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FEBRUARY 27 – MARCH 5, 2015

VOLUME 23 NO. 9

WELCOME TO SOUTH FLORIDA

President Obama makes the case for immigration reform – and consolidates Latino support for Democrats – as Congress tries to avoid a Department of Homeland Security shutdown.

Telemundo and MSNBC rented hall event that a decision this the facility at FIU’s main campus month by a federal judge in Texas to block implementation of his HIALEAH – President Obama for about $39,000. plan was “just one federal judge.” faced frustrated students His administration has apWednesday during questioning Playing defense pealed the decision “aggressiveat Florida International UniversiObama defended his plan to ty, where he taped an hour-long stop the deportation of several ly,” Obama said, adding that the town hall-style meeting hosted by million immigrants who came to legal fight won’t slow down the Miami-based Telemundo and po- the U.S. illegally. The executive administration’s decision to shift the focus of deportations from litical TV network MSNBC mod- action he took was necessary to families to people with criminal erated by bilingual anchor José encourage a large population to records. POOL PHOTO BY PEDRO PORTAL/MIAMI HERALD/TNS Díaz-Balart. come out of the shadows, work “You are going to see a subCuban exiles display banners criticizing President Obama as Though billed as a “town hall,” and pay taxes, he said. stantial change even as the case the presidential motorcade arrives at Florida International Uni- the event was private. Tickets He tried to calm worries about makes its way through the courts,” versity in Hialeah for a town hall-style meeting on immigration were not distributed to the public. the legal difficulties his plan has See OBAMA, Page A2 on Wednesday. According to the Miami Herald, encountered, saying at the town COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS

Keep your eyes open

EL HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ (MALCOLM X)

Legislative session tackling major issues BY JIM SAUNDERS THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – Florida lawmakers will gather March 3 in the Capitol for the pomp-filled start of the 2015 legislative session. For 60 days, the House and Senate will grapple with hot-button issues ranging from standardized testing in public schools to reforming the troubled prison system. There’s one must-pass bill of the session: a roughly $77 billion state budget. Here are 10 big issues to watch: BUDGET: Banking on a nearly $1 billion surplus, Gov. Rick Scott offered a budget proposal in January that included record per-student spending in public schools and $673 million in tax cuts. But a major question looms for the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature. A program that has funneled about $1 billion a year to hospitals and other health providers is set to expire June 30, and it is unclear whether state and federal officials can agree on an extension. If they can’t agree, that would leave a huge hole in the budget. The program, known as the Low Income Pool, helps subsidize care for low-income and uninsured Floridians. CHILD WELFARE: After a series of child deaths, lawmakers last year passed a wide-ranging law to try to reform the Florida Department of Children and Families. But lawmakers and the agency are struggling with renewed questions heading into this year’s session, in part because of the high-profile death of a 5-year-old girl who was dropped off a bridge into Tampa Bay. A 50-page report issued in January called for state leaders to go far beyond their preSee ISSUES, Page A2

SNAPSHOTS

‘Our Black shining prince’ One of the world’s most renowned Black human rights activists, El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, was murdered at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, N.Y. on Feb. 21, 1965. He was 39 years old. Read Ossie Davis’ eulogy of Malcolm X on Page A2.

FLORIDA | A3

Feds won’t prosecute Zimmerman for Trayvon’s death

Agreement reached on FAMU-FSU college

BY JEFF WEINER AND RENE STUTZMAN ORLANDO SENTINEL / TNS

NATION | A6

George Zimmerman will not face federal civil rights charges in the shooting death of 17-yearold Trayvon Martin in Sanford, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday, citing a lack of evidence. In a prepared statement, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said FBI agents and DOJ attorneys simply could not build a successful case that Zimmerman was motivated by race when he killed the Miami Gardens teenager on Feb. 26, 2012.

First lady honors women involved in civil rights BLACK HISTORY | A6

Historical and cultural contributions of women

OBITUARY | B2

Jazz great Clark Terry dies at 94

ALSO INSIDE

No surprise

Acquitted at trial

The outcome came as no surprise to lawyers and people familiar with the case. Martin’s family and prominent supporters met it with resignation. Francis Oliver, founder of the Goldsboro Westside Historical Museum in Sanford, which houses a memorial for Martin, said the decision included “nothing that’s surprising to us.” No local protests were planned, she said. “We’re not going to do anything to glorify George Zimmerman,” she said. “As far as we’re concerned, he doesn’t exist. He’s a character that we just have closed the book on.”

In the spring of 2012, Martin’s shooting became a civil rights cause célèbre. Sanford police investigated but did not initially arrest Zimmerman, something that led to rallies and brought activists and protesters to Sanford. Protesters also took to the streets in cities across the U.S. and in Europe. They were assuaged temporarily when a special prosecutor charged Zimmerman with second-degree FLORIDA COURIER FILES murder. But at trial in July 2013, George Zimmerman walked Zimmerman’s lawyers success- away a free man after a 2013 See ZIMMERMAN, Page A2

jury trial.

COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4 COMMENTARY: BRUCE A. DIXON: COWARDLY BLACK CAUCUS IGNORES ISRAELI APARTHEID | A4

FOCUS

FEBRUARY 27 – MARCH 5, 2015

El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz was the best of Black manhood Editor’s note: On Feb. 27, 1965, actor/playwright Ossie Davis eulogized Malcolm X, also known as El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, at a memorial service at Faith Temple Church of God in Christ in Harlem, N.Y. Here at this final hour, in this quiet place Harlem has come to bid farewell to one of its brightest hopes – extinguished now, and gone from us forever. For Harlem is where he worked and where he struggled and fought – his home of homes, where his heart was, and where his people are – and it is, therefore, most fitting that we meet once again, in Harlem, to share these last moments with him. For Harlem has ever been gracious to those who have loved her, have fought for her and have defended her honor even to the death. It is not in the memory of man that this beleaguered, unfortunate, but nonetheless proud community has found a braver,

ISSUES from A1

vious efforts to fix the childwelfare system. GAMBLING: Scott and the Legislature are confronted with a decision about whether to extend part of a gambling deal with the Seminole Tribe of Florida that brings in more than $100 million a year for the state. GUNS: When Florida State University graduate Myron May opened fire at the campus library in November, he wounded three people before police shot him to death. The incident reopened a debate about whether the Legislature should start allowing people with concealed-weapons licenses to carry guns on college campuses. Supporters of the change say it would help students and other people on campus defend themselves. Critics contend that the proposal could make campuses more dangerous. HEALTH CARE: Legislators will focus on whether the state should accept tens of billions of dollars in federal money to expand Medicaid or to provide coverage through a similar private health-insurance program. Health-care lobbyists are working on a variety of other issues, including proposals to bolster the use of telemedicine in the state. LAND AND WATER: Voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment requiring the state to set aside hundreds of millions of dollars a year for land and water projects. How does the Legislature carry that out? Part of the debate will focus on how to divvy up money be-

OBAMA from A1

Obama told the group.

Still deported Multiple questioners asked the president why their relatives were still facing deportation proceedings. Obama said it sometimes takes time for every employee in such a large bureaucracy like the Department of Homeland Security to change course so quickly. “There are going to be some jurisdictions, and there may be individual ICE officials or Border Patrol who aren’t paying attention to our new directives. There are going to be consequences,” he said. “If you’ve been here for a long time and you qualify generally, then during this period even with legal uncertainty they should be in a good place.”

Campaign event? Obama’s trip was the latest sign of the president’s hope to begin shaping the issues of the 2016 presidential race. Democrats hope that a large Latino turnout in their favor, like the ones they enjoyed in 2008 and 2012, will help

OSSIE DAVIS HISTORICAL COMMENTARY

more gallant young champion than this Afro-American who lies before us, unconquered still.

Words have power I say the word again, as he would want me to: Afro-American. Afro-American! Malcolm, who was a master, was most meticulous in his use of words. Nobody knew better than he the power words have over minds of men. Malcolm had stopped being a “Negro” years ago. It had become too small, too puny, too weak a word for him. Malcolm was bigger than that. Malcolm had become an Afro-American, and he wanted so desperately that we,

tween proposed water projects, which range from cleaning up natural springs and the Everglades to helping with local-government stormwater systems. PRISONS: The Florida Department of Corrections faces investigations into inmate deaths, allegations of coverups, complaints about low staffing levels and questions about health care provided to prisoners. Among the proposals under discussion: creating new penalties for guards who abuse prisoners and establishing a new commission to oversee the prison system. STADIUMS: Lawmakers last year approved a plan determining whether the state should spend sales-tax dollars to help pay for building or renovating sports stadiums. The process became messy, in part because the state Department of Economic Opportunity did not rank the projects. Lawmakers are again getting lobbied heavily as they try to decide whether the state should subsidize stadium projects. TAX CUTS: The question is how big the number will be and which taxes will get cut. Scott’s proposed $673 million in tax cuts focuses heavily on what is known as the communications-services tax, which is collected on such things as cell-phone bills and cable television. Lawmakers are looking at several additional possibilities, including cutting a tax on real-estate leases, increasing deductions on corporate-income taxes and offering sales-tax holidays. TESTING: Democrats and teachers unions howled for years about Florida highstakes testing system, which was largely ushered in by former Gov. Jeb Bush and backed by Republican legis-

them again. The immigration issue is key to that. Florida illustrates the stakes for both parties with Latino voters. Nationwide, Latinos voted for Obama over Republican Mitt Romney in 2012 by almost 3 to 1, according to exit polls, in an election in which Latino voters made up a tenth of the electorate. Obama carried Florida, a key swing state, in both of his elections, largely because of strong margins among Latinos, who make up almost 1 in 5 of the state’s voters. At the same time, the state has one Republican senator, a Republican governor and Republican majorities in the Florida Legislature, showing that Democrats are far from dominant. The next Democratic nominee’s prospects in Florida would be further complicated if former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush wins the Republican nod.

‘What’s your plan?’ Obama made it clear what he wants the litmus test to be. When people come asking for votes, Obama said, “the first question should be, do you really intend to deport 11 million people? If not, what is your plan?” But Obama and his par-

that all his people, would become Afro-Americans, too. There are those who will consider it their duty, as friends of the Negro people, to tell us to revile him, to flee, even from the presence of his memory, to save ourselves by writing him out of the history of our turbulent times. Many will ask what Harlem finds to honor in this stormy, controversial and bold young captain – and we will smile. Many will say turn away – away from this man; for he is not a man but a demon, a monster, a subverter and an enemy of the Black man – and we will smile.

