Florida Courier - February 22, 2013

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FEBRUARY 22 - FEBRUARY 28, 2013

VOLUME 21 NO. 8

YES, HE DID

ZBIGNIEW BZDAKE/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/MCT

President Barack Obama greeted Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton, center, mother of slain 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, as he visited Hyde Park Academy in Chicago last week. Hadiya Pendleton was gunned down as she stood with friends after school in a park that is located near Obama’s Chicago home.

Hat in the ring B-CU interim president ‘will serve’ if asked

BY JAMES HARPER FLORIDA COURIER

After less than a year on the job as Bethune-Cookman University’s interim president, Dr. Edison Jackson has changed his mind and appears to want the job full time.

“If asked, I will serve,” Jackson said during a meeting in his Daytona Beach office with the Daytona Times, the Florida Courier’s sister newspaper, during which he discussed the future of the university.

That conversation led to Jackson being asked again if he was interested in staying on at B-CU. When asked before, Jackson had always been evasive, saying he “was not looking for another job” when he agreed to serve as B-CU’s temporary leader.

On Feb. 15, Jackson did not shy away from answering the question, this time calling B-CU “a very

sacred place.”

“I’ve never been in position of following people, but to be a trendsetter,” he noted. “We can be more than we have been.”

Disproportionate benefit “If you look at the president’s record in the first four years, if you look at his major domestic policy accomplishments, they disproportionately do benefit the AfricanSee OBAMA, Page A2

BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2013

Happy to share their research

‘God’s work’ Jackson said last week that the B-CU president is responsible for the university’s vision. “Where there is no vision, people will perish,” Jackson said, quoting the Bible.

“It’s not just about being president. It’s about doing God’s

COURTESY OF BROWARD COUNTY

George Bellinger, Christina Francois and Janay Oliver are the winners of the Black History Month essay contest sponsored by Fort Lauderdale’s African-American Research Library and Cultural Center. The subject of their essays was the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963.

See JACKSON, Page A2

Scott awards millions to help veterans, military

Perjury charge against Zimmerman’s wife stands

BY RENE STUTZMAN ORLANDO SENTINEL / MCT

SANFORD – George Zimmerman’s wife appeared in court Tuesday and sat silently as a judge refused to dismiss the perjury charge against her.

George Zimmerman is the Neighborhood Watch volunteer who is accused of murdering Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black 17-year-old, in Sanford one year ago.

NATION | A6

Plenty of cash

Lavish lifestyle catches up with Jesse Jackson, Jr.

According to prosecutors, Shellie Zimmerman lied at her husband’s April 20, 2012 bond hearing when she testified that the couple had no money.

In truth, they were awash in cash, according to the couple’s financial records. More than $130,000 had

ALSO INSIDE

CHICAGO – President Obama returned home Friday to a city shaken by the gun violence he has sworn to curb, delivering a call for communities to “fill the hole” in the hearts of troubled young people and work together to rise out of poverty.

The Chicago meeting, part of the president’s campaignstyle appearances pushing the administration’s second-term agenda, came one day after Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett met with six African-American journalists to defend the administration against critics who say the president has not done enough to help

Black America.

According to Jarrett, Obama has launched initiatives and backed legislation that have significantly helped African-Americans throughout his time in office, even though there is a perception in some quarters that the nation’s first Black president hasn’t done as much for African-Americans as he has for Latinos, gays and lesbians, and other groups.

B-CU’s Board of Trustees is expected to bring up the issue at their next board meeting in March.

At their last board meeting in December, Chairman John Harrington said, “The search for a permanent president continues. We are blessed to have an outstanding interim president in Dr. Edison O. Jackson. He continues to make a significant and positive impact on both our campus and the community.”

FLORIDA | A3

Meet Whitley

COMPILED FROM WIRE AND STAFF REPORTS

Decision coming?

SNAPSHOTS

FINEST | B3

As the president traveled to his Chicago hometown to meet with Black boys at a local school, his senior advisor defends Obama administration policies she says have benefited Black Americans.

come flooding in the previous two weeks from online donors, contributing to George Zimmerman’s defense.

Recorded phone calls at the Seminole County Jail between Zimmerman, who was locked up at the time, and his wife suggest he was directing her where to deposit the money, and she was following his orders.

Arrested and released In June, Special Prosecutor Angela Corey, the elected state attorney in Jacksonville, charged Shellie Zimmerman with perjury. Shellie Zimmerman was jailed for a few hours then released on $1,000 bail. Since then, she has lived in hiding with her husband, who is awaiting trial on a seconddegree murder charge.

On Tuesday, defense attorney

Kelly Sims asked Circuit Judge Marlene Alva to dismiss the perjury count. He argued that because his client’s testimony happened in Seminole County – not Jacksonville, where Corey was elected – the special prosecutor does not have jurisdiction.

Prosecutor John I. Guy contends that the executive order by Florida Gov. Rick Scott, naming Corey special prosecutor, authorized her to investigate and prosecute “all matters pertaining to the death of Trayvon Martin.” That covers Shellie Zimmerman’s statements in court, he argued.

But Sims said, “Mr. Martin was already gone by the time of this April 20 bond hearing.”

ments being challenged happened at a bond hearing for Martin’s killer, the governor’s executive order was broad enough.

Shellie Zimmerman sat at a defense table next to her attorney and said nothing during the 15-minute hearing. Her husband, George Shellie Zimmerman, did Zimmerman not appear.

Sims left the courthouse, predicting that Shellie Zimmerman would be acquitted.

“She’s getting stronger. … She’s a strong woman. She’s going to be OK,” he said. If you study carefully the questions she was asked, he State wins said, she answered truthfully.

“It’s all about specificity,” Sims The judge sided with the state.

She said that because the state- explained. He did not elaborate.

COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4 COMMENTARY: DR. ELSIE L. SCOTT: WHY ARE SUCH LARGE NUMBERS OF BLACKS IN PRISON? | A5

FOCUS

A2

FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2013

From Paul Robeson to Dwayne ‘Lil Wayne’ Carter, Jr. The one word to describe Paul Robeson is “giant.” He was born April 9, 1898 and died Jan. 23, 1976. He was a person of extraordinary power, significance, and importance; a man of enormous strength and stature.

Paul Robeson was an artist of the highest order; a singer, actor, scholar, and activist. He was considered by many to be one of the most important figures of the 20th Century.

A real Black man Robeson was a “race man.” He was an AfricanAmerican who used his enormous strength and stature as an artist, intellect, and international figure to represent the race, disproving at every turn bigoted notions of White power and Black inferiority.

Robeson was socially conscious, socially responsible, and socially relevant.

James Baldwin once wrote, “Robeson…lives, overwhelmingly, in the hearts and minds of the people whom he touched, the people who gained from him the power to perceive and the courage to resist…

DR. WILMER J. LEON III GUEST COLUMNIST

He lived in our times, we live in his…”

Singer, actor, and lifelong activist Harry Belafonte knew Robeson quite well. In a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Belafonte said, “I think one of the greatest abuses of this modern time is that we have had such high-profile artists, powerful celebrities. But they have turned their back on social responsibility.”

Ignorant and shameless One of the current examples of a socially irresponsible high-profile artist is Dwayne Carter, Jr. a/k/a “Lil Wayne.” Carter is a rapper; a hip-hop artist born in 1982, 84 years after Robeson. One would only expect artists to become better educated, better informed, more socially conscious and aware. Unfortunately, Carter and his ilk

take us back.

While working with rapper Nayvadius Wilburn, known as “Future” on his “Karate Chop” remix, Lil Wayne drops the line, “beat the p---y up like Emmett Till...” Does Lil Wayne, Epic Records Chairman Antonio “L.A.” Reid, or any rational adult in their inner circle have any idea how disgusting, demeaning, and socially irresponsible this is?

Have they no shame?

Emmett Till was a 14-year-old African-American boy from Chicago, Ill. who was visiting relatives for the summer in the small town of Money, Miss.

While out playing with his cousins on Aug. 24, 1955, young Till was accused of whistling at or flirting with a White woman, 21-yearold Carolyn Bryant.

On Aug. 27, 1955, Bryant’s husband Roy and his half-brother J. W. Milam arrived at Till’s greatuncle’s house where they snatched Till up, transported him to a barn, beat him, then gouged out one of his eyes before shooting him through the head.

Then they dumped his body in the Tallahatchie River, weighting it with a

70-pound cotton gin fan tied around his neck with barbed wire. His body was discovered and retrieved from the river three days later.

A turning point The brutal murder of Emmett Till was a seminal moment in African-Americans’ struggle for human rights. Tens of thousands attended Till’s funeral. Images of his mutilated body were published in Black magazines and newspapers, rallying popular support and sympathy across the U.S. Intense scrutiny was brought to bear on the condition of African-American civil rights in Mississippi and throughout the entire country, with newspapers around the country critical of the state.

Paul Robeson the artist dedicated his entire life to fighting the hatred and racism that motivated Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam to brutalize and murder an African-American teenager. Lil Wayne, the so-called artist, decided to trivialize that horrific and historic event by using it to make sick, caviler, sexist, and mi-

sogynistic references to women. I ask again. Has he no shame?

No defense Future makes a feeble attempt to defend the indefensible by telling MTV News, “The record, it was done from a good place, good art, he ain’t have no bad intentions when he was thinking about it like that.” It was ignorance.

There is no “good place.”

This is not “good art.” Their intentions are irrelevant.

Gil Scott Heron, one of the original rappers, wrote in his song “Message to the Messengers”: “We got respect for you rappers…But if you’re gon’ be teachin’ folks things, make sure you know what you’re sayin’…

Because if you’re gonna be speakin’ for a whole generation – And you know enough to try and handle their education – Be sure you know the real deal about past situations…

Four-letter words or foursyllable words won’t make you important; it’ll only magnify how shallow you are and let everybody know it…”

JACKSON

Dr. Edison Jackson was appointed BethuneCookman University’s interim president in May 2012.

from A1 work,” said Jackson adding he now feels “the spirit” hovering around.

