Florida Courier - April 18, 2014

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APRIL 18 – APRIL 24, 2014

VOLUME 22 NO. 16

SUFFERING IN SILENCE Many Black pastors and their congregations are either uninformed or in denial about the reality of mental illness, and believe it can be relieved only through prayer, fasting, and Bible study.

BY JENISE GRIFFIN MORGAN FLORIDA COURIER

FLORIDA COURIER FILES

Second to one

the same rate for African-Americans. Despite those numbers, it’s still a taboo subject, especially in the Black church. “What I have seen is the church has not addressed the mental health issue from a clinical aspect and has communicated that parishioners pray about it. So that is the message that is being conveyed to parishioners from the pulpit,’’ explained Haley.

PART 2

Dr. Reba Haley often stands in the pulpit of her Tampa area church and delivers a message that most Black pastors won’t touch: If you’re dealing with a mental health issue, seek professional help. Haley is founder and CEO of The Hope Center for Living, a counseling center in Riverview. It’s next door to Covenant Family Church, the ministry she pastors with her husband. An ordained minister and a psychologist, Haley is among a small but growing number of Black pastors who are trying to change the way mental illness is perceived by the African-American church.

Prayer alone

Last year, LifeWay Research released a survey showing that onethird of Americans and nearly half of evangelical, fundamentalist, or born-again Christians believe prayer and Bible study alone can overcome serious mental illness. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) states that nearly Lack of knowledge “Perhaps their lack of clinical 60 million Americans experience a mental health condition every year knowledge or awareness on mental and that mental illness affects one in health issues or a lack of knowledge four adults and one in 10 children in See SUFFERING, Page A2 the U.S. That one in four number is

LUNAR ECLIPSE 2014

Blood moon rising

Broward girls nationally ranked No.2 in chess SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

LAUDERHILL – A threegirl chess team representing Castle Hill Elementary, a Title 1 school in Broward County (the Fort Lauderdale area), placed second nationally at the 11th Annual Kasparov Chess Foundation All-Girls National Championship in Chicago last week. The Kasparov National Championship is the most prestigious chess event for female players under the age of 18. The Lauderhill school trio of McKhaila McKenzie, Erykah Shaw, and Shyan Braswell brought home a national second-place ranking for teams under 12 after defeating fierce competitors from public and private schools, most with well-funded chess programs. Many of the girls competing there either had either master-level chess coaches for personal or frequent group lessons. The key to the Castle Hill girls’ success? A dedicated teacher, Robert McKenzie, who taught them the game.

Thinking skills McKenzie is a veteran teacher who’s served at Castle Hill Elementary for 18 years. He began a chess club in

BRIAN PETERSON/MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE/MCT

This week, skywatchers in Florida and around the country had view of one of nature’s most unique and colorful celestial events – a total eclipse of the moon. This multi-exposure was made in Minnesota beginning at 1 a.m. and continuing for almost two hours.

See CHESS, Page A2

Tampa loses 2 strong brothers BY JENISE GRIFFIN MORGAN FLORIDA COURIER

One “community soldier” was in law, the other in entertainment. Both left legacies to be admired. Both of their deaths are being mourned. Frank Sylvester Stewart was a prominent Black attorney in Tampa, who made history as one of the first Black lawyers to pass the Florida bar exam to become an attorney. He died on March 22 at age 74. Popular DJ Ely Edward Cedrick Jennings, best known in entertainment circles as “Big Money Ced,’’ was influential for introducing a new generation to WTMP-AM, Tampa Bay’s iconic Black radio station for more than 50 years. He succumbed to a heart attack on April 14 at age 44.

ALSO INSIDE

Although they were from different generations, Stewart and Jennings were strong Black men in Tampa Bay who made an indelible impact on the community in which they grew up and beyond.

Legal pioneer One of Hillsborough County’s most revered and respected Black attorneys, Stewart believed in giving back. His law practice was a place the underprivileged could go for fair and responsible legal representation. He also had the distinction of being a member of Hillsborough County’s first class of Black assistant state attorneys, as local prosecutors are known in Florida. A 1957 graduate of Middleton Senior High School and 1962 al-

um of then-Bethune-Cookman College, Stewart served in the Army from 1963 to 1965. He began practicing law in 1975 in Tampa with his brother, Delano S. Stewart, after earning a degree at North Carolina Central University’s School of Law. He then joined the office of the Hillsborough County State Attorney in 1976, where he served until 1981. He went back into private practice until 2007. At the time of his death, he was practicing law at the office of Attorney Nathaniel Tindall.

Teacher, mentor In his obituary, Stewart was referred to as “a teacher and mentor to countless members of the community.’’ He was a longtime active member of Allen Temple A.M.E. Church, Omega Psi Fraternity, Inc., and the American Legion. A founding member of the Tampa-

based George Edgecomb Bar Association, Stewart also was a veteran of the Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter of the National Bar Association. “He always had a helping hand to provide for anyone,” his obituary read. “No matter the time of day, his porch light was never off and his garage door was never closed.’’ Along with his brother, he is survived by his wife, Carol; four children, eight grandchildren, and a host of other relatives. Funeral services were held on March 29 in Tampa.

More than local DJ Cedrick Jennings was wellknown in his hometown, but his popularity stretched well beyond Tampa Bay. He had worked with big names in rap and hip-hop – Waka Flacka Flame, T.I., Gucci See DEATHS, Page A2

SNAPSHOTS FLORIDA | A3

Siplin to challenge Thompson for Senate seat NATION | A6

Black shunned by White House reporters to be honored May 3 ENTERTAINMENT | B5

Season 3 of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta returns May 5

COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4 COMMENTARY: HARRY ALFORD: NO, THIS IS NOT A BLACK THING | A5


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