Florida Courier - January 24, 2014

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JANUARY 24 – JANUARY 30, 2014

VOLUME 22 NO. 4

HIS OWN MAN

The Rev. A.D. King, a local civil rights activist in his own right, worked in the shadow of his older brother ‘M.L.’

BY ERNIE SUGGS THE ATLANTA JOURNALCONSTITUTION / (MCT)

ATLANTA – While the world celebrated the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., the family of his brother said a prayer for a man who has been largely lost in history: King’s younger brother, Alfred Daniel “A.D.” King.

‘I’ll find out’ AP PHOTO

The Rev. A.D. King, left, accompanies the Rev. Ralph Abernathy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker toward an airplane that took them from Atlanta to Birmingham, Ala. in 1967 where they were jailed for parading against court orders during 1963 civil rights demonstrations in Alabama.

Reclaiming MLK’s name Streets named for King struggle nationwide

On July 20, 1969, 15 months after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, A.D. (Alfred Daniel) King sat agitated in his home.

“They killed my brother. I’m gonna find out who did it,” he told someone on the phone,

you never been known?” Naomi King asks.

Like the Kennedys, the King family has been stalked by tragedy – Alfred Daniel Williams King and his offspring no less so than his heroic elder brother, whose life and legacy the nation celebrated this week.

Naomi King was vacationing in Jamaica on the day when their son Derek found his father at the bottom of the family’s swimming pool in his underwear. A.D. was 38.

within hearing of his daughter Alveda.

A.D., who had been with Martin when he was murdered in Memphis, was still distraught.

“He never recovered, because he felt it was his duty to protect his brother,” A.D.’s widow, Naomi King, recalls.

His body was discovered the morning after that anguished phone call in the bottom of the family’s swimming pool.

In the background

His death was obscured by other events. As his body was ‘He was murdered’ being taken to the morgue, Neil “Daddy was killed and put Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in the pool,” said Alveda, who were walking on the moon.

See KING, Page A2 “How can you be forgotten if

MLK HOLIDAY 2014

Commemorations around the state

BY ALAN SCHER ZAGIER ASSOCIATED PRESS

ST. LOUIS – A walk down the 6-mile city street named for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. yields plenty of images that would surely unsettle the civil rights leader: shuttered storefronts, open-air drug markets and a glut of pawn shops, quickie check-cashing providers and liquor stores.

The urban decay along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in St. Louis can be found in other major American cities, from Houston and Milwaukee to the nation’s capital.

“It’s a national problem,” said Melvin White, a 46-yearold postal worker in St. Louis and founder of a 3-year-old nonprofit group that is trying to restore King’s legacy on asphalt. “Dr. King would be turning over in his grave.”

Visible symbol Nearly three decades into the observance of the federal holiday, the continuing decline of the most visible symbols of King’s work has White and others calling for a renewed commitment to the more than 900 streets nationwide named in the Atlanta native’s honor. The effort centers in St. Louis, where the small See MLK, Page A2

SNAPSHOTS FLORIDA | A3

Zimmerman attorney discusses media, future

KIM GIBSON / FLORIDA COURIER

Black communities all over Florida commemorated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday through speeches, worship services, banquets, days of service and parades. This group of girls greeted onlookers at Miami’s MLK parade on NW 54th St.

Black GOP candidate calls for Obama’s execution Republican from Pinellas Park.

Earlier, Scott told reporters that Gov. Rick Scott said a Republi- Black’s statement was “outracan House candidate who called geous.” for the execution of President Barack Obama on the accusation of Not dropping out treason should withdraw from the Black, who is challenging Rep. contest.

Dwight Dudley, D-St. Petersburg, “Floridians expect more from our leaders & he should imme- defiantly replied that he was still diately withdraw his candida- in the race.

“Finished all these crazy intercy to represent families of Pinellas County,” Scott tweeted Tues- views for the day, including the day afternoon in reaction to com- Secret Service. Free speech, no ments a day earlier by House Dis- threats,” Black posted on his Fatrict 68 candidate Joshua Black, a cebook page Tuesday afternoon.

FROM THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA NATION | A6

Frat suspended over disrespectful MLK party WORLD | A6

Editor propped on Black female chair sparks outrage

ALSO INSIDE

“Yes, I am still running. I’m not ashamed for saying that government officials should be held to the same standards that we are.”

Black earlier Joshua stated on FaceBlack book: “To everyone who was offended that I said that the POTUS should be hanged for treason, this is the man who droned AlAwaki on ‘suspicion of terrorism’

– not proof – and later killed his 15-year-old son for nothing more than being his son.”

Anwar al-Awlaki was an American-born Muslim scholar and cleric who acted as a spokesman for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. U.S. officials claimed al-Awlaki was involved in planning terrorist operations for al Qaeda.

Black has raised $2,294 since opening a campaign account Jan. 28, 2013. Dudley had nearly $50,000 available as of Dec. 31.

COMMENTARY: BRUCE A. DIXON: LEGALIZATION WON’T END THE ‘WAR ON DRUGS’ | A4 COMMENTARY: DR. MICHAEL A. LENOIR: NUTRITION, EXERCISE, SCREENINGS ALL IMPORTANT | A5

FOCUS

A2

JANUARY 24 – JANUARY 30, 2014

The trifecta of evils on MLK’s birthday When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. died at the age of 39, he was quite clear about who and what was at the root of human suffering.

He believed that “racism, militarism and extreme materialism” were the “giant triplets“ of “interrelated” evil that had to be overcome if society was to be transformed. Dr. King said the United States was host to all three resident evils, and that America reigned as “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.”

Forty-six years later, the United States clearly leads the world in all three of Dr. King’s categories of evil.

And we can prove it by the numbers.

GLEN FORD BLACK AGENDA REPORT

No.1: Racism It is true that racism is hard to measure, but the effects of racism can be quantified. If a racist government is defined as one that consistently uses its powers in ways that harm a particular racial group, then the U.S. is indisputably the most racist major state in the world.

The U.S. prison population is by far the largest on the planet, in sheer numbers and in the proportion of Americans locked up. No

other country comes close – which makes the United States the superpower of mass incarceration.

America’s police and prison custodial forces dwarf the militaries of most countries – which tells us that militarism is now so deeply embedded in U.S. domestic structures that you can’t tell where the military ends and the police begin.

Nearly half of U.S. prisoners are African-American, although Blacks are only one-eighth of the total U.S. population. Since Americans make up fully one-quarter of the world’s prison inmates, that means one out of every eight prisoners on the planet is an African-American.

This could only occur in a thor-

oughly racist state, whose institutions work overtime to produce the biggest and most racially unbalanced incarceration numbers on earth.

Clearly, America has racism – triple evil No. 1 – covered.

No.2: Militarism The U.S. military budget is almost as large as the military spending of all the world’s other nations combined. Together, the U.S. and its NATO allies account for more than 70 percent of global weapons spending.

At last count, the U.S. spent six times more on war than China, and 11 times more than Russia. In fact, if you count up the U.S. and all of its allies, they are prob-

ably responsible for about 90 percent of total monies spent on war.

Therefore, today, 46 years after Dr. King’s death, the United States is not just the greatest purveyor of violence in the world – it is right at the center of just about the totality of militarized violence in the world, today. Which is why a recent international poll shows that the people of the world think the U.S. is the most significant threat to peace.

isse Global Wealth Databook, wealth is so unevenly distributed in the United States, it no longer resembles a First World country.

Of all the rich nations, the U.S. is dead last in terms of material equality.

So, by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s measurements, America is in bad shape – more bedeviled by the triple evils than back in his day. In fact, things are much, much worse because...it’s the silence that kills you.

No. 3: Materialism

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

Finally, the third of the triple evils: extreme materialism. By that, Dr. King meant great disparities in wealth and income.

According to the Su-

MLK

Hialeah, where U.S. flags fly alongside Cuban ones, MLK Boulevard isn’t known as the street named after a civil rights leader. Rather, it’s simply referred to by its number: “La Nueve Street,” or 9th Street.

The sights and sounds of MLK Boulevard change in Liberty City, where many buildings are shuttered and storefront churches can be found on almost every block.

At Miami Edison High School on the border of Liberty City and Little Haiti, 17-year-old Judith Etienne said King would be disappointed in his unfulfilled dream.

“I’m sure Martin Luther King didn’t have this in his dream,” she said. “There’s a lot of kids dying of gang violence in this community.”

from A1 nonprofit is working to reclaim MLK roadways as a source of pride and inspiration, not disappointment over a dream derailed.

White’s goals are ambitious, his resources admittedly modest. A neighborhood park is planned across the street from the group’s headquarters. An urban agriculture project to encourage residents to eat healthy and grow their own food has preliminary support from nearby Washington University, one of the country’s wealthiest private colleges.

Success story Above all, Beloved Streets of America wants to build community from the ashes of what was once a thriving retail corridor when White was a child.

The template can be found just a mile away.

Delmar Boulevard, which saw a similar decline, is now a vibrant retail corridor packed with restaurants, nightclubs, a renovated movie theater and a boutique hotel. The renaissance earned Delmar recognition in 2007 as one of “10 Great Streets in America” by the American Planning Association.

Journalist Jonathan Tilove, who wrote a 2003 book based on visits to 650 King streets nationwide, called the King byways “Black America’s Main Street.”

“Map them and you map a nation within a nation, a place where White America seldom goes and Black America can be itself,” he wrote. “It is a parallel universe with a different center of gravity and distinc-

KING from A1 was at work when the body was discovered. “When they pulled the body out, they began to pump his chest, but no water came out. One of the emergency people said he was dead when he hit the water.”

Naomi flew back to Atlanta and, after identifying his body in the morgue, came to the same conclusion.

“Absolutely, he was murdered,” Naomi King said.

“He was an excellent swimmer. There was no water in his lungs. He was in the fetal position. He had a bruised forehead. Rings around his neck. And he was in his underwear. He was murdered.”

For his part, Daddy King said publicly that the civil rights movement killed both of his sons, furthering the family narrative.

Young disagrees The Rev. Andrew Young, the former Atlanta mayor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who was a member of M.L. King’s leadership team, disagrees with the conclusion that A.D. was murdered.

Same battles AP PHOTO/JEFF ROBERSON

Melvin White, founder of the Beloved Streets of America project, walks past a crumbling building during a tour of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in St. Louis. tive sensibilities. ... There is no other street like it.”

But while streets named for King undoubtedly resonate widely in the Black community, a University of Tennessee geography professor whose research explores the cultural and political significance of such streets said the compromised condition of streets named for King in St. Louis and other cities deserves broader attention.

Still a struggle “In some ways we racially profile these streets,” said Derek Alderman, author of a 2007 study that found a smaller disparity among MLK-named streets and other “main streets” than is popularly portrayed.

“The easiest thing to assume is that there was something crazy about his death,” Young said. “I think he had a heart attack in the swimming pool. He was swimming at night by himself. There was never any evidence of foul play.”

Young points out that after A.D. King’s death, two of his children, Esther and Alfred, died young of heart attacks, suggesting a family beset by heart problems.

A third child, Vernon, died in 2009 at the age of 49 of a heart attack.