“The students feel something,” he continued.

If offered the job, Jackson said he would always put students first.

“I want to instill principles of Mary McLeod Bethune – mind, body and spirit (in the students),” Jackson said.

FLORIDA COURIER FILES

New initiatives Since coming on board, Jackson has established what he calls Freshman College, which provides new students a comprehensive first-year experience with structured support to ensure a seamless transition from high school to college.

He has established an Honors College to provide the university’s brightest students with a variety of opportunities to develop as scholars and what he calls “servant leaders.”

Jackson became B-CU’s interim president on May 14, 2012. He replaced Trudie Reed, who retired after seven years with the institution.

Reed was the first woman president of B-CU since the founder, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune.

OBAMA from A1 American community,” Jarrett said.

“If you look at the Affordable Care Act, roughly 9 million African-Americans uninsured will have health insurance today. If you look at the president’s Recovery Act and subsequent budgets...If you went through the menu of tax incentives and unemployment that disproportionately benefit the African-American community, time and time again – I think unemployment insurance has been extended like nine times – every single time we had to fight the Republicans to get that done.”

‘Say ‘Black’’ Several members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) have criticized the administration for avoiding direct references to Blacks in public forums.

At a CBC jobs tour stop in Miami last August, for example, Don Graves, executive director of the president’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, said, “Certain communities have been hit harder than other communities.”

Rep. Maxine Waters (DCalif.) interrupted: “Let me hear you say ‘Black.’” As the audience cheered, Graves said, “Black, African-American, Latino, these communities have been hard hit.”

Bishop Victor T. Curry,

head of New Birth Baptist Church in Miami-Dade County and president of the Miami-Dade Branch of the NAACP, said at that meeting, “We don’t want to come across as being critical of the president. But if the president can count on 90 percent of the AfricanAmerican vote, then the African-American community should expect something from the man who’s getting 90 percent of their support.”

‘Not afraid’ Asked why President Obama rarely uses the term “Black” when discussing public policy, Jarrett replied, “We aren’t afraid of saying it’s going to help the Black community.”

But not everyone agrees.

According to research compiled by Daniel Q. Gillion, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, Obama has paid less attention to race – as measured by executive orders issued and references to race in public speeches – than every Democratic president since 1961.

That means he has paid less attention to race than John F. Kennedy, a liberal former U.S. senator from Massachusetts, and three White Southerners who grew up under segregation – Lyndon Johnson of Texas, Jimmy Carter of Georgia and Bill Clinton of Arkansas.

Professor Michael Eric Dyson of Georgetown University said, “This president runs from race like a Black

man runs from a cop.”

‘Inclusive, not divisive’ Jarrett acknowledges that President Obama doesn’t often refer to race. But she says it’s more a matter of tactics than substance.

“We want everybody in the United States to feel this vested interest in everyone’s success,” she said.

“The president doesn’t talk in ways that are divisive; he talks in ways that are inclusive.”

She explained, “The first speech that he gave in 2004 (to the Democratic National Convention in Boston), he talked about there’s a poor kid in Southern Illinois who’s not doing well, that’s the same as my kid not doing well. And the point is, again: Use language that’s going to make people understand why it’s in their self-interest for everybody’s child to do well, regardless of race, regardless of zip code. And that was the real spirit of the inaugural address. It was the spirit of his 2004 speech.

“That’s who he is. And that’s the language he uses because he’s trying to get people all feeling vested together and not separate each other by race, religion or zip code or any other (category).”

Little about poverty Obama has made frequent overtures to the middle class while saying little, if anything, about poor people. According to Fredrick C. Harris, director of

the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University, “…as president, Mr. Obama has had little to say on concerns specific to Blacks. His State of the Union address in 2011 was the first by any president since 1948 to not mention poverty or the poor.”

However, during his Chicago visit, he touted an economic agenda filled with proposals aimed at the urban working poor. His plan includes an effort to funnel federal money, resources, private investment and tax credits to “promise zones” — the 20 communities hit worst by the recession, the White House said.

‘Back in the game’ “I want to focus on here in Chicago and across the country – is my intention to partner with 20 of the hardest-hit communities in America to get them back in the game,” the president said.

Getting those 20 communities back into the game, Obama said, will require: • Working with local officials to improve public safety, education and housing; • School reform; • Expanding job growth by giving tax breaks to business owners who invest and hire in those neighborhoods; • Targeting neighborhoods struggling to deal with violent crime; • Replacing dilapidated public housing developments newer homes

No standards This is a current example of how far we as a community have strayed from standards of conduct and decency. Anything goes for the sake of a dollar, a record sale, a fleeting moment of fame. Ignorant rappers can demean our history and demean our women.

They can use our history to demean our women and claim “it was done from a good place, good art…”

Paul Robeson was a giant! Dwayne Carter, Jr. has turned his back on social responsibility. He is shallow and has let everybody know it. He is by his own admission and moniker, just “Lil.”

Dr. Wilmer Leon is producer/ host of the nationally broadcast call-in talk radio program “Inside the Issues with Wilmer Leon,” and a teaching associate in the Department of Political Science at Howard University.

Contact him via www. wilmerleon.com. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Rocky period The presidential transition follows a tumultuous 2011, as indicated in a nine-part investigative series published from June through September 2011 in the Florida Courier titled “Crisis at B-CU.” The newspaper series detailed how B-CU was slapped with 13 state and federal lawsuits and administrative complaints, including legal actions filed by longtime professors, the former men’s basketball head coach and the former football head coach, and a former student who said she was raped by a group of basketball players and that the university tried to cover it up.

The series revealed that B-CU is currently on the American Association of University Professors’ list of “censured administrations,” which means that conditions for academic freedom and tenure are unsatisfactory at a college or university. B-CU was one of 49 institutions nationwide on the censure list.

The Florida Courier also published the results of a previously secret 360-degree presidential evaluation report that prescribed strong medicine to fix what ailed B-CU.

for low- and moderate-income families.

Pressure mounted In recent weeks, many in Chicago had called on Obama to return home to speak about gun-related violence, much as he did after the massacre in Newtown, Conn. The pressure mounted after the death of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, who was shot shortly after returning home from his inaugural celebrations in Washington.

Obama responded by declaring, “What happened to Hadiya is not unique.”

“It’s not unique to Chicago. It’s not unique to this country. Too many of our children are being taken away from us,” Obama said, adding that the homicide tally in the city last year was “the equivalent of a Newtown every four months.”

Parenting, community Although Obama is pushing gun control measures in Congress, he made few references to his legislative goals as he spoke to an audience at a high school on Chicago’s South Side. Instead, he focused heavily on the role of communities and parenting in preventing violence.

“For a lot of young boys and young men in particular, they don’t see an example of fathers or grandfathers, uncles, who are in a position to support families and be held up in respect,” Obama said. “And

so that means that this is not just a gun issue; it’s also an issue of the kinds of communities that we’re building.”

Personal trip The high school gym in which Obama spoke is in an area loaded with symbolic resonance and personal history. Hyde Park Academy is in the neighborhood the president represented as a state senator less than a decade ago.

It is less than half a mile from the stately home he still owns and rarely visits, and is just a few miles from where Pendleton was killed.

Obama spoke of raising his daughters in the neighborhood and meeting his wife, Michelle, here. He noted his work as a community organizer. And he touched on his upbringing by a single mom, declaring that he, too, had gotten into trouble as a teenager.

“I wish I had had a father who was around and involved,” he said.

Addressing a group of teenagers in an anti-violence program, Obama said he could relate to their troubles. He had a safety net that kept him from getting into too much trouble, Obama said.

“But you guys are no different than me.”

NNPA Editor-In-Chief George E. Curry and Kathleen Hennessey of the Tribune Washington Bureau (MCT) both contributed to this report.

FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2013

FLORIDA

A3

Scott awards millions to help veterans, military Projects will help bring new jobs to military communities

BY MICHAEL PELTIER THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – Citing the military’s role as an economic engine across the state, Gov. Rick Scott on Monday awarded $2.6 million in grants to projects ranging from wounded veteran assistance and technology seed money to buffers around military installations.

Scott gave approval to 10 projects that the governor said will translate into new jobs, not just for military personnel but the communities that surround the facilities.

“The military has a strong presence in Florida, which means jobs and opportunities for Florida families,” Scott said in a statement. “With numerous bases across Florida, nearly 100,000 men and women who serve in active and reserve duty are living in the Sunshine State.”

Overlooked ‘economic driver’ The announcement drew praise from legislators whose districts are tied to military spending.

The awards also come as federal officials prepare for the next round of military base realignments, an often politically charged process pitting states and communities against each other for what are expected to be increasingly limited federal funds.

“The impact of Florida’s military bases is often overlooked as an eco-

JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT

Lt. General John Mulholland talks to Florida Gov. Rick Scott, center, and Florida first lady Ann Scott, after a Medal of Honor Headstone Dedication Ceremony honoring U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller in Casselberry on Jan. 22, 2011. Miller was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2008, and was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously by President Barack Obama in October 2010. This week, Scott approved awards to help veteran programs in Florida. nomic driver for the state,” said Sen. Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando. “More than $60 billion is inserted annually into our economy by the nearly 700,000 personnel living in our state.

These grants go a long way to help preserve this economic asset.”

Among the list of projects are four in Northwest Florida totaling $1.1 million. Projects include a $500,000 grant for land acquisition in Panama City and $160,000 to construct fencing around Whiting Field in Santa Rosa County.

