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PRESORTED STANDARD MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID DAYTONA BEACH, FL PERMIT #189
HAPPY 94TH BIRTHDAY! EL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ (MALCOLM X)
Courier staff pays tribute to their moms See Page B1 www.flcourier.com
MAY 10 – MAY 16, 2019
VOLUME 27 NO. 19
WILL CONGRESS ‘LOCK HIM UP?’ Don’t bet on it. A long court battle looms between Donald Trump’s White House and Congress, with the 2020 election year hovering over it all. BY CHRIS MEGERIAN LOS ANGELES TIMES /TNS
WASHINGTON – Tensions between the White House and Congress boiled over Wednesday after President Donald Trump asserted executive privilege to block release to lawmakers of the special counsel’s un-redacted report, and a House committee voted to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt. The high-stakes tit-for-tat marked a major escalation of a legal and political fight that has few parallels since the Watergate era. The disputes are almost certainly headed to court. “We’ve talked for a long time about approaching a constitutional crisis,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the New York Democrat who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, said
after the contempt vote. “We are now in it.”
Jr. to be questioned Adding to the turmoil, the Republicanled Senate Intelligence Committee has issued a subpoena to Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, as part of its investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. It is the first known congressional subpoena of one of Trump’s children. The subpoena was issued recently, reportedly because Trump Jr. refused to appear voluntarily a second time to answer questions, but its existence became public only on Wednesday. Trump Jr. also had refused to testify voluntarily to the special counsel’s office. The day’s dramatic events began when the White House said Trump had asserted executive privilege – for the first time since he took office in 2017 –to block release to Congress of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s un-redacted report and its underlying evidence.
Wouldn’t submit report Hours later, the Democratic-led House See BARR, Page A2
KEN CEDENO/SIPA USA/TNS
U.S. Attorney General William Barr testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee in Washington, D.C. on May 1. Democrats voted to hold Barr in contempt as President Donald Trump asserted ‘executive privilege,’ which would allow him to keep Robert Mueller’s full report secret.
FAMU 2019 SPRING COMMENCEMENT
An ‘uncommon’ man gets an honorary degree
Another health disparity Blacks unlikely to get addiction treatment BY AUBREY WHELAN THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER / TNS
An addiction treatment drug that health officials around the country have touted as a crucial part of the battle against the opioid epidemic is prescribed far more often to White patients. The study, authored by researchers at the University of Michigan and published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at how often patients of different races and ethnicities were prescribed the treatment drug buprenorphine at doctors’ visits.
Less stigma
COURTESY OF FAMU
Hip-hop recording artist, actor, author and activist Common urged Florida A&M University’s graduates to serve and make a difference during one of three commencement speeches delivered last week. Common, former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum and music industry attorney Nicole Wyskoarko spoke to more than 1,220 students who earned degrees during three separate ceremonies.
Getting the medicine at a doctor’s office is a selling point of the opioidbased treatment medication that has fewer federal regulations attached to it than methadone, which must be doled out at clinics and is more stigmatized. Patients can take buprenorphine in the privacy of their homes or doctor’s offices, and most patients on buprenorphine do receive the drug in “officebased settings,” the study authors wrote. Still, doctors need special permission to prescribe buprenorphine, something that isn’t required for the opioid painkillers that may have sparked the addiction crisis.
Millions of visits The study looked at more than 13 See HEALTH, Page A2
‘Teachers with guns’ is now the law
SNAPSHOTS
BY ANA CEBALLOS NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
A Medal of Freedom for Tiger
TALLAHASSEE – Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed legislation that expands the controversial school “guardian” program to allow armed classroom teachers. DeSantis’ office announced the signing shortly after 6 p.m. without ceremony or comments about the bill, which was widely backed by House and Senate Republicans and heavily opposed by gun-control activists, Democrats and some students who survived the mass shooting last year at Parkland’s
Blacks not keen yet on Buttigieg
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Recap of 2019 legislative session
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Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The governor signed the bill (SB 7030) hours after it was sent to his desk.
MSD follow-up Earlier in the week, DeSantis praised the Legislature for implementing “dozens of school safety recommendations” made by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission, noting the recommendations included expansion of the guardian program. The Legislature formed
COMMENTARY: PETER BAILEY: FAREWELL TO ANOTHER PAN-AFRICAN WARRIOR | A4 COMMENTARY: MALCOLM X: ‘IN 1964, IT’S THE BALLOT OR THE BULLET’ | A5
the commission last year to investigate the February 2018 shooting and recommend ways to make schools safer. Other changes included in the wide-ranging bill will put $75 million into school mental-health services, strengthen reporting requirements for potentially threatening incidents that happen on school premises, improve information-sharing between school districts on students with behavioral issues and continue investment in a tool that assists with school emergencies. Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, issued a statement See TEACHERS, Page A2
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Why crowning African-American pageant winners still matters As a child, I loved watching the Miss America pageant on television. In that regard, I was no different than many other young girls growing up in the 1960s. But few probably took this fascination as far as I did. On that once-a-year Saturday evening, I’d grab a chair from the kitchen table, drag it through the house and set it directly in front of the television set.
On my throne I’d drape my shoulders in a white sheet, and across my neatly plaited hair, I’d place the rhinestone tiara I had once worn in an elementary school pageant. I’d sit there like a queen on her throne as a series of White women in beautiful gowns and perfectly coiffed hair paraded across the screen in front of me. I don’t recall ever consciously thinking about how different those young ladies were from me. Attending a segregated school in a segregated neighborhood, I’m not sure I recognized race at such a young age. And if I did, I certainly did not understand it. All I knew is that I loved the elegance of the beauty pageant, seeing the tears flow after some lucky girl was chosen “the fairest of the fair” and watching the queen walk the runway, waving and smiling, as Bert Parks sang, “There She Is, Miss America.”
DAHLEEN GLANTON GUEST COMMENTARY
At that moment, I was Miss America too.
A singular moment More than a half-century later, something quite remarkable has happened in the world of pageants. In the year, 2019, AfricanAmericans simultaneously hold the titles in all three of the biggest beauty competitions. This year, Miss America, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA are Black women. All of the pageants have had several African-American winners previously, but never all three pageants at the same time. Some will dismiss this as outdated feat at a time when women are heading major corporations, holding important political positions and are running for president. It might seem trivial at a time when women’s reproductive rights are under siege and issues such as sexual violence and equal pay are finally receiving recognition. But for this child of the South who grew up on the cusp of integration, in a small town where Blacks lived on one side of the
railroad tracks and Whites lived on the other, a trifecta of Black queens is an accomplishment worthy of attention.
Is it a shift? While this moment has been a long time coming, it does not necessarily represent a shift in the way America defines beauty. It could, however, begin to break down societal stereotypes of Black femininity that have long been perpetuated in the media. Miss America Nia Franklin has brown skin. Miss USA Cheslie Kryst and Miss Teen USA Kaliegh Garris wear their hair in natural styles. By most standards – regardless of one’s race – these women would be considered beautiful. Still, beauty will always be in the eye of the beholder. A woman’s beauty should never be her best asset, anyway. Franklin seems to understand that winning Miss America is about much more than changing America’s standard of beauty.
‘Race does matter’ “It is important to little Brown and Black girls to see three strong figures, three strong women, African-American women that are doing so much great work,” said Franklin, who was crowned in September. “People will argue that race doesn’t matter. But race
TEACHERS
Bottles of the generic prescription pain medication Buprenorphine are seen in a Florida pharmacy. The narcotic drug is used as an alternative to Methadone to help addicts recovering from heroin use.
from A1 Wednesday night thanking DeSantis for signing the bill.
‘Proactive coordination’
JOE RAEDLE/GETTY IMAGES/TNS
HEALTH from A1 million doctors’ visits in which buprenorphine was prescribed between 2012 and 2015, and found that 12.7 million of those visits were by White patients, compared to just 363,000 for all other races. That’s despite the fact that national surveys suggest White patients are only slightly more likely than Black patients to use heroin, or to take prescription pills without a doctor’s direction. Patients prescribed buprenorphine were also more likely to
BARR from A1 Judiciary Committee voted to hold Barr in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena to hand over the material. The 2416 vote was along party lines. If the full House approves the resolution, Barr would be only the nation’s second top lawman to face that sanction. Mueller’s office had considered charging Trump Jr. with violating campaign finance laws for accepting a meeting in June 2016 with a Kremlin-tied lawyer who, he was told, would provide incriminating information on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Prosecutors ultimately decided they had insufficient evidence to make a case. Trump Jr. also faced scrutiny for his role in secret election-year efforts to build a luxury skyscraper in Moscow, a proposal that was abandoned after Trump had secured the Republican nomination.