“Losing my husband was one degree of sadness,” said Naomi King, now 82.

“But losing three children was even more heartbreaking. You never get over it.”

Second of three Born July 30, 1930, A.D was the youngest of the three King children – behind Christine and Martin, who was named for their father, Martin Sr., known as “Daddy King.”

Of the children, A.D. was the most rebellious. Instead of going to college and entering the ministry, he got married as a teenager and tried to raise a family.

King biographer and Stanford University historian Clayborne Carson said that while Martin had his own disagreements with

“We need to move beyond those images and see what concrete lives and realities are living on those streets.”

More than 50 years after King led his march on Washington, communities large and small still debate whether to rename local streets in his honor. In Harrisonburg, Va., city leaders recently agreed to rename a street for King over protests by some residents. A similar debate continues in High Point, N.C., where a King street proposal first suggested two decades ago remains up in the air.

Other cities have had more success in balancing the desire to commemorate King without superseding local tradition. Alderman singled out Chapel

Hill, N.C., which in 2005 renamed a major thoroughfare that abuts the University of North Carolina campus. Street signs that identify Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard also include the name “Historic Airport Road.”

Chicago’s Martin Luther King Drive, a major thoroughfare spanning roughly a dozen miles south of downtown, is anchored by important hubs of Black life in the city. The street features grassy boulevards with stately greystones, while other segments touch rougher patches that have fallen into disrepair, including a dilapidated motel that drew community protests over crime. Gentrification is taking hold

along some parts.

The major landmarks include Bronzeville, the neighborhood where numerous Black activists lived or worked and tourism officials have marked with plaques. There’s also Chicago State University, where Pulitzer Prizewinning poet Gwendolyn Brooks taught.

the sometimes-domineering Daddy King, he was always careful not to damage the relationship.

“A.D. would cross the line,” Carson said. “Martin was always his father’s favorite son. He was older, he did well and he fulfilled his father’s ambition. … From what I understand about (A.D.), he had internal demons.”

home, now known as “The Birth Home.” Four more children – Alfred, Derek, Esther and Vernon – followed.

that while he might not be his brother, he had his own commitment to the movement,” Carson said. “That was the first time he became his own man.”

“His strategy was to support his brother,” said the Rev. Willie Bolden, a longtime friend. “He never tried to usurp any of the limelight. Many people didn’t even know Martin Luther King had a brother.”

Married with kids Naomi Ruth Barber was 13 when she and her mother moved to Atlanta from Dothan, Ala., in the early 1940s. She met A.D. King at a YWCA dance.

“I saw a charming young man in him,” she said, adding that they soon started courting. “He was very lovable and outgoing and he had a wonderful personality.”

After graduating from Washington High School in 1949, she enrolled at Spelman College. But she had to drop out during her first year. Spelman had a rule against pregnant girls being on campus.

A.D. and Naomi married in June 1950 and Alveda, the King family’s first grandchild, was born in 1951.

As A.D. worked a string of jobs, his family settled into the old King family

Followed Dad’s footsteps In the mid-1950s, A.D. belatedly set his feet on the path his family had always envisioned. He enrolled in Morehouse College, graduating in 1959. He decided to follow his father and brother into the ministry, assisting Daddy King at Ebenezer Baptist Church.

“A.D. King, if it hadn’t been for Martin and Daddy King, would have been a prominent preacher in this city, because he was very good,” said Young. “But he was Martin’s baby brother. The younger brother becomes the caricature.

Somebody that they pick on.”

On his own In 1961, A.D. took over as pastor of First Baptist Church of Ensley, just outside Birmingham, Ala. Before Birmingham, his civil rights activities had been limited. But he and his church would play a key role in Birmingham, where he was arrested several times.

“He proved to himself

In Miami Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard stretches from the predominantly Cuban town of Hialeah through largely Black Liberty City and into Little Haiti – a reflection of both the city’s diverse demographics as well as its lingering segregation.

Along MLK Boulevard in

Violent, segregated At the time, Birmingham was one of the most violent and thoroughly segregated cities in the country.

On May 11, 1963, A.D. and his family felt the full force of the hatred that roiled the city nicknamed “Bombingham.”

“It was Saturday night before Mother’s Day and I had just decorated the table,” said Naomi King. “I was just sitting there reflecting on the goodness of the Lord, when I noticed my picture window had a crack in it.”

At that moment, A.D. entered the room. They didn’t hear anything, but experience told them something was wrong.

“He said, ‘Let’s get out of here. It is too quiet,’” Naomi King said. “By the time we got to the middle of our home, the second bomb

For Alderman, the King street scholar, the struggle to reclaim MLK Jr. Drive in St. Louis offers a realistic portrayal of the battles King waged a half-century ago and where such efforts need to reach into the 21st Century.

“Those street names are really powerful social indicators of how far we’ve come in really fulfilling the dream, and giving us an indication of where we need to do more work,” he said.

“As much as it may sadden us, it demarcates and defines boundaries for civil rights activism for the future. You’ve got something that remembers the past that actually works, in its own tragic irony, to symbolize where the struggle still is.”

Associated Press writers Sophia Tareen in Chicago and Christine Armario in Miami contributed to this report. went off and the whole front of the house collapsed. It was just plain hatred. No more than that.”

Traveled with ML On occasion, he would travel with his brother, and he was with Martin in Memphis on April 4, 1968.

A.D. was in his room directly beneath his brother’s at the Lorraine Motel when the gun blast went off. He had to be restrained by others – including Young, Jesse Jackson and Hosea Williams – on the balcony when he saw Martin lying mortally wounded.

Telling his story Naomi King is now working to tell her husband’s story. She has created the A.D. King Foundation, in partnership with Atlanta Metropolitan State College professor Babs Onabanjo. It promotes nonviolent conflict resolution in her husband’s name.

In 2009, they produced the documentary, “A.D. King: Brother to the Dreamer.”

“My beloved husband was always in the background,” Naomi King said.

“But I want his memory to live on.”

JANUARY 24 – JANUARY 30, 2014

A3

FLORIDA

O’Mara: No regrets about defending Zimmerman On the media

Orlando attorney answers questions about CNN gig; next project

Q: Has your view of the media changed since you’ve been part of CNN? A: My view of the media changed more the first month or two I was involved in the Zimmerman case. The first couple of months when I had a trial by fire, I got insight into the methods of media.

Q: What is your main complaint about the media?

A: The timelines are so demanding on the media that they have to rush to be first. If you’re not first with the story, you are last. I will say one sentence to you and you will run outside to your satellite truck and get it out there before anybody else, but you didn’t know there was a comma in that sentence and I’m not done. I watched things go out through the media, and I knew they were not doing their factchecking.

BY HAL BOEDEKER ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT

Mark O’Mara’s name is forever linked to George Zimmerman, the Neighborhood Watch volunteer who in 2012 sparked protests nationwide after killing Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teen.

The Orlando attorney says he has no regrets about representing Zimmerman, who was acquitted in July in a trial that drew worldwide attention. O’Mara, 57, says that the case that consumed most of his time also opened doors for him.

He jumped from doing local TV analysis on Casey Anthony to providing legal analysis for CNN, giving speeches and consulting.

He has moved on to other cases and other issues, notably a justice-outreach program he started to help youngsters avoid crime.

He talked recently at his office.

On Florida Bar inquiry

On aftermath of case Question: What has CNN done for your practice?

Answer: The Zimmerman case and the aftermath, I hate to say it like that, have helped my practice without question. I can’t deny that. The idea of having a highprofile case helps because people know you. That notoriety or publicity is both a blessing and a curse, obviously.

Q: Is the curse that some people think you’re a miracle worker?

A: Yes, people have heightened expectations. I’m not a miracle worker. I didn’t turn into a miracle worker because I won a criminal case that, quite honestly, the facts show that I should have won. The fact of the case, I don’t think it ever should have gone to trial. So the idea of winning it isn’t such a miracle.

Q: Are some people afraid to call you?

A: There’s some of that because it looks like I’m too distant.

JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT

George Zimmerman confers with his defense counsel, Mark O’Mara, right, Don West, and Lorna Truett, back, at the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center, in Sanford in July 2013.

That is the aftermath I was talking about. No regrets. I’m very, very humbled by the idea that someone like CNN, a group I’ve always respected (for) the way they present the news, that they would want me to help out, particularly realizing there’s still some negativity assigned to the Zimmerman case and therefore certainly to George and therefore to me.

On state sanctions Q: What do you mean by no regrets?

A: No regrets about taking the case, no regrets about it becoming the enormity that I didn’t realize it was going to become and staying with it. I was working 40

hours a week on that case minimum and another 30 to 40 hours on my regular practice. I took four days off in all of 2013. That’s what I have no regrets about because it became an event unto itself. I liken it to a combination of ‘A Few Good Men’ and ‘Animal House.’ We had 10, 12 people busting their butts here. We were here 24-7. … I couldn’t have made it without my wife and her understanding.

Q: When was the last time you talked to George Zimmerman?

A: Several weeks ago. We spent a lot of time together. Hopefully he’s just chilling back and taking it easy.

Q: Will you move forward with a motion for sanctions against

the state?

A: It’s pending. It’s actually more George’s decision than mine. He’ll let me know if he wants that done. I think he probably spent enough time in a criminal courtroom in Seminole County.

Q: Are your writing a book?

A: I feel we have a lot of healing to do because of the Zimmerman case. A book ‘I won and here’s how’ is an insensitive project. There is another project I’m working on, which is taking a look at what the Zimmerman case brought to the forefront: race, racial issues in the criminal justice system, self-defense, gun rights, the media.

Q: What about the Florida Bar ethics inquiry related to how you handled the Zimmerman case?

A: It’s being dismissed, and it’s my understanding that’s in the works. I’m not worried about it because I sort of asked them to figure out what’s going on.

Q: What did that case bring you?

A: It brought me an extraordinary amount of national attention to me personally as a criminal defense attorney. I have no regrets for that reason. I can’t make believe that I’m not happy that I got a case that was covered throughout the world.

Q: Will you ever run for political office?

A: No. I’d have to stop doing this. I love what I do. There’s no way I would give up practicing law and enjoying what I love to do most. This also has opened other opportunities. I’m doing a lot of speaking engagements and training other lawyers, training management in corporations how to look at a situation that is potentially toxic. We’re starting a trialconsulting practice. My team will help with high-profile cases.

“"The Silver Anniversary"” Saturday, January 25 – Sunday, February 2, 2014 TM

Celebrating Our Milestone: 25 Years of ZORA! Festivals “An Evening with Zora”

Festival Highlights

ZORA! Festival Gala “The Silver Anniversary Celebration”

Friday, January 31, 8:00 PM Admission:$20

Featuring: Lynn Whitfield and Avery Brooks Artistic Director: Elizabeth Van Dyke

Saturday, February 1, 8:00 PM

Admission: $125 per person • Corporate tables available

Location: Auditorium, UCF Rosen College for Hospitality Management 9907 Universal Boulevard, Orlando

Black Tie or "African Elegance"

Location: Sheraton – Orlando North, 600 N. Lake Destiny Rd., Maitland

Outdoor Festival of the Arts in Eatonville

Friday, January 31 – Sunday, February 2

Photo courtesy Phil Bray. All Rights reserved.

