Florida Courier - February 24, 2017

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FEBRUARY 24 – MARCH 2, 2017

VOLUME 25 NO. 8

‘BLACK MINDS MATTER’

Atlanta’s Morehouse College celebrated 150 years of building men with an awards gala and banquet that raised more than $1 million for student scholarships.

BY THE FLORIDA COURIER STAFF

ATLANTA – Morehouse College, America’s only historically Black, all-male college or university, climaxed its annual Founder’s Week on Feb. 18 with its 29th Annual “A Candle in the Dark” Gala, honoring some of the nation’s top Black achievers.

Most importantly, the event raised more than $1 million for student scholarships at the college.

“This is a special night,” President John Silvanus

Wilson Jr. said to loud applause. “I challenged our team this year to try to clear $1 million for the first time, and that’s exactly what has happened. That’s a lot of scholarship money that came in.”

Held in the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, more than 1,500 alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents and supporters of Morehouse College filled the main ballroom for one of Atlanta’s most popular annual events.

Five men were honored for their contributions and careers. Each was visibly

‘Standing your ground’ may get easier

moved to be honored after stirring introductions by student presenters.

Major fundraiser The black-tie affair was instituted in 1989 and is designed to highlight Morehouse’s traditional mission of producing leaders, pay tribute to nationally acclaimed African-American leaders who are considered giants in their respective fields, and showcase the talents and oratorical skills of Morehouse students.

CHARLES W. CHERRY II / FLORIDA COURIER

Master of ceremonies Dondré Whitfield, Morehouse College president Dr. John Silvanus Wilson Jr., Morehouse College student Michael Claudius Adyemi Saunders, and entertainer and philanthropist Usher Raymond enjoy a moment just before See MOREHOUSE, Page A2 Raymond was presented with the college’s prestigious “Candle” award.

EL HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ (MALCOLM X), 1925-1965

Never to be forgotten

Proposed change burdens prosecutors

BY JIM TURNER THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – A move to shift the burden of proof in “stand your ground” self-defense cases is off to a fast start in the House, where the controversial proposal died a year ago.

The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee, voted 9-4 along party lines Wednesday to approve the National Rifle Association-backed measure (HB 245), which would shift the burden of proof from defendants to prosecutors during pre-trial hearings in “stand your ground” cases.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Bobby Payne, R-Palatka, and Rep. Jason Fischer, R-Jacksonville, only has to clear the Judiciary Committee before reaching the House floor during the annual legislative session that starts March 7. A Senate version (SB 128) has already cleared its committees and could be one of the first bills approved by the full Senate next month.

Key court case The proposal stems from a Florida Supreme Court ruling in 2015 that said defendants have the burSee BILL, Page A2

SNAPSHOTS FLORIDA | A3

SpaceX launches supplies

NATION | A6

Senator reflects on Black history BUSINESS | B3

Wal-Mart goes small

ALSO INSIDE

WORLD | A6

Europe ponders life without US

FLORIDA COURIER FILES

Malcolm X, Black America’s “Black shining prince” as he was memorably eulogized by the late actor Ossie Davis, was murdered 52 years ago in New York City on Feb. 21, 1965.

Read an analysis of Malcolm’s continuing worldwide impact on Page A4.

Floridian to lead national NAACP board FROM THE TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

NEW YORK CITY – The NAACP board of directors elected Leon W. Russell as the chair of its board of directors at a meeting on Feb. 18 in New York. Russell replaces Roslyn M. Brock, who decided to step down as chairman after seven years of leadership.

“This is a most prestigious, yet humbling honor and one that escalates in importance as we move into a new era of increased challenges against civil and human rights,” said Russell.

“I am indebted to the work and leader-

Leon W. Russell

Roslyn M. Brock

Derrick Johnson

ship of Chairman Emeritus Brock and President (Cornell) Brooks for inheriting a powerful organization that after 108 years, still remains the most relevant and influential civil rights organization in our nation.

I assure you that I will keep watered the seeds of activism and social justice that the NAACP’s legacy spouts from.”

‘Solid foundation’ Said NAACP President/CEO Cornell William Brooks: “I am proud to welcome Le-

on W. Russell as the new chairman of the NAACP board. His lifelong commitment to civil rights and human rights as a member of the NAACP and leader in the state of Florida, represent a rigorously solid foundation for taking the platform of social justice to greater heights. I cannot think of a better successor to the stewardship of the organization than Mr. Russell.”

“I am honored to have served seven years as chairman of the nation’s most important civil rights group,” said Brock, NAACP board chairwoman since 2010.

“Leon W. Russell is a stalwart NAACP civil and human rights leader who is prepared to lead the NAACP into the future.

“Mr. Russell has been the chief architect in the development of the NAACP’s strategic plan and champion of its organizational policy and resolutions process. His commitment to the Association’s mission of protecting civil rights for all Americans remains unquestioned,” she added.

COMMENTARY: REV. JESSE JACKSON: TRUMP’S TOUGH TALK WON’T FIX CHICAGO | A5 COMMENTARY: LAUREN VICTORIA BURKE: WHY TRUMP LIES ABOUT VOTER FRAUD, CRIME | A5

See NAACP, Page A2

FOCUS

A2

FEBRUARY 24 – MARCH 2, 2017

Beware of Trump trickeration Sometimes a woman’s girlfriend will tell her, “I saw your man last night at the club hugging and kissing another woman!”

When the woman confronts her man and asks questions about the allegation, the man might say, “It wasn’t me. I let my friend use my car. I was at the church at Bible study praying for you and me!”

Big lies work Even though one lie leads to another, the liar’s best weapon is a bigger and better lie!

President Donald Trump is quick to say he is very smart, he knows how to do a deal, he is great and he will make America great again.

In my mind, so far, he has appeared to be the dumbest president the world has ever known.

LUCIUS GANTT THE GANTT REPORT

Can I prove it?

You tell me.

A smart president knows and understands whenever any elected official picks a fight with “Washington,” Washington, D.C. wins! Nixon tried it. Lincoln tried it. Some would say even Bill Clinton tried it. They and others all got beat up in a political way.

Presidents with a brain also know that in private, you can disagree with the press, you can despise the press or you can even hate the press. However, no president with any sense will pick a fight with companies that buy ink by the barrel.

When you reject and try to hide information brought to you by nonpartisan intelligence workers, fire the intelligence messengers and try to cover up high crimes, misdemeanors and government misconduct to protect your political cronies, the information and proof of non-action or cover-ups may be leaked.

When you have a political base of White racists, White supremacists and neo-Nazis, it is easy to fire them up and garnish their support by simply saying, “I will undo everything the ‘N-word’ president did, undo every executive order, every international treaty, every important environmental regulation, every foreign government sanction and everything else.”

More lies When a president has a political base of Klansmen, rednecks and bigots, all you have to do is

We’ll know soon

return home during a legislative recess, many Republicans are dreading facing voters and constituents across the country. Lawmakers have strained to quell the boiling anger at the president and his twisted way to lead your government after a very short time in office.

This legislative recess has turned out to be a stress test for Republicans and Democrats about how much they defend and support President Trump, and how much voter anger politicians will accept and absorb!

Don’t be a victim of presidential trickeration. Reconsider, resist and revolt!

Stand up, speak out and take your government back!

Time will tell who and what is a fake. But if you’re a good gambler and you want to make a few dollars, European bookmakers are taking bets on how long it will be before one political rat is thrown off the governmental ship he has tried to sink!

As your members of Congress

Buy Gantt’s latest book, “Beast Too: Dead Man Writing,” on Amazon.com and from bookstores everywhere.

“Like” The Gantt Report page on Facebook. Contact Lucius at www.allworldconsultants. net.

gather them at an airport and use the presidential airplane as a backdrop and lie about winning public election vote totals – when you lost the public vote by three million votes.

You can lie about “fake news,” “fake polls” and lie about imaginary political accomplishments, like walls that will be paid by Mexico; travel bans that focus on one religion and not others; and about improving health care by rubber-stamping what insurance companies tell you about health care costs.

The current president didn’t inherit a “mess.” The United States Electoral College voted for a mess!

BILL from A1

den of proof to show they should be shielded from prosecution under the “stand your ground” law. In “stand your ground” cases, pre-trial evidentiary hearings are held to determine whether defendants should be immune from prosecution.

Payne said the bill would strengthen the self-defense law and that concerns by critics are “certainly overstated.”

“It does not protect those that are creating some type of felony or assault,” Payne told reporters after Wednesday’s meeting.

“That is not what self-defense is for.”

Racially disproportionate?

Opponents maintain the change would end cases before all the facts are revealed and contend that the “stand your ground” law has disproportionate effects, as it is used more successfully as a defense when White shooters kill African-Americans.

But Rep. Gayle Harrell, a Stuart Republican who was in the House when the “stand your ground” law was approved, said the proposal meets the intent of lawmakers who crafted the law in 2005.

“It’s a shame that we have to come to this point of having to clarify, but I believe that that was the case,” Harrell said.

‘Blanket immunity’ Meanwhile, Rep. Jared Mos-

FLORIDA COURIER FILES

Killers like George Zimmerman, here being placed into custody after shooting Trayvon Martin to death in 2012, may never go to trial if the state’s ‘stand your ground’ law is changed by the Florida Legislature. kowitz, D-Coral Springs, said he could support the change if it were more narrowly defined to situations where there is “overriding evidence.” But he expressed concerns about people who may use the defense when the only witness was killed in the encounter.

“It’s blanket immunity and then we’re saying to the prosecution, ‘You have to undo that immunity if you have enough evidence,’ “ Moskowitz said. “And, ‘Oh by the way you have to do it a pre-trial hearing,’ when usually all witnesses may not have been

MOREHOUSE from A1

Honorees are presented with either a “Bennie” or a “Candle” award.

“Bennie” recipients, who must be Morehouse graduates, receive recognition in the categories of service, achievement, and trailblazing. The award is named in honor of Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, who served as Morehouse president from 1940 to 1967, and is considered a legend among all alumni.

“Candle” recipients are honored for excellence in a variety of fields, including the arts, athletics, business, education, entertainment, government, law, medicine, the military, religion, and science and technology.

List of award winners The 2017 award recipients are as follows: • The Rev. Jonathan L. Walton, from Morehouse’s Class of 1996, is the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at the Harvard Divinity School and the Pusey Minister in the Harvard Memorial Church. Walton has served on the faculty of Harvard University for nearly a decade. He received the Bennie Service Award for Excellence in Religion.

“In 1867, many knew Black lives mattered because of our free labor,” Walton said. “But in 1867, someone came up with the radical idea that Black minds mattered. This was the focus of our past at Morehouse. This must remain and will remain the focus of our future. This, my friends, is Morehouse College – Black minds mattering for 150 years.”

• Theodore Colbert III, also from Morehouse’s Class of 1996, is the chief information officer and senior vice president of Information and Analytics for the Boeing Company. As such, he is responsible for the information technology strategy, operations and processes of the world’s largest aero-

identified and all the evidence may not have been gathered at that point.”