‘Our manhood’ They will say that he is of hate – a fanatic, a racist – who can only bring evil to the cause for which you struggle! And we will answer and say to them, “Did you ever talk to Brother Malcolm? Did you ever touch him or have him smile at you? Did you ever real-

ly listen to him? Did he ever do a mean thing? Was he ever himself associated with violence or any public disturbance? For if you did, you would know him. And if you knew him, you would know why we must honor him. Malcolm was our manhood, our living, Black manhood!” This was his meaning to his people. And, in honoring him, we honor the best in ourselves. Last year, from Africa, he wrote these words to a friend: “My journey,” he says, “is almost ended, and I have a much broader scope than when I started out, which I believe will add new life and dimension to our struggle for freedom and honor and dignity in the States. “I am writing these things so that you will know for a fact the tremendous sympathy and support we have among the African States for our human rights struggle. The main thing is that we keep a united front wherein our most valuable time and en-

ergy will not be wasted fighting each other.” However we may have differed with him – or with each other about him and his value as a man – let his going from us serve only to bring us together now.

A seed planted Consigning these mortal remains to earth, the common mother of all, secure in the knowledge that what we place in the ground is no more now a man – but a seed – which, after the winter of our discontent, will come forth again to meet us. And we will know him then for what he was and is: a prince. Our own Black shining prince who didn’t hesitate to die, because he loved us so.

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

ZIMMERMAN from A1

fully argued he acted in self-defense. Zimmerman defense attorney Mark O’Mara “presented his case as if Trayvon Martin was a thug,” Oliver said. “Trayvon Martin was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he just presented a negative image to the jury.” The acquittal left the DOJ investigation as the last hope for those clamoring for a conviction. That hope was extinguished Tuesday.

Insufficient evidence According to the DOJ statement, federal officials reviewed all evidence from the special prosecutor’s case, conducted 75 new witness interviews and hired an expert to study Zimmerman’s self-defense claim. To convict Zimmerman, federal investigators would have to prove he “willfully” attacked Martin because the teen was Black, and the evidence just wasn’t there, the DOJ statement said. Response to Tuesday’s news was subdued. With no rallies expected, Sanford police made no plans to add patrols or call out extra officers, said agency spokeswoman Shannon Cordingly. “I’m real disappointed but not surprised,” said U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, who lobbied hard for the investigation. “African-Americans feel that the criminal justice system is not fair. When you look at this situation, and this man walked…it just shows the system is not fair, and we need to re-examine the system and make changes to the system.”

‘We won’t forget’ FLORIDA COURIER FILES

The Florida State Capitol building will be bustling with activity next month. lative leaders. Many conservative voters now object to the system. Scott and the Legislature appear to be looking for ways to scale back the fo-

ty’s hopes to win Latino votes won’t be quite that simple, said Eduardo Gamarra, a professor of politics and international studies at Florida International University. Democrats will also need to make a case to a narrower audience that is divided over Obama’s Cuba policy, he said. Obama announced in December that he would begin taking steps to restore diplomatic ties with Cuba and gradually bring an end to a five-decade standoff with the communist nation. Young Cuban Americans in and around Miami, home to a large Cuban community, are more open to the president’s strategy than are their parents and grandparents, Gamarra said, citing repeated polls conducted by the university. The president encountered signs of that challenge almost immediately upon arriving Wednesday. Driving from the airport, his motorcade passed a cluster of protesters and a man waving a sign: “Freedom for Cuba. Helping Castro is a crime.”

Uncertain funding Meanwhile in Washington, money for the federal Department Homeland

cus on standardized testing, and trying to find a balance between reduced testing and still having accountability measures for schools.

Security has been tied up for weeks as congressional conservatives sought to block the department’s budget unless Democrats agreed to a measure repealing Obama’s executive actions on deportation. Funds for the department, which oversees immigration and border security, among other duties, where scheduled to run out Friday night – after the Florida Courier’s press time – unless lawmakers acted. Administration officials say that would force some department employees off the job, while about 85 percent of the department’s more than 200,000 “front-line” employees would have to work without pay. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, RKy., has been anxious to avoid even a temporary shutdown of the department, fearing the political risk. The standoff over the Homeland Security budget has helped heighten the contrast between the two parties on immigration issues, much to the chagrin of some Republican strategists. To end the deadlock, McConnell proposed that the Senate vote to provide money for the department and act separately to overturn Obama’s policy.

In a statement from their attorneys, Benjamin Crump and Daryl Parks, Martin’s family members said they were disappointed but thanked federal officials “for their extensive and thorough investigation.” They also thanked their supporters. “We will never, ever forget what happened to our son, Trayvon, and will honor his memory by working tirelessly to make the world a better place,” the family said. Zimmerman did not return phone calls Tuesday.

Possible veto Even if both houses passed a repeal measure, however, Obama could veto it, which the president made clear he would do. If McConnell and House Speaker John A. Boehner “want to have a vote on whether what I’m doing is legal or not, they can have that vote,” he said. “I will veto that.” Senate Democrats decided they would not block McConnell’s offer of an unencumbered funding bill for the department. They also said they would block the vote on Obama’s immigration policy until funds for Homeland Security had been approved by both chambers, ending the shutdown threat.

Passed in Senate Early Wednesday afternoon, an initial procedural vote to open debate on the money bill passed the Senate, 98 to 2, with the opposition coming from conservative Republicans. “This isn’t a time for games,” said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, DNev. Progress in the Senate, though, still means days of knotty procedural votes unless all senators agree to speed up the process. That seems unlikely be-

cause several conservative Republicans who are most opposed to the president’s immigration actions would prefer to prolong the fight. “It’s going to be bumpy,” said Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the chamber’s second-ranking Republican. McConnell said he would “work to expedite” the process, with the goal being Senate passage “this week.” Senate officials, however, said that unless conservatives drop their objections, the earliest the chamber could finish the bill would be Sunday. “We’re beginning a pathway here, a process,” said Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., the minority whip. “We’re testing the waters of trust.” Even if the Senate is able to wrap up its work, there would still be a question of whether Boehner would be willing to bring such a bill to the floor of his chamber, where it could pass with Democratic support. Doing so would deeply anger some Republican conservatives.

Christi Parsons and Lisa Mascaro of the Tribune Washington Bureau (TNS), and staff writers Kathleen Hennessey and Brian Bennett contributed to this report.

FEBRUARY 27 – MARCH 5, 2015

FLORIDA

A solution for FAMU-FSU College of Engineering

Governor to end voter-purge legal fight

Agreement defuses battle over dividing schools' joint college into two institutions

Gov. Rick Scott’s administration said last week it will not appeal a ruling that the state violated federal law when it tried to systematically remove ineligible voters from the election rolls in 2012. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in April said the state violated a prohibition on purging ineligible voters within 90 days of an election. The Atlanta-based court reissued the ruling in November, with the only change the elimination of a concurring opinion. Following directions from the appeals court, U.S. District Judge William Zloch entered a final judgment in the case Feb. 12, records show.

COURTESY OF HBCU DIGEST

More than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate degrees have been conferred to engineering students in seven disciplines at the College of Engineering in the past 25 years.

BY BRANDON LARRABEE THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – Following an agreement between Florida State University and Florida A&M University, the state Board of Governors last week approved a new structure for the Tallahassee schools’ joint College of Engineering and seemingly put to rest a months-long battle over the future of the program. Under the plan, a 12-member board comprised of high-ranking officials and students from both schools would be created to oversee the college, though three of the members – including the two student members – would not have votes. The Board of Governors, which oversees the university system, is also requesting that the Legislature fund the College of Engineering separately, instead of doing so through FSU and FAMU, and a plan to upgrade the schools facilities will be developed.

California study Those actions are meant to address questions about the governance of the school raised in a report by the California-based Collaborative Braintrust Consulting Firm, which said that dividing the college into two separate institutions could cost up to $1 billion and draw legal challenges on civil-rights grounds. The agreement defuses a contentious and sometimes racially charged battle over the venture between one of the state’s flagship institutions and the prominent

THE NEW SERVICE OF FLORIDA

Dr. Elmira Mangum

John Thrasher

historically Black university. A study was approved by the Legislature last year after former Sen. John Thrasher, now the president of FSU, proposed breaking up the joint college.

Thrasher responds Tom Kuntz, a member of the Board of Governors, said the harmonious presentation at the Feb. 19 meeting was a surprising development given the uproar that erupted in the wake of the last legislative session. “I don’t think I could have imagined that we could have come to a place where we are today,” Kuntz said. For his part, Thrasher now says that he was trying to draw attention to issues at the school. Thrasher left the Senate in November to become president at Florida State. “I was a big supporter of making sure that people understood there was a dysfunctional problem in the management of the College of Engineering, and that was reaffirmed in this report. ... You don’t get the attention of people unless you kind of put yourself out there. I put myself out there last year, maybe too far, I don’t know,” he told reporters after the meeting.

Praise from Mangum Florida A&M President Elmira Mangum praised the agreement and the potential of the new school. “I do believe that we can become that iconic engineering school that the world will be envious of,” Mangum said. But even as it foreclosed the possibility of new engineering schools for FAMU and FSU, the Board of Governors recommended setting aside millions of dollars to consider or work on new campuses for the University of Central Florida and the University of South Florida.

UCF plan Some board members seemed concerned about the UCF plan for a campus in downtown Orlando, which received a rare, in-person endorsement from Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando. The board agreed to ask the Legislature for nearly $2.8 million, which would be combined with other funds for nearly $5.8 million to study the issue. Even there, though, past legislative battles influenced the discussion. Board member Wayne Huizenga Jr., who said he believed the new campus would turn out to be a good investment, nonetheless pointed to an old effort by former Senate Budget Chairman JD Alexander, who pushed through a division of the University of South

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Florida and the satellite campus that became Florida Polytechnic University. Huizenga asked Gardiner for assurances that “if by some reason (the study) said, you know, it doesn’t fit, it doesn’t work, that we wouldn’t end up on kind of a wild train ride where we ended up with Poly kind of getting approved.” “If it comes back and it’s a terrible idea, we’ll address that,” Gardiner said. “But I don’t think it’s going to.”

Concerns raised Other members also raised concerns about the project, though the request for money for the study was approved unanimously. “At the end of the day, it’s a great project for Orlando. It’s not a bad project – it’s a good project for UCF. Is it the best way to spend dollars? I have a question about that,” board member Dean Colson said. The board easily approved a $17 million request to help move the University of South Florida’s College of Medicine to a location in downtown Tampa. And members signed off on an $8 million ask to help redevelop Normal Hall, an office and classroom building at the University of Florida. The funding requests would still have to be approved by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Rick Scott.

Regulators back adding new nursing homes in 25 counties THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

After more than a decade-long moratorium on adding nursing-home beds, state regulators said Monday they have approved proposals for 2,600 beds in 25 counties. The approvals, through what is known as the “certificate of need” process, came after lawmakers last year approved a measure to lift the moratorium. Lawmakers began the moratorium in 2001, at least in part, to help lead to more care being provided in communities instead of in nursing homes. “This expansion of Florida’s long-term

State NAACP president: Don’t let Confederates in Veterans’ Hall of Fame THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

• How low expectations of Black students’ achievements can get them higher grades; • Want a great grade? Prepare to cheat! • How Black students can program their minds for success; • Setting goals – When to tell everybody, and when to keep your mouth shut; • Black English, and why Black students must be ‘bilingual.’ …AND MUCH MORE!