The City of Jacksonville

will receive two grants totaling $450,000, allowing city officials to continue protecting local military installations used at the Air National Guard Base and Naval Station Mayport.

“These grants help protect our military bases from potential encroach-

A BLACK HISTORY MOMENT

President honors Florida centenarian Desiline Victor, a native of Haiti, and resident of Miami takes time for a portrait at the Hamilton Crowne Plaza Hotel in Washington on Feb. 11 Mrs. Victor, 102, joined First Lady Michelle Obama during the State of the Union on Feb. 12 at the nation’s capitol.

She waited in line for hours to vote on election day in November 2012, despite her age.

State leads nation in foreclosures for fifth month NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – Lawyers for the Legislature have asked the Florida Supreme Court to block a Leon County judge from reconsidering the map for state Senate districts, opening up a new front in the long-running battle over the requirements of the state’s new redistricting standards.

The filing comes about a month after Leon County Circuit Judge Terry Lewis rejected a request from the Legislature to dismiss a challenge to the Senate redistricting plan approved last year.

Lewis’ opinion – part of a case filed by a coalition of citizens and voting-rights groups that oppose the Senate map – was the first ruling in what could be a precedent-setting case under the new Fair Districts standards.

At issue is a statement the Florida constitution makes in a different section about the Supreme Court’s automatic review of legislative redistricting maps: “A judgment of the supreme court of the state determining the apportionment to be valid shall be binding upon all the citizens of the state.”

Submitted Feb. 15

JACOB LANGSTON/ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT

Richard Campanaro stands in front of an empty townhome in Cranes Roost Villas in Altamonte Springs in October 2012. The home had been foreclosed on by a bank and allowed to fall into disrepair, which Campanaro called a blight on the neighborhood.

the Navy’s National Center for Simulation, a move to improve the facility’s chances of surviving potential program cuts.

In Tampa, a $130,000 grant will allow be used to strengthen relationships between MacDill Air Force Base and the community.

Legislators ask Supreme Court to stop redistricting case

BY BRANDON LARRABEE THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

ROD LAMKEY JR./MCT

Florida led the nation in January in the percentage and total number of properties in foreclosure, according to monthly figures released Wednesday by RealtyTrac, For the fifth month in a row, Florida had the highest rate of foreclosures in the nation, with one in every 300 Florida housing units under some type of foreclosure filing. That’s more than twice the national average and 20 percent higher than a year earlier.

Florida also had the dubious honor of bypassing California for the total number of foreclosure filings for the month, marking the first time that California has been out of the top spot since 2007.

Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties accounted for the bulk of homes under foreclosure.

But Ocala held the top spot among metropolitan areas, with one in 223 homes involved in foreclosures during the month.

Nationally, the number of foreclosures dropped 28 percent in January from the year before.

ment and other obstacles that may adversely affect them,” said Rep. Daniel Davis, R-Jacksonville.

“I applaud Gov. Scott and the defense task force for addressing this need.”

In Orlando, a $350,000 grant will be used to improve simulation and modeling capabilities at

In the new filing, submitted to the court on Feb. 15, lawyers for the Legislature said that clause was in response to a series of lawsuits in the 1960s that left the state’s political boundaries in a state of almost constant flux. Instead, the Florida Supreme Court would handle all arguments against the maps – at least as far as state courts were concerned.

“To interpret this Court‘s jurisdiction over redistrict-

ing as non-exclusive would emasculate these reforms,” the lawyers wrote. “The Constitution would no longer prevent decade-long litigation, electoral districts that are in constant limbo, alternating court battles and special legislative sessions, with their attendant public expense, uncertainty, and instability.”

And because the Supreme Court approved a second draft of the Senate map – it voided the first draft – in April, attorneys for the House and Senate argued that there is no room for new challenges.

Filing blasted Those fighting the Senate map counter that the Legislature’s argument would make it nearly impossible to enforce the new standards, because the Supreme Court doesn’t handle “as-applied” cases – which consider facts as well as the law – like circuit courts do. Instead, the high court only reviews “facial” challenges dealing with anything in the map that was obviously unconstitutional.

For example, Lewis could hear testimony or view documents addressing why lawmakers drew the lines a certain way.

A lawyer for the groups fighting the maps blasted the filing.

“This appeal is just another attempt by the Legislature to hide its disregard for the Constitution from the voters of Florida,” attorney Adam Schachter wrote in an email. “They don’t want the public to know how they secretly involved highly paid partisan consultants in the redistricting process.”

The court asked the opponents of the maps to file a response by the end of the month.

EDITORIAL

A4

FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2013

Conflicting solutions holding Blacks back The 2013 Black power struggle in the United States is basically the same as it was in 1513. Some Blacks want to become more and more integrated into American society and moral systems and some Blacks hate American society and American ways.

It seems like it has always been a power struggle in the Black community.

Back in slavery days, on every plantation you had a Fiddler, an Uncle Tom or a Sambo who insisted that the slave master was a “good” master and the best place for Black people was wherever the slave masters and overseers wanted the slaves to be.

But you also had the Nat Turners, the Denmark Vesseys and the Harriet Tubmans that declared that “anywhere is better than here” on the master’s plan-

Lucius Gantt THE GANTT REPORT

tation.

During the Jim Crow era and during the early civil rights movements you had W.E.B. Du Bois, a Harvard graduate that was one of the founders of the mostly White NAACP, on one hand and on the other philosophical side, Booker T. Washington, a strong advocate for Black self-determination.

Leadership elite One of the major contrasts between the two leaders was their approach to education. Washington felt that African-American

schools should limit themselves to industrial education topics such as agricultural and mechanical skills.

However, Du Bois felt that Black schools should also offer a liberal arts curriculum (including the classics, arts, and humanities), because liberal arts were required to develop a leadership elite.

Leadership elite? How many Gantt Report readers look at self-proclaimed socalled Black leaders of today as being elite? Anyway, let’s move on.

Subsequently, American Blacks continued to disagree about how to promote and encourage Black power and political progress.

At the time of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Southern Christian Leadership Conference and similar peace loving groups Black Americans could also con-

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: OBAMA NOT TRANSPARENT

Gary McCoy, Cagle Cartoons

Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 170 Jesse Jackson, Jr. – We’ve written for years about Rule No. 1 for Blacks in politics: There’s a higher standard of ethical conduct. You have to be twice as “clean” as your White counterparts. There’s no margin for error. Unfair? Sure. But if you are Black and you don’t want to be “lilly-white,” pun intended, don’t get in the game.

Rule No. 2: Don’t believe you can cut the same ethical corners your White counterparts can. Rule No. 3: Don’t start to “smell yourself” and believe you are entitled to permanently enjoy the trappings of power.

Obviously, Jesse, Jr. and another prominent Black politician with national potential, former Detroit mayor (and FAMU Rattler) Kwame Kilpatrick, both forgot about my rules. The two have many similarities.

Both were from prominent hometown political families. Both were lawyers. Both were married with kids. Both had “side pieces” that they supported with someone else’s money.

More similarities. Both were on a Tom Joyner cruise with me. (Prosecutors say Jr. paid for the 2006 Joyner cruise with campaign money.) Both bumped into me on the dance floor.

Rule No. 4: If you are a Black politician, you might want to stay away from a Tom

quick takes from #2: straight, no chaser

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq. PUBLISHER

Joyner cruise...or from me...or from both...

Bro. Prez at Morehouse College – My Atlanta-based alma mater will host Bro. Prez, who will be the main speaker at commencement this year – which happens to be my 35th class reunion. Will the speech be forever known as “THE MOREHOUSE SPEECH,” in which Bro. Prez gives a historical overview of the Black male experience in America and how Black men can move forward to rebuild our communities? Soon, I’ll suggest to Bro. Prez what he should say to “Morehouse Men” and to the world...

How old? How old does a Black woman have to be before she’s called “Miss” or “Mrs.”? Obviously older than 102, since Bro. Prez called a 102-year old Miami-Dade voter, Desiline Victor, by her first name when he recognized her during the State of the Union address. Betcha he didn’t do that at Jeremiah Wright’s church...

Contact me at ccherry2@gmail.com.

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

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sider supporting Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association, Huey Newton and the Black Panthers, Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad of the Nation of Islam and other activist groups.

Progress or job

Louis Farrakhan, so-called modern day Black leaders will hate him too. If politicians hate Muammar Gaddafi, mis-educated Black leaders will hate Gaddafi too. If Fox News hates Black journalists, columnists and communicators, so-called Black leaders will hate them too.

Whatever Black people want to do in 2013 nothing can be done unless Black people do it themselves. If we want to integrate or separate, we have to do it ourselves. If we want to blend in or opt out of American economics and politics we have to find a way to do it ourselves.

Today, most so-called Black leaders don’t want Black progress, they want a job. They want the exploitative politician to hire them.

They want the oppressive corporation to hire them.

And, they want the imperialist press to give them a talk show to discuss topics that interest White Americans or TV shows that will make fun of Black people and depict Black men as Power in unity clowns and comedians and Every racial and ethnic depict Black women as al- group knows that there is coholics and street fighters. power in unity. We can’t If others hate Minister come together and get

things we want and do things we want because conflicting solutions are holding us back.

If you want to be a Black leader in an American 2013 capitalistic system your task is simple, be a Black leader that can generate jobs and money for the Black masses.

Sucking up to get reelected and sucking up to get a job for your self is not being a true leader! To reduce yourself to a 2013 political, social and moral puppet will not solve the Black power struggle situation.

Buy Gantt’s latest book “Beast Too: Dead an Writing” at any major book seller, like The Gantt Report on Facebook and contact Lucius at www. allworldconsultants.net.

Click on this story at www. flcourier.com to write your own response.

Protest to protect Voting Rights Act One of the most confusing, recurring Internet stories is the admonishment to protect the expiring 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA).

