Florida Courier - February 10, 2017 by Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC

EE FR

PRESORTED STANDARD MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID DAYTONA BEACH, FL PERMIT #189

www.flcourier.com

READ US ONLINE

Like us on Facebookwww.facebook.com/ flcourier

IN HIS OWN WORDS See Pages A5, B1, B3

www.flcourier.com

FEBRUARY 10 – FEBRUARY 16, 2017

VOLUME 25 NO. 6

MIXED LEGACY Has Black America benefited from eight years of Barack Obama? It depends on who you ask.

Others say that Obama’s performance was underwhelming, especially as it With President Barack relates to the condition of Obama out of office after the average African-Amertwo terms, discussions are ican. swirling about his legacy and the place he’ll eventu- Won’t be erased ally take among this most “I don’t think President exclusive fraternity. Obama has anything to Even as they celebrate worry about. The notion of Obama’s considerable suc- erasing his legacy, are you cesses, there is concern crazy? Legacy is who he is among advocates and sup- and was,” says Tallahasseeporters about the dura- based entrepreneur and bility of his legacy in light psychologist Dr. Sharonof eight years of intense Ames Dennard. and sustained opposition “The feebleminded can from Republicans and the always be convinced of OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/TNS promise by his successor to anything. There are many President Obama delivered his final State of the Union address to a joint session erase any semblance of the things that he and his wife Obama presidency. has done right. There were of Congress at the Capitol on Jan. 12, 2016. COMPILED FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Doing fine, thanks BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS – The Internet was abuzz this week with pictures of former President Barack Obama seemingly having the time of his life as he and First Lady Michelle Obama vacationed with billionaire Richard Branson, the founder of Great Britain’s Virgin Group of international businesses. Branson posted a first-person account of Obama’s vacation, as follows: “One of the first stories Barack told me when he and Michelle arrived on Moskito Island was how, just before he became president, he had been surfing on a dangerous break in Hawaii.

‘Last time’ “When he came in from an exhilarating session, the new head of his security team turned to him and said: “This will be the last time you surf for eight years.” For the next eight years he didn’t have the chance to surf, enjoy watersports or do many of the things he loved. “So it was tremendous to offer him the chance to learn to kitesurf. The sport has really taken off in the past decade and we have the perfect conditions and team to help anyone learn. I have also wanted to learn foilboard surfing.

Obama vs. Branson “So we decided to set up a friendly challenge: Could Barack learn to kitesurf before I learned to foilboard? We agreed to have a See OBAMA, Page A2

SPECIAL ISSUE THE OBAMA YEARS B

A vote of confidence

U.S. POSTAGE PAID DAYTONA BEACH, FL PERMIT #189

www.flcourier.com

Read us online

ROMNEY OptiMistic uNtil thE vERY ENd

like us on Facebookwww.facebook.com/ flcourier Follow us on Twitter@flcourier

pAGE B2

spEciAl ElEctiON issuE

uNBROKEN A Black voter backlash against GOp voter suppression tactics helped Barack Obama administer an Electoral college beatdown of Mitt Romney. But the political players in d.c. – and serious challenges – remain the same.

COMPILED FROM WIRE AND STAFF REPORTS

President Obama overcame a disappointingly slow economic recovery and a massive advertising onslaught to win a second term Tuesday night, forging a coalition of non-Whites, women, and young people that reflects the changing political face of America. More than one million TV ads were aired during the presidential campaign and more than $2.5 billion was spent on campaign activities, much of it from outside groups. Even so, the political map ended up looking much as it did in 2008. And for all the agitation and unhappiness with Washington, a constant of public opinion this election season, the federal government in January will look much as it does today. In the fight for Congress, Republicans held onto the House majority they captured in 2010 and Democrats beat back long odds to keep control of the U.S. Senate. For Obama, 51, winning a second term proved far more difficult than his barrier-breaking romp four years ago to become the nation’s first Black president. His re-election drive bore only a faint resemblance to the uplift and aspiration of 2008. Even Obama supporters said the campaign was less a crusade than a rear-guard fight to preserve the accomplishments of the last four years. The president did make history of a fashion Tuesday, becoming the first incumbent since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a second term with unemployment above 7.4 percent. At 7.8 percent, the overall jobless rate stands a tick up from when Obama took office amid the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. See OBAMA, Page A2

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/MCT

President Barack Obama and the first family took the stage Tuesday in Chicago after the president was re-elected.

vOtER tuRNOut

supREME cOuRt

EditORiAl

NAtiON

FlORidA

Number of votes cast is record for Florida a2

Pioneer justice easily retains seat a3

Columnists weigh in on the election a4

Historic votes for gay marriage, marijuana a6

Residents brave long lines, other issues B1

FlORidA

recount of Florida ballots in the district as well as the verification of provisional ballots and a final count of absentee ballots. However, he lost by more than a .05 percent vote margin, which requires an automatic recount under Florida law.

Old FAcEs iN sAME plAcEs

DemiNgs, laWsoN fall shorT

Democrat Val Demings, the first Black police chief in Orlando, lost her bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Dan Webster in a race for Florida’s 10th Congressional District. Webster earned 51.9 percent of the vote to Demings’ 48.1 percent. Celebrations were still held in the Demings household as her husband, Jerry Demings, was re-elected Orange County sheriff. Also losing his congressional race was former Florida Sen. Al Lawson, who challenged U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland. Incumbent Southerland won 52 percent of the vote and returns for a second term in Congress.

Here is a roundup of election results of interest to Black Floridians.

NelsoN sTays

A5: The Morehouse speech

U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, a Democrat, retained his seat in Congress by defeating Republican challenger Connie Mack. He returns to Washington for a third term as the only Democrat in statewide office in Florida. The 13-percentage point win over Mack helped the Democrats retain control of the Senate. “I’d like to say that Connie Mack was my opponent – not my enemy,” Nelson said in a written statement following his re-election. “You know, these days the extremists in our political system try to divide. We need to unify. ”

DefiaNT WesT loses

In Florida’s 18th District, the race was too close to call Tuesday night. However, by Wednesday morning U.S.

ALSO INSIDE

FLORIDA COURIER FILES

Gone – Conservative firebrand U.S. Rep. Allen West was dumped after a close race in South Florida. Rep. Allen West, a Black Republican, had been defeated by Patrick Murphy by less than one percentage vote and 2,456 votes. Still, West refused to concede to Murphy. “This race is far from decided and there is no rush to declare an outcome. Ensuring a fair and accurate counting of all ballots is of the utmost importance,” West’s campaign manager, Tim Edson, said in a statement. The Tea Party-backed Republican demanded a partial

floriDa seNaTe

Redistricting in both the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate affected some incumbents geographically, but not electorially. Sen. Audrey Gibson’s district once covered parts of Volusia, Flagler, St. John, Putnam and Duval counties; she’s now limited to Duval. It didn’t matter, as Gibson defeated Republican challenger Cherron “CC” Newby by a 28-point margin. Other winners in the Florida Senate include Geraldine Thompson, who beat Republican contender Fritz Jackson Seide; Dwight Bullard, who defeated Republican Scott Hopes; and upcoming Senate Democratic Leader Christopher “Chris” Smith, who defeated Republican candidate Christopher “Chris” Smithmyer. See FLORIDA, Page A2

CoMMenTaRY: dR e. FaYe WilliaMs, esQ.: PaYing iT FoRWaRd WiTh aCTions, deeds | a5 CoMMenTaRY: geoRge e. CuRRY: obaMa’s Media CoveRage halF as PosiTive as 2008 | a5

A6: Never ‘went Washington’ B2: Front pages from first win B4: First 100 days B6: Obamas always in style

The Rev. Derrick Harkins said Obama’s political acumen, graciousness, and consistency endeared him to African-Americans, adding that he believes history will be kind to the 44th president. “He is a president who sought to speak to the full expanse of America. Much of his legacy spoke to the needs of all Americans,” said Rev. Harkins, senior vice president for InnovaSee LEGACY, Page A2

BY ALEX GANGITANO CQ-ROLL CALL/ TNS

WASHINGTON – Eighteen days after Barack Obama handed over the presidency of the United States to his successor, a film about his craft debuted. The Smithsonian Channel’s “Obama Years: The Power of Words” frames Obama as the “Writer in Chief” and discusses the value the former president put on words and the power he knew words had in critical times during his presidency. Its TV premiere is on the Smithsonian Channel on Feb. 27.

Shown in D.C. It was shown Tuesday night at the National Museum of American History. The documentary is part of Smithsonian Channel’s series of films that have an African-American narrative. The movie highlights six of Obama’s speeches, all of which the creators found particularly profound and significant. The first three were from before he was president. The first speech was at the 2004 Democratic National Convention when former senator and future secretary of State John Kerry was the Democratic nominee for president. Obama met Jon Favreau there, a former speechwriter and one of the many narrators of the movie.

Narrators, pictures

Tougher race

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS FLORIDA COURIER

A4: 2008 award-winning page

www.flcourier.com

NOVEMBER 9 - NOVEMBER 15, 2012

VOLUME 20 NO. 45

Most incumbents stay in office

A3: Blacks reflect on legacy

COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS

OBAMA’S SECOND TERM

PRESORTED STANDARD MAIL

Spoke to all

Obama’s words shine in new documentary FR

Obama frolics with billionaire

no scandals. You know they were looking for the women, but every chance he got, he boosted up his wife.”

Barack Obama’s racially and generationally diverse voting coalition came out in 2012 to award him another four years in the White House, despite the GOP’s strategic efforts to make voting more difficult. This was the front page of the Florida Courier’s 2012 special elections issue.

Other narrators include Favreau’s successor, Cody Keenan, and former senior advisers Valerie Jarrett and David Axelrod. Many of the photographs were from former White House photographer Pete Souza. These insiders provided the voice of Obama, what went into writing a speech and insight into the former president’s methods – which often included marking up and extensively editing his speechwriters’ drafts. The second speech was in 2008 in Philadelphia while running for the Democratic nomination when Obama had to explain his relationship with his Chicago pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. The speech was the time when race was at the forefront of his campaign, but also when Obama let America into his personal story completely, the documentary explains.

MLK brings emotions The third speech was at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. During the speech preparation, Favreau said Obama teared up at a Martin Luther King Jr. reference. The fourth speech was in 2012 after the school shooting in Sandy Hook, Conn., which Obama eloquently stressed empathy. The fifth speech was in 2015 in Alabama on the Edmund Pettus Bridge to mark the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches and Bloody Sunday. The final speech is when Obama started singing “Amazing Grace” during a speech in Charleston, S.C., after the Mother Emanuel AME murders.

FOCUS

FEBRUARY 10 – FEBRUARY 16, 2017

Is Obama the Republicans’ little helper? Editor’s note: This Gantt Report commentary was originally published in the May 10, 2013 issue of the Florida Courier-more than three years before Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump. It is not unusual for editorial readers to disagree with The Gantt Report opinion columns. People don’t like it when I write about historically Black colleges and universities. They don’t like it when I write about pimps and whores. And they really get upset when I write about President Barack Obama! Well, get ready to get mad again! Does it seem to you like President Obama’s programs, policies and his staffing decisions are paving the way for a Republican return to the White House? Well, it seems that way to me.