Case not closed The subpoena by the Republican-led committee, first reported by Axios, put Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in an awkward position. On Tuesday, he declared “case closed” on the Russia investigation and urged Congress to move on. House Democrats pressed ahead despite being stymied by the White House. As the Judiciary committee hearing began,
does matter in America, because of the history, because of slavery,” she said. Little Brown and Black girls are lucky that Miss America pageants are no longer just about beauty, the way they were when I was growing up. They are tough competitions that require endurance, determination, commitment and confidence. It also requires women to compete while holding challenging careers or while juggling a tough school curriculum. Franklin is an accomplished classical singer. Kryst is a civil litigation attorney. Garris is a high school senior who plans to enter Southern Connecticut State University next year and study nursing. Even with their undeniable beauty, they are smart enough to understand that looks will never get them where they want to go in life. Though pageants for years have generated protests from those who see them as sexist, they are, for some women, stepping stones to greater visibility. It gives them a platform from which they lobby for projects they hold dear. The pageants also provide scholarships that help pay for education. But for Black women, there always has been the extra requirement of jumping racial hurdles.
have private insurance, or pay cash, than to have Medicaid. This held even after the Obamacare Medicaid expansion added more people to the public-insurance rolls. “It makes you question whether people of lower income or those on Medicaid have equitable access to care,” said Pooja Lagisetty, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan and the study’s lead author.
Blacks, Whites victimized The opioid crisis has been portrayed largely as affecting White Americans. But in cities like Baltimore and Washington, D.C.,
the Justice Department released a letter from Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd to Nadler saying Trump was making a preliminary claim of executive privilege. The step serves as a placeholder, giving the president time to review the materials and consider a more definitive attempt to block congressional access to specific documents. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that Trump had “no other option” but to assert executive privilege to counter Nadler’s “blatant abuse of power.”
Protecting secrets The White House previously had threatened to invoke executive privilege to restrict testimony by former officials on Capitol Hill, but the letter marked Trump’s first formal assertion of the legal principle that allows presidents to keep private communications with advisers. Mueller’s report relies heavily on interviews with current and former senior staff members in the White House, most notably former chief counsel Donald McGahn. The White House had allowed them to speak with the special counsel’s office and did not assert executive privilege over the redacted report that was released to the public April 18. Mueller’s report concluded that the Trump campaign did not illegally conspire with Russia during the 2016 election. It also laid out “substantial evidence” that the president tried to obstruct the investigation
most victims of fatal overdoses are Black. In Philadelphia, though Whites made up the largest share of opioid overdose deaths in 2017, deaths among Blacks rose 34 percent, and deaths among Hispanics jumped 60 percent from the prior year. “We’re all trying to rapidly improve access to treatment,” Lagisetty said. “But we have to be thoughtful about really improving access to treatment for those who need it most.” Lagisetty said it’s possible some states have policies in place to address racial disparities in treatment. She said the authors hope their paper spurs further research.
but reached no conclusion on whether he had violated the law. Barr said the facts did not show that Trump committed a crime, a conclusion Democrats have contested.
Censored report Lawyers for the Justice Department and the special counsel’s office redacted about 10 percent of the 448-page report before its public release, and House Democrats insisted they need to inspect the censored material. Experts said the contempt resolution and the executive privilege claim underscored how quickly relationships had deteriorated between House Democrats and Trump, who has pledged to fight “all the subpoenas.” “Usually you negotiate for months and months,” said John Yoo, a University of California, Berkeley law professor who previously worked for the Senate Judiciary Committee and President George W. Bush’s Justice Department. “They’re immediately going to the walls of their castles, and they are quickly escalating.”
No cooperation In addition to battles involving the Russia investigation, Democrats have accused the Trump administration of stonewalling their probes of the president’s taxes and handling of security clearances for several White House aides, including Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. “What is the Trump administration hiding from the American people?” said Rep. Ted Lieu, D-
“By implementing the recommendations of the commission, this legislation continues efforts to proactively enhance coordination between education, law enforcement, and community mental health resources to ensure at-risk students receive the help they need before a tragedy occurs,” Galvano said in the statement. “The bill also sets forth a plan to help school districts implement the security and school hardening provisions of the legislation we passed last year in an expedited manner to help prevent those who would seek to harm our children from gaining access to our schools.” Lawmakers praised most parts of the bill but were sharply divided on the expansion of the guardian program to allow districts to have armed teachers. When the guardian program was created last year, it was geared toward school staff members whose main duties were outside the classroom.
Calif., during the Judiciary committee hearing Wednesday. “Because the administration is not just stonewalling this committee. They’re stonewalling every committee’s request for information.” Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia, the top Republican on the committee, said Democrats were seeking more documents because they were unhappy that Mueller didn’t find a case for impeaching the president. “We think we’re going to find out something more than he found out?” Collins said. “Come on. We’re manufacturing a crisis, and that’s why we’re here.” Republicans also said Barr was following the law by refusing to turn over the un-redacted report, which includes grand jury evidence that is required to be kept under wraps.
Compliance illegal? They pointed to Boyd’s letter to Nadler, which said Barr “could not comply with your subpoena in its current form without violating the law, court rules, and court orders, and without threatening the independence of the Department of Justice’s prosecutorial functions.” Nadler disagreed, saying he wanted to work with Barr to ask a judge for permission to have access to the grand jury material. A full vote of the House on the contempt resolution could be averted if negotiations between committee staffers and Justice Department officials produce a compromise. But that appeared unlikely after the White House’s announcement on executive privilege gave Barr more legal
Steady climb The first African-American woman to compete for Miss America was Cheryl Browne in 1970. The first to actually win was Vanessa Williams in 1983, who was crowned Miss America 62 years after the pageant began in 1921. She was also the first to be forced to resign, over nude photographs taken when she was in college. While it is true that beauty isn’t what makes a woman great, perceptions about beauty do influence how society reacts to women. That’s just a sad fact. But more importantly, the way a woman feels about beauty impacts how she feels about herself. There’s nothing wrong with a little girl seeing someone who looks like her walking away with a crown. These three women should be proud of their accomplishments. Any time someone breaks through a barrier, it makes it easier for others to follow. I’m not encouraging little girls to set out to win a beauty pageant in order to feel good about themselves. But I am glad that little Black girls can now pull their chair in front of the TV and see someone who looks like them wearing the crown.
Dahleen Glanton writes for the Chicago Tribune.
The only classroom teachers who could volunteer to participate in the program had to double in other positions, such as serving as coaches, administrators or cafeteria employees.
Some won’t participate The program is voluntary for school districts and employees. Currently, 30 of Florida’s 67 school districts have decided to allow trained and armed school staff members. Under the bill signed Wednesday, classroom teachers can volunteer to participate if their districts allow it. The teachers will get one-time $500 stipends. “Currently, no districts have indicated to us that they are allowing classroom teachers to participate,” said Cheryl Etters, a spokeswoman with the Florida Department of Education. Meanwhile, another major education bill from the legislative session that ended Saturday is pending before DeSantis. That bill (SB 7070) includes creating a new school-vouchers program. DeSantis is scheduled to make appearances Thursday at schools in Jacksonville, St. Petersburg and Miami Gardens, though his office did not say whether he would use the events to sign the voucher-related bill.
grounds to resist.
No decision House leaders haven’t decided when the contempt resolution would come to the floor, according to Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md. He accused the Trump administration of participating in “perhaps the greatest cover-up of any president in American history.” Hoyer indicated that Democrats are willing to be patient if the contempt proceedings against Barr end up in a lengthy legal battle, which could extend into 2020 and become a presidential campaign issue. “If it takes a year and a half, that’s a relatively short period of time in the course of the history of our country,” Hoyer said.
Holder was first There’s precedent for similar court fights to last far longer. In 2012, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. became the first sitting Cabinet member to be voted in contempt by the Republicancontrolled House in a battle over access to Justice Department documents on a failed gun-tracking operation known as “Fast and Furious.” The legal battle lasted for years after Holder left his position. “We still don’t have all the documents” from the case, said Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., a reminder of how such disputes rarely have tidy or timely ends.
Times staff writer Jennifer Haberkorn contributed to this report.
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provisions in the bill deals with financial obligations that felons would be required to fulfill before their voting rights are restored. The proposal would require felons to repay all restitution and fees and fines ordered by courts, not including “any fines, fees, or costs that accrue after the date the obligation is ordered as part of the sentence.”
Black lawmakers balk
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis addresses the media on May 4 about the 2019 legislative session and his accomplishments.
A recap and analysis of the 2019 legislative session United States.
BY DARA KAM NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
Called ‘un-American’
TALLAHASSEE – From the mundane to the “transformational,” Florida’s Republicancontrolled Legislature didn’t shy away from controversy during the annual session that wrapped up on May 4. To the contrary, GOP lawmakers seemed to embrace it. Immigration, school vouchers and felons’ voting rights were just some of the provocative issues that drove thousands of Floridians to the state Capitol to make their voices heard. And of course, what would a Florida legislative session be without a fierce debate about guns, with this year’s focus on arming teachers.
