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Brothers at barbershop open up about mental health

VOLUME 22 NO. 9

Page B1

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FEBRUARY 28 – MARCH 6, 2014

SUFFERING IN SILENCE The stigma associated with mental illness, mistrust of the health care system, and fear of ‘putting my business in the street’ are some of the factors preventing Black Americans from getting the help they need.

BY JENISE GRIFFIN MORGAN FLORIDA COURIER

FLORIDA COURIER FILES

The days of declaring that suicide is a White man’s disease are long over. Legendary “Soul Train” creator Don Cornelius, age 75, shot himself in the head on Feb. 1, 2012. Ten months later, Kansas City linebacker Jovan Belcher, 25, died the same way – after murdering the mother of his infant son. And just six months ago, 29-year-old former Disney star Lee Thompson Young similarly ended his life via a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The shocking deaths of these Black men continued to refute the Black

“no suicide” belief that has existed for generations. The numbers belie that belief. Reports show that African-American men commit suicide at nearly five times the rate of Black women. Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for Black males between 15 and 24 – after homicides and accidents.

‘Post-traumatic slave syndrome’ Although African-Americans are less likely than Whites to have a major depressive disorder, the condition tends to be more chronic and severe when they do have the disorder. Still, trying to get Black men to

seek treatment when they have “more than the blues’’ remains a great hurdle. In their groundbreaking book, “Lay My Burden Down: Suicide and the Mental Health Crisis among African-Americans,” Dr. Alvin Poussaint and Amy Alexander explored the subject of “post-traumatic slavery syndrome,” described as the unique physical and emotional perils for Black people that are the legacy of slavery and persistent racism. “The persistent presence of racism, despite the significant legal, social and political progress made during the last half of the twentieth century has created a physiological risk for

DR. JOHN SILVANUS WILSON JR. / 11th PRESIDENT, MOREHOUSE COLLEGE

Morehouse’s new ‘top Man’

See SUFFERING, Page A2

‘Shoot first’ debate continues Law examined two years after Trayvon killing FROM WIRE AND STAFF REPORTS

Two years after Trayvon Martin’s death, Florida’s “stand your ground” – or “shoot first” law, depending on the perspective – remains a flash point in a still unsettled national debate over the limits of self-defense. After a Jacksonville jury this month failed to decide whether Michael Dunn murdered 17-year-old Jordan Davis, the same questions about the law surfaced anew: Is it too vague or too confusing? Is it being applied as the Legislature intended? And what role did it play in George Zimmerman’s acquittal and Dunn’s partially hung jury?

Session starts

PHILLIP MCCOLLUM

On behalf of Morehouse College, Trustee C. David Moody, Jr., right, presented a presidential chair to newly installed President John Silvanus Wilson Jr. Made of polished cherry wood, the chair stands 6 feet, six inches tall and is designed like a pulpit chair. It features carved images that represent universal truths, academic ideals, and key aspects of ancient African culture and heritage inscribed in Latin and Greek languages and in Kemetic hieroglyphics of Egypt.

Protesters marched in downtown Raleigh, N.C. during a “Moral Monday” July 2013 demonstration. A similar protest kicks off in Tallahassee on March 3. AL DRAGO/ RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER/ MCT

ALSO INSIDE

‘Moral Monday’ to call for political change THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – On the eve of the 2014 legislative session, civil-rights and labor groups will hold an event dubbed “Moral Monday Florida” to call for Gov. Rick Scott and the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature to address issues such as expanding Medicaid, ensuring voting rights and changing or repealing the “stand your ground” self-defense law. Adora Obi Nweze, president of the Florida State Conference of NAACP Branches, said Monday during a conference call with reporters that the effort will be similar to “Moral Monday” campaigns in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Among the other groups involved in the effort are the SEIU labor union, the South-

ern Christian Leadership Conference and Equality Florida. “We’re going to be joined together in speaking out on these issues,’’ Obi Nweze said. The kickoff event will take place outside the Capitol on March 3, the day before the annual 60-day legislative session starts. During the conference call, speakers pointed to issues such as the Legislature’s refusal last year to accept an estimated $51 billion from the federal government in coming years to expand Medicaid coverage. Obi Nweze said the groups hope that the “Moral Monday” effort will help educate voters, spur voter registration and get people to the polls in November.

As lawmakers prepare to begin their springtime session, the head of a key committee has vowed not to change “one damn comma.” But others – including the law’s author and Zimmerman’s former attorney – have suggested it could use some tweaking. And like Martin’s parents before them, Jordan Davis’ parents have vowed to seek changes to what they say is a flawed self-defense law in Florida. See DEBATE, Page A2

SNAPSHOTS FLORIDA | A3

Microsoft makes huge donation to FAMU

Lawmakers look to revamp ‘zero tolerance’ FOCUS | A2

NAACP Image Awards ignores the Black Press FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT | B5

‘12 Years A Slave’ racks up NAACP Image Awards Meet Ashley

COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4 COMMENTARY: DR. WILMER LEON III: DAVIS VICTIM OF MURDEROUS HISTORICAL CONTINUUM | A5

FOCUS

FEBRUARY 28 – MARCH 6, 2014

NAACP Image Awards ignores the Black Press Information to Black Americans has been and continues to rest in the bosom of the Black Press. So why is it that in 2014 – during Black History Month no less – the NAACP needs to be reminded that the Black Press is interested in the “Advancement of Colored People” too, every day? What could the NAACP be thinking?

What would Du Bois do? It is such an insult that the NAACP would disrespect the Black Press regarding ad buys that it’s almost too shameful to write about. But I had to; it’s what we do. W.E.B. Du Bois, Ph.D. (18681963), was one of the founders and the editor of the NAACP’s magazine, “Crisis”, which first published in November 1910. He was educated at Harvard University. His leadership and record speak for themselves. Two years ago, the NAACP spent zero dollars with the Black Press for the Image Awards. Ben Jealous, a former staff member of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the trade association of 180 Black newspapers, had recently assumed the

DEBATE from A1

Though Zimmerman claimed he shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in self-defense Feb. 26, 2012, his defense lawyer consistently disputed the notion he was using a “stand your ground” defense. Attorney Mark O’Mara contended that Zimmerman was being pummeled when he opened fire, and had no option to retreat.

NATALIE COLE GUEST COMMENTARY

helm of the NAACP.

NAACP ‘mistake’ Jealous informed the NNPA’s board of directors of that the NAACP made an oversight in not using ad dollars to promote their event in Black newspapers. He said that the NAACP’s advertising agency had erred, that ads should have run in Black newspapers, and that the mistake wouldn’t happen again. All dollars that year were spent in non-Black media. Many Black publishers even reported that they had been denied media clearance to cover the event. What could the NAACP be thinking? According to NNPA publishers, the NAACP ran approximately seven ads in Black-owned media this year, totaling approximately $40,000. But I estimate that the big 58-page book that was inserted last week in one daily newspaper, the Los Angeles Times, cost

Same language

Race a factor

The same language appeared in the instructions for Dunn’s jury, which failed to reach a verdict on a first-degree-murder charge for 17-year-old Jordan Davis’ killing, though Dunn was convicted on three attempted-murder charges for firing 10 shots into the teen’s SUV at a gas station.

Critics of the law also say that Black youths, such as Martin and Davis, are disproportionately the victims of gunfire that their shooters later claim was justified by “reasonable” fear. The first Dunn juror to speak publicly, a woman identified as Valerie, said race didn’t play a

SUFFERING

the Black church and its civic and social organizations.

black people that is virtually unknown to White Americans. We call this ‘post-traumatic slavery syndrome.’ Specifically a culture of oppression, the product of this nation’s development has taken a tremendous toll on the minds and bodies of Black people.’’

‘Face of government’ Dr. Michael Brooks, president of the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development and associate professor at North Carolina A&T State University, also puts the heightened stigma of mental health in a historical perspective. He states it plain and simple – Blacks just don’t trust the government. Dr. Michael “Black peoBrooks ple just haven’t ever been comfortable talking to anyone about their quote unquote, ‘personal business.’ That stigma has always been present and hasn’t really faded a whole lot,” he told the Florida Courier. “Mental health still has the face of government on it,’’ said Brooks, adding that some Blacks’ experience with getting treatment has been negative. “Who are the friends of the Black community?” he asked, answering that they have only been

We put our pen to paper regarding the horrific injustice of slavery; we followed and recorded the Great Depression and the subsequent great migration; with the stroke of our pens, we called to action many of our great leaders and helped to incite the civil rights movement and we kept documenting. We lambasted Jim Crow-ism and embarrassed our government into actionable legislation to ensure us equal rights in cases such as Brown v. Board of Education, and three years after its passage, we recorded the Little Rock Nine breaking down barriers that persisted nonetheless. We were in Montgomery when Rosa Parks refused to relinquish her paid seat on the bus and we closely followed the boycott that ensued afterward. We were in Birmingham following the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing which took the lives of four little girls and though we wept, we continued to write. We took to

Inventions, discoveries We were there to cover our discoveries and inventions from George Washington Carver who invented more than 300 peanut products or Madame C.J. Walker and her specialized hair care products to lesser-recognized inventors like Otis Boykin, who invented electronic control devices for guided missiles, IBM computers and pacemakers. We were in the bleachers as Jackie Robinson hit homeruns into history. We were there for our Black entertainers, giving them a space when others would not. We pushed the word out to support the first Black president, Barack Obama; we cried for Trayvon Martin and his family, but we still showed up to do our business. We’ve traveled all across this country and abroad. And wherever there are Black people, there is the Black Press. We are not here solely for the month of February. We are here daily, year-round, to review, cover, talk about, and write about news and informa-

tion that is important to you. In some regard, you can compare us to the World Wide Web. When you need to know about a particular subject, many of you “google it” and what you get back is a vertical list of postings specific to your searching. Similarly, with the Black Press, when you pick up a Black newspaper, it’s all Black – our people, culture, communities, education, entertainment, challenges, successes.