General Admission: $10 per adults

Saturday, 12 Noon Words and Voices • Special Guest: Edwidge Danticat Saturday, 3:00 PM Center Stage Headliner: Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly

Extra Cost for Limited Reserved Seating: $25 Advanced Purchase Required

MAZE Featuring Frankie Beverly Primary Sponsors:

Sunday, 3:00 PM Center Stage Headliner - See Website for Updates

Extra Cost for Limited Reserved Seating: $20 Advanced Purchase Required Community Partners All Sponsors are as of December 2013

PRESIDENT'S OFFICE

For more information, please call 407-647-3307 or visit our website at www.zorafestival.org

ZORA! Festival 2014 is a presentation of the Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community, Inc. (P.E.C.)

EDITORIAL

A4

JANUARY 24 – JANUARY 30, 2014

The cat is not enough!

Many of the single women that I run into claim they would love to have a “good man.” But what is a good man?

Well, some guys show they are “good” by loving their women, respecting their woman, protecting their woman, providing for their woman, listening to their woman, complimenting their woman, caring about their woman, being honest to their woman, being faithful to their woman and doing things like that.

Other men will pay bills for their woman, buy cards for their woman, buy flowers for their woman, buy diamonds and other jewelry for their woman, take their woman on romantic trips and vacations, give their woman the keys to

Lucius Gantt THE GANTT REPORT

the BMW and the Benz or give her a key to the dream house on the lake.

However, all of that, it seems, doesn’t mean a damn thing!

All men are primarily considered to be emotionally depraved, sex hungry dogs that can’t be trusted as far as the woman can see them!

Men must understand that no matter what you do for the woman you are interested in or the woman you care about it will never be enough!

They will still find reasons to doubt you, still find reasons to limit you and still find reasons to reject you if you don’t do the most important thing.

Do as you’re told What is the most important thing? The most important thing a man can do for a woman is to do everything that a woman tells them to do!

You have to talk when she wants to talk, you have to come and go when she wants you to come and go, you have to worship the God and practice the religion that she wants to worship and practice, you have to remodel and renovate the house the way that she wants the house remod-

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: FUNDING UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE

RJ MATSON, ROLL CALL

eled and renovated, you have to discipline the children the way that she wants you to discipline the children, you have to accept the girl friends of hers that she wants you to accept, you have to spend the holidays with her family instead of spending holidays with your family, you have to exercise and work out while she can let her body go and you had better not complain, you have to use complimentary and positive words to describe her but she can use any negative, disrespectful or harmful word that she wants to describe you.

To be a “good man,” you basically have to shut up and do what women want you to do.

Now, what do women have to do? If a woman lets you play with her cat maybe once or twice a month she usually feels she has done

gether for 50 or more years have ups and downs like everybody else but they stay together for each other.

They realize they are better together than they are alone. Together they ride or die. They stick together through good times and bad, through sickness and in health. They stick together when money flows and when one or both of them are almost broke.

If you want a long lasting marriage or relationship, you have to want to last a long time. You have to bring your mental, spiritual, financial and personal Give a little, best to a relationship to get get a little longevity.

Every now and then couThe cat is not enough! ples have to compromise and couples have to sacriBuy Gantt's book "Beast fice. Sometimes things have Too: Dead Man Writto be done the woman’s way ing" online or at any maand sometimes things have jor bookstore. Write your to be done the man’s way. own response at www.flThe people that stay to- courier.com.

more than necessary to show she is a good woman.

And you have no idea why divorces and breakups are far more common than long term relationships?

People can’t stay together because they can’t work together, they can’t plan together, they can’t build together, they can comfort each other, they can’t support each other, they can’t defend each other, they can’t protect each other, they can’t please each other and sometimes they can’t stand each other.

Revolution must be financed When it comes to gaining true freedom, the words and actions of our most revered Black authentic leaders emphasized economic empowerment. Unfortunately, many of those who spoke the truth and tried to establish an economic foundation for Black people were ostracized, caricatured, vilified, and even assassinated. Despite their sacrifices and refusals to back down from fighting for the most important collective aspect of true freedom, economic empowerment, the vast majority of Black folks either ignored them or chose to follow Black “misleaders” who took our people down the wrong road.

Now in 2014, Black folks are still suffering from and languishing in the results of having put all our eggs in the political basket, instead of holding on to what we had built and owned prior to the 1960s. Today, we are still caught up in the same nonsensical approach to true freedom that got us into our dire situation in the first place. So, what do we do at this point?

Here’s the answer

Legalization isn’t the end of the ‘war on drugs’ The forty-year “war on drugs” has been the front door of what can only be described as the prison state, in which AfricanAmericans are 13 percent of the population but more than 40 percent of the prisoners. The chief interactions of government with young Black males are policing, the courts and imprisonment.

Given all that, legalizing marijuana possession ought to be good news. Not necessarily.

What would it look like if policymakers wanted to end the prohibition of marijuana, but not necessarily the war on drugs? What if they desired to lock down the potential economic opportunities opened up by legalizing weed to themselves and a handful of their wealthy and well-connected friends and campaign contributors?

BRUCE A. DIXON BLACK AGENDA REPORT

weed or the seed is illegal.

To participate in the marijuana economy as anything but a consumer requires background checks, hefty license fees, a minimum of hundreds of thousands to invest, and the right connections. All this currently drives the price of legal weed in Colorado to over $600 per ounce, including a 25 percent state tax – roughly double the reported street price of illegal weed.

Cops and judges and jailers figure to be just as busy as they always have been the last forty years, doing pretty much what they've always done: conducting a war on illegal drugs, chiefly in the poorer and Blacker sections of town, with predictable results.

What if they wanted to make the legal marijuana market safe for predatory agribusiness, which would like to claim lucrative patents on all the genetic varieties of marijuana that can be legally grown, as they already try to do with other crops?

If they wanted to do those things, Colorado’s system would be a good start.

In Denver today, lowincome property owners can't just plant pot in the backyard in hopes of making their mortgage payments. Ordinary houseBruce Dixon is managholds are limited to three ing editor of BlackAgenplants per adult. Selling the daReport.com.

Opinions expressed on this editorial page are those of the writers, and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of the newspaper or the publisher.

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

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We know two things for sure: Most of us Black nationalists are often long on rhetoric and short on cash. And everything that happens in this country begins and/ or ends with somebody writing a check.

Therefore, as one of our most respected leaders, Marcus Garvey, showed us back in the 1920s, we must have businesses and we must have money, collectively and individually, in order to be truly free. Thus, any “revolution” we talk about must be financed, just as Garvey’s revolution had to be.

He raised millions from Black people, encouraged entrepreneurship, and started several businesses himself. As a nationalist, Garvey knew that without an economic foundation Black people would be lost, so he led the way to get likeminded Blacks to put their money where their mouths were.

Our current need for capital must be satisfied if we are going to build on Garvey’s vision, and if we are going to build collective economic empowerment. How do we do that? Three ways: real estate (when the market is right), investments (stocks, etc.)

JAMES CLINGMAN NNPA COLUMNIST

and business ownership. My emphasis is on business ownership, which does not always mean having a storefront. It could mean working from home on the Internet.

It could mean getting involved in moneymaking efforts that require very little work at all, via MLM (Multi-level Marketing) companies, but please do your due diligence and be careful.

Must have the capital to make it work So, the message here is something we have been saying for a long time, “To have economic empowerment, we must have consciousness and capital.” While there are a relative few “conscious capitalists” among our people, we still need many more, and there are ways and means to reach that ideal. As for me, I have joined with a close friend and business associate, Nathaniel Chism, founder of www.PowernomicsNetwork.com, of course from Claud Anderson’s book, Powernomics, to obtain more capital. As a result, I am looking to partner with just three more individuals who are serious about the fact that we must have capital in order to finance our individual and collective freedom — and willing to do something about it.

Currently, we are financing our own oppression. We must start financing our own freedom by moving beyond the empty rhetoric, the futile marches, and the useless anger offered as solutions by a few of our “leaders.” Black folks need real power, and being financially independent is all the power necessary to be free.

Jim Clingman, founder of the Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce, is an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

New lieutenant governor picked by Scott after lawsuit After ten months without a lieutenant governor, our governor picks the first ever Hispanic in that position, Miami-Dade Property Appraiser Carlos LopezCantera. Mr. Lopez Cantera is 40, and his father Carlos Lopez-Cantera Sr. is a multi-millionaire owner of Pan American Companies which specializes in real estate investments and development.

“I’m very excited to be a part of the governor’s team and looking forward to getting involved in the action in Tallahassee,” says Lopez-Cantera. In his new position, his salary will be cut by $48,000, so he definitely is not working for the money. It is really interesting that many of the Republicans in the Florida legislature are independently wealthy, and don’t need the salary.

The question that is always being raised is why the Republicans in Florida are not responsive to the middle class, poor folks, and women issues in the state? It is very easy to understand when the governor does not accept his salary, and now the lieutenant governor takes a cut in his salary, they are working for another reason. It would appear to me that they are working in Florida politics

ROGER CALDWELL GUEST COLUMNIST

to expand their personal business and contacts.

Keep your eyes open

paign, the Hispanic vote will become very important, and in 2010, Scott did not do well in Miami-Dade County. With this new addition on his team, he is expecting to do better with the Hispanic vote in 2014.

Lopez-Cantera spent eight years in the Florida House, rising to position of Majority Leader in 2010.

He knows how to navigate his way around Tallahassee, and this is a plus for Governor Scott. Governor Scott has been plagued by scandal after scandal, and it was ironic that our governor made a selection after he was sued by a Tallahassee lobbyist.

Barbara DeVane, a Democratic activist/lobbyist filed the suit with the Florida Supreme Court claiming that Scott was breaking a state law that required him to appoint a lieutenant governor. Hopefully our new lieutenant governor has been vetted and his record is clean. There are always surprises with our governor, but by appointing Carlos Lopez-Cantera as the lieutenant governor, he is complying with Florida Law.

It is very ironic Carlos Lopez-Cantera’s father owns a real estate company, and his son is a Property Appraiser for the county.

In no way him I suggesting that the new lieutenant governor is not an individual of high moral character, but I would suggest that the citizens keep their eyes open. Twelve months ago the governor was talking about the good job that the scandal plagued Jenifer Carroll was doing before she resigned her position.

“He is focused on how we can transform our economy so we aren’t just creating jobs. I’m confident we took the right amount of time in finding the right person to be our next lieutenant governor,” says Governor Scott.

Everyone knows that the position has no real deWrite your own refined responsibilities, except to replace the gover- sponse at www.flcourier. nor. But in the 2014 cam- com.

JANUARY 24 – JANUARY 30, 2014

A healthy start for 2014 Good health should be on minds of everyone, especially African-Americans, at the beginning of this New Year. Whether we contemplate our access to adequate health care coverage or make a conscience effort to lose weight and get into better physical shape, there are stark factors that we should all consider.

Of the 10 leading causes of death for African-Americans, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), we, as individuals, can influence, and often prevent, a number of these problems; primarily heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease and chronic respiratory disease.