Let me explain For most people, the more you put into a politician’s political campaign, the more you get back from the politician. If you raise a lot of money and contribute a lot of money to the winning candidate for president,

OBAMA from A1

final day battle to see who could stay up the longest. “Barack started learning to kitesurf on the beach on Necker for two days solid, picking up the basics and flying a kite as if going back to being a child again. Then he went into the water, standing up and getting a feel for the kite. “Finally, he put the board at his feet and gave it a go. Being the former president of America, there was lots of security around, but Barack was able to really relax and get into it. “On the next stretch of water, I soon learned that foilboarding, even if you can kitesurf, is a completely new sport. You come shooting out of the water, crashing down at high speed, and very much need a helmet and body armour for safety. But I

LEGACY from A1

tion in Public Programs at Union Theological Seminary in New York. “I know the president, know him in the sense of a Black man who is the part of a beautiful family. They gave a sense of grace, a sense of who they are. President Obama was never uncomfortable being himself. He never lost his bearing.”

Little to show Others are less forgiving about Obama’s legacy and his performance while in office. In a Dec. 22, 2016 article in The Atlantic magazine entitled, “How Barack Obama Failed Black Americans,” William A. Darity Jr. wrote about his “deep reservations” about Obama’s leadership. “I worried that it was possible for the symbolic and inspirational aspects of having a Black president would be more than offset by the damages that could be done by the messages delivered by a Black president. And it has been damaging to have Barack Obama, a Black man speaking from the authoritative platform of the presidency, reinforce the widely-held belief that racial inequality in the United States is, in large measure, the direct responsibility of Black folk. “This has been the deal breaker for me: not merely a silence on White physical and emotional violence directed against Black Americans, but the denial of the centrality of American racism in explaining sustained Black-White disparity.”

‘Timid’ policies Darity is a professor of

you might get an ambassadorship to an island in paradise or another favorable foreign country. You might get unlimited access to speak with the president or invitations to presidential parties and galas. You could possibly get pardons for your family members or friends that are incarcerated in federal prisons. But if you’re Black, no matter what you do, it seems you can’t even get attention!

especially for African-Americans! More Black people voted for President Barack Obama than they voted for any president in the history of the United States. Black people contributed more money to the Obama campaign than they contributed to any other presidential campaign in history. And more Black people fought voter subjugation, voter suppression, voter intimidation and voter oppression to elect President Barack Obama than they ever had before. Yes, 90-95 percent of all Black voters put President Obama first. Where has the president put political needs of African-American and Black voters? I don’t want to say where, because you already know.

‘Give him time’

Everyone but us

I know, I know. The Obama lovers will say, “Give the president some time. He’s going to do more for Black and poor people than any other president in history before he leaves office!” But tomorrow is not promised. Many of the people that worked so hard to get the president elected and reelected will be dead before anything significant is done,

Let’s see. The beast bankers got what they wanted – a “get out of jail free” card with no real penalties; and bank regulations. They got bankers hired into powerful Cabinet positions. And when they stole homes and properties from American citizens in their trillion-dollar mortgage fraud, forgery and perjury schemes, the bankers got off with

LUCIUS GANTT THE GANTT REPORT

paying homeowners pennies on the dollar to prevent citizens from suing banks for the millions, billions and trillions of dollars they lost because of bank crooks. The Hispanic citizens got a lot, too. They got a Supreme Court justice, and soon they will get immigration reform. Women got free birth control mandates for health insurers and several high-level political appointments. I could go on and on. But let’s not waste time.

Blacks won’t vote If the president does not quickly do something for his most loyal supporters, I believe Black voters will refuse to go to the polls in high numbers in the upcoming midterm elections and also in the next presidential elections. Believe it or not, White people expect President Obama to do as much as he can for Black citizens just like Jewish politicians help Jews, or Cuban politicians help Cubans, or Tea Party redneck politicians try and help rednecks! If Black people continue to vote for Black candidates and Democratic candidates and continue

to get their issues ignored, their votes exploited and their communities oppressed and they still run to the voting booth and cast votes for Black candidates and Democratic candidates, according to Malcolm X – not Lucius Gantt – they are not only political punks; they are traitors to their race! I hope the president is not trying to help conservative, Tea Party Republicans gain political power. But if he doesn’t do all he can to improve the lives of Black Americans and the conditions in Black communities, helping Republicans will be exactly what he is doing!

Excerpts from Gantt columns are now posted every week on The Gantt Report’s Facebook page; become a fan. Buy Gantt’s latest book, “Beast Too: Dead Man Writing” on Amazon.com and from bookstores everywhere. Contact Lucius at www.allworldconsultants.net. “Like” The Gantt Report page on Facebook. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

slowly got the hang of it.

‘Doff my cap’ “…Barack and I both fell many times, but we kept trying again and again and made progress over the days. We were neck-andneck until the last run on the last day, when I got up on the foilboard and screamed along for over 50 meters, three feet above the water. I was feeling very pleased with myself, only to look over and see Barack go 100 meters on his kiteboard! I had to doff my cap to him and celebrate his victory. “After all he has done for the world, I couldn’t begrudge him his well-deserved win. Now he has left, I’m going back into the water to practice for the next challenge. On his next visit, we plan to do the long kite over to Anegada together. “Next time, may the best (British) man win!” Public Policy, African and African American Studies, and Economics, and the director of the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University. Calling Obama’s policy initiatives “timid,” Darity wrote that “Obama’s general position is racial equality can be achieved – or at least approached – via policies that uplift all Americans experiencing poverty and deprivation…But these particular programs – all, even in their diluted forms likely to be under assault under the new regime – are incremental and display no boldness of spirit.” The Obama administration never gave serious consideration to aggressive transformative universal policies, according to Darity.

‘B’ grade The National Urban League, in a January 2017 “Obama Administration Scorecard,” also noted major deficiencies over Obama’s eight years. “While we scored many of the administration’s achievements with our highest rating, ‘Superior,’ President Obama’s tenure as a whole had shortcomings due to some notable missed opportunities and outright failures, such as the economic development of urban centers, gun violence and the foreclosure rate and bank closure rate in communities of color and low-income neighborhoods,” according to a cover letter written by National Urban League President and CEO Mark Morial. “On these and other issues, we rated the Obama administration ‘Fair’ or ‘Poor.’” Among the ‘poor’ grades the Obama administration received were for its treatment of foreclosures re-

COURTESY OF VIRGIN.COM

Former president Obama didn’t seem to worry about a thing as he enjoyed a few days on the waters of the Caribbean with British billionaire Richard Branson. sulting in the dissipation of billions of dollars of Black wealth.

Homes, wealth gone “A f r i c a n - A m e r i c a n s were more likely to have their homes foreclosed on than any other race. African-Americans accounted for approximately 80 percent of the foreclosures that occurred during the (housing) crisis. A 2014 study illustrated that the top five cities for underwater homes were in the cities where at least 80 percent or more of the residents were people of color,” the report states. Still, the Obama administration didn’t provide “underwater” and seriously delinquent homeowners with opportunities to reduce the amount of money they owed on their mortgages as the value of their houses dropped. “Over five million homeowners lost their homes during the foreclosure crisis. That number would have been much lower if distressed homeowners had the opportunity for principal forgiveness,” the report notes. “The African-American homeownership rate has declined from nearly 50 percent a decade ago to around 40 percent. The decline represents an extreme loss of wealth that had been accumulated over a 40-year period.”

Businesses lagging The report also criticized Obama for doing little or nothing with regard to small Black-owned businesses. “African-American small business owners only received less than 2 percent of the loans backed by the Small Business Administration, since Fiscal Year 2013. Further, the president and administration

did not use the power and prestige of the presidency to advocate for minority business inclusion in a systematic manner.” Obama was also criticized for his U.S. Supreme Court picks. “The president had three opportunities to nominate the first African-American woman to the U.S. Supreme Court, but failed to do so for each vacancy,” the report indicates, calling his refusal to appoint an African-American to the nation’s highest court a “failure.”

Still ‘Excellent’ Despite these concerns, the National Urban League gave the Obama administration an overall rating of “Excellent,” the organization’s second-highest rating. “The National Urban League has regarded the first African-American presidency with special significance, not simply because of its trailblazing status, but also because of the unique conditions under which President Barack Obama took office and served his two terms. “He inherited the worst economy since the Great Depression, and was faced with Congressional opposition unprecedented in its intensity and sinister nature. Both his accomplishments and his failures must be evaluated against those conditions,” Morial wrote.

Major wealth gap According to Darity, the Duke University professor, the increase in Black foreclosures doing Obama’s two terms that exacerbated the decades-long wealth gap between Black and White Americans can only be solved by making financial reparations to Black Americans, something that

Obama believe is politically impossible. “…(T)he emphasis on exclusively universal programs yields the spectacle of a Black president who opposes the most dramatic Black-specific program of all – reparations for African-Americans. This opposition ultimately seems to amount to a matter of political expediency…. “The president ultimately takes the position that it is politically untenable to enact a reparations program. If so – and if nothing comparable can be realized – then I contend that it is impossible to close the racial wealth gap,” Darity explains.

The struggle continues “Having a Black president oppose reparations does not help the cause, particularly when that Black president makes the case that an important source of Black disadvantage is Black folk’s own behavior. “But Black America should have paid attention to the experience of post-colonial Black Africa and the Caribbean; leaders who look like you do not necessarily act in ways that benefit you. “So be it. The struggle for reparations – and for Black lives and justice – must and will continue, with or without Barack Obama in the fold,” Darity concludes.

Still proud District of Columbia activist and businesswoman Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever said although her personal belief is that Obama should have adopted a more activist role, she’s immensely proud of his accomplishments. Jones-DeWeever said as the country begins to suffer economic whiplash and

Republican attacks on the Affordable Care Act, and the erosion of the civil, human and other rights, the appreciation for Obama will broaden exponentially. “Generally speaking, I’ve been proud of the president’s character, level of dignity, work ethic and moral compass,” said Jones-DeWeever, president and CEO of the consulting firm Incite Unlimited. “His presidency has been beautiful to see. I’m particularly grateful that for my two boys, he has been the definition of what a president is. It has been beautiful. I’m also happy that he has made significant progress in releasing people trapped in the prison-industrial complex.” “I believe that history will ultimately fortify his brilliance,” said Jones-DeWeever of Obama.

Their only president For young voters, the Trump presidency is difficult to sink in, in part because Obama is the only president they have ever voted for. “I am not happy and it will take me some time to accept what America has thrown at me,” exclaimed Linda McNeil, a resident of the District of Columbia. Jessica Shaw looks positively at the situation, saying millennials can do something about the future. “Moving forward, we must not fight with one another. We have to fight, petition, pray and stay in good spirits to be at peace with ourselves in preparation for the future.”

Content from the Trice Edney News Wire was used to contribute to this report.

FEBRUARY 10 – FEBRUARY 16, 2017

THE OBAMA YEARS He never lost his bearing.”

Obama ‘will prevail’

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/TNS

Barack Obama speaks at the unveiling of a statue of Rosa Parks at the United States Capitol on Feb. 27, 2013 in Washington, D.C.

