECEMBER

LEARN MORE Check out these sites to learn more about women in history: ■ Library of Congress — www.womenshistorymonth.gov ■ The National Women’s History Project — www.nwhp.org ■ National Women’s Hall of Fame — www.greatwomen.org/home.php ■ The Biography Channel — www.biography.com/womens-history

J U LY July 2, 1979: The Susan B. Anthony dollar is released.

STOJ

SOURCE: NATIONAL WOMEN’S HISTORY PROJECT, THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS • PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ERIC GOODWIN/TNS

Dec. 1, 1955: Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Ala., bus to a white person.

Dec. 5, 1935: Mary McLeod Bethune creates the National Council of Negro Women.

Dec. 7, 1941: Capt. Annie Fox becomes the first woman awarded the Purple Heart for her service while under attack at Pearl Harbor.

Dec. 17, 1993: Judith Rodin becomes the first woman to head an Ivy League school, as president of the University of Pennsylvania.

STOJ

MARCH 2 – MARCH 8, 2018

Meet some of

FLORIDA’S

finest

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

B5

Think you’re one of Florida’s Finest?

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

Thousands of Caribbean culture lovers converge on South Florida every year before and during the Columbus Day weekend to attend the annual Miami Broward Carnival, a series of concerts, pageants, parades, and competitions. On Carnival Day, “mas” (masquerade) bands of thousands of revelers dance and march behind 18-wheel tractor-trailer trucks with booming sound systems from morning until nightfall while competing for honors. Here are some of the “Finest” we’ve seen over the years.

Click on www.flcourier to see hundreds of pictures from previous Carnivals.

Go to www. miamibrowardcarnival. com for more information on Carnival events in South Florida.

CHARLES W. CHERRY II / FLORIDA COURIER

Omarosa says leaving White House was like being ‘freed off a plantation’

BY RACHEL DESANTIS NEW YORK DAILY NEWS/TNS

Letitia Wright stars as the brilliant Princess Shuri in the “Black Panther.’’

Wright hopes Shuri will inspire girls to seek STEM careers

BY CHERIE SAUNDERS EURWEB.COM

“Black Panther” star Letitia Wright hopes her character Shuri will inspire young Black girls in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), where women of color made up less than 10 percent of working scientists and engineers in the U.S. in 2015.

The younger sister to T’Challa (aka the Black Panther), Princess Shuri is the engineering genius who leads her African homeland of Wakanda, the most technologically advanced society in the universe.

The Guyanese actress told HuffPost that the marriage of positive images of Africans with technology in “Black Panther” is important for fans to see, she said.

‘A beautiful place’ “Even reflecting on it now, I can see little glimpses of when they go down to the Great Mound and go down to Shuri’s lab how beautiful that is. Just seeing that there’s young kids in Shuri’s lab, teenagers and people coming together to create technology.

That’s beautiful,” she said.

“All together, it means a lot to see the continent in that way and see the motherland in that way ’cause it’s such a beautiful place.”

The actress also said she hopes young girls will unlock their potential when watching Shuri, especially when it comes to STEM. “I hope it inspires them and I hope it does [so] positively. I hope it sparks the next person,” Wright told HuffPost.

Omarosa Manigault-Newman’s time in the “Celebrity Big Brother” house is up, but she still has plenty of tea to spill on her time in the White House.

Omarosa, who served as the Office of Public Liaison’s director of communications, compared the freedom she felt leaving President Trump’s administration to being freed from a plantation on Saturday’s episode. [She was evicted from the “Celebrity Big Brother’’ house on Sunday during the two-hour finale.]

“I’m emancipated. I feel like I just got freed off a plantation.

Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus,” she said in a clip that aired on Feb. 24 but was filmed on her sixth day in the house.

“I’m thinking of writing a tell-all sometime. He’s going to come after me with everything he has. Like, I’m going up against a kazillionaire… but I have to tell my truth. I’m tired of being muted… I’ve been defending somebody for so long.

Now I’m like, ‘Yo, you are a special kind of f — ked up.’”

don’t need any woman telling us what to do.’

‘They hated me’ And then here’s the president going, ‘Did you ask Omarosa what she thinks?’ So then they hated me more,” she said. “So I’m trying to figure out… Why didn’t you tell me about the welfare reform meeting? I’m the one that was on welfare.”

The television personality — who formed a bond with Trump as an early standout on “The Apprentice” — also offered insight into the President’s tweeting habits.

“What he does is tweet something controversial and the news distracts and spins and then… over,” she said. “Donald will tweet something, insult somebody’s face. The press will be on that for three days, and we push through 16 unfunded mandates and nobody would notice.”

On early tweets Omarosa, 44, added that the White House has a designated Twitter and Facebook rep, though they are essentially powerless, as the president often

tweets early in the morning.

“He’s up in his underwear or something at 4 in the morning. Who’s gonna monitor that?