How? Basic, good health relies on the often-used terms; proper diet, good nutrition and regular exercise. And as a physician, I would also add frequent check ups.

Clearly diet and exercise are always part of everyone’s effort to get healthy. But, it’s critical to know what’s important about diets and which exercises are best for your particular age and stage in life. In addition, as important as your commitment to be more active and eating right may be, it is just as important that you have a good health care provider for regular checkups and screenings.

DR. MICHAEL A. LENOIR, M.D. GUEST COLUMNIST

Many choices of diet Diet: There are a lot of diets out there. There are low carbohydrate diets, protein diets, rice diets, water diets, etc. Many turn out to be nothing more than “fads.” You can find almost any type of diet you want. However, the biggest elements contributing to successful diets include portion control, carbohydrate reduction, and increases in the amount of fruit and vegetables that you consume.

Counting calories helps if you know what serving size means.

When you see something is “150 calories” in a can or on a box, this means for “one serving.” Count the calories right. Also, recent studies suggest that over-thecounter weight reduction products are of limited value.

Practice regular exercise Exercise: Regular exercise is great for weight control, but not always for weight reduction. If you have one piece of pie that’s

Marian Wright Edelman NNPA COLUMNIST

Cradle to college So I applaud the U.S. departments of Education and Justice for their recent action to address harmful school discipline policies that push so many thousands of the most vulnerable children out of school each year and into the juvenile justice and adult prison pipeline. If the education system is to do its part in dismantling the Cradle to Prison Pipeline™ and in replacing it with a cradle to college, career and success pipeline, we must end the current practice where children in the greatest need are suspended and expelled from school mostly for nonviolent offenses, including tardiness and truancy. I have never understood why you put a child out of school for not coming to school rather than determining why they are absent.

I hope the new set of resources released by the departments

500 calories, it will take you approximately two hours on an elliptical machine or treadmill to work off just those calories alone.

Exercise should be geared to your age and stage. Over-exercising initially can lead to heart attack and stroke if you are really out of shape.

You should have a conference with a professional trainer to ascertain what your goals are for your exercise program. You should be given proper, professional instruction on how to perform those exercises that will appropriately give you the best chance of doing things right and effectively, with the desired outcomes.

DR. SINCLAIR GREY III GUEST COLUMNIST

out people for a profit. Without inmates, there’s no profit.

Without crime and criminal activity, businesses who depend of providing goods and services to prisons suffer.

More prisons built than schools During a panel discussion with current mayors of Los Angeles, Houston and New Orleans in 2012, NPR's Michele Norris offered a chilling report, which claimed, "The prison industrial complex will look at the test scores of a city's third grade population.

If the test grades are low they know that they'll have to start building a prison."

When you have schools with limited resources, how can you explain the frustration of teachers who care but are unable to do what is needed to make a difference? In addition to this, can you imagine the frustration of students who (at no fault of their own) cannot get the adequate education they want, need, and deserve? And sadly and sinfully, big businesses and corporations profit from what’s happening to the disadvantaged.

To better understand this perspective, let’s look at the state of California for a moment. Since the 1980’s they have built 23 prisons and on-

STEVE SACK, THE MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE

Visit your physician Checkups and Screenings: Most of us hate to go to the doctor. Even doctors hate going to the doctor.

But going to your healthcare provider on a regular basis is critical to any new approach to health and fitness. It may not be necessary to go once a year when you’re young, but it may be a good idea because it focuses you on making regular visits. Don’t go around your birthday if it makes you too anxious, but keep in mind a set date for regular visits.

In many studies that show that

of Education and Justice will help schools create positive, safe environments while relying less on exclusionary discipline tactics.

These resources, officially known as “guidance,” will help schools and districts meet their legal responsibility to protect students from discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin as required under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. While the guidance offered is voluntary, school districts that fail to use effective strategies to address disparities in how discipline is applied could be subject to legal action from the Department of Education or Department of Justice.

No more zero tolerance While the guidance does not prohibit schools or districts from using any particular nondiscriminatory policy, it does call into question some policies that have historically excluded Black and Latino students disproportionately and are of questionable educational value — including “zero tolerance” discipline policies which require mandatory consequences for cer-

Bankrupting the Prison System – Part 1 Why do we have prisons?

To protect members of society from rapist, murderers, and people who seek to do harm. Without a doubt, there are people who need to be behind prison bars; however, there’s a problem when prison is viewed as a rites of passage for so many men and women, especially our younger generation.

Here’s another reason why we have prisons. Because it’s extremely profitable. Think about it for a moment. Isn’t prison supposed to be about corrections? Correcting attitudes and behaviors of individuals who’ve made wrong decisions. However, prisons for the most part have become warehouses. The minority community (AfricanAmericans and Latinos) face it with great difficulty.

There’s a term that needs to be discussed. The term is “Prison Industrial Complex.”

Well, what is the Prison Industrial Complex? Unless you know what it means, you’re bound to fall into the trap of ignoring what’s happening within communities all over the world.

According to Wikipedia, the prison industrial complex or (PIC) is “used to attribute the rapid expansion of the US inmate population to the political influence of private prison companies and businesses that supply goods and services to government prison agencies.” In simpler terms, the prison industrial complex is about making profits for small and big businesses at the risk of locking

A5

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: UNAIDED UNEMPLOYMENT

The war on poverty – and MLK In many American schools, the holiday celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday is used as an opportunity to teach children about his life and legacy. But in too many of those same schools, Black and other non-White and poor children’s extraordinary talents are still being wasted today. Nearly three-quarters of Black and Latino fourth and eighth grade public school students cannot read or compute at grade level. Long after legal segregation has ended, Black students are still most likely to be excluded from the classroom: Black students made up only 18 percent of students in public schools in 2009-2010 but were 40 percent of students who received one or more out-of-school suspensions A Black public school student is suspended every four seconds.

When Black students are so often left behind and pushed out it should not surprise us that Black students are more than twice as likely to drop out of school as White students; each school day 763 Black high school students drop out.

EDITORIAL

ly one school campus. Something seems wrong when a state that has decreased their prison population according to reports, continues to spend more on prisoners. “California has more than 130,000 prisoners, a huge increase from the state's 1980 prison population of about 25,000.

Prisons cost California taxpayers close to $10 billion, compared with $604 million in 1980.”

The question that needs to be raised is what has happened? Why have we failed our children? Has greed become more important than the lives of human beings?

Unless people begin to care about the welfare of each other and stand up to the injustice(s) of the prison industrial complex and big businesses, we will continue to see numbers skyrocket in prisons. It’s unfair and it’s unjust.

For the next few weeks, I will be discussing how we can bankrupt the prison system.

It will be provocative and progressive. I hope that a meaningful dialogue will come out of this and in the process, we can make a difference. This is not to be the perfect solution; it’s designed to initiate a beginning to make a difference.

Dr. Sinclair Grey III is an inspirational speaker, motivator, author and committed advocate for communal change. Contact him at drgrey@sinclairgrey.org or on Twitter @drsinclairgrey.

Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

African-Americans have problems with health issues that other ethnic groups don’t have, it appears that too often we look at symptoms; seek care too late; and have no regular periodic schedule. Men over 40 probably need a PSA on a regular basis, along with an EKG. If you smoke, perhaps you need an evaluation of your lungs. Women over 40 need regular breast exams and lung exams, if they smoke. Regardless of what the literature says, PAP smears

and assessments of bone density are critical. There are other tests and screenings as well but the key point is that everyone should make that all-important “visit to the doctor.”

For 2014 to be a great year, we all should become more serious about our health.

tain infractions, and policies that prevent students from returning to school after completion of a court sentence, which compound the often discriminatory effects of the juvenile and criminal justice systems.

Perhaps the most absurd and outrageous are policies which allow or require suspension or expulsion for students who have been truant — punishing children for being absent by forcing them to be absent.

The new guidance recommendations are valuable to everyone concerned about success for all of the nation’s children — including students, parents, educators, and community members. Information is available at this government website for almost every school and district in the country showing how many students were suspended or expelled, whether Black or Latino students or students with disabilities were suspended at higher rates than other students, and how individual schools and districts compare.

Check your own school district now. Check too your own school or district’s code of conduct to see whether the discipline policy is focused on creating a positive school climate and preventing misbehavior, whether consequences are clear, appropriate, and consistent, and whether there is a commit-

ment to fairness in the application of discipline. Then, follow up.

Michael A. LeNoir, M.D is president of the National Medical Association. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

Speak up The new guidance reiterates the longstanding right of parents to seek federal intervention on behalf of their children’s civil rights.

If you are a parent and believe that your child has been discriminated against on the basis of his or her race, color, national origin, sex, or disability, file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) through the online form here. Go to school board meetings and ask questions.

Meet with your neighbors to learn about the experience of students in your community’s schools. Use the additional resources provided by the government’s school discipline website. With all of this information — what Dr. King called “collection of the facts to determine whether injustices are alive” — you can make your case in the media, organize around school board elections, reach out to local and state elected officials, and come together with others to demand change.

Marian Wright Edelman is president of the Children’s Defense. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

Reforming outdated school discipline policies “A routine school disciplinary infraction should land a student in the principal’s office, not in a police precinct.”

– Eric Holder, United States Attorney General On January 8, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Education Secretary, Arne Duncan came to Baltimore’s historic Frederick Douglass High School to announce a comprehensive set of guidelines to tackle the problem of “zero tolerance” disciplinary policies in our schools. As the National Urban League and others have been pointing out for years, students of color and students with disabilities receive disproportionately more and markedly harsher punishments for the same misbehaviors as other students. This obviously discriminatory treatment is not only denying an education to thousands of minority students, it is funneling too many of them into the criminal justice system and feeding the school-to-prison pipeline.

According to data collected by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, African-American students without disabilities are more than three times as likely as their White peers without disabilities to be expelled or suspended. The New York Times, in its Sunday editorial, called the treatment of disabled students “a national disgrace.”

The Times cites a finding by the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the University of California that “in ten states, including California, Connecticut, Delaware and Illinois, more than a quarter of Black students with disabilities were suspended in the 2009-10 school year.”

MARC H. MORIAL TRICE EDNEY WIRE

More harm than good

To respond to this challenge, the Obama administration guidelines direct educators to take three deliberate actions. First, do more to create the positive school climates that can help prevent and change inappropriate behaviors. Second, ensure that clear, concise and consistent expectations are in place to prevent and address misbehavior. And third, schools must understand their civil rights obligations and strive to ensure fairness and equity for all students. The administration is distributing a resource package to schools and targeting grant money to train teachers and staff in ways to improve student behavior and school climate.

We applaud this action and believe the elimination of racially skewed zero tolerance policies must be an indispensable part of any future discussion of education reform. As Attorney General Holder said, “Too often, so-called zero-tolerance policies – however wellintentioned…disrupt the learning process and can have significant and lasting negative effects on the long-term well-being of our young people – increasing their likelihood of future contact with juvenile and criminal justice systems.” We cannot afford to keep putting our kids at risk or wasting their potential and jeopardizing the future of our nation with this misguided policy.