We need support What would have happened if we had not been there? What will happen if we are not there tomorrow? Please don’t say you miss us as we close our doors. We need you to support us! If you and the NAACPs across the country are planning to run paid advertisements, you should consider placement into a Blackowned media company. Stop taking us for granted!

Natalie Cole is the CEO and publisher of Our Weekly newspaper in Los Angeles. She is also the national secretary of the National Newspaper Publishers Association. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Jurors confused?

Was Zimmerman’s a “stand your ground” case or one of traditional self-defense? O’Mara says that true “stand your ground” cases – in which the shooter could retreat but doesn’t – represent “an overwhelmingly small percentage” of self-defense cases: “The minuscule exception was defining the terminology.” But Zimmerman’s jury instructions contained some key language: that he “had no duty to retreat and had the right to stand his ground” if he “reasonably believed” it was necessary to prevent great bodily harm or death.

from A1

We were there

the streets during the race riots throughout the country, covering more memorials and funerals than we would like to remember.

Last week, O’Mara proposed a change: Remove the “stand your ground” language from the standard self-defense instructions, and include it only in cases in which the facts fit that scenario. O’Mara says he doesn’t think the Zimmerman verdict would have been different without that language, but for those who disagree, “there is an easy fix that makes a lot of sense.” The potential for confusion is a common criticism of “stand your ground” and Florida’s self-defense laws generally. For example: What is “reasonable” fear? Jurors are told that the danger doesn’t even have to be “actual” for a defendant’s fear to be “reasonable.” Dunn claimed he saw a gun before opening fire on Davis and his friends, but no gun was found. Even if there was no gun – no “actual” danger – was the fear “reasonable”? “The problem becomes when you have a reasonable fear, but that fear, though maybe reasonable, turns out to be inaccurate,” O’Mara said. “Now what do you do?”

A debate was born

at least $50,000. Do you think that such disrespect could have happened on Du Bois’ watch and he not address it?

‘Historical backlash’ “White people have a history of coming to their homes and not always leaving a good impression. There’s some historical backlash there.’’ He referred to the Tuskegee syphilis study, in which the U.S. Public Health Service tested Black men for 40 years, between 1932 and 1972. Informed that they were being treated for “bad blood,” their doctors had no intention of curing them of syphilis. In his insightful book published in 2004, “Standing in the Shadows: Understanding and Overcoming Depression in Black Men,’’ veteran journalist John Head wrote, “Racism is psychological warfare in the most literal sense of the term.” He believes that when racism’s humiliation and hopelessness is combined with a loss, depression often results. He told the Florida Courier this week: “It’s not surprising that many in Black communities look at mental health therapy and medications with distrust. The Tuskegee experiment where Black men were denied the best available treatment for syphilis so doctors could study how the disease progressed is a lingering reminder that the health care system is always just about helping us and can do real harm. “Add to that the fact that in minority communities, mental health care most often is something that is either forced on peo-

FLORIDA COURIER FILES

The killing of Trayvon Martin two years ago set off protests nationwide. role in the debate inside the jury room, which ended with jurors hung at 9-3 on the murder count: “(The instructions) said if he believed that he had an imminent threat to himself or his fiancee ... he was frightened, and there was no other option for him in regards to Mr. Davis,” the juror told ABC News. The burden at trial is on the state, which forces prosecutors in these cases to prove a negative:

They must establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not act in self-defense.

ple or used only when things reach a crisis point, and you can see why people would be leery.”

ture biases against mental health professionals and health care professionals in general prevent many African-Americans from accessing care due to prior experiences with historical misdiagnoses, inadequate treatment and a lack of cultural under standing; only 2 percent of psychologists and 4 percent of social workers in the United States are African American.’’ Brooks wants to see an increase in Blacks going to the mental health field. He grew up in Orlando and has an undergraduate degree in psychology from Morehouse College, and a master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Central Florida. He calls being a counselor “one of the most arrogant positions you can have,” remarking that patients are expected to find their offices, pay money and “share their dark secrets.’’ Williams did his undergraduate work in chemistry/pre-medicine at Florida A&M University. He earned his medical degree from the Morehouse School of Medicine and completed his residency training in general psychiatry at Palmetto Health Alliance with the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. Two years of additional specialized training in child & adolescent psychiatry followed. He says it’s important for more Blacks to go into the field of psychiatry.

Early challenges Dr. Vashaun Williams, a psychiatrist with Gracepoint, a wellness and behavioral organization based in Tampa, agrees that the stigma is heightened in the Black community. “I think without question the stigma exists for us nationally as a society and even to a greater degree within our African-American communities,’’ he told the Courier. “Additionally, I think the perception in our society of manliness or manhood, to be able to handle all things…and not show any kind of weakness, hinders us from seeking any type of care or mental health care.’’ Williams noted that he often sees men who are facing a number of challenges at an early age. “Sometimes we have young people at the most stressful times in their lives’’ – whether it’s from poor judgment, behavioral issues, or criminal activity, he explained. “We have many referral sources that bring clients to us. Courtordered (referrals) is one of the highest,” he said, adding, “some struggle with the law, with work. Sometimes they have struggles with relationships, then their family ends up bringing them’’ for psychological services.

No repeal Despite widespread outcry and national scrutiny, efforts to repeal “stand your ground” have been dead on arrival. House Criminal Justice Subcommittee Chairman Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, attracted

Black professionals needed

Comfort level

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) cites that “cul-

Talking about mental health is a humbling experience, he not-

national headlines when he said he doesn’t want to change “one damn comma” in the law. But legislation from Sen. Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, and Sen. David Simmons, the Altamonte Springs Republican who sponsored the original “stand your ground” law in 2005, aims to tighten the law’s language to make it more difficult for aggressors to claim self-defense.

ed. “It takes a lot to be able to talk about things you’re struggling with.’’ It’s important, he says that his clients, have a “sense of rapport and comfort.’’ “Familiarity breeds a sense of comfort,’’ he remarked, adding that “there are some things that may be culturally easier for people to express and talk about’’ with some of the same ethnic background.

‘Unattended PTSD’ Brooks added that Blacks experience PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) more than any other group of people. “People of color have more unattended PTSD,” he said, primarily from incidents of trauma they’ve experienced. “They are just walking around dealing with it. They are just walking around messed up.’’ He added that it’s up to counselors to create a more welcoming image. And while he continues to advocate that more counselors of color are needed, he adds that it’s imperative for Black men to seek treatment, highlighting that African-Americans go to Whites for other services. “People of color also must take a risk and make their mental health a priority. If the issue is bad enough, you’ll go to anyone you can get. Whenever you need help, you’ll go wherever you need to go.’’

Jenise Griffin Morgan, senior editor of the Florida Courier, is a 2013-2014 fellow for the Rosalyn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism.

FEBRUARY 28 – MARCH 6, 2014

FLORIDA

Lawmakers looking to revamp ‘zero tolerance’ While including an exception for threats to school safety, an Orlando Democrat on Tuesday filed a bill that would seek to change the state’s “zero tolerance” laws to prevent students from being expelled for disciplinary issues. THE FLORIDA SENATE The bill (SB 1244), filed by Sen. Sen. Geraldine Thompson, center, has filed a bill that deals with Geraldine Thompson, would require school districts to use alschool expulsions.

ternatives to expulsion or referral to law-enforcement agencies, except in circumstances such as when students bring firearms to school. Rep. Clovis Watson, D-Alachua, filed the House version of the proposal (HB 1009) last week. Meanwhile, another zero-tolerance bill (HB 7029) has started

moving through the House that would prevent children from being disciplined for simulating guns while playing or wearing clothes that depict firearms. The Senate version of that National Rifle Association-backed proposal (SB 1060) is scheduled to be heard Monday in the Senate Criminal Justice Committee.

Legislators could lower prepaid college program BY JIM SAUNDERS THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – Looking to make higher education more affordable, state lawmakers Tuesday moved forward with a plan that would lower costs in the Florida Prepaid College Program – and lead to about $50 million in refunds for some already-enrolled families. The Senate Education

Committee unanimously approved a bill (SB 732) that would revamp a formula that determines how much families pay to cover the future tuition and fee costs for their children. While the details of the formula are complex, the bill would essentially undo changes made in 2009 that have driven up costs. “This is obviously a significant bill for the families of Florida,’’ bill sponsor Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, said.

Drop in monthly fee Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, and House President Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, signaled last month that they would push to reduce costs in the prepaid program, which is formally known as the Stanley G. Tate Florida Prepaid College Program, after a Miami businessman who was integral in its development. As an example of the effects of the new bill, a Sen-

ate analysis said a family enrolling a newborn during the 2012-13 year in a four-year university plan under the prepaid program is currently paying $332 a month. If SB 732 ultimately passes, that price would drop to an estimated $255 a month. Also, the analysis said that 26,000 families would be entitled to about $50 million in refunds. Those families purchased prepaid plans in recent years after prices increased.

Nelson wants federal review of unemployment site NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., wants the federal Department of Labor’s inspector general to look into the state’s trouble-plagued $63 million unemployment assistance website for potential “waste, fraud or abuse or violations of law” due to months of delayed claims. “Somebody owes taxpayers an explanation,” Nelson wrote Inspector General Scott S. Dahl on Feb. 21. “They are the ones who paid the $63 million for this project.” Nelson twice before has asked the Labor Department to look into the

Department of Economic Opportunity’s Connect system that went on live in October. After Labor Department staff visited Tallahassee in December, the state agency announced that claims would be paid in cases that had been in dispute for more than one week.

More staff hired The move was intended to ease a backlog created by the new website. Since Dec. 23, the state has imposed a $15,000 per business day fine against contractor Deloitte ConsultT:8” ing and withheld a $3 million payment to the company for failing to

deliver a “fully functioning” system. The agency hired about 250 additional staff in January, at a cost of $165,000 a week. DEO reported about 6,000 applications were pending on Feb. 21, a drop Bill from a backlog of Nelson more than 60,000 in mid-January. Nelson in his letter noted that, although the state agency claims the system has improved, media outlets continue to report that people “were still reaching out for help.”