The last time that happened was in 2006 when the VRA was extended by Congress to 2031. When the law was extended, most AfricanAmericans breathed a sigh of relief and put concern for the law on the shelf - at least for 25 years!

Enter Shelby County, Alabama! Shelby is exercising its privilege to challenge the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act - at least Section 5 of the law.

On Feb. 27, the Supreme Court will hear a challenge to the constitutionality of Section 5 which requires pre-clearance from the federal government before states can take action that might dilute the Black vote.

If found constitutional, Section 5 would not be questioned again and remain in effect until 2031.

Section 5 was originally put into place in states that historically and specifically had laws hindering the Black vote. These were the states that had the insidious reputation for a test or device restricting the opportunity to register and vote.

States currently under Section 5 include Alabama,

Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. TRICE EDNEY WIRE

Alaska, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Georgia.

Notoriously, AfricanAmerican voters in these (and other) states were prevented from registering to vote or voting based upon race-based obstruction. Examples of questions asked of African-Americans in Alabama included: naming all sixty-seven county judges in the state, naming the date on which Oklahoma was admitted to the Union, and declaring how many bubbles are in a bar of soap.

There were, of course, exceptions for whites preventing their requirement to test.

State Senator Hank Sanders who represents Alabama’s 23rd Senate District (Selma) believes that Section 5 has been called into question because of President Barack Obama’s political success.

have the power to dilute the Black vote through redistricting. As illustrated by the recent redistricting efforts of Republican legislators in Virginia, if Section 5 is declared unconstitutional, the repercussions of such a decision would be regressive and more widespread than in those few states where it’s now enforced.

Demonstrators needed There is no question about the Republican assault against our vote.

The immediate question that most readers of this column will ask is, “What can I do?” The Supreme Court will hear the case for Section 5 on February 27, 2013.

I am asking that you show your concern by joining us in front of the Supreme Court at 10 a.m. that day to demonstrate (to the Justices) the significance of their decision.

Dr. E. Faye Williams is chair of the National Congress of Black Women, www.nationalcongressDiluting vote bw.org. Click on this story If Section 5 is declared un- at www.flcourier.com to constitutional, states would write your own response.

Congress hated, but you may dislike Obama more People think Congress sucks, and there’s statistical evidence to prove they do.

According to a recent national poll conducted by Public Policy Polling, Congress has a favorability rating of nine percent.

The reputation of Congress is so bad that, when given a choice, cockroaches, lice, the NFL’s replacement referees, colonoscopies, root canals and used car salesmen are more liked than Congress.

France scored higher than Congress. France!

Amidst the frivolity, however, are telling answers calling real Washington politics into question — as well as President Barack Obama’s alleged re-election mandate.

For example, the media usually personifies “Congress” as House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican. But, while nine percent of Americans overall like Congress, 36 percent of those calling themselves “very liberal” like Congress.

Ire for congress Conversely, only six percent of those who are “very conservative” like Congress. This suggests ire for Congress isn’t necessarily targeted at conservatives such as Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, but rather liberals such as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and. by extension. Obama.

While Public Policy Poll-

Derryck GREEN GUEST COLUMNIST

ing’s effort largely generated laughs and poked fun at politicos and pop culture icons, these overlooked results uncover real unhappiness with things in which liberal politicos are involved.

Is it really surprising Congress isn’t favored well?

Consider that the Senate hasn’t passed a budget in nearly four years, yet passed ObamaCare against the will of most Americans without reading it or attempting to discuss its merits and consequences. Yet the media prefers to demonize conservatives.

Bad sequel Many of those same senators who engaged in bad theater during the so-called fiscal cliff negotiations look ready for a bad sequel during upcoming debt-ceiling negotiations. If history is any guide, Reid and his liberal partisans will avoid seriously addressing entitlement reform and the President’s careless and dangerous spending while robotically clamoring for more taxes.

And members of both chambers are unwilling to engage in serious and frank discussions regarding the actual causes of gun violence. Instead, they prefer

unintelligent and meaningless sound bites about banning “assault weapons” and infringing upon the Second Amendment rights of lawabiding Americans.

Bad politicians, like bad people in general, are a product of our debased culture — a culture we created. They are a reflection of our deteriorating American ethos. Complaining solves nothing.

Credible lawmakers If Americans want more principled and credible lawmakers who extol their virtues, both religious and secular, the answer is simple. If they, like me, want lawmakers who believe in God, respect others and their property and cherish the blessings of liberty, now is the time — better late than never — to reassess political allegiances.

There’s likely to be a lot of buyer’s remorse. Maybe it will spark a Tea Party revival of even greater proportions focused on improving the character ethic of our culture.

There is a lot to do, and no time for idle complaining.

Derryck Green is a member of the national advisory council of the Project 21 Black leadership network. Comments may be sent to Project21@ natioanlcenter.org. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2013

Minimum wage plan should spark maximum rage Last week, President Obama gave his annual State of the Union speech before a joint session of Congress. I am stunned at how far left he has moved politically. He wants more government spending, more programs, and more government regulations. Ted Kennedy, the late senator from Massachusetts, would be very proud of Obama’s continued lurch to the left.

$7.25 to $9 an hour The one thing that stood out with me from his speech was his wanting to increase the federal minimum wage from $ 7.25 an hour to $ 9 an hour. With a weak economy, you want to increase the cost of labor? Are you kidding me?

This is like asking someone who just had a root canal to have a steak dinner or someone with a broken leg to play basketball – it’s painful.

I am philosophically opposed to a minimum wage because it is very detrimental to the very people it’s supposed to help – low and underskilled workers.

I know why a minimum wage was created. Its creation flowed out of the Great Depression of the 1930s. Workers were routinely exploited in factories and sweatshops and worked in unimaginably horrible conditions.

Mission creep Like many government pro-

EDITORIAL

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VISUAL VIEWPOINT: GOP, OBAMA AND THE SEQUESTER

pro-minimum wage crowd has morphed into the pro-livable wage crowd.

RAYNARD JACKSON

Profit rules

NNPA COLUMNIST

grams, good often intensions lead to mission creep. Mission creep is when you create a program to solve a very specific problem and then the solution is expanded to address an additional problem that had nothing to do with the original problem. It’s like going to the grocery store to buy food and walking out with a new pair of shoes along with the food. There is nothing wrong with buying a new pair of shoes, but it has absolutely nothing to do with feeding your family.

Minimum wage started out as a way of protecting mostly women and children from being exploited. But, it has now led to the notion of livable wage. I live in Virginia where the livable wage is in excess of $ 10 an hour (well above the federal minimum wage of $ 7.25 an hour). Local politicians determine what the livable wage is (but it is always higher than the federal minimum wage).

Even the most radical of liberals must admit that workplace protections have improved drastically since the 1930s; so worker protection is no longer a valid argument for minimum wage laws. Thus, the

As an employer, my goal is not a livable wage, but a profit. I know with the Obama crowd profit is a dirty word; but no businessman opens a business with the goal of paying a livable wage. Their whole raison d’etre is to make a profit.

Any smart businessperson knows this means he or she has to pay a fair wage to make a profit or the employer will constantly lose good employees. It’s called free market economics. What a novel concept in Obama’s America!

As cold as it might seem, as an employer, you not making enough money to raise your family is not my issue. It is your private matter.

Employers pay employees based on value added to the business, not on how many kids you have or the cost to sending those children to school.

The people who want employers to pay them so they can raise their children (a private matter) are the same people who tell their employers to stay out of their private lives — they should be able to smoke away from the job, be overweight (even if it make the cost of health insurance more expensive for all employees), watch pornography at home, or be a member of the KKK during their hours away

DARRYL CAGLE, CAGLECARTOONS.COM

from the job.

Cost of labor So, I am somewhat confused that employees want privacy when it comes to certain personal behavior, but when it comes to pay, they want to use their personal behavior (having a family) as the basis for increased pay. You can’t have it both ways.

My point is that the market place should determine the cost of labor based on value added to the business, not some politician who doesn’t understand business or has never had to meet a payroll.

Am I cold and heartless? Not at all. But rest assured that if I mistreat my employees, it eventually will affect my business and I won’t be around very long. Most busi-

ness owners understand the value of having satisfied employees. But either your private life is off limits or it’s not. Make a choice.

After hearing Obama’s speech about the minimum wage, I am amazed that more Americans haven’t responded with maximum rage.

Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a Washington, D.C.-based public relations/government affairs firm.

He can be reached through his Web site, www.raynardjackson. com. Click on this story at www. flcourier.com to write your own response.

Why are such large numbers of Blacks in prison?

Editor’s Note: “The State of Equality and Justice in America” is a 20-part series of columns written by an all-star list of contributors to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Here’s the Sixth op-ed of the series.

This year, we are celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington. As African-Americans, we are pleased this country has progressed from the forced enslavement of our race to the removal of the Jim Crow laws and practices.

We are also celebrating the reelection of a man of African descent to a second term as President of the United States. There is a lot to celebrate in 2013, but there is still much work ahead.

One area that is seriously flawed and requires the attention of more than the progressive movement

DR. ELSIE L. SCOTT TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

is the “justice system”. It is commonly known the U.S. incarcerates more of its citizens than any other industrialized country. The fact that a disproportionate number of the persons arrested, convicted and imprisoned are African-Americans is troubling.

Disproportionately arrested According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), in 2010, 4,347 out of every 100,000 Black males were incarcerated in a state, federal or local facility. This number is seven times higher than the number of White males incarcerated.

In 2010, African-Americans, at

13.1 percent of the U. S. population, made up 38 percent of the total state prison population. Hispanic-Americans, at 16.7 percent of the U. S. population, made up 21 percent of the state prison population. Compare those statistics to White Americans, at 78.1 percent of the U. S. population, made up only 34 percent of the total state prison population.