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

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The head of the NAACP in Florida blasted a push to add former Confederate soldiers to the state’s Veterans’ Hall of Fame, saying in a statement Tuesday that people who fought against the Union “forfeited any right to be honored in the Florida Capitol.” Adora Obi Nweze, president of the NAACP Florida State Conference, said those who fought for the Confederacy should continue to be excluded from the hall because they do not meet a requirement that inductees be discharged honorably from the United States Armed Forces. Adora “The dark stain of slavObi Nweze ery is undeniably a part of American and Florida history that should be remembered and studied,” Nweze said in a lengthy written statement. “But to have these men honored in a memorial at the state Capitol for their service on the wrong side of history would be an injustice to the descendants of enslaved Americans and an insult to all Americans who have bravely served our country with honor. ... Including Confederates in the Florida Veterans’ Hall of Fame would be like a modern declaration of civil war by the state of Florida.” Nweze said the state NAACP has started an online petition opposed to the possibility. The issue flared during a meeting of Gov. Rick Scott and the state Cabinet ear-

Elections chiefs balked The 2012 effort to remove ineligible voters was highly controversial, in part because county elections supervisors complained of errors in lists of voters flagged by the state as potential non-citizens. Also, Democrats contended the effort was aimed at trying to prevent minorities from voting. In a Feb. 19 statement announcing the decision to forego an appeal, Scott said the Department of State has worked closely since 2012 with elections supervisors on “ensuring the integrity” of the voter rolls. “Our goal continues to be 100 percent participation by eligible voters and zero percent fraud,’’ Scott said.

care infrastructure will not only provide more access to care, but will also bolster Florida’s economy for the next few years,’’ Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Liz Dudek said in a prepared statement. “In addition to the hundreds of millions of dollars that will be spent on construction projects, these beds will result in hundreds of new jobs for administrative staff and caregivers.”

Most in Central Florida New nursing homes are expected to be scattered across the state, though Central Florida appears likely to see some of the most construction. For example, Polk County would get two new nursing homes totaling 240 beds, Lake County would get two new nursing homes totaling 180 beds, Orange County would get a nursing home with 180 beds, Brevard County would get a nursing home with 131 beds and Osceola County would get a nursing home with 120 beds, according to a listing from the agency. lier this month. The Department of Veterans’ Affairs said that three hall-of-fame nominees submitted by an advisory council were ineligible because they served in the Confederate military and the agency interprets state law to allow only people discharged honorably from the U.S. military to be inducted. The three men are former Gov. Edward Perry; David Lang, credited as the father of the Florida National Guard; and former U.S. Sen. Samuel Pasco, namesake of the Florida county. All nominations for the hall were then put on hold so that the three Confederate veterans could be more closely reviewed by Cabinet members and to allow Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office to consult with lawyers at the Department of Veterans Affairs on the meaning of the law.

Alimony bills filed in House and Senate Two years after Gov. Rick Scott vetoed a controversial alimony bill, a pair of Polk County lawmakers filed proposals this week to revamp the state’s alimony system. Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, filed a proposal (SB 1248) on Tuesday, a day after Rep. Colleen Burton, R-Lakeland, filed a similar measure (HB 943). The bills deal with a wide range of issues, including the way alimony amounts would be calculated and the duration of alimony payments. House Rules Chairman Ritch Workman, a Melbourne Republican who spearheaded the effort to pass an alimony bill in 2013, told The News Service of Florida earlier this month that he had been working with Stargel and Burton on the overhaul. It will be considered during the legislative session that starts next Tuesday.

EDITORIAL

FEBRUARY 27 – MARCH 5, 2015

Freedom rider: An angry White man kills again Craig Hicks was a human time bomb in his Chapel Hill, N.C. neighborhood. He was constantly spoiling for a fight, about noise or parking or anything else that he found irritating. Hicks was always armed, a resident of an “open carry” state which allowed him to wear a holstered gun anywhere at any time. On Feb. 10, Hicks turned himself in to the police and confessed to murdering three people that day. The victims were identified as Deah Shaddy Barakat, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, and her sister Razan Abu-Salha. Hicks had argued with the family about parking spaces but it seems any reason to pull the trigger would have been good enough. Hicks motive for the killing is murky. Some of his political views could be called liberal and others conservative. But more than anything Hicks was seri-

MARGARET KIMBERLEY BLACK AGENDA REPORT

ous about being a White man. He loved his guns and he asserted his right to be armed at all times. It is likely that he had mental health issues, but the sickness did not emerge solely from this particular individual.

Fearful of Hicks His neighbors are now telling the media about his constant arguments and confrontations while being armed but there are no reports of anyone ever calling the police about his behavior. The Barakats told relatives they feared Hicks but ultimately decided not to call the police either. Hicks’

neighbors discussed their concerns among themselves but took no other action. The complicity led to unintentional enabling and that made the killings inevitable. The inaction stands in stark contrast to the treatment meted out to Black people who are at risk of being killed even when they don’t threaten anyone. North Carolina allows open carry of firearms but so does the state of Ohio. That fact didn’t keep John Crawford or Tamir Rice from being shot down in Dayton and Cleveland respectively. They had toy guns and weren’t a danger to anyone. Yet both of them are now on the long list of Black people killed by the police. Open carry laws are obviously reserved for White people only.

The new normal It is important to ask if the Hicks murders were a hate crime

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: MEMBERS OF CONGRESS HAVE NO NEED FOR HAND-WASHING REGULATIONS

RJ MATSON, ROLL CALL

Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 247 HBCUs in trouble, Part 2 – Last week, I mentioned that taking public HBCUs private – for example, negotiating with the Florida Legislature to release Florida A&M University from state control and funding, and turning it into a private institution with private funding. But that only works if you have leadership, especially board of trustee members, who are competent, open, rational, trustworthy, and impersonal when it comes to making decisions for the good of the school. At many HBCUs, that seems impossible. Here’s an example. The Associated Press reported that trustees of South Carolina State University unanimously voted Monday to place SCSU President Thomas Elzey on administrative leave just 11 days after the same trustees gave him a previous vote of confidence. But during that 11-day period, state lawmakers talked about dumping BOTH the president and all the trustees – which caused the trustees to dump the president to keep politicians from dumping them. Where’s the accountability? In Japanese culture, institutional leaders would ritually kill themselves if they brought shame to their organizations. Here in America, folks won’t even quit and give someone else a chance to rescue these organizations they say they ‘love’ so much.

QUICK TAKES FROM #2: STRAIGHT, NO CHASER

CHARLES W. CHERRY II, ESQ. PUBLISHER

How many of those same trustees watched SCSU go $11 million in debt as its six-year graduation rate dropped to 35.7 percent – a drop of 18 percentage points in the space of 15 years? What is it about being on an HBCU or church board that makes Black folks continue to ‘serve’ even as some of these few remaining Black historical and cultural institutions are being destroyed, one by one, on their watch? The key issue: Does Black America still believe HBCUs are important? If FAMU went private, would its thousands of alumni, their families, employers, and personal networks financially support the school? Or would the buildings be sold at a deep discount to Florida State University on the Leon County courthouse steps at an eventual foreclosure sale a few years later?

Contact me at ccherry2@gmail.com.

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

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but there are questions which must be explored and they may be harder to deal with than legal definitions. The most fundamental questions is this. Why are White people seen as benign and their behavior as normative, no matter what they do? Try to imagine a Black man picking fights with his neighbors while armed. Then try to imagine that no one ever calls the police in this hypothetical scenario. In Tampa a Black man named Clarence Daniels was legally carrying a gun when he walked into a Walmart. A White man took it upon himself to confront and assault Daniels. The White assailant was arrested but as a Black man Daniels was lucky not to have ended up dead. Hicks got the kid glove treatment despite the obvious risk he posed to other people. Fealty to whiteness trumps all else includ-

ing the desire for safety. The stand your ground and open carry laws are a return to the days when White supremacy was openly expressed through conquest of the native population, slavery, and lynch law terror. Those acts should not be seen as events of long ago history. They became part of this country’s DNA and give angry, unstable White people a pass to do what they want. They aren’t thought of as potential killers or terrorists as they should be. Bystanders aren’t sufficiently concerned because they too give White people the benefit of the doubt even when they don’t deserve it.

Margaret Kimberley is an editor and senior columnist for Black Agenda Report. Click on this article at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Obama’s legacy: war and liberal/ radical accommodation? The announcement by the Obama administration that it will seek congressional authorization to expand the war on ISIS in Syria and possibly send more heavy weapons to its client government in Ukraine did not generate the kind of muscular opposition and sense of urgency that one would expect from the anti-interventionist liberals and significant sectors of what use to be the anti-imperialist and anti-war left. Outside of a few articles written by some of us confined to the marginalized and shrinking left, the reports that the administration was considering both of these courses of action were met with passing indifference. It is as if the capitalist oligarchy’s strategy of permanent war has been accepted as a fait-accompi by the general public and even significant numbers of the left. The fact that the U.S. President could launch military attacks in Syria, supposedly a sovereign state and member of the United Nations, for six months without any legal justification and not face fierce criticism in the U.S. and internationally demonstrates the embrace of lawlessness that characterizes the current epoch of Western imperialist domination.

‘Ideological accomplishment’ And the acquiescence of much of the left in the U.S. and Europe on the issue of Syria and the U.S.-supported coup in Ukraine reveals the moderating and accommodating forces within the faux left that attempts to bully and intimidate antiimperialist critics. To oppose the dismemberment of Syria or criticize the dangerous collaboration between the U.S. and racist neo-Nazi elements in Ukraine was reduced to the silly and intellectually lazy arguments that one was “pro-Assad” or a dupe for Putin! The current ideological environment did not evolve by accident or by the particular confluence of historical events. The

AJAMU BARAKA BLACK AGENDA REPORT

disappearance of anti-imperialism among the cosmopolitan left in the U.S. and Western Europe is reflective of a monumental ideological accomplishment by the propagandists of empire.

Black youth step up Fortunately, despite the political confusion of many leftists and the moral duplicity of liberals, signs of growing opposition to U.S. war-mongering are emanating from a historically familiar place – AfricanAmerican young people. Similar to what occurred in the 1960s when opposition to the Vietnam war was catalyzed by the student organizers of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) working on the frontlines of struggle in the deep South, “Black Lives Matter” activists and the many other formations and tendencies crystalizing out of the Ferguson and anti-police violence movements are making the connection between violence and militarization in the internal colonized areas of the U.S. and the state violence being waged by the U.S. state beyond its’ borders. Resistance to the logic of White supremacist colonialist/capitalist domination on the part of these young activists is leading them to a resolute anti-imperialist and anti-war stance, just like the young Black activists of SNCC some fifty years ago.