The proposed change, which is supported by the Florida Public Defender Association, was approved by the Senate in a 24-12 vote last year, but failed to advance through the House committee process.

New House leaders, however, appear to have put this year’s version of the bill on the fast track.

Drives up costs Phil Archer, state attorney in the 18th Judicial Circuit in Bre-

space company, and oversees 6,500 information technology and analytics employees. He previously worked in information technology for Citigroup and Ford Motor Company.

Colbert completed the Dual Degree in Engineering program at Morehouse and Georgia Institute of Technology, earning degrees in industrial and systems engineering and interdisciplinary science. He received the Bennie Service Award for Excellence in Business.

“This recognition, I hope, will inspire our young men, when they are in their dorm rooms at 2 a.m. trying to solve some complex differential equation, or trying to solve some hard program… to press on and fight their way through,” Colbert said as he accepted the award.

“We have got to participate in the changes that are being driven by technology. I am an example, the product of a village, a product of a school that builds leadership. And now I am in this field and I hope to inspire many others to do the same.”

• Jon Platt is the chairman and CEO of Warner/Chappell Music. After starting out as a teenaged DJ in his hometown of Denver, Colo., he navigated to the business side of music and helped to launch the recording careers of dozens of artists before they hit the bigtime, including Jay-Z, Drake, Ludacris and Mary Mary. As CEO, Platt has signed diverse artists – Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Led Zeppelin, Kendrick Lamar, and others. He leads global operations of the company, which has offices in more than 40 countries. He received the Candle Award in Music, Business and Entertainment.

“I want to say this to the men who are in school right now,” Platt advised.

“Keep striving, keep pushing forward because, as (his mentor) Vernon Slaughter once told me, ‘There are no losers in anything in life. There are only those who quit before their turn comes.’”

• Usher Raymond is a musician and actor who launched his first album at age 15 and has been on the music

vard and Seminole counties, maintained the proposal would drive up costs as more defense attorneys would request non-jury pre-trial hearings, which give the defense a “free preview of the state’s case.”

“If you flip the burden of proof, there will be zero risk to every defendant in every one of those use-of-force cases. They will ask for that hearing automatically,” said Archer, representing the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association.

Lisa Wiseman, representing the Florida Coalition Against Do-

charts ever since. He is ranked as one of the best-selling artists in American music history, having sold more than 65 million albums worldwide. He has a vast collection of accolades, including eight Grammy Awards and 20 Billboard Music Awards. He launched his New Look Foundation in 1999 to empower youth from impoverished communities to become leaders. He received the Candle Award in Philanthropy, Arts and Entertainment.

“It’s everything to me to stand up here and be recognized as a Black man and be respected by other incredible Black men. I accept it. I accept the responsibility that comes with it. Not to rest on the accolade of it, but to use it as a reminder of the service still yet to come,” Raymond said.

• Tyler Perry is a director, writer, actor and philanthropist who is the comedic genius behind some of the most beloved characters on stage and screen, and the creative genius behind the brand that has become a major force in the entertainment industry.

He received the Candle Award in Philanthropy, Arts and Entertainment.

“I understand how important Morehouse is,” Perry reflected. “This is really special and moving to me. To be honored by an organization that has that kind of history, that has put out those kinds of men in society, it inspires me on so many levels….

“Follow that voice inside that is leading you in the one direction that is the right way. If you believe and know, that is the voice of God,” he told the audience.

Millions for scholarships Since the first gala 29 years ago, Morehouse has presented Bennie and Candle awards to 196 talented individuals from a wide variety of fields.

The event has grossed nearly $18 million since its inception, with net proceeds benefiting the Morehouse College general scholarship fund.

Add Seymour Jr. of Morehouse College contributed to this report.

mestic Violence, said she anticipates an uptick in people using the defense when charged with domestic violence, as victims are often reluctant to testify and cases do not have other witnesses.

Protects defendants?

However, proponents say the measure gives more protections to defendants.

“Anytime the state charges you with a crime, they have the burden of proof, all the way from arrest to the jury room,” said Marion Hammer, lobbyist for the National Rifle Association.

NAACP from A1

Former Florida president Russell most recently served as vice chair of the NAACP’s national board and has been a board member for more 27 years. He was president of the Florida State Conference of Branches of the NAACP from 1996 to 2000, after serving for 15 years as its first vice president.

He is a former director of the Office of Human Rights for Pinellas County government in Clearwater from 1977-2012, where he was responsible for implementation of the county’s human rights and affirmation action ordinances.

Many memberships, awards The recipient of numerous civic awards and citations, Russell also served two terms as president of the International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies. The IAOHRA represents civil rights agencies from the US and abroad responsible for enforcing state and local civil rights laws and the promotion of intergroup relations.

He is also a member of the International City Management Association; the National Forum for Black Public Administrators; on the board of directors of the Children’s Campaign of Florida; a past board member of the Pinellas Opportunity Council; past president and board member of the National Association of Human Rights Workers; and a member of the Blueprint Commission on Juvenile Justice, with responsibility for recommending reforms to improve the juvenile justice system in the state of Florida.

New VP elected The 64-member board also elected Mississippi NAACP State President Derrick Johnson as the board’s vice chairman to replace Russell.

Johnson currently serves as state president of Mississippi’s NAACP branches. He also serves on the board of directors of the Congressional Black Caucus Institute, Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, and as an adjunct professor at Tugaloo College.

FEBRUARY 24 – MARCH 2, 2017

FLORIDA

A3

House backs unanimous juries in death cases Florida's death penalty has been in limbo since a January 2016 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, in a case known as Hurst v. Florida.

to be imposed.

The Senate is also hurriedly moving forward with a similar measure, and leaders in both chambers said they want to get a bill to Gov. Rick Scott by the end of the first week of the legislative session, which begins March 7. Scott has indicated his support for the legislation.

Hurst v. Florida

BY DARA KIM THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

Juries would have to unanimously decide that defendants should be condemned to death, under a fast-tracked proposal aimed at fixing the state's death-penalty sentencing system after a series of court rulings have put executions on hold in Florida for more than a year.

The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday approved a measure (HB 527) that would replace a law requiring at least 10 of 12 jurors to recommend death with the requirement that juries be unanimous in calling for lethal injection

Florida's death penalty has been in limbo since a January 2016 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, in a case known as Hurst v.

Florida. That ruling struck down the state's death penalty sentencing process as unconstitutional because it gave too much power to judges, instead of juries.

The Legislature hurriedly passed a law to address the decision, but a series of rulings by the Florida Supreme Court last fall kept the death penalty suspended.

In a pair of October decisions, the state court ruled that the new law was unconstitutional because it only required 10 jurors to

recommend death "as opposed to the constitutionally required unanimous, 12-member jury."

At the same time, a majority of the court determined that capital cases could not move forward until the Legislature fixed the law.

‘Paralysis’ on cases But on Monday, the court appeared to reverse itself on that position, deciding in a pair of consolidated cases that judges could move forward with capital cases –- dozens of which are on hold, according to prosecutors – even before the statute is changed.

Legislative leaders said this week's seemingly contradictory court ruling will not slow down the progress of the death penalty measures.

The wave of death penalty-related rulings by the Florida court in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in January 2016 "created a great deal of paralysis" about capital cases, House Judiciary Chairman Chris Sprowls, a

former prosecutor, told his panel before the 17-1 vote approving the measure.

"One thing I found that disturbed families more than anything else is uncertainty," Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, said. "It really truly revictimizes them once again. … We will do our small role for those families in ensuring that we have a death penalty statute that is legal and those cases can move forward."

26 exonorees But Herman Lindsey, who was convicted of murder in 2006 and who spent more than a year on Death Row before being exonerated by the Florida Supreme Court in 2009, told the committee that, while the measure would fix the issue regarding unanimity, the law is still troubled.

"The problem that I have with this bill is that it's sort of like putting a Band-Aid over something that needs to be stitched up," he said.

Florida, with 26 Death Row exonorees, leads the nation in the number of condemned prisoners whose sentences have

been overturned, Lindsey said.

"We actually need to stop the whole process and get a better review … instead of taking a chance with an innocent person's life," he said.

10-2 compromise The 10-2 jury recommendation in the law passed last year was a compromise between the Senate – which favored unanimity – and the House, which backed a less-thanunanimous proposal pushed by prosecutors.

Defense lawyers repeatedly warned the Legislature that failing to require unanimous jury recommendations could doom the plan, a position later borne out by the Florida Supreme Court ruling in October.

Some defense lawyers are now advising lawmakers that, even with the potential unanimous jury recommendation, the state law is still problematic because it does not narrow enough the pool of defendants who could be eligible for the death penalty,

something courts consider when they analyze states' capital sentencing laws.

But, in an interview with The News Service of Florida, Sprowls said lawmakers are determined to pass a measure that will address only the issue – unanimity – raised by the Florida Supreme Court.

"It's kind of like having lots of groceries in your hand and you drop one and you go to pick it up and you drop five things more.

What we don't want to do is go in and start tinkering with parts of the scheme that the Supreme Court did not construe as unconstitutional," he said.

"So what we're doing, rather than going and picking up something and dropping everything else, is we're just going to fix the part that they said needed to be fixed. The goal is not just to have a working death penalty statute, but to have one that withstands the court's scrutiny."

Actuator replaced SpaceX determined that the potential issue was with one of two thrust vector control actuators, which help steer the second-stage engine nozzle through flight, Jessica Jensen, Dragon mission manager for SpaceX, said in a postlaunch news conference.

The company replaced the actuator Saturday night and then ran tests on the pad before launch, she said.

This was the company’s second launch since a launch pad explosion in September destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket and a commercial communications satellite.

Sunday’s launch was SpaceX’s 10th mission to deliver supplies to the space station for NASA.

More flights

RED HUBER/ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasts off Feb. 19 from the Kennedy Space Center. Pad 39A was the launch site of a rocket that carried the first U.S. astronauts to the moon. It also was the site of the last space shuttle mission in 2011.

SpaceX launches supplies to space station

BY SAMANTHA MASUNAGA LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

SpaceX launched almost 5,500 pounds of supplies to the International Space Station on Sunday morning after scrubbing its Saturday (Feb. 18) attempt because of a poten-

tial issue with its Falcon 9 rocket.

The rocket lifted off at 9:39 a.m. from Kennedy Space Center. It was the Hawthorne, Calif.based space company’s first launch from Launch Complex 39A, the historic pad where the Apollo and

space shuttle missions launched.

This was the first commercial launch from the pad — the last mission to lift off from 39A was the final space shuttle launch in 2011.

About eight minutes after liftoff, the first-stage

rocket booster landed back on land at the company’s Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

“Baby came back,” SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk tweeted, followed by a snapshot of the return landing.

A closer look

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The Dragon spacecraft, which is carrying the supplies, deployed about 10 minutes after launch. It was set to arrive at the space station early Wednesday morning.

Ballot initiatives will now need 766,000 signatures It will take more signature-gathering – and money – to get proposed constitutional amendments on the 2018 ballot.