The governor, Lt. Governor Jeanette Nuñez, Florida Senate President Bill Galvano and Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva celebrate the end of the session.
Light moments too
think that’s a good thing.”
As illustrated by the red and green lights on House and Senate voting boards, if the contentious issues didn’t deepen a partisan chasm in the chambers, they did nothing to assuage it. The past few weeks, however, had some lighter moments, too. For example, Floridians will now be freer to grow their succotash, thanks to a powerful senator who came to the rescue of a South Florida couple forced by local officials to rip out a front-yard veggie patch. A bill bans local governments from regulating homeowners’ vegetable gardens.
Victory for Oliva The state’s Republican leadership troika – Gov. Ron DeSantis, House Speaker José Oliva and Senate President Bill Galvano – scored even bigger triumphs. Oliva is doing a victory lap after nailing down his major priorities, such as a health-care overhaul that included tangling with what he calls the “hospital-industrial complex.” Galvano walked away with a toll-road plan that prompted environmentalists to declare war. And DeSantis gained a ban on socalled “sanctuary” cities, allowing him to deliver on a campaign pledge.
Wins for DeSantis The governor also emerged from his first legislative session with a program that would allow the state to begin importing drugs from Canada, if the federal government goes along with the idea. DeSantis also won big on his education agenda, which includes boosting the workforce by helping students pursue vocational and technical training in high school, and on his drive to address Florida’s water woes. “I’m pleased that we’ve really changed the conversation on a number of things,” the governor told reporters after the session concluded the afternoon of May 4. “I think there was just a lot of opportunities to lead, and I took ‘em, but then these guys in the Legislature took ‘em as well, and I
PHOTOS COURTESY OF GOVERNOR’S PRESS OFFICE
Pistol-packing teachers Educators, parents, students and proponents of stricter gun laws successfully beat back a plan last year that would have allowed specially trained teachers to bring guns to their classrooms, a proposal borne of the horrific massacre that left 17 students and faculty members dead at a Parkland school in February 2018. But the November elections changed that. An infusion of new Republicans into the state Senate helped secure the passage last week of a measure that would allow armed teachers.
Controversial program The House on May 1 gave final passage to a wide-ranging school safety bill that would expand the controversial school “guardian” program and carry out other recommendations of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission. Five Republicans in the House and one in the Senate, which passed the bill earlier, voted against the bill. The guardian program was created last year and allowed armed school staff members whose primary duties are outside the classroom.
Criticized by Dems But the proposal on its way to DeSantis would expand the program and allow teachers to volunteer to become guardians in school districts that authorize it, a policy reversal that drew heavy criticism from Democrats, who spent hours railing against the plan. “Here we are, one year later, and for some reason the carefully crafted compromise that agonized all of us has just been completely abandoned and tossed out the window,” Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, said. But supporters of the proposal argued that allowing teachers to have guns could make a life-saving difference in the time it takes for law enforcement to arrive during active-shooter situations at schools.
“This is not about gun rights or anything like that. This is about keeping our children safe and, when all other things fail, that there is a last line of defense to save our children. And it’s nothing more than that,” Senate Appropriations Chairman Rob Bradley, RFleming Island, said. DeSantis indicated Saturday he will sign the bill (SB 7030) into law.
Sanctuary cities law Exposing another sharp partisan divide, the Legislature approved one of the strictest laws in the nation against so-called sanctuary cities. The House and Senate passed the bill (SB 168) Thursday after heavy debate in both chambers. DeSantis thanked Oliva and Galvano and the bill’s sponsors for “recognizing the importance of the issue,” which was one of the cornerstones of his campaign for governor last year. “Local law enforcement agencies can and should work with the federal government to ensure that accountability and justice are one in our state,” DeSantis said in a prepared statement following the bill’s passage.
Intense immigration debate The governor’s desire to force local and state officials to fully cooperate with federal immigration authorities sparked intense debate about how the state, which has about 800,000 undocumented immigrants, should enforce immigration laws. The Legislature’s action came amid national battles about President Donald Trump’s attempts to curb illegal immigration. The bill would require local law-enforcement agencies to share information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement about undocumented immigrants who are in their custody. That would include campus police agencies and the Department of Children and Families. During debate on May 2, Hispanic Democrats shared personal stories about the struggles their families have faced in the
One of the most poignant testimonies came from Rep. Cindy Polo, a Miramar Democrat whose Colombian parents overstayed their visas and temporarily lived in the U.S. without documents. “To my parents, thank you for not following the law, thank you for fighting a broken procedure,” Polo said. “And I am sorry we could not do more.” Democrats argued the Senate proposal is an “un-American” and “mean-spirited” approach to ensuring public safety. “This is a proactive bill that panders to fear,” said Sen. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg. “It panders to the specter of what is not.”
‘We are human beings’ But Sen. Joe Gruters, a Sarasota Republican who doubles as chairman of the Republican Party of Florida and who sponsored the measure, argued that the bill will only target “criminal illegal aliens” who break the law and will force county jails to honor federal immigration detainers that would hold undocumented immigrants for up to 48 hours. “As long as they are not arrested, there should be zero fear about being impacted by this bill,” Gruters, R-Sarasota, said. But Sen. Victor Torres took umbrage at Gruters’ repeated use of the words “illegal aliens” during Senate debate. “Ladies and gentlemen, we are not aliens. We are human beings,” Torres said.
Felons and voting rights The partisan battle lines again were drawn on a proposal intended to carry out a constitutional amendment restoring felons’ voting rights. The House passed the measure on May 3, the last full day of the legislative session, with Republicans saying the proposal reflects the wording of what appeared as Amendment 4 on the November ballot and Democrats arguing the legislation is too restrictive and would block people from being able to vote. The amendment granted restoration of voting rights to felons “who have completed all terms of their sentence, including parole or probation” and excluded people “convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense.”
The financial obligations would be considered completed if they are paid in full, if a victim or the court “forgives” the restitution, or if a judge allows felons to serve community service in lieu of payment. But Black lawmakers have taken umbrage at the linkage between money, voting and a person’s felony status, saying it is a reminder of Florida’s ugly Jim Crow-era policies aimed at keeping Blacks from the ballot box. Florida’s law requiring felons to get clemency in order to vote “was created to make sure that Black men couldn’t vote,” an emotional Sen. Oscar Braynon, D-Miami Gardens, told his colleagues during a Democratic caucus meeting last week. “(I’m) keeping it real…. To me, I don’t think this law should be around, just like I don’t think slavery should be around,” he said.
Defending it The final plan contained harsher provisions than earlier versions proposed by Sen. Jeff Brandes, a St. Petersburg Republican who has long been an advocate for criminal justice reform. Throughout a Senate debate, Brandes defended the measure. “I think we’re constitutionally bound to include all terms of sentence … and I think via this legislation, we are doing our constitutional obligation to define those undefined terms in the amendment,” he said. But in closing remarks, Brandes appeared almost apologetic. “Obviously, you know my heart is in a different place and would love to go farther,” the soft-spoken Republican said. “I have gone as far as I can, as far as this bicameral process will let us go, to seek mercy over sacrifice.”
Jeb Bush attendance Two decades after then-Gov. Jeb Bush started a broad push for school choice, the Legislature approved a closely watched expansion that will provide vouchers to thousands of children to attend private schools. As a sign of the significance of the bill (SB 7070), Bush made a rare appearance in the Capitol and was seated on the House floor on April 30 for the final vote. He was flanked by Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, another longtime voucher supporter, and Galvano, R-Bradenton. DeSantis is expected to sign the bill, which features the creation of the “Family Empowerment Scholarship Program.” Under that voucher program, state money will be used next year to pay for as many as 18,000 students to attend private schools, with the number of students slowly increasing in future years.
‘Waste of money’ Supporters argued the bill would give parents the ability to choose the best schools for their children. “Frankly, the time for political posturing is coming to an end, and now it’s time to do what is right for our middle-income and low-income families in the state of Florida,” House PreK-12 Appropriations Chairman Chris Latvala, R-Clearwater, said. But critics warned of taking money out of the public-school system and sending it to private schools. “As a taxpayer, I think this is a waste of money,” Rep. John Cortes, D-Kissimmee, said. “We should be fixing our public schools with solutions, instead of making more problems.”
Story of the session Lawmakers passed a $91.1 billion state spending plan and nearly 200 other bills during the annual legislative session that concluded on May 4.
‘Disheartening’ bill
Quote of the session
Desmond Meade and Neil Volz, who work for a political committee that propelled the amendment to victory in November and who watched from the public gallery during floor debate this week, called the bill on its way to DeSantis “disheartening” and “disappointing.” DeSantis told reporters Saturday he supports the bill (SB 7066). One of the most controversial
“We’re not legislative sociopaths here. We have the ability to care, to reach out to affected parties that we know are impacted by these bills and do what we can to (put) words on paper that say what we mean. And in this case, doing so would blunt some of the vulnerabilities that this bill has.” – Sen. Tom Lee, R-Thonotosassa, during debate on the “sanctuary” cities ban.