The bad tweets happen between 4 and 6 in the morning,” she said. “Ain’t nobody up there but Melania (Trump). She walks around like this, ‘He can do whatever he wants.’ She ain’t saying nothing.”

The White House announced in December Omarosa had resigned from her position, but sources have said that she was ousted by Chief of Staff John Kelly and escorted out of the White House.

No affair She’s been chock full of gossip tidbits during her stint in the “Celebrity Big Brother” house, and last week laughed off the idea of ever having an affair with Trump.

She did, however, hint that the idea wasn’t so preposterous to a certain someone in Washington.

“There’s somebody in the White House that’s sleeping around with everybody, but she is not me,” she said. “I’ve never had to do that.”

Only senior Black Omarosa continued to reflect on the prejudices she faced in the White House to fellow houseguest Shannon Elizabeth, who asked why she left in January.

“I was literally the only African-American woman in the senior staff,” she said. “I’m going to meetings with people who are ignoring me, or because I was Black, people wouldn’t even talk to me. And it wasn’t just the Black thing — it was the woman thing.”

The polarizing star added many of her male colleagues disliked her because of the amount of trust Trump had in her.

“These men felt like, ‘We

CHERISS MAY/NURPHOTO/SIPA USA/TNS

Omarosa Manigault-Newman is shown during a daily press briefing in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Jan. 24.

FOOD

B6

MARCH 2 – MARCH 8, 2018

S

How to shake up the

dinner routine

FROM FAMILY FEATURES

If you find yourself stuck in a rut with the same recipes, remember a little change can add a lot of flavor. By simply using fresh pork in dishes that usually consist of chicken or beef, there are countless ways to switch up your dinner routine.

Whether grilled, roasted, slow-cooked or sautéed, Smithfield Fresh Pork is available in a wide variety of cuts as well as pre-marinated flavors, making it versatile and convenient for any night of the week. Try out these recipes for Smoked Bacon Pork Alfredo and Grilled Pork Loin Fajitas to shake up your next meal.

Find more recipe ideas at Smithfield.com/ ShakeItUp.

SMOKED BACON PORK ALFREDO Prep time: 8 minutes Cook time: 22 minutes Servings: 6-8 1 Smithfield Applewood Smoked Bacon Marinated Fresh Pork Loin Filet 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 pound penne pasta 1 package (8 ounces) sliced mushrooms Salt to taste 2 jars (15 ounces each) Alfredo sauce Pepper to taste 1/4 cup finely chopped green onion (optional) Grated Parmesan cheese (optional) Cut pork loin into 1/2-inch thick slices then into 1/4-inch wide strips.

In large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Stir-fry half the pork loin 7-8 minutes until well browned. Set aside on separate plate and repeat with 1 tablespoon oil and remaining pork.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

In skillet over medium-high heat, heat remaining oil; add mushrooms and sprinkle with salt, to taste. Cook 3 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally.

Drain pasta and return to pot; stir in pork, mushrooms and Alfredo sauce.

Stir over medium heat about 4 minutes until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle with green onions and Parmesan cheese, if desired.

GRILLED PORK LOIN FAJITAS Prep time: 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes marinade time Cook time: 30 minutes Servings: 4-6 1 Smithfield Prime Boneless Fresh Pork Loin, cut into 1-inch thick steaks 1 1/2 cups water, divided 1 cup soy sauce 1 can (6 ounces) pineapple juice 6 cloves garlic 1/4 cup white wine 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 large onions, cut into 1/2-inch wide strips 1 tablespoon corn oil Salt to taste Pepper to taste 12 tortillas Guacamole (optional) Sour cream (optional) Pico de gallo (optional) Shredded cheese (optional) Using meat mallet, pound pork steaks until 1/2-inch thick; place in 1-gallon re-sealable plastic bag. Pour

1 cup water, soy sauce and pineapple juice over pork; seal bag and lay flat in refrigerator 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

In blender, pulse garlic, white wine and salt until thoroughly blended.

Whisk butter and slowly incorporate garlic and wine mixture. Reserve at room temperature.

In large skillet over high heat, saute onions in corn oil 2 minutes until they turn deep brown. Add remaining water to skillet and lower heat to medium-low. Cook and stir, scraping bits from bottom of pan, 15 minutes until water has evaporated and onions are caramelized. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat grill to 300 F for indirect cooking. Lightly grease grates.

Remove pork from marinade and place on grill over indirect heat 4-6 minutes per side, until internal temperature reaches 145 F. Remove pork and brush garlic butter on both sides. Let stand 5 minutes; slice into 3-inch long, thin strips.

While grill is hot, grill tortillas individually. Wrap four tortillas at a time in aluminum foil with a little garlic butter.

In skillet, reheat caramelized onions and serve with fajitas. Top with guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo and shredded cheese, if desired.

The only hard part: deciding what to get.

Choose from hundreds of options.

Pick up when you’re ready. publix.com/order