Ajamu Baraka is a human rights activist, organizer and geo-political analyst. Click on this article at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Nigeria: Emerging from the brink The political situation in Nigeria is increasingly grim. Pre-election violence and hate have risen in the past weeks. The nation’s war against Boko Haram extremists is not yet won. There is a lot of worry about whether the elections postponed to next month will pass off peacefully. It is time for all Nigerians to put their country first. The title of this piece is a modified version of John Campbell’s 2010 masterpiece, ‘Nigeria: Dancing on the Brink’. In it, the former United States ambassador to Nigeria bemoaned the fate of democracy and governance in these words: “Governance, let alone democracy, faces grievous structural challenges in Nigeria.” Five years after the first edition of that book was released, Campbell’s words still stare us in the face. It would seem that every time we come close to making a successful transition, there is a serious crisis.

suasions. Elections have become a zero sum game. If you win, you have access to everything. If you don’t, you’re treated as an outcast. Elsewhere, opposition politics aims to deliver the goods for citizens whose voices would otherwise be silenced. In Nigeria, opposition is perceived as the official enemy and often, unfortunately, plays politics of enmity rather than ideas. This is one reason Nigeria’s fledgling democracy is under-performing.

Election violence

A mono-economy

The 2011 general election was characterized by pockets of violence. The investigative panel established by the federal government reported that nearly 1,000 people died and property worth about $19 million was destroyed. Already, the National Human Rights Commission in its report this week is reporting about 58 deaths in preelection violence as of February 2015. The question one might wish to ask is why does violence attend elections in Nigeria? Why does the cycle of violence keep recurring? Perhaps a simplistic answer might be, lucrative political offices. The idea that people seek political office for what it offers them – power, connections and often questionable wealth – rather than what they can offer has gained traction particularly since it emerged that Nigeria’s legislators are some of the best paid in the world. But there must be more to this than earnings. The quest for power ought to be accompanied by the desire to use it for the “greatest good of the greatest number.” In our context, it seems power is wielded in a manner that excludes people of other per-

Okeoma Ibe is managing partner of Goodshare & Maxwells, a law/consulting firm based in Abuja, Nigeria. Click on this article at www.flcourier.com to read the remainder of the column and write your own response.

OKEOMA IBE PAMBAZUKA NEWS

There is also something to be said about over-reliance on a single income stream. Despite its incredible agricultural and solid minerals potential, Nigeria continues to operate a mono-economy. Her main source of income – oil – is as volatile as it is a diminishing asset. In the wake of falling oil prices, citizens have been compelled to adjust to a system where salaries are not paid as and when due and inflation is on the increase. To make matters worse, the national currency has been devalued. If only we sustained the tempo of agricultural and solid minerals development from the 1960s, perhaps, we might have become the leading exporter of crops such as cocoa, groundnut and oil palm as well as minerals like coal and bitumen.

FEBRUARY 27 – MARCH 5, 2015

The billionaire governor goes after workers In November, Illinois voters narrowly decided – after one of the most expensive gubernatorial elections in the nation’s history – to elect Bruce Rauner, a hedge fund billionaire, to lead the state. Consider it an experiment in class politics. How would a man of the 0.01 percent address Illinois’ many challenges? Rauner donned populist garb for the campaign. Pumping some $27.5 million of his own money into the campaign, He promised voters what he knew they wanted: “We’ll get a booming economy with more jobs. We’ll get the best schools in America. We’ll bring down the tax burden. And we’re going to rip this patronage system, and this cronyism system out of Springfield.”

Take the risk Voters wanted someone who would clean up the corruption. Rauner was an uneasy choice, partly because his hedge fund was a leading investor of Illinois’ pension funds, a line of business infamous for corruption and ripoffs. And partly because the promises didn’t add up: better schools, better infrastructure, less debt, and lower taxes – how does that work? But enough voters decided to take the risk. So what is Rauner’s first act? He

REV. JESSE L. JACKSON, SR. TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

declared war on Illinois’ public unions. He devoted his state of the state address blaming unions for Illinois’ problems. Public employees had the nerve to negotiate for decent pay and pensions. Their retirees expected that the contractual promises to pay the compensation promised would be honored. Their unions contributed volunteers and money to political campaigns. They were bankrupting the state. So Rauner urged localities to pass so-called “right to work” laws that would disembowel unions. Then he issued an executive order – declared illegal by the Illinois Attorney General – to weaken state unions by barring them from assessing fees on some of the workers they represent –and benefit – in collective bargaining. In a unionized workplace, union negotiated wages and benefits apply to workers who aren’t members of the union. Nonmembers – about 15% of the unionized workplaces – don’t have to pay union dues or sup-

KIM M. KEENAN NNPA COLUMNIST

ators and even a president. Here, in a society with major cracks in our “post-racial” America. To see a teenager try to make sense of the bombing of four little girls in a Birmingham church is to see innocence and armor in the eyes of a young Black male eager for a post-Trayvon society.

‘More than a movie’ Ava Duvernay’s “Selma” is more than a movie. It is a call to action to reclaim our history in our own words. When I saw it, all I kept thinking was she took the wom-

port union political activities. But under Illinois law, they pay a fairshare fee, to cover the cost of collective bargaining and enforcement from which they directly benefit. Fair share fees don’t contribute to Illinois fiscal problems. Rauner is waging a war on unions. He hopes to cripple those who opposed him in his last election. But the stakes are larger than that: what Rauner is proposing is to inflict trickle down economics on Illinois. MIKE KEEFE, CAGLE CARTOONS

Executive orders We haven’t seen Rauner’s budget yet, but we know what is coming. Income taxes will be lowered on the rich; sales taxes extended on working people, making Illinois’ already regressive state tax structure even more unfair. Rauner has already frozen all “non-essential” state spending and hiring, with an exemption, apparently, for a $100,000 a year Chief of Staff for his spouse. The war on public workers will be accompanied by a continued assault on public schools. The piecemeal privatization of public education will be accompanied by piecemeal privatization of more public services. Rauner has already teed up Medicaid – health services for the impoverished –for cuts. Pension funds imbalances– caused

en out of the kitchen and restored them to their pivotal role in history. Today, it seems so obvious that Black women had to be omnipresent in the struggle. I still remember hearing that Dorothy Height always placed herself in the middle of the picture lest she get cropped out later when the picture was printed. Duvernay captured all of this with a subtly so exquisite, one wonders how this story could have been told any other way.

No revisions Her critics claim that she portrayed Lyndon B. Johnson as George Wallace-light, but of course, if you change the lens, you change the view. PolitiFact, the fact-checking site, affirmed that President Obama was correct when he asserted that during

Cowardly Black caucus ignores Israeli apartheid Nobody celebrates victories against racism and apartheid a generation or two back more often and more lavishly than the Congressional Black Caucus. It’s something they must do constantly not just because some of those victories made their careers possible, but because apart from their own careers, they haven’t accomplished much in the last 40 years. From the 1990s onward, most of them voted for legislation that doubled down on the war on drugs, and to intensify overpolicing and mass incarceration in their communities. When it became clear that Katrina was the excuse to dispossess and disperse into exile a couple hundred thousand Black people on the Gulf Coast, the Black caucus called no hearings, sounded no alarms. And despite their relentless celebrations of victories over racism the entire caucus has consistently turned a blind eye to brutal settler-state apartheid in Israel.

Nothing said The CBC’s promise to skip out when Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu addresses the US Congress on March 5 is not an act of vision or moral courage. When Israel demolishes Palestinian houses, lynches and deports Africans, when Israel passes more discriminatory laws and steals Palestinian land the Congressional Black Caucus says nothing. When successive US ad-

BRUCE A. DIXON BLACK AGENDA REPORT

ministrations of both parties endorse Israeli punishment of civilians with water and power cuts and blockades of medical and construction supplies, books and even toys, the CBC is silent then too. When Israel threatens all its neighbors with nukes, and makes the false claim that Iran has nuclear weapons, the CBC are quiet. When Israeli fighter jets, armored copter gunships and tanks rain white phosphorus and shellfire on Palestinian neighborhoods the CBC, with the rest of Congress, unanimously endorsed the aggressor’s right defend themselves by murdering children, and voted to resupply the expended Israeli munitions.

‘Demagogic racist’ So let’s be clear. Netanyahu is a demagogic racist. He heads the planet’s most vicious apartheid regime, a US supported and funded client state engaged in the conquest and occupation of neighboring territories and the genocidal dispossession and exile of their populations, all with US tax dollars and US diplomatic cover. But that ain’t the CBC’s problem with him or with Israel. Like the rest of the US ruling elite the CBC has no

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: CONCEALED CARRY PERMITS

Selma marches on Selma. For those of a certain age, the word Selma is evocative of a time when people stood against insurmountable odds. It is an ever-lasting illustration of why the right to vote must never be taken for granted. People of all colors bled and died so that we might exercise that quintessential American right to choose our elected leaders. We must feed this spirit to a new generation so that they might experience the freedom that comes from knowing their history, so they are not doomed to repeat it. I watched the movie “Selma” through the eyes of my teenager and it hit me that they do not understand who they are because they have not been afforded the luxury of understanding how we got here. Here, meaning a society with Black mayors, sen-

EDITORIAL

problem with Israeli apartheid. The CBC’s problem is that Republican House leader John Boehner invited Netanyahu, not President Obama, so the Netanyahu visit is a violation of protocol, a kind of insult to the first Black President. We shouldn’t be surprised. The CBC’s tunnel vision works the same way at home as it does abroad. Thanks to the large numbers of Blacks pushed out of homes and the workforce in recent years, the rate of Black child poverty stands now at 38.2%, an alltime high.

More than Obama The CBC isn’t calling daily press conferences over that either. Detroit is executing its own slow motion Katrina, and pursuing water cutoffs and evictions that will affect over 100,000 residents, just about all Black, and the CBC hasn’t noticed that either. But let somebody insult or disparage the first lady, and they’ll be all over that. It’s because the CBC, like the rest of the Black political class, are self-serving cowards. Their failure is symptomatic of the shrinkage of Black politics from one of vision and struggle to a politics of protecting their own privilege.

Bruce A. Dixon is managing editor at Black Agenda Report and serves on the state committee of the GA Green Party. Click on this article at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

by irresponsible officials refusing to make promised contributions and by hedge fund geniuses pocketing big fees for paltry returns – will be corrected by breaking the contractual promise to retirees. Rauner clearly would lower the minimum wage if he could.