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Malcolm X was ‘our Black shining prince’ Editor’s note – Actor Ossie Davis delivered this eulogy at Faith Temple Church of God In Christ in New York City on February 27, 1965. Malcolm was murdered on February 21, 1965. Here at this final hour, in this quiet place, Harlem has come to bid farewell to one of its brightest hopes – extinguished now, and gone from us forever. For Harlem is where he worked and where he struggled and fought – his home of homes, where his heart was, and where his people are –and it is, therefore, most fitting that we meet once again in Harlem to share these last moments with him. For Harlem has ever been gracious to those who have loved her, have fought for her and have defended her honor even to the death. It is not in the memory of man that this beleaguered, unfortunate, but nonetheless proud community has found a braver, more gallant young champion than this Afro-American who lies before us, unconquered still.
Power in words I say the word again, as he
OSSIE DAVIS would want me to: Afro-American. Afro-American. Malcolm, who was a master, was most meticulous in his use of words. Nobody knew better than he the power words have over minds of men. Malcolm had stopped being “a Negro” years ago. It had become too small, too puny, too weak a word for him. Malcolm was bigger than that. Malcolm had become an Afro-American, and he wanted so desperately that we, that all his people, would become Afro-Americans, too. There are those who will consider it their duty, as friends of the Negro people, to tell us to revile him, to flee, even from the presence of his memory, to save ourselves by writing him out of the history of our turbulent times. Many will ask what Harlem finds to honor in this stormy, controversial and bold young captain –and we will smile. Ma-
Farewell to another Pan-African warrior Earl Grant, 89, a courageous and committed Pan-African warrior, died of what his doctors labeled heart failure on April 7, 2019 in Los Angeles. Those of us who knew Earl know that his heart didn’t fail; it just closed down after enabling him, for many years, to make a productive and valuable contribution to the ongoing battle against White supremacy/racism. Earl, a brilliant mathematician, jokingly described himself as a “descendant of a long line of distinguished cotton pickers.” His family had been one of those who fled the overt terrorism of East Texas to the more covert of the same in California.
Malcolm’s close friend He moved on to become one of the most important aides and supporters of Brother Malcolm X, another great Pan-African warrior. Their close friendship and collaboration in the battle against White supremacy/racism in North America and racedriven colonialism in Africa is clearly reflected in the following excerpts from a letter Brother Malcolm wrote to Earl in October 1964 while in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. “My Dear Brother,” wrote Brother Malcolm, “Your letter was awaiting me upon my return to Addis two days ago. And I was very pleased to hear from you, especially to learn that you are expecting an addition to your family. This is a blessing and proves that what we oft-times are
A. PETER BAILEY TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE
told by others is impossible is actually made very easy as long as we don’t become discouraged and give up. “No one knows what can or cannot be accomplished until all efforts towards that end has been expended…I pray Allah will bless you and your wife with a very healthy child that may bring you much deserved happiness. “It hurt me to think that you feel you have outlived your usefulness to me. Usefulness is not the yardstick I use to measure what I feel has always been a warm personal friendEarl ship between Grant us. Ours has never been a minister-to-Muslim relationship. It has always been brother-to-brother and on that basis you have confided many of your personal feelings and problems to me and, in turn, I have done likewise to you. As for my part that warm brotherly relationship has never faded.”
‘Maximum success’ Later in the letter, Brother Malcolm wrote that Earl “should be
Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 333 QUICK TAKES FROM #2: STRAIGHT, NO CHASER
CHARLES W. CHERRY II, ESQ. PUBLISHER
‘Teachers with guns’ – The high school kids I spoke to two years ago, before Marjory Stoneman Douglas, thought this was nuts even then. They told me teachers are already under pressure every day, and they were afraid a teacher with a gun would snap and shoot up his/her own classroom. They
VISUAL VIEWPOINT: WHITE SUPREMACY
ny will say turn away, away from this man; for he is not a man but a demon, a monster, a subverter and an enemy of the Black man – and we will smile. They will say that he is of hate – a fanatic, a racist who can only bring evil to the cause for which you struggle!
Did you know him? And we will answer and say to them, “Did you ever talk to Brother Malcolm? Did you ever touch him or have him smile at you? Did you ever really listen to him? Did he ever do a mean thing? Was he ever himself associated with violence or any public disturbance? “For if you did, you would know him. And if you knew him, you would know why we must honor him: Malcolm was our manhood, our living, Black manhood!” This was his meaning to his people. And in honoring him, we honor the best in ourselves. Last year from Africa, he wrote these words to a friend: “My journey,” he says, “is almost ended, and I have a much broader scope than when I started out, which I believe will add new life and dimension to our struggle for free-
the happiness of those whom I left behind because you have the most mature outlook over things, especially in the international context. Everything that I came here to do has been done with maximum success…we are now more firmly fitted into and supported by world forces more than we could imagine previously. And I had to remain here this long to rightly lay the foundation. “It has been a great personal sacrifice for my family because I left them at a time when they actually needed me the most. But the potential gain has been worth the risks. You and many others have also made great sacrifices but I believe no one will regret it in the long run.” Earl’s equally deep feelings about their friendship is reflected by excerpts from his essay, “The Last Days of Malcolm X,” in the book “Malcolm X: The Man and His Times.” That’s a book conceived and formatted by Earl and me as a response to what we considered efforts by other forces to gain control of Brother Malcolm’s legacy. When we were totally rejected by several publishers, we met with Dr. John Henrik Clarke, who liked the project. With him onboard we finally got a publisher. In his contribution – which is required reading for anyone dealing with Brother Malcolm’s life and legacy – Earl included the following about a visit to his home by Brother Malcolm: “… coming to my home was the one Black man in the United States who was able to understand, define and identify with the problems of Black Americans in the twentieth century…”
RICK MCKEE, THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE, GA
dom and honor and dignity in the States.
‘A united front’ “I am writing these things so that you will know for a fact the tremendous sympathy and support we have among the African States for our human rights struggle. The main thing is that we keep a united front wherein our most valuable time and energy will not be wasted fighting each other.” However we may have differed with him, or with each oth-
He also wrote that “Brother
Malcolm called a business meeting for Saturday night, February 20, 1965 at a sister’s house. There were about a dozen of us present. Malcolm was very tired and restless but he said it was important that the meeting be held. He said he wanted a complete reorganization of the OAAU to be made. It had not been operating to his satisfaction. Also he wanted women to be given a more clearly defined role in the OAAU. “I was not at that meeting but I do remember Brother Malcolm saying to those of us backstage on February 21, 1965 that right after a trip to Mississippi that week at the invitation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), he was going to spend six months building up the Organization of African American Unity (OAAU). Earl’s reaction to the assassination of Brother Malcolm on February 21, 1965 is clearly revealed in the following quotes from his essay: “…As I stood by his coffin, I looked upon the face that I had loved so much. The tears were streaming down my face as I said ‘As Asalaam Alaikum’ to him for the last time. I thanked him for allowing one, so unworthy as I, to share his life with him. I asked for forgiveness for my being unable to have done more for him.” Through the past 54 years, Earl attended and or participated in celebrations on May 19, Brother Malcolm’s birth date and commemorations on February 21, the day he was assassinated by Negroes who willingly collaborated with proponents of White supremacy/racism. Besides conceiving and formatting the book, “Malcolm X: The Man and His Times” in 2006 Earl and I, along with former OAAU secretary Sara Mitchell, pulled together a reunion of former OAAU
joked about it. “Where’s your hall pass?” POW! “Late for my class?” BLAM! “I’m having a bad day today.” POW! POW! Their point was that some teachers are as ‘crazy’ as students and parents. They told me that students could tell that some teachers showed up for class with ‘issues.’ One student told me he used to pass by his teacher as they both went to counseling for depression in the same building. All I could say was, “you’re both getting help and that’s good.”
I’ve got a good friend, ex-military, who’s been in school security for about 20 years at various South Florida high schools. He says the state’s ‘school guardian’ program is BS, with school board members and administrators trying to cover their asses. Anybody who’s never been in a live gunfire situation with bullets whizzing by your head will freeze just like the Stoneman Douglas deputy did, or run away, he says. Plus the $500 pay ain’t enough to get any rational person to risk their lives.
More ‘defined’ role
Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher
Opinions expressed on this editorial page are those of the writers, and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of the newspaper or the publisher.
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er about him and his value as a man, let his going from us serve only to bring us together now. Consigning these mortal remains to earth, the common mother of all, secure in the knowledge that what we place in the ground is no more now a man, but a seed – which, after the winter of our discontent, will come forth again to meet us. And we will know him then for what he was and is” a prince. Our own Black shining prince –who didn’t hesitate to die, because he loved us so.
members. Eighteen Brothers and Sisters and their families experienced a powerful and memorable reunion.