‘Tuition differential’ The 2009 changes in the payment formula came as lawmakers approved allowing universities to raise tuition by as much as 15 percent a year – a concept known as a “tuition differential.” The Senate Education Committee on Tuesday backed another bill (SB 7036) reducing that maximum amount from 15 percent to 6 percent. Reducing the tuition differential to 6 percent would help bring down projected

costs in the prepaid program. But Galvano said SB 732 will have more of an effect because of changes related to the program’s actuarial reserves. Gov. Rick Scott has made a priority of holding down tuition rates, and a member of his staff indicated to the committee Tuesday that Scott supports the proposed changes in the prepaid program. Galvano said the House is expected to move forward with the proposal as part of a committee bill.

Microsoft makes large donation to FAMU Microsoft Corporation, the world’s biggest software company, is donating $456,425 in software to Florida A&M University (FAMU). Last month, Akhtar Badshah, senior director of Microsoft Citizenship & Public Affairs, informed the FAMU Division of Enterprise Information Technology of the decision. “At Microsoft, we believe technology can do amazing things. That’s why we

partner with thousands of organizations like [FAMU] around the world to help each one achieve its mission. Through our Microsoft Citizenship efforts, we provide technology tools, training and resources that can help create opportunities and transform communities. Congratulations on being part of our global community,” said Badshah.

Expand community outreach

According to Interim Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer Michael James, the donation from Microsoft will be used to continue the university’s mission of offering innovative technology and resources to its students, adm i n i s t r a - Akhtar tors, faculty Badshah and staff. “This donation, which was coordinated by Ron Henry and Meghann Graham of the EIT Services Team, will assist FAMU in its continued efforts to offer state-of-the art software access to its users, enhance the overall efficiency of our various departments and expand our technology-related community outreach,” James said. “Microsoft’s donation is not only an asset to our mission of remaining on the cutting edge of technology, but also shows that the corporation understands our mission and recognizes the work we are doing here at the university.” T:10”

Thorough review process

From left: Leanna Archer, Beverly Johnson, Roland Parrish, Gladys Knight, Dr. Steve Perry, Kenny Williams, and Charles Orgbon III.

We applaud the few that inspire the many. For this year’s 365Black® Award recipients, each day is exceptional. They stand for greatness and bow with selessness. Through their dedication and service, they inspire a world of change. We’re proud to honor them all for staying Deeply Rooted in the Community,® 365 days a year. To learn more about this year’s honorees, go to 365Black.com.

FAMU was selected to receive the donation after a thorough review process by the Thurgood Marshall College Foundation Technology Initiative. The initiative is a partnership between the foundation and Microsoft designed to identify historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that best exhibit information technology preparedness, in order to offer financial support and resources toward the selected institutions’ efforts to foster highperformance learning environments. The initiative is designed to promote effective communication, collaborative learning, critical thinking and digital age literacy among HBCUs and the communities they serve.

EDITORIAL

FEBRUARY 28 – MARCH 6, 2014

An open letter to Prosecutor Angela Corey and the legal community Editor’s note: This letter includes the signatures of dozens of higher education administrators, organization and businesses that were too numerous to print alongside Sen. We write this letter out of our deep commitment to racial equity, as well as in the principles of fairness upon which this country was built. The trial of the People of Florida v. Michael Dunn underscores the need for our legal system to understand and address racial bias. We are not all attorneys, so we will not offer a detailed legal analy-

that can move our country forward on the highly charged topic of racism, especially as it plays out in our nation’s legal system.

RINKU SEN GUEST COLUMNIST

sis here. What we can offer, as veterans of racial equity efforts nationwide, is some reflection on the racial dimensions of the case and how they can be addressed constructively. We present these thoughts with a full sense of the difficulty of your work. There is no campaign attached to this letter, nor further action planned. We hope to spark a dialogue

The issue: Silence on racial bias Something went wrong in efforts to seek justice for the death of Jordan Davis. While we applaud the conviction on charges of attempted murder, we are concerned about the jury’s failure to reach a verdict on the murder charge. That is not only disappointing – it is dangerous. It indicates that a portion of the jury

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: WACKY WEATHER

GARY MCCOY, CAGLE CARTOONS

Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 203 Black organizations and C.R.E.A.M. – The Hispanic National Bar Association said it will move its 40th annual convention, scheduled for September 2015 in Phoenix, Ariz., because Arizona’s Senate Bill 1062 – legislation that would give more protection to businesses citing religious beliefs in denying service to gays – discriminates against members of Arizona’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. “As a national association of lawyers committed to promoting the ideals of equal protection, equal opportunity, tolerance and inclusiveness, it is imperative that we speak up and take immediate action in the presence of injustice,” national President Miguel Alexander Pozo stated. “As the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said more than 50 years ago, writing from a Birmingham, Ala., jail cell, ‘injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’” Compare that to the reaction of the NAACP, the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Bar Association, and the National Black Chamber of Commerce, who held national conventions in Florida days and weeks after they vehemently condemned the George Zimmerman acquittal in the Trayvon Martin homicide trial. Most cited the financial impact of cancelling or shortening conventions on short notice.

QUICK TAKES FROM #2: STRAIGHT, NO CHASER

CHARLES W. CHERRY II, ESQ. PUBLISHER

I’ve written about how Black America has lost its “saltiness,” a reference to the Bible’s Matthew 5:13 (NIV): “But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” I’ve written that we have been so mesmerized by a Black face in the White House, we stopped advocating unceasingly for our own interests. We are losing our historical, hard-won moral authority, the “saltiness” that came from a 400-year fight against slavery and legalized, governmentsponsored racial discrimination. But it’s deeper than that. Our organizations are now all about “C.R.E.A.M.”, in the immortal words of the Wu Tang Clan: “Cash Rules Everything Around Me, get the money, CREAM, dollar dollar bill, y’all.” More next week…

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.

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

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Something went wrong in efforts to seek justice for the death of Jordan Davis. While we applaud the conviction on charges of attempted murder, we are concerned about the jury’s failure to reach a verdict on the murder charge. That is not only disappointing – it is dangerous. clearly and unequivocally name racial bias as a factor in the killing of Black teenagers: first, in the trial of George Zimmerman, and second, in the Dunn case. In the Dunn trial, your team chose not to point out that the defendant had an expectation that his request to turn down the music would be accommodated. When it wasn’t, his level of rage was exacerbated by the notion that a White man has authority over a young Black man. A clear explanation to the jury of this phenomenon would have helped them assess the validity of the defendant’s claim that the perceived threat required deadly force as a response. We all hold implicit racial biases. These biases affect judge and jury, many of whom would not claim or even be aware of having them. An article in the 2013 issue of the North Carolina Law Review defines implicit bias as unintentional bias arising from attitudes and stereotypes that affect our understanding, decision making, and behavior, without our even realizing it. Most Americans have implicit biases toward people of color, particularly toward Blacks. Not because they seek to be harmful, but because implicit bias has “...its roots in negative, highly pervasive stereotypes about Blacks, which are perpetuated by our culture in subtle, highly effective ways.” Identifying and naming implicit racial bias as a factor in legal settings can be and is being Call it what it is done, but justice demands Twice now prosecution we do more. (See: http:// teams under your leader- nclawreview.org/docuship have chosen not to ments/91/5/lee.pdf ) believed the shooting that resulted in Jordan Davis’ death was justifiable, despite evidence to the contrary. While we fully understand the unpredictable nature of juries, we are convinced that this is a case in which implicit racial bias played a role. We are heartened by your intention to retry Michael Dunn on the murder charge. Whether in the retrial of this defendant or in cases your office will try in the future, we urge you to replace your team’s current race-silent approach with a race-explicit strategy. Such a strategy requires educating your staff about how racial bias operates in the legal arena, developing methods to uncover it, and where appropriate, using a race-explicit approach. We understand there is pressure to avoid explicit mention of race in courtrooms, with the possible exception of hate crimes cases. This is, frankly, no different from similar pressures in business, schools, hospitals and other arenas in which leaders have adopted a race-silent ethic. Yet we also know that most Americans do not want to be racist and are open to interventions that help them recognize when they may be interpreting facts or the law through the lens of implicit racial bias. Absent an explicit counter-strategy, these biases can and do affect any number of discretionary decisions that are made in our legal arena.

The intervention: Confronting racial bias We must name racial bias in all its forms throughout the legal system. Rigorous research and common sense tell us that while “Lady Justice” may wear a blindfold, many lawyers, judges, plaintiffs, defendants and jurors do not. We understand that each case requires its own set of decisions and strategies. Explicit racial analysis may not be appropriate in many situations. We do, however, urge you to build your team’s capacity to consider race straightforwardly where it has a rational bearing in explaining both what happened and why in a given case. Jurors, in particular, need education and guidance to recognize the many ways in which racial bias works, just as they need to be educated about forensic reports or medical evidence. However, ensuring more just outcomes within the legal system requires a commitment on behalf of all of its players – law students and professors, lawyers, witnesses, experts, judges and jurors – to name and acknowledge the role of racial bias. While there is work being done, there is much new ground to break. We hope that you will break it and that your peers in the legal profession will follow.

Rinku Sen, President & Executive Director, Race Forward, Publisher, Colorlines. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

Focus on the human being For a while now, the sports media has been focusing so much attention on Michael Sam and his admission that he’s gay that it’s difficult not talking about the upcoming football draft without hearing his story. With the possibility of being the ‘first openly gay’ football player, Michael Sam has handled himself professionally. Not appearing discouraged with the questions surrounding his sexuality, Sam has done his best to remain focused on attempting to play in the National Football League. While at the NFL combine last week, Sam told reporters that he wished they would focus on him as the football player and not him as the first openly gay football player. In another development, NBA basketball player, Jason Collins, the first NBA player to openly admit that he was gay rejoined the league after signing a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets. Once again, news media attached themselves not to the person who plays basketball, but to the person who admitted that he was gay. I don’t know about you, but the amount of attention that is given to one’s sexuality is overbearing. I’ll admit that it was very courageous for Sam and Collins to come forth, but it’s time to get pass their sexuality and look at them as human beings.