PROUD TO CALL HIM THEIR PRESIDENT Blacks reflect on Obama’s presidency and character BY BARRINGTON M. SALMON AND BRITTANY BURTON

There is concern among advocates and supporters about the durability of President Barack Obama’s legacy in light of eight years of intense and sustained opposition from Republicans and the promise by his successor to erase any

semblance of the Obama presidency. “I don’t think President Obama has anything to worry about. The notion of erasing his legacy, are you crazy? Legacy is who he is and was,” says Tallahasseebased entrepreneur and psychologist Dr. SharonAmes Dennard. “The feebleminded can always be convinced of anything. There are many things that he and his wife have done right. There were no scandals. You know they were looking for the women, but every chance he got, he boosted up his wife.”

The Rev. Derrick Harkins said Obama’s political acumen, graciousness, and consistency endeared him to African-Americans, adding that he believes history will be kind to the 44th president. “He is a president who sought to speak to the full expanse of America. Much of his legacy spoke to the needs of all Americans,” said Harkins, senior vice president for Innovation in Public Programs at Union Theological Seminary in New York. “I know the president, know him in the sense of a T:8.325”

Rev. Derrick Harkins

Dr. SharonAmes Dennard

Black man who is the part of a beautiful family. They gave a sense of grace, a sense of who they are. President Obama was never uncomfortable being himself.

Harkins agreed with Ames-Dennard about the resilience and robust nature of Obama’s legacy and framed it in the context of almost a decade of Republican opposition. “I think the motivation on the part of many people was to negate the last eight years,” Harkins, a former director of Faith Outreach for the Democratic National Committee and Obama adviser. “But you can’t erase the inevitable. The U.S. is part of the global community. You can’t build walls or separate yourself from those around you. “They will try to dismantle many or all of the executive orders but the Kansas-Kenyan Harvard Law student will prevail. The attempt to rebuke the last eight years has failed. No one can undo what has happened.”

‘Beautiful to see’ District of Columbia activist and businesswoman Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever said although her personal belief is that Obama should have adopted a more activist role, she’s immensely proud of his accomplishments. Jones-DeWeever said as the country begins to suffer economic whiplash and Republican attacks on the Affordable Care Act, and the erosion of the civil, human and other rights, the appreciation for Obama will broaden exponentially. “Generally speaking, I’ve been proud of the president’s character, level of dignity, work ethic and moral compass,” said Jones-DeWeever, president and CEO of local consulting firm Incite Unlimited. “His presidency has been beautiful to see. I’m particularly grateful that for my two boys, he has been the definition of what a president is. It has been beauti-

The light from a few illuminates many. A single beacon of caring can light up an entire community. Our McDonald’s® 365Black® Awardees shine their beams of compassion in the communities they serve. It is through their example that we are all a little more enlightened. Find out more at 365Black.com

A3 ful. I’m also happy that he has made significant progress in releasing people trapped in the prison-industrial complex.”

Economic growth According to Forbes Magazine, the U.S. economy has grown for 78 consecutive months, with the economic recovery under Obama better in almost every metric compared to the recovery under President Ronald Reagan. The U.S. is enjoying the longest period of private sector job growth in history. Unemployment stands at 4.8 percent, the federal deficit has been reduced by two-thirds since 2009 and the stock market has soared to record levels. Then there’s universal health care in the form of the Affordable Care Act which has 20 million Americans enrolled. “I believe that history will ultimately fortify his brilliance,” said Jones-DeWeever of Obama. “He brought security, standing and respect to the world stage and now we’re the laughing stock of the international community.”

Fearful of future Documentary filmmaker Mimi Machado-Luces declared herself an unabashed Obama supporter, saying African-Americans love him for a number of reasons, including the way he’s led the nation and all the positive examples he has set. “I will defend President Obama’s importance and impact with every ounce of integrity I have as a voting American citizen of African descent,” said the producer and promoter. “As a Venezuelan immigrant I have a few issues, however those issues are more based on our policies with my country as a nation and not in the manner in which President Obama led the nation. “He was in my opinion the best president this nation has ever had because he truly is a president for all Americans including Native Americans, African-Americans, Latin Americans, Afro-Latino Americans, LGBT Americans, Asian Americans, Muslim Americans, and all other categories we can possibly come up with.” Machado-Luces said she fears for her future and those of her son and daughter. “We’re going to go back to some foolishness. I’m going to suffer without Obamacare if there’s no replacement,” she said.

Fight, petition, pray

T:10”

Some millennials worry that Trump will run America into the ground and [that he] simply does not have the best interests of the American people. Aaliyah Caldwell a 22-year-old student at Howard University said “Donald Trump winning the presidency shows just how powerful people of wealth really are. He has no political experience, yet people saw him fit to run the United States.” According to theAtlantic. com, 55 percent of young voters chose Hillary Clinton while 37 percent voted for Trump. So what does this mean for Black Americans? Devin Jones, a student at Howard University, remarked that “Being Black in America is already hard enough. Now we have to continue to fight for the equality of justice and the right of fair treatment. We cannot let this man get the best of us.” Jones concluded, “Protesting isn’t enough. We have to educate our people on the truth about American culture and how whitewashed it is.” Jessica Shaw looks positively at the situation, saying millennials can do something about the future. “Moving forward we must not fight with one another,’’ she said. “There is too much work that needs to be done. We have to fight, petition, pray and stay in good spirits to be at peace with ourselves in preparation for the future.”

THE OBAMA YEARS

FEBRUARY 10 – FEBRUARY 16, 2017

E FR

PRESORTED STANDARD MAIL

U.S. POSTAGE PAID DAYTONA BEACH, FL PERMIT #189

IT’S NOT OVER TILL THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES B6 VOLUME 16 NO. 45S

NOVEMBER 7 – NOVEMBER 13, 2008

SPECIAL ELECTION ISSUE

AND STILL WE RISE! Barack Hussein Obama becomes America’s 44th president with a broad-based voter coalition and near-unanimous Black support

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/MCT

President-elect Barack Obama, daughters Sasha 7, Malia, 10, and wife Michelle will become America’s first African-American first family. COMPILED FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

arack Obama won the presidency Tuesday, the first African-American to claim the highest office in the land, an improbable candidate fulfilling a once-impossible dream by attracting an unprecedented voter coalition. Obama won crucial swing states from the Rust Belt to the Mountain West. After TV media networks projected an Obama win at approximately 11 p.m. Tuesday night, Republican John McCain conceded shortly after polls closed on the West Coast as Black Americans rejoiced around the nation. From the cafes of Beirut, Lebanon, to the villages of Kenya and on to the streets of Asian metropolises, much of the world looked on with vivid hope Wednesday at Obama’s electoral triumph. Some saw the rise of a Black American to the U.S. presidency as a transformative event that may repair the battered reputation of the United States, lift the aspirations of non-Whites worldwide, and renew chances for diplomacy rather than war.

Record turnout Americans voted in record numbers, standing in lines that snaked around blocks and in

ALSO INSIDE

some places in pouring rain. Voters who lined up on Tuesday and the millions who cast early ballots propelled what one expert said was the highest turnout in a century. Michael McDonald of George Mason University estimates a 64.1 percent turnout rate, the highest turnout rate since 1908. Stephen Ansolabehere, a political science professor at Harvard and MIT, determined via exit polling data that Whites made up 74 percent of the 2008 electorate. That’s down considerably from 81 percent in 2000 because of increase in Black and Hispanic voting, he said.

New voters, Blacks, youth About seven in 10 first-time voters voted for Obama. Twothirds of new voters were under age 30, one in five were Black and nearly as many were Hispanic. The swell in youthful voters was largely due to the excitement about a new role model, the possibility of making history, and Obama’s stand on the issues, said Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition for Black Civic Participation. “The issues of the day such as Katrina and what happened on the Gulf Coast had an impact in 2006. We were upset and angry, but we also understood politically that we had to weigh in on the process,” Campbell said. The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies determined last year that the top issues Please see PRESIDENT, Page A2

Black Floridians greet news with tears, cheers Change quickly seems real as voters watch election results unfold COMPILED FROM STAFF REPORTS

Like so many Americans, Ila Woodward and her family woke up early Tuesday morning with one thought on their mind – to head to a voting precinct in search of “change they could believe in.’’ Woodward, her sister Lee Glasco and their 68-year-old mother were the first at their Tampa voting precinct. “It was important for us to be 1, 2, and 3” in line to vote, Woodward told the Florida Courier Tuesday. “Once I got the voting done, I went in a quiet corner and cried.’’

‘New global citizen’ The two sisters found a fitting place to witness change and watch Sen. Barack Obama make history. They were among a large, jubilant crowd gathered at Ybor City’s Good Luck Café. As the returns were flashed on CNN and the predominantly Black crowd cheered and danced, the sisters reflected on what the change would mean for them and the world, calling Obama “the new global citizen.’’

DELROY COLE/FLORIDA COURIER

South Florida residents track election returns at Hallandale’s Gulfstream Park at a watch party sponsored by HOT 105 FM and the nationally syndicated “The Michael Baisden Show.” “I think it’s going to be a major change in everyone’s life,” Glasco reflected. “He has given everybody hope.’’

No excuse now Just a short drive away, firsttime voter Jarod Walters celebrated with a diverse group near Busch Gardens who had gathered to support Obama. “I have never seen anything

EDITORIAL | ANTHONY L. HALL: GOOD MORNING, MR. PRESIDENT-ELECT | A4 SPORTS | RICKIE WEEKS SR. HELPING FLORIDA YOUNGSTERS THRIVE AT BASEBALL | B5

like that before. It was like we won the Super Bowl. Everyone was happy and excited,’’ he told the Florida Courier. “Before Obama ran for the presidency, I used to feel the government was biased toward certain people. Now I feel there’s no excuse for not realizing your dream of what you want to accomplish as an Please see FLORIDIANS, Page A2

FEBRUARY 10 – FEBRUARY 16, 2017

THE OBAMA YEARS

‘THE ‘MOREHOUSE MYSTIQUE’ STILL ENDURES’ Here are edited excerpts of President Obama’s speech to the Morehouse College Class of 2013, delivered on May 19, 2013 in Atlanta. Graduates, I am humbled to stand here with all of you as an honorary Morehouse Man. I finally made it. And as I do, I’m mindful of an old saying: “You can always tell a Morehouse Man – but you can’t tell him much.” And that makes my task a little more difficult. But I think it also reflects the sense of pride that’s always been part of this school’s tradition. Benjamin Mays, who served as the president of Morehouse for almost 30 years, understood that tradition better than anybody. He said, “It will not be sufficient for Morehouse College, for any college, for that matter, to produce clever graduates… but rather honest men, men who can be trusted in public and private life – men who are sensitive to the wrongs, the sufferings, and the injustices of society and who are willing to accept responsibility for correcting [those] ills.” It was that mission – not just to educate men, but to cultivate good men, strong men, upright men – that brought community leaders together just two years after the end of the Civil War. They assembled a list of 37 men, free Blacks and freed slaves, who would make up the first prospective class of what later became Morehouse College. Most of those first students had a desire to become teachers and preachers – to better themselves so they could help others do the same. A century and a half later, times have changed. But the “Morehouse Mystique” still endures.