The National Urban League has long stood with parents and others who have challenged so-called “zero-tolerance” policies that have unfairly targeted students of color and done more harm than good in many public schools.

Marc H. Morial, former mayor of New Orleans, is president and CEO of the National Urban League. Write your own response at www.flcourier. com.

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NATION & WORLD

JANUARY 24 – JANUARY 30, 2014

Lower Ninth Ward still marked by Katrina Mostly Black neighborhood in New Orleans still struggles to recovery

der construction.

New Orleans officials have spent more than $200 million rebuilding the Lower Ninth Ward — on pavement, utilities and playgrounds, among other things, Landrieu’s staff said.

“The challenge for the Ninth Ward is that, before Katrina, it was the poorest part of the city,” Landrieu said. And although city officials can work to bring businesses back, “we can’t force people to go someplace.”

BY MOLLY HENNESSEY-FISKE LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT

NEW ORLEANS — The Rev. Charles Duplessis navigated the new landscape of the Lower Ninth Ward, crossing from newly paved streets to those still muddy and rutted as riverbeds.

He drove past a gleaming duplex designed by Frank Gehry and the skeletons of vacant homes, past a community garden and overgrown lots with “no dumping” signs, until he reached his destination: Flood Street.

Here were more examples of the progress made after Hurricane Katrina — and the problems that remain. Construction cranes hovered over a new community center taking shape nearby. A city crew poured concrete for new sidewalks that stretched past several vacant lots and his unfinished church.

Mount Nebo Baptist Church, like so many other buildings here, was destroyed by Katrina.

Duplessis, 62, has mustered only enough support to raise the backbone of a new church: metal beams and a roof. He needs to raise $500,000 more to finish construction. His congregation shrank from 120 before the storm to 50.

Frustrating recovery The sign out front proclaims, “Through God’s promise we will rebuild!” But the pastor is frustrated.

“This is nine years after the storm,” Duplessis said, pointing to an uneven, brambly lot nearby with weeds the size of small trees.

“It will take at least 20 years be-

Slow process

TOM PENNINGTON/FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM/MCT

New Orleans resident Gabriel Harosu works to roof a house in the Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood on Aug. 8, 2007, two years after the devastating hurricane hit the area. fore we get it back.”

The Lower Ninth Ward, or “Lower Nine,” struggled with poverty and crime even before Katrina struck in 2005. It was home to 14,000 residents, mostly African-American homeowners.

Only about 25 percent of residents have returned, according to a homeowners association. About 1,700 addresses in the neighborhood were receiving mail as of last June, according to

the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center.

Not returning For many, the neighborhood embodies the shortcoming of the city’s rebuilding strategy, in which New Orleans officials vowed to rebuild every neighborhood, not just the Lower Nine. A nonprofit group even adopted the motto, “How’s the 9? This is the question

by which the recovery of New Orleans must be judged.”

Mayor Mitch Landrieu says he is focused on “place-based” redevelopment of battered city neighborhoods.

He said his priority has been to invest federal money where it can do the most good and incentivize private investment. Hence the Lower Ninth Ward’s new community center, pool, high school and police and fire stations un-

Alan Mallach, a senior fellow with the Washington-based Center for Community Progress, which has an office in New Orleans, said that the mayor and others helped orchestrate a successful revival of the city as a whole, but that unoccupied areas of the Lower Ninth Ward probably will remain fallow.

“Hopefully over time they can assemble enough lots so that instead of this crazy patchwork you have now, it would be something more coherent. It’s going to be a slow process,” Mallach said.

Robert Green was among the first to move back, in a trailer in 2006. Three years later, he moved into one of the ultra-modern homes built by Brad Pitt’s nonprofit group Make It Right. The group has built 100 homes and plans to erect an additional 150.

Green, 57, who lost his mother and 3-year-old granddaughter to the storm, is now president of the Historic Lower Ninth Ward Association, and its meetings are standing room only — a testament, he says, to local demand.

“Things are coming back.

There is a need and there is a population to support them. If you watch the school buses coming out of here — children need to be fed and clothed,” he said.

“I could see a Starbucks here, a Dunkin’ Donuts.”

Editor sitting on Black woman chair sparks international outrage FROM WIRE REPORTS

One of the photos posted on Instagram shows Arizona State University students throwing up gang signs and drinking out of a watermelon cup at an MLK party.

Garage Magazine’s fashion editor Dasha Zhukova has apologized for posing while sitting on a chair in the form of a Black woman.

The partner of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich told the Moscow Times that she “utterly abhorred racism” and the image had been published “out of context,” the BBC reported.

Zhukova, who owns a highprofile art gallery in Moscow, wrote in her apology that the photograph is artwork intended specifically as a commentary on gender and racial politics.

The photo, published on Monday – the Dr. Martin Luther King’s federal holiday – sparked angry accusations of racism when it was published in a fashion blog, Buro 24/7, has since been cropped so that only the high-heeled black leather boots can be seen, but not removed.

The blog’s editors also issued an apology, saying they were against racism and everything that may humiliate people and insult their readers.

Editor blasted Critics say the image highlights casual racism in the fashion industry.

“The message: white dominance and superiority, articulated in a seemingly serene yet overtly degrading way,” wrote Fashion Bomb Daily editor Claire Sulmers, who says the photograph pushes the idea of “black women as objects.”

“But just as Dr. King fought fire hoses and barking dogs four decades ago so that not only black women and black people in general could be seen as human beings, the fight continues in the worlds of art and fashion,” it said.

“Every other day we see black women demeaned, disrespected and overly sexualised as the ‘other.”

Readers also took to Twitter to voice their disbelief, with user Julee Wilson saying “MLK is turning in his grave and I’m cursing these people’s stupidity with all my heart and soul! MAJOR fail!”

Information from this article was taken from a report by News.com.au.

MLK party organized by Arizona State fraternity gets chapter suspended ASSOCIATED PRESS

PHOENIX – An Arizona State University (ASU) fraternity’s operations have been suspended following accusations that the local Tau Kappa Epsilon chapter hosted a distasteful party in commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, replete with racist stereotypes and offensive costumes.

“We regard the behavior exhibited as completely outrageous, extraordinarily offensive and wholly unacceptable,” said James Rund, ASU’s senior vice president for Educational Outreach and Student Services.

“This kind of behavior is not tolerated by the university, and we intend to take swift and immediate action. “We just don’t have room at the university to tolerate that kind of conduct.”

Alex Baker, a spokesman for the national fraternity organization, said the group does not condone racist or discriminatory behavior.

“It is with embarrassment and

regret when a few individuals within our organization make decisions that do not align with the values and principles of Tau Kappa Epsilon,” Baker said in a statement.

Gang signs, watermelon cups Pictures from the party made their way onto social media websites, depicting guests dressed in basketball jerseys, flashing gang signs and holding watermelonshaped cups.

“How can you not realize how stupid this is?” said Cuyler Meade, 25, an ASU junior.

“It’s embarrassing if people look at ASU and think we’re all like that.”

The Rev. Jarrett Maupin, an Arizona civil rights activist, said the party antics were outrageous and offensive. He is calling on the school to expel all students involved and permanently ban the fraternity from affiliation with ASU. “It was just a raucous, racist

rally, and they used Dr. King’s holiday as a mask for racial villainy and harassment,” Maupin said Tuesday.

Already on probation Activists at an afternoon news conference also called on the university to require that all staff and students take diversity classes.

The Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity was already on probation for an off-campus fight in 2012, according to ASU. The university did not provide additional details of the incident or disciplinary action.

Founded in 1899 at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Ill., the fraternity has about 257,000 members at 291 chapters and colonies across the United States and Canada, according to its website.

In 2012, the University of Arizona stripped its local chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon of recognition after an investigation showed multiple instances of dangerous hazing.

A photo from fashion blog “Buro 247” shows Dasha Zhukova, an editor with Garage Magazine sitting atop a chair of a half-naked Black woman.

HEALTH FOOD || HEALTH TRAVEL | |MONEY SCIENCE | BOOKS | MOVIES | TV | AUTOS LIFE | FAITH | EVENTS | CLASSIFIEDS | ENTERTAINMENT | SPORTS | FOOD COURIER

IFE/FAITH Book explores ‘racial realism’ in workplace See page B3

JANUARY 24 – JANUARY 30, 2014

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

Female president takes on Central African Republic See page B4

SOUTH FLORIDA / TREASURE COAST AREA www.flcourier.com

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KIM GIBSON/FLORIDA COURIER

The Miami Central High School Marching Rockets perform during the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. parade on Jan. 18 in Perrine.

As the nation observed the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday last weekend, Floridians had plenty of tributes of their own. Here’s a snapshot of events, parades and programs around the state.

Florida Courier

Out & About on King Day As a United Way Suncoast project, volunteers do some painting at the George Bartholomew Center in Tampa.

DUANE FERNANDEZ SR./FLORIDA COURIER

Youngsters enjoy a ride on the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity float during a parade in Eatonville.

JENISE G. MORGAN/ FLORIDA COURIER

Hiram Green, Dr. Donna Peterson, Dr. Ted Williams and Jerry Bell with the University of South Florida’s Health division are shown at the Tampa Organization of Black Affairs’ MLK breakfast.

These girls enjoy a treat while watching an MLK parade Monday on N.W. 54th Street in Miami.

JENISE G. MORGAN/ FLORIDA COURIER

KIM GIBSON/ FLORIDA COURIER

Girl Scouts troupe 2150 leads the City of Opa-Locka MLK Walk on Jan. 18.

COURTESY OF CITY OF OPA-LOCKA

KIM GIBSON/FLORIDA COURIER

Booker T. Washington High’s Mark Walton shows off the team’s Class 4A Boys championship trophy at Miami parade.

KIM GIBSON/FLORIDA COURIER

Mr. and Miss Northwestern High School greet the crowd at a parade in Miami.

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CIVIL RIGHTS

JANUARY 24 – JANUARY 30, 2014

STOJ

of a society free of racial discrimination and poverty by examining how efforts to solve those problems must be improved.”

The strategies are as vast as the problems themselves.

“We’ll march for it. We’ll sing for it. We’ll shout for it and stand for it, when it’s easy and when it’s hard, and the harder it is, the louder we’ll sing, and the longer we’ll stand!” proclaimed AFLCIO President Richard Trumka, speaking in San Antonio, Texas on Monday.

Reflecting on the words of the civil rights anthem, “We shall overcome someday,” Trumka thundered to the crowd, “The 99 percent need that new day now - the 10 million jobless workers. College graduates loaded with debt, and their parents, who want to retire but can’t. We need that day now - because too many people who work for a living are pursuing dreams that just keep getting farther away! And so we are here to celebrate the dream of Dr. King, on a day when the dreams of too many of us are slipping from our fingers!

What would King say?

TIM DOMINICK/THE STATE/MCT

Lorraine C. Miller, interim president and CEO of the national NAACP, speaks to a crowd of about 1,500 people who marched to the South Carolina State House for the annual King Day at the Dome, a celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr., on Jan. 20. They prayed and listened to inspirational songs and speeches from leaders.