When arrest data are compared to prison data, the percentage of Blacks in the total arrest numbers (27.8 percent) is found to be 10 percent lower than the percentage incarcerated. This seems to indicate Blacks are more likely to be convicted and sentenced to time in prison than Whites.

Black convictions high Similarly, an examination of felony conviction data shows Black felony convictions are more likely to result in incarceration than White felony convictions. According to BJS data for 2006, 39 percent

Flex your movie muscles It’s award season. And so far what a season it’s been. Kelly Rowland was stunning in her gown during the 55th Grammy Awards, which LL Cool J hosted, while more than 28 million viewers tuned in.

Nielsen insights show that African-Americans are more inclined to watch TV shows and movies that include characters portrayed by people who look like us. So are you ready for this year’s Academy Awards?

With nominees like the adorable, uber-talented 9-yearold Quvenzhané Wallis (Best Actress in a Leading Role in “Beasts of the Southern Wild”) and the always amazing (and handsome, too), Denzel Washington (Best Actor in a Leading Role in “Flight”), Hollywood’s biggest night could again draw a record Black viewing audience (I may just host a Denzel viewing party myself). Additionally, “Beasts of the Southern Wild” and “Django Unchained” are nominated for best picture.

Both have African-American stars in leading roles. “Django” features Jaime Foxx, the lovely Kerry Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson.

Black Hollywood Last year’s broadcast of the Academy Awards was the second-highest rated awards show among African-Americans with about 3 million Black viewers, according to Nielsen’s AfricanAmerican Consumers: Still Vital, Still Growing 2012 Report.

It was a big year for Black Hollywood as well. The fabulous Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer were both nominated for “The Help,” and Octavia Spencer won

CHERYL PEARSONMCNEIL NNPA COLUMNIST

Best Supporting Actress for her role in the movie. Remember the 2010 Academy Awards? African-American viewership for that year was up a whopping 43 percent over the previous year.

We represented 11 percent of the 26.8 million Americans who tuned in. Again, we had major representation that year. The highly acclaimed movie “Precious,” had multiple nominations, including Best Supporting Actress won by comedienne Mo’Nique, and newcomer Gabourey Sidibe was nominated for Best Actress. Also, the venerable Morgan Freeman won Best Actor for his role in “Invictus.”

Going to movies Turning to the movies themselves, according to Nielsen National Research Group’s 2012 American Movie-Going Report, 70 percent of Americans ages 12 – 74 reported seeing one or more movies at a theater in the last year. The survey, conducted among a representative group of more than 3,000 Americans across age, gender and race, shows that overall attendance for new release movies was pretty much the same as a year ago – an average of 6.8 movies per person compared with 6.9 in 2011. African-Americans comprise 11 percent of the movie-going population, led by the Baby Boomers in our group.

Hispanics are the heaviest movie-goers, representing 18 percent of the movie-going population and accounting for 25 percent of all movies seen. The American Movie-Going report shows that although there were slightly more female movie-goers (51 percent) than male movie-goers, 49 percent), men nonetheless accounted for 55 percent of theatrical attendance.

Green vs. Black While it’s always fun to root for our favorites during awards season and see how our movie-going trends vary – or not – from year-to-year, this is big business.

Hollywood speaks fluent “green,” as in moolah, or cash.

Our behavior is watched very closely by the entertainment industry and advertisers who tailor their products, their decisions and the way they reach you according to how you choose to wield your economic clout at the box office with your pocketbook or with your remote at home.

So, if you enjoy seeing quality movies that are inclusive of Blacks, show up in large numbers when those movies come out. That’s truly the only way for everyone to have a happy ending.

Cheryl Pearson-McNeil is senior vice president of Public Affairs and Government Relations for Nielsen. For more information and studies go to www.nielsenwire.com. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

of persons convicted on felonies were Black and 60 percent were White.

Conviction data show Whites who are convicted are less likely to be incarcerated (66 percent to 72 percent Blacks). For drug offenses, 72 percent of Blacks convicted were incarcerated in 2006 compared to 61 percent of whites. Only 59 percent of Whites convicted of drug trafficking were incarcerated compared to 70 percent of Blacks.

The mean maximum sentence imposed by state courts on White felons was 37 months compared to 42 months for Black felons. If violent offenses are isolated, the statistics show that the mean maximum prison sentence given to whites was 99 months, but the mean for Blacks was 108 months.

Regarding convictions, look at the fact that DNA testing has exonerated over 300 persons and 70 percent of the exonerations have been people of color.

In recent years, there has been

a reduction in the number of persons incarcerated. Now, action must be taken to address the problems faced by persons released from prison.

Path to restoration Laws and ordinances that prevent ex-inmates from securing housing and employment are impediments to them becoming productive citizens. Their paths to restoration must begin with reinstating their civil rights, especially their right to vote.

So as we celebrate the freedom and equality anniversaries, let us not lose focus on the justice issues that still loom before us.

Dr. Elsie L. Scott, founding director of the Ronald W. Walters Center at Howard University, is immediate past president/CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Obama knows what ails Chicago On Saturday, Feb. 9, family and friends gathered to mourn the loss of Hadiya Pendleton, shot to death last month at age 15 in a South Side park.

Michelle Obama graced the memorial with her caring presence, a mother comforting a brokenhearted family for the unbearable horror that took place about a mile from the Obama home in Kenwood.

The first lady’s presence brought dignity, stature and the reassurance of concern and compassion from the highest level of government.

Dismal statistics Chicago suffered 506 homicides last year — and another 46 this year alone. Nearly half of the 2,389 homicide victims from 2008 and 2012 were of those under age 25.

Too many children are born into grinding poverty and constant insecurity. Too many have parents who are absent without leave, providing neither the discipline nor the stability so vitally needed at home. Too many children are sent to underfunded schools and overcrowded classrooms. Jobs are scarce, and generally pay little with few benefits. Guns and drugs are readily available for those whose hopes are crushed.

Accompanying the violence is a sundering of trust. Arrests were made in only one-fourth of Chicago’s murders last year.

A “no snitch” rule protects the violent. Police misconduct leaves communities wary.

Restoration plan Last year, the police shot and injured 50 people, an average of nearly one per week. More than 90 percent were African-American or Lati-

Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

no. Taser use has more than tripled during the past three years, and once more, in cases where race is identified, more than nine of 10 victims are African-American or Latino.

These zones of pain need a plan for reconstruction.

Strong laws and enforcement on gun violence — banning the sale of military style assault weapons, ending the loopholes in background checks — are essential. Ensuring that every child has the opportunity to learn — from infant nutrition to universal pre-school to world-class schools and affordable college — can revive hope.

The first step must be to put people, particularly the young, to work.

Work provides structure, discipline and dignity. The president faces a Congress fixated on cutting spending rather than on fixing the economy.

We must invest in our children, and in schools and college and jobs — or we will pay far more in crime and violence and jails.

Unlike previous presidents, Obama knows this from experience. No one is better able to define the challenge and summon Americans to meet it.

Keep up with Rev. Jackson and the work of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition at www.rainbowpush.org.

Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

NATION

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FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2013

Charges against Jackson conflict with his image Former Illinois legislator, famous son pleads guilty to misusing campaign funds Sandi Jackson

BY JOHN CHASE, JEFF COEN AND BRIDGET DOYLE CHICAGO TRIBUNE (MCT)

CHICAGO — Jesse Jackson Jr.’s final act as a public official was to send a Thanksgiving eve resignation letter to the Speaker of the House in which he declared that “for 17 years I have given 100 percent of my time, energy and life to public service.”

But federal prosecutors revealed an image of Jackson as less a public servant and more a politician interested in surrounding himself with treasures.

A gold-plated Rolex. Furs and cashmere capes.

Memorabilia from Michael Jackson, Bruce Lee and Martin Luther King Jr. Luxuries out of the reach of the many people trying to stay above the poverty line in Jackson’s former South Side congressional district.

Jackson Jr. and his wife, former Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson, pleaded guilty Wednesday in what prosecutors said was a conspiracy to siphon about $750,000 in federal campaign funds for their personal use.

Jackson Jr. entered a negotiated plea of guilty Wednesday morning on one felony count of conspiracy to commit false statements, wire fraud and mail fraud. He could face years in prison when he is sentenced this summer.

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/MCT

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. addresses the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colo., on Aug. 25, 2008.

Sandi Jackson pleaded guilty Wednesday afternoon to a single charge of willingly filing a false tax return, tied to the same allegations that the couple repeatedly tapped the ex-congressman’s campaign fund, used the money for personal use and then made fraudulent campaign and tax disclosures to cover up the misconduct.

Both Jacksons, wearing dark suits in court, had the opportunity to make short statements to the judge about their wrongs. But unlike her husband, Sandi Jackson merely answered the judge’s questions with a string of “Yes, sirs” and eventually sniffled loudly and

dabbed her face with tissue as it came time to make her plea.

“Guilty,” she said in a tiny voice, choking back tears.

The son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson once was considered a wunderkind in Chicago politics and a threat to become Chicago mayor. Then he became ensnared in the scandal that brought down former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Last June, Jackson took a leave of absence from Congress, and bipolar disorder was diagnosed.

The criminal information issued last week against Jackson, 47, is filled with details about how he allegedly used his cam-

paign fund as a personal piggybank.

Prosecutors said Jackson and someone they identified only as “Co-Conspirator 1” attempted to conceal the spending by falsifying financial reports to the U.S. House and campaign reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

The Tribune has identified “Co-Conspirator 1” as Sandi Jackson. She is not charged in her husband’s case.

“The goal of the conspiracy was for Defendant Jesse L. Jackson Jr. and CoConspirator 1 to enrich themselves by engaging in a conspiracy and a scheme to defraud in which they

used funds donated to the Campaign for their own personal benefit,” prosecutors wrote in their federal filing.