‘Reality is predictable’ Rauner will peddle this toxic potion as a charm for Illinois’ ills. Austerity, he’ll argue, will unleash jobs and growth. Breaking unions will balance budgets. Charters will lift kids. Medicaid cuts will focus on the unworthy. Everyone will sacrifice; everyone will benefit. But the reality is predictable – as Wisconsin and Kansas have

LBJ’s first 20 years in Congress, he opposed every civil rights bill that came up for a vote. It was only in the aftermath of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination that Johnson, picking up the torch of the slain president, rose above his past. He deserves credit for that, but he did not, as some of his supporters claim, come up with the idea of the Selma-to-Montgomery March. Let’s celebrate Black history and not let others revise it. February is the “season of Blackness,” a time when the nation lifts up our inextricable role in American history. This is fine and well, but every day we need to remember and heed the lessons of Selma.

‘Tell the story’ I understand why the Oscars overlooked Ava Duvernay. She is not a director from a sexy foreign country, or a darling of the onedimensional Oscar set. She is a

discovered. The wealthy – a leading source of the corruption that plagues Illinois – will get tax breaks. The middle class will get pay cuts. The poor will get less help. The schools will be cut; good teachers will leave. Illinois voters were sensible enough not to give Rauner a free rein: Democrats still control the legislature. Rauner is making it clear where he stands. Now Democrats will have to decide which side they are on.

Jesse Jackson Sr. is the founder and president of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. Click on this article at www.flcourier. com to write your own response.

woman, who like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., decided to stir the pot in a world where voting rights have been unnecessarily curtailed, and unexplained murders and urban unrest is on the rise. Maybe her real reward is telling our story, raw and uncut in a world that sees Black images predominately through the lens of non-Black eyes. She is a reminder that we must tell our own stories, in our own words so that we can be reminded that history has a way of repeating itself when people forget. It does not mean others cannot tell our stories, it just means that our voice must be soar above the mix. Selma must march on.

Kim M. Keenan is the president and CEO of the Multicultural Media and Telecommunications Council (MMTC). Click on this article at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Muslim lives matters, too Within days of the murders of three Muslims in Chapel Hill, N.C., a crazed gunman shot several people in Copenhagen, allegedly targeting an illustrator who caricaturized the Prophet Muhammad. One could not have contrasted the media’s response more starkly. In the case of the Chapel Hill killings, it took a near Twitter uprising to gain the attention of the mainstream media to the tragedy. In the case of Copenhagen, the mainstream media responded near instantaneously.

New hashtag

BILL FLETCHER, JR. NNPA COLUMNIST

Christian binary but have been treated as “other.” They have been a source of mystery in the mainstream, a group to be tolerated during the best of times and demonized during the worst. Arabs have had a very contradictory relationship to U.S. history, in part depending on whether they are Muslim, Jewish or Christian, and also depending on what period in history they arrived in the country. Many Arabs assumed a “White” identity for as long as they could, resulting in complicated and often tense relations with other communities of color. After 11 September 2001, all Arabs found themselves in the category of notorious people of color. There will be no exit in the near future.

In the aftermath of the Chapel Hill executions the question of #MuslimLivesMatter has emerged. Actually, it is important to widen the scope. Muslims and non-Muslim Arabs are in the crosshairs of racist, rightwingers in the U.S. Yet, it is not only the targeting of Muslims and non-Muslim Arabs. It is also the targeting of history. In this regard the right-wing response to President Obama’s Prayer Breakfast remarks about the manner in which religion can be used to justify heinous crimes is relevant. Anemic responses Those who attacked Obama for suggestThe Chapel Hill killings and the initial ing that horrors have been committed in the name of Christianity, along with other reli- anemic media response was quite similar to gions, have decided that it is appropriate to the response to the lynchings of other peoples of color, whether African-American, defy historical facts. Latino, Asian or Native American. These are killings to be excused away, to be blamed on A hate crime an individual, at best, or, under certain cirOne example, which President Obama cumstances, to be blamed on the victim. did not mention, was the Holocaust carThis is what is at stake when we hear that ried out against the Jews by the Nazis. The the killings may have been about a parking Nazis saw themselves as being good Protestants. They even expressed contempt for space. Instead of taking seriously the fears Catholics! This is a documented fact. This is and concerns that the victims had prior to not about interpretation and it is not about their deaths, many mainstream commentators have ignored this altogether, not to rhetoric. Those who ignored the Chapel Hill mur- mention ignored the larger social/political ders, and/or those who seek to deny that it climate that describes any violent act by a is a clear example of a hate crime, are those Muslim or Arab as an act of terrorism, and who wish to ignore history and the histori- any act against a Muslim or Arab as potentially justified, irrespective of how horrencal context of these killings. Muslims and non-Muslim Arabs have dous. Did someone say that this was a post-rabeen the subject of long-running attacks, caricaturizations, racist insults, and, yes, cial society? lynchings, since well prior to the 11 SepBill Fletcher, Jr. is the host of the Global tember 2001 terrorist assaults. Though “children of the Book,” Muslims in the U.S. African. Click on this article at www.flhave never been accepted within the Judeo- courier.com to write your own response.

TOJ A6

NATION

FEBRUARY 27 – MARCH 5, 2015

First lady honors women of the movement Little Rock Nine member and journalist among White House honorees BY DAVID HUDSON SPECIAL TO TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

In 1957, Carlotta Walls, a 14-year-old AfricanAmerican girl living in Little Rock, Ark., elected to attend Little Rock Central High School. One of the nine students who desegregated the school, Carlotta was subjected to constant bullying, physical abuse and violent attacks. Her parents’ home was bombed in February 1960. Shortly after, she earned her high school diploma. In 1961, Charlayne Hunter became the first African-American woman to attend the University of Georgia. Enduring everyday bigotry and racial slurs, and bottles and bricks thrown at her windows, Charlayne went on to get her degree, which has since propelled her to a successful career as a journalist with NPR, PBS, CNN and the New York Times. These are just two of the influential women who took part in a special panel discussion on Feb. 20 at the White House in celebration of Black History Month. Moderated by Essence Editor-in-Chief Vanessa De Luca, the panel brought together five women who have played critical roles in America’s progress on civil rights.

Reflections by first lady They are Carlotta Walls LaNier, youngest member of the Little Rock Nine; Charlayne HunterGault, activist and jour-

Apple to offer diverse smiley faces

AMANDA LUCIDON/THE WHITE HOUSE

First Lady Michelle Obama delivers remarks at “Celebrating Women of the Movement,” an event honoring Black History Month, at the White House on Feb. 20. The first lady introduces moderator Vanessa De Luca, Editor-in-Chief of Essence magazine and the panel of intergenerational women who have played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement – both past and present.

‘Thanks to their sacrifice, there are no angry mobs gathering outside our schools. Nobody needs a military escort to get to class.’ –Michelle Obama nalist; Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund; Janaye Ingram, national executive director, National Action Network; and Chanelle Hardy, senior vice president for policy, National

Urban League. First lady Michelle Obama said in her introductory remarks that what connects each of these panelists’ stories is a “hunger for and belief in the power of education. “At some point in their

Too many struggles She continued, “Thanks to their sacrifice, there are no angry mobs gathering outside our schools. Nobody needs a military escort to get to class.” T:8.56”

But the first lady also explained that too many of our children still face struggles related to education, and detailed the work that remains. Too many of our young people attend crumbling schools that don’t have the technology, or the college prep classes, or the college counseling they need to complete their education past high school. And too many of our young people can’t even envision a better future for themselves - or if they do, they aren’t connecting their dreams to the education they’ll need. So today, too many of the opportunities that these

women fought for are going unrealized. In the end,” she said, “if we really want to solve issues like mass incarceration, poverty, racial profiling, voting rights, and the kinds of challenges that shocked so many of us over the past year, then we simply cannot afford to lose out on the potential of even one young person. We cannot allow even one more young person to fall through the cracks.”

David Hudson is associate director of content for the White House Office of Digital Strategy.

Dhani Jones Sports Honoree (not shown) Kevin Liles Entertainment Honoree

THE ROOT

Apple unveiled its diverse emoji sets in both OS X 10.10.3 and iOS 8.3 beta 2 Monday. The new selections are available in six different color schemes that change the hair and skin tones of the previously standard Caucasian options. Consumer demand has been mounting in recent years for Apple to diversify the available emoji sets to reflect the broad range of people who use their products. Now, as a result of alterations to Unicode standards, developers with early access to the beta programs can tap on an emoji and choose the color code that best matches the desired appearance. This setup is limited, of course, and the new emoji options certainly do not precisely represent every person who uses an Apple device. But after years of limited options, Apple users will finally be able to send, for instance, holiday greetings with a Black Santa Claus. The official release dates have not been announced.

journeys, these women understood that if they were going to reach their potential – if they were going to make a difference not just for themselves but for this country – they would have to get a good education. Every woman on this stage graduated from college. And some of them did it at tremendous risk to themselves and to their families.”

Iyanla Vanzant Inspirational Honoree Henry Coaxum McDonald’s Owner/Operator Honoree

Al Sharpton Humanitarian Honoree

Gabrielle Williams Community Choice Youth Honoree

Will Packer Arts & Entertainment Honoree

Skyler Grey Community Choice Youth Honoree

LOVIN’ BY EXAMPLE. Here’s to the leaders that don’t talk about dedication, they show it. To the people who constantly perform selfless acts as they reach out, reach back and bring others along. We show our gratitude during Black History Month, but we applaud you everyday. Let’s all be inspired to stay deeply rooted in spreading the love, 365 days a year. Find your motivation at 365Black.com.

These multicultural emojis from Apple will be available later this year.

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FEBRUARY 27 – MARCH 5, 2015

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

Serious ‘Selma’ speech by Common and John Legend See page B5

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SKEPTICISM AND HOPE

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Fred Luter, Sr., pastor of the Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, and president of the Southern Baptist Convention, delivers a passionate sermon during the 21st annual Coastal Evangelism Conference in Conway, S.C., on Aug. 3, 2012.

That’s the reaction of Black Christians over the Southern Baptist’s push for diversity and racial reconciliation

race and religion. For example, anyone worshipping at a diverse church wouldn’t be surprised that grand juries didn’t indict the police officers that killed Michael Brown and Eric Garner, he said. One reason most churches are segregated is that racial reconciliation has meant Whites expecting African-Americans and Latinos to worship with them, De La Torre said, perhaps throwing in a “Taco Tuesday” as an attraction. “For me to worship at an Anglo church, I must accept White theology, pray in a White manner, sing White German songs and eat meatloaf at the potluck,” he said. De La Torre said it’s far more useful for Whites to come to African-American and Latino churches, hear the reflections of religious thinkers from those cultures and take those lessons home.