Civil rights leaders lament the ‘unfinished business’ As nation observed holiday, report reflects on goals of King yet to be achieved

BY HAZEL TRICE EDNEY TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

As millions of people around the nation enjoyed the day off on Monday - many volunteering or commemorating the Martin Luther King birthday holiday with educational activities - civil rights leaders issued clarion calls that America faces “substantial unfinished business.”

“Without a doubt, there’s substantial unfinished business ahead of us as a nation, particularly on issues like voting rights and political empowerment, health inequities, employment, and asset-building,” said a statement from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.

“Regrettably, some 45 years since his assassination, there’s clear evidence that many of Dr. King’s goals have yet to be achieved.”

The Joint Center, a think tank

for national Black politics and economics, recently issued a report declaring “there is strong statistical evidence that politics is re-segregating, with AfricanAmericans once again excluded from power and representation. Black voters and elected officials have less influence now than at any time since the Civil Rights era.”

Still system failures The extent of the outcries from rights leaders seem to have reached epic proportions. Barbara Arnwine, president/CEO of The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, issued a twopage essay on Monday, the first of what she said would be a series of statements in response to the King holiday this week. She pointed to the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act and President Lyndon B. Johnson’s vision for a “Great Society” and among the greatest indicators of unfinished business.

“This vision of a ‘Great Society’ reflected Dr. King’s dream of economic prosperity, and es-

tablished many programs that have significantly reduced poverty, including the Social Security Act, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and the nation’s first food stamp program to combat hunger, notably African-American poverty dropped from a height of 33 percent in the 1960s to approximately 36 percent today,” Arnwine pointed out. “However, 50 years later, these very programs that resulted in profound improvements in quality of life for the needy are being declared failures to be terminated, despite their gains. In President Johnson’s 1965 speech on passage of the Voting Rights Act, he made clear that ending poverty is part of the campaign for human rights…We have made great strides in reducing abject poverty, but too many families remain unable to make ends meet.”

Multiple strategies Civil rights leaders, who specialize on various issues, point to vast inequalities indicating the need for multiple strategies.

“Sadly in 2014 the ugly specter of racial injustice still haunts every aspect of American society,” Arnwine continued.

“Fifty years later, the inequalRichard ity Johnson deTrumka scribed has persisted in unemployment and increased through homelessness in communities of color, communities both urban and rural, and for too many children and seniors. Rep. Marcia We have dis- Fudge mantled formal school segregation, but continue to struggle with providing a quality education to all.

“Informal segregation in housing further impacts our ability Barbara to provide edu- Arnwine cational opportunities. There are no longer poll taxes or literacy tests, but in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder, jurisdictions have enacted new discriminatory barriers to voting.

We must honor Dr. King’s vision

Meanwhile, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Marcia L. Fudge (D-Ohio) released a statement in which she questioned how Dr. King would respond to the conditions of today.

“I believe Dr. King would applaud the progress we have made toward racial and social equity, but he would strongly caution us about the shrinking equality of opportunity currently plaguing our world,” Fudge said. “He would question our nation’s persistently high unemployment rate, particularly for African- Americans. He would ask why Congress couldn’t agree on extending unemployment insurance to the long-term unemployed - the people who need it the most. Dr. King would ask why millions of Americans continue to live in poverty and seek work while corporations post billions in record profits. He would call for individuals to be paid wages that would prevent them from falling below the poverty line.”

She concluded, “If he were alive today, Dr. King would certainly be proud of who we are, but he would also say that we must commit to move forward together as one nation, we must not rest on our progress, there is still much work to be done.”

Regardless of the strategies it will take to move forward, NAACP Interim President/CEO Lorraine C. Miller says it must include Americans from all niches of society – following King’s example - in order to make serious progress.

“Of the chance to serve, Dr. King once said: Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve,” Miller said. “You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.

And serve, he did. Dr. King was a leader in service to others, to the causes of civil and human rights, and to making the United States a great nation—for all.”

‘After Civil Rights’ explores ‘racial realism’ in the workplace University of California, San Diego, points out, are out of sync with actual workplace practices. In “After Civil Rights,’’ Skrentny demonstrates that in many, many fields, ranging from media to marketing, meatpacking and medicine, employers use perceived or actual racial abilities in recruitment, hiring, and on the job assignments.

“Racial realism,” Skrentny argues, can open doors of opportunity; it can also “freeze in place” racial – and racist – assumptions.

Too widespread to be rolled back, he emphasizes, race-conscious employment dynamics should not “run unchecked as it does today.”

BY DR. GLENN C. ALTSCHULER SPECIAL TO THE COURIER

Over two decades ago, Harvard Law Professor Martha Minow described “the dilemma of difference.” When does treating people differently “stigmatize or hinder them on that basis,” she asked. “And when does treating people the same become insensitive to their difference and likely to stigmatize or hinder them on that basis?”

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provided one answer to these questions.

An affirmation of classical liberalism, Title VII declared any action based on an individual’s race, color, religion, sex or national origin that adversely afDr. Glenn fects the terms Altschuler and conditions of employment to be unlawful. Nor does Title VII permit racially motivated decisions driven by business concerns, including the preferences of clients or customers.

Less prominent in law, affirmative action infused race with significance in employment. Politically charged and controversial, it is tolerated, if at all, as a temporary fix that does not replace

BOOK REVIEW After Civil Rights: Racial Realism in the New American Workplace.

By John D. Skrentny. Princeton University Press. color-blind policies – and is confined to situations where imbalances in the composition of the workforce can be authoritatively attributed to past discriminatory practices.

Making assumptions Both approaches, John Skrentny, a professor of sociology at the

Employment practices “After Civil Rights’’ makes a compelling case for the pervasiveness of race-conscious employment practices. Presidents take race into account when making appointments. Patients express greater satisfaction with the quality of their health care when they are treated by physicians who share their racial or ethnic background.

News organizations hire African-American anchors to attract Black viewers – and assign Latino journalists to cover the Latino community (“the taco beat”).

Retailers admit to race match-

ing sales personnel to their client base. And many low-skilled jobs go to immigrants because employers deem them more likely to work hard, without complaints and for lower wages, than African-Americans or Whites.

It is by no means clear, however, that “racial realism” in employment produces positive results. While police officers of different races vary in their knowledge of neighborhoods, Skrentny notes, studies have found little evidence of different behavior.

And a nationwide study showed that the race of teachers did not have an impact on how much students learned.

Mended, not ended Nonetheless, the advantages of policies based on market realities and employer discretion are obvious.

After all, some would argue, the Harlem Globetrotters and the producers of “Othello’’ should confine their searches to Blacks.

And yet, as Skrentny observes, legitimizing race-based BFOQ (“bona fide occupational qualifications”) exceptions to anti-discrimination laws would not only be difficult to draft and expensive, but could be used to defend the preferences of racist customers.

What, then, should be done?

Skrentny suggests that “racial realism” be mended, not ended. To start the conversation, he advocates multi-cultural training programs in areas where employers believe race is a qualification; interpreting laws to give “breathing room” to initiatives designed to benefit members of minority groups; requiring validation of practices predicated on “racial abilities” and “racial signaling;” and more responsible corporate behavior in locating firms, setting wages, employing immigrants, guaranteeing workplace safety, and taking responsibility for displaced workers.

“After Civil Rights’’ leaves no doubt that current workplace realities – and practices – have diverged from statutes and constitutional interpretations of them.

The “strategic management of racial differences” may or may not always be necessary “to achieve a wide variety of goals in a wide array of contexts.”

But, as Skrentny urges, for now, and for the foreseeable future, we must do a better job of aligning workplace practices “with our values and our laws.”

Dr. Glenn C. Altschuler is the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies at Cornell University. He wrote this review for the Florida Courier.

TOJ

JANUARY 24 – JANUARY 30, 2014

FOOD

B3

HEARTY MEALS for chilly evenings FROM FAMILY FEATURES

Brisk autumn evenings call for warm, homemade meals that bring the family together around the dinner table.

Dishes that deliver savory flavors are sure to win over their hearts, as well as warm them.

If your taste buds call for a fall classic, cuddle up with a pip ing hot bowl of chili. The sweetness of brown sugar comple ments the blend of fresh garlic and Italian sausage in this recipe for Chiliville Chili. Because it’s made with Johnsonville Italian Ground Sausage, you can customize the robust flavor of this dinnertime staple by picking your favorite of the mild, sweet or hot varieties.

The best part — it’s all natural with no fillers, artificial flavors or colors, so you know you’re feeding your family the best. For more recipes, visit www.johnsonvillekitchens.com.

Warm up the family with their favorite Italian dishes that feature the bold and savory flavors of Johnsonville Ground Sausage and Sausage Links. You can’t go wrong with this kid favorite for Easy Sausage Pizza, which is served up without the hassle and fuss of standard homemade pizza recipes. Grab the garlic bread and, please, don’t forget the Parmesan. You’ll need them for these delicious recipes for Italian Sausage Rigatoni, Italian All Natural Ground Sausage Lasagna and Italian Meatballs.

Savory Sausage Additions For those looking to add more flavor to their meals, head over to the sausage sec tion at the local grocer. Here are some great tips and reasons for adding this hearty, bold protein to your family’s favorite dishes: Swap for spice Add more flavor to your favorite meat meals by replacing half the ground beef with ground sausage.

Go for convenience For those looking for added flavor with out the hassle, go with ground sausage. Since there’s no need to remove the cas ing it has added convenience.

Find your flavor Many ground sausages come in additional flavors, so pick your favorite. Look for hot, mild or sweet varieties of ground Italian.

Choose an affordable option When compared with other meats, ground sausage saves consumers money with more consumerfriendly pricing.

Chiliville Chili Yield: 10 to 12 servings 1 package (16 ounces) Johnsonville Ground Italian Sausage (Mild, Sweet or Hot) 1 pound ground beef 1 medium onion, chopped 3 celery ribs, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 3 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes with green peppers and onions 2 cans (16 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained 1 can (14.5 ounces) beef broth 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons chili powder 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1/2 crushed red pepper flakes Cheddar cheese, shredded (optional) In large saucepan, cook sausage and ground beef over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add onion, celery and garlic. Cook and stir for 5 minutes or until tender.

Stir in tomatoes, beans, broth, tomato paste, brown sugar, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, cumin and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese if you like and serve immediately.

Italian All Natural Ground Sausage Lasagna Yield: 12 servings 12 lasagna noodles, uncooked 1 package (16 ounces) Johnsonville Italian All Natural Ground Sausage 1 medium onion, chopped 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped 1 large container chunky pasta sauce 1 container (15 ounces) ricotta cheese 1 egg 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated 3 cups fresh spinach, chopped and packed 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded Prepare noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside. Sauté Italian sausage, onion and garlic in a skillet until sausage is browned; drain. Add pasta sauce to the sausage mixture and set aside. In a medium bowl, blend ricotta cheese, egg and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and set aside.

Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with non-stick spray and spread 1 cup of the sauce mixture on the bottom. Top with 3 lasagna noodles. Spread 1/4 cup of the ricotta cheese mixture on the noodles and layer on 1 cup of the sauce mixture. Sprinkle 1 cup of spinach and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat this whole process 3 more times starting with the noodles; top with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese to finish.