From 2007 to 2009, prosecutors said, Jackson used campaign funds to buy a $40,000 Rolex watch, more than $9,500 in children’s furniture and more than $5,000 in furs and cashmere capes. He had all the items shipped from Chicago, New Jersey and Beverly Hills, Calif., to his home in Washington, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors also said Jackson filed false federal election documents in 2008 when he stated he spent $1,553 to rent a room

Jesse Jackson Sr.

at a Chicago museum for a fundraiser when, in fact, he spent it on “porcelain collector’s items.” More recently, Jackson did not disclose $25,000 in 2011 from an unnamed owner of an Alabama company that helped pay down the Jacksons’ personal credit cards.

Jeff Cramer, a Chicago attorney and former federal prosecutor, said the D.C. legal filing makes it clear that prosecutors wanted the public to know the extreme types of items the former congressman purchased, including a Michael Jackson fedora for $4,600 and a “Michael Jackson and Eddie Van Halen guitar” that alone cost $4,000.

“These things were paid for with monies contributed to his campaign fund with the intent to help him to get re-elected and pursue an appropriate political agenda for his district, a district which is currently dealing with very serious issues such as gun violence and economic troubles,” Cramer said. “He used the account like an ATM machine without regard for the outrageous nature of the items.”

Katherine Skiba and Wes Venteicher of the Chicago Tribune/MCT contributed to this report.

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IFE/FAITH

Mrs. Carter bringing tour to Florida See page B2

SUN COAST / TAMPA BAY

February 22 - February 28, 2013

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

New museum will celebrate pain and triumph of AfricanAmerican history See pages B4-B5

www.flcourier.com

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Estella’s

Brilliant

Above: Estella Pyfrom is shown in front of her high-tech classroom on wheels.

BY DAPHNE TAYLOR SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

E

stella Pyfrom of West Palm Beach is taking on the digital divide. At 76 years young, she is determined to bridge the technology gap between the haves and the have-nots.

Estella’s Brilliant Bus is a high-tech classroom on wheels that’s ready to go to wherever needed – a football field, a park, city hall, – you name it – in order to bring much-needed resources to the underprivileged and underserved communities.

The brainchild of this former educator whose career spanned 50 years, her “brilliant” bus is a rolling learning center equipped with sleek computers and monitors, high-speed Internet, swivel chairs that are adjustable for small children or larger adults, a huge monitor in the front of the bus, a microphone, and a laptop in back of the bus – just in case.

‘Have Knowledge, Will Travel’ Estella, as she’s affectionately known by many, decided that a lack of transportation wasn’t going to stop underprivileged children and families from getting the resources they need in order to get ahead in life.

Her slogan for Estella’s Brilliant Bus, a 501(c)(3) organization, is ‘Have Knowledge, Will Travel.’

“I felt compelled to do something,” said Pyfrom, who graduated from Florida A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education and Vocational Home Economics and a master’s in Administration and Supervision. She also has certification in guidance and counseling.

“I know about the digital divide. I want to help bridge that gap. I know how difficult it is if you’re in low income to get the resources you need,’’ she said.

But it’s not just computers that she brings to the people, but an array of services that she offers: tutoring for GED preparation, college prep, FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) prep, anti-bullying, character building, entrepreneurship training for youth and adults, feeding the hungry and much more.

“Anything you can do in a building, we’re capable of doing. We listen, we learn, and we implement,” she remarked.

Left: Volunteer Patrick Morris assists students on Estella’s Brilliant Bus. Below: Estella’s Brilliant Bus has received rave reviews from students.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ESTELLA PYFROM

Profiled on national news Her idea is so novel it caught the attention of brass at NBC’s national news desk.

NBC News correspondent Kerry Sanders profiled her for the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams on Jan. 28. In less than a half hour after the broadcast, calls from around the country started coming in.

Offers of computers, software and donations began pouring in with hopes of helping her mission to take the bus to the people.

“This (outpouring) was from people I don’t know and never heard of. It’s been amazing.

I’m grateful for the little donations or the larger ones,” said Pyfrom, who’s known to be camera-shy. “I just do the work.’’

Sports stars lend support She also caught the attention of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams, also residents of Palm Beach County. The Ballen Isles Country Club sponsored a fundraiser featuring the tennis superstars in a minimatch with proceeds benefiting Estella’s Brilliant Bus, at that time known as Project Aspiration.

Derrick Roberson, Jr. a former NFL player See BUS, Page B2

“

I felt compelled to do something...

I know about the digital divide. I want to help bridge that gap. I know how difficult it is if you’re in low income to get the resources you need.

Estella Pyfrom

“

BUS

A high-tech classroom on wheels in South Florida is the brainchild of a former educator. Her rolling learning center is taking much-needed resources to underprivileged and underserved communities.

Above: Venus and Serena Williams visit Estella Pyfrom, left, inside her bus after a charity tennis match.

CALENDAR

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FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR

FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2013

tion: 813-241-2442.

Orange City: The African-American Heritage Festival will be held Feb. 23 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. at Dickinson Park featuring food and craft vendors, health and wellness stations and entertainment. More information: www.ocaahf.com.

Winter Park: A St. Patrick’s Day parade will be held March 3 at 2 p.m. in Downtown Winter Park.

More information: 407-694-8228.

Plant City: The Florida Strawberry Festival will be held Feb. 28 March 10 featuring rides, daily concerts and plenty of strawberries. Cost: $4-$8. 303 N. Lemon St. More information: www. flstrawberryfestival.com.

Tampa: The City of Tampa Mayor’s African American Advisory Council presents a free symposium from 9 a.m to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at Hillsborough Community College, Ybor Campus. There will be sessions for those interested in running for political office, in identity theft, adult education and community improvement. More information: www.Tampagove.net/MAAAC. Tampa: The Faith Unplugged series kicks off Feb. 24 at The Cathedral of Faith, 6304 N 30th St. Doors open at 6 p.m. and admission is $15 for pre-sale tickets.

Entertainment includes Christian Comic Dee Lee, spoken word artist Vicky Clark and performances Shem, Kirk Russell Jr. and Karla Jones. Tickets can be purchased at faithunplugged.eventbrite. com or www.cathedraloffaithministries.com.

Tampa: Forty contestants will compete for the Top Flan in Tampa Bay at Flan Fest on Feb. 23 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. The fest is held in conjunction with Fiesta Day, Ybor City’s official day of celebration of its ethnic heritage and culture.

Entertainment, vendors, children’s activities and flan tastings will be at this free event. More informa-

Orlando: Churches and schools will participate in the Seventh Annual Washington Shores 5K Walk & Health Fair March 9 from 8 a.m. to noon at Hankins Park, 1340 Lake Park Court. Register as a team or individual online at www.orchd.com under the events section.

Orlando: Bel Biv Devoe, Dru Hill, El Debarge and other artists will be at Funk Fest 2013 at Tinker Field on April 6 beginning at 5 p.m. Concerts also are scheduled in Jacksonville and Tampa.

Complete lineup: http://funkfestconcerts.com.

Fort Lauderdale: The Florida Minority Community Reinvestment along with a coalition of Florida minority non-profits and neighborhood associations are hosting the 2013 Let’s Do Business Florida & Summit June 28-June 29 at the Westin Beach Resort & Spa. No cost to women-minority-veteran businesses and nonprofits.

Highlight is the Florida Minority Construction Trade Fair. More information: www.letsdobusinessflorida.com.

St. Petersburg: Youths ages 7 to 11 can enjoy a night of football, kickball, ping-pong, foosball, video games and dance parties during “Freestyle Fridays” at the Fossil Park & Willis S. Johns Center, 6635 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N. First visit free; $6 each following visit. More information: 727-893-7756.

ALLEN J. SCHABEN/ LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT

BEYONCE

The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour starring Beyonce makes stops at the BB&T Center in Sunrise July 9 and the American Airlines Arena in Miami July 10.

ROBERTA

R&B songstress Roberta Flack will be at the Hard Rock Live, Hollywood on April 28 for a 7 p.m. show.

St. Petersburg: First Fridays are held in downtown St. Petersburg at 250 Central Ave. between Second and Third Avenues from 5:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. More information: 727-393-3597.

BIG BOI

Tampa: Songstress Alicia Keys brings her World On Fire tour to Florida with performances at the Tampa Bay Times Forum March 24 and Miami’s American Airlines Arena March 23.

Rap artist Big Boi will be at the Ritz Ybor, Tampa on March 23 at 7:30 p.m.

DENNIS SVAN TINE/ ABACA PRESS/MCT

BUS

‘Like a field trip within the school’

from B1 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and now an NFL free agent, says Pyfrom is a mentor.

“When I first met Mrs. Estella, we just clicked. It was a perfect match,” said Roberson. His Derrick Roberson, Jr. (DJR) Foundation partnered with the bus for his annual, “Work Hard, Play Hard” initiative held in Fort Lauderdale.

Collaborations with many since 2009 He wants to partner with her on a regular basis to complement his own foundation’s mission of developing youth through sports, health and wellness. Currently he uses sports clinics to develop youth in character, leadership, HIV awareness, antiguns and anti-bullying and combating juvenile delinquency.

He wants to work with Pyfrom on an ongoing basis, adding her educational component to his initiatives.

“She’s a driving school on wheels. That’s a brilliant idea. Anything I can do to complement Mrs. Estella, I’m onboard,” he stated proudly. They are currently working on a means of the bus providing afterschool programs, college prep and FCAT prep as a collaboration.

Pyfrom also has collaborated with Office Depot, the T. Leroy Jefferson Medical Society, Feeding South Florida (part of Feeding America), Canalakes Home Owners Association, Palm Beach State College, and many others since she started the organization in 2009.