The state will require backers of ballot initiatives to submit 766,200 valid signatures to put measures before voters next year, up from the 683,149 needed for 2016 initiatives, according to information posted on the state Division of Elections website.

Under the Florida Constitution, the required total is updated after each presidential election year and is based on 8 percent of the overall number of votes cast.

The Feb. 18 launch was postponed just 13 seconds before liftoff so SpaceX could look into a potential issue with the thrust vector control system on the rocket’s second stage.

Shortly after, the company tweeted that it would take a closer look at the positioning of the secondstage engine nozzle.

“Ninety-nine percent likely to be fine,” Musk tweeted Saturday. “But that 1 percent chance isn’t worth rolling the dice. Better to wait a day.”

Groups that have successfully placed measures on the ballot in the past often have raised large amounts of money to hire petition gatherers.

House to consider ridesharing bill A controversial proposal that would set statewide regulations for ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft is ready to go to the full House after the legislative session starts March 7.

On Tuesday, the House Government Accountability Committee, in a 21-1 vote, supported the measure (HB 221), which would create statewide rules for “transportation

This is the beginning of what SpaceX hopes will be a busy period for Launch Complex 39A. The pad has been configured to accommodate the first flight of the company’s highly anticipated heavy-lift rocket, Falcon Heavy, as well as the first flight of a previously launched first-stage booster, which is slated for March, Jensen said.

The company is hoping to launch from Pad 39A again in about two weeks, she said.

Meanwhile, Jensen said renovations will continue on Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral, which was damaged during the September explosion. SpaceX has completed all of its inspections at the launch pad but still needs to do “a majority of the work there,” Jensen said.

During a Feb. 17 briefing with reporters, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said Space Launch Complex 40 should be operational by the summer.

network companies” and set insurance and background-check requirements for drivers.

It has drawn opposition from the Florida League of Cities and taxicab companies that typically face local regulations. The Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee previously voted 14-1 to support the measure.

Rep. Barbara Watson, D-Miami Gardens, voted against it in both committees, expressing a need for parity between app-based services and taxi companies.

A Senate proposal has not been heard in committees.

–The News Service of Florida

EDITORIAL

A4

FEBRUARY 24 – MARCH 2, 2017

Malcolm X and human rights in the time of Trumpism Fifty-two years ago, on February 21, the world lost the great anti-colonial fighter, Malcolm X. Around the world, millions pause on this anniversary and take note of the life and contribution of Brother Malcolm.

Two years ago, I keynoted a lecture on the legacy of Malcolm X at the American University in Beirut, Lebanon. While I had long been aware of the veneration that Malcolm inspired in various parts of the world, I was still struck by the love and appreciation that so many have for Malcolm beyond activists in the Black world.

Still respected worldwide There are several reasons that might explain why 52 years later, so many still pay homage to Malcolm.

For those of us who operate within the context of the Black Radical Tradition, Malcolm’s political life and philosophy connected three streams of the Black Radical Tradition: nationalism, anti-colonialism and internationalism.

For many, the way in which Malcolm approached those elements account for his appeal.

Yet, I think there is something else. I suspect it is his defiance, his dignity, his courage and his selflessness. For me, it is all of that, but it is also how those elements were reflected in his politics, in particular his approach to the concept of human rights.

The aspects of his thought and practice that distinguished the period of his work in that short year between his break with the Nation of Islam (NOI) in 1964 and his assassination in 1965 included not only his anti-racism and anti-colonialist stance, but also his advocacy of a radical approach to the issue of human rights.

A fighting instrument Malcolm – in the tradition of earlier Black radical activists and intellectuals in the late 1940s – understood the subversive potential of the concept of human rights when philosophically and practically disconnected from its liberal, legalistic, and state-centered genesis.

For Malcolm, internationalizing resistance to the system of racial oppression in the U.S. meant redefining the struggle for constitutional civil rights by transforming the struggle for full recognition of African-American citizenship rights to a struggle for human rights.

This strategy for international advocacy was not new.

African-Americans led by W.E. B. DuBois were present at Ver-

AJAMU BARAKA BLACK AGENDA REPORT

sailles during the post-World War I negotiations to pressure for self-rule for various African nations, including independence from the racist apartheid regime in South Africa.

At the end of the World War II during the creation of the United Nations, African-American radicals forged the possibilities to use this structure as a strategic space to pressure for international support for ending colonization in Africa and fight against racial oppression in the United States.

Studied the process Malcolm studied the process by which various African-American organizations – the National Negro Congress (NNC), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Civil Rights Congress (CRC), petitioned the UN through the Human Rights Commission on behalf of the human rights of African-Americans.

Therefore, in the very first months after his split with the NOI, he already envisioned idea that the struggle of Africans in the U.S. had to be internationalized as a human rights struggle. He advised leaders of the civil rights movement to “expand their civil rights movement to a human rights movement, it would internationalize it.”

Taking a page from the examples of the NNC, NAACP and CRC, The Organization of AfroAmerican Unity (OAAU), one of the two organizations Malcolm formed after leaving the NOI, sought to bring the plight of African-Americans to the United Nations to demand international sanctions against the U.S. for refusing to recognize the human rights of this oppressed nation.

Advocacy vs. struggle However, there was something quite different with Malcolm’s approach to human rights that distinguished him from mainstream civil rights activists. By grounding himself in the radical human rights approach, Malcolm articulated a position on human rights struggle that did not contain itself to just advocacy.

He understood that appealing to the same powers that were responsible for the structures of oppression was a dead end. Those kinds of unwise and potentially

The corporate media IS the enemy Every day, Donald Trump exemplifies the contradictions of this era. He may make a statement that the left can agree with, but not because of shared political beliefs or motives.

That is the case with his latest Twitter statement: “The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @ CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!”

The corporate media generally go out of their way to make nice with presidents and promote their agendas. The feeling is mutual, and presidents make nice right back. Even George W. Bush enjoyed media popularity for most of his two terms in office.

Trump is different He cannot say the words “New York Times” without adding “failing.” He can’t stand criticism, and apparently doesn’t like to work

MARGARET KIMBERLEY BLACK AGENDA REPORT

for praise, either.

The corporate media in this country IS our enemies. Media consolidation has left us with a handful of newspapers and television networks, all controlled by international conglomerates.

They hoped they would make neoliberal heroine Hillary Clinton the next president, but Democratic Party failures and her own weaknesses put Trump in the White House.

The news has been fake long before Trump used those words.

The cozy relationship between Bush and the press gave him cover to invade Iraq and kill 1 mil-

reactionary appeals would never result in substantial structural changes.

Malcolm understood oppressed peoples must commit themselves to radical political struggle in order to advance a dignified approach to human rights.

“We have to make the world see that the problem that we’re confronted with is a problem for humanity. It’s not a Negro problem; it’s not an American problem. You and I have to make it a world problem, make the world aware that there’ll be no peace on this earth as long as our human rights are being violated in America.”

And if the U.S. and the international community does not address the human rights plight of the African-American, Malcolm is clear on the course of action: “If we can’t be recognized and respected as a human being, we have to create a situation where no human being will enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

‘Be ready to die’ Malcolm’s approach to the realization of human rights was one in which human agency is at the center. If oppressed individuals are not willing to fight for their human rights, Malcolm suggested that “you should be kept in the cotton patch where you’re not a human being.”

If you are not ready to pay the price required to experience full dignity as a person and as members of a self-determinant people, then you will be consigned to the “zone of non-being,” as Franz Fanon refers to that place where the non-European is assigned.

Malcolm referred to that zone as a place where one is a sub-human: “You’re an animal that belongs in the cotton patch like a horse and a cow, or a chicken or a possum, if you’re not ready to pay the price that is necessary to be paid for recognition and respect as a human being.

“And what is that price?...The price to make others respect your human rights is death. You have to be ready to die…

“It’s time for you and me now to let the world know how peaceful we are, how well-meaning we are, how law-abiding we wish to be. But at the same time, we have to let the same world know we’ll blow their world sky-high if we’re not respected and recognized and treated the same as other human beings are treated.”

Authentic human rights This approach to human rights struggle is the basis of what I lion people. The correspondents’ dinners and the private briefings create media haves and havenots, and taint the journalism that comes from this collusion.

Obama made the private briefing a standard operating practice and kept Democratic pundits in his thrall – not that he had to work hard to win them over.

Trump considers anyone an enemy who doesn’t love him; therefore, he is no friend of the press. But the rest of us should not rush to defend them, either.

They do not defend us.

In 2016, they stood with Hillary Clinton while Bernie Sanders, despite his political failings, revealed the weaknesses in the Democratic Party. He was mocked, the desire for change was ignored, and as a result Trump is the 45th president.

They never took Obama to task for his foreign aggressions. They repeated lies about foreign leaders who fell into Obama’s crosshairs. They said nothing about job-stealing trade deals or the dishonesty which gave us more private health insurance when we needed “Medicare for All.”

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: DEREGULATING WALL STREET

LUOJIE, CHINA DAILY, CHINA

call the People(s)-Centered approach to human rights struggle.

People(s)-Centered Human Rights (PCHR) are those nonoppressive rights that reflect the highest commitment to universal human dignity and social justice that individuals and collectives define and secure for themselves through social struggle.

This is the Black Radical Tradition’s approach to human rights.

It is an approach that views human rights as an arena of struggle that, when grounded and informed by the needs and aspirations of the oppressed, becomes part of a unified comprehensive strategy for de-colonization and radical social change.

The PCHR framework provides an alternative and a theoretical and practical break with the race and class-bound liberalism and mechanistic state-centered legalism that informs mainstream human rights.

The people-centered framework proceeds from the assumption that the genesis of the assaults on human dignity that are at the core of human rights violations is located in the relationships of oppression.

The real enemies The PCHR framework does not pretend to be non-political. It is a political project in the service of the oppressed. It names the enemies of freedom: the Western White supremacist, colonial/ capitalist patriarchy.

Therefore, the realization of authentic freedom and human dignity can only come about as a result of the radical alteration of the structures and relationships that determine and often deny human dignity. In other words, it is only through social revolution that human rights can be realized.

List of demands The demands for clean water; safe and accessible food; free quality education; healthcare

No ‘real news’ Do the media report on mass incarceration? Do they tell viewers and readers that half of all Americans live on $31,000 per year or less? Do they reveal the devastation created by American regime change or give voice to its victims?

No. They engage in a mutual admiration society. Having covered up great wrongdoing, they now act as gatekeepers against Trump.

But let us imagine if Trump were to suddenly have a change of heart and personality. Suppose he stopped calling the New York Times “failing.” Suppose he decided to make friends.

Suddenly, we would see stories about his underappreciated brilliance. The planned wall on the Mexican border would be called a master stroke. The travel ban of citizens from seven mostly Muslim nations would be deemed a legal breakthrough.

Trump’s not wrong When Trump calls the press “the enemy,” one must remember that the Washington Post was

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and healthiness for all; housing; public transportation; wages and a socially productive job that allow for a dignified life; ending of mass incarceration; universal free child care; opposition to war and the control and eventual elimination of the police; self-determination; and respect for democracy in all aspects of life are some of the people-centered human rights that can only be realized through a bottom-up mass movement for building popular power.