FROM BLACK CHRISTIAN NEWS NETWORK ONE

ow tough is it to create a racially diverse denomination? Consider a recent luncheon organized by the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. About 100 Nashville-area evangelical leaders accepted invitations to a lunch hosted by the denomination’s policy arm, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). On the agenda: A pitch for a spring summit and a short discussion by ERLC President Russell Moore about the need for churches to become more racially diverse. The number of African-Americans who showed up for the lunch? Four (two of them denomination employees). ERLC leaders originally planned a summit on bioethics. They quickly shifted gears after grand juries in November and December failed to indict police officers for the deaths of young unarmed Black men. Moore’s social media remarks condemning the New York City jury’s decision not to indict the officer who killed Eric Garner were met with an angry backlash, some from people filling Southern Baptist pews and pulpits.

1995 apology for stand on slavery Black church leaders are greeting news of the summit with reactions ranging from polite skepticism to hopeful support. It can’t come soon enough for Erskin Anavitarte, a Southern Baptist pastor-turned-musician who attended this month’s luncheon. Anavitarte, who is African-American, said he finds resistance when even suggesting White privilege exists. “People who talk about Ferguson (Mo.) and say that jus-

Pastor H.B Charles Jr. (above) became the primary teaching pastor after the predominantly White Ridgewood Baptist Church in Jacksonville merged into his church, the predominantly Black Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville.

The Rev. Anthony Evans, front, is president of the Washington, D.C.-based National Black Church Initiative, an interdenominational coalition of 34,000 African-American and Latino churches. tice was served — most of them don’t even have a grid to make those statements they’re making,” he said. “They don’t even have friends who are AfricanAmerican.” The Southern Baptist denomination was birthed in 1845 when it insisted its members had the right to own slaves. The denomination didn’t formally apologize for its stand on slavery until 1995. Four years ago, the SBC considered a name change to move past that split and increase opportunities for expansion outside the South.

7 percent Black membership Moore, a Mississippi native, opposed the rebranding. Earlier sin needs to be kept out front, he said, lest members forget it. One

of his earliest Sunday school memories convinced him of that. “We had a substitute teacher, and I put a quarter in my mouth,” he said. “She said, ‘Don’t put a quarter in your mouth, because a colored person might have touched that.”’ Moore said the teacher probably never examined her own belief system around race. But his proposed solution to that — diversifying worship spaces — will take some work. Of 50,500 Southern Baptist congregations, 3,502 identify as predominantly African-American, or about 7 percent, a 2013 denominational report shows.

The most segregated hour in America Broaching the issue is impor-

tant, said Joshua DuBois, former chief of the Obama administration’s faith-based initiatives and author of “The President’s Devotional.” “Where the Southern Baptist Convention leads, a whole lot of White conservatives around the nation follow,” said DuBois, who is African-American and attends Assemblies of God-affiliated National Community Church in Washington, D.C. “One of the most exciting things is the possibility of churches connecting at the grass-roots level to do more together to create interracial churches. “Right now, 11 a.m. on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America.” DuBois said a good example of ways to change that was the recent merger of predominantly White Ridgewood Baptist Church into predominantly Black Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville, prompted by the White church’s financial struggles. Shiloh Pastor H.B Charles Jr. — who will speak at the upcoming summit — became the primary teaching pastor of the combined flock and told The Huffington Post he hoped the merger served as an example of racial reconciliation.

Seeking more than a ‘Taco Tuesday’ Races worshipping together will increase understanding, said Miguel De La Torre, a professor at United Methodist-related Iliff School of Theology who studies the intersection of

Where’s the long-term, strategic plan? Whatever Whites choose to do, Black church leaders worry about other issues, said the Rev. Anthony Evans, president of the Washington, D.C.-based National Black Church Initiative, an interdenominational coalition of 34,000 African-American and Latino churches. They’re more concerned about fallout from the approval of same-sex marriage, attracting young members, meeting demands of churchgoers in African-American neighborhoods and maintaining financial viability, he said. It’s good that the Southern Baptists are talking about race, he said, but he has a lot of questions. “There were no discussions within the universal Christian faith — I certainly didn’t get a call — about what should be the vision going forward,” Evans said. “I’m not sure the motivation of their actions, but it’s a small beginning.” He said he will have more interest when he sees a long-term, strategic plan and a financial commitment to implementing it.

Nashville summit The Gospel and Racial Reconciliation Summit will be held March 26-27 in Nashville, Tenn. Speakers will include Fred Luter Jr., senior pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans and the Southern Baptist Convention’s first AfricanAmerican president; John Perkins, a civil rights leader and founder of the Christian Community Development Association; and Juan Sanchez, preaching pastor at High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin, Texas.

EVENTS & OBITUARIES

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR Tampa: The Tampa Police Department will host a Black History and Beyond program from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 7 at Lowry Park Zoo Bandshell, 7525 N. Blvd. West Palm Beach: A firsttime homebuyer education workshop is March 18 and 19 from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Urban League of Palm Beach County, 1700 N. Australian Ave. More information: wwwulpbc. org or call 561-833-1461 ext. 3000. Miami Gardens: Toni Braxton and R. Kelly are just a few of the artists who will perform at the 2015 Jazz in the Gardens. It takes place March 21-22 at Sun Life Stadium. Tampa: Journalist Roland Martin will be the guest speaker at a scholarship ball hosted by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and the GZl Educational Foundation on March 28 at the Mainsail Conference & Event Center. More info: gzleducationalfoundation. org or call 813-451-3306. Orlando: Catch rapper Waka Flocka Flame on Feb. 28 at Firestone Live. Estero: Actor and comedian Kevin Hart’s tour makes stops at the Germain Arena in Estero on March 27, April 25 at Amway Center

in Orlando and April 25 at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.

FEBRUARY 27: MARCH 5, 2015

STOJ

MAVIS STAPLES

The legendary singer will perform March 21 at the Ritz Theatre in Jacksonville.

Jacksonville: Catch K. Michelle on March 1 at the Florida Theatre Jacksonville. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Coral Gables: R&B Love Fest 2015 features Keith Sweat, Bell Biv Devoe, K-CI & JoJo along with El DeBarge. The show is April 4 at the BankUnited Center. West Palm Beach: Gladys Knight takes the stage at the Kravis Center on March 5. The show starts at 8 p.m. Naples: Journalist and activist Charlayne HunterGault will be the speaker at a March 15 Hattitude luncheon hosted by the Collier County Alumnae of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. www.Collierdeltas.org. Tampa: Candy Lowe hosts Tea & Conversation every Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. at 3911 N. 34th St., Suite B. More information: 813394-6363.

BYRON PITTS

LEE WILLIAMS

Byron Pitts, co-anchor for ABC News’ “Nightline,’’ will be the speaker during Poynter Institute’s “Race & America: Examining Media’s Coverage of Social Justice Issues’’ program on March 13 at 801 Third St. S., St. Petersburg.

The Mighty Clouds of Joy and Lee Williams will be at the War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale on April 5.

St. Petersburg: The legendary Smokey Robinson performs April 12 at The Mahaffey Theater and April 4 at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers. Tampa: Tickets are on sale for the Nephew Tommy Comedy Tour featuring Thomas Miles at the University of South Florida’s Sun Dome on April 18.

Onyx Magazine to honor Floridians during March 28 awards show in Orlando Onyx Magazine has announced its 2015 award recipients. The Onyx Awards, Florida’s premiere African-American awards show, will be held on Saturday, March 28 at 7 p.m. at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. “The Onyx Awards serves as the premiere event in Florida to celebrate and recognize the accomplishments and contributions of African-Americans and those of the African Diaspora,” said Publisher Rich Black. “We are delighted to pay tribute to a stellar group of individuals and companies that are making a difference throughout the state in the areas of business, sports, education and community service.” The awards ceremony serves as a fundraiser to support the Tri-County Sickle Cell Association, The Young Fathers of Central Florida and the literacy program for the Orange County Jr. Wildcats and Polk County Rattlers.

HBCU presidents to attend Additionally, the event will pay tribute

to Florida’s four Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Bethune-Cookman University, Edward Waters College, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, and Florida Memorial University. The president of each institution will be in attendance to commemorate the occasion. “Our HBCUs are a significant cornerstone of the Black community and their mission to educate under-served communities is more critical to the future of our country today than ever before,” said Onyx Awards Advisory Chair Michelle Tatom. “We salute those individuals working to preserve these great institutions through their philanthropy and social activism.” The HBCU leaders are: • Bethune-Cookman University, President Edison Jackson, Daytona Beach • Edward Waters College, President Nathaniel Glover, Jacksonville • Florida A&M University, President Elmira Mangum, Tallahassee • Florida Memorial University, President Roslyn Artis Clark, Miami Gardens

Inez Long

Lizzie Robinson Jenkins

Luther J. Blackshear

2015 honorees Along with the tribute to the HBCUs, the following will be honored. Business Award: Christopher Riley, CEO, Endurance Communications and Electrical, LLC., Orlando Business Empowerment Award: Inez Long, president, BBIF Florida, Orlando Black Archivist Award: Lizzie Robinson Jenkins, president/founder, The Real Rosewood Foundation, Inc., Gainesville Cultural Diversity Award: MercedesBenz Orlando/Maitland, Maitland

Visionary Award: Sevell Brown, president/founder, National MLK Parade, St. Petersburg Founder’s Award: Coach Luther J. Blackshear, Orange County Founder’s Award: Coach Buster Raggs, Sr., Polk County Publisher’s Awards: John Crossman, president, Crossman & Company, Orlando Public Service Award: Retired Commissioner Mable Butler, Orlando Leadership Award: Dr. Bobby Doctor, civil rights activist, Tallahassee Lifetime Achievement in Sports Award: Larry Little, NFL Hall of Famer, Miami Dolphins, Miami Lifetime Achievement: The Chestnut Dynasty, Gainesville The event will be hosted by Comedian Steffon Vann and musical guests will include Richard Street’s Temptations, R&B songstress Cece Teneal, and NK5 New Kriation. For additional information, call 407451-2891. Tickets are available online at www.onyxawards.com.

Jazz legend Clark Terry dies at 94 FROM WIRE REPORTS

Jaden Newman will join Globetrotters star T-Time Brawner as one of two female players on the court for the Globetrotters during the Feb. 28 show.

Central Florida girl to join Harlem Globetrotters during Orlando show Nine-year-old Jaden Newman, starting point guard at Downey Christian High School in Orlando, will surprise fans when she joins the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters on the hardwood of the Amway Center on Feb. 28 at 12:30 p.m. Jaden has gained national attention for her incredible moves and for recent-

ly becoming the youngest basketball recruit in history. Check her on out on YouTube at youtu.be/ A55ZVBntQt8. This season, the 4’9” phenom is averaging 31.5 points per game, 10.1 assists and 6.2 steals, ranking her among the best varsity girl players in the nation. Additionally, she recently went toe-to-toe with NBA

star Stephen Curry, besting him in a 3-point shoot-out. She will join Globetrotters star T-Time Brawner as one of two female players on the court for the Globetrotters during the Feb. 28 show. Visit www.harlemglobetrotters.com for other Florida shows and ticket information.