Invaluable service to communities Derrek Moore, city manager of Pahokee, says that collaborations with Pyfrom

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ESTELLA PYFROM

Estella Pyfrom wants more buses to serve children and families. She is working on a business plan to expand services. are invaluable.

“It’s great. It (her bus) takes the service and the product to the people, and here in the Glades, that’s extremely important. Not often do people have transportation here, and the fact that she has a mobile unit (is key).

If you want to ensure that the children are getting the service, then we try to deliver it,” said Moore.

“In the Glades, you have to think outside the box in assuring the kids get the services.”

Estella’s Brilliant Bus partnered with the City of Pahokee for its annual Back to School Bash, which drew more than 2,000 people. But Pyfrom says she’s currently working on a health and medical initiative to bring to the Glades area, where she grew up.

Longtime connection to Glades area Pyfrom, who is from Belle Glades, is the daughter of migrant workers from the area. Her husband,

Willie, is the former band director at Glades Central High School; he was director there for 43 years.

All of her four children were band members in the marching band under their father’s direction and then went on to join FAMU’s Marching 100 band.

All of her children graduated from FAMU and are successful products of the Glades area.

“Mrs. Pyfrom is a longtime resident of the Glades. She understands the Glades very well,” said the city manager. “We have some of the same passions when it comes to the people here,” said Moore.

Pyfrom knows the value of partnerships – even when it comes to her own children. One of her clients is Pahokee Elementary School, where her oldest daughter, Dr. Karen Abrams, is principal.

A day to focus on science On a recent sunny morning, the white bus is perched outside of Paho-

kee Elementary.

Volunteer driver Patrick Morris arrived at the school just before Pyfrom.

Morris has a typewritten schedule detailing the student’s activity on the bus and a timeline. It’s a testament to Pyfrom’s organizational skills.

Morris then goes to each computer, making sure they’re already online, and ready for the students. Fifteen minutes later, the teacher brought the students out in a single file, and some with safety patrol belts draped across their chests, boarded the bus and took a place at a computer.

The school is a Title One school, where nearly all of the children qualify for free or reduced lunch.

On this day, the students are working on science because, according to the principal, the school had a deficiency in science on the FCAT. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., groups of students would work on the bus in 45-minute rotations.

The students concentrate better on the bus, explained Abrams.

“It gives them an outing. The kids are completely fascinated. They focus better on the bus. They get excited about that aspect of it. It’s almost like a field trip within the school,” she said.

According to Robbie Everett, the school’s media specialist, the bus provides much potential for growth.

“The fifth-graders are trying to bring their science scores up. I saw a lot of potential here,” said Everett, who was taught by Pyfrom when she was in school.

“The kids love it. It’s the novelty of having this whole classroom on the bus.”

One of the kids who “loved it,” was 12-year old Weuma Davis. She’s hearing impaired and uses sign language and an interpreter, but it didn’t stop her from enjoying Estella’s Brilliant Bus. Through sign language to her interpreter, Weuma said she doesn’t have a computer at home. Asked how she liked working on the computer on the bus, she signed, “It’s good!”

Pyfrom said Weuma was the first special-needs student she has ever had on the bus. But that’s what it’s all about, said Pyfrom – reaching anyone and everyone with a need, including those with a disability.

Always looking for ways to expand Pyfrom’s always looking for ways to improve the services she offers to clients – whether adults or students, and she wants to expand.

It’s the reason she attended a seminar sponsored by the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and forged a relationship. It also has proven invaluable.

It was through Sharon Geltner, certified business

analyst at the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Palm Beach State College, that she ended up on national news.

Through Geltner, NBC learned about Pyfrom and Miami-based correspondent Kerry Sanders wanted to feature the story on the evening news. Pyfrom quickly learned the power of the news media in getting the word out about her efforts to continue and to expand.

“I feel we need a bus in every state,” she noted.

Business plan for expansion in works Geltner said “the irony of Estella’s story is that she did all of this without a bigtime philanthropist.” But her plans include expansion and that’s where the SBDC comes in, according to Geltner.

They are developing a business plan in a format compatible for a large donor, which is what Pyfrom needs. Geltner is hoping large corporations and donors will come on board soon.

“She wants more buses.

She needs more people, more money to expand her reach,” Geltner explained.

“She provides these services for free for children and families. They don’t pay a dime. Estella doesn’t like the limelight, but you have to do the promotional stuff.” And that’s where Geltner’s role of marketing, is proving important.

Pyfrom may be camerashy, but she knows the importance of such collaborations. But she’s quick to point out that she’s from the old-school, where her mother told her to just “do the work.”

“I just do the work and let the work speak for me,” Pyfrom said after her visit to Pahokee Elementary and headed back to her West Palm Beach home.

Added Geltner, “Estella is not just theory. She talked the talk and walked the walk.”

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FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2013

Meet some of

FLORIDA'S

finest

submitted for your approval

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Think you’re one of Florida’s Finest?

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

jay

Jay Johnson was born in Allentown, Pa., raised in Los Angeles, and has resided in Miami for the past decade. He is a part-time web administrator and social media assistant. His hobbies include drawing and painting abstract art and photography as well as reading and spending time at the beach. Contact Jay at i.am.10thletter@ hotmail.com. CREDIT: TIM WALKER STUDIO

whitley

Whitley Denise is a new model who enjoys doing print and catalog work; walking in fashion and runway shows has always been a dream of hers. She is currently a sophomore in college studying biology. Contact Whitley at www.modelmayhem.com/ wdhopkins751, Wdhopkins@valdosta.edu or on Instagram @HeyyBella_.

Reports: Obama to speak at Morehouse graduation EURWEB.COM

A White House official says President Barack Obama will deliver the commencement address at all-male Morehouse College in Atlanta this spring, reports the Atlan-

ta Journal-Constitution.

The White House official declined to speak on the record because the schedule of Obama’s commencement speeches has not been released.

Obama typically speaks each spring at a handful of college and university commencement ceremonies, including at one of the military service academies. Last year, he spoke at commencement ceremonies at all-female Barnard College in New York.

Morehouse’s commencement is scheduled for May 19.

REGINA H. BOONE/DETROIT FREE PRESS/MCT

The Spain School of Excellence Concert Choir performs at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich., on Feb. 4 during an event honoring the 100th birthday of Rosa Parks.

Historic statue of Rosa Parks to be unveiled this year in D.C. TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

Bravery, tenacity and maybe a little of her own stubbornness led Rosa Parks to refuse to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Ala. bus on a cold December day in 1955. Almost 60 years after Parks’ act became the leading edge of the Civil Rights movement, she will be honored with a statue of her likeness on Capitol Hill.

Rosa Parks’ statue will be included in the Capitol Art Collection on the Capitol grounds. The statue will stand among other noted American figures including Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and founding father Alexander Hamilton.

Often referred to as “the first lady of Civil Rights,” seamstress Rosa Parks’ defiance of segregation transportation laws by her refusal to give up her seat in the colored section of the bus to a White passenger and her subsequent arrest triggered a boycott of the Montgomery Bus system led by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

‘Enduring symbol of moral courage’ Earlier this month, for her birthday, Feb. 4, Parks was also honored with her image on a U.S. Postage Stamp.

The special Forever Stamp is part of their 2013 civil rights series.

The statue, commissioned by an act of Congress in 2005, will be the first full-sized statue of an AfricanAmerican woman to be added to the Capitol grounds. A bust of AfricanAmerican abolitionist and women’s rights activist Sojourner Truth was unveiled on the Hill in 2009.

The National Endowment for the Arts oversaw the design competition for Parks’ statue as a joint partnership with the Joint Committee on the Library and the Office of the Architect of the Capitol. The winning artist was awarded $250,000 to complete a bronze statue and pedestal.

“In taking a stand for justice and equality, Rosa Parks stirred the conscience of our country in a way that

changed American history. She has become such an enduring symbol of moral courage that it is only fitting that she be recognized by Congress with a sculpture in Statuary Hall,” National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia said in a press release.

Parks is being commemorated in numerous ways this year. In light of her centennial birthday celebration on Feb. 4, the United States Post Office honored Parks with a Rosa Parks Forever stamp featuring a gouache painting based on a 1950s photograph of Parks donning a green hat and matching suit. The Parks stamp is one of three stamps in a Civil Rights set celebrating freedom, courage and equality.

The statue of Rosa Parks will be unveiled later this year.

This story is special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Afro American Newspaper.

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/MCT

First lady Michelle Obama speaks during an interactive student workshop with the cast and crew of the film “Beasts of the Southern Wild” in the State Dining Room of the White House on Feb. 13. Shown in the background is Quvenzhane Wallis, who is nominated for an Academy Award for her role in the movie.

First lady blames bangs on midlife crisis FROM WIRE REPORTS

The first lady jokingly says a midlife crisis is what inspired her new haircut with bangs.

Michelle Obama revealed the new hairstyle last month on her 49th birthday, which came a few days before the fes-

tivities for President Barack Obama’s second inauguration.

Mrs. Obama was asked about the new haircut during an interview with talk-show host Rachael Ray. Said Mrs. Obama: “This is my midlife crisis.”

She added that she cut her bangs because she can’t get a sports car and won’t be allowed to bungee jump.

The interview was conducted via Skype and was scheduled to air on Wednesday. “The Rachael Ray Show’’ released excerpts on Monday.

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BLACK HISTORY MONTH

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FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2013

PHOTOS BY OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/MCT

This display, about the 1963 March on Washington, will be in the National Museum of African American History and Culture exhibit, set to open in 2015.

New museum will celebrate both the pain and triumph of African-American history

BY MARIA RECIO MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS (MCT)

WASHINGTON — It is a blight on American history that history cannot ignore: The exploitation and enslavement of Black people for hundreds of years, the destruction of individuals and families, and a nation so divided over whether slaves were property or people that it fueled a war.