Academic competition

Some of you probably came here from communities where everybody looked like you. Others may have come here in search of a community. And I suspect that some of you probably felt a little bit of culture shock the first time you came together as a class in King Chapel. All of a sudden, you weren’t the only high school sports captain, you weren’t the only student council president. You were suddenly in a group of high achievers, and that meant you were expected to do something more. That’s the unique sense of purpose that this place has always infused – the conviction that this is a training ground not only for individual success, but for leadership that can change the world. Dr. King was just 15 years old when he enrolled here at Morehouse. He was an unknown, undersized, unassuming young freshman who lived at home with his parents. And I think it’s fair to say he wasn’t the coolest kid on campus – for the suits he wore, his classmates called him “Tweed.” But his education at Morehouse helped to forge the intellect, the discipline, the compassion, the soul force that would transform America.

No fear

It was here that he was introduced to the writings of Gandhi and Thoreau, and the theory of civil disobedience. It was here that professors encouraged him to look past the world as it was and fight for the world as it should be. And it was here, at Morehouse, as Dr. King later wrote, where “I realized that nobody…was afraid.” For Black men in the ‘40s and the ‘50s, the threat of violence, the constant humiliations, large and small, the uncertainty that you could support a family, the gnawing doubts borne of the Jim Crow culture that told you every day that somehow you were inferior, the temptation to shrink from the world, to accept your place, to avoid risks, to be afraid – that temptation was necessarily strong. And yet, here, under the tutelage of men like Dr. Mays, young Martin learned to be unafraid. And he, in turn, taught others to be unafraid...he taught a nation to be unafraid. And over the last 50 years, thanks to the moral force of Dr. King and a Moses generation that overcame their fear and their cynicism and their despair, barriers have come tumbling down, and new doors of opportunity have swung open, and laws and hearts and minds have been changed to the point where

So if you’ve had role models, fathers, brothers like that – thank them today. And if you haven’t, commit yourself to being that man to somebody else. And finally, as you do these things, do them not just for yourself, but don't even do them just for the African-American community. I want you to set your sights higher. At the turn of the last century, W.E.B. DuBois spoke about the “talented tenth” – a class of highly educated, socially conscious leaders in the Black community. But it’s not just the AfricanAmerican community that needs you. The country needs you. The world needs you.

You know the feeling

someone who looks just like you can somehow come to serve as president of these United States of America. So the history (and) the future we share should give you hope. You’re graduating into an improving job market. You’re living in a time when advances in technology and communication put the world at your fingertips. Your generation is uniquely poised for success unlike any generation of African-Americans that came before it.

Work to do

But that doesn’t mean we don’t have work – because…we know that too few of our brothers have the opportunities that you’ve had here at Morehouse. In troubled neighborhoods all across this country – many of them heavily African-American – too few of our citizens have role models to guide them….places where jobs are still too scarce and wages are still too low; where schools are underfunded and violence is pervasive; where too many of our men spend their youth not behind a desk in a classroom, but hanging out on the streets or brooding behind a jail cell. My job as president is to advocate for policies that generate more opportunity for everybody – policies that strengthen the middle class and give more people the chance to climb their way into the middle class. Policies that create more good jobs and reduce poverty, and educate more children, and give more families the security of health care, and protect more of our children from the horrors of gun violence. But along with collective responsibilities, we have individual responsibilities. There are some things, as Black men, we can only do for ourselves. There are some things, as Morehouse Men, that you are obliged to do for those still left behind. As Morehouse Men, you now wield something even more powerful than the diploma you’re about to collect – and that’s the power of your example. So what I ask of you today is the same thing I ask of every graduating class I address: Use that power for something larger than yourself. Live up to President Mays’s challenge. Be “sensitive to the wrongs, the sufferings, and the injustices of society.” And be “willing to accept responsibility for correcting [those] ills.” I know that some of you came to Morehouse from communities where life was about keeping your head down and looking out for yourself. Maybe you feel like you escaped, and now you can take your degree and get that fancy job and the nice house and the nice car – and never look back.

Make that money

And don’t get me wrong – with all those student loans you’ve had to take out, I know you’ve got to earn some money. With doors open to you that your parents and grandparents could not even imagine, no one expects you to take a vow of poverty. But I will say it betrays a poverty of ambition if all you think about is what goods you can buy instead of what good you can do. So, yes, go get that law degree. But if you do, ask yourself if the only option is to defend the rich and the powerful, or if you can also find some time to defend the powerless.

Sure, go get your MBA, or start that business. We need Black businesses out there. But ask yourselves what broader purpose your business might serve, in putting people to work, or transforming a neighborhood. The most successful CEOs I know didn’t start out intent just on making money – rather, they had a vision of how their product or service would change things, and the money followed. Some of you may be headed to medical school to become doctors. But make sure you heal folks in underserved communities who really need it, too. For generations, certain groups in this country – especially AfricanAmericans – have been desperate in need of access to quality, affordable health care. And as a society, we’re finally beginning to change that. But we're going to need some doctors to make sure it works, too. It’s not just good for you, it’s good for this country. So you're going to have to spread the word to your fellow young people.

Inspire others

Just as Morehouse has taught you to expect more of yourselves, inspire those who look up to you to expect more of themselves. We know that too many young men in our community continue to make bad choices. And I have to say, growing up, I made quite a few myself. Sometimes I wrote off my own failings as just another example of the world trying to keep a Black man down. I had a tendency sometimes to make excuses for me not doing the right thing. But one of the things that all of you have learned over the last four years is there’s no longer any room for excuses. I understand there’s a common fraternity creed here at Morehouse: “Excuses are tools of the incompetent used to build bridges to nowhere and monuments of nothingness.” Well, we’ve got no time for excuses. Not because the bitter legacy of slavery and segregation have vanished entirely; they have not. Not because racism and discrimination no longer exist; we know those are still out there. It’s just that in today’s hyperconnected, hyper-competitive world, with millions of young people from China and India and Brazil – many of whom started with a whole lot less than all of you did – all of them entering the global workforce alongside you, nobody is going to give you anything that you have not earned. Nobody cares how tough your upbringing was (or) if you suffered some discrimination. Whatever you’ve gone through, pales in comparison to the hardships previous generations endured – and they overcame them.

Strong men

You now hail from a lineage and legacy of immeasurably strong men who bore tremendous burdens and still laid the stones for the path on which we now walk. You wear the mantle of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, and Ralph Bunche and Langston Hughes, and George Washington Carver and Ralph Abernathy and Thurgood Marshall, and, yes, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. These men...knew full well the role that racism played in their lives. But when it came to

their own accomplishments and sense of purpose, they had no time for excuses. Every one of you have a grandma or an uncle or a parent who’s told you that at some point in life, as an African-American, you have to work twice as hard as anyone else if you want to get by. I think President Mays put it even better: He said, “Whatever you do, strive to do it so well that no man living and no man dead, and no man yet to be born can do it any better.” What was needed in Dr. Mays’s time, that spirit of excellence, and hard work, and dedication, and no excuses is needed now more than ever. If you think you can just get over in this economy just because you have a Morehouse degree, you’re in for a rude awakening. But if you stay hungry, if you keep hustling, if you keep on your grind and get other folks to do the same – nobody can stop you.

Set an example

And that’s what I’m asking all of you to do. Keep setting an example for what it means to be a man. Be the best husband to your wife, or your boyfriend, or your partner. Be the best father you can be to your children. Because nothing is more important. I was raised by a heroic single mom, wonderful grandparents – made incredible sacrifices for me. And I know there are moms and grandparents here today who did the same thing for all of you. But I sure wish I had had a father who was not only present, but involved. And so my whole life, I’ve tried to be for Michelle and my girls what my father was not for my mother and me. I want to break that cycle where a father is not at home – where a father is not helping to raise that son or daughter. I want to be a better father, husband, man. That demands your constant attention and frequent sacrifice. Michelle will tell you I’m not perfect. I’m still practicing, learning, still getting corrected in terms of how to be a fine husband and a good father. But everything else is unfulfilled if we fail at family, if we fail at that responsibility. When I am on my deathbed someday, I will not be thinking about any particular legislation I passed…about a policy I promoted…about the speech I gave… about the Nobel Prize I received. I will be thinking about that walk I took with my daughters. I'll be thinking about a lazy afternoon with my wife. I'll be thinking about sitting around the dinner table and seeing them happy and healthy and knowing that they were loved. And I'll be thinking about whether I did right by all of them.

Engage others

So be a good role model, set a good example for that young brother coming up. If you know somebody who’s not on point, go back and bring that brother along – those who’ve been left behind, who haven’t had the same opportunities we have – they need to hear from you. You’ve got to be engaged on the barbershops, on the basketball court, at church, spend time and energy and presence to give people opportunities and a chance. Pull them up, expose them, support their dreams. Don't put them down.

As Morehouse Men, many of you know what it’s like to be an outsider…to be marginalized…to feel the sting of discrimination. Hispanic Americans know that feeling when somebody asks them where they come from or tell them to go back. Gay and lesbian Americans feel it when a stranger passes judgment on their parenting skills or the love that they share. Muslim Americans feel it when they’re stared at with suspicion because of their faith. Any woman who knows the injustice of earning less pay for doing the same work – she knows what it’s like to be on the outside looking in. So your experiences give you special insight that today’s leaders need. If you tap into that experience, it should endow you with empathy – the understanding of what it’s like to walk in somebody else’s shoes, to see through their eyes, to know what it’s like when you're not born on third base, thinking you hit a triple. It should give you the ability to connect. It should give you a sense of compassion and what it means to overcome barriers. Class of 2013, whatever success I have achieved, whatever positions of leadership I have held have depended less on Ivy League degrees or SAT scores or GPAs, and have instead been due to that sense of connection and empathy – the special obligation I felt, as a Black man like you, to help those who need it most, people who didn’t have the opportunities that I had – because there but for the grace of God, go I – I might have been in their shoes. I might have been in prison. I might have been unemployed. I might not have been able to support a family. And that motivates me. So it’s up to you to widen your circle of concern – to care about justice for everybody, White, Black and Brown. Not just in your own community, but also across this country and around the world. To make sure everyone has a voice, and everybody gets a seat at the table; that everybody, no matter what you look like or where you come from, what your last name is – it doesn’t matter, everybody gets a chance to walk through those doors of opportunity if they are willing to work hard enough.

High expectations

That’s what we’ve come to expect from you, Morehouse – a legacy of leaders – not just in our Black community, but for the entire American community. To recognize the burdens you carry with you, but to resist the temptation to use them as excuses. To transform the way we think about manhood, and set higher standards for ourselves and for others. To be successful, but also to understand that each of us has responsibilities not just to ourselves, but to one another and to future generations. Men who refuse to be afraid. Class of 2013, you are heirs to a great legacy. You have within you that same courage and that same strength, the same resolve as the men who came before you. That’s what being a Morehouse Man is all about. That’s what being an American is all about. Success may not come quickly or easily. But if you strive to do what’s right, if you work harder and dream bigger, if you set an example in your own lives and do your part to help meet the challenges of our time, then I’m confident that, together, we will continue the never-ending task of perfecting our union. God bless you. God bless Morehouse. And God bless the United States of America.