DR. SINCLAIR GREY III GUEST COLUMNIST

ration of Independence in history class while in school many years ago. Going to a predominately all Black elementary school and high school, I was somewhat sheltered to the various groups of people. It was at the University of Maryland that I was introduced to people of all races, cultures, ethnicities, nationalities, and sexual orientations. Through meeting many friends and acquaintances, I was able to see them as human beings and I tried my best not to label, categorize, or demonize them for being different. The words of the preamble of the Declaration of Independence comes to mind which states, “We hold these truths to be selfevident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” You’ll notice that this declaration regarded the whole person; it did not give credence to a person’s differences, especially sexuality. How is it that we have strayed away from seeing an individual as a human being? Perhaps the answer lies within our own need or desire to judge or Three key rights categorize a person based I can’t help but remem- on their color, religion, ethber learning the incalcu- nicity, political party affililable words of the Decla- ation, and now sexuality.

As long as we continue in this manner, we will never embrace people as human beings.

Continuing in 2014 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in one of his many riveting speeches spoke of the need to not judge a person based on the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Sadly, judgment still happens. It begins when we’re unable to get pass the idea that a person may be different from us. Different not so much in the sense of color, but different in the sense of lifestyle. Without embracing the differences in a person is to fail to learn about that person and from that person. As we are about to close out Black History month (formally), I want to urge you to look at a person as a human being. All of us, for the most part, want to be treated fairly and with decency and respect. Even though we have differences, let’s move beyond the differences and work towards finding similarities. Focus on the human being and how you can help that person enjoy life, liberty, and happiness. This kind of effort will take a person out of their shell to become a willing worker to make being human meaningful.

Dr. Sinclair Grey III is a speaker, activist, published author, life coach and a committed advocate for change. Connect with him via email at drgrey@sinclairgrey.org or on Twitter @drsinclairgrey.

FEBRUARY 28 – MARCH 6, 2014

EDITORIAL

Justice for Jordan: Young Black males in America “Jordan had no guns. He had no drugs. There was no alcohol. They were coming from the mall. They were being kids.” –Lucia McBath, mother of Jordan Davis Another mother’s anguish. Another unarmed Black teenager in Florida shot dead for no good reason. Another indefensible instance of Stand Your Ground rearing its ugly head. Eight months after the stunning acquittal of George Zimmerman for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, justice again has been compromised in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Jordan Davis. On November 23, 2012, Michael Dunn, a 47-year-old White man, fired ten rounds into a parked SUV after arguing over loud rap music coming from the vehicle with Jordan and three other unarmed African-American teenagers inside. Jordan Davis was killed at the scene. Like George Zimmerman, Michael Dunn claimed self-defense and used Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law to bolster his justification of the killing, as his lawyer stated in his closing argument, “His honor will further tell you that if Michael Dunn was in a public place where he had a legal right to be, he had no duty to retreat and had the right to stand his ground and meet force with force, including deadly force.” Dunn claims Jordan Davis brandished a gun so Dunn shot first.

MARC H. MORIAL TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

But there is one big problem with his story. Jordan Davis had no gun and neither did anyone else in the SUV.

Stand Your Ground at center of case On Saturday night, a jury found Dunn guilty of four counts, including three for the attempted murders of Jordan’s three friends. But they deadlocked on the fifth count – first-degree murder in the killing of Jordan. Dunn may spend the rest of his life in prison for the four lesser counts. But the failure to convict him of murdering Jordan Davis raises critical questions about the devaluing of the lives of young Black males in America and confirms the need for a repeal of Florida’s repugnant Stand Your Ground law which sanctions the use of deadly force by anyone who merely thinks – or claims – they are in danger from a perceived assailant. Regardless of whether Dunn or Zimmerman chose to fully exercise Stand Your Ground provisions in their defense, this law was very clearly at the center of both cases. It is even clearer that the “shoot first” laws across the country are contrib-

The value of life I grew angry and then I cried for my friend Lucia McBath – Jordan’s mother. I assume that I was among many who did the same. When I learned of the non-verdict in the Michael Dunn murder trial, I wondered what it would take to get justice for Jordan Davis’ murder and for all the other Black people who lost their lives to senseless violence – not just in Florida, but throughout the United States! Like millions of Americans, I waited anxiously for the jury to return a verdict. The more commentators talked, the more I became concerned about the signals sent by the length of the jury’s deliberation that turned out to be about the same length as the trial’s evidentiary phase of five days. That Michael Dunn took the life of Jordan Davis was unquestioned. The only thing the jury

DR. E. FAYE WILLIAMS, ESQ. TRICE EDNEY WIRE

had to decide was whether Dunn was justified in firing ten shots into an SUV holding four teenaged Black males not bothering him. Although they ruled that Dunn was guilty of three counts of attempted murder, at least one juror decided the presence of four young Black men and the non-existent barrel of a gun was reasonable to create the fear of threat of harm in the mind of Dunn.

Will the time ever come? A question now looms large in

Proof not needed? Under Florida’s inane “Stand Your Ground” law, however, Dunn had the right to use lethal force to defend himself if he “reasonably” thought his life was threatened. Dunn’s lawyer said, “I don’t have to prove the threat, just that Mike Dunn believed it.” The Jacksonville jury found Dunn guilty of three counts of “attempted murder” in his strafing of the car, but they couldn’t come to a decision on his murder of Jordan Davis. In Florida, it

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

is increasingly dangerous to be young, black and male. In the New York Times on Monday, Samuel Bowles and Arjun Jayadev report in “One Nation Under Guard” that the U.S. now employs more private security guards than high school teachers. Tallying up all of what they call “guard labor,” including police officers, prison guards, soldiers, etc., they come to a figure of 5.2 million, more than all teachers at all levels. The “guard labor” share of the labor force in America has risen dramatically since the 1970s, as inequality has reached new extremes. Bowles and Jayadev find that guard labor and inequality are connected. We have four times as much guard labor as Sweden, a country of equal living standards but far less inequality. States with extreme inequality like New York and Louisiana have far more of their work force employed in guard labor than states with less inequality like Idaho and New Hampshire. Bowles and Jayadev discount race as a factor, but obviously Sweden, New Hampshire and Idaho are also far less diverse than the U.S., New York and Lousiana, respectively.

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: WORLD ON FIRE

uting to needless bloodshed and are ripe for unequal application based on race. A recent Urban Institute analysis found that in Stand Your Ground states, “When the shooter is White and the victim is Black, the justifiable homicide rate is 34 percent. When the situation is reversed and the shooter is Black and the victim is White, shootings are ruled to be justifiable in only slightly more than 3 percent of cases.” Last September, the National Urban League, in collaboration with the bipartisan Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition and VoteVets, issued a report showing that in the 22 states with “Stand Your Ground” laws, the justifiable homicide rate has risen by an average of 53 percent in the five years following their passage. In Florida, justifiable homicides have increased by 200 percent since the law took effect in 2005.

PAT BAGLEY, SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

These statistics and their underlying racial disparities, tell us that expansive self-defense laws such as Stand Your Ground are doing more harm than good, and when coupled with implicit racial bias and unfounded preconceptions, young Black males are especially at risk. Dunn’s own bigoted words in letters from jail clearly show his disregard for their lives, as he wrote: “The jail is full of Blacks and they all act like thugs. This may sound a bit radi-

cal but if more people would arm themselves and kill these (expletive) idiots when they’re threatening you, eventually they may take the hint and change their behavior.” and “The fear is that we may get a predominantly Black jury and therefore, unlikely to get a favorable verdict. Sad, but that’s where this country is still at. The good news is that the surrounding counties are predominantly White and republican and supporters of gun rights!” This view and those like it are why we must commit today to action against the devaluing of our young Black lives. Even as the Michael Dunn trial was getting underway, we learned that Trayvon Martin’s

killer, George Zimmerman, had planned to capitalize on the death of a young Black male by participating in a “celebrity” boxing match – when his only claim to fame is killing an unarmed Black teenager – and getting off. Such a blatant disregard for the value of a Black male’s life should be a wake-up call to all Americans. We must intensify our fight against Stand Your Ground laws – and the underlying mentality – that justify the killing of young Black men whose only “offense” is being Black.

the cases of Trayvon Martin AND Jordan Davis. That’s whether the time will ever come when the lives of Black Americans will be held in comparable value to those of white Americans. Some of us thought that Black parents and caretakers would be past the point of admonishing their children to shrink their personages to the point that, while in public, they become ultra meek or nondescript. After years of protecting our young men by imposing expressive reticence and control so as not to offend some hostile white person, one would have thought that our young men would have finally gained the right of protecting their personal autonomy with their words instead of their fists. Despite our hopes and, in the cases of Jordan and Trayvon, effective parenting, two men were arbitrarily allowed to decide that these young men were no longer worthy of life. Their legal protests

to the contrary, the documented mindset of two killers – Dunn and Zimmerman - and their resultant actions took the lives and destroyed any potential of two young Black men. The “Stand Your Ground” Law was merely a vehicle for the exercise of their malicious intent. This non-verdict was an extension of the type of veiled disregard that impacts the lives of Black people every day. It can be said that Jordan and Trayvon’s lives were not considered with the same value as someone white. Zimmerman got off totally free. One can argue that the time Dunn will serve for the criminal acts of which he was found guilty is, in effect, a life sentence. Unfortunately, the failure of the jury to reach a verdict in the murder of Jordan, and the unreasonable verdict reached in the case of Trayvon, sends the subliminal signal that, by their nature, Black males

pose an inherent threat, and reduces the responsibility for anyone confronting them to consider their humanity. It’s human to initially retreat from threat. Instead, “Stand Your Ground” allows those so disposed to revert to acts of barbarism. These horrendous laws must be changed if we’re to continue to call ourselves a civilized nation. Let us pray that Jordan’s parents will soon know that justice has been served for the senseless murder of their son. No matter how long Dunn serves in prison, if there is no time served for Jordan’s murder, the message rings clear that there’s no such thing as equal justice in “Stand Your Ground” states.