By shifting the center of human rights struggle away from advocacy to struggle, Malcolm laid the foundation for a more relevant form of human rights struggle for people still caught in the tentacles of Euro-American colonial dominance.

The PCHR approach that creates human rights from the bottom-up views human rights as an arena of struggle. Human rights do not emanate from legalistic texts negotiated by states; it comes from the aspirations of the people. Unlike the liberal conception of human rights that elevates some mystical notions of natural law (which is really bourgeois law) as the foundation of rights, the “people” in formation are the ethical foundation and source of PCHRs. Trumpism is the logical outcome of the decades-long assault of racialized neoliberal capitalism. Malcolm showed us how to deal with Trumpism, and the PCHR movement that we must build will move us to that place where collective humanity must arrive if we are to survive and build a new world.

And we will – “by any means necessary.”

Ajamu Baraka was the 2016 candidate for vice president on the Green Party ticket. He is an editor and contributing columnist for the Black Agenda Report and contributing columnist for Counterpunch magazine. purchased by Amazon owner Jeff Bezos. Bezos then used Amazon’s cloud technology as means of getting a $750 million contract with the CIA. Late in 2016, the Post runs a fake news story calling outlets like Black Agenda Report agents of the Russian government and begins the process of making repression a reality. To complicate matters further, Bezos is one of eight billionaires on the planet with as much wealth as half of humanity. Anyone with a fat CIA contract who literally controls the world is certainly no friend of the people.

No one should be fooled by Trump’s bloviating. Nor should they be fooled by phony outrage from guilty parties. The media are in bed with the rulers, and that makes them enemies of the first order.

Margaret Kimberley’s column appears weekly in BlackAgendaReport.com. Contact her at Margaret.Kimberley@ BlackAgendaReport.com.

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FEBRUARY 24 – MARCH 2, 2017

Louisiana is quickly evolving Louisiana today is a very different state from the time of my youth. I love the place, as my bloodlines have lived there since the 1830s.

I can begin tracing my roots through my four great-grandfathers. On my father’s side, there are Harry Watkins and Cicero Alford. Harry’s people came to America through a slave market in Virginia, perhaps Richmond.

From there he was sold to slave owners in Bossier Parish, La. Cicero came through the slave market in Savannah, Ga. His master (perhaps his father, James Alford) operated a plantation in Noonan, Ga. From there they moved to eastern Alabama and then eventually settled in Bossier Parish.

On my mother’s side, there is Rev. James Salter and Bill Brown.

Both seem to have come through Savannah also. James ended up in Webster Parish, La.

Bred by owners Bill was unique. He was physically well-built. He was drafted into the breeding industry. Slave masters would buy him like a strong bull and had him impregnate as many women as possible.

He traveled from plantation to plantation and eventually ended up in Webster Parish also. He must have had more than100 children.

HARRY C. ALFORD GUEST COLUMNIST

One of his last children was my grandfather, Isaiah Brown. Many of Bill’s descendants have been blessed with his physical prowess.

When World War II started, America began changing. Many males in my family went overseas to defend our nation. The war provided a job surge as America built up its industrial might to prosecute the war. My parents and their siblings started moving to Southern California to be free from Jim Crow racism and to provide adequate funding for their growing families.

Visited often Still, they loved Louisiana. My relatives would visit there every two years, more if there was a funeral. I was born in Ventura, Calif., and most of my relatives were in the greater Los Angeles area.

As a high school student, I would spend summers with my grandparents, aunts and uncles. I rotated every few days spending time and understanding their local environment. Often, I would run in-

Trump’s tough talk won’t fix Chicago Donald Trump is fixated on what he describes as the “carnage” going on in Chicago, suggesting that if Chicago’s horrendous homicide rate doesn’t come down, he’ll “send in the feds.” At his recent press conference, he announced plans to create “a task for reducing violent crime in America, including the horrendous situation – take a look at Chicago and others – taking place right now in our inner cities.”

During his campaign, Trump suggested that he knew the answer for solving the crime problem in Chicago: “How? By being very much tougher than they are right now.” He claimed he met with a couple of top Chicago police officers and one said, “I’d be able to stop it in one week,” if they could take the gloves off.

REV. JESSE L. JACKSON, SR. TRICE EDNEY NEWSWIRE

of just how harsh Chicago police have been on young African-American men. His comments above came in the wake of the protests over the use of force by the police, including the murder of Laquan McDonald that was caught on camera and covered up.

Why is the homicide rate so high in Chicago? Actually, it came down earlier in this decade as it did in other cities, but has spiked in recent years.

Trump defines the situation correctly when he says there are two Chicagos. “There’s one ChiTrump doesn’t know cago that’s incredible, luxurious Trump apparently has no idea and all – and safe. There’s another

Education is critical I thought about his quote when teaching a History of the Black Press course at the University of the District of Columbia. When discussing the editorial in Freedom’s Journal, the first Black newspaper (March 11, 1827) in this country, I read them the following excerpts presented by editors Samuel E. Cornish and John W. Russwurm: “Education being an object of the highest importance to the welfare of society, we shall endeavor to present just and adequate views of it, and to urge our brethrens the necessity and expediency of training their children, while young, to habits of industry and those preparing them to become useful members of society...

“The civil rights of a people being of the greatest value, it shall ever be our duty to vindicate our brethren when oppressed; and to lay the case before the publick. We shall also urge upon our brethren...the expediency of using their elective franchise; and of making an independent use of the same. We wish them not to become the tools of party...”

Not ‘stupid’

A5

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: ‘TRUMP NEWS’

to some of my California relatives and friends doing the same thing.

Those were great times learning the ways of my elders and fellow cousins. It was the best thing my mother could have done for me.

When you know your roots, you become “whole.”

We were heartbroken about the Katrina disaster. However, there were no deaths in my family; we all got by. The land is still there and the damage has been repaired.

Life in Louisiana is growing economically at a nice pace. Energy is the economic base and is growing by leaps and bounds. Despite the last eight years of environmentalists’ attacks on the state’s economy, the economic world is quickly ural gas to new industrial heights. changing for the better.

We are even exporting it. The longawaited Keystone Pipeline is startGambling money ing to roll, which will bring thouLouisiana’s political leaders sands of good-paying union-wage have wisely taken advantage of the jobs. The new Bayou Bridge Pipefact that its neighbor Texas refusline is in the planning stages. This es to legalize gambling. They have will bring in 2,500 new construcopened casinos and race tracks all tion jobs immediately. The Lake along their border.

Charles area is planning on creFrom Bossier Parish to Calcasieu ating more than 7,000 new highParish, casinos and race tracks are popping up and generate windfall paying jobs within the next three profits. Visit Louisiana Downs race months.

RICK MCKEE, THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE

ment of the Panama Canal, new shipping lanes are in place traveling from the West Coast to the Gulf and East Coast regions by sea, as opposed to costlier long-distance road or rail travel.

State-funded colleges are working diligently expanding to prepare their human talent to rise to the challenge of a well-educated and trained workforce. A great investment for the future!

All of this makes me and every other child with Louisiana roots so proud. God is blessing Louisiana!

track in Bossier Parish, and all you see in the parking lot are cars with Busy ports Louisiana’s ports are bustling Texas license plates. They have alHarry C. Alford is the coso made it a great attraction for the with more shipping activity and founder and president/CEO of expansion plans are underway the National Black Chamber of filming industry.

Fracking has brought back nat- for all of them. With the enlarge- Commerce.

Chicago that’s worse than almost any of the places in the Middle East that we talk about, and that you talk about every night on the newscasts.”

Chicago is the most segregated large city in the country. Poverty is concentrated in poor, largely African-American neighborhoods.

With concentrated poverty and grotesque youth unemployment, drugs and guns spread and crime and homicide follow.

By design Trump doesn’t say how Chicago got that segregated. It wasn’t an accident.

Housing segregation was enforced by urban planning, restrictive zoning and housing covenants. Violence frustrated efforts to push integration. The result is two cities, segregated and massively unequal.

In the neighborhoods of concentrated poverty in Chicago, nearly half of the young Black men are neither in school nor employed. A dire new study from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Great Cities Institute reported that over 80 percent of Chicago’s Afri-

Visions not fulfilled after 190 years In the February 1981 issue of Ebony Magazine, brilliant journalist/historian, Lerone Bennett, Jr., provided the best reason for studying and learning from history that I have ever heard or read.

“The past,” he wrote in an article, ‘Why Black History Is Important to You,’ “is a bet that your father placed that you must now cover.” I believe Lerone would now say “ancestors” rather than “fathers,” but his point is clear and precise.

EDITORIAL

A. PETER BAILEY TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

I also discussed “David Walker’s Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World,” but in particular and very expressly, to those of the United States of America: “I would crawl on my hands and knees through mud and mire to the feet of the learned man, where I would sit and humbly supplicate him to instill into me that which neither the devils nor the tyrants could remove, only with my life for coloured people to acquire learning in this country, makes tyrants quake and tremble on their sandy foundations.

‘Like devils’ “The Whites have always been an unjust, jealous, unmerciful, avaricious and blood-thirsty set of beings always seeking after power and authority...In fine we view them all over Europe, together with what was scattered about in Asia and Africa as heathens, and we see them acting more like devils than accountable men. But some may ask, did not the Blacks of Africa and mulattoes of Asia, go on in the same way as did the Whites of Europe. I answer no – they never were half as avaricious, deceitful and unmerciful as the Whites, according to their knowledge.”

The sentiments expressed in those two publications, one published in 1827, the other in 1829, are some that we are still dealing with in 2017 – nearly 190 years later. Let’s hope that many more of us will commit to covering the bets placed by our ancestors such as Cornish, Russwurm and Walker.

Cornish and Russwurm continued, “Useful knowledge of every kind, and everything that relates to Africa, shall find a ready admission into our columns; and as that continent becomes daily more known, we trust that many things will come to light, proving A. Peter Bailey’s latest book is that the natives are neither so ignorant and stupid as they have generally been “Witnessing Brother Malcolm X, the supposed to be.”

Master Teacher.”

can-American 16- to 19-year-olds have no jobs. This is a recipe for violence, gangs and trouble.

Some blame gangs and the easy access to guns and drugs. But this is confusing symptoms and causes.

“Where do gangs come from?

You can’t divorce the gang problem from the problem of deep concentrations of poverty,” says Robert J. Sampson, author of “Great American City: Chicago and the Enduring Neighborhood Effect.”

Racially segregated, impoverished communities suffer from having no jobs, no hospitals, poor schools, mean streets, environmental toxins and inadequate housing. The persistence of violence and concentrated poverty in Chicago comes, Sampson concludes, from “extensive social and economic segregation.”

neighborhoods.

Jobs for young people make a dramatic difference. We need mixed-income housing throughout the metropolitan area. Experiments that moved people from impoverished Englewood to affluent suburban neighborhoods proved remarkably successful. Revitalization of urban neighborhoods and breaking down walls of segregated living patterns requires leadership – from the city and from the federal government.