THE OBAMA YEARS

TOJ A6

FEBRUARY 10 – FEBRUARY 16, 2017 Still, Duncan said, “the presidency can’t not change you. Being the first family can’t not change you.” Obama’s trajectory to the White House was lightning-fast. Four years after leaving the Illinois statehouse, the man who was a U.S. senator, briefly, became leader of the free world.

‘Billion-dollar startup’

ZBIGNIEW BZDAK/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS

Then president-elect Barack Obama, Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan, center, and Vice President-elect Joe Biden talk with students and teachers at the Dodge Renaissance Academy on Dec. 16, 2008, in Chicago. The three gathered with the students after Obama announced that Duncan was his choice for education secretary.

HE NEVER ‘WENT WASHINGTON’ Former aides reflect on the Obama they knew before and during his presidency. BY KATHERINE SKIBA CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS

CHICAGO – Barack Obama, who made “change” part of his campaign slogan in 2008, is himself transformed after nearly eight years in the Oval Office. That his hair is grayer is a small manifestation of how the job has

affected him, according to the Chicagoans who know him best. What emerges in interviews with people from the Chicago area who served his administration is a portrait of a battle-tested leader who achieved big things but who, with some regularity, tasted defeat. They portrayed him as a public servant who never “went Washington”; a pragmatist, not an ideologue; calm in a crisis; and a well-mannered and loyal boss who, despite the weight of the world, never lost his sense of humor.

Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker was a Chicago business executive when he approached her about running for the presidency. The billionaire Hyatt heiress became the national finance chair for the 2008 run, but not before he answered her question: “How are you going to convince the American people you have the capacity to manage this big, complex organization, as he calls it, ‘the largest organization in the world, and the most influential organization in the world?’” A week later he came back with the campaign’s organizational chart and his vision for leading it, she said. That campaign, she said, was a “billion-dollar startup.” “Now you fast-forward 10 years later, he’s grown a lot,” she said. “He’s become a really strong manager.”

Lack of cooperation

Values remained intact The ex-aides, it must be said, remain loyalists and defenders and were loath to find fault with a man they hold in the highest esteem. “Does he delegate more? Yes. Does he move stuff fast? Yes. But for me more striking is what hasn’t changed than what has,” said Arne Duncan, who was Obama’s education secretary. At core, Barack and Michelle Obama are the people they always were, he said. Their values remain intact: family, friends and trust are paramount.

Managing an executive branch is not the same as persuading Congress to enact your agenda or cutting a deal with legislators. In dealings with GOP lawmakers, Obama often hit a brick wall. Former campaign strategist David Axelrod and others blame a “strategic decision” by Republicans to refuse to cooperate with the Democratic president. Ben LaBolt, a former assistant press secretary, said once GOP lawmakers dug in their heels, “all the drinks and dinners in the world wouldn’t have solved it.” “He tried it. He took a run at it,” LaBolt said. Similarly, Obama’s pledge to change the tone of politics “proved to be a lot more difficult than any of us imagined,” Axelrod said.

Inhuman demands Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, his first chief of staff, recalled what he used to tell his first White House boss, President Bill Clinton: “If we knew in the first year of the first term what we knew by the first year of the second term, we’d all be geniuses.” Axelrod had one word for the demands of the presidency: inhuman. “To do it well requires so much emotional strength and psychic energy and stamina,” he said.

Failure, successes Amid successes, including taking steps to end the recession and signing the Affordable Care Act, what remained elusive — and wrenching — was Obama’s failure to cajole Congress into passing gun control, Axelrod said. It weighed most heavily on him “the number of times he’s had to step before the cameras or speak at memorial services for the victims of gun crimes, particularly these horrendous mass shootings,” Axelrod said. Ex-aides highlighted international achievements, such as the Iran nuclear deal and restored relations with Cuba. William Daley, Obama’s second chief of staff, was on board for a major success: the 2011 capture and killing of Osama bin Laden. Daley acknowledged that foreign policy challenges persist but puts the onus on George W. Bush. “Foreign policy has been a mess since 2003,” the year the U.S. invaded Iraq, Daley said. For the Chicagoans who served him, it’s a bittersweet time. “I’m sad because I loved him as a president,” Axelrod said, “but I also care for him as a friend, so I’m happy for him that he gets his life back.” He envisions Obama active in his foundation and presidential center, which will be built in Jackson Park on Chicago’s South Side. He expects Obama to write, give speeches and try to enjoy his life — something Axelrod said the president “has earned.”

ONE DAY VALENTINE’S DAY IS ALMOST HERE–SHOP NOW!

SALE GREAT DEALS OF THE DAY & FREE SHIPPING ONLINE AT $25

VALID 2/10-2/11/2017. PLUS, FREE RETURNS. EXCLUSIONS APPLY; SEE MACYS.COM/FREERETURNS

SHOP 9AM-10PM FRI & SAT, FEB. 10 & 11

HOURS MAY VARY BY STORE. SEE MACYS.COM & CLICK ON STORES FOR LOCAL INFORMATION.

USE THIS SAVINGS PASS THURS 3PM-CLOSING OR FRI OR SAT ’TIL 2PM

EXTRA DOLLARS OFF SELECT SALE CLOTHING & HOME ITEMS

1O OFF

EXTRA DOLLARS OFF SELECT SALE CLOTHING & HOME ITEMS

2O OFF

YOUR PURCHASE OF $25 OR MORE.

YOUR PURCHASE OF $50 OR MORE.

VALID 2/9 3PM-CLOSING OR 2/10 & 2/11/17 ’TIL 2PM

LIMIT ONE PER CUSTOMER.

EXCLUDES ALL: Deals of the Day, Doorbusters/web busters, Everyday Values (EDV), Last Act, M by Macy’s Marketplace, Macy’s Backstage, macys.com, specials, Super Buys, athletic clothing/shoes/accessories, cosmetics/fragrances, designer jewelry/watches, designer sportswear, electrics/electronics, furniture/mattresses, gift cards, jewelry trunk shows, maternity, select licensed depts., previous purchases, rugs, services, smart watches/jewelry, special orders, special purchases, select tech accessories, 3Doodler, Apple products, Barbour, Ben Sherman, Brahmin, Breville, Brooks Brothers Red Fleece, COACH, Dyson, Eileen Fisher SYSTEM, Fitbit, Frye, Hanky Panky, Jack Spade, Kate Spade, KitchenAid Pro Line, Le Creuset, Levi’s, littleBits, Locker Room by Lids, Marc Jacobs, select Michael Kors/Michael Michael Kors, Michele watches, Movado Bold, Natori, Original Penguin, Rudsak, Sam Edelman, Samsung watches, Shun, Stuart Weitzman, Tempur-Pedic mattresses, The North Face, Theory, Tory Burch, Tumi, UGG ®, Vans, Vitamix, Wacoal, Wolford & Wüsthof. Cannot be combined with any savings pass/coupon, extra discount or credit offer, except opening a new Macy’s account. Dollar savings are allocated as discounts off each eligible item, as shown on receipt. When you return an item, you forfeit the savings allocated to that item. This coupon has no cash value and may not be redeemed for cash, used to purchase gift cards or applied as payment or credit to your account. Purchase must be $25 or $50 or more, exclusive of tax and delivery fees.

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

IFE/FAITH

FEBRUARY 10 – FEBRUARY 16, 2017

More keynotes and campaign addresses See page B3

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

SOUTH FLORIDA / TREASURE COAST AREA

What Obama did during first 100 days See page B4

SECTION

WWW.FLCOURIER.COM

‘OUR PROGRESS IS ON THE BALLOT’ I want to thank the CBC Foundation, Chairman Butterfield, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and the whole CBC family. It’s always good to be with “the conscience of Congress.” I also want to congratulate tonight’s honorees, beginning with Charlie Rangel, a founding member of the CBC, an outstanding public servant who, as we just talked about, we’ll be riding off into the sunset together. Representative Marcia Fudge. Robert Smith. The Mother Emanuel Family. And your Trailblazer Award recipient, my friend, a champion for change – Secretary Hillary Clinton.

This was Barack Obama’s last speech to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference Phoenix Awards Dinner on Sept. 17, 2016 in Washington, D.C.

‘Birtherism’ resolved

There’s an extra spring in my step tonight. I don’t know about you guys, but I am so relieved that the whole birther thing is over. I mean, ISIL, North Korea, poverty, climate change – none of those things weighed on my mind like the validity of my birth certificate. And to think that with just 124 days to go, under the wire, we got that resolved. I mean, that’s a boost for me in the home stretch. In other breaking news, the world is round, not flat. Lord. This is, of course, my last CBC dinner as president. Next time I show up, I have to buy a ticket. Now, don’t get me wrong, though. We’ve still got so much work to do, and we are sprinting all the way through the tape. But the days are winding down.

Ready to go

I’ve noticed that whenever Michelle or I travel around the country, folks come up and they say, oh, we’re so sad to see you go. And I really appreciate that. Michelle says, “That’s right.” She gave a speech yesterday – a bunch of young people were chanting “four more years,” and she said, “Nope.” Nope. No. She’s ready. But we do want to take this opportunity just to say thank you for your support over the years – to say thank you for your friendship, to say thank you for your prayers. As I just look across this auditorium, there are so many people here who lifted us up, who steadied us when things got tough. When we began this journey coming on 10 years now, we said this was not about us. It wasn’t about me. It wasn’t about Michelle. It wasn’t just to be a Black president, or the president of Black America. We understood the power of the symbol. We know what it means for a generation of children, of all races, to see folks like us in the White House.

Serious responsibility

And as Michelle says, we’ve tried to be role models, not just for our own girls, but for all children, because we know they watch everything we do as adults. They look to us as an example. So we’ve taken that responsibility seriously. And I’ve been so blessed to have a wife and a partner on this journey who makes it look so easy. And is so strong and so honest and so beautiful and so smart. But we’re all – we’re just thankful because you guys have lifted us up every step of the way. Now, we know, however, that what matters most for our community is not just the symbol, not just having an African-American president. It’s having a president who’s going to do his or her darndest to make the right decisions, and fight the right fights. And think about the fights that we’ve waged together these past eight years.

List of accomplishments

Together, we fought our way back from the worst recession in

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/TNS

A child listens to President Obama as he spoke to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation during their 2016 annual legislative conference banquet. 80 years – turned an economy that was in free fall, helped our businesses create more than 15 million new jobs. We declared that health care is not a privilege for a few, but a right for everybody – secured coverage for another 20 million Americans, including another three million African-Americans. Our high school graduation rate is at an all-time high, including for African-American students. More African-Americans are graduating from college than ever before. Together, we’ve begun to work on reforming our criminal justice system – reducing the federal prison population, ending the use of solitary confinement for juveniles, banning the box for federal employers, reinvigorating the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, pushing to make sure police and communities are working together to make sure that our streets are safe and that our law is applied equally. We’re giving opportunities for kids so that they don’t get in the criminal justice system in the first place. And I want to thank all of you who’ve helped us reach nearly 250 My Brother’s Keeper communities across the country. And just this week, we learned that last year, across every race and age group in America, incomes rose and poverty fell. Folks’ typical household incomes rose by about $2,800 – which is the fastest growth rate on record. Lifted 3.5 million people out of poverty, including one million children – the largest one-year drop in almost 50 years. By so many measures, our country is stronger and more prosperous than it was eight years ago. And none of it’s been quick, none of it’s been easy. None of it has come without a fight. And so much of our work remains unfinished.