Jazz legend Clark Terry will be laid to rest on Feb. 28 in New York City. He died on Feb. 21 at age 94. A service is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Abyssinian Baptist Church with Dr. Calvin Butts preaching the eulogy. Burial will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery. The jazz trumpeter, who was a mentor to Miles Davis and Quincy Jones, performed with Count Basie and Duke Ellington as well as on “The Tonight Show.’’ “Our beloved Clark Terry has joined the big band in heaven where he’ll be singing and playing with the angels,” his wife, Gwen Terry, wrote on the trumpeter’s official Facebook page. Born in St. Louis in 1920, Terry developed a passion for music as a child, creating a makeshift trumpet by attaching a funnel to a garden hose with a lead pipe for a mouthpiece. His neighbors eventually chipped in to buy him a trumpet from a pawn shop. After a stint in the Navy from 1942 to 1945, he

Clark Terry worked in bands before joining the Count Basie Orchestra in 1948. Several years later, he joined Duke Ellington’s band.

Quincy Jones tribute He was with Quincy Jones’ “Free and Easy” musical in 1959 and later worked for 12 years as one of the musicians in the “Tonight Show” band. “The world has lost one of the greatest trumpeters to ever grace the planet,” Jones wrote on his Facebook page. “Clark Terry was my first trumpet teacher as a teen in Seattle, my idol, and my brother. When he left the Basie and Ellington bands, also two of my idols, to join mine,

it was one of the most humbling moments in my life.” Terry received 15 honorary doctorates and numerous other awards, including Hall of Fame honors. In 2010, Terry received a Grammy lifetime achievement award. He was a strong proponent of jazz education, teaching in classrooms, camps, clinics and festivals and writing jazz instruction books. He mentored young musicians such as drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and singer Dianne Reeves who went on to become jazz stars. His book, “Clark: The Autobiography of Clark Terry ,’’ available now, was published by University of California Press. In later years, Terry was in bad health after suffering from extreme complications of diabetes. Terry, who had been living in Pine Bluff, Ark., entered into hospice care earlier this month. In lieu of flowers, his family is asking that donations be made in Clark Terry’s name to the Jazz Foundation of America.

FEBRUARY 27 – MARCH 5, 2015

BLACK HISTORY

CHRISTIAN GOODEN/ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH/TNS

Tiffany Smith, president of the Life Memorial Centre mortuary and funeral home, performs some finishing restorative work on a deceased man before a service in her chapel on Feb. 11 in Overland, Mo.

Black woman trying to break down racial barrier in funeral home business BY DOUG MOORE ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH (TNS)

It happened about a week after Tiffany A. Smith took over a funeral home that has been a fixture of downtown Overland, Mo. for 80 years. An elderly White man, with the help of a walker, came in to the lobby demanding to talk with the person in charge. “That would be me,” Smith told the man. “No, you’re not the guy in charge,” he said. The man wanted to know what happened to the money he had given the former owners for a pre-paid funeral. But Smith never got the chance to help him sort it

out. He left in a huff. Smith thinks she wasn’t the White male funeral director he was expecting. It was an early indicator of the challenges Smith was going to face taking over a funeral home operated by Whites in a part of the St. Louis region that, while becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, remains primarily White. “My business has grown but not as much as I’d have liked,” said Smith, who bought the funeral home in September 2013. “It’s been a challenge branching out in this neighborhood. I’ve got to get people to step outside their prejudice.

Started during Civil War

More female morticians

The funeral business remains one of the most segregated in the country. Blacks and Whites generally worship separately, so it’s no surprise those divisions also pertain to the rituals of death. It is an industry that grew out of the Civil War battlefields, where Blacks were trained alongside Whites to embalm the fallen because the number of soldiers killed was too great to handle otherwise. But Smith, 34, is looking to the future, not the past, as she seeks to break down that racial divide.

Smith started in the funeral business at age 19. She was eager to grow up, graduating a year early from Cleveland Naval Junior ROTC Academy, then enrolling in a nursing program at Maryville University. “I absolutely hated it,” Smith said. “I felt boxed in. I want to write my own ticket, see how far I can go.” Her cousin, a beautician, did work for a funeral director in Hazelwood, Mo. She suggested Smith talk with him about a job. He offered her an apprenticeship. In 1976, when figures were first kept by the Amer-

ican Board of Funeral Service Education, 13 percent of those graduating from accredited funeral service schools were women. By 2013, it was almost 56 percent. About 15 percent of graduates are African-Americans. Of those, nearly 58 percent are women. Elleanor Starks founded 100 Black Women of Funeral Service in 1993, a support network for minorities who work in the industry. Many women who entered the profession did so coming out of health care, like Smith did. “They always wanted to do something that takes them to that next level of caring,” said Starks of Orlando. “Funeral service kind of encompasses a woman’s life and makes them a better fit. They’re not afraid to wipe away tears or put an arm around someone, or counsel them during a healing period.” Smith became licensed as a funeral director then embalmer. She struck out on her own in 2010, opening an embalming service for other funeral homes. For three years, she ran her business out of a small storefront. But she kept thinking bigger, and asked her real estate agent for help. “I think I found a place,” the agent said. The Baumann Colonial Chapel in Overland had closed, with its directors joining up with a nearby funeral home. The building was for sale.

Slow to change Overland, in mid St. Louis County, like the other small municipalities in this part of the region, continues to shift in demographics. In 2000, the town of about 16,800 was nearly 84 percent White, compared to 73 percent a decade later. While Overland, like much of north St. Louis County, continues to lose population, the drop was slowed by an increase in minorities. The percentage

B3 of Hispanics tripled, to 6.4 percent by 2010, and Blacks jumped to 16.4 percent, compared to 11.2 percent. Reaching her goal could be difficult. A race barrier still exists, much like in barber and beauty shops. Smith says it’s not so much racism as tradition. People are willing to try new things, but trusting someone to handle the funeral of a loved one is different. She has one employee and recently hired a young woman as an apprentice. Her husband, Walter, serves as vice president of the funeral home. He’s an Army staff sergeant who also works for an entity of Boeing in industrial manufacturing. He just started a funeral director apprenticeship. The couple lives in Ferguson, Mo. with their four children.

Trying to diversify In 2014, the Tiffany A. Smith Life Memorial Centre handled 22 services. She would like to see that number grow to 40 to 50 this year. She also wants to diversify the business. All but three of her services last year were for African-Americans. She still embalms for other funeral homes, but says she plans to cut back to devote her attention to the business bearing her name. Smith says it is the personal touches that will ultimately lead to her success. She has decorated her funeral home with brighter colors and contemporary furnishings, including white leather couches. Each family receives a tribute blanket personalized with screen-printed photos of their loved ones. And the bereaved also receive a pound cake made by Smith’s 84-year-old grandmother. “This business is about dignity and understanding,” Smith said. “I can’t take the pain away but I can soothe you.”

February is American Heart Month.

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BLACK HISTORY

FEBRUARY 27 – MARCH 5, 2015

BY GREGORY CLAY McClatchy-Tribune News Service

ost of us know prominent black women in Hollywood — from Cicely Tyson to Halle Berry to Kerry Washington. We know superstar black female athletes, such as the tennis-playing Williams sisters, and we remember bronze medal-winning figure skater Debi Thomas from the momentous Calgary Winter Olympics of 1988. But sports and entertainment aren’t the only arenas in which black women have achieved. Here, we examine a historical roll call of black women firsts and their legacies as we celebrate Black History Month and Women’s History Month with an eclectic and challenging trivia quiz.

1. Who was the first black

woman named to a U.S. Cabinet position? A. Condoleezza Rice B. Alexis Herman C. Patricia Roberts Harris D. Hazel R. O’Leary

Michelle Obama became the first black first lady when Barack Michelle Obama Obama won the presidential election in 2008. At what college did she complete her undergraduate studies? A. Yale B. Princeton C. Illinois D. North Carolina

Debi Thomas became the first black woman to win a medal in a Winter Games when she captured the bronze in figure skating in 1988. What professional discipline did she enter after her skating career? A. Chiropractor B. Accountant C. Attorney D. Physician

RICHARD HODGES/COLUMBUS LEDGER-ENQUIRER/MCT

Who was the first black woman to win a Nobel Prize in literature? A. Lorraine Hansberry B. Toni Morrison C. Alice Walker D. Maya Angelou

Who was the first black woman to moderate a U.S. presidential debate? A. Gwen Ifill B. Suzanne Malveaux C. Fredricka Whitfield D. Carole Simpson

6. Hal-

le Berry, in 2002, became the first black woman to receive an Academy Award in the Best AcHalle tress categoBerry ry. Name the movie in which she appeared for said award. A. “Losing Isaiah” B. “Monster’s Ball” C. “Solomon & Sheba” D. “Gothika”

Name the first black woman to play for a Negro League baseball team. A. Althea Gibson B. Wilma Rudolph C. Toni Stone D. Wyomia Tyus

Surveying the historical and cultural contributions of Black women B. Archer Daniels Midland C. Hewlett-Packard D. Avon

11. Who was the first black woman named Playboy Magazine’s Playmate of the Month? A. Halle Berry B. Vanessa Williams C. Jennifer Jackson D. Dorothy Dandridge

12. Vanessa James and Yan-

nick Bonheur became the first black couple to compete in Winter Olympic pairs skating when

black female CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Name the company. A. Xerox

woman who was a nonsupermodel or a nonathlete to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit edition. A. Beyonce B. Rihanna C. Aaliyah D. Iman

woman to earn her pilot’s license? A. Bessie Coleman B. Mae Jemison C. Shirley Ann Jackson D. Ella Fitzgerald

10. Ursula Burns is the first

13. Name the first black

14. Who was the first black

Who was the first black female flight attendant? A. Ruth Carol Taylor B. Bessie Coleman C. Shirley Chisholm D. Aretha Franklin Vonetta Flowers became the first black woman to win a gold medal in a Winter Olympics in the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City. In which sport did she participate in before bobsledding? A. Track and field B. Basketball C. Softball D. Soccer

they participated in the Vancouver Games in 2010. Which country did they represent in that Olympics? A. United States B. England C. Canada D. France

15. Alice Coachman became the first black woman to win a gold medal in an Olympics. In what year did she win the gold? A. 1960 Rome B. 1936 Berlin C. 1948 London D. 1956 Melbourne

GEORGE BRIDGES/MCT

Vanessa James and Yannick Bonheur compete in the ice skating pairs event at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia.