If Trump truly wants to succeed in reducing homicides in Chicago, he should not only be meeting with the mayor and the governor but also with other elected officials, ministers and community leaders – offering a major plan to rebuild those neighborhoods and put people, particularly young people, to work – while opening up mixed-income housing across Real solutions the metropolitan area.

The solution to crime and hoTougher cops sounds macho, micides in Chicago isn’t tougher but it’s a posture, not a policy; a dipolice tactics. Chicago police are version, not an answer. already infamous for how tough The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. is they are. The solution is a deconcentration of poverty along with president and CEO of the Rainrevitalization of impoverished bow/PUSH Coalition.

Why Trump lies about voter fraud, crime During a recent interview on “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos, President Trump’s senior advisor Stephen Miller lied about voter fraud during the 2016 elections.

LAUREN Miller couldn’t produce a shred of evidence VICTORIA BURKE when Stephanopoulos pressed him on the subject.

NNPA COLUMNIST But Miller was just repeating what his boss said shortly before the election. At a rally in day Republicans is still the “Southern StrateCleveland, Ohio on October 23, 2016, presi- gy” – they’ve just added Hispanics to the list dential candidate Donald Trump said that, of targets.

“14 percent of noncitizens are registered to The Immigration Customs Enforcement vote.”

(ICE) raids started only two days after Attorney General Sessions was sworn in. Trump Coming together tweeted about his “crackdown on illegal Trump entered office lying about vot- criminals” a day after an ICE spokeswoman er fraud and threatening an investigation. stated that, “ICE regularly conducts targeted More recently, the lying crossed over into the topic of an increased “crime wave” enforcement operations during which addithat doesn’t exist. Now, the lies about a vast tional resources and personnel are dedicatAmerican crime wave and record levels of il- ed to apprehending deportable foreign nationals legal voting seem to be coming together.

On January 23, during a meeting with members of Congress and the White House, Trump ‘lying’ Trump lied about voting again. Trump and “The president is lying when he says deMiller appear to be lying for two reasons. porting immigrants is about fighting crime,” First, Trump can’t come to terms with wrote Rep. Luis Gutierrez on February 10. the fact that Hillary Clinton received almost “The president wants to show off and it apthree million more votes than he did. Second, the Trump administration appears to pears he has unleashed the Department of be laying the groundwork to justify a new Homeland Security to kick out large numlaw that would make it harder for people to bers of immigrants and anyone they encounter, without much oversight, review or vote, particularly minorities. due process.”

Gutierrez, who represents parts of ChiNot different cago, continued: “There is very little official Trump’s attorney general, former Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, had a history information on what appears to be a new as an assistant US attorney of prosecuting Trump deportation initiative. Homeland SeAfrican-Americans who were registering curity is deporting moms…under the smoke too many other African-Americans to vote. screen of criminal or anti-terror actions.”

There’s no reason to believe that Sessions won’t pick up where he left off in Alabama Lost popular vote in the 1970s.

Republicans have lost the popular vote Though Sessions’ past statements and acover two presidential elections since 2000. tions in Alabama are clear, the public perThe demographics in the country are beception of Sessions the man is mixed.

American history of the disenfranchise- coming more Black and Brown. Researchers ment of African-American (and other mi- estimate that the share of White voters will nority) voters is also clear. In the late 1800s, fall a few percentage points every four years.

Trump, Miller and many others in the it was a poll tax, literacy tests and other requirements that Black voters were unlikely GOP are well aware of the math. to meet. Today it’s voter ID, closing polling Lauren Victoria Burke is a political anplaces, cutting Sunday voting and purging alyst who speaks on politics and Africanvoting rolls.

The continued strategy used by present- American leadership.

TOJ A6

NATION & WORLD

FEBRUARY 24 – MARCH 2, 2017

Europe ponders how to manage without US Foreign leaders dazed and confused over mixed messages from White House

BY NICK WADHAMS AND MARC CHAMPION BLOOMBERG NEWS/TNS

WASHINGTON – U.S. Vice President Mike Pence flew out of Munich on Sunday, Feb. 19, leaving America’s allies relieved of some of their worst fears about the new administration’s foreign policy, yet still uncertain as to who will formulate it.

And for many of the Europeans who listened to Pence, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly over that weekend, the perception of chaos in Washington also raised an equally unsettling question: How much should Europe start doing on its own?

Bewilderment over the mixed messages from President Donald Trump and his top officials was a theme that emerged from those meeting U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at a gathering of foreign ministers in Bonn last week.

No Q&A It continued through the Munich Security Conference, reflecting the unusual teething problems of the administration’s foreign and security policy team.

Pence and Mattis declined to take questions after their addresses, frustrating some of the attendees who were seeking more clarity.

“The real shock was what you could call the dog that didn’t bark,” said Francois Heisbourg, a veteran security analyst and former French diplomat. “We used to see this from the Soviets and occasionally the Chinese. But to have American officials speaking in plenary sessions and refusing to take questions, it’s unbelievable.”

This sense of chaos, as well as the barely started process of filling posts below cabinet level, were lively topics of conversation

SIPA USA/TNS

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson attends the opening session at the World Conference Center Bonn in Bonn, Germany, on Feb. 16.

The G20 foreign ministers met to prepare the upcoming G20 summit in July in Hamburg. in Munich, said Sandy Vershbow, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia and deputy secretary general of NATO. “I’m struck by how many European representatives here have read the collected works of Steve Bannon,” he said, referring to Trump’s chief strategist, who until last year ran the news website, Breitbart, and is thought to be an influential voice on the National Security Council.

Europe’s next move Given political turmoil on the continent, with populists challenging established parties in the Netherlands, France and Germany in elections this year, how America’s NATO allies in Europe will respond is as unclear as Trump’s foreign policy.

But there was consensus on what Europe ought to do: Spend

more on defense, take care of its own back yard and obsess less about what’s happening in the White House.

“Rather than parse every statement from a U.S. official and every tweet from the White House, Europeans need to start thinking about what they have to do for themselves,” said Mark Leonard, director of the Brusselsbased European Council on Foreign Relations, speaking in a bar during the conference. Europe, he said, has been “infantilized and emasculated” by decades of over-reliance on the U.S. security umbrella.

Military command Chancellor Angela Merkel called for increased military integration between Germany and France. With the U.K. negotiating to leave the EU, a major hurdle to

long-shelved projects for creating a consolidated military command and even centralized funding will also be removed.

If Germany and France alone were to meet their 2 percent targets by 2024, that could add more than $40 billion to their defense spending, almost two thirds of what Russia spends today, according to Heisbourg. And while Germany may well not meet the 2020 target in full, the increases involved will be militarily significant, he said.

Numerous U.S. presidents have pressed other NATO members to spend more on defense in the past, to little effect. European nations have also steadfastly refused to consolidate their defense industries or coordinate procurement to give the euros they do spend as much punch as a dollar spent by the U.S. or a ru-

ble spent by Russia.

A report compiled for the Munich conference counted 17 different families of main battle tanks in production in Europe, compared to one in the U.S.; 20 types of fighter aircraft compared to six; and 29 makes of destroyers and frigates in Europe to four in the U.S. But this time may be different, according to some at the conference, both due to the convergence of threats Europe now faces — a revanchist Russia, jihadist terrorists, a refugee crisis and Brexit — and the uncertainty introduced by Trump.

This story was written with assistance from Matthew Miller Ian Wishart Jonathan Tirone Toluse Olorunnipa Patrick Donahue Elena Gergen-Constantine and Ilya Arkhipov.

To think about that place at that time and where we are today … it is hard not to understand and appreciate the pain, the suffering, the challenges, the disgust and now, the brilliance, the life, the vitality and the hopefulness that is hardwired into one location where people from around the world come to visit.

Just to walk on the street where … you had human beings on auction. That is just devastating to think about, tragic. And at the same time, to fast-forward a couple of hundred years and to understand the power of change, to understand the power of hope, to understand the pain and suffering … that makes me possible.

I always say, because it’s true, that I literally stand on the shoulders of giants who paid such a high price so that I could represent … the entire state. So it is not lost on me the pain and suffering and sacrifice, nor is it lost on me the growth, the tremendous transformation that is possible within human beings.

On Obama’s election

ROBERTO KOLTUN/MIAMI HERALD/TNS

From left, Senators Tim Scott, Marco Rubio and Pastor Gary Johnson talk to the media after a meeting with religious leaders at Jackson Soul Food on Nov. 2, 2016 in Miami.

Black senator reflects on ‘what’s possible' What historic win meant for GOP leader from South

BY JASON DICK CQ-ROLL CALL/TNS

WASHINGTON – Sen. Tim Scott sees a lot of progress in his election and the election of the first African-American president more than eight years ago. Both show “what’s possible,” he said.

Roll Call’s series of interviews with lawmakers and Capitol Hill figures during Black History Month continues with our discussion with the South Carolina Republican.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Roll Call: Sen. Tim Scott, you are the first popularly elected Black senator from the South since Reconstruction, and that makes you a very influential, historic figure. I know you’ve got a job to do just like any other senator, but that’s particularly meaningful, is it not?

Sen. Tim Scott: Certainly, it is.

It says a lot about who we are as a nation, in terms of where we’ve come from and where we’re going, I think. Sitting in the seat that I sit in, it really reflects on the evolution of the average voter in the South, specifically in South Carolina.

I ran for Congress against the

son of Strom Thurmond, in the place, the location where the first shot of the Civil War was heard.

And the voters of that congressional district elected me to be their Congress member.

It tells me that the human heart continues to evolve and that the transformative power that exists in life is real. And as much as it is a blessing for me to serve, it says so much more about the very people who allowed me to serve by voting for me. So, I’m excited about the success and the distance that we have crossed as a nation and specifically as a state. It just says so much about where we could go — what’s possible.

Charleston and slavery RC: A lot of people might have this idea of South Carolina as just being part of the Deep South, but it has extra significance in terms of African-American history and culture. Tell us a little about that — the parts of the African-American experience that are reflected at home.

TS: The No. 1 tourist destination in the nation, four years running, I believe, is Charleston, South Carolina. And the epicenter of a lot of that activity is Market Street. Between 40 and 50 percent of all slaves that came into this country came to Market Street. It was a place where you marketed Black people.

RC: You’re from a different political party from the most recent president, but what was going through your mind when you saw former President Barack Obama’s helicopter take off after eight years of the first Black president’s term?

TS: Probably, I think I went backwards eight years. Back to November of 2008. I was driving my grandfather to vote — I think he was around 86 years old or so. And he just could not believe that there was a chance that this country, his country, would elect a Black man to be president.

I would like to say that (it was) after the results came in that my grandfather was teary-eyed — it wasn’t. It was actually on the way in to vote, where he had tears in his eyes, which was only the second time I’ve seen him cry — in 2001, when his wife died and in 2008, to go vote for President Obama. And he was illiterate, so I had to go push the button for him.

So I went into the voting booth with him and, he wanted me to get it right. “Don’t mess this one up.” It moved me, I was crying with him, basically. What a hopeful day, for this nation. What a hopeful day. I hope that we relive that level of optimism about who we can be as one nation under God.