Work to do

But then we knew that we would not solve all of our challenges in one year, or one term, or even one presidency, not even in one lifetime – because we understand better than anybody that this is the story of America, that the project of America is never finished. It is constantly a work in progress. And what has always made us unique is our capacity to change – our conviction that change doesn’t come from some ruler, but it comes from the bottom up, from us; from the actions we take, whether it’s women seeking

the right to vote, or a young John Lewis leading a mighty march in Selma. We do our part to slowly, steadily, make our union a little bit more perfect. We know that. And that’s what we’ve done these past eight years. And now that’s what we have to keep on doing. You may have heard Hillary’s opponent in this election say that there’s never been a worse time to be a Black person. I mean, he missed that whole civics lesson about slavery and Jim Crow and – but we’ve got a museum for him to visit. So he can tune in. We will educate him. He says we got nothing left to lose, so we might as well support somebody who has fought against civil rights, and fought against equality, and who has shown no regard for working people for most of his life.

‘We’re not stupid’

Well, we do have challenges, but we’re not stupid. We know the progress we’ve made, despite the forces of opposition, despite the forces of discrimination, despite the politics of backlash. And we intend to keep fighting against those forces. When governors refuse to expand Medicaid, that hits the folks most in need, we’ll fight. When folks block an increase to the minimum wage or refuse to expand paid family leave or won’t guarantee equal pay for equal work, that hurts the pocketbooks of every family, and AfricanAmerican families – we will fight. When we’re not investing in the schools that our kids deserve; when one group of Americans is treated differently under the law; when there are those who somehow think it’s wrong to make sure that folks have access to affordable housing, or unwilling to do what it takes to make sure our veterans get the benefits that they’ve earned, or aren’t helping to sign folks up for health insurance – we will not stop our march for justice.

Just getting started

We will not stop pushing for the security and prosperity of all people. That doesn’t stop with my presidency. We›re just getting started. And when people – when across this country, in 2016, there are those who are still trying to deny people the right to vote, we’ve got to push back twice as hard. Right now, in multiple states, Republicans are actively and

openly trying to prevent people from voting. Adding new barriers to registration. Cutting early voting. Closing polling places in predominantly minority communities. Refusing to send out absentee ballots. Kicking people off the rolls, often incorrectly. This should be a national scandal. We were supposed to have already won that fight. We’re the only advanced democracy in the world that is actively discouraging people from voting. It’s a shame. Then they try to justify it by telling folks that voter fraud is rampant. Between 2000 and 2012, there were 10 cases of voter impersonation nationwide. Ten. People don’t get up and say, “I’m going to impersonate somebody and go vote.” They don’t do that.

‘A blind eye’

Meanwhile, some of the same folks who are trying to keep you from voting turn a blind eye when hundreds of thousands of people are killed by guns. Imposing voter ID restrictions so that a gun license can get you on the ballot, but a student ID can’t – apparently more afraid of a ballot than a bullet – no, our work is not done. But if we are going to advance the cause of justice and equality and of prosperity and freedom, then we also have to acknowledge that even if we eliminated every restriction on voting, we would still have one of the lowest voting rates among free peoples. That’s not good. That is on us. And I am reminded of all those folks who had to count bubbles in a bar of soap, beaten trying to register voters in Mississippi, risked everything so that they could pull that lever. So if I hear anybody saying their vote does not matter, that it doesn’t matter who we elect – read up on your history. It matters. We’ve got to get people to vote.

Progress at stake

In fact, if you want to give Michelle and me a good sendoff – and that was a beautiful video – but don’t just watch us walk off into the sunset, now. Get people registered to vote. If you care about our legacy, realize everything we stand for is at stake. All the progress we’ve made is at stake in this election. My name may not be on the ballot, but our progress is on the ballot. Tolerance is on the ballot. Democracy is on the ballot. Justice is on the ballot. Good

schools are on the ballot. Ending mass incarceration – that’s on the ballot right now! And there is one candidate who will advance those things. And there’s another candidate whose defining principle, the central theme of his candidacy is opposition to all that we’ve done. There’s no such thing as a vote that doesn’t matter. It all matters. And after we have achieved historic turnout in 2008 and 2012, especially in the African-American community, I will consider it a personal insult, an insult to my legacy, if this community lets down its guard and fails to activate itself in this election.

‘Go vote’

You want to give me a good sendoff? Go vote. And I’m going to be working as hard as I can these next seven weeks to make sure folks do. Hope is on the ballot. And fear is on the ballot, too. A few days ago, Michelle and my mother-in-law and the girls and I, we snuck over and got an early look at the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. We looked at the shackles that had been used to bring folks over. We saw the shacks that slaves had been trying to make a way out of no way. And then, with each successive level, we saw the unimaginable courage and the struggles, and the sacrifices, and the humor, and the innovation, and the hope that led to such extraordinary progress, even in our own lifetimes. And it made us proud. Not because we had arrived, but because what a road we had to travel. What a miracle that despite such hardship, we’ve been able to do so much.

You all understand

And I know everybody in this room understands that how progress is not inevitable. Its sustainment depends on us. It’s not just a matter of having a Black president or first lady. It’s a matter of engaging all of our citizens in the work of our democracy. It was that slave who said, you know what, despite the risk of a lash, I’m going to learn how to read. It’s Harriet Tubman saying, despite the risk to my life, I’m going to free my people. It’s Fannie Lou Hamer saying, despite the ostracism, the blowback, I’m going to sit down here See OBAMA, Page B6

THE OBAMA YEARS

Akron Beacon Journal Akron, Ohio

Chicago Tribune Chicago

Anchorage Daily News Anchorage, Alaska

Belleville News-Democrat Belleville, Ill.

FEBRUARY 10 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; FEBRUARY 16, 2017

Sun Herald Biloxi, Miss.

STOJ

Idaho Statesman Boise, Idaho

THE BIG STORY Barack Obamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s election as the 44th U.S. president headlined newspaper front pages across the nation

The Charlotte Observer Charlotte, N.C.

The State

Columbia, S.C.

Ledger-Enquirer

The Dallas Morning News

Detroit Free Press Detroit

Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Sun Sentinel

Fort Worth Star-Telegram Fort Worth, Texas

The Kansas City Star

Lexington Herald-Leader

The Miami Herald Miami

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Milwaukee

Star Tribune

The Modesto Bee

Orlando Sentinel

The Philadelphia Inquirer

The News & Observer

The Sacramento Bee

The Seattle Times

The News Tribune

The Wichita Eagle

Columbus, Ga.

Lexington, Ky.

Philadelphia

Dallas

Raleigh, N.C.

Sacramento, Calif.

Minneapolis

Seattle

Modesto, Calif.

Tacoma, Wash.

Kansas City, Mo.

Orlando, Fla.

Wichita, Kan.

STOJ

FEBRUARY 10 – FEBRUARY 16, 2017

THE OBAMA YEARS

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/MCT

Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama gives his victory speech to a massive crowd of jubilant supporters after defeating Republican candidate Sen. John McCain.

IN BARACK OBAMA'S WORDS July 24, 2008

Highlights from the speeches that fueled the Illinois senator’s journey to the U.S. presidency July 27, 2004

Keynote at the Democratic National Convention, Boston Enters national consciousness by wowing crowd with a blend of his personal “only in America” saga and a plea for optimism “John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to hope. “I’m not talking about blind optimism here — the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don’t think about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about something more substantial. It’s the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker’s son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. “Hope — Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope!”

Feb. 10, 2007

Official announcement of candidacy for U.S. president, Springfield, Ill. Despite freshman senator status, immediately is considered Hillary Clinton’s most formidable opponent “That is why I am in this race — not just to hold an office, but to gather with you to transform a nation. I want — I want to win that next battle — for justice and opportunity. I want to win that next battle — for better schools, and better jobs and better health care for all. I want us to take up the unfinished business of perfecting our union, and building a better America. “And if you will join with me in this improbable quest, if you feel destiny calling, and see as I see, the future of endless possibility stretching out before us; if you sense, as I sense, that the time is now to shake off our slumber, and slough off our fears, and make good on the debt we owe past and future generations, then I am ready to take up the cause, and march with you, and work with you — today.”

Jan. 3, 2008

Iowa caucuses victory, Des Moines Gains 38 percent of the vote, pushes Clinton to third place behind John Edwards and pushes Joe Biden out of race altogether “This was the moment when the improbable beat what Washington always said was inevitable. “This was the moment when we tore down barriers that have divided us for too long — when we rallied people of all parties and ages to a common cause; when we finally gave Americans who’d never participated in politics a reason to stand up and to do so. “This was the moment when we finally beat back the politics of fear, and doubt, and cynicism; the politics where we tear each other down instead of lifting this country up. This was the moment. “Years from now, you’ll look back and you’ll say that this was the moment — this was the place — where America remembered what it means to hope.”

Feb. 5, 2008

Super Tuesday speech, Chicago Trades victories across the nation with Clinton as John McCain takes strong lead for Republicans “Only a few hundred miles from here, almost one year ago to the day, we stood on the steps of the Old State Capitol to reaffirm a truth that was spoken there so many generations ago — that a house divided cannot stand; that we are more than a collection of red states and blue states; we are, and always will be, the United States of America. “What began as a whisper in Springfield soon carried across the cornfields of Iowa, where farmers and factory workers, students and seniors stood up in numbers we’ve never seen. They stood up to say that maybe this year, we don’t have to settle for a politics where scoring points is more important than solving problems. This time we can finally do something about health care we can’t afford or mortgages we can’t pay. This time can be different. … “And today, on this Tuesday in February, in states North and South, East

ZIA NIZAMI/MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

Sen. Obama announces his candidacy for president of the United States in Springfield, Ill., on Feb. 10, 2007.

BRIAN BAER/MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

Sen. Obama, his wife Michelle, and daughters Malia, left, and Sasha wave to the crowd after the triumph in Iowa that made Obama the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. and West, what began as a whisper in Springfield has swelled to a chorus of millions calling for change. A chorus that cannot be ignored. That cannot be deterred. This time can be different because this campaign for the presidency is different.”

March 18, 2008

Race in America, Philadelphia Responds to criticism of Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s racially charged sermons at the Chicago church he attended for two decades “Race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. We would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America: to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality. The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we’ve never really worked through, a part of our union that we have not yet made perfect. And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care or education or the need to find

good jobs for every American …. “For the African-American community, that path means embracing the burdens of our past without becoming victims of our past. It means continuing to insist on a full measure of justice in every aspect of American life. But it also means binding our particular grievances, for better health care and better schools and better jobs, to the larger aspirations of all Americans — the white woman struggling to break the glass ceiling, the white man who’s been laid off, the immigrant trying to feed his family. And it means also taking full responsibility for our own lives — by demanding more from our fathers, and spending more time with our children, and reading to them, and teaching them that while they may face challenges and discrimination in their own lives, they must never succumb to despair or cynicism. They must always believe — they must always believe that they can write their own destiny.”