More harm than good

U.S. spending extraordinary amounts on ‘guard labor’ America’s gun culture costs lives and feeds our fears. Consider the most recent injustice in Florida, the verdict in the Michael Dunn case, and the most recent news about America’s “guard labor.” In Jacksonville, Fla., Michael Dunn, a 47-year-old white man, was aggravated by the loud rap music coming from an SUV filled with four black teenagers in a convenience store parking lot. An exchange of insults ensued. Dunn, who was armed and clearly dangerous, claimed that he was threatened by Jordan Davis, a 17-year-old high school senior, and later claimed he saw the barrel of a shotgun coming from the SUV. There was no shotgun; no other witness saw anything that might resemble a shotgun. Dunn opened his door and fired 10 shots into the SUV as it drove away, killing Jordan Davis. Dunn then drove away without calling the cops, and without ever mentioning that the boys had a shotgun.

that social spending seems to decline as guard labor grows. The U.S. is spending more of its money on guards and less on opportunity. One haunting feature of South Africa under apartheid was the extent to which the homes of the affluent whites were protected by walls, barbed wire and private guards. Fear of crime and of majority revolt pervaded the country. Our gun and guard culture is, at root, also about fear. We pride ourselves on being the home of the brave and land of the free. But increasingly we are the home of the fearful, and land of the armed. Michael Dunn’s murderous rage was grounded in fear. Our soaring guard labor reflects rising fear. As Jacksonville demonstrated once more, guns can make those fears deadly. We would be far better off investing in opportunity rather than fear, making the country less unequal and more confident in its diversity. Contrary to the NRA, spreading concealed weapons around makes our streets more, not less, dangerous. Contrary to real estate agents, gated communities and armed guards offer more provocation than protection. In the end, real security comes not from guards or guns, but from justice.

Jesse Jackson Sr. is president/CEO of the Rainbow/ Guards increase as PUSH Coalition. Write spending decreases your response at www.flBowles and Jayadev note courier.com.

Marc Morial is president/ CEO of the National Urban League. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

Dr. E. Faye Williams is National Chair of the National Congress of Black Women. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

Not I, said the cat Some things that look good from afar are far from looking good. And some people that appear to love you, appear to care about you and claim they will never mistreat you in the end turn out to be someone that hates your guts! Do you remember the first time you saw what you believed to be that very, very special person? Their hair looked nice, their face looked pretty, their body was banging and they made you feel the best you’ve ever felt. You couldn’t wait to tell your friends and family that you finally found your soul mate! You began to do all you could to show that person some love and pretty soon you started a friendship that may have led to a relationship or, better yet, a long lasting marriage.

A change is coming But oh, when someone else became the apple of your mates eye the first sign of changing times was changes in your sex life. You weren’t being held they way you used to be held, you weren’t being kissed the way you used to be kissed and the cat and the snake in the bedroom were not getting along whatsoever! Sex became non-existent! Somebody wanted a clean up woman, or man, somebody wanted a back door Santa and

LUCIUS GANTT THE GANTT REPORT

somebody wanted another mule kicking in their stall! You don’t know what is happening. Whatever is going on, you’re usually the last one to know. Everybody at work knows the party is over. Everybody at church knows the relationship service has reached the benediction and everybody at the club or the concert realizes the fat lady has began to sing! After a breakup or a divorce people inevitably run into each other on the street, at an event or somewhere else. Then, you make eye contact that person that was so beautiful or so handsome when you met years ago doesn’t look the same way that they did. When you were together, you concentrated on the positive. You cherished the person both inside and out. There was far more to admire about the person than there was to despise.

Just not the same Now, the person that looked curvy looks fat. That person that looked mature now looks old and creepy. That person that wore that frangrace

that you loved so much now smells sweaty and stinky! The moral of this column is people should be friends before they become partners or spouses. If you are a true friend, you will never think negatively about your friend. You will never hate your former partner. You will never find a need to hate or disparage your former spouse to show your new person that you love them more than the old person. Outside appearances are often what makes people interested in people they meet but like Judge Mabeline often said, “You have to look deep before you leap” into a serious relationship. If you have no intentions of honoring vows about “thick and thin”, “richer and poorer” and “until death do you part”, don’t get married. Getting a man or a woman is easy but when the person you love runs away from you if you’re a good man or woman you could be devastated! Now who wants to see counselors and doctors and be on anti-depressants for years and years after an unpredictable breakup? Not I, said the cat!

Buy Gantt’s latest book “Beast Too: Dead Man Writing.” Contact Lucius at www. allworldconsultants. net. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

TOJ A6

FEBRUARY 28 – MARCH 6, 2014

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IFE/FAITH

FEBRUARY 28 – MARCH 6, 2014

‘Slave’ film racks up more awards See page B5

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

Pharrell Williams keeps delivering hit songs See page B5

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE WWW.FLCOURIER.COM

SECTION

TOJ

DEMORRIS A. LEE/SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

Left to right: Darrell Sterling, Quincy Roberson, Darren Watson, Major Alston and Willie Lucas open up about Black men and mental health on Feb. 7 at the Shear Excellence barbershop in Tampa. On most Friday nights, the barbershop becomes a place for regulars to have indepth talks about issues impacting the Black community.

MEN & MENTAL HEALTH Black males at a Florida barbershop get real about why brothers don’t seek help BY JENISE GRIFFIN MORGAN FLORIDA COURIER

hey’ve heard it all of their lives. Big boys don’t cry. Suck it up. Be strong. Be a man. Those cultural teachings passed down to African-American males for generations remain intact today even as statistics show that Black men often don’t deal with what’s ailing them – physically and mentally. They commit suicide at about five times the rate of Black women and suicide is ranked the third-leading cause of death for Black males between 15 and 24 behind homicides and accidents. Mental health was the topic of discussion for a group of Black men ranging from their 20s to 50s who meet regularly at Shear Excellence, a black-owned barbershop in Tampa. They usually chew the fat on everything from politics to the destruction of the Black family nucleus. On a recent Friday evening as the barbershop’s owner Donald Mitchell polished up his last fade, the men delved deep into the subject of mental health. It’s an uncomfortable subject they’ve never tackled even though recent headlines have highlighted a number of brothers living with serious mental illnesses, which includes major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

‘Form of weakness’ “As Black men, we were raised to be strong and taught that if we cry as little boys, that is not becoming,” said Willie Lucas, a married father of three who participates in the regular conversations at the Tampa barbershop. “In the back of our minds, we accepted that as a form of weakness so we dealt with it the best we could. ‘Don’t worry about it. You are a man, it will get better, don’t give up, pray about it.’ I think in our culture, it has just became ‘normal’ behavior.” Darrell Sterling, 32, said that culturally Black men are taught not to show mental weakness. “We have a lot of negative influences in our culture that teaches us that we need to be hard, we need to save face, we need to be tough, we need to

carry around a pistol, have your pants sagging, that’s all inclusive to being a man,” noted Sterling, a case manager for Salvation Army. “Mental health is something that we shy away from because we don’t know a lot about it.” “The way it may be perceived in the community or to your homeboy, is, it may be perceived as he is being weak or soft because he has to go see a shrink or a psychiatrist or a therapist,” Sterling continued. “But at the same time, I understand that individuals do have chronic mental health issues and individuals have to go get treatment.”

JENISE GRIFFIN MORGAN/FLORIDA COURIER

Tevin Coney gives his cousin Jay Coney a haircut at Shear Excellence. Both 22 and barbers at the shop mentioned that that they knew several young men who had committed suicide over the past year.

Hurting and pretending Major Alston, another one of the regulars at the barbershop, said oftentimes “we as Black males don’t talk about feelings, we don’t talk about things when we are hurting. We don’t talk about things that are very emotional and oftentimes we don’t get treatment.” But if you go into other communities, individuals are getting treatment and they are taking antidepressants to help them cope, Alston said. “It’s kind of pop culture now. Folks talk about it around the water cooler,” Alston said. “Nowadays there are really no negative connotations to taking antidepressants; it’s like everybody is taking them but for some reason in our community this stuff isn’t talked about.” For Black men, telling people how you feel is a sign of weakness, Alston continued. “We would much rather pretend that everything is okay when we are really suffering and hurting,” he said. “Some of that in our community steams from not having a nuclear family. A lot of us don’t have wives in our community. Someone we can confide in and talk to. Someone who can analyze us at home and say ‘something is not right.’”

Not too deep The men at the barbershop said they likely would not seek mental health treatment unless ordered to do so. They jokingly referred to barbershop owner Donald Mitchell as their therapist, the person they talk to about various issues in their lives. Mitchell, 45, a married father

Black barbershops like Shear Excellence traditionally have been key places for men to gather and bond. of two, has owned the barbershop for about 14 years. He acknowledges that the brothers who visit his shop share some personal details but often don’t get real deep. During the Friday night discussion at the shop, Mitchell and his two barbers – Jay and Tevin Coney – both in their early 20s – mentioned several young Tampa men who had committed suicide over the past year. Mitchell said he was “very, very surprised’’ to hear about the suicides. He talked about a young man in his 20s who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. “He had gotten into some trouble but didn’t have a history of trouble. He heard the police were looking for him. He didn’t want to go back to jail.’’ The barbershop owner admitted that his customers talk to him about a myriad of issues but not one has admitted that he needed professional help. “I’ve never had one to say anything about being depressed,” he remarked. “They never call it depression. That may be what it was but they never have called it that. … For some reason, we just feel as though we’re supposed to be strong.’’

Sterling, who also is a former mental health crisis counselor, said the importance of mental health is often not taught in the Black community. “We don’t address it in the home and parents don’t know how to identify it and that can cause a lot of issues,” remarked Sterling, who said mental illness runs in his extended family. Lucas, who works in law enforcement, added that if “Mama is not home and Daddy’s in jail,’’ it creates an unstable environment for a child. “Being able to communicate and have parents to go home to, a grandma to talk too, we had people in the home, whether you opened up or not, we still had those folk there,” he said. “Grandmothers now are 30 years old. How much experience can this person tell someone who is dealing with an issue that they don’t know how to deal with? They haven’t lived long enough. They don’t have the experience… It’s a huge issue.” But it can be a double-edged sword if one does admit to having a mental illness. The legitimacy of the diagnoses can become into question, the men said.