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

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FEBRUARY 24 – MARCH 2, 2017

Pioneer Blacks in the military See page B4

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

Actors weigh in on interracial love story See page B5

SOUTH FLORIDA / TREASURE COAST AREA

WWW.FLCOURIER.COM

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The Smithsonian Institution’s national museum has become the premier place for Black history and culture

BY BREANNA EDWARDS THEROOT.COM

T

he National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., has reached a huge milestone in the few months it has been opening, hitting its 1 million visitors mark last week.

The Smithsonian Institution museum announced the milestone Monday, noting that it has been just a little more than four months since its Sept. 24 opening.

According to it website, the length of time a visitor stays in the museum is unmatched, with most visitors averaging six hours or more on the weekends, compared to the 75 minutes to two hours for most museums.

“The opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture was a 13-year journey to foster a broader understanding of the black experience in a national and international context,” Lonnie Bunch, the museum’s founding director, said a press release.

“It has truly become a place of healing, reconciliation and celebration where people can embrace not only African-American history and culture, but how that layered history has shaped America’s identity.”

In addition to the museum being a must-see in and of itself, according to the website, the museum’s restaurant, Sweet Home Café, was named one of 20 semifinalists nominated for the 2017 James Beard Foundation Awards in the category of Best New Restaurant.

For more information on the museum, visit https:// nmaahc.si.edu.

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The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African-American life, history, and culture.

It was established by Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of Blacks. WALLY SKALIJ/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS 1

On Dec. 16, 2003, President George W. Bush signed legislation creating the National Museum of African American History and Culture. It finally opened last year.

“A Changing America’’ is one of the exhibits. The collection of historical artifacts, documents, photography and media at the museum now numbers close to 37,000.

ALAN KARCHMER/NMAAHC

ALAN KARCHMER/NMAAHC

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A Jim Crow-era segregated passenger train coach restored is on display.

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KEN CEDENO/ MCCLATCHY/TNS

The traveling trunks used by George Thompson Garrison in the Civil War are on display at D.C. museum. KEN 5

CEDENO/MCCLATCHY/TNS

CALENDAR

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FEBRUARY 24 – MARCH 2, 2017

STOJ

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR

WILL DOWNING Tickets are on sale for Jazz in the Gardens.

It’s March 18 and 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

Performers will include Jill Scott, Will Downing, Esperanza Spalding, Common and Andra Day. Full lineup: jazzinthegardens.com.

Tampa: A Black composers concert featuring the USF Choral program is Feb. 24 at the USF Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m.

Miami: A Jazz Roots concert takes place Feb. 24 at the Arsht Center. The show is at 8 p.m.

Pembroke Pines: Kool and the Gang will perform March 10 at the Pembroke Pines City Center.

PATTI LABELLE

Catch Patti LaBelle on March 14 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale.

GEORGE CLINTON

George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic are scheduled March 3 at the House of Blues Orlando and March 5 at the Parker Playhouse in Fort Lauderdale.

Author shares personal story in book on obesity

Dana Rosser discussed issues related to health, the morbidly obese, and support for loved ones of the nutritionally challenged on “The Dr. Oz Show.’’

An Orlando author is sharing her personal story about dealing with a family member’s obesity in her book, “Thru Thick & Think, Facing Obesity Thru the Eyes of a Loved One.’’ In the book, Dana M. Rosser shares her personal journey of falling in love with, and marrying a man who was morbidly obese.

As her story unfolds, she unveils a blueprint for how she offset these struggles and learned to show a gen-

erosity of support, while her loved one received needed treatment to live a healthy life.

“My buried feelings of fear, anxiety, frustration, sadness and, yes, anger with regard to my husband’s obesity would keep me from doing the things that were healthy for me – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually,” she said.

“Since I couldn’t change the reality of my situation

Miami: The WDNA Miami Downtown Jazz Festival is Feb. 25 at the Bayfront Park Amphitheater featuring Paquito D’rivera, Jane Bunnett, Hubert Laws and Chico Pinheiro.

Tampa: Catch Charlie Wilson’s “In It to Win

and I couldn’t change my husband (460 pounds), I had to face the reality that the only person I could change was me.’’

On ‘Oz,’ ‘Oprah’ She has shared her personal experience and discussed issues related to support for families and the nutritionally challenged on “The Dr. Oz Show’’ and numerous television news and radio broadcasts. She also appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show’’ in 2006.

A native of Akron, Ohio, Rosser is a graduate of the University of Akron with a

it Tour’ with Fantasia and Solero on March 23 at the USF Sun Dome.

Jacksonville: Audra McDonald performs March 12 at the Times-Union Center Performing Arts Center.

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

Fort Lauderdale: Smokey Robinson is scheduled March 7 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.

Orlando: The Autism Society of Greater Orlando will host its 12th annual 12th Annual Autism Space Walk and Family Fun Night on March 18 at the Orlando Science Center from 6 to 9 p.m. Register at www.asgo.org.

degree in marketing.

She is co-author of “Unbreakable Spirit Rising Above the Impossible,’’ and has lectured for the National Medical Association, Harvard Patients Safety and Obesity Surgery Conference, and the American Academy of Family Practitioners Conference.

Rosser lives in Orlando with her husband, Dr. James “Butch” Rosser Jr., a world-renowned laparoscopic surgeon. They are the parents of five children.

The author can be reached via email at Dana@FacingObesity.com.

Her website is facingobesity.com.

From left to right are Kim Bokamper, Larry Little, Dan Marino, Bob Griese and Nat Moore.

Miami Dolphins re-sign legendary players The Miami Dolphins announced Wednesday the re-signing of quarterbacks Bob Griese and Dan Marino, wide receiver Nat Moore, guard Larry Little, defensive end/linebacker Kim Bokamper and cornerback Sam Madison.

Each player signed a contract and will officially retire as members of the Miami Dolphins.

According to a press release, the six former players were added to the active roster to emphasize

the bond between the organization and the team’s alumni, who helped established the rich legacy of the Miami Dolphins.

Each player was named as one of the top 50 players in franchise history

and have combined for three Hall of Fame inductions, two NFL Most Valuable Player awards, two retired jerseys, 14 first-team All-Pro honors and 25 Pro Bowl selections (15 Pro Bowl starts).

ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE ®

A LIFE-ALTERING WORK

“ . WHATEVER YOU THINK ABOUT THE PAST AND FUTURE OF WHAT USED TO BE CALLED ‘RACE RELATIONS,’ THIS MOVIE WILL MAKE YOU THINK AGAIN, AND MAY EVEN CHANGE YOUR MIND.” A. O. SCOTT,

“A COMBUSTIBLE CALL TO ACTION,

A MASTERFUL WORK OF DOCUMENTARY CINEMA, AND

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FILMS TO COME ALONG IN RECENT YEARS.” JEN YAMATO,

THE DAILY BEAST

UNFORGETTABLE.” “ESSENTIAL.” “TIMELESS.”

“

PETER TRAVERS,

CHRIS NASHAWATY,

DAVID EDELSTEIN,

NOTHING SHORT OF MIRACULOUS. IT IS BEYOND RELEVANT.”

“

LAPACAZO SANDOVAL,

★★★★” “★★★★” “★★★★” “★★★★”

“

★★★★” “★★★★” “★★★★” “★★★★”

“

DIRECTED BY RAOUL PECK WRITTEN BY JAMES BALDWIN WITH THE VOICE OF SAMUEL L. JACKSON

© 2016 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

ST. PETERSBURG STARTS FRIDAY, BRANDON AMC THE REGENCY 20 AMC SUNDIAL 20 2496 W Brandon Blvd 151 2nd Ave North FEBRUARY 24 amctheatres.com amctheatres.com

TAMPA AMC VETERANS 24 9302 Anderson Rd amctheatres.com

CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES

STOJ

FEBRUARY 24 – MARCH 2, 2017

BUSINESS & PERSONAL FINANCE

B3 is sold from six taps, regular, decaf and flavored.

There’s a healthy selection with fruit cups, yogurt and “Market Side” branded salads and wraps, but no calorie counts on the labels.

The rectangle-shaped building sits in front of a row of 16 gasoline pumps, all under cover.

Online concept too

ASHLEY LANDIS/DALLAS MORNING NEWS/TNS

Above is the exterior of a new Walmart convenience store in Crowley, Texas.

Soda, snacks, data

Wal-Mart goes small with pilot convenience stores Quick-service sites open in Texas and Arkansas

BY MARIA HALKIAS DALLAS MORNING NEWS/TNS

CROWLEY, Texas – In a parking lot on Main Street

in this nondescript town of 14,000, Wal-Mart is testing out what it hopes could be its next small thing — a genuine convenience store.

Walk into the 2,500square-foot store, and the surroundings feel familiar.

There’s the multi-colored ICEE machine, hot dogs

sizzling on a roller, and beer stacked in a walk-in refrigerator.

It’s one of two convenience stores Wal-Mart opened last month. The other is in Rogers, Ark., near Wal-Mart’s Bentonville headquarters. Both stores are in the parking lots of Wal-Mart Super-

It’s a far cry from Amazon Go, a self-service food store that Amazon recently opened on the street level of one of its corporate buildings in Seattle.

Amazon hasn’t said much about another store under construction in Seattle with a drive-up canopy area in front of a building that locals speculate is for online grocery pickups.

Wal-Mart is also working on a convenience store concept for its online grocery shoppers.

centers. Wal-Mart continues to test small store formats even though it abandoned its 12,000-squarefoot Wal-Mart Express stores last year.

Pizza and ‘tornadoes’ Crowley was picked for

being located “on the outskirts of Dallas-Fort Worth, a very important market to us,” said Wal-Mart spokeswoman Anne Hatfield.

And because it’s just off Interstate-35, a major northsouth highway in the central U.S. Wal-Mart’s strategy seems to be not reinventing the convenience store concept but rather tweaking it.

The store’s hot food section sells pizza, whole and by the slice, and on another bank of hot rollers are the “tornadoes,” a knockoff of 7-Eleven’s taquitos.

Community coffee brand

In December, one of these 4,000-square-foot stores with gasoline pumps opened in Thornton, Colo. It’s similar to one WalMart opened a year ago in Huntsville, Ala. Inside, the standard coffee, soda and snacks are sold, but these stores include a drive-through for picking up online grocery orders.

Both convenience store concepts are tests, Hatfield said.

“We’re eager for feedback from customers. We want to know what’s working,” she said in an interview.

Getting married? Beware of hidden wedding expenses

BY DANIELLE BRAFF CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS

Your wedding day is approaching, and you’ve budgeted for the dress, venue, music, invites and photographer. But there are plenty of hidden wedding expenses that can pop up as late as the big day.

We spoke with wedding experts who exposed those tricky little costs, so you’ll have a beautiful walk down the aisle without financial fears tying you down.