June 3, 2008

Claiming the Democratic nomination, St. Paul, Minn. A last-minute rush of Democratic superdelegates pushes him over the 2,118-delegate count

“There are those who say that this primary has somehow left us weaker and more divided. Well, I say that, because of this primary, there are millions of Americans who’ve cast their ballot for the very first time. There are independents and Republicans who understand this election isn’t just about a change of party in Washington, but also about the need to change Washington. There are young people, and African-Americans, and Hispanic Americans, and women of all ages who have voted in numbers that have broken records and inspired a nation. “All of you chose to support a candidate you believe in deeply. But at the end of the day, we aren’t the reason you came out and waited in lines that stretched block after block to make your voice heard. … You did it because you know in your hearts that at this moment … we cannot afford to keep doing what we’ve been doing. We owe our children a better future. We owe our country a better future. And for all those who dream of that future tonight, I say: Let us begin the work together. Let us unite in common effort to chart a new course for America.”

Campaign address, Berlin, Germany In a nine-day sweep, visits Europe, Asia and the Middle East “History reminds us that walls can be torn down. But the task is never easy. True partnership and true progress requires constant work and sustained sacrifice. They require sharing the burdens of development and diplomacy; of peace and progress. They require allies who will listen to each other, learn from each other and, most of all, trust each other … “Now is the time to build new bridges across the globe as strong as the one that binds us across the Atlantic. Now is the time to join together, through constant cooperation and strong institutions and shared sacrifice and a global commitment to progress, to meet the challenges of the 21st century. It was this spirit that led airlift planes to appear in the sky above our heads, and people to assemble where we stand today. And this is the moment when our nations — and all nations — must summon that spirit anew.”

Nov. 4, 2008

Election night victory, Chicago Gains nearly 53 percent of the popular vote to McCain’s 46 percent, putting him over the 270 electoral votes needed to win “If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. “It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voices could be that difference. “It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled — Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states: we are, and always will be, the United States of America!”

— The Sacramento Bee

THE OBAMA YEARS

FEBRUARY 10 – FEBRUARY 16, 2017

OBAMA’S FIRST 100 DAYS The president tackled simultaneous challenges during time of globalization, crisis Foreclosure plan

BY MARGARET TALEV McClatchy Newspapers

Announced a $275 billion plan to halt home foreclosures and help an estimated 9 million homeowners.

resident Barack Obama crammed more into his first 100 days than most presidents, partly by design but mostly by necessity. The economic crisis overshadowed much of the president’s campaign agenda. His new team had to hit the ground running in structuring and executing bailouts of banks and automakers, and working with Congress to decide how hundreds of billions of dollars will be spent on roads, schools and other projects meant to create short-term jobs while yielding long-term public benefit. After campaigning on a promise to undo much of what President George W. Bush set in motion, Obama took early actions on everything from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; the Iraq war; and U.S. relations with Muslim nation; to abortion, stem cell research and auto emissions policy. Obama hadn’t grappled with any one challenge as severe as the Great Depression as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt did. But historians say Obama had juggled more overall at once, in an age of globalization and worldwide financial crisis and as the United States eased out of the war in Iraq and ramped up the one in Afghanistan. Here’s a look at his first 100 days.

Torture

Signed an executive order formally banning torture by saying that all interrogation techniques must fall under what is permitted by the Army field manual.

Stimulus

Got through Congress and

Embryonic stem-cell research

Lifted Bush administration restrictions on federal funding of new lines; supporters hoped this could hasten treatments for various diseases.

Greenhouse gases

Directed the Environmental Protection Agency to consider allowing California and other states to set stricter limits on auto emissions, a reversal of Bush policy. Announced plan to raise average fuel economy from 25.3 mpg to 27.3 mpg starting in 2011. Pushing for a worldwide response to global warming.

Afghanistan

CHUCK KENNEDY/TNS

signed a $787 billion package that he pitched as a way to save up to 4 million jobs. It expanded spending on infrastructure, renewable energy, schools and health care for the unemployed. It also included tax cuts of up to $400 for individuals or $800 for married couples.

Bank rescue plan

Announced a public-private partnership to buy toxic assets so that banks can resume normal lending. The federal government

would spend up to $100 billion to leverage purchases of up to $1 trillion in loans and securities.

Auto rescue plan

Forced General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner out and encouraged the company to consider bankruptcy as part of a restructuring plan. Told Chrysler it must merge with a more viable auto-maker to survive. Promised enough aid to keep Chrysler going for 30 days and GM for 60 days.

Authorized sending an additional 21,000 troops to Afghanistan as he focused on going after the Taliban and al-Qaida. Obama pondered sending up to 10,000 more later that year or the next year. While Pakistan posed the greater challenge, his plan for that country involved more financial aid and trying to change public opinion there, not overt military operations.

Iraq

Announced plans to pull a majority of troops out of Iraq by August 2010 but leave as many as 50,000 there.

Budget

Submitted a $3.55 trillion budget plan to Congress, projected to further expand the deficit.

Health care

Established White House Office of Health Reform, named a director and included in his bud-

get proposal a $634 billion health care reserve fund — all to begin laying the groundwork for his plans to restructure the nation’s health care system and provide coverage for the uninsured.

Muslim relations

Added Turkey to the itinerary for his April travel to the United Kingdom, France and Germany for G-20 and NATO meetings. Said in Turkey that the U.S. “is not and will never be at war with Islam.” Sent a video to Iran offering greetings for the Persian New Year and urged a new beginning between the nations.

Changing Washington culture

Progress on this front has been limited. Obama set limits on lobbyists working for him, only to make exceptions to his own rules or to tap people who weren’t technically lobbyists but benefited from the same revolvingdoor politics he criticized on the campaign trail. Former Sen. Tom Daschle, a highly paid adviser for a lobbying firm, who withdrew as Obama’s Health and Human Services nominee because of a tax controversy, was one example. Obama’s overtures at bipartisanship hadn’t translated to votes as Democrats and Republicans in Congress resisted compromise.

Internet

Created a website where the public can track the stimulus spending, at recovery.gov. Participated in an “online town hall” meeting from the White House. Expanded the White House website and shows video of the weekly presidential radio address on YouTube and the White House Web site.

It’s a

to be on your list today.

THE OBAMA YEARS

FEBRUARY 10 – FEBRUARY 16, 2017

TOJ

OBAMA’S FIRST 100 DAYS The president tackled simultaneous challenges during time of globalization, crisis BY MARGARET TALEV McClatchy Newspapers

resident Barack Obama crammed more into his first 100 days than most presidents, partly by design but mostly by necessity. The economic crisis overshadowed much of the president’s campaign agenda. His new team had to hit the ground running in structuring and executing bailouts of banks and automakers, and working with Congress to decide how hundreds of billions of dollars will be spent on roads, schools and other projects meant to create short-term jobs while yielding long-term public benefit. After campaigning on a promise to undo much of what Presi-dent George W. Bush set in motion, Obama took early actions on everything from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; the Iraq war; and U.S. relations with Muslim nation; to abortion, stem cell research and auto emissions policy. Obama hadn’t grappled with any one challenge as severe as the Great Depression as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt did. But historians say Obama had juggled more overall at once, in an age of globalization and world-wide financial crisis and as the United States eased out of the war in Iraq and ramped up the one in Afghanistan. Here’s a look at his first 100 days.

Torture

Signed an executive order formally banning torture by saying that all interrogation techniques must fall under what is permitted by the Army field manual.

Stimulus

Got through Congress and signed a $787 billion package that he pitched as a way to save up to 4 million jobs. It expanded spending on infrastructure, renewable energy, schools and health care for the unemployed. It also included tax cuts of up to $400 for individuals or $800 for married couples.

Bank rescue plan

Announced a public-private partnership to buy toxic assets so that banks can resume normal lending. The federal government would spend up to $100 billion to leverage purchases of up to $1 trillion in loans and securities.

Auto rescue plan

Foreclosure plan

Announced a $275 billion plan to halt home foreclosures and help an estimated 9 million homeowners.

Embryonic stem-cell research

Lifted Bush administration restrictions on federal funding of new lines; supporters hoped this could hasten treatments for various diseases.

Greenhouse gases

Afghanistan

not overt military operations.

Iraq

Announced plans to pull a majority of troops out of Iraq by August 2010 but leave as many as 50,000 there.

Budget

Submitted a $3.55 trillion budget plan to Congress, projected to further expand the deficit.

Health care

Established White House Office of Health Reform, named a director and included in his budget proposal a $634 billion health care reserve fund — all to begin laying the groundwork for his plans to restructure the nation’s health care system and provide coverage for the uninsured.

Muslim relations

Changing Washington culture

Progress on this front has been limited. Obama set limits on lobbyists working for him, only to make exceptions to his own rules or to tap people who weren’t technically lobbyists but benefited from the same revolving-door politics he criticized on the campaign trail. Former Sen. Tom Daschle, a highly paid adviser for a lobbying firm, who withdrew as Obama’s Health and Human Services nominee because of a tax controversy, was one example. Obama’s overtures at bipartisanship hadn’t translated to votes as Democrats and Republicans in Congress resisted compromise.

Internet

Created a website where the public can track the stimulus spending, at recovery. gov. Participated in an “online town hall” meeting from the White House. Expanded the White House website and shows video of the weekly presidential radio address on YouTube and the White House Web site.

CHUCK KENNEDY/MCT

FIRST 100 DAYS OFTEN PIVOTAL TO A PRESIDENCY BY ADAM ZOLL AND DAVID INGOLD Chicago Tribune

pril 29 isn’t usually regarded as an important day on the political calendar, but this year it will be Barack Obama’s 100th day in office, traditionally a benchmark for assessing a new president’s job performance. It’s a standard that began with Franklin Roosevelt, who, upon taking office at the depth of the Great Depression, immediately pursued an aggressive legislative agenda to address the crisis. Since then, presidents have learned that the first few months in office can be a time to pursue long-held goals and deal with unforeseen events.

George W. Bush First 100 days events

First 100 days events

Bill Clinton

George H.W. Bush

Ronald Reagan First 100 days events

First 100 days events

• Tax cut (Feb. 8): Bush unveils a $1.6 trillion taxcut proposal that includes reducing income tax rates and eliminating the so-called marriage penalty and estate taxes.

• Gays in the military (Jan. 29): Fulfilling a campaign promise, Clinton replaces a long-standing ban with the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

• Savings-andloan crisis (Feb. 6): Bush proposes a multibilliondollar bailout of the troubled savings-andloan industry.

• Draft pardon (Jan. 21): In his first full day in office, Carter fulfills a campaign pledge and pardons Vietnam War-era draft evaders.

• Deficit reduction (Feb. 17): In a nationally televised address, Clinton announces a budget-balancing plan to raise taxes on the wealthy and cut spending.

• Tower nomination (March 9): The Senate rejects Bush’s nominee for secretary of defense, former Texas Sen. John Tower, following charges of alcohol abuse, womanizing and potential conflicts of interest. It’s the first time in three decades that the Senate has rejected a Cabinet nominee.

• Reaganomics (Feb. 5): In an address to the nation, Reagan proposes broad budget and tax cuts in an attempt to alleviate what he calls “the worst economic mess since the Great Depression.” He also proposes widespread deregulation of industry.