Focus on home life

Too many labels

Admitting that you’re hurting, he said, “doesn’t mean that you are not strong.’’

“People who act out nowSee MEN, Page B2

‘We have a lot of negative influences in our culture that teaches us that we need to be hard, we need to save face, we need to be tough, we need to carry around a pistol, have your pants sagging, that’s all inclusive to being a man. Mental health is something that we shy away from because we don’t know a lot about it.’ – Darrell Sterling, 32 Case manager for Salvation Army

CALENDAR

FEBRUARY 28 – MARCH 6, 2014

TOJ

STANLEY CLARKE

Jazz musician Stanley Clarke will be one of the performers at the ninth annual Jazz in the Gardens is March 15-16 in Miami Gardens. More information and lineup of artists: www.jazzinthegardens.com.

DEMORRIS A. LEE/SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

Donald Mitchell, owner of Shear Excellence on Busch Boulevard in Tampa, shapes up a customer while other men at the barbershop talked about mental health and other issues.

MEN from B1

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR Clearwater: Singer and musician Gino Vannelli is scheduled at the Capitol Theatre March 8 and 9. Tampa: MoffItt Cancer Center

and partners will host the 14th annual Men’s Health Forum on March 8, 8 a.m. 2:30 p.m., at the University of South Florida, Marshall Student Center, USF Cedar Circle. Register at www.MHFTampa. com or call 888-663-3488 and press 4. St. Petersburg: Branford Marsalis will perform at the

Palladium Theater on April 3 and on April 4 at the Curtis M Phillips Center for Performing Arts in Gainesville. Jacksonville: John Legend is scheduled at the Florida Theatre Jacksonville on April 30. Tampa: Katt Williams’ Growth Spurt tour stops at the USF Sun Dome on March 15.

adays, we give them some clinical diagnoses when in fact, back in the old days we would say you are acting a fool (as) my grandmother used to tell us,” Alston said. “I am beginning to wonder if a lot of these terms are being manufactured and some academic is trying to create phenomenon to explain behavior. That’s the thing that concerns me.” While Black males face a number of challenges and the concern over the increase of “labels” that are being given when it comes to mental health, the Black community must continue to examine itself, Alston continued. “There is a lot of demand for the very stuff that is killing us, which is gang-

ster rap music,” said Alton, who also is a father. “We purchase the product and then claim that the product is causing us harm. So, I don’t know who to blame for that but us. We have to stop supporting the things that are infused in our community that causes us to act a certain way.” Alston went on to say that there are lyrics that suggest that “Black males don’t need to be fathers, don’t necessarily need to be in the household and mothers can raise their children on welfare. The Black male doesn’t feel the need or obligation to stay. “That in itself emasculates a man and a lot of it is current-day society and where we place our values,” Alston added.

More discussions The brothers who frequent Shear Excellence

agreed that the serious conversations about Black men and mental health might need to continue. Darren Watson, owner of Big Boss The Fruit Man, a Tampa-based produce business, had this to say: “What we probably haven’t done in the barbershop either is talk as men and talk about situations that we go through every day as men,. Watson, who is married with two daughters, added, “We don’t sit down and say, ‘let’s have an open discussion on the floor as men about the things we are going through in life.’’

Jenise Griffin Morgan, senior editor of the Florida Courier, is a 201314 fellow of the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism. She can be reached at Jmorgan@flcourier.com.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE FOR BLACK STUDENTS. NO EXCUSES. The classic guide from Florida Courier publisher, lawyer and broadcaster CHARLES W. CHERRY II PRAISE FOR ‘EXCELLENCE WITHOUT EXCUSE’:

FRI: 02/21 FRI: 02/28 1/4 PG. (4.93") X 10" AS ALL.NSP.0221.FLORCOURemail

FLORIDA COURIER

“This guide for African-American college-bound students is packed with practical and insightful information for achieving academic success...The primary focus here is to equip students with the savvy and networking skills to maneuver themselves through the academic maze of higher education.” – Book review, School Library Journal • How low expectations of Black students’ achievements can get them higher grades; • Want a great grade? Prepare to cheat! • 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

UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND STUDIOCANAL PRESENT A SILVER PICTURES PRODUCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH ANTON CAPITAL ENTERTAINMENT S.C.A. AND LOVEFILM A JAUME COLLET-SERRA FILM LIAM NEESON “NON-STOP” JULIANNE MOORE SCOOT MCNAIRY MICHELLE DOCKERY NATE PARKER JASON BUTLER HARNER EXECUTIVE STEVE RICHARDS RON HALPERN OLIVIER COURSON HERBERT W. GAINS JEFF WADLOW AND ANSON MOUNT MUSICBY JOHN OTTMAN PRODUCERS STORY SCREENPLAY PRODUCED BY JOHN W. RICHARDSON & CHRIS ROACH AND RYAN ENGLE BY JOEL SILVER ANDREW RONA ALEX HEINEMAN BY JOHN W. RICHARDSON & CHRIS ROACH DIRECTED A UNIVERSAL RELEASE BY JAUME COLLET-SERRA THIS FILM CONTAINS DEPICTIONS OF TOBACCO CONSUMPTION

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 for info on speeches, workshops, seminars,

STARTS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28 CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES

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TOJ

FEBRUARY 28 – MARCH 6, 2014

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Before Rosa Parks, there was young Claudette Girl refused to give up seat on Montgomery bus nine months before seamstress’ defiant act

“I knew then and I know now that, when it comes to justice, there is no easy way to get it. You can’t sugarcoat it. You have to take a stand and say, ‘That’s not right.’ And I did.”

BY ABDUL ALI THE ROOT.COM

Every year during Black History Month, Rosa Parks’ name rolls off the tongues of schoolchildren and educators around the nation as they discuss the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s. Yet the lesser-known Claudette Colvin, whom media outlets have referred to as “The Other Rosa Parks,” still remains absent from any teachings. The historical amnesia that surrounds Colvin is indicting for its revelation of how much the white gaze did and still controls how we remember history and select our icons. At age 15, Colvin was a bookish, bespectacled young woman who was fascinated by lessons about Africa and Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth during Negro History Week at her school. On March 2, 1955, Colvin says, she channeled the spirit of Sojourner and Harriet when she refused to Claudette give up her seat Colvin to a White woman on a Montgomery, Ala., bus nine months before Parks committed the same defiant act. Colvin points out in interviews that the White woman was young and had an available seat opposite her in the same row, but given the Jim Crow custom, there couldn’t be any suggestion that the races were equal, so Colvin was asked to get up. But she did not.

Too dark Not only was her refusal met with an arrest, but the male officers were particularly rough with the 15-year-old. Colvin recalled what happened on the progressive radio program Democracy Now:

– Claudette Colvin Colvin’s name was erased from the movement, and for about 50 years, no one heard about her. She lived in virtual obscurity until a few diligent journalists and historians began writing about the almost forgotten civil rights pioneer.

Retired freedom fighter Phillip Hoose, while working on the book Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, tried to speak with Colvin for four years before she agreed to sit down with him. The condition of her participation was that he would write a book both to teach young people about the civil rights movement and to let them know that she was the first. In the 2009 National Book Award winner, a fierce personOn March 2, 1955, Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat to a White woman on a Montgomery, Ala., bus, which was nine months before Parks committed the same defiant act. Colvin’s ality emerges. Colvin, without a doubt, was a passionate freestory is chronicled in the book “Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice.’’ dom fighter who deserves to be remembered and celebrated for Client: Fifth/Third Bank Bleed: Region: US her contributions to humanity. … One kicked atNewspaper me, and when dark-skinned inTrim: a movement that Erased from movement Campaign: BHN 9.889” x 10” Language: English She is now a retired health workone –Agency and he the books had been largely Jobknocked #: 610-FTFTBNP4001 Live:light and midNotes: None There were other factors as er living in New York City. #/AD ID: QFRC3705 out ofADmy hand – out of my lap. dle class. well: Parks was 42 years old at the Date Modifi 02/6/14 one 1:55 arm, PM Keyline Scale: 100% At the conclusion of her biograAnd then one ed: grabbed Decades later, when asked by time, married and a seasoned acCR: Output at: 100% phy, Colvin reflects on her contriand one grabbed the other, and National Public Radio why she AD Round: tivist and seamstress who worked bution to the movement and what they manhandled me off the bus. thought Parks Page: was remembered for the NAACP. she was thinking as a 15-year-old: And after I got into the squad car, instead of her, she responded, Colvin wasCOLOR just 15 APPROVAL years old, “Why don’t the adults around NOT TO BE USED FOR they handcuffed me through the “She fit the profile. Parks had the with few connections to the here just say something? Say it so window ... AM: R. Bernadine P: E. Garber BM: J. Lewandowski With her act of defiance, Col- right hair and the right look. Her Black professional class in Mont- they know we don’t accept segrevin gained significant attention. skin texture was the kind that gomery. She was also soon to en- gation? I knew then and I know Civil rights activists had been people associate with the middle gage in an affair with a married now that, when it comes to jusman and become pregnant. Not tice, there is no easy way to get it. looking for a standard-bearer for class.” Which meant a more accept- exactly the symbol the move- You can’t sugarcoat it. You have to their cause. Colvin’s case seemed perfect. But Colvin herself didn’t able challenger to the White es- ment was looking for. take a stand and say, ‘That’s not fit the bill. For one thing, she was tablishment. And the rest is history. right.’ And I did.”

HISTORY IS MADE BY THOSE WHO ASK QUESTIONS. The curious bank and its 20,000 employees proudly support and celebrate Black History Month.

The curious bank.® Member FDIC.