Tipping Why it’s hidden: You paid for your vendors months in advance, but nothing in the fine print told you about a tip. While a tip isn’t mandatory, it’s expected for good service, said Alison Phillips, president of Engaging Events by Ali. The cost: If your wedding planner did a great job, you could tip 10 to 20 percent of the fee, or up to $500 at the end of the wedding. You could also tip your wedding ceremony officiant up to $100 if he went above and beyond. If your ceremo-

ny musicians did a fantastic job, you could give them $15-$20 per musician. Also optional is a tip for the band or DJ, which could be up to $25 per musician or $50$150 for the DJ. While those tips are optional, the tip for hair and makeup is expected, and it should be about 20 percent.

The person who delivers the wedding cake and flowers should also be tipped $5-$10 per person.

Overtime Why it’s hidden: Many couples decide to extend the wedding, but they’ll incur overtime charges from everyone working on the wedding: the venue, the music, the photographer, video, bar, transportation and more, said Cristina Verger, of Cristina Verger Event Planning & Production in New York.

The cost: It could be thousands of dollars for just 30 minutes or an hour of overtime.

“This is a very important item that should be well thought out on the onset of the planning,” Verger said.

“If the couple feels that they would like their wedding night to last longer than the

allotted time, it is best to buy overtime at the beginning of the planning stage, as it is often more negotiable.”

Fancy hard liquor Why it’s hidden: You paid for a hard liquor package, or perhaps you decided to pay per consumption.

But if the more-expensive alcohol is on display, your guests could choose a drink you didn’t plan for.

“You want to make sure the venue has removed any hard liquor you don’t want that resentful cousin or fun-loving friend with costly tastes to see, and run the risk of them ordering a 50-year-old scotch and you footing the bill,” said Ashley Douglas, owner and creative director of Ashley Douglass Events in New York. “It happens.”

The cost: Depending on how many people are ordering that top-shelf liquor beyond your package, it could be thousands.

Postage Why it’s hidden: There are entire magazine spreads dedicated to invitation designs and save-the-dates.

Tax tips for boomers taking required minimum IRA distributions

BY ERIN ARVEDLUND PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER/TNS

President Trump turned 70 last year. If he, like some of his fellow Americans, has an individual retirement account, he must take the first required minimum distribution from his IRA by April 1.

This year, the oldest U.S. baby boomers — born starting in mid-1946, like Trump (June 14) — will start taking mandatory IRA and 401(k) withdrawals, also known as RMDs. By one estimate, 2.4 million babies had been born by the end of the boom’s first year.

What these boomers may not realize is the hefty tax bill that may come with taking their RMDs, which are calculated through an Internal Revenue Service

formula — generally about 3 percent to 4 percent of the value of a retirement account.

Ordinary income The catch? These annual withdrawals are considered ordinary income, taxed at a rate as high as 39.6 percent, and the extra cash you take out can push you into a higher bracket.

“Those who are the biggest savers get hit the hardest because they saved the most,” said Ed Slott, who advises retirees and hosts a public-television show on saving and retirement vehicles.

“RMDs really change the way you do taxes. When you’re working, taxes are withheld from your pay.

But with retirement accounts, there’s no tax with-

held on this money,” Slott explained.

Quarterly deductions So financial planners advise minimizing the tax bite in a few ways.

One is to have your brokerage, bank or retirement plan deduct estimated taxes quarterly from your retirement account, Slott advised. Another is to give your RMD directly to charity.

By law, you are required to start taking distributions from IRAs, 401(k)s and other kinds of tax-deferred accounts by April 1 of the year after you turn 70 1/2.

From then on, you have to take money out before Dec. 31 every year.

Major massmarket retailers sell bridal gowns that do not cost a fortune.

Michelle Garcia wears a dress from The Limited.

And let’s not forget about your thank-you notes. But did you consider postage?

The cost: The price of a first class letter is now 49 cents. Multiply that by the number of guests you have and the number of announcements and letters you plan on sending them, and this cost could add up quickly.

“Mailing the save-thedates and invitations can cost a few hundred dollars,” said Camille McLamb, founder of Camille Victoria Weddings in Illinois.

Taxes Why it’s hidden: Typically, you calculate the numbers for the big ticket items like the venue, caterer, dress, photographer and music … and you’re golden. But most people forget about the taxes, which can be a significant portion of the bill, depending on where you live, said Anja Winikka, director of education and industry for The Knot.

The cost: Tax and gratuity can add upward of 30 percent, which will throw many couples over budget, Winikka said.

Tax rates, brackets Let’s take one example of RMDs’ impact: a married couple in the 15 percent tax bracket. Both are still working and make $75,000 a year in income. They turn 70 and are required to take out $20,000 as their RMDs. That pushes them up to $95,000 a year in income — and into a higher tax bracket. Then there are the “stealth” taxes that Slott warns his clients about — credits, exemptions and deductions that fade away once you hit that higher bracket.

“It’s a double whammy with these RMDs — they raise your adjusted gross income, and that triggers what are known as ‘phaseouts’ where you lose certain exemptions,” he said.

One of the biggest surprises is Social Security income, which pushes many American seniors into a higher bracket, as well.

“The question I get the most is: ‘I’m retired, how can my income and taxes

KIRK MCKOY/ LOS ANGELES TIMES/ TNS

Dress alteration Why it’s hidden: You’ve budgeted for the gown, but you probably didn’t realize the hidden cost of the alterations, which is significantly higher than altering a regular dress, McLamb said.

Wedding gown altera-

go up?’ Because you’re losing deductions and gaining more income through RMDs. That’s what accountants refer to as a ‘stealth’ tax.”

Withhold automatically Instead of worrying about paying estimated taxes every quarter because of an expected RMD, you can have taxes withheld from it, just as you did with your wages. For clients of eMoney Advisors, for example, RMDs are automatically calculated based on the endof-the-year value and the corresponding RMD percentage, and automatically withdrawn once the account owner reaches age 70 1/2.

Tax accountants also advise arranging for automatic deductions.

“Tell your bank, broker or mutual fund you want to elect to have taxes withheld” and have the brokerage send that amount to

tions could include adding a different neckline, adding lace or beading, reshaping the silhouette or simply pulling in or taking out the dress — and tend to take two to three fittings over two to four weeks.

The cost: Between $300 and $500.

the IRS, said Slott. You’ll receive a 1099 tax form for the amount of the income you received.

“It’s really handy, and you avoid an estimated tax penalty,” he said.

Give to charity Tell your broker or retirement-plan administrator that you want to donate your RMD to charity directly.

Your company or brokerage may require a form or letter from you with the name, address and phone number of the charity and the information necessary for the broker to arrange an electronic transfer of either securities or money directly from your account to the charity’s account, or to multiple charities.

You won’t be taxed on the RMD you’ve donated — and the charity gets a nice chunk of money. One caveat, though: You can’t take the amount as a tax deduction too.

REVOLUTIONARY WAR (April 19, 1775 to Sept.

3, 1783):

WAR OF 1812 (June 18, 1812 to March 23, 1815):

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CIVIL WAR (April 12, 1861 to April 9, 1865): About 180,000 blacks fight for the Union Navy and Army. More than 65,000 die. The Medal of Honor is awarded to 25 African-Americans.

July 16-18, 1863: The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment fights a heroic, but ill-fated, assault on Fort Wagner, S.C. Their bravery erases doubt about whether blacks could fight on the battlefield.

Sept. 29, 1864: More troops distinguish themselves by winning the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm, Va.

INDIAN WARS (1866-1891): Four black Army units, the 9th and 10th cavalry, and eventually the 24th and 25th infantry regiments, help guard the Western frontier. Native Americans called the units “Buffalo Soldiers” because of their dark curly hair that resembled a buffalo’s coat. Nineteen soldiers earn the Medal of Honor.

June 17, 1775: Peter Salem, a freed slave, fights alongside other colonists against British forces at the first major battle of the Revolutionary War at Bunker Hill. He becomes a hero when he shoots and kills the leader of the British troops.

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March 5, 1770: Crispus Attucks becomes a martyr during the American Revolution when he is shot while revolting against British troops in the Boston Massacre.

Dec. 7, 1941: Dorie Miller becomes the first to receive the Navy Cross for shooting down Japanese planes at Pearl Harbor.

July 26, 1948: Pres. Harry S. Truman signs Executive Order 9981 to end racial discrimination and begin equal treatment and opportunity in the military.

SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR (April 25 to Aug. 12, 1898): Buffalo Soldiers help defeat Spanish troops at the Battles of Kettle Hill and San Juan Heights, Cuba. Five soldiers earn Medals of Honor.

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Sept. 28, 1918: Cpl. Freddie Stowers becomes the only African-American to receive the Medal of Honor in World War I after leading an attack on German trenches, despite injury.

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Aug. 1, 1941: Benjamin O. Davis Sr. becomes the first black brigadier general in the Army and U.S. armed forces.

WORLD WAR II (Dec. 8, 1941 to Aug. 14, 1945): More than 1 million AfricanAmericans serve.

March 7, 1942: The Tuskegee Airmen graduate flight school at Tuskegee Institute and are inducted into the Army Air Corps.

They escort bombers into Europe.

July 1, 1973: The United States ends the draft and becomes an allvolunteer military.

African-Americans make up about 17 percent of the enlisted force. By the early 1980s, that number grows to almost 24 percent.

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VIETNAM WAR (Sept. 26, 1959 to April 30, 1975): Many AfricanAmericans join the armed forces, including the airborne and air mobile helicopter units. Twenty earn the Medal of Honor.

Force Gen. Daniel “Chappie” James is the first four-star African- American general.

s Sept. 1, 1975: Air

KOREAN WAR (June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953): More than 600,000 serve during the war. Army sergeants William Thompson and Cornelius H. Charlton earn the Medal of Honor.

May 1975: Lt. Donna P. Davis becomes the first African-American female doctor in the Naval Medical Corps.

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WORLD WAR I (Aug. 1914 to Nov. 11, 1918): More than 350,000 African-Americans volunteer with the American Expeditionary Force in Europe.

1954: Brig. Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. becomes the first black general in the U.S. Air Force.

OPERATION DESERT STORM (Aug. 2, 1990 to Feb. 28, 1991): Powell manages military participation. Approximately 104,000 of the total troops deployed who served in Saudi Arabia were AfricanAmerican.

SOURCES: BUFFALO SOLDIER MUSEUM; U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE; BLACK WOMEN’S MILITARY CONTRIBUTIONS; U.S. AFRICA COMMAND; AMERICAN VETERANS HOMESTEAD KWENCY NORMAN/SUN SENTINEL/TNS

Oct. 1, 2007: Gen. William E. Ward is the first commander of the U.S. Africa Command.

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Jan. 20, 2001: Powell becomes the first black Secretary of State serving under President George W. Bush.

Oct. 7, 2001 to present: Blacks March 23, 2003: make up about Shoshana Johnson 18 percent of is captured by Iraqi military forces. troops, becoming the first black female prisoner of war. Rescued on April 13, 2003, she is awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and the Prisoner of War Medal.