Bake uncovered in 350°F oven for 45 minutes until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Easy Sausage Pizza Yield: 6 servings 8 ounces Johnsonville Ground Italian Sausage (Mild, Sweet or Hot) or 8 ounces Johnsonville Italian Sausage Links 1 cup pizza sauce 1 pre-baked packaged pizza crust (12-inch) 1 1/4 shredded mozzarella cheese, divided 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, optional If using ground sausage, pinch sausage into dime-size pieces. If using links, remove casings and also pinch into dime-size pieces. Spread sauce over crust; sprinkle with 1 cup cheese.

Add Italian Sausage pieces and green pepper.

Top with remaining cheese. Bake according to crust package direc tions or until sausage is no longer pink (160°F) and cheese is melted.

For finish ing touch, drizzle with olive oil before cutting, if desired.

Italian Meatballs Yield: 6 servings 1 egg, lightly beaten 1/3 cup dry bread crumbs 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup milk 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped 1 package (16 ounces) Johnsonville Mild Ground Italian Sausage or 1 package (19 ounces) Johnsonville Italian Sausage Links Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine the egg, bread crumbs, cheese, milk and onion. If using sausage links, remove from casings. Add sausage to bread crumb mixture and mix well. Shape into 20 meat balls; arrange on shallow baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through (160°F).

Serve with favorite sauce and spaghetti.

Italian Sausage Rigatoni Yield: 6 servings 1 package (19 ounces) Johnsonville Mild Italian Sausage Links, grilled 1 pound rigatoni pasta 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 large sweet red pepper, chopped 1 jar (26 ounces) pasta sauce of your preference 2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped Cook sausage links according to package directions. Meanwhile, cook rigatoni according to package directions; drain and set aside. In a large skillet, heat olive oil until hot. Add garlic; sauté for 30 seconds or until golden. Add red peppers; sauté for 2 min utes or until crisp-tender. Cut sausage into 1/4-inch coin slices; add to skillet. Stir in pasta sauce; heat through. Add pasta; toss to combine. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately

WORLD

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JANUARY 24 – JANUARY 30, 2014

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humanitarian agencies.

International Committee of the Red Cross staff visited communities in the region last weekend, when 60 people were buried, a spokeswoman for the ICRC Bangui office, Nadia Dibsy, said in a phone interview Monday.

“There’s a lot of violence taking place between communities, particularly in the northwest. We are extremely concerned about the fact that the population is generally without protection,” she said. “It’s a very difficult situation, and it’s important for us to insist on the fact that such violence must end.”

Political paralysis

Catherine Samba-Panza, who was the mayor of Bangui, has been elected the new interim president of the Central African Republic.

Daunting task for Central African Republic president Catherine SambaPanza takes on leadership of country plagued by violence

BY ROBYN DIXON LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT

JOHANNESBURG — Lawmakers in the Central African Republic on Monday elected the country’s first female leader, Catherine Samba-Panza, as interim president to take on the daunting job of halting sectarian killings, stabi-

lizing a paralyzed country and ushering in elections.

Samba-Panza, a Frencheducated businesswoman who has been serving as mayor of the country’s capital, Bangui, emerged ahead of seven other candidates, including the sons of two former presidents, after a speech pledging to reconcile the country’s divisions, restore security and rebuild the collapsed state.

The political change, coupled with pledges Monday from the European Union to send 1,000 extra soldiers and nearly $500 million in aid, of-

fered the country its best hope in months at overcoming the chaos and violence that have prevailed since the ousting of former President Francois Bozize by rebels last March.

Former leader resigned Samba-Panza’s election follows the resignation of former rebel leader Michel Djotodia as interim president earlier this month. As head of the largely Muslim Seleka rebels, he seized power to become the first Muslim president in a country whose population

Report: World’s richest 85 people have as much as half of globe’s population

BY MATTHEW SCHOFIELD MCCLATCHY FOREIGN STAFF

BERLIN — The world’s richest 85 people control the same amount of wealth as half the world’s population, according to a report issued Monday by the British-based anti-poverty charity Oxfam.

That means the world’s poorest 3.55 billion people must live on what the richest 85 possess. Another way to look at it: Each of the wealthiest 85 has access to the same resources as do about 42 million of the world’s poor, a number equal to the populations of Canada, Kentucky and Kansas, taken together.

The report was issued just before The World Economic Forum opened on Wednesday in Davos, Switzerland.

The forum is a gathering spot for world political, academic and business leaders where, the forum’s website says, they “shape global, regional and industry agendas.”

In announcing the study, Oxfam’s website said that what it sees as the growing wealth gap undermines democracy.

“The past quarter of a century has seen wealth become ever more concentrated in the hands of fewer people,” it said. “The wealth of the 1 percent richest people in the world amounts to $110 trillion. That’s 65 times the total wealth of the bottom half.”

More billionaires The report says 210 people joined the ranks of billionaires last year, bringing to around 1,400 the people who hold that status.

The report also said that while the recent financial crisis was an enormous burden on the world’s poor, it ended up being a huge benefit to the rich elite. The very wealthiest people on Earth collected 95 percent of the post-crisis growth,

The rich get richer Inequality is widening in both developed and developing nations.

According to a new report, the world’s 85 richest people now own nearly half the world’s wealth.

Growing concentration of wealth in affluent nations Share of national wealth going to the richest 1 percent 1980 2008-2012

13.9

U.K.

12.6

Canada

12.2

Japan

9.5

Italy

9.4

Australia

9.2

Spain

8.2

France Norway Sweden Denmark

In most of the so-called BRICS, the poor have a smaller share of the national income than they did 20 years ago; share of national income held by the top 10 percent and the bottom 40 percent

19.3% Top 10

U.S. Singapore

Rising inequality in emerging nations

NOTE: Nations where wealthy 7.9 have a smaller share have 7.0 more progressive tax 6.4 policies

2009-2010

Bottom 40

Early ’80s

2009-2010

Early ’80s

43%

Brazil

10 30

China

14 29

India

21 32

Russia

8.1

17 52

S. Africa

7

Concentration of global wealth

Peter Bouckaert, director of emergencies at Human Rights Watch, said Samba-Panza’s election is “a step in the right direction,” calling her a courageous voice for reconciliation and peace. He called for those who have committed crimes against humanity to be held accountable, including leaders of the anti-balaka forces, many of whom are vigilante groups outside any formal chain of command.

In comments on Twitter, Bouckaert said Samba-Panza’s first message to both sides should be to stop the killings and to issue a warning that those who had committed atrocities would face justice.

There was a new surge of violence recently, particularly in the northwest of the country, where dozens were killed, according to

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE FOR BLACK STUDENTS. NO EXCUSES. The classic guide from Florida Courier publisher, lawyer and broadcaster CHARLES W. CHERRY II PRAISE FOR ‘EXCELLENCE WITHOUT EXCUSE’: “This guide for African-American college-bound students is packed with practical and insightful information for achieving academic success...The primary focus here is to equip students with the savvy and networking skills to maneuver themselves through the academic maze of higher education.”

– Book review, School Library Journal • How low expectations of Black students’ achievements can get them higher grades; • Want a great grade? Prepare to cheat!

69% of the world’s population

Holds less that 3% of the world’s wealth (less than $10,000 individual wealth)

0.7% of the world’s population

Holds 41% of the world’s wealth ($1 million or more individual wealth)

Source: Oxfam, World Bank Poverty and Equality Database, F. Alvaredo, A. B. Atkinson, T. Piketty and E. Saez, (2013) ‘The World Top Incomes Database’, http://topincomes.g-mond.parisschoolofeconomics.eu/ Graphic: Pat Carr

the report said.

The report said that the trend is more pronounced in the United States than in other nations, but hardly limited to the U.S. It said that in only two countries, Colombia and the Netherlands, had the share of income received by the wealthiest 1 percent not increased between 1980 and 2012.

In the United States, China and Portugal, the report said, the wealthiest 1 percent had seen its share of income more than double in the same period.

“To give an indication of the scale of wealth concentration, the combined

is 85 percent Christian.

He disbanded the Seleka rebels but failed to stop lootings, killings and sectarian violence between ex-Seleka forces and largely Christian militias and vigilantes known as the anti-balaka forces.

Samba-Panza, a Christian, was appointed by Djotodia as Bangui mayor last year. In a hopeful sign, her election as interim president was welcomed by a spokesman for the antibalaka forces, Reuters reported. Anti-balaka forces had earlier threatened violence over the vote.

‘Right direction’

The deputy head of the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Bangui, Amy Martin, said by phone that the recent surge of violence mainly involved anti-balaka fighters taking revenge on Muslim communities, whom they blame for the earlier suffering they endured at the hands of the Seleka rebels.

“We have had clashes between ex-Seleka and anti-balaka as well as the targeting of Muslim people.

This past weekend we have seen clashes which left many people dead, people displaced, or taking revenge,” Martin said.

“We have different types of violence happening, and it’s hard to predict where the next attack will happen,” she added. “The country is in economic paralysis, the country is in political paralysis, as well as this state of insecurity.”

Some 1,000 people died in violence last month and more than 900,000 people — 20 percent of the 4.5 million population — have fled their homes, nearly half a million of them sheltering in the capital. Thousands of others are hiding in the forests in rural areas.

• How Black students can program their minds for success; • Setting goals – When to tell everybody, and when to keep your mouth shut; • Black English, and why Black students must be ‘bilingual.’

© 2014 MCT

wealth of Europe’s 10 richest people exceeds the total cost of stimulus measures implemented across the European Union between 2008 and 2010,” it said.

Oxfam urged countries to take steps to make certain policies didn’t make the situation worse.

“When there is growth and diminishing inequality, the rules governing markets are working in favor of the middle classes and the poorest sections of society,” the report said. “However, when only the rich are gaining, the rules start bending towards their interests exclusively.”

…AND MUCH MORE!

www.excellencewithoutexcuse.com Download immediately as an eBook or a pdf Order softcover online, from Amazon, or your local bookstore ISBN#978-1-56385-500-9 Published by International Scholastic Press, LLC Contact Charles at ccherry2@gmail.com

Facebook ccherry2 excellencewithoutexcuse

for info on speeches, workshops, seminars, book signings, panel discussions.

Twitter @ccherry2

ToJ

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

JANUARY 24 – JANUARY 30, 2014

Meet some of

FLORIDA'S

finest

submitted for your approval

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.

Teressa Cree was raised in Weston, Fla. The former track athlete and current dancer/fitness model graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications.

The 24-year old loves dancing and has performed with several popular music artists. She also has appeared in commercials, music videos, and television.

Contact her at teressacee@ gmail.com.

william William Derrick III is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity from West Virginia University. The Ohio native is a filmmaker currently living in Los Angeles. Alongside his brother Christopher, William has won several awards for directing short films that can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmjGCf3WH_8.

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teressa

PHOTO BY LORENZO DI NOZZI

SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR South Africa’s Grammy Award-winning Soweto Gospel Choir will celebrate the life of Nelson Mandela during a Feb. 5 performance at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County. More information: www.arshtcenter.org.

EDWIDGE DANTICAT

NICOLAS STERN RON MUHAMMAD CHRIS BENDER JC SPINK PRODUCEDBY WILL PACKER ICE CUBE DIRECTED MATT ALVAREZ LARRY BREZNER STORYBY GREG COOLIDGE SCREENPLAY A UNIVERSAL PICTURE

BY GREG COOLIDGE AND JASON MANTZOUKAS AND PHIL HAY & MATT MANFREDI

BY TIM STORY THIS FILM CONTAINS DEPICTIONS OF TOBACCO CONSUMPTION SOUNDTRACK ON BACK LOT MUSIC AND VARÈSE SARABANDE

© 2013 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR

4 COLOR

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

FLORIDA COURIER

UNIVERSAL PICTURES PRESENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH RELATIVIT Y MEDIA A CUBEVISION/RAINFOREST FILMS PRODUCTION A TIM STORY FILM “RIDE ALONG” ICE CUBE KEVIN HART JOHN LEGUIZAMO BRUCE MCGILL TIKA SUMPTER AND LAURENCE FISHBURNE MUSICBY CHRISTOPHER LENNERTZ

FRI 1/24 1/4 PG. (4.93") X 10" MR ALL.RAL.0124.FLCOURemail

Haitian author Edwidge Danticat will speak at the Words and Voices event at the Outdoor Festival of the Arts at ZORA! Festival 2014.

Complete schedule of the Eatonville festival: www. zorafestival.org

Coral Gables: LoveFest Miami 2014 featuring Walke, K. Michelle, Meek Mill and Marcus Cooper takes place Feb. 14 at the BankUnited Center.

CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES

Ponte Vedra Beach: Blues musician Keb’ Mo’ is scheduled at 8 p.m. on Jan. 29 at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall.

PHOTO BY DAVID SHANKBONE

Tampa: Charlie Wilson is scheduled Feb. 21 at the University of Sun Dome and the James L. Knight Center on Feb. 22 in Miami.

Orlando: Rapper Nipsey Hussle has an 8 p.m. show scheduled Feb. 3 at Firestone Live.

Daytona Beach: Wayne Brady takes the stage at the Peabody Auditorium on Feb. 19 for a 7:30 p.m. show.

Miami Gardens: The ninth

annual Jazz in the Gardens is March 15-16. More information and lineup of artists: www.jazzinthegardens.com.

Jacksonville: UniverSoul Circus returns to Florida next month. Shows are Jan. 26 in Miramar, Jan. 28-Feb 3 in Jacksonville and Feb. 5-10 in Tampa.

West Palm Beach: Tonywinning actress Audra McDonald takes the stage at the Kravis Center on Feb. 26.

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SPORTS

STOJ

JANUARY 24 – JANUARY 30, 2014

HEADING TO SUPER BOWL XLVIII Big finish gives Seattle NFC title

BY BOB CONDOTTA THE SEATTLE TIMES/MCT

SEATTLE — It was frustrating. Then dizzying.

Then nail-biting.

When it ended, though, there was simply celebrating as the Seattle Seahawks beat their rival San Francisco 49ers 23-17 to advance to play the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII on Feb. 2, doing so to the delight of a CenturyLink Field record crowd of 68,454.

“It doesn’t get any better,” said Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson, who overcame a fumble on the first play of the game to lead Seattle back from an early 10-0 deficit, throwing the go-ahead touchdown on a 35-yard pass on fourth-and-seven to Jermaine Kearse with 13:44 left.

The victory wasn’t sealed, however, until a Colin Kaepernick pass in the end zone intended for Michael Crabtree was tipped by Seattle’s Richard Sherman into the hands of linebacker Malcolm Smith with 22 seconds left.

The play came on first down after San Francisco had driven from its own 22-yard line, seemingly poised to spoil the party.

‘Bunch of playmakers’ The Seahawks players, though, said they never doubted, remembering all the times this season when the NFL’s No. 1-rated defense had come through when it mattered most.

“Yeah, we’ve got a bunch of playmakers all over the field, so we knew somebody was going to make a play,” said middle linebacker Bobby Wagner. “I thought he was going to pick it or tip it. It was dumb (by Kaepernick). He didn’t really throw it far enough to where the player could catch it, and you know we’ve got corners.”

Indeed Seattle does, and Sherman let everyone know it afterward, giving a choke sign he said was meant for Kaepernick, and taunting Crabtree, who he later emphatically called in his postgame news conference “a mediocre receiver.”

“When you try the best corner in the game with a mediocre receiver, that’s what happens,” Sherman said. “Game.”

Business as usual It was then left to Wilson to take three snaps to run off the final seconds and fulfill a goal he had presented to his teammates during a players-only meeting before the season. In that meeting, Wilson said he told them, “Why not us?”

“We believed from the beginning of the year we could get there,” Wilson said.

It didn’t look good early, though, when Wilson fumbled on the first play from scrimmage, leading to a San Francisco field goal.

Kaepernick then used his running (he had 98 of his 130 yards in the first half ) to set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Anthony Dixon.

A 51-yard Wilson to Doug Baldwin pass set up a Steven Hauschka 32-yard field goal that cut the lead to 10-3 at halftime. Still, there were nervous murmurs throughout the CenturyLink Field crowd at the half.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, though, said it was business as usual in the locker room, saying he reiterated a message from a Friday meeting that “We needed to take the next step, finish this football game playing better than they did longer. And our guys got that done.”

A 40-yard touchdown run by Marshawn Lynch on Seattle’s first second-half possession that tied the game got it started, kicking off a second half filled with

PAUL KITAGAKI JR./SACRAMENTO BEE/MCT

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman (25) hits the ball away from San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) and is intercepted by Seattle Seahawks outside linebacker Malcolm Smith (53) on the last play during the NFC championship game at CenturyLink Field in Seattle on Jan. 19. The Seattle Seahawks defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 23-17. big plays and momentumchanging moments on each side.

After a Kaepernick 26yard touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin made it 1710, a 69-yard kickoff return

by Baldwin set up another Hauschka field goal (of 40 yards) to make it 17-13 entering the final quarter.

On its first possession of the fourth quarter, Seattle faced a fourth-and-seven at the 49ers 35, and a big decision – attempt a long field goal, or go for it?

‘Begging on the sidelines’ Initially, the field goal team went out, with Wilson saying “I’m begging on the sidelines” to instead go for it. After a time out, Carroll changed his mind. As San Francisco’s Aldon Smith jumped offsides on a double-count by Wilson, Seat-

tle changed its play on the fly, receivers running deep instead, knowing there was no risk to an interception.

“If they jumped offsides we were going to try to take a shot down field, and sure enough they did,” Wilson said.

Wilson threw into the end zone where Kearse caught it in traffic, tumbling to the ground as he did.

Cliff Avril then forced a Kaepernick fumble that Seattle returned to the 6, and it looked like it might go from hard to easy quickly. Instead, a bad exchange between Wilson and Lynch led to a fumble on a fourthand-goal from the 1.

Kaepernick was then intercepted by Kam Chancellor at the 40. But Seattle was held to a 47-yard Hauschka field goal that made it 2317 with 3:37 remaining.

“When we had a chance to go ahead and end it, we didn’t do a very good job of that,” Carroll said.

A dream come true Seattle’s defense had another opportunity to end it with 2:01 left when San Francisco had a fourthand-two at its own 30. But Kaepernick hit Frank Gore for 17 yards, and then the 49ers began to move, eventually moving to the 18 with 30 seconds remaining.

Crabtree ended up matched up on Sherman, who said he’d had only one other pass thrown his way all day (a play on which he was called for holding).

“As soon as the ball went up in the air I knew we had a chance to make that play,” Sherman said. “We stood up when it counted. None of us wanted to feel what we felt in Atlan-

ta (when the Seahawks allowed a winning field goal in the final seconds of the divisional playoffs last year) ever again.”

Sherman said he intentionally tried to tip the ball high. “I knew one of our guys would have a chance at it,” he said.

That turned out to be Smith, who got what was Seattle’s third forced turnover of a raucous fourth quarter, and said, “I was just happy to be the guy to catch it. That’s just the way our defense works.”

Then the realization hit one and all that they were off to play Denver on Feb. 2 in Super Bowl XLVIII in New Jersey.

“It’s a dream come true,” said safety Earl Thomas. “I always dreamed about this since I was a little boy. I’m just happy, man. It’s a great feeling.”

Denver celebrates return to Super Bowl

BY BRENT BRIGGEMAN THE GAZETTE/MCT

DENVER — The chanting and celebrating spread from the seats at Sports Authority Field, to the concourse, to the parking lot and through the arteries of public transportation and before finally joining up with madness already in progress throughout the state.

The Broncos beat the Patriots 26-16 in Sunday’s AFC championship game, allowing fans to party like they haven’t since 1999.

The euphoric throng broke out into choruses of “Super Bowl,” the loudspeakers blared Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” (a reference to the Super Bowl’s host site area) and a gorgeous January day in downtown Denver was made brighter by an army of orange shirts and pompoms and ear-to-ear smiles.

“It was amazing,” Denver’s Kelly Phillips said. “I had no idea what I was in for.”

Drew and Amy Moore of Colorado Springs did know what they could be

Those were nice moments, to be sure, but nothing like the atmosphere on Sunday.

“The last time?” fan Scott Robinson pondered, thinking of the last time he was this excited about a sporting event. “The last time was when it was Elway’s time. Now it’s Peyton’s time.”

in store for, so they went out of their way not to miss it. They kept plans in Oklahoma City on Saturday but drove through the night to witness the game and the ensuing mayhem.

“It just rocked,” said Loveland’s Lara Martinez, a season-ticket holder and fan since 1978, who brought her mother. “It was a lot of fun. We really supported our defense and got after it and it was just a great game to watch.”

Fans thanked

First in 15 years The crowd was counted at 77,110 (second-largest in venue history), with just 40 tickets going unclaimed.

That meant more than $15,000 went unclaimed, as tickets were being quoted at $400 and up for this one.

The penned-up excitement was understandable for a fan base and state that will play in its seventh Super Bowl but first in 15 years.

When that last appearance took place, championships were commonplace for the state. The Avalanche were in a stretch that brought Stanley Cups

CHRISTIAN MURDOCK/COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE/MCT

Broncos players celebrate with the AFC Championship Trophy at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver Jan. 19. The Denver Broncos defeated the New England Patriots, 26-16. in 1996 and 2001, the Broncos had won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1998 and ’99 and the University of Colorado was just nine years re-

moved from a share of the college football national championship.

Since then, there hasn’t been much to cheer. The

Colorado Rapids won an MLS Cup in 2010 and the Rockies clinched their first World Series berth at Coors Field on Oct. 15, 2007.

John Elway and Peyton Manning both thanked the fan base during on-field ceremonies after the game.

Elway called them the “greatest fans in America.”

Champ Bailey, who will finally play in his first Super Bowl, said he had never heard the stadium louder.

“They deserve it,” the veteran cornerback said.

The fans seemed to concur, giving themselves a collective pat on the back in the form of high-fives, hugs and dances. It was a party that figures to continue for at least two more weeks.

The Gazette is based in Colorado Springs, Colo.