• Global warming (March 28): The Bush administration announces it will not implement the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement to

curb greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, saying that to do so would harm the economy.

• World Trade Center bombing (Feb. 26): A car bomb beneath the World Trade Center in Manhattan kills six people.

First 100 days events

• Assassination attempt (March 30): Reagan is shot by John Hinckley Jr. while exiting the Washington, D.C., Hilton. One bullet punctures a lung. After 12 days in the hospital, Reagan returns to the White House.

Jimmy Carter

• Reorganization Act (April 6): Carter signs a bill designed to streamline the federal government and make it more efficient. SOURCES: WORLD BOOK ENCYCLOPEDIA, “FACTS ABOUT THE PRESIDENTS” BY JOSEPH NATHAN KANE, THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY PROJECT, PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARIES, GALLUP POLL,U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, U.S. SENATE, 270TOWIN.COM, NEWS REPORTS

STOJ

CALENDAR

FEBRUARY 10 – FEBRUARY 16, 2017

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR

TESSANNE CHIN The Reggae Love Fest 2017 is Feb. 12 at Hard Rock Live Orlando. Performers include Tessanne Chin, Freddie McGregor, Romain Virgo, Qupid and Indie Allen.

Miami Gardens: Tickets are on sale for Jazz in the Gardens. It’s March 18 and 19 at Hard Rock Stadium. Performers will include Jill Scott, Robin Thicke, LL Cool J, Smokie Norful, Common and Andra Day. Full lineup: jazzinthegardens.com. Tampa: Catch Charlie Wilson’s “In It to Win it Tour’ with Fantasia and Solero on March 23 at the USF Sun Dome. Tampa: A Black composers concert featuring the USF Choral program is Feb. 24 at the USF Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. Miami: A Valentine’s Music Festival is set for Feb. 10 at the James. L. Knight Center and Feb. 12 at the CFE Arena, Orlando: Performers: Avant, Bobby Brown, El Debarge and Keith Sweat.

MARCUS SAMUELSON

The acclaimed chef, entrepreneur and philanthropist will be at Macy’s at the Aventura Mall at 2 p.m. on Feb. 18 as part of the department store’s Black History Month celebration. More details: macys.com/ celebrate.

Miami Gardens: Florida Memorial University’s Homecoming is this weekend. The parade starts at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 11 from Miami Carol City Senior High. The Lady Lions basketball team face Keiser University at 4 p.m. at the FMU Athletic Center. The men’s team plays Warner at 6 p.m. Tampa: Former State Senator Arthenia Joyner will speak at a 4:30 p.m. discussion on Feb. 15 hosted by WMU-Cooley Law School’s Black Law Student Association titled “Increasing Diversity in the Legal Profession.’’ Location: 9445 Camden Field Parkway, Tampa. Sarasota: Comedian and actor Dave Chappelle has a show scheduled on Feb. 11 at the Van Wezel. Fort Lauderdale: Judah Worship Word Ministries International will present a “Spiritual Renewal and Refreshing Revival Feb. 12-15. International Evangelist Mark Dunfee will be the speaker: Call 954-791-2999 for details. Pembroke Pines: Kool and the Gang will perform March 10 at the Pembroke Pines City Center.

PEABO BRYSON

The Men of Soul tour with Jeffrey Osborne, Peabo Bryson and Freddie Jackson stops at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 19 for a 7 p.m. show.

Tampa: The Festival of Laughs featuring Mike Epps, Sommore, Bruce Bruce and Arnez J will be at the USF Sun Dome on March 11.

SOUNDTRACK ON REPUBLIC RECORDS

ALL.FSD.0210.FLORIDACOURIER

1/4 PG. (4.93" X 10")

FLORIDA COURIER

FRI 2/10

UNIVERSAL PICTURES PRESENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH PERFECT WORLD PICTURES A MICHAEL DE LUCA PRODUCTION A JAMES FOLEY FILM “FIFTY SHADES DARKER” DAKOTA JOHNSON JAMIE DORNAN ERIC JOHNSON RITA ORA LUKE GRIMES VICTOR RASUK WITH KIM BASINGER AND MARCIA GAY HARDEN MUSICBY DANNY ELFMAN PRODUCED BASED ON BY MICHAEL DE LUCA p.g.a. E L JAMES p.g.a. DANA BRUNETTI p.g.a. MARCUS VISCIDI p.g.a. THE NOVEL BY E L JAMES SCREENPLAY DIRECTED A UNIVERSAL PICTURE BY NIALL LEONARD BY JAMES FOLEY

LEGENDARY PICTURES AND UNIVERSAL PICTURES PRESENT A LEGENDARY PICTURES/ATLAS ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTION A FILM BY ZHANG YIMOU MATT DAMON “THE GREAT WALL” JING TIAN PEDRO PASCAL WILLEM DAFOE AND ANDY LAU VISUAL EFFECTS COSTUME MUSIC COBY RAMIN DJAWADI PRODUCERS ERIC HEDAYAT ER YONG ALEX HEDLUND SUPERVISOR PHIL BRENNAN DESIGNER MAYES C. RUBEO PRODUCTION DIRECTORS OF EDITORS MARY JO MARKEY ACE CRAIG WOOD ACE DESIGNER JOHN MYHRE PHOTOGRAPHY STUART DRYBURGH ASC ZHAO XIAODING PRODUCED EXECUTIVE BY THOMAS TULL p.g.a. PRODUCERS JILLIAN SHARE ALEX GARTNER E. BENNETT WALSH LA PEIKANG ZHANG ZHAO CHARLES ROVEN p.g.a.SCREENPLAY JON JASHNI p.g.a. PETER LOEHR p.g.a. STORYBY MAX BROOKS AND EDWARD ZWI C K & MARSHALL HERSKOVITZ DIRECTED BY CARLO BERNARD & DOUG MIRO AND TONY GILROY BY ZHANG YIMOU A UNIVERSAL RELEASE © 2016 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS IMAX® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF IMAX CORPORATION.

CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES

LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES STARTS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17 CHECK

THE OBAMA YEARS

FEBRUARY 10 – FEBRUARY 16, 2017

STOJ

POOL PHOTO BY KRISTOFFER TRIPPLAAR/SIPA PRESS/ ABACA PRESS/TNS

The Obamas attend the 2013 Kennedy Center Honors at the Kennedy Center Dec. 8 in Washington, D.C.

PETE SOUZA/THE WHITE HOUSE

The Obamas dance while Earth, Wind and Fire perform at the Governors Ball at the White House in February 2009.

This photo was taken in March 16 at the White House State Dinner honoring Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The Obamas’ 2016 Christmas card featured the first family dressed to the nines.

STEPPING OUT IN STYLE COMPILED BY FLORIDA COURIER STAFF

When Michelle Obama stepped out with the president over the past eight years, her fashion choices elicited plenty of oohs and aahs. From sleeveless numbers to floral prints, the first lady showed that she could rock a variety of styles. In a 2009 interview with Vogue, she had this to say about her fashion choices. “First and foremost, I wear what I love. That’s what women have to focus on: what makes them happy and what makes them feel comfortable and beautiful. If I can have any impact, I want women to feel good about themselves and have fun with fashion.” Here’s a look at the Obamas stepping out in style.

DAVID STEPHENSON/LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER/TNS

President Barack Obama introduced his wife, Michelle, at the Commander-In-Chief Ball held at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2009. Her gown was designed by Jason Wu.

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/TNS

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrive for a State Dinner with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the White House on Nov. 24, 2009. IndianAmerican designer Naeem Khan designed the dress.

ENGINEER

Step Up scholarships

RF Engineer II, Sprint Corporation, Tampa, FL. Design, plan and oversee installation and maintenance of wireless radio communications systems. Apply at www.sprint.jobs, Req. #214055BR. Sprint is a background-screening, drug-screening, and E-Verify participating employer and considers qualified candidates regardless of previous criminal history. EOE Minorities/Females/ Protected Veterans/Disabled.

change lives. Denisha failed third grade twice before receiving a scholarship.

Now, she is pursuing

a master’s degree.

Scholarships for lower-income schoolchildren and those with certain special needs. StepUpForStudents.org Learn at 877.735.7837 More

OBAMA from B1

in this convention hall and I’m going to tell people what it’s like to live the life I’ve lived. I’m going to testify to why change needs to come. It’s a young John Lewis saying, I’m going to march despite those horses I see in front of me. All those ordinary people, all those folks whose names aren’t in the history book, they never got a video providing a tribute to them – that’s why we’re here. That’s how progress is sustained. And then it’s a matter of electing people to office who understand that story, who feel it in their hearts, in their guts, and understand that government can’t solve all our problems but it can be a force for good. To experience this incredible new monument, this museum, is to be reminded we’re just a small

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher

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

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.

Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Sales Manager

W W W.FLCOURIER.COM

Dr. Valerie Rawls-Cherry, Human Resources

Charles W. Cherry, Sr. (1928-2004), Founder Julia T. Cherry, Senior Managing Member, Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Cassandra CherryKittles, Charles W. Cherry II, Managing Members

Jenise Morgan, Senior Editor Angela van Emmerik, Creative Director Chicago Jones, Eugene Leach, Louis Muhammad, Lisa Rogers-Cherry, Circulation Penny Dickerson, Staff Writer Duane Fernandez Sr., Kim Gibson, Photojournalists

MEMBER

Florida Press Association

National Newspaper Publishers Association

Society of Professional Journalists

National Newspaper Association

Associated Press

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/TNS

The Obamas await the arrival of the Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Renzi and Mrs. Agnese Landini at the White House on Oct. 18, 2016. It was the Obamas’ last State Dinner. The first lady wore a rose gold off-theshoulder Atelier Versace gown. part of a long chain, generation after generation, striving against the odds. What an inspiration they are. And what an inspiration all of you are – especially the young people who are here.

Fired up

That’s why I am still fired up. That’s why I’m still ready to go. And if you are, too, if you’re ready to continue this journey that we started, then join me. Register folks to vote. Get them to the polls. Keep marching. Keep fighting. Keep organizing. If we rise to this moment, if we understand this isn’t the endpoint, this is the beginning, we’re just getting going, we’re just getting moving – then I have never been more optimistic that our best days are still ahead.

Thank you for this incredible journey, CBC. God bless you. God bless this country that we love.

Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC, P.O. Box 48857 Tampa, FL 33646, publishes the Florida Courier on Fridays. Phone: 877-352-4455, toll-free. For all sales inquiries, call 877-352-4455; e-mail sales@flcourier.com. Subscriptions to the print version are $69 per year. Mail check to P.O. Box 48857 Tampa, FL 33646, or log on to www.flcourier.com; click on ‘Subscribe’.

SUBMISSIONS POLICY SEND ALL SUBMISSIONS TO NEWS@FLCOURIER.COM. Deadline for submitting news and pictures is 5 p.m. the Monday before the Friday publication date. You may submit articles at any time. However, current events received prior to deadline will be considered before any information that is submitted, without the Publisher’s prior approval, after the deadline. Press releases, letters to the editor, and guest commentaries must be e-mailed to be considered for publication. The Florida Courier reserves the right to edit any submission, and crop any photograph, for style and clarity. Materials will not be returned.