Oct. 1, 1989: Colin L. Powell becomes the most senior AfricanAmerican officer in history when he be-comes chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Nov. 1979: 2nd Lt. Marcella A. Hayes becomes the first black female pilot in the armed forces.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

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B4 FEBRUARY 24 – MARCH 2, 2017 STOJ

STOJ

FEBRUARY 24 – MARCH 2, 2017

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

Meet some of

B5

Think you’re one of Florida’s Finest?

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

FLORIDA’S

finest

Film director and producer F. Gary Gray received this year’s Excellence in the Arts Award from the American Black Film Festival. The “BET Presents the American Black Film Festival Honors’’ aired Wednesday night on BET and Centric. Films directed by Gray include “Friday’’ “Set It Off,’’ “The Italian Job’’ and “Straight Outta Compton.’’ He will direct the eighth installment of “The Fast and the Furious’’ films titled “The Fate of the Furious.’’

Writer, producer and actress Issa Rae received the Rising Star Award during the “BET Presents the American Black Film Festival Honors.”

Rae started out online, but has transitioned to television and is now one of Hollywood’s much-watch talents. Rae’s HBO show, “Insecure,’’ has earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a TV Comedy or Musical.’’

JAY L. CLENDENIN/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

it up.

When Seretse refused to divorce Ruth, he was exiled from his African homeland for five years.

In England, politicians made hay of the sanctions and Conservative Party leader Winston Churchill ran against the Labor Party with a promise he’d return Seretse home.

Yet once his party was in power, Churchill made the exile permanent, banishing Seretse for the rest of his life. (The couple did finally return to Bechuanaland in 1956.)

Lobbied for director

BBC FILMS

Rosamund Pike and David Oyelowo star in “A United Kingdom, the true story about Seretse Khama and his wife, Ruth.

Actors discuss interracial love story that shook nations

BY TIRDAD DERAKHSHANI PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER/TNS

Nelson Mandela said he was inspired by their love story, calling the nation they led “a shining beacon of light and inspiration to the rest of us in southern Africa.”

Mandela was speaking of Seretse Khama and his wife, Ruth Williams Khama, who helped Botswana make a smooth, peaceful transition in the mid-1960s from a tiny British protectorate into a thriving democratic state — and who went on to serve as the country’s first president and first lady.

But the interracial couple’s courtship and marriage was far from smooth.

The son of a powerful tribal chief in what was then called the Bechuanaland Protectorate, Seretse scandalized both his people and the British government when he married Ruth, a White, middle-class office girl he met at a dance in London, where he was

studying law.

Their 1948 wedding sparked an international diplomatic crisis.

there – I lived in Nigeria for seven years – I said to myself this is exactly the kind of narrative I wanted to see cinematically.”

Oyelowo a producer

Real wife’s role

Their story is told in “A United Kingdom,” an adaptation of Susan Williams’ biography “Colour Bar: The Triumph of Seretse Khama and His Nation,” starring David Oyelowo (“Selma,” “Queen of Katwe”) as Seretse and Rosamund Pike (“Gone Girl”) as Ruth.

Oyelowo and Pike talked about the film in separate phone interviews.

Oyelowo, 40, who was also a producer on the film, said he considers Seretse and Ruth’s romance one of the greatest love stories of the 20th century. Yet, like most Brits, he’d never heard about it.

“I just couldn’t believe I didn’t know their story,” he said.

“And as a person of African descent, who has himself lived

Oyelowo said Seretse and Ruth’s happy marriage has a deeper, more personal resonance he couldn’t ignore: His wife of 19 years, actor Jessica Oyelowo (“Alice in Wonderland”), is White.

She’s featured in “A United Kingdom” as the rabidly racist wife of a British functionary played by Jack Davenport.

“I think she has a little too much fun with that role,” David Oyelowo said, laughing. “We met as theater students when we were 17, and while we had a few run-ins (with racist thugs) on the street, we’ve never had entire nations go up against our marriage.”

Why Pike chosen Oyelowo said casting Ruth’s

role was a no-brainer. He immediately reached out to Pike, with whom he shared the screen in the Tom Cruise vehicle “Jack Reacher.”

“Our one interaction was when (my character) used a Taser on her in an elevator,” he said. “But I’ve been a fan of Rosamund for a long time and I felt she really has … that enigmatic quality that I think Ruth needs.”

Pike, 38, said Seretse and Ruth’s romance affected her on a visceral level.

“I opened a book of photographs (Oyelowo) sent me and I just looked at the faces of this man and this woman and I felt an immediate emotional connection to them,” she said. “I’d never had a reaction like that before. I thought, well, there’s something very profound being transmitted to me from these photos and I knew I had to play this.”

Added Pike, “I mean, I had started crying by this point.”

Exiled from homeland “A United Kingdom” charts the ugly political repercussions of the couple’s marriage. Members of Seretse’s tribe and the British government conspired to break

Ruth, then pregnant with their first child, decided to stay in the sparsely populated African territory. She wanted the child, a girl, born in her rightful home. (Ruth and Seretse would have three more children.)

Oyelowo said he lobbied for director Amma Asante (“Belle,” “A Way of Life”) to helm the picture because she immediately grasped how best to balance the story’s political and romantic aspects.

“Amma told me straight off anything political that happened in the film had to be something that drives the love story forward and not the other way around,” said Oyelowo.

Shot in Botswana He said he’s proud the film was shot entirely on location in Botswana.

“The house we used was the actual house where they lived,” he said.

“And Ruth’s labor scene was shot in the hospital where Seretse was actually born. … The authenticity lends the film an atmosphere that’s undeniable.”

While Oyelowo is anxious to find out how American audiences will react to the film, he said he was gratified that Seretse and Ruth’s son, Ian Khama, who happens to be Botswana’s current president, loved the film.

“He made an unannounced visit to the set by helicopter,” said Oyelowo. “He sat down behind me and we watched Rosamund on-set playing his mum.”

“He turned to me and said, ‘I never thought I would see my parents again.’ ’’

FOOD

B6

FEBRUARY 24 – MARCH 2, 2017

Give your favorite recipes an extra protein boost

FAMILY FEATURES

Anything is possible when you have the energy to take on the day. Protein shakes have grown in popularity because they’re a convenient and healthy way to curb hunger and give your body sustained energy. Plus, they can give your favorite recipes a protein boost.

When choosing a shake, look for an option such as Premier Protein Shakes, which can help provide fuel to make the day yours with sweet and savory recipes from cinnamon rolls and bread pudding to soups and twice-baked potatoes.

Each single-serve, 160-calorie shake is packed with 30 grams of protein, is low in fat and contains just 1 gram of sugar.

Explore more energy-boosting recipes plus nutrition facts and tips at PremierProtein.com or Facebook.com/PremierProtein.

TWICE-BAKED SWEET AND SAVORY POTATOES Servings: 4 2 medium sweet potatoes 2 slices thick-cut bacon 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots 1/2 cup Premier Protein Vanilla Shake 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/16 teaspoon black pepper 1/8 teaspoon cumin cayenne pepper, to taste 1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided Heat oven to 400 F. Prick potatoes with fork and bake 45-60 minutes.

During last 15 minutes, cook bacon in

small pan until crispy. Drain all but 1 teaspoon of fat and cook shallots over low heat until caramelized, about 5 minutes.

When potatoes are soft and cooked, remove from oven and carefully cut in half lengthwise.

Scoop out soft flesh, keeping outside shell intact.

In bowl, mash potato flesh with cooked shallots, protein shake, salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne and 2 tablespoons cheese.

Fill empty potato shells with mixture. Top with remaining cheese and crumbled bacon.

Bake 10 minutes, or until potatoes are hot. Turn on broiler and cook, watching carefully, until cheese is lightly browned.

Serve immediately.

S

OLD-FASHIONED CARAMEL CINNAMON ROLLS Servings: 9 Rolls: 1 cup Premier Protein Caramel Shake 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) yeast 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided, plus additional for greasing bowl and pan 1/4 cup sugar, plus 3 tablespoons, divided 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 egg 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading and rolling 1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon Glaze: 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar 1 tablespoon Premier Protein Caramel Shake Heat protein shake in microwave or on stove to about 110 F, or warm to touch but not boiling.

In medium bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm protein shake and stir to combine.

Let sit 3 min­utes. Add 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1/4 cup sugar, salt and egg, and mix until well combined.

Gradually add flour, stirring after each addition. Once dough is no longer too sticky to handle, turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead 3-5 minutes to make moderately soft dough.

Shape dough into ball.

Place dough in lightly greased bowl; turn once. Cover and let rise in warm place until size has doubled (about 1 hour). Punch dough down, cover and let rise 1 additional hour. Punch dough down.

Grease 8-by-8-inch glass or metal baking dish and set aside.

In separate bowl, combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. On lightly floured surface, roll dough into 12-by-8-inch rectangle. Using pastry brush, brush about 1 1/2 tablespoons of remain­ing butter evenly over dough. Sprinkle 2/3 of cinnamon sugar mixture over dough.

Using pizza cutter or knife, cut dough into nine even 12-inch strips. Roll each strip tightly, sealing ends by pressing into dough. Arrange rolls in prepared pan.

Pour remaining butter over buns then sprinkle remaining cinnamon and sugar on top. Let rise uncovered 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 F. Bake rolls 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned.

While rolls cool slightly, prepare glaze. In small bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar and protein shake until smooth. Drizzle rolls with glaze.

Serve warm.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BREAKFAST BREAD PUDDING Servings: 4 2 eggs, slightly beaten 1 Premier Protein Chocolate Shake 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or nutmeg 1 teaspoon butter 6 cups (about 6 slices) soft white or whole-wheat bread cubes 2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips 2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar Heat oven to 350 F. In medium bowl, whisk together eggs and protein shake, followed by cinnamon or nutmeg.

Grease 8-by-8-inch glass baking dish with butter. Add bread cubes. Pour egg mixture over bread. Mix gently to coat.

Sprinkle in chocolate chips.

Bake uncovered 20 minutes, or until knife inserted 1 inch from edge comes out clean. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Serve warm.

ORANGE AND VANILLA BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP Servings: 4 2 pounds (about 4 cups) butternut squash, peeled and cubed 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided 1/8 teaspoon cardamom 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 1 1/2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only 2 tablespoons medium or dry sherry 1 quart low-sodium vegetable broth 1/2 teaspoon orange zest 1/2 cup Premier Protein Vanilla Shake 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Heat oven to 400 F. Line baking sheet with foil.

In large bowl, toss squash with 1 table­spoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, carda­mom and nutmeg. Place on baking sheet and roast 25 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time.

Meanwhile, in 3-quart pot over medium-high heat, heat remaining olive oil. Add leeks, reduce heat to mediumlow and cook 15 minutes, stirring often, until caramelized.

Remove squash from oven and add to leeks. Stir in sherry and broth. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and blend to desired consistency using immersion or standard blender. Reheat if desired. Stir in orange zest, protein shake, remaining salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Helping you is what we love to do.

That’s why there’s always an experienced bread baker on hand in your Publix Bakery. And an expert cake decorator, too, ready to customize beautiful cakes to your every whim, for any occasion.

See how we serve you at publix.com/service.