F0OD

FEBRUARY 28 – MARCH 6, 2014

STOJ

FAMILY FEATURES

For the more than 25 million Americans living with diabetes, food choices are critical to maintaining their health. Chef Sam Talbot, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 12 years old, understands those challenges. But with his new cookbook he proves that diabetics don’t have to sacrifice flavor in order to follow a healthy eating plan. Talbot earned national recognition as the runner-up in Season 2 of Bravo’s hit TV show “Top Chef.” In his new book, “The Sweet Life: Diabetes without Boundaries,” he shares how diabetes has affected — but has not compromised — his life and career, and offers 75 fresh, all-natural recipes that can be enjoyed by both diabetics and nondiabetics.

Cooking to manage diabetes Doctors recommend that people with diabetes follow a healthy, well balanced diet that includes plenty of fiberrich fruits and vegetables and carbohydrates that rank lower on the glycemic index (GI). (See sidebar for more on the glycemic index.) “Pears are one of my favorite fruits to use in recipes,” says Talbot. “They are a low GI fruit, they’re high in fiber, and the flavor of a ripe pear is just out of this world. They are incredibly versatile in sweet and savory recipes in all types of world cuisines. They can be part of any meal of the day.” The two recipes here are from Talbot’s book, and showcase the fresh, sweet flavor of pears. For more information, visit www.SamTalbot.com, and for additional pear recipes visit www.usapears.org.

THE GLYCEMIC INDEX The glycemic index (GI) rates carbohydrates on a scale of 1 to 100 based on how rapidly a food item raises blood sugar levels after eating. Foods that rank high on the glycemic index are digested rapidly, which produces marked fluctuations in blood sugar and insulin levels. Foods with a low glycemic index are digested slowly and raise blood sugar and insulin levels gradually. SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY GLYCEMIC INDEX GROUP, HUMAN NUTRITION UNIT, SCHOOL OF MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES.

• One medium pear provides 24 percent of your day’s fiber, and 10 percent of your day’s vitamin C — for only 100 calories. • There are ten different varieties of USA Pears, each with its own color, flavor and texture. • More than 80 percent of the fresh pears grown in the U.S. are from the Pacific Northwest states of Washington and Oregon. USA Pears are in season from early fall through early summer. YOGURT WITH PEAR AND COCONUT Makes 4 servings Juice of 1 lemon 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut 2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs 1/2 cup Grape-Nuts or granola cereal 1 tablespoon granulated stevia extract, or to taste 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 ripe pears, such as Anjou or Bosc, slightly firm to the touch 3 cups 2 percent plain Greek yogurt In medium bowl, combine lemon juice, coconut, graham cracker crumbs, cereal, sweetener and cinnamon. Peel, core and finely chop pears. Spoon yogurt into 4 bowls and top with fruit and coconut mixture, or sprinkle directly onto each individual container of yogurt. Note: This recipe can do double duty as a dessert if you serve it up parfait style. Spoon 1/8 of the pears into the bottom of each of 4 bowls or parfait glasses. Add 1/8 of the cereal mixture, then 1/2 cup of yogurt. Repeat with the remaining pears, cereal mixture, and yogurt. Per Serving: 265 calories, 15 g protein, 38 g carbohydrates, 8 g total fat (6 g saturated), 8 mg cholesterol, 6 g fiber, 157 mg sodium

PHOTOS BY TARA DONNE

CHECK THE NECK FOR RIPENESS Ripeness is the key to enjoying pears at their sweetest and juiciest. To judge a pear’s ripeness, USA Pear growers advise you to “check the neck.” Press the neck, or stem end, of the pear. If it yields to gentle pressure, it’s ripe, sweet and juicy. If it feels firm, simply leave the pear at room temperature to ripen within a few days. Don’t refrigerate your pears unless you want to slow their ripening.

LAVENDER POACHED PEARS Makes 4 servings 2 large ripe pears, such as Bosc or Anjou, slightly firm to the touch 3 tablespoons granulated stevia extract, or to taste 1 tablespoon dried lavender 2 blossoms dried hibiscus 1 chamomile tea bag 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves Peel, halve and core pears using a melon baller to scoop out seeds. In large pot, combine 3 cups water, sweetener, lavender, hibiscus, chamomile tea and mint. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low. Add pears and simmer until you can easily pierce pears with the tip of a knife, about 20 minutes. To serve, transfer pear halves to 4 individual bowls and ladle some of the cooking liquid over the top. Per Serving: 72 calories, 1 g protein, 19 g carbohydrates, 0 g total fat (0 g saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 2 mg sodium RECIPES EXCERPTED FROM THE BOOK, “THE SWEET LIFE: DIABETES WITHOUT BOUNDARIES,” BY SAM TALBOT. PUBLISHED BY RODALE. COPYRIGHT © 2011.

STOJ

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

FEBRUARY 28 – MARCH 6, 2014

Meet some of

FLORIDA’S

finest

submitted for your approval

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

ashley

randy

Ashley Blake is a current Miami undergrad studying international relations and dance. She plans to use her modeling talents as a way to build up and bring awareness to third world countries. Contact Ashley at facebook.com/ashleyblakethemodel, twitter. com/ashleyblake_ or ashleyblake.co. CREDIT: JWRPhotography

Randy Corinthian is a saxophonist, producer and educator who holds degrees in music from Florida A&M University and Florida State University. He has shared the stage with Ron Isley and Smokie Norful and his music has been featured on MTV, VH1 and BET. Contact Randy at rcmusicmusicgroup.com or 754-422-1278.

Busy and ‘Happy’ time for Pharrell Williams Cheery gospel-funk number by producer-singer up for Oscar BY MIKAEL WOOD LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT

Pharrell Williams looked wiped out. Late on a recent evening, the singer-rapper-producer was shuttling between two studios at a Melrose Avenue recording complex. In one he was working on music for this spring’s “The Amazing SpiderMan 2,” which he’s scoring along with Hans Zimmer; in the other he was supervising final mixes for his coming solo album. Now Ryan Seacrest’s people had arrived to shoot Williams’ cameo in a video, set to his song “Happy,” marking the 10th anniversary of the radio host’s popular morning show. “You ever get that feeling on a long day,” Williams asked no one in particular, “where the only thing that feels good is ...” And with that he let his face slacken into a kind of open-mouthed zombie expression.

Oscar-nominated song Always a busy guy — in 2013 he helped create two of the year’s biggest pop hits in Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” and Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” — Williams has been in even higher demand lately, thanks in large part to his first Oscar nomination. “Happy,” from “Despicable Me 2,” is up for original song at the Academy Awards, to be held March 2. A cheery gospel-funk number Williams said he modeled after Curtis Mayfield, “Happy” serves in the animated movie as a means of humanizing Gru, the grumpy villain voiced by Steve Carell. But it’s also done brisk business as a stand-alone single, racking up more than 75 million streams on YouTube and an additional 45 million on Spotify. On Feb. 19, it sat atop the iTunes single chart and at No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100. “When you look at the history of songs written for films, the ones that’ve broken out to have a meaningful life beyond the film are very rare,” said Chris Meledandri, whose Illumination Entertainment made both “Despicable Me” films with Universal Pictures. “There’s an infectious quality to ‘Happy’ that just resonates.”

Early success Still, “Happy” faces stiff competition at the Oscars from “Let It Go,” the sweeping ballad sung by Idina Menzel in Disney’s smash “Frozen,” and “Ordinary Love,” the feel-good U2 song from “Mandela: Long

‘12 Years A Slave’ racks up NAACP Image Awards EURWEB.COM

ROBERT GAUTHIER/LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT

Pharrell Williams shows off his much talked about hat as he arrives for the annual Oscar luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Feb. 10. Walk to Freedom” that last month won a Golden Globe. “This is probably the most I’ve ever been humbled in my entire life,” Williams said of the song and the reaction to it, “because it’s something bigger than me, bigger than anything I’ve ever done.” That’s a weighty claim. Working with Chad Hugo, his partner in the production duo the Neptunes, Williams did as much as anyone to expand the sound of hip-hop in the late 1990s and early 2000s with slinky, mechanized beats for the likes of Jay Z and Snoop Dogg. The Neptunes went on to produce huge pop hits, such as Britney Spears’ “I’m a Slave 4 U” and “Rock Your Body” by Justin Timberlake, and in 2003 Williams put out a single of his own, “Frontin’,” that showcased his goofy wordplay and cool falsetto.

Solo album coming Since then he’s continued to collaborate with Hugo (in both the Neptunes and their psychedelic raprock band N.E.R.D.), yet Williams has also become increasingly visible on his own: as a songwriter and producer, an Internet entrepreneur, a designer of clothing and luxury items and, in the spirited videos for “Blurred Lines” and “Get Lucky,” what we might call a bringer of good vibes. Indeed, though he describes “Happy” as a team effort between him and the “Despicable Me” crew, Williams seems to be using the song’s awards-season buzz to propel his latest crack at a solo career. Columbia Records is to release Williams’ solo album, “G I R L,” on March 3, the day after the Oscars. The singer was cagey about the record’s sound, saying only that “the criteria was that I wanted it to feel festive and celebratory,” qualities certainly in keeping with “Happy” and many of the other songs he had a hand in last year, including Miley Cyrus’ “#Getitright” and “Blow” by Beyonce. “Pharrell always brings such an amazing energy to whatever he’s working on,” said Jennifer Hudson, who drafted him to oversee her 2013 single “I Can’t Describe (The Way I Feel),” one of several songs the Recording Academy cited in presenting Williams with a Grammy for producer of the year. “When I hear one of his songs, I’ll be like, ‘Why am I feeling so good? Oh, because it’s a Pharrell track.’”

If you didn’t see the 45th NAACP Image Awards on TV One, here’s a recap of some of the major awards and presentations. Basically, “12 Years A Slave’’ won big. Directing honors went to Steve McQueen and the film’s writer, John Ridley won for his screenplay of the slave drama. Meanwhile, Lupita Nyong’o continued her award season winning streak by beating Oprah Winfrey for the supporting actress award. She said it was “a deep, deep honor to be holding this trophy.” In the outstanding motion picture actress category, Angela Bassett won for “Black Nativity” and Forest Whitaker won outstanding motion picture actor for “Lee Daniels’ The Butler.” “I have so much admiration for the NAACP and what they’ve done, what they’ve accomplished and how they’ve changed this planet,” Whitaker said, reflecting on his win.