It will be the challenge of a new museum in the nation’s capital to tell that story, however uncomfortable the subject might be to some, because it defines the history of African-Americans.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is set to open on the National Mall in 2015. The curators have spent years gathering artifacts, oral histories and documents. It has been a massive and meticulous undertaking.

“So much of our history is in the basement, attics and trunks of people,” said Lonnie Bunch, a historian and the museum’s director, and who is African-American.

This exhibit on the Emancipation Proclamation shown in December at the National Museum of American History will be part of the new museum in D.C.

A reading copy of the Emancipation Proclamation also will be on display at the D.C. exhibit.

Disturbing display But more than a century after its abolition, how do you depict the degradation and horrors of slavery in ways that people can grasp? Fundamentally, any museum is just a collection of inanimate objects. But in the right context they become alive and can be transportive, evoking a time and atmosphere that is almost tangible.

Like the fliers announcing the buying and selling of Africans at slave auctions in the middle of the nation’s capital; the whipscarred backs of runaway slaves captured in photographs taken by abolitionists, even the whips themselves; and the shackles, some small enough for a child, from the hold of a slave ship.

“One-quarter of those in slavery were children,” said Nancy Bercaw, an associate curator in the political division at the Na-

tional Museum of American History.

Curators know that to tell the story of slavery is to put on display a disturbing era of America’s history.

Emotional freight It means relics like bills of sale, with descriptions of grown men and young women, many identified by just a first name; slave buttons, which were marked with the slave owner’s name and sewn into lapels to identify the person as a slave and not a free Black person; and the Bible belonging to Nat Turner, the slave who led a famous, bloody rebellion in 1831 that left more than 50 White people dead. It sparked retaliation from slave owners that killed more than twice as many Black people.

“I tried to find the right tension in finding what people wanted to know and what they needed to know,” said Bunch.

He left his job as director of the Chicago Historical Society in 2005 to become the founding director of the new museum, a part of the vast Smithsonian complex of museums and galleries and that also includes the Air and Space Museum and the National Zoo. Bunch had been at the Smithsonian before, as associate director of curatorial affairs. Now he was asked to build a cultural showcase from the ground up, on a topic that carried considerable emotional freight.

Over 20,000 artifacts Bunch said that he had a staff of two and “no idea where we were going and not a single object in the collection. Now we have 90 people on staff, the best site in America for a museum, next to the Washington Monument, and we’ve collected over 20,000 artifacts.”

The museum has amassed a diverse collection that reflects the contributions of Blacks to American society, from fashion, the arts, public service and

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FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2013

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

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“You have to tell the unvarnished truth, the pain as well as resiliency. Slavery shaped politics. Slavery shaped industrial growth.

Slavery shaped our culture. Slavery had a ripple in all aspects of America.”

Lonnie Bunch

Director, National Museum of African American History and Culture

more. There’s a silk shawl given to slave and abolitionist Harriet Tubman by Queen Victoria; a training plane used by the Tuskegee Airmen, a unit of Black pilots who fought in World War II; and pop idol Michael Jackson’s iconic Black felt fedora.

Bunch has not shied away from controversy, either.

‘Unvarnished truth’ Last year, the museum took on an American icon, Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence and a slave owner. The exhibit, “Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello: Paradox of Liberty,” was on display at the museum’s temporary site at the American History Museum.

It’s now at the Atlanta History Center until July, when it moves to the Missouri History Center in St. Louis.

“You have to create the sense that this is about people, that there is a human dimension to the institution of slavery,” said Bunch, whose father’s greatgrandmother had been a slave.

“You have to tell the unvarnished truth, the pain as well as resiliency. Slavery shaped politics. Slavery shaped industrial growth. Slavery shaped our culture. Slavery had a ripple in all aspects of America.”

Lincoln’s inkwell The Emancipation Proclamation, which abolished slavery in the Confederate states, plays a prominent role in the museum’s offerings. On view through Sept. 15 at the museum’s temporary site is an exhibit on the 150th anniversary of the life-changing document, juxtaposed with the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington, which helped propel the civil rights movement.

The museum’s collection will also include 3-inch-by-2inch copies of the proclamation that were printed to go into the backpack of every Union soldier. And there is the inkwell that President Abraham Lincoln used in June 1862 to write the first draft of his famous order.

The inkwell sat on a desk in

the telegraph office inside the War Department, where the president would stop by to get news about the Union forces, a scene depicted in the 2012 acclaimed film “Lincoln.”

‘Slave narrative’ The 16th president, said Harry Rubenstein, chair and curator of political history at the American History Museum, had many forces to deal with as he struggled with the Emancipation Proclamation, including the economic power of the slave states and political pressure from the North.

“There was this realization that slavery would have to be dealt with,” Rubenstein said.

The museum also pays its respects to former slave, author and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who founded an abolitionist newspaper, the North Star, and spoke and wrote extensively against the bondage of Blacks.

The collection includes Douglass’ “slave narrative,” a written account of his life as a slave in Maryland.

Experiencing the sorrow Steeped as he has been in developing the collection, Rex Ellis, the associate director for curatorial affairs, said a particular image has stayed with him that fuels his drive to make the museum capture a place in time and keep it in the nation’s collective memory.

Once on a trip to South Carolina’s Lowcountry, the state’s southern coastal region, as he stared at the miles and miles of marshes, Ellis thought about the slaves, including children, who stood in that water picking rice for the plantation owners. When alligators and snakes came floating toward them, they had nowhere to go.

It was a big contributor to the infant mortality rate among slaves in the region, he said.

“It takes you back,” Ellis said.

“I wish I could find a way to have my audience experience it. That’s the challenge: How can you tell a story of humanity, of resistance, of faith?”

Nat Turner’s Bible is one of the items to be on display at the new museum.

Odyssey of Nat Turner’s Bible From hidden in closet to featured at D.C.’s newest museum

BY MARIA RECIO MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS (MCT)

WASHINGTON — Nat Turner is a revered figure to many African-Americans, a tangible example of someone who defied slavery’s shackles.

He was a slave who could read and write, an early rebel who, inspired by Scripture, led a bloody rebellion against Whites in southern Virginia in 1831.

But to the White families once targeted by Turner’s band of slaves and freed Blacks, he remains something altogether different, akin to today’s terrorists, responsible for the killing of more than 50 people, including women and children.

That paradox came together when Rex Ellis, a curator at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, got a call out of the blue from a Virginia family that said it had Turner’s Bible and wanted to donate it to the Smithsonian Institution, of which the museum is a part.

Always carried it

Shown above are shackles used to chain children.

Such an artifact would be invaluable to the museum, which had to start its collection from scratch. Ellis, the associate director for curatorial affairs, knew that many tantalizing leads often fall through.

This one, however, “was intriguing,” he said.

The location was right: Southampton County, Va. So was the family name, Francis,

which was among the names of Turner’s victims. The story was also credible because Turner always carried a Bible.

Ellis, who is African-American, went to Virginia Beach, Va., to meet Wendy Porter, the young woman who had called.

She had convinced her family — particularly her stepfather, the Bible’s owner — that the book needed to be preserved for history.

In addition, Porter thought the Bible was showing signs of deterioration and needed the care of a museum, where it could also be seen by the public.

‘Much blood on it’ Porter’s mother brought out a bundle from the closet wrapped in an old dish towel, which Ellis said seemed to be as old as the Bible. She also said something that struck him: that the family knew that the Bible was important because “there was so much blood on it.” He realized that it could be authentic.

“All that excited me no end,” Ellis said. “I couldn’t wait to bring it back” to Washington for testing.

For Maurice Person, the Bible’s owner and Porter’s stepfather, the Bible created more complicated feelings. In an interview, he recalled the family story about his great-greatgrandmother, Lavinia Francis, who was a young child at the time of the Turner raid.

“She was home one day, except for the servants,” said Person. “They got word that the Nat Turner group was approaching the house. The servants took her upstairs and hid her in a cubbyhole. That’s why I’m here today.”

Turner was tried and hanged.

Slave owners killed more than 100, and possibly close to 200, Black people in revenge.

Historical significance The Bible could have been lost to history except that Person’s grandfather, Walter Carl Anthony, was at the courthouse in Courtland, Va., one day around 1900 when they were cleaning out the basement.

“He saw the Bible there and realized the significance,” Person said.

His grandfather acquired it, along with some records related to the case.

“It had a lot of very historical significance to it,” Person said.

“It was great to have it in the house. … There’s not admiration for Turner. It’s more of a Southern history appreciation.

This was a huge event in history, especially local history.”

He said he was “a little shocked” at his stepdaughter’s insistence about relinquishing the Bible, but given its condition and historical significance, “it seemed like the reasonable thing to do.”

The Bible will become part of the Black history museum’s permanent collection.

Ellis said Blacks and Whites might look at the artifact very differently.

“It’s challenging,” he said, “interpreting our history from a perspective that may seem to be maligning one community, while trying to support another with a symbol of dignity and freedom.”

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY Artifacts at the forthcoming National Museum of African American History and Culture come from many states. Among them: South Carolina — Slave tags, made of copper alloy, worn around the neck on a string or chain with the wearer’s duties and the year stamped on them. They were worn by slaves who were rented out to other homes or plantations to perform certain tasks, such as “servant” or “porter.”

Texas — The pen used by President Lyndon Johnson to sign the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, on loan from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum in Austin.

Kentucky — U.S. Colored Troops flag of the 12th Regiment U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery, Camp Nelson, Ky., representing African-American soldiers who fought for the Union in the Civil War. It is on display at the Museum of American History.

Founding Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture Lonnie G. Bunch III poses at a exhibit on the Emancipation Proclamation.

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FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2013

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