Joint interview In 2009, I Amtraked to Los Angeles and spent five days with Earl discussing ways to sustain and advance Brother Malcolm’s critically important legacy. Tehuti Hughes, who basically looked after Earl during the last years of his life, interviewed us for nearly three hours. The last time I spoke with Earl was a few days before his death. I told him about a book I was doing that will focus on Brother Malcolm’s international agenda. Earl couldn’t speak, but Tehuti said he was responding with body movement as I spoke. Earl and I will be listed as co-authors of the book since he has provided me with critical information and insight. Earl ended his “Last Days” essay with the following quote describing how he felt after the burial of Brother Malcolm: “I returned home and fell into a deep sleep. It was the first real rest I had been able to get in months. There was no longer any reason to jump when the phone rang or to sleep with a loaded gun. The best year of my life was at an end. But, I along with all of the brothers and sisters, would live it again, Allah willing.” Rest in peace, our warrior Brother.
A. Peter Bailey’s latest book is “Witnessing Brother Malcolm X, the Master Teacher.” Contact him at apeterb@verizon.net.
I can easily see some jackedup kid beating down and taking a gun from a teacher and shooting up a classroom. To prevent that, should self-defense also be required? Where does it end? We are right where the NRA wants us: guns everywhere. I say hardened entries and exits, cameras everywhere, constantly trained cops in every school (no gunned-up teachers), better mental health for everyone, better personal threat assessment...then pray.
I’m at ccherry2@gmail.com.
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MAY 10 – MAY 16, 2019
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EDITORIAL
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‘In 1964, it’s the ballot or the bullet’ Editor’s note: Here are excerpts of a speech El Hajj Malik el Shabazz (Malcolm X) gave on April 3, 1964 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Human Rights; it has a committee that deals in human rights. You may wonder why all of the atrocities that have been committed in Africa and in Hungary and in Asia, and in Latin America are brought before the UN, and the Negro problem is never brought before the UN. This is part of the conspiracy. When you expand the civilrights struggle to the level of human rights, you can then take the case of the Black man in this country before the nations in the UN General Assembly. You can take Uncle Sam before a World Court. Civil rights means you’re asking Uncle Sam to treat you right. Human rights are something you were born with. Human rights are your God-given rights. Human rights are the rights that are recognized by all nations of this earth. Uncle Sam’s hands are dripping with the blood of the Black man in this country. He’s the earth’s number-one hypocrite. He has the audacity… imagine him posing as the leader of the free world. And you over here singing “We Shall Overcome.” Let the world know how bloody his hands are. Let the world know the hypocrisy that’s practiced over here. Let it be the ballot or the bullet.
Brothers and sisters, friends and enemies: the question tonight is, “The Negro Revolt, and Where Do We Go From Here?” or What Next?” It points toward either the ballot or the bullet. I’m still a Muslim; my religion is still Islam. I’m not here to argue or discuss anything that we differ about, because it’s time for us to submerge our differences and realize that it is best for us to first see that we have the same problem that will make you catch hell whether you’re a Baptist, or a Methodist, or a Muslim, or a nationalist. Whether we are Christians or Muslims or nationalists or agnostics or atheists, we must first learn to forget our differences.
Same boat You’re going to catch hell just like I am. We’re all in the same boat and we all are going to catch the same hell from the same man. He just happens to be a White man. It doesn’t mean that we’re anti-White, but it does mean we’re anti-exploitation, we’re anti-degradation, we’re anti-oppression. And if the White man doesn’t want us to be anti-him, let him stop oppressing and exploiting and degrading us. Nineteen sixty-four threatens to be the most explosive year America has ever witnessed, when all of the White politicians will be back in the so-called Negro community jiving you and me for some votes. The year when all of the White political crooks will be right back in your and my community with their false promises, building up our hopes for a letdown, with their trickery and their treachery, with their false promises which they don’t intend to keep.
Fight over here As they nourish these dissatisfactions, it can only lead to one thing, an explosion…Don’t let anybody tell you anything about the odds are against you. If they draft you, they send you to Korea and make you face 800 million Chinese. If you can be brave over there, you can be brave right here. And if you fight here, you will at least know what you’re fighting for. I am one who doesn’t believe in deluding myself. I’m not going to sit at your table and watch you eat, with nothing on my plate, and call myself a diner. Sitting at the table doesn’t make you a diner, unless you eat some of what’s on that plate. Being here in America doesn’t make you an American. Being born here doesn’t make you an American. If birth made you American, you wouldn’t need any legislation; you wouldn’t need any amendments to the Constitution; you wouldn’t be faced with civil-rights filibustering in Washington, D.C., right now. I’m not an American. I’m one of the 22 million Black people who are the victims of Americanism. One of the 22 million Black people who are the victims of democracy, nothing but disguised hypocrisy. So, I’m not standing here speaking to you as an American, or a patriot, or a flag-saluter, or a flag-waver… I’m speaking as a victim of this American system. And I see America through the eyes of the victim. I don’t see any American dream; I see an American nightmare.
Wasted vote Your vote, your dumb vote, your ignorant vote, your wasted vote put in an administration in Washington, D.C., that has seen fit to pass every kind of legislation imaginable, saving you until last, then filibustering on top of that. And your and my leaders have the audacity to run around clapping their hands and talk about how much progress we’re making. In this present administration, they have in the House of Representatives 257 Democrats to only 177 Republicans. They control two-thirds of the House vote. Why can’t they pass something that will help you and me? In the Senate, there are 67 senators who are of the Democratic Party. Only 33 of them are Republicans. Why, the Democrats have got the government sewed up, and you’re the one who sewed it up for them. And what have they given you for it? They get all the Negro vote, and after they get it, the Negro gets
nothing in return. All they did when they got to Washington was give a few big Negroes big jobs (who) already had jobs. That’s camouflage, that’s trickery, that’s treachery, window-dressing. You put the Democrats first and the Democrats put you last. What alibis do they use, since they control Congress and the Senate? They blame the Dixiecrats. What is a Dixiecrat? A (Southern) Democrat.
South and North The Dixiecrats in Washington, D.C., control the key committees that run the government. The only reason the Dixiecrats control these committees is because they have seniority. The only reason they have seniority is because they come from states where Negroes can’t vote. This is not even a government that’s based on democracy. Half of the people in the South can’t even vote. In the North, they do it a different way. They have a system that’s known as gerrymandering...It means when Negroes become too heavily concentrated in a certain area, and begin to gain too much political power, the White man comes along and changes the district lines. You may say, “Why do you keep saying White man?” Because it’s the White man who does it. I haven’t ever seen any Negro changing any lines. They don’t let him get near the line And usually, it’s the White man who grins at you the most, and pats you on the back, and is supposed to be your friend. You and I in America are faced not with a segregationist conspiracy, we’re faced with a government conspiracy. The same government that you go abroad to fight for and die for is the government that is in a conspiracy to deprive you of your voting rights, deprive you of your economic opportunities, deprive you of decent housing, deprive you of decent education. It is the government itself, the government of America, that is responsible for the oppression and exploitation and degradation of Black people in this country. This government has failed the Negro. And all these White liberals have definitely failed the Negro. I’m not anti-Democrat, I’m not anti-Republican, I’m not anti-anything. I’m just questioning their sincerity, and some of the strategy that they’ve been using on our people by promising them promises that they don’t intend to keep.
Where do we go from here? We need some friends, some new allies. To those of us whose philosophy is Black nationalism, the only way you can get involved in the civil-rights struggle is give it a new interpretation. And these handkerchief-heads who have been dillydallying and pussy footing and compromising – we don’t intend to let them pussyfoot and dillydally and compromise any longer. How can you thank a man for giving you what’s already yours? How then can you thank him for giving you only part of what’s already yours? You haven’t even
made progress, if what’s being given to you, you should have had already. We’re justified in seeking civil rights, if it means equality of opportunity, because all we’re doing there is trying to collect for our investment. Our mothers and fathers invested sweat and blood. Three hundred and ten years we worked in this country without a dime in return. You let the White man walk around here talking about how rich this country is, but you never stop to think how it got rich so quick. It got rich because you made it rich. Your and my mother and father, who didn’t work an eighthour shift, but worked from “can’t see” in the morning until “can’t see” at night, and worked for nothing, making the White man rich, making Uncle Sam rich. This is our investment, our contribution: our blood. Every time he had a call to arms, we were the first ones in uniform. We died on every battlefield the White man had. We have made a greater sacrifice than anybody who’s standing up in America today. We have made a greater contribution and have collected less.
Assert your rights Whenever you’re going after something that belongs to you, anyone who’s depriving you of the right to have it is a criminal. Whenever you are going after something that is yours, you are within your legal rights to lay claim to it. And anyone who puts forth any effort to deprive you of that which is yours, is breaking the law, is a criminal. Any time you demonstrate against segregation and a man has the audacity to put a police dog on you, kill that dog. If you don’t take this kind of stand, your little children will grow up and look at you and think, “Shame!” If you don’t take an uncompromising stand, I don’t mean go out and get violent; but at the same time you should never be nonviolent unless you run into some nonviolence. I’m nonviolent with those who are nonviolent with me. But when you drop that violence on me, then you’ve made me go insane, and I’m not responsible for what I do. And that’s the way every Negro should get. Any time you know you’re within the law, within your legal rights, within your moral rights, in accord with justice, then die for what you believe in. But don’t die alone. Let your dying be reciprocal. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. We need to expand the civil-rights struggle to a higher level – to the level of human rights. Whenever you are in a civil-rights struggle, you are confining yourself to the jurisdiction of Uncle Sam.
International help Civil rights comes within the domestic affairs of this country. All of our African brothers and our Asian brothers and our LatinAmerican brothers cannot open their mouths and interfere in the domestic affairs of the United States. But the United Nations has what’s known as the Charter of
Control your own The political philosophy of Black nationalism means that the Black man should control the politics and the politicians in his own community. The Black man in the Black community has to be re-educated into the science of politics so he will know what politics is supposed to bring him in return. Don’t be throwing out any ballots. A ballot is like a bullet. You don’t throw your ballots until you see a target, and if that target is not within your reach, keep your ballot in your pocket. The political philosophy of Black nationalism is being taught in the Christian church in the NAACP, in CORE meetings, in SNCC Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee meetings, in Muslim meetings. It’s being taught where nothing but atheists and agnostics come together. It’s being taught everywhere.
Simple philosophy The economic philosophy of Black nationalism is pure and simple. It only means that we should control the economy of our community. Why should the economy of our community be in the hands of the White man? The philosophy of Black nationalism involves a re-education program in the Black community in regards to economics. Our people have to be made to see that any time you take your dollar out of your community and spend it in a community where you don’t live, the community where you live will get poorer and poorer, and the community where you spend your money will get richer and richer. Then you wonder why where you live is always a ghetto or a slum area. So the economic philosophy of Black nationalism means in every church, civic organization, fraternal order, it’s time now for our people to become conscious of the importance of controlling the economy of our community. If we own the stores, if we operate the businesses, if we try and establish some industry in our own community, then we’re developing to the position where we are creating employment for our own kind. The social philosophy of Black nationalism only means that we have to get together and remove the evils, the vices, alcoholism, drug addiction, and other evils that are destroying the moral fiber of our community. We ourselves have to lift the level of our community, the standard of our community to a higher level, make our own society beautiful so that we will be satisfied in our own social circles and won’t be running around here trying to knock our way into a social circle where we’re not wanted. Black nationalism is not designed to make the Black man reevaluate the White man…(it’s) to make the Black man re-evaluate himself. Don’t change the White man’s mind…and that whole thing about appealing to the moral conscience of America – America’s conscience is bankrupt.
because it’s illegal, or because it’s immoral; they eliminate it only when it threatens their existence. So you’re wasting your time appealing to the moral conscience of a bankrupt man like Uncle Sam. If he had a conscience, he’d straighten this thing out with no more pressure being put upon him. We have to change our own mind. You can’t change his mind about us. We’ve got to change our own minds about each other. We have to see each other with new eyes. We have to see each other as brothers and sisters. We have to come together with warmth so we can develop unity and harmony that’s necessary to get this problem solved ourselves.
How can we do this? I have watched how Billy Graham comes into a city, spreading what he calls the gospel of Christ, which is only White nationalism. Billy Graham is a White nationalist; I’m a Black nationalist. How is it possible for him to come into a city and get all the cooperation of the church leaders? Billy Graham comes in preaching the gospel of Christ. He stirs everybody up, but he never tries to start a church. If he came in trying to start a church, all the churches would be against him. Our gospel is Black nationalism. We’re not trying to threaten the existence of any organization, but we’re spreading the gospel of Black nationalism. Anywhere there’s a church that is also preaching and practicing the gospel of Black nationalism, join that church. If the NAACP is preaching and practicing the gospel of Black nationalism, join the NAACP. If CORE is spreading and practicing the gospel of Black nationalism, join CORE. I don’t believe in any kind of integration; I’m not even worried about it, because I know you’re not going to get it because you’re afraid to die; you’ve got to be ready to die if you try and force yourself on the White man, because he’ll get just as violent as those crackers in Mississippi, right here in Cleveland. But we will still work with you on the school boycotts because we’re against a segregated school system. A segregated school system produces children who, when they graduate, graduate with crippled minds.
In control
But this does not mean that a school is segregated because it’s all Black. A segregated school means a school that is controlled by people who have no real interest in it whatsoever. When you’re under someone else’s control, you’re segregated. They’ll always give you the lowest or the worst that there is to offer, but it doesn’t mean you’re segregated just because you have your own. You’ve got to control your own. You know the best way to get rid of segregation? The White man is more afraid of separation than he is of integration. Segregation means that he puts you away from him, but not far enough for you to be out of his jurisdiction; separation means you’re gone. And the White man will integrate faster than he’ll let you separate. Article Two of the constitutional amendments provides you and me the right to own a rifle or a shotgun. If the White man doesn’t want the Black man buying rifles and shotguns, then let the government do its job. Don’t go out shooting people, but any time – brothers and sisters, and especially the men in this audience; some of you wearing Congressional Medals of Honor, with shoulders this wide, chests this big, muscles that big – any time you and I sit around and read where they bomb a church and murder in cold blood, not some grownups, but four little girls while they were praying to the same God the White man taught them to pray to, and you and I see the government go down and can’t find who did it. No, if you never see me anothU.S has no conscience They don’t know what mor- er time in your life, if I die in the als are. They don’t try and elimi- morning, I’ll die saying one thing: nate an evil because it’s evil, or the ballot or the bullet.
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NATION
MAY 10 – MAY 16, 2019
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Black voters not keen yet on Buttigieg Scant support by African-Americans at Charleston event BY EMMA KINERY BLOOMBERG NEWS/TNS
ORANGEBURG, S.C. – Pete Buttigieg is confronting a significant hurdle in turning his surprising surge in the Democratic presidential race into a sustainable campaign for the nomination — winning over the Black voters who will be crucial to the party in 2020. In a little more than a month, Buttigieg has transformed from a little-known mayor from the Midwest into the top cluster of the 21 candidates who want to challenge President Donald Trump next year. But polls show he barely registers with Black voters, who are a crucial constituency to win both the nomination and the general election. That disconnect was evident in one of the South Bend, Ind., mayor’s first stops during campaign swing through South Carolina, where Blacks comprise more than half of the Democratic electorate. At a town hall event on May 5 in North Charleston, the crowd of about 600 people was overwhelmingly White. “What this tells us is that we’ve got a lot of work cut out for us,” Buttigieg told reporters. “In order to win and in order to deserve to win, my campaign needs to go above and beyond when reaching out to Black voters and that’s going to continue to be a priority to us.”
Areas of focus Buttigieg followed Democratic front-runner Joe Biden into the state, where the former vice president highlighted his link to former President Barack Obama, the nation’s first Black president, and his friendship with South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, the top ranking African-American in the House. That’s helped him build a solid lead in South Caro-
ZBIGNIEW BZDAK/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS
South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg holds a rally to announce his run for president in the 2020 election on Sunday, April 14 at Studebaker Building 84 in South Bend, Ind. lina in two recent polls. In Orangeburg on Monday, Buttigieg said developing policies to benefit the Black community “is one of the most important pieces of homework for our campaign.” He listed five broad areas of focus: home ownership, health care, entrepreneurship, criminal justice reform and education. He appealed to the crowd, again mostly White, for help to deliver his message to minority groups. “So that even as voters are de-
ciding whether or not they’ll be for me, there’s no question that I’m there for them,” he said.
‘Black wave’ needed Johnnie Cordero, the chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party Black Caucus, stressed that in order to win South Carolina, presidential hopefuls need to present policies to fix issues affecting minorities. “We said in 2018 that we had to have a blue wave. What I’ve said in response to that and what I say
now is there will be no blue wave without a black wave,” Cordero said in an interview. “We can all work together. We can all work for the same good. But our issues need to be acknowledged.” In North Charleston, Buttigieg told reporters he understands that some African-American voters may be mistrusting of him as a newer political face and whether he will actually support them. “That’s the hard work of politics,” Buttigieg said. “I welcome that challenge.”
‘Grilled him’ Cordero said that Buttigieg met with a group of the state’s Democratic Party officials in March and that he was impressed by the candidate’s knowledge of the issues. “I grilled him so badly that the other delegates told me to shut up,” Cordero said in an interview. “I was most impressed with him. He answered every question directly, he didn’t have to check with anybody else, he did not hesitate and he did not let me scare him.”
Database: Water sources in 43 states contain potentially unsafe levels of chemicals MCCLATCHY WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON – More than 610 drinking water sources in 43 states contain potentially unsafe levels of chemical compounds that have been linked to birth defects, cancers, infertility and reduced immune responses in children, according to a new database compiled by the Environmental Working Group and Northeastern University. Using Pentagon data released last year and recently obtained public water utility reports, the researchers now estimate that more than 19 million people are exposed to water contaminated with perand polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS. The new research shows the broad extent of the problem, that the harmful chemical compounds found concentrated in military water sources across the United States have also been reported hundreds more public drinking water systems than was previously known. “This is a national crisis and it requires a national response,” said Bill Walker, vice president of the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization focused on health and the environment. While PFAS are found in everyday items such as Teflon and fast-food wrappers, the chemicals are concentrated in the fire-fighting foam that military bases, ships and commercial airports have used for decades. Military bases and the communities surrounding them report some of the highest levels of contamination — much higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2016 recommendation of a maximum exposure level of 70 parts per trillion.
PHOTOS BY OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/TNS
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump pose with golf legend Tiger Woods and his family during the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony in the Rose Garden at the White House on May 6.
‘A global symbol of American excellence’ President bestows Medal of Freedom on Tiger Woods BY JUSTIN SINK BLOOMBERG NEWS/TNS
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump awarded Tiger Woods the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House on Monday, calling the golfer “one of the greatest athletes in the history of sports.” “We are in the presence of a true legend,” Trump said at the Rose Garden ceremony.
“Tiger Woods is a global symbol of American excellence.” Trump announced his plans to bestow the nation’s highest civilian honor upon Woods after he won this year’s Masters Tournament, Woods’ first major title in more than a decade. Woods’ victory was his 15th in one of golf’s four most important tournaments, and came after years of personal turmoil that included injuries, revelations of multiple affairs and painkiller abuse.
Business allies Trump has remained close with the superstar golfer despite the scandals, and Woods designed a course in Dubai expected to be managed by the Trump Organization. The pair have played golf together repeatedly, including a round in February at the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter Trump’s ventures in Dubai, where he licensed use of his name for various projects, have netted him millions in recent years, according to his financial disclosures. “We will be doing something very special,” Trump said in 2014 when the course’s owner, Damac Properties Dubai Co., announced its tie-up with Woods and the Trump Organization. Democrats and good government groups regularly assail Trump for maintaining own-
ership of his businesses while in office. Yet a presidential medal to a sports star generally wouldn’t raise questions of conflicts.
Other Trump honorees The president has awarded the Medal of Freedom to a number of athletes, including Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach of the Dallas Cowboys and nine-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Alan Page, who later became a justice on Minnesota’s Supreme Court. Trump also gave the honor posthumously to all-time baseball great Babe Ruth. But many sports stars and teams have been reluctant to appear with Trump at the White House.
Shunned by champions The president canceled a visit by the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in 2018 after the team said only a small delegation would attend. And the World Series champions, the Boston Red Sox, who are visiting the White House later this week, will not be sending their full team. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he wouldn’t attend because of what he sees as an inadequate response by the Trump administration to the destruction caused by Hurricane Maria in his native Puerto Rico.
COURIER
Murdock among celebs in Florida on Mother’s Day See page B2
MAY 10 – MAY 16, 2019 Create fresh flavors for spring See page B4
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The Florida Courier staff pays tribute to their moms with personal photos and narratives
The love of a grandmother never fades whether she is here or in heaven. Love you both, Jamal
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To the chairwoman of our board: Thanks for being our anchor in the stormy seas of life. We love you! Chuck, Glenn, Cassandra
Dear Ma, Thanks for being the best mom a girl could ask for. You’re always there for me both at my worst and my best and I couldn’t thank you enough for that. Despite all you have to deal with for yourself, you often take on the heavy lifting that comes with having a daughter to help lighten my load. It’s gonna be hard not having you around 24/7 next year, but I know we’ll keep our relationship strong. I love you and Happy Mother’s Day! Much love, Chayla
Ma, you are one of the strongest people I know. Thank you for many years of joy that we’ve shared. We appreciate all of the sacrifice and love you’ve given to us over the years, and you’re the best mother I could ask for. Happy Mother’s Day! Love You, Charles (Wiggles) Cherry III
Happy Mother’s Day to the one who knew me before I knew myself, Mrs. Mamie Lee, who taught me how to love unconditionally, and to be kind and compassionate. It’s no surprise that so many have adopted you as their “Mom” too because you’re simply the best. May God forever bless and keep you. I love you more than you will ever know. I thank God for blessing me with you as my Mother! Love always, Lisa
My mother supported my dream of becoming a veterinarian even when others thought it was strange that a Black person would like to work on animals. She stayed up late nights to help me with school projects and my interest in science and math came from her. She always told me to be myself and not what other people wanted me to be. Mom is a good Christian woman with a positive outlook on life. I pray that she will live a long and healthy live like her mother who was with us for over 100 years! I love you Mom! Dr. Glenn Cherry
To our family’s phenomenal First Lady – Mrs. Josephine Griffin. Thanks, Mom, for your godly words of wisdom, your unwavering faith, amazing strength, and your peace that surpasses all understanding. Jenise and Cynthia She was my Mama, my friend, my confidante. Thanks for leaving so many gems to live by. I love you, Julia
On April 28, 1939, God sent us an angel. Cleora Albury Rawls On Sept. 20, 1958, God gave me that angel as my mother. And on June 28, 2014, He needed her back. I miss her. She was my best friend. But I am so grateful! From her, I learned the power of prayer, the power of faith, and the power of unconditional love and support. I am who I am because she required so much of herself and, therefore, of me. Her legacy lives on through me! Remembering you this Mother’s Day! Love, Valerie Rawls Cherry
Happy 92nd Birthday and Happy Mother’s Day to Alma Barlow Jones. We love you! Chicago, Rebecca, Annette and Valerie
My Mom, Elizabeth Hendricks This is the third Mother’s Day without my mother. It will be a sad milestone, but I miss her every day. She was strong and inspirational, believing in women’s rights before it became a popular issue. She encouraged her girls to be independent women, and made it possible by insisting we go on to higher education. Knowing that she always had my back, I reached for the stars throughout my life. She lived a long, fulfilling and happy life. This photo was taken when she was in her 90s. Eleanor Hendricks McDaniel Clara Coaxum, you’ve been a wonderful mother, so caring of my well-being, and responsible for the very essence of whom I’ve become. It’s amazing how you taught your children to speak proper English - not knowing the path that I would take. I thank God for you, and look forward to that great ingathering in Heaven. Jerry (Jeroline D. McCarthy)
Dear Mom (Ethel Jones), We celebrate you every day, but on this day we owe you a special round of applause for being an excellent mother. You are our foundation, a rock that has grounded us for more than six decades. You are our earthly pillar of strength, a joyful presence that brings a smile and a peace that calms us when trouble appears. Happy Mother’s Day! Your daughters, Natalie Burgess, Linda Herron, Natalie Burgess and Penny Dickerson
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FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR
TAMAR BRAXTON
YING YANG TWINS
Tamar Braxton and Anthony Hamilton will be in concert on May 12 at a Mother’s Day concert at the James L. Knight Center.
The Millennium Tour stops at the Amalie Arena in Tampa on May 11 and Miami’s AmericanAirlinesArena on May 12. Performers include B2K, Mario, Pretty Ricky, Lloyd, Bobby V, Ying Yang Twins & Chingy.
Tampa: Hootie & the Blowfish’s Group Therapy tour stops at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre on June 9. West Palm Beach: Catch Chick Corea and Bela Fleck on May 17 at the Kravis Center. Tampa: Arianna Grande’s Sweetener World Tour stops at Amalie Arena on May 28. Miami Gardens: The Sgt. LaDavid T. Johnson Memorial Day Breakfast is 9-11 a.m. May 27 at the Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex. Tickets: cmgmemorialday.eventbrite.com
KEYSHIA COLE
Tampa: “Stand Up for Innocence,’’ hosted by the Innocence Project of Florida, is a 7:30 p.m. May 18 comedy show to raise money for wrongfully convicted individuals. Tickets and sponsorships: https:// www.floridainnocence.org/stand-up-2019
Shirley Murdock and Keyshia Cole will perform on May 12 at a Mother’s Day Concert Extravaganza at The Fillmore Miami Beach.
‘The Grandfather of Racing’ keeps winning at 66 Weight and health have helped Florida jockey Gary Bain continue to compete BY DAVE HYDE SUN SENTINEL/TNS
Meet Gary Bain. A widower. A father of two. A grandfather of six. A man with 66 years of wellearned experience and a few scars as proof. And here he comes down the stretch at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach in the lead and aboard the co-favorite K C Twostep. Some long-time horse-racing fans at the fence perk up after the public-address announcer identified Bain. “C’mon, Gary!” one yells. “Go, Gary!” another shouts. It’s a wet and muddy track, but as Bain says later, “I’ve seen wetter and muddier.” He’s seen everything across five decades of racing in a way no one else in this particular race or many others could.
“I learned how to protect myself after that.”
Harder to find
‘I just ride’ Half the jockeys competing against Bain are in their 20s. The next oldest is 47. A whippersnapper. “He’s the Grandfather of Racing, bro,” said Vinny Depalo, a valet for jockeys and horses, a few minutes earlier in the jockeys room as Bain talked about his career. Bain’s work philosophy wears blinders regarding age. “I just ride,” he said. He’s always ridden too. He was born into a racing family in the Bahamas. His father was a jockey. So was his brother. When their Nassau track closed soon after Bain started his teenage jockey career, he packed up and moved to South Florida’s tracks in the late 1970s. “The only thing I knew was horses,” he said.
Churchill Downs too Decades later, he has 1,145 wins in 14,441 starts, according to the racing site Equibase. Some were big stake races in South Florida, Louisiana and Illi-
FLORIDA’S
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PHOTO BY JENNIFER LETT/ SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL/TNS
Gary Bain, 66, is pictured shortly after second place during a May 5 race at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach. nois. None were bigger than the 1996 WHAS Stakes on Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs. Most were smaller races as time moved on. “I feel like I’m 66 going on 19,” Bain said. Bain has avoided two common pitfalls for jockeys: Weight and health. He has only fallen twice in races. The second time caused a minor ankle injury. The first time in the mid-1980s came when his horse’s heels were clipped. Bain went down hard, breaking his collarbone and six ribs and puncturing both lungs. “That was my teacher,” he said.
Others don’t see age the way he does, though. Bain had won at least one race for 45 straight years until 2017, when he couldn’t sniff the finish line. The drought stretched through 2018, too. “I was in a slump,” he said. Getting rides is tough enough for a 60-something-year-old. They became tougher with his slump. He stayed in full shape, watched his weight in a manner jockeys must and earned money by working out horses most every morning. But rides became hard to find. “Some people, some owners and trainers, said, ‘When are you going to retire?’ and, ‘You’re too old,’” he said. “I didn’t believe them. Like I said, I feel 19. I wasn’t going to let them tell me what to do. I knew I could win.”
Close to victory A month ago, Bain won aboard Dancing Noelle in a $19,000 claiming race. He followed it up a few weeks later with a secondplace finish on Dancing Noelle. He’s only had eight starts so far this year, though. Sunday’s mount in a $17,000 claiming race came when the usual rider for K C Twostep couldn’t make it. “I got a call saying, ‘Can you make it?’” Bain said. “I told them, ‘Hell, yeah, that’s my job.’” The plan was to go grab the lead with K C Twostep, and Bain executed that perfectly. He had the
lead in the stretch. But even as Bain saw the finish line ahead, the No. 3 horse, Joe Cain, overtook K C Twostep for the win. Bain had his second-place finish of the season. “You want to win there,” he said. “We did everything we could.”
Response to taunt Besides watching his food and regularly exercising, there’s another quality that helps Bain keep competing at 66. As he walked from the track to the jockey’s room, disappointed at the race’s finish, a fan came to the rail and repeatedly taunted him for not winning. Finally, Bain turned and shot his middle finger, saying, “This is for you.” Yep, the fire still burns in grandpa.
No retirement talk Jockeys can have extended careers. Jon Court, 58, on May 4 became the oldest jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby. The oldest jockey to win a race is believed to be Frank Amonte, who at 72 won at Suffolk Downs in Massachusetts. “Someone told me that after I won (aboard Dancing Noelle),” Bain said. “I’ve got my work cut out for me. I’ve got to keep going another six years.” He turns 67 on Oct. 31. “Halloween,” he says. He won’t stop. He can’t, he says. He also says, “I’m just another rider,” when his age says he’s anything but that.
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
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FROM FAMILY FEATURES
From dark and moody to vibrant and bold, colorful design is gaining favor among homeowners ditching safe, neutral palettes to create more daring, dramatic spaces. Decorating with deeply saturated colors can be intimidating. Explore these ideas to welcome more bold colors into your home and create inviting spaces for living and entertaining. Walls of color Say goodbye to beige and embrace the bold color trend by enhancing walls with hues that make a statement. The trick is to avoid making colors so loud that the space loses its stylish appeal. Bold doesn’t necessarily mean bright, so look for muted variations of the shades you prefer. Also remember that when it comes to design, there is such a thing as too much. If painting all the walls in a space will close it in or make it feel lost in the dark, try adding color in more subtle ways, such as an accent wall (or two), or painting the ceiling as your accent. Another option for implementing vibrant wall color: stick to smaller rooms, where the bold look is less likely to be overwhelming.
Illuminate color with natural light When decorating with statement colors, remember that lighting can make a significant difference in the overall aesthetic. In addition to lighting fixtures, be sure to incorporate plenty of natural light to bring out the best in those bold hues. To bring natural light deeper into the space, consider skylights as an option with a solution such as Velux No Leak Solar Powered Fresh Air Skylights, which can bathe the space in natural light and open to bring in fresh air. Another smart way to capture natural light is by installing an option like Sun Tunnel skylights. With their low-profile design, they create a sleek appearance, and installation is also quick and easy. Learn more at whyskylights.com.
UNEXPECTED POPS OF COLOR Designers often talk about adding pops of color to bring together a palette, but there are no real rules about where those color enhancements can or should be. Introducing vibrant color in unexpected places can be an especially impactful way to stylize a room. One example is with a skylight blind, which provides a decorative element while also allowing for light control. If you prefer a trendy option like combining dark colors with metallic accents, consider options such as a metallic gold skylight blind from Velux to connect to the room decor below. More than 80 color and pattern choices heighten the drama of a skylight blind, and you can choose from features like room darkening, light filtering and Venetian-style blinds to add function as well.
Bold furnishings An often overlooked but essential component of design is the furniture. Creating a colorful, inviting room doesn’t stop with the walls and floors; what’s in the room can bring the colors to life. Think of the space and all its contents, not just the architectural components, as your canvas for creating the space you envision. If you’re hesitant to invest in a pricy couch in a trendy hue, a compromise might come in the form of a richly colored accent table or chair.
Creative cabinetry Traditional wood grain cabinetry sometimes gives way to far more creative color schemes in kitchens and bathrooms. While white is still a popular choice, and can even be considered bold in the right setting, true color on cabinets is also gaining traction among homeowners. With the right backsplash, countertops
and flooring, you can safely install cabinets in a uniform color throughout the kitchen, but another on-trend option is to reserve the color for an island base or just one wall of cabinets. You could even mix and match colors on the tops and bottoms. Detail elements like the hardware provide another opportunity for a bold look. You can enhance the room’s design with standout pulls that lend extra vibrance to the space.
Fabric with flair Textiles provide nearly unlimited options to balance a bold design. Using lighter fabrics for elements such as draperies, upholstery, rugs and decorative pillows can soften the feel of a room with bold tones. Look for subtle patterns that pull in hints of the deeper hue to bring the look together, or simply coordinate shades from complementary color families.
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How to create fresh spring flavors FAMILY FEATURES
When it comes to healthy eating, looking for nutrient-rich foods to include in your diet is one of the more important goals. However, when warmer weather is in full swing, it may be tricky to incorporate nourishing foods that are versatile enough for grilling season. For a keto- and paleo-friendly option ideal for grilling, consider using asparagus to please your crowd. With its peak season typically running through May and June,
this vegetable can provide a much-needed flare to your seasonal feasts and be eaten warm or cold in appetizers, salads, side dishes and more. Keep in mind this multiuse food aligns with a variety of cooking methods, according to the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board: saute 3 minutes, grill 5 minutes, steam 5 minutes or roast 15 minutes.
Loads of benefits In addition to quick and easy preparation, asparagus also allows for loads of
wholesome health benefits with its lowcalorie qualities and sources of fiber, folate and vitamins. To get the most nutritional value out of your asparagus, consider buying the veggie when it’s in-season from your local area instead of purchasing imported asparagus. Grown by over 100 family farmers in the United States, Michigan asparagus can be used in a tasty, savory dish like Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus for a fresh family meal. For more asparagus-inspired recipes and information, visit michiganasparagus.org
GRILLED BACON-WRAPPED ASPARAGUS Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 8 minutes Servings: 6-8 1 pound Michigan asparagus Olive oil 1 package uncooked bacon, thin sliced Balsamic glaze (optional) Salt and pepper, to taste Wash asparagus and trim ends. Place asparagus on tray and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat. Wrap two to three spears with one slice of bacon. Repeat with remaining asparagus and bacon. Heat grill to medium heat and clean grates. Place asparagus bundles on grill and cook 3-4 minutes per side, or until bacon is crispy.
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