16. Name the first black

woman to receive a Ph.D. from Duke University. A. Susan Rice B. Melissa Harris-Perry C. Michelle Bernard

D. Ida Stephens Owens

17. Who is the first black

woman named to the NCAA’s College Football Playoff Selection Committee? A. Pam Oliver B. Jemele Hill C. Condoleezza Rice D. Lisa Salters

18. Who was the first black

female millionaire in the United States? A. Nichelle Nichols B. Madam C. J. Walker C. Oprah Winfrey D. Judy Smith

19. Gabrielle Douglas be-

came the first black woman to win a gold medal in the individual all-around gymnastics competition, during the 2012 London Olympic Games. What is her nickname? A. “Supergirl” B. “Ace” C. “Queen of the Mat” D. “Flying Squirrel”

20. Who was the first black

female author to win a Pulitzer Prize? A. Gwendolyn Brooks B. Zora Neale Hurston C. Nikki Giovanni D. Terry McMillan SOURCES: BIOGRAPHY.COM, IMDB. COM, PLAYBOY ENTERPRISES, ESPN, HISTORY CHANNEL, PBS

STOJ

ANSWERS 1. C. Patricia Roberts Harris was named secretary of housing and urban development in 1977 during the administration of President Jimmy Carter. 2. B. At Princeton, Michelle Obama majored in sociology with a minor in African-American studies, earning a B.A. in 1985. She received her law degree from Harvard in 1988. 3. D. Physician. Debi Thomas graduated from Stanford University in 1991 with a degree in engineering, then graduated from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in 1997. She performed her surgical residency at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences Hospital and an orthopedic surgery residency at the Martin Luther King Jr./Charles Drew University Medical Center in South Central Los Angeles. 4. B. Toni Morrison won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1993 for the body of her work “characterized by visionary force and poetic import.” 5. D. Carole Simpson moderated a debate in 1992 between U.S. presidential candidates George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Ross Perot. 6. B. Halle Berry played the role of Leticia Musgrove, the troubled wife of an executed murderer in “Monster’s Ball.” Her performance was awarded the National Board of Review and the Screen Actors Guild best-actress awards. In a most interesting coincidence, she became the first black woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress when earlier in her career, she portrayed Dorothy Dandridge, the first black woman nominated for Best Actress. 7. C. Toni “Tomboy” Stone played second base for the Indianapolis Clowns in 1953. She even got a hit off legendary pitcher Satchel Paige. 8. A. Ruth Carol Taylor became the first black flight attendant in 1958, working for Mohawk Airlines. 9. A. Vonetta Flowers initially participated in track and field as a sprinter and long jumper. Flowers originally aimed to compete in the Summer Games, but, after several failed attempts at the trials, she switched to bobsledding, teaming with Jill Bakken to take the gold in the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. 10. A. Ursula Burns, who grew up in a housing project in New York City, replaced Anne Mulcahy in 2009 as CEO of Xerox, the world’s largest maker of highspeed color printers. A math whiz, Burns earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University in 1981. 11. C. Jennifer Jackson became the first black woman to appear as Playmate of the Month for the March 1965 issue. She later became a social worker; her twin sister, Janice, also worked as a Playboy Bunny. 12. D. Vanessa James and Yannick Bonheur represented France. They placed 14th in the competition. 13. A. Singer Beyonce created a major buzz in 2007 when she appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Edition. 14. A. Bessie Coleman received an international pilot’s license in 1921 in France instead of the United States because of segregationist laws in America. 15. C. Alice Coachman won the high jump in the 1948 London Games with a height of 5 feet, 6 1/8 inches. In fact, she was the only U.S. woman to win a track and field gold medal in that games; Coachman’s dominance was so pronounced that she won the AAU outdoor high jump championships from 1939 to 1948. She was only 25 in 1948, so imagine how many medals she would have won had the 1940 and 1944 Summer Olympics not been canceled because of World War II. 16. D. Ida Stephens Owens received a Ph.D. in physiology in 1967 from the Duke Graduate School. 17. C. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, also an accomplished figure skater and classical pianist, was named to the 13-person panel that determines the four teams that will play in major college football’s playoff system. 18. B. Sarah Breedlove, also known as Madam C. J. Walker, was a U.S. entrepreneur and philanthropist who earned her million-dollar fortune by developing and marketing beauty and hair-care products for black women. She died in 1919 at age 52, amassing her wealth several decades before Oprah. 19. D. Gabrielle Douglas was nicknamed the “Flying Squirrel” because of her acrobatic performances on the uneven bars. 20. A. Gwendolyn Brooks, in 1950, won a Pulitzer Prize for poetry with her book, “Annie Allen.”

STOJ

FEBRUARY 27 – MARCH 5, 2015

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

Meet some of

FLORIDA’S

finest

submitted for your approval

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

Florida Courier photojournalists have been on past Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic Voyage cruises. We’re featuring some of the “Finest’’ cruisers. This year’s cruise is April 11-15. Details: fantasticvoyage.blackamericaweb.com. TONY LEAVELL/FLORIDA COURIER and DELROY COLE/FLORIDA COURIER

Common, Legend’s Oscar speech was all about freedom and justice

Holt holding it down; ‘NBC Nightly News’ ratings stay high

EURWEB.COM

Lester Holt is giving NBC a solid reason not to worry too much about suspending Brian Williams. Richard Prince‘s Journal-isms cites a report from the Los Angeles Times, which revealed that the “NBC Nightly News” remained at the top of the ratings as Holt assumed the lead anchor position in the first full week since Williams was placed on a six-month suspension for lying about being on a Chinook helicopter that was hit and forced down by enemy fire during the 2003 Iraq invasion. “NBC news isn’t seeing any serious collateral ratings damage from suspending anchor Brian Williams over false statements he made about his Iraq reporting,” Stephen Battaglio reported last week for the Times. “Ratings for the week of Feb. 9-13 showed ‘NBC Nightly News’ — with Lester Holt sitting in the anchor chair — as the most Lester watched evening newscast, averaging 9.4 Holt million viewers. ‘ABC World News Tonight with David Muir’ was second with 9 million followed by ‘CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley’ with 7.6 million.”

The Feb. 23 Oscar ceremony ended with “Selma” batting 500. It lost Best Picture, but won Best Original Song trophy for performers and songwriters Common and John Legend. In his acceptance speech at the Academ Awards event, Common linked what happened on the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Ala. and the civil rights movement to similar movements in France and Hong Kong. “The spirit of this bridge connects the kid from the south side of Chicago, dreaming of a better life, to those in France standing up for their freedom of expression, to those in Hong Kong, protesting for democracy,” he said. “This bridge was built on hope, welded with compassion and elevated with love for all human beings.” John Legend didn’t beat around the bush, either. “We say that Selma is now, because the struggle for justice is right now,” he said. “We know that the Voting Rights Act that they fought

Common and John Legend received Oscars for their “Selma’’ song “Glory.’’ for 50 years ago is being compromised right now in this country today. We know that right now, the struggle for freedom and justice is real. We live in the most incarcerated country in the world. There

PBS’ ‘American Denial’ explores racism EURWEB.COM

A provocative PBS documentary, “American Denial,” examines racism partly through the prism of Swedish sociologist Gunnar Myrdal’s 1944 groundbreaking research of Jim Crow racism in the Deep South to show that despite electing Barack Obama as the first AfricanAmerican president we are far from having a post-racial society in the U.S. “We are still haunted by our own biases,” Lou Smith the Producer and Director of the documentary said. Myrdal and African-American political scientist Ralph Bunche began in 1938 traveling extensively throughout the South and released in 1944 a 1,483-page study on race called “An American Dilemma” that sought to explain what they called the “Negro Problem.” The two who would later become Nobel Peace Prize winners concluded in their research that it was not the Negro causing the problem of racial problems. They discovered many White people in America had their head in the sand about being responsible for racial bias. This film shows a similarity in America exists today.

are more Black men under correctional control today then were under slavery in 1850.” He concluded with: “We are with you, we see you, we love you and march on.”

“He was shocked to his very bones by what he saw,” documentary producer Christine Herbes-Sommers maintained.

Take the test Herbes-Sommers, president of Vital Pictures, says that Myrdal raised the question about how can a country so devoted to the American creed of opportunity and liberty for all tolerate such a system of injustice for African-Americans? “That is what we explore in the film. We explore that question,” Herbes-Sommers said. Smith and Herbes-Sommers collaborated on the documentary for four years, assisted by several scholars and experts who discuss their research and in some instances their own experiences to bring home the point “that we are living largely with denial and denying the existence as it effects our outlooks, our institutions and that we do that at our own peril,” Smith, cofounder and project director at Blue Spark Collaborative, said. You can take the Implicit Association Test (IAT) by going to http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/ implicit-test. This test taken by more than two million people revealed that even the most consciously tolerant may hold prejudices. “American Denial’’ premiered on PBS’ Independent Lens on Feb. 23. Check your local PBS channel for other showings of the documentary.

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Viewers weigh in When asked in an CNN/ORC International Poll, “Do you think NBC News should or should not allow Brian Williams to return to anchor NBC Nightly News?,” Prince noted that 52 percent of respondents said yes, NBC should; 40 percent said no, NBC should not; and 8 percent had no opinion. Broken down, 48 percent of White viewers said yes, while 44 percent said no. Eight percent had no opinion. The results among nonwhite viewers were a bit different as 60 percent said Williams should be allowed to return. Only 33 percent said he should not. Seven percent had no opinion. From Feb. 12 to 15, 1,027 adult Americans were interviewed by pollsters. “Additional interviews were conducted among AfricanAmericans, and combined with the African-Americans contacted in the initial sample of 1,027 for a total of 309 AfricanAmerican respondents,” the pollsters said. “The margin of sampling error for results based on this sample of AfricanAmericans is plus or minus 5.5 percentage points,” Results for all adults had a sampling error of plus or minus 3 points. “The poll results show a generally forgiving attitude among Americans. But the four in 10 who say Williams should not be allowed back on ‘Nightly News’ signifies a serious problem for NBC moving forward,” Brian Stelter stated for CNN.

Issue of credibility Prince went on to point out the difference between nonWhite viewer responses for the CNN/ORC poll and those taken from an online survey on Feb. 20 by Frank N. Magid Associates, one of the media industry’s leading consulting firms. “We found African-American and Hispanic respondents were more likely to feel Williams’ suspension from NBC News was appropriate,” Jaime Spencer, senior vice president of the Magid firm, told Journal-isms by email. “Hispanics were less likely to feel he should be fired while AfricanAmerican respondents’ opinion on NBC firing him was not significantly different than the overall sample.” “When it comes to regaining credibility, African-Americans were more likely to be undecided while Hispanics were more likely to feel he can regain his credibility.”

REVOLUTIONARY WAR (April 19, 1775 to Sept. 3, 1783):

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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/MCT

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

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 17 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

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B6 FEBRUARY 27 – MARCH 5, 2015 TOJ