Competitive field Speaking of “The Butler,” David Oyelowo, who won a supporting actor award for his role in the film, told The Hollywood Reporter that this year’s field of African-American centered films was very competitive. “To have films like “The Butler,” “12 Years a Slave,” “Fruitvale Station” and “Mandela” — all that have Black protagonists with no White savior character holding their hand through the

movie is a huge stride forward,” said Oyelowo.

Award for ‘Husbands’ As far as the TV side of things, LL Cool J won outstanding actor in a drama series for CBS’ “NCIS: Los Angeles” and Kerry Washington won outstanding drama series actress for ABC’s “Scandal,” which also took outstanding drama series. When it came to funny business, BET’s “Real Husbands of Hollywood” won outstanding comedy series, while the show’s star, Kevin Hart, was singled out for his lead actor role.

Tribute to Mandela The NAACP Image Awards made sure to tribute the late South African president, Nelson Mandela with words from Oprah Winfrey. “He was everything we have all heard and more. He was humble and he was unscathed by any kind of bitterness after all that we know he’s been through,” Winfrey said. Her remarks were followed by a musical tribute by Stevie Wonder. Before the televised ceremony, “Fruitvale Station” took the indie film honor. Beyonce was honored for outstanding female artist and John Legend won outstanding male artist. Idris Elba got props for his work in “Luther” from BBC America’s. The 45th NAACP Image Awards was hosted by Anthony Anderson and aired live on TV One.

Lupita Nyong’ accepts the supporting actress award, beating Oprah Winfrey.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

FEBRUARY 28 – MARCH 6, 2014

STOJ

THE ENTREPRENEUR

THE SINGER

THE EXPLORER

THE ACTIVIST

Madame C.J. Walker, 1867-1919

Mamie Smith, 1883-1946

Matthew Alexander Henson, 1866-1955

A. Philip Randolph, 1889-1979

She was born Sarah Breedlove, daughter of a poor farm couple who died while she was still a little girl. She was married at 14; when her husband died, she supported herself as a washerwoman. In 1905, Walker perfected a formula for straightening the hair of black women; it was the beginning of a cosmetics empire that, by the time of her death would make her a millionaire — one of the first black Americans to achieve that status, if not the first. Walker denied herself no luxury — her mansion at Irvington-on-Hudson, N.Y., is said to have been a regal showplace. But the hair-care magnate was also a generous contributor to good causes; she funded scholarships and gave to the indigent and the needy.

Bessie Smith was better known, but Mamie got there first. Her hit, “Crazy Blues,” recorded in 1920, was the first blues vocal ever recorded and also the first recording by an African-American woman. Despite that distinction, Smith did not think of herself primarily as a blues singer — she was a vaudevillian who sang many different styles. The Cincinnati-born vocalist spent the ‘20s and ‘30s barnstorming across the United States with her Jazz Hounds, a band that included such luminaries as James “Bubber’’ Miley and Willie “The Lion” Smith.

On the day in 1887 that he first met Robert Peary, Henson, though only about 21 years old, already had experience as a stevedore, seaman, bellhop and coachman. Peary thought Henson might make a valuable valet on Peary’s attempt to become the first man to reach the North Pole. But Peary soon discovered that Henson’s abilities and experiences made him even more valuable as a colleague. As Peary once put it, “I couldn’t get along without him.” The men mounted seven expeditions to the Arctic, including the last, in 1908 and 1909, when they finally stood together at the top of the world, the first explorers to do so.

His courtly, Sphinx-like demeanor belied the soul of a fighter. Randolph, a leader of the “New Negro” movement of the early 20th century, was tapped by black railroad workers to lead their fledgling union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, in 1925. It would take years for the union to even get the Pullman Co. to recognize them, years more before an agreement was hammered out, but when it was over, Randolph and his union had won workplace concessions once unthinkable for black employees. In later years, Randolph was instrumental in pushing President Franklin Roosevelt to do away with segregation in the defense industry. He was also an organizer of the 1963 March on Washington.

THE JOURNALIST

THE PREACHER

John Russwurm, 1799-1851

Adam Clayton Powell Sr., 1865-1953

Although he was technically born a slave in Jamaica, Russwurm enjoyed many privileges of freedom because his father was a white American bachelor. His father, also named John Russwurm, provided a quality education for his son at Bowdoin College in Maine (he graduated in 1826, the third African-American to graduate from an American college). When the elder Russwurm relocated to Massachusetts, he took the boy with him. In 1827, this child of privilege took up the plight of the American slave. With his partner, Samuel Cornish, he founded Freedom’s Journal, the first black newspaper published in the United States. The paper’s then-controversial credo: Complete freedom and equality for African slaves. As the editors put it in their first editorial, it was time for black people to plead “our own cause.”

He was the grandson of slaves, the father of a flamboyant namesake congressman and a towering figure in his own right. As a boy, Powell, a Virginia native, is said to have learned the alphabet in a day. A year later, he was reading from the Bible A grandfather nudged Powell toward the ministry and he eventually served as pastor of churches in Connecticut and Pennsylvania. The pastorate that made him famous, however, was at Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City. Under Powell’s leadership, Abyssinian practiced a social gospel that did not limit itself to the pulpit and pews; the church operated a facility for the aged, helped feed the poor, and agitated for racial and economic justice. By the mid-1930s, Abyssinian claimed 14,000 members, making it the largest Protestant congregation in the United States.

ometimes, history forgets. Sometimes, the big names everyone knows crowd out the smaller ones fewer people recall. Sometimes, when it is time to apportion honor and assign recognition, men and women who ought to be singled out are not. And so, those who inspired the dreams, fanned the flames and stood in the thick of revolutionary change can find themselves left out of the books, short-changed in the reminiscences. In this annual season of black history’s celebration, much will be said, and deservedly so, about giants such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. DuBois. But here, in 10 fields of American endeavor, are 10 other names, lesser-known women and men whose contributions and heroism we should remember, always. — Leonard Pitts Jr., The Miami Herald

THE POLITICIAN

THE FILMMAKER

THE SOLDIER

THE FIGHTER

P.B.S. Pinchback, 1837-1921

Oscar Micheaux, 1884-1951

Henry Johnson, 1897*-1929

Jack Johnson, 1878-1946

Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback was the free-born son of a white planter and a woman the planter owned and later freed. In 1862, he was assigned the duty of recruiting African-American volunteers for the Union Army forces, but resigned his captain’s commission in protest of the discriminatory treatment of his men. During Reconstruction, he was a leader in the founding of the Louisiana Republican Party and was elected president pro tempore of the state Senate in 1871. Pinchback became lieutenant governor when the incumbent died. Then, the governor was suspended during impeachment proceedings, and Pinchback succeeded him, too, serving as acting governor of Louisiana from December 1872 to January 1873. He was the first African-American governor in history and, until L. Douglas Wilder became chief executive of Virginia in 1989, the only one.

Oscar Micheaux came of age during the days when filmmakers routinely ignored African-Americans or confined them to subservient, demeaning roles. This was, paradoxically, the key to his success. During the ’20s and ’30s, Micheaux wrote, directed and produced about 30 films keyed to black audiences. Micheaux operated on a budget of next to nothing, raising money directly from his audiences. Thus, there was no such thing as “Take two” in a Micheaux movie — not even when an actor blew his lines. Not surprisingly, the movies were usually awful. Also not surprisingly, an audience starving to see itself reflected on screen flocked to his films. Micheaux, a consummate promoter, would travel from town to town, screening his current movie while raising funds for the next.

Early on the morning of May 14, 1918, Henry Johnson and Needham Roberts were standing sentry on a bridge near the Aisne River in France when, without warning, they were attacked by a force of 32 Germans. Cut off from their regimental headquarters and armed only with pistols, knives and a few hand grenades, the two black soldiers somehow stood off the much larger force, pressing the fight even though Johnson was wounded three times and Roberts twice. At one point, the Germans rushed the pair and took Roberts prisoner. By now reduced to using only a bolo knife and the butt of his empty pistol, Johnson nevertheless charged the Germans. He managed to wound as many as 10 of them and to kill at least four more. The startled Germans dropped their prisoner and ran. Johnson and Roberts were both awarded France’s highest military honor, the Croix de Guerre.

Before there was Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis or Jackie Robinson, there was John Arthur Johnson, a boxer who became history’s first black heavyweight champion in 1908 with a victory over Tommy Burns. Johnson spent 15 rounds whipping Burns, carrying on a running dialogue with him as he did so. Finally police stopped the bout. The victory was all the more impressive in light of the fact that Burns’ manager served as referee — a concession Johnson had to make in order to get Burns to agree to the fight. Johnson’s victory polarized the nation — a state of tension made worse by the fact that he was a swaggering, boastful champion given to publicly romancing and marrying white women. Proponents of white supremacy seized upon former champion Jim Jeffries as their “great white hope” for snatching the title back from this unruly black man. But the overweight Jeffries, who returned from retirement for the bout, was no match for Johnson, who toyed with him for 15 rounds before knocking him out.

*Approximate year of birth

PHOTO CREDITS: PHOTOS OF P.B.S. PINCHBACK AND ADAM CLAYTON POWELL SR. COURTESY OF THE OHIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY; A. PHILIP RANDOLPH COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES; MADAME C.J. WALKER COURTESY OF THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE; PHOTO OF OSCAR MICHEAUX COUTESY OF SOUTH DAKOTA STATE ARCHIVES; JOHN RUSSWURM COURTESY OF BOWDOIN COLLEGE; JACK JOHNSON COURTESY OF MIKE DELISA; HENRY JOHNSON COURTESY OF THE HENRY JOHNSON MEMORIAL; PHOTO OF MAMIE SMITH COURTESY OF FRANK DRIGGS; MATTHEW ALEXANDER HENSON COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES