Florida Courier - May 3, 2013

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MAY 3 - MAY 9, 2013

VOLUME 21 NO. 18

FOURTH QUARTER Log on to www.flcourier.com for updates on this story.

BY JAMES HARPER FLORIDA COURIER

With the Florida Legislature set to finish its business on Friday – after the Florida Courier’s press time late Wednesday night – House Democrats slowed legislative business in the Florida House to a crawl Tuesday as they protested the Republican majority’s refusal to accept billions of dollars in federal money to expand health coverage for low-income Floridians.

Using a rare procedural move, House Democrats forced bills to be read in their entirety, a time-consuming process that prevented other measures from being taken up.

The slowdown started after the Senate approved a plan Tuesday that would use federal money to offer private health insurance to roughly 1 million low-income people. Democrats have been frustrated for weeks that House Republicans refuse to go along with such a plan.

GOP strikes back In response, on Wednesday, House Republicans used a procedural maneuver known as moving the previous question to limit debate to 3 minutes per side. In response to that, Democrats began taking up their full 3 minutes by reading from the state Constitution.

That left lawmakers waiting on a variety of issues including – bills meant to help the multimilliondollar building and renovation of four pro sports venues – feeling nervous.

Not this year The House is now on the clock regarding efforts by the Miami Dolphins and others seeking state sales tax dollars to help improve or build professional sports stadiums. But even if the House is able to take the proposal across the goal line by the end of this week, it will be a year before any tax rebates are considered by legislators.

The measure (SB 306) that the Senate backed 35-4 on Monday

Rattlers leading the way

COURTESY OF THE MIAMI DOLPHINS

This is what Sun Life Stadium in Miami-Gardens would look like once the renovation project is completed. does allow Miami-Dade County to ask voters if an existing hotel bed tax could be increased for Sun Life Stadium upgrades this year, while it requires all stadium funding proposals to first be evaluated and ranked before any incentive deals

are doled out.

The Dolphins have agreed to pay $4.8 million for the referendum, and vowed to remain “long-term” in the county, repay the county at

WELFARE QUEENS? PART 4 Pro sports taxpayer subsidy bills hits turbulence as the Florida Legislature’s current session draws to a close, adding uncertainty to the Miami Dolphins’ urgent stadium renovation timeline.

See FOURTH, Page A2

DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY / BROWARD COUNTY

Learning and bouncing Kids enjoyed themselves on a bounce house on April 28 during the Delta Sigma Theta (DST) Sorority’s annual Children’s Reading Festival at Osswald Park in Fort Lauderdale.

Read a story on DST’s nationwide Centennial Torch Tour on Page B2.

Black women are engineering successes SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

TALLAHASSEE – Female students in the Florida A&M University (FAMU) – Florida State University (FSU) College of Engineering are making moves in a field often dominated by their male counterparts. There are currently six women earning their Ph.D.’s through the College’s Title III Program.

All of the candidates anticipate completing the Ph.D. program within the next two years.

“If this country wants to remain competitive, then we must continue to train our students to be competitive,” said Rogers, executive assistant to the president for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

The women are Shannon Anderson, a biomedical engineering student; Tarra M. Beach, an environmental engineering student; Marcella Carnes, a civil engi-

CHARLES W. CHERRY II / FLORIDA COURIER

See FAMU, Page A2

SNAPSHOTS FLORIDA | A3

FINANCE | B3

Death penalty bill goes to governor

Graduation gifts: Top picks for the Class of 2013

NATION | a6

Congressional medals push for Birmingham girls moves forward

ALSO INSIDE

FINEST | B5

Meet Trina

Millions doled out for new housing, foreclosures NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

Two hundred million dollars from banks would go for various housing programs, and to help the homeless, under legislation passed Tuesday by the Florida House. The money was earmarked from the national mortgage settlement.

The bill (SB 1852) passed the House unanimously and now goes to the desk of Gov. Rick Scott for his signature.

The measure earmarks $60 million for the State Apartment Incentive Loan Program to subsidize rents or fund the construction of new units, with $25 million of that reserved for the elderly and $40 million for the State Housing Initiative Program, or SHIP, which goes to local governments for affordable

housing assistance.

Twenty million will also go to Habitat for Humanity for the purchase and renovation of houses to go to low-income families; $10 million into an initiative to provide housing for the homeless; $10 million for grants for housing for the developmentally disabled; and $9.1 million for dormitory housing for students in the Florida Prepaid Tuition program.

Florida’s state courts will get $21.2 million for additional senior judges, staff and technology that helps speed up foreclosures; $9.7 million will go to clerks of court for foreclosure backlog help; $10 million for legal aid for people in foreclosure; and $10 million for certified domestic violence shelters.

FLORIDA COURIER FILES

Bank of America was one of five large banks that paid the state $334 million to settle foreclosure abuse charges.

COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4 COMMENTARY: MARGARET KIMBERLY: AMERICANS MORE LIKELY TO NOT BE KILLED BY TERRORISTS | A5

FOCUS

A2

MAY 3 – MAY 9, 2013

Philadelphia’s Black angel of death A Planned Parenthood lobbyist was asked in a Florida Legislature committee what should happen to a baby struggling for life after a botched abortion.

Her reply that any decision should be “left up to the woman, her family, and the physician” went viral, causing Planned Parenthood to clarify its position.

A spokesperson said that in the “extremely unlikely event” that should happen, “of course” Planned Parenthood would provide “appropriate care to both the woman and the infant.”

Now paying attention Meanwhile, much of the nation was just beginning to learn that such “extremely unlikely” events were commonplace at a Philadelphia abortion clinic run by the now-infamous abortionist Dr. Kermit Gosnell.

Ironically, Gosnell, who is Black, is being prosecuted by the first Black district attorney in Philadelphia and in Pennsylvania, R. Seth Williams – the product of two foster homes after his mother put him up for adoption at birth. She opted for adoption, not the alternative.

Williams’s grand jury indicted Gosnell on seven counts of firstdegree murder in the deaths of newborn infants and third degree murder in the case of an Asian im-

Clarence V. McKee GUEST COMMENTARY

migrant.

The number of murder charges were reduced from seven to four and the defense rested without presenting a single witness.

Gosnell is innocent until proven guilty.

(Editor’s note – as of the Florida Courier’s press time Wednesday night, the jury had not returned a verdict.)

‘Had to kill’ Four of his clinic workers pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and testified against him, with one saying, “...We had to prevent life.

We had to kill. Simple as that.” Another four pleaded guilty to lesser offenses – including his wife.

Regardless of the outcome, the grand jury report and trial testimony leaves no doubt that the “Women’s Medical Society” in the city of brotherly love was a horrific abortion mill. Some could even argue that Gosnell is a modernday Black angel of death.

The grand jury report paints a stark portrait of the clinic: “This case is about a doctor

who killed babies and endangered women...He regularly and illegally delivered live, viable, babies in the third trimester of pregnancy and then murdered these newborns by severing their spinal cords with scissors...He overdosed his patients ...spread venereal disease among them with infected instruments, perforated their wombs and bowels – and, on at least two occasions, caused their deaths.”

An intergovernmental search team that raided the clinic described it to the grand jury as “filthy,” “deplorable,” “disgusting,” “very unsanitary”, “horrendous,” and “by far, the worst” that these experienced investigators had ever encountered: • “Semi-conscious women scheduled for abortions moaning in the waiting room or recovery room...on dirty recliners covered with blood-stained blankets...”

Filthy and unsanitary surgical procedure rooms described as resembling “a bad gas station restroom” with unsterile instruments and rusty and outdated equipment.”

So why relate such gruesome detail? The grand jury said it well: “...For us as a criminal grand jury...the case is not about (abortion); it is about disregard of the law and disdain for the lives and health of mothers and infants...”

Why was such evil allowed? The grand jury was blunt: “…(T)he reason no one acted is because the women in question were poor and of color, because the victims were infants without identities, and because the subject was the political football of abortion.”

Black racism Then there is the element of Black against Black racism. J.D Mullane of phillyburbs.com, one of the few reporters who initially attended the court proceedings, described the testimony of one former employee: “White women ‘with money’ were taken to an ‘immaculate’ upstairs room where Gosnell treated them personally. Poor Black, Latino and other women were kept in the clinic’s dingy, dirty downstairs rooms, and were usually treated by medically unqualified staff.”

For years, Philadelphia and Pennsylvania authorities had a “see-no-evil” attitude on what was going on at the clinic. And, except for Fox News, so did the national media – until recently.

Why? As Media Research Center President Brent Bozell put it, “The abortion agenda is so fierce, so militant, so extreme within journalism ranks (that) anything that challenges the practice is suppressed.”

As Mullane wrote, a court staffer agrees. “‘If you’re pro-choice, do you really want anybody to know about this?’ he said, motioning to

the filthy medical equipment set up in the courtroom.”

Even liberal Columbia University professor Marc Lamont Hill, a frequent guest on Fox News, said, “I do think that those of us on the left have made a decision not to cover this trial because we worry that it’ll compromise abortion rights...”

Blacks silent Wow! Is Professor Hill, who is Black, really saying that protecting the left’s abortion agenda is more important to the media, including a Black commentator like himself, than the killing of innocent newborn Black babies?

As is the usual case when it comes to abortion, especially Black abortions, the Congressional Black Caucus and the civil rights community are nowhere to be found.

I guess they missed the opening statement of one of the prosecutors: “The standard practice here was to slay babies. This is not a case about abortion. ... This is a case about murder.”

Clarence V. McKee is a government, political and media relations consultant and president of McKee Communications, Inc., as well as a Newsmax.com contributor. His commentary originally appeared on Newsmax.com. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

FAMU

opment of A Novel Design Protocol of Evapotranspiration Landfill Covers using a Modeling Methodology and Long-Term Monitoring Data,” by Beach; “Influence of Palladium in Bimetallic Catalyst Deactivation Resistance for Hydrodechlorination” by Anderson; and “Influence of Palladium in Bimetallic Catalyst Deactivation Resistance for Hydrodechlorination,” by Scott.

“We keep moving forward so the pipeline doesn’t get clogged,” Scott said. “We are etching our names within the world of science, technology engineering and math.”

from A1 neer student; Renee Gordon, a mechanical engineering student; Michelle V. Adejumo, a civil engineering student; and Valesha A. Scott, a mechanical engineering student.

“It’s really great because in my field, I’m often the only girl,” said Gordon, a Miami native. “It is a good surprise to see people like me doing what I do. We have that common bond.”

Anderson agreed.

“We are as minority as minority gets,” she said.

“Not many people strive for this. But once you do, the outcome can be great.”

Growing numbers According to research conducted by the University of Iowa, in the last 15 years, colleges and universities have increased diversity in STEM fields, resulting in increased graduate degree enrollments, especially for underrepresented minority groups in STEM fields.

Between 1993 and 2006, African-American STEM doctoral enrollments almost doubled. Despite this

Love and talent COURTESY OF FAMU

Black female students in the Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering are earning doctoral degrees in a field often dominated by men. overall impressive trend, doctoral degree statistics indicate that the proportion of minority students receiving doctoral degrees in STEM fields have remained consistently lower. In 2007, out of 21,000 recipients, African-Americans constituted five percent.

“As African-American women, we have to work together to contribute to this ever-growing field,” Beach said.

Complex research Gordon’s research is to design and build a mechanism that can improve the performance of robotic de-

FOURTH from A1 least $112 million after 30 years, and to pay penalties for failing to bring in premier football and soccer events to the stadium.

An amendment approved Monday removed a provision that would have allowed the Dolphins to be ranked this year instead of having to enter the process with others heading into the 2013 session.

Another amendment removed a controversial proposal that would have balanced state revenue for the stadium sales tax breaks by eliminating a decades-old tax incentive that was created to entice out-of-state and international bankers to open offices in Florida.

Only Dolphins survive The measure is the only one involving professional stadiums that has advanced beyond the committee process in either chamber this session.

But it keeps hope alive in 2013 for proponents of sales tax breaks being provided for upgrades to EverBank Field in Jacksonville and Daytona International Speedway, and for the construction of a stadium in Orlando to attract a Major League Soccer franchise.

Rick Beasley

Marsha Jackman

Rankings required The measure requires the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to prepare an annual list of teams, spring training sites and professional sports seeking assistance from the state. That list would be ranked based upon economic impacts and then sent to the Legislature for a final vote on funding from a pool of up to $13 million a year.

The bill establishes benchmarks for construction funding. Sales tax rebates of $2 million a year for 30 years could go to upgrades costing between $100 million to $200 million. The rebate could grow to $3 million when the work tops $200 million.

Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah, voted against the measure he said allows “millionaires and billionaires to tap into taxpayer dollars.”

Health care first House Minority Leader Perry Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale, said Democrats understand that some of their priorities could go down in the push for a

Perry Thurston

H.T. Smith

health-care bill.

“That will happen, but I’m not concerned about it,” he said. “I think that those people who would go and sit in those luxury boxes, and enjoy those games, and enjoy the Dolphins, they would think a little bit about those individuals who can’t afford that ticket, who may not even have a television to watch that game.”

Keeping things moving The Dolphins – facing the voters in a May 14 referendum that would approve both a bed tax increase and state tax money money – have no choice but to push forward. Early voting started Monday.

Dolphins officials announced a partnership this week with Marsha Jackman and her ‘Operation 305’ organization to make sure local small businesses and job-seekers will be hired and that the workforce will be diverse. That was good news to some of the area’s Black leaders who were on the stage as the announcement of the partnership was made during a press

vices. She and a colleague recently returned from Indianapolis, Ind., where she presented her research to business people.

“It was beneficial to share my research with a different demographic and to get their feedback,” she said.

Carnes’ research inves-

tigates methods to determine what happens when a light-frame steel structure fails.

The other’s research projects include “Barriers Impacting the Planning of Transit Oriented Developments by Adejumo; “Civil Engineering Aspects of Phytoremediation: Devel-

conference.

Miami Dolphins CEO Mike Dees agreed that the team would also work closely with South Florida Workforce, which will serve as a digital clearinghouse for interested applicants.

Its CEO is Rick Beasley.

“We serve as a liaison between projects and public partnership and businesses who want to do business with Miami-Dade County, especially when they use tax dollars from residents of Miami-Dade County.”

Sun Life Stadium is located in Miami Gardens, a predominately Black city.

“Most importantly, we want to make sure we cover our bases ensuring all ethnicities are working on the (Sun Life Stadium) project. I’m tasked to reach out to every segment of the community,” Jackman explained. “We have to make sure African-Americans are given an opportunity as well as every other resident of Miami-Dade County.”

Jackman said she will be working closely with South Florida Workforce and its database of more than 150,000 workers. More than 8,000 workers from the database were contacted to participate in the Opportunity Fair.

Fair scheduled An Opportunity Fair was scheduled to take place on Thursday at Sun Life Stadium, which allowed applicants to register with South Florida Workforce for stadium modernization project opportunities.

Attendees were also “to participate in interviews and résumé workshops and learn about other employment opportunities that are currently available with the Dolphins, Sun Life Stadium, and many of their largest vendors,” said a Dolphins press release.

Jackman said she worked on the Port of Miami’s tunnel project, and it was then that Operation 305 was born. Her company provides clients with programs and guidance when they want to include local and minority businesses and local workforces in large projects.

“We wanted to make sure and certain the Port tunnel project was inclusive of Miami-Dade County workers. Our area code is 305.

We wanted to send a strong message and make sure local workforce and local businesses were hired,” she told the Florida Courier.

Full support Attorney H.T. Smith and Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce (M-DCC) President Bill Diggs participated in this week’s press conference. They fully support the partnership between the Dolphins and Operation 305.

As reported in last week’s Florida Courier, Diggs told Dolphins representatives in a meeting that at least 15 percent of the jobs

Professor Peter N. Kalu serves as an adviser for two of the students. He said he recruited the women into the program because of their talent and love for engineering.

“I am very proud of the work that the students have done,” said Kalu. “Their projects are ongoing and their work is steadily evolving. We have been able to graduate students who can compete internationally.

As advisers, we have to be in the trenches with our students.” and contracts should go to Blacks and Black-owned businesses if they want MDCC’s help in getting the voter referendum passed.

Smith, along with Hispanic and GOP activist Jorge Arrizurieta, are working their respective communities to back the referendum that still needs to be approved by Florida legislators. Both are paid consultants to the Dolphins.

In an interview with the Florida Courier Wednesday, Smith spoke about the Opportunity Fair.

“It’s not a job fair where you hire people. They have identified 8,000 local construction workers to preregister – masons, painters and bricklayers,” he explained.

Smith praised Jackman, who he said has worked with Diggs and M-DCC before to make sure Blacks were hired on other projects.

Brandon Larrabee and Jim Saunders of the News Service of Florida contributed to this report.

CORRECTION In an April 26 story in the Florida Courier titled “People Shouldn’t Judge,” the last name of Alea Janae Dennis was incorrect. We apologize for this mistake.

MAY 3 – MAY 9, 2013

FLORIDA

A3

Senate again rejects parent petition bill

BY BRANDON LARRABEE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – In a stunning vote Tuesday, the Senate rejected on a tie vote a controversial bill that would have given parents the ability to register their wishes with a district that’s choosing how to turn around failing schools.

The 20-20 vote was a mirror image of a Senate deadlock last year on the so-called “parent trigger” bill, which would allow parents to sign petitions in favor of a particular turnaround option for schools that draw an “F” on state report cards for two straight years.

Opponents have said the bill would have allowed privately owned for-profit charter school companies to swoop in and take over failing schools.

Procedural fight Supporters had hoped that a more conservative GOP caucus and the smaller ambitions of this year’s version (HB 867) – which would have left the final decision to the local school board regardless of what parents asked for – would get the legislation through the upper chamber.

Under last year’s bill, the State Board of Education would have decided if the parents and the school board split.

But four Republicans who voted for the bill last year – Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla of Miami, Sen. Greg Evers of Baker, Sen. Rene Garcia of Hialeah and Sen. Jack Latvala of Clearwater – joined two other Republicans and all 14 Democrats in opposing the bill. The other GOP defectors were Sen. Charlie Dean of Inverness and Sen. Nancy Detert of Venice.

Sen. Alan Hays, a Umatilla Republican who had opposed the bill last year because of a procedural fight with leadership, supported this year’s measure.

‘Harmful legislation’ The defeat was a ma-

ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT

Then Florida Gov.-elect Jeb Bush gets hugs from students in 1998 during a visit to the Liberty City Charter School in Miami. Bush was the co-founder of the school. The rejection of the parent petition bill was a major setback for former Gov. Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Florida’s Future. jor setback for former Gov. Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Florida’s Future, which has strongly backed the measure, and a victory for teachers unions, parent groups and Democrats, who had largely opposed it.

“Today, in a bipartisan effort the Florida Senate stood up for families, teachers, and students across the state by striking down the corporate trigger bill for the second year in a row,” said Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Allison Tant.

“This harmful legislation would have allowed for-profit corporations to seize control of tax-payer funded schools, and put the education of our children in jeopardy.”

‘Empty seats at the table’ Supporters spent the day on the Senate floor insisting that the bill wouldn’t make it easier for charter management companies to get control of public schools, and highlighting the bill’s attempts to empower parents.

“So to me, you can distill all the arguments in this particular issue down to one word: Trust,” said Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine. “Do you trust the parents? Or don’t you?”

But opponents rejected the argument that the bill would give parents a seat at the table that wasn’t already available.

“The problem we have, though, is we have empty seats at the table,” said Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee. “There are ample opportunities for parents to be involved. What we’re missing here is, what we can do as a state to encourage and get our parents involved in the opportunities that are already available?”

Detert highlighted education reform efforts that the Senate has already passed, including some that haven’t fully taken effect.

“Can we just stop changing the schools every time somebody wins an election?” she asked.

The sponsor of the measure, Sen. Kelli Stargel, RLakeland, rebuffed many of those arguments, including those based on the current lack of involvement by some parents in failing schools.

“Regardless, they are the parent of that child,” she said, “and they should be able to have a voice and that voice should be listened to.”

Zimmerman won’t have pretrial ‘stand your ground’ hearing

BY JEFF WEINER AND RENE STUTZMAN ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT

SANFORD — Murder defendant George Zimmerman will not have a “stand your ground” hearing before his trial, after he waived that right in court Tuesday.

However, the issue could still resurface at trial, his defense lawyer said during a roughly three-hour hearing.

During the hearing, Zimmerman was questioned under oath by Circuit Judge Debra Nelson. The state had asked the judge to demand an answer from Zimmerman about whether he was waiving his right to a “stand your ground” hearing.

That’s a proceeding that could absolve him of wrongdoing for killing Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black 17-year-old, in Sanford, in what has become a civil rights cause celebre.

Discovery issues discussed Zimmerman’s lawyer, Mark O’Mara, argued Zimmerman shouldn’t be asked to waive any rights.

The defense “might,” he said, argue for immunity at trial, after all the evidence is presented.

Over O’Mara’s protestations, Nelson questioned

Zimmerman, asking if he had made the decision to waive his right to a pretrial immunity hearing.

“After consultation with my counsel, yes, your honor,” Zimmerman replied.

Earlier in the hearing, the judge addressed discovery issues. Nelson ordered the state to turn over any cell phone data for Trayvon or Zimmerman that they haven’t given already.

She ordered the state and defense to turn over to the other side any “cleaned up” or enhanced audio of the 911 call that captured screams leading up to the shooting.

Ruling on settlement Nelson also granted the defense’s request to add five more witnesses to their list, even though the deadline she set for new witnesses had passed.

She also ruled that the $1 million-plus settlement Zimmerman’s homeowners association paid Trayvon’s parents to settle a wrongful death claim will be turned over to the parties.

However, the judge said the settlement will be redacted in the public court file, which likely means the precise dollar amount won’t be revealed.

The last portion of the hearing centered on the defense’s requests that Nelson to admonish and

fine prosecutors for, according to the defense, hiding information and causing delays.

For example, the defense says the state delayed in revealing that Witness 8, who was on the phone with Trayvon in the moments before his shooting, lied about going to the hospital after learning of his death.

“We can’t get ready for trial,” O’Mara said. “We will be unprepared for trial because of everything they’ve done to us.”

Trial starts in June However, the judge was skeptical of his argument.

She denied the request, but reserved ruling on a motion that sought costs for depositions the defense says the state delayed.

Zimmerman is the 29-year-old former Neighborhood Watch volunteer who shot Trayvon after calling Sanford police Feb. 26, 2012, and describing the teenager as suspicious.

Prosecutors say he profiled, pursued and killed the teen. Zimmerman says he acted in self-defense after the Miami Gardens teenager attacked him, breaking his nose.

Zimmerman, who lives in hiding, had last attended court Feb. 5. The next hearing in the case is set for May 28, and his second-degree murder trial is scheduled for June 10.

MIKE HASLEY/COLUMBUS LEDGER/ENQUIRER/MCT

Supporters of death row inmate Troy Davis hold a vigil in Jackson, Ga., at Georgia’s death row prison on September 21, 2011. He was executed that night. Opponents of new Florida legislation say it could lead to the execution of innocent men and women.

Death penalty bill goes to governor Measure speeds up process for executions

BY JIM SAUNDERS NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

State lawmakers Monday gave final approval to a proposal aimed at reducing delays in carrying out the death penalty, with supporters saying they want justice for victims’ families – but critics warning about executing innocent people.

Sen. Joe Negron, a Stuart Republican who sponsored the measure, said some inmates have been on Death Row for more than 30 years.

“That isn’t justice,’’ Negron said. “That’s a mockery of the court system.”

But other lawmakers pointed to scientific advances, such as DNA evidence, that have helped clear some inmates who have been imprisoned for long periods.

“I just think this swiftness does not necessarily equate to fairness,’’ said Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa.

Post-conviction process Senators voted 28-10 on Monday to approve the bill (HB 7083), which passed the House last week. It now goes to Gov. Rick Scott.

The bill focuses, at least in part, on ending delays in what is known as the “postconviction” legal process, which starts after the Florida Supreme Court upholds death sentences in initial appeals.

The post-conviction process can involve appeals about issues such as whether defendants have received ineffective legal representation.

Among other things, the bill seeks to ensure that attorneys have “actual” conflicts of interest before being replaced in deathpenalty cases. Replacing attorneys can

Legislators vote to eliminate ‘mental retardation’ from state language The House on Tuesday gave final approval to a bill that would eliminate the term “mental retardation” from numerous parts of state law, a victory for

cause delays.

Also, the bill would take steps to prevent attorneys from representing Death Row inmates if the attorneys have had problems in earlier capital cases. The bill would bar lawyers from working on deathpenalty cases for five years if courts have found that they provided deficient representation twice.

Hundreds on Death Row As of early March, Florida had 404 inmates on Death Row, with 155 in custody for more than 20 years, according to a House staff analysis. Ten had been on Death Row for more than 35 years.

This month, Florida executed Larry Eugene Mann, who was convicted in 1981 in the abduction and murder of a 10-year girl in Pinellas County.

Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Chairman Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, said the bill would not prevent inmates from pursuing legitimate claims of innocence. But he echoed Negron’s argument that some people sitting on Death Row for decades makes a “mockery” of the justice system.

Closure for families?

“This bill is about closure for victims’ families,” said Bradley, a former prosecutor.

But a group called Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty said in a news release Monday that 24 wrongfully convicted Death Row prisoners have been exonerated since Florida resumed executions in the 1970s.

“Legislation that speeds executions by limiting appeals will almost certainly lead to the execution of innocent men and women,’’ said Mark Elliott, the group’s director.

people with developmental disabilities and their advocates.

“Mental retardation” and its various forms are widely considered offensive and would be replaced with the moreacceptable term “intellectual disability.”

House members voted 119-0 to approve the bill (SB 142), which also was approved unanimously last week by the Senate. It now goes to Gov. Rick Scott.

“It’s been a long time coming,’’ said Rep. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart.

EDITORIAL

A4

MAY 3 – MAY 9, 2013

Americans more likely to not be killed by terrorists Every year, 4,600 Americans are killed in workplace-related accidents. Every 28 hours a Black person is killed by police, corrections officers, security guards or vigilantes. Every year more than 30,000 people are killed by gun violence in this country. The odds of being killed by a terrorist are only 1 in 20 million.

These statistics are rarely mentioned and never had a chance to be addressed after two bombs were exploded during the Boston marathon. Death under horrific but commonplace circumstances attracts scant media attention or political action. Acts labeled as terrorism, which are unlikely to kill anyone, bring an inordinate amount of hysteria among the populace and cynical attention from press and politicians.

propaganda of various kinds. We have been propagandized to believe that some lives, White Americans’, are more valuable than othMARGARET ers, namely anyone not White nor KIMBERLEY from the United States.

BLACK AGENDA REPORT There is no other way to explain why the government’s killing of Daily risks ignored thousands of people abroad is It is frightening that the risks met with a shrug, if it is acknowlwhich Americans are subjected edged at all. to on a daily basis are ignored as if they are unwanted background White supremacy noise. Some of the passivity is un- challenged derstandable. Black people in That feeling of entitlement is a particular are able to function in large part because the ever pres- direct result of centuries of White ent risk of stop and frisk, false ar- supremacy, which has never been rest, and police brutality are dif- examined or challenged. It has ficult to bear. There is a thin line been fed as corporate power has between being conscious and los- grown and corrupted the media who now aren’t even very good at ing one’s mind.

All Americans’ behavior is un- the basics of their profession.

CNN, NPR, the Associated derstandable if one acknowledges that we are constantly subjected to Press and other supposedly repu-

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: BUSH LIBRARY READING MATERIAL

NATE BEELER, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 176 “Welfare Queens” series – Congrats to the Florida Legislature, which will make pro sports teams compete with each other for millions in taxpayer subsidies to build facilities. Black Floridians should push to make workforce and contractual diversity part of the ranking and evaluation process...

Bro. Prez crying the blues – In a press conference this week, he was figuratively weeping and wailing about how “hard” it is to get things through Congress. Reminds me of how eight-year-old “Wig” tells me how “hard” three-digit multiplication is. My response to both? “Get some help. Learn how it works. Quit whining and get it done. That’s what success and achievement are all about.”

And did Obama and his people really believe that his reelection would “break the Republican fever,” as he said, and that the GOP would allow him to succeed? If so, somebody in the White House needs to quit smoking that herb. The GOP’s knives were out before his first day in the White House, and they will attempt to destroy his legacy long after he’s out of office. Deal with it, Bro. Prez...

NBA player: “I’m gay!” – I never heard of Jason Collins, a 12-year pro veteran who’s played with six teams, before this

quick takes from #2: straight, no chaser

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq. PUBLISHER

week. He waited to “come out” on the tail end of a career where he’s already made his millions, so he’s no historical Jackie Robinson-type figure. Now if every gay minister of music in every Black church in America “came out” at the same time on the same Sunday morning (“Hey, y’all! I’M GAY! Amen!”), THAT would be impressive. And before you complain, yes, I know all of them ain’t gay...

Joy-Ann Reid – A South Florida resident, she’s one of the sharpest ‘talking heads’ on TV. But why can’t MSNBC get a qualified makeup artist who works on dark skin? They have her looking as dark as Cecily Tyson one day then as light as Halle Berry the next...

Contact me at ccherry2@gmail.com; holler at me at www.facebook.com/ ccherry2; follow me on Twitter @ccherry2.

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

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table news organizations reported wrongly on basic facts of the case such as the number of suspects, whether arrests had been made or not, or who was or wasn’t a person of interest.

A “dark-skinned man” was said to be under arrest but actually wasn’t. An Indian student missing since March was named as a suspect on social media and his family were threatened as a result.

there will ever be impartial fact finding on this and other questions are slim to none.

Dzokhar Tsarnaev now lies in a hospital wounded by police gunfire and questioned without being read his rights. That treatment is a result of an Obama executive order which states that in cases of a “public safety exception” we have no such rights. Now that is everyday terror.

Government terrorists

Margaret Kimberley’s Freedom Rider column appears weekly in BAR, and is widely reprinted elsewhere. She maintains a frequently updated blog at http://freedomrider.blogspot.com. Kimberley can be reached via e-mail at Margaret.

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

There is another kind of terror that goes on continually. Most reported terror plots of recent years were created entirely by government agents. The FBI had some contact with Tamerlan Tsarnaev who was killed by police in the bombing after math. It is possible that the FBI moved from creating phony terror plots to actually carrying one out. The likelihood that

Don’t listen to clueless rappers on financial affairs Seems like every day, I see something on the internet or read something in a newspaper about some clandestine or mysterious organization.

The flavor of the moment is an alleged group called “The Illuminatti.” Well, that’s what rappers and other less educated people call them.

The truth of the matter is a powerful secret society was formed in the mountains of Afghanistan in the 16th century called “the Roshaniya” or the “illuminated ones.”

This group desired to create a class of perfect men, and women, to carry out the organization and the direction of the world. Don’t worry about “The Illuminatti.” There are more than a few other “secret” groups that have similar callings and desires to control the world. Groups like The Assassins, Gnostics, Peacock Angels, Rosicrucians, Black Mothers, Tongs, Sufis, Castrators and others are not social clubs they have a plan to control.

So how will the world be controlled? If you control the world’s money, you control the world!

Beast bankers

Lucius Gantt THE GANTT REPORT

even killed but the groups lived on and if you listen to uneducated rappers the societies live on today.

Speaking of today, reports are constantly surfacing that bankers around the world have conspired to lie, steal and cheat bank depositors and bank customers out of every dollar they can.

You might have heard about last year’s Libor Scandal, in which at least three and perhaps as many as 16 of the name-brand too-bigto-fail banks have been manipulating global interest rates, in the process messing around with the prices of upward of $500 trillion worth of financial instruments. This massive con was easily the biggest financial scandal in history.

Now London-based firm ICAP, the world’s largest broker of interest-rate swaps, is being investigated by American authorities for behavior that sounds eerily reminiscent of the Libor mess.

Regulators are looking into whether or not a small group of brokers at ICAP may have worked with up to 15 of the world’s largest banks to manipulate ISDAfix, a benchmark number used around the world to calculate the prices of interest-rate swaps.

Now, that brings us to The Knights Templar. Many people say members in this so called secret society were the world’s first beast bankers. Back in the day, travelers that didn’t want to travel with large sums of money could give money to Templar Knights in one city or country and pick money up from another Knight when he reached his destination. Gaming the system Nobody should be surThese so-called secret societies could not be termi- prised that the biggest beast nated. Knocked down, yes, bankers implicated in this jailed perhaps, some were scheme to fix the prices of

interest-rate swaps are the same megabanks - including Barclays, UBS, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and the Royal Bank of Scotland - that serve on the Libor panel that sets global interest rates.

It’s increasingly clear that both the criminal justice system and the civil courts may be impotent to stop them, even when they do get caught working together to game the system.

Too big to jail They say beast bankers are too big to fail and too big to jail so what can a bank customer do?

Switching banks will do nothing because it is obvious they all conspire together.

Should we pay cash for everything? Should people unite and start their own banks and financial institutions? I don’t know.

But I do know that all of these international wars and conflicts are about money and products that money can buy like oil and land.

These wars have nothing to do with WMD or chemical weapons or religion.

If you want to know what’s going on, don’t listen to clueless rappers, go to the library and study the world’s secret societies. Learn how your Mason friends and Eastern Stars fit into the scheme of secret societies!

Buy Gantt’s latest book “Beast Too: Dead Man Writing” and contact Lucius at www.allworldconsultants.net. Click on this story at www.flcourier. com to write your own response.

Words really do matter It is fascinating to witness how conservative and reactionary intellectuals, columnists, radio and television propagandists and public officials have so thoroughly set the parameters for political discourse in this country.

Three current examples are the frequently used political descriptions - Obamacare, entitlements and gun control. For instance, rather than reading and hearing about the pluses and minuses of Obamacare, the public would be reading and hearing about and discussing the negatives and positives of the Affordable Care Act, the official name of the healthcare bill .

Propagandists’ agenda It is much easier for loudmouthed opponents of government involvement in the health arena to demagogue Obamacare than it would be for them to demagogue the Affordable Care Act. Which is exactly why they quickly labeled it Obamacare.

Their doing so is not surprising. That’s what propagandists do for a living. What is surprising to most people

A. Peter Bailey TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

is how quickly the national press went along with their agenda.

It’s the same with entitlements. Social Security and Medicare were launched as government sponsored safety nets for working people in this country. Money for the programs is taken from a person’s paycheck throughout his or her working years.

There should be serious discussion as to whether the two government programs need to be modified, reformed, or even eliminated, but the focus should be on them as safety nets, not as entitlements which gives the impression that people are demanding and getting something for nothing.

Gun control misleading Then there’s the hot topic of gun control, another misleading term launched by gun worshippers and their willing allies in the press and

political offices. Very few people in the country support gun control but many support gun safety.

Instead of framing the debate and discussions on this issue as being about gun safety most of the press, to the overwhelming joy of gun worshippers, gun manufacturers and gun dealers, are put on the defensive about supporting gun control. If they were serious, they would compel the National Rifle Association and its supporters to be put on the defensive opposing gun safety.

Think about it. If the national press was doing its job political dialogue would not be about Obamacare, entitlements and gun control but about the pluses and minuses of the Affordable Care Act, government safety nets and gun safety. Words really do matter.

Peter Bailey, a former associate editor of Ebony, is currently editor of Vital Issues: The Journal of African American Speeches.

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

MAY 3 – MAY 9, 2013

EDITORIAL

It’s time to step it up and get busy “The State of Equality and Justice in America” is a 20-part series of columns written by an all-star list of contributors to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Here’s the 14th op-ed of the series: Reflecting upon the past 50 years since the 1963 March on Washington, we must pay homage to our civil rights leaders for their hard work, strength and endurance in the fight for equality and justice in America. Their unwavering commitment to The Movement made it possible for a Black man named Barack Hussein Obama to become President of the United States of America.

As I look at the state of equality and justice today, we are at a very critical moment in time. Our elders have taken us this far. Some have transitioned on, others are continuing on the battle field for justice. Also, with all the progress over the past 50 years, some of us are under the misguided impression that we have arrived.

I feel compelled to appeal to my generation and today’s young leaders to make sure they understand: There is no more time, we must take the torch or the fire will die. It’s time to step it up and get busy.

Threatened by inclusion The task before Black leaders today begins with making sure that those coming behind us understand that even though the Civil Rights Movement forced laws

MELANIE L. CAMPBELL TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

to change, it did not change the hearts and minds of all Americans.

Some of those who want to retain their power and money are threatened by inclusion.

Our young people must understand that a small group of people are continuously plotting to create new ways to exclude entire communities. In 2013, new school activists must make sure our young people understand that racism and inequality may not always manifest itself in a white sheet or barking dog but the dogs are still biting. Inequality comes in many packages.

Back in the day people in power relied on slick tactics like Jim Crow Laws and Poll Taxes to hold us back. Today, it’s voter IDs and the “War on Drugs.” For example, a person with a non-violent drug conviction on their record is restricted in their ability to secure housing, financial aid for education, public assistance, jobs, and the right to vote.

What does the fight for equality and justice look like in 2013 and beyond?

In 2013 and beyond our fight is not just for access to education.

We must make sure our schools are teaching critical thinking, promoting innovation, and preparing our youth for jobs in science, tech-

A5

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: JASON COLLINS

nology, engineering, and math (STEM). The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2009 American Community Survey reports that STEM workers earn more than other workers.

Non-Hispanic Whites hold 72 percent of STEM jobs while only 6 percent of STEM jobs are held by Non-Hispanic Blacks.

In 1963 March organizers called for “Dignified Jobs.” In 2013 “Dignified Jobs” must provide good jobs with a livable wage. We must also unite to support our unions and workers’ rights.

Close digital divide Modern-day equality struggles include closing the digital divide.

Access to high-speed broadband internet will increase job and educational opportunities as well as democratic participation. Broadband access will also help to lower health care costs and make quality medical care more accessible to the Black community.

Diversity strengthens our democracy. We must make sure employers don’t just talk about “diversity” and “women’s equality,” but also back up the talk through their hiring practices. From the federal government to Wall Street to the corner store, we want to see Black women represented in top positions.

Incarceration rates The elimination of racial disparities in our criminal justice system is paramount. The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Pew Charitable Trusts reports that the incarceration rate

DAVID FITZSIMMONS, THE ARIZONA STAR

for Blacks is more than six times as high as the national average and over 60 percent of those incarcerated are racial and ethnic minorities.

In 2013 and beyond we will continue to lead the fight to eliminate barriers to civic participation fighting against restrictive voter ID laws, felon disenfranchisement and any other tactics created to block Black people from voting.

Prepare our youth Finally, I must address our responsibility as a people to work harder to prepare our youth in this ongoing fight for justice and equality. We must encourage them to pursue STEM careers, teach them to be environmentally conscious, and help them understand the dire need to stop the violence in

our neighborhoods.

We must take the time to instill good moral values so they turn to each other and not on each other and our journey will not be in vain.

As we celebrate 50 years of progress, let’s thank our elders for their great fight by stepping it up because we have not arrived.

Melanie Campbell is president/CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable. The Lawyers’ Committee is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy. For more information, visit www. lawyerscommittee.org. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Politicians still working to eliminate ‘darkey’ as political favor Last week, the Delaware State legislature approved a constitutional amendment to all but remove the last Jim Crow-era voter suppression law from its books.

The amendment, passed at the urging of the Delaware NAACP, allows people with nonviolent felony convictions to vote after their release from prison. This is a major victory for voting rights and a strike against the practice of “felony disenfranchisement.’’ But it is also a major step forward for a nation still struggling to heal old racial wounds.

Felony disenfranchisement has direct roots in the Jim Crow Era. In the late 19th century, states above and below the Mason-Dixon Line began to find new and creative ways to keep Black voters away from the polls. Banning people with felony convictions was one

BEN JEALOUS TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

of the solutions.

For example, in 1901 the Commonwealth of Virginia had 147,000 Black voters on the rolls. But many lawmakers saw this growing political block as a threat. At that year’s Constitutional Convention, they hatched a plan to disenfranchise AfricanAmericans through a combination of Black codes and felony disenfranchisement.

One legislator said on the record that the plan would “eliminate the darkey as a political factor.”

Ninety years later, Kemba Smith-Pradia was an undergraduate student at

Hampton University. She got involved with the wrong crowd and found herself behind bars as an accessory to a nonviolent drug offense.

President Clinton granted Kemba executive clemency in 2000, six years into her 24-year sentence.

She went on to become a college graduate, law student, mother and foundation president - but until 2012, when her rights were finally restored, not a voter.

Permanent disenfranchisement Kemba’s story is just one example of how the legacy of the 1901 Convention lives on. In today’s Virginia, 350,000 people are still disenfranchised by the 1901 law, and many of them are African-Americans.

Nationwide, 48 states allow some form of felony dis-

Is the ‘Black economy’ an oxymoron?

Although the dictionary calls it archaic, the “management of a household” is one of the definitions listed for the word “economy.” Another definition is “a saving or attempt to reduce expenditures.”

Yet another is “a system of interacting elements, especially when seen as being harmonious.” And still another definition for economy has to do with “the production and consumption of goods and services of a community regarded as a whole.”

As I look at those descriptions of an economy, only the last one partially applies to Black Americans collectively, and that’s the “consumption” part.

Every five years the U.S. Census does a survey to determine how many businesses there are in this country, who owns them, how many persons they employ, and what their annual revenues are.

The figures for 2007, while lauded for the increase in the number of Blackowned businesses, revealed decreasing revenues for Black businesses, relatively few employees, and a vast majority of them in the service industry.

Black businesses declining?

The 2007 census revealed total receipts for Black owned businesses to be less than $136 billion which, when juxtaposed against an aggregate “Black buying power” during that period of approximately $850 billion, illuminated a lack of business growth and a glut of consumer spending.

Other statistics disclosed low savings among African-Americans and a grossly disparate median income and net worth when compared to other ethnic groups.

The University of Georgia’s Selig Center for Economic Growth estimates that the nation’s “Black buying power” is rising from $1.038 trillion in 2012 to a projected $1.307 trillion in 2017.

JAMES CLINGMAN NNPA COLUMNIST

A few years back, the Selig Center reported that Blacks spend more on telephone services, children’s apparel, electricity and natural gas, and guess what, footwear. Today, I’m sure hair (someone else’s) is in the top five.

Failures of Blacks Much of our economic pain in the 21st century is the direct result of our failure to develop a real Black economy, our failure to take care of our collective “household,” our failure to save more of our money, our failure to support our own businesses, and our failure to produce goods and services commensurate with our percentage of population and income.

Additionally, we have failed to work together for the uplift of the masses, sharing our resources with one another and helping one another as we make our way individually.

The so-called “middle-class” Blacks have distanced themselves, not necessarily physically but mentally. And many of the less fortunate among our people spend too much time being jealous and envious of our brothers and sisters who have achieved at higher levels. The result is an oxymoronic “Black economy.”

Jim Clingman is an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati and can be reached through his website, blackonomics.com. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

enfranchisement, and one out of every 13 voting-age African-Americans is affected. In four states - Virginia, Iowa, Kentucky, and Florida - disenfranchisement can be permanent.

When Virginia introduced felony disenfranchisement in 1901, they also expanded the list of felony crimes.

By raising the penalty for a number of minor offenses, they planned to lock African-Americans in the prison system - and out of the political system.

A century later, our drug laws have the same amplifying effect. African-Americans are far more likely to be arrested for minor drug crimes, and therefore more likely to have their vote taken away.

aware and other states are beginning to turn the tide. In Virginia, Governor Bob McDonnell has sped up the review process for those who have finished the terms of their sentence. So far he has restored the votes of more than 4,000 citizens. And Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, who callously eliminated automatic restoration of voting rights early in his term, is now taking steps toward restoring those rights.

These are certainly steps in the right direction, but there is more work to do. Virginia, Iowa, Kentucky, and Florida still allow permanent disenfranchisement, and 44 other states permit some level of felony disenfranchisement.

You can learn about the law in your state at www.restorethevotes.org. If you or someone in your commuTurning the tide nity is affected, you can use The good news is that Del- that information to educate

your family, your community and your elected officials about why this is an important issue.

Felony disenfranchisement is an affront to our democracy. Millions of people like Kemba Smith-Pradida parents, workers, and community leaders - pay taxes, raise families and contribute to society. But they cannot fully participate in our democracy.

If poll taxes, literacy tests, and gumball-counting tests could be outlawed because of their racist intent, then felony disenfranchisement laws from the same era should be overturned today.

Ben Jealous is president/ CEO of the NAACP. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

South side isn’t ready for health emergencies As this is written, everyone wounded in the terror bombings at the Boston Marathon has survived his or her wounds. This remarkable testament to effective medical response stems largely from Boston’s exceptional health-care capacity.

But as demonstrated by the fertilizer explosion in West, Texas, the chaos wreaked

by Superstorm Sandy, the shootings in Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn., and the horrible gun violence that savages Chicago, every community must ask if it has the capacity to answer emergencies. And in South Chicago and other neglected poor communities, the answer is surely no.

The remarkable response in Boston was exemplary, but unique. The bombs exploded at a site — the finish line of the Boston Marathon — staffed by emergency medical services personnel and other first responders.

Six trauma centers were within a few minutes of the finish line. Those hospitals were prepared to treat dehydrated runners. Several had surgeons and other clinicians familiar with blast injuries from their service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Health-care desert

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

surance provided by race sponsors. But in the shootings in Aurora, victims found themselves hit with steep hospital costs, often not covered by any insurance.

That surely is the case in South Chicago as well.

Emergency preparedness Boston’s hospitals also benefitted from years of training and coordination in emergency preparedness. After 9/11, the Bioterrorism Act of 2002 created the Hospital Preparedness Program, which provided resources for hospitals to practice for emergencies.

But its budget — $515 million at its peak — has been cut by 26 percent. And President Obama’s proposed budget for 2014 would cut a third of current levels. This despite the reality that providing mass care in major emergencies is still a big challenge.

“It’s clear that we’re seeing more threats, not less,” said Rich Hamburg, deputy director of the Trust for America’s Health.

“There are more severe weather-related events, pandemic flu outbreaks [and] hurricanes.”

The Patriots’ Day bombings demonstrated America’s health-care capacity at its best. It is time to pay attention to the neglected areas of our cities like South Chicago, where lives are lost because of the absence of vital services.

Compare that to the health-care desert in Roseland, Englewood and South Chicago. In contrast to Boston, there is a dearth of capacity to deal with traumatic injuries.

And Roseland Community Hospital is now facing dramatic cuts in patient care.

Since 2001, seven hospitals have closed in Chicago. The region has lost more than 2,000 hospital beds in the past decade. It is estimated that 3,200 African-Americans in Chicago die each year as a result of healthcare disparities.

In Boston, virtually all of the MassachuJesse L. Jackson, Sr. is president and setts residents have health coverage under the state health-care plan — on which CEO of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.

Obamacare is based. Out-of-state mara- Click on this story at www.flcourier.com thon runners probably are covered by in- to write your own response.

NATION

TOj A6

MAY 3 – MAY 9, 2013

Congressional medals push for Birmingham girls moves forward

BY RICHARD SIMON LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT

WASHINGTON — On this year’s 50th anniversary of a deadly church bombing that helped spur passage of landmark civil rights legislation, the House voted last week to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to four Black girls killed in the explosion at a church in Birmingham, Ala. Once the Senate and President Barack Obama give their expected approval, the nation’s highest civilian honor would be awarded to Denise McNair, 11, and Cynthia Wesley, Addie Mae Collins and Carole Robertson, all 14. They were killed by Ku Klux Klan members who set off dynamite in the Sept. 15, 1963, attack at the 16th Street Baptist Church.

“While we recognize this medal can in no way replace the lives lost nor the injuries suffered as a result of the horrific bombing, I hope this medal serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of the many sacrifices made and the great achievements obtained so that this nation can live up to its ideals of equality and justice for all,” Rep. Terri A. Sewell, D-Ala., the bill’s chief sponsor, told colleagues.

Unanimous vote During the bill’s consideration, black-and-white pictures of the girls were displayed on the House floor as sisters of Denise and Carole looked on from the House visitors’ gallery and lawmakers quoted from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s eulogy for the girls. The measure passed, 420-0.

“We’re doing the right thing today,” said Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., a veteran of the civil rights movement.

Although the FBI identified suspects in the bombing, it closed the case at the direction of then Director J. Edgar Hoover, who contended an all-White Alabama jury would never convict the men. But in 1971, Alabama’s then-Attorney General William Baxley reopened the case, leading to the 1977 murder conviction of Robert E. Chambliss, who died in prison in 1985.

For public display After the FBI reopened its case in 1993, Thomas E. Blanton Jr. was convicted of murder and sentenced to

Denise McNair, 11, and Cynthia Wesley, Addie Mae Collins and Carole Robertson, all 14, were killed by Ku Klux Klan members who set off a bomb at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala. This plaque in Birmingham is a tribute to the girls. life in prison in 2001. Bobby Frank Cherry was convicted a year later and died in prison in 2004. A fourth suspect, Herman Cash, died in 1984 without being charged.

The legislation calls for a gold medal to be given to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute for public display. It also authorizes the U.S. Mint to strike bronze duplicates of the medal for sale.

Among the civil rights figures who have been awarded Congressional Gold Medals are King and his widow, Coretta Scott King; Dorothy Height, who led the National Council of Negro Women for four decades; Rosa Parks; and the Little Rock Nine, who integrated a Little Rock, Ark., high school.

Two HBCU students die in Virginia hazing incident

BY JEREMY M. LAZARUS TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

They just wanted to belong.

That’s why seven Virginia State University (VSU) freshmen endured a week of beatings and other ritual hazing.

Despite a VSU ban on such harsh practices, the seven willingly accepted the treatment as part of their initiation into an off-campus social club called Men of Honor — named for the 2000 movie about Carl Brashear, the Navy’s first Black diver.

Everything would go horribly wrong after the eager pledges were handed their final test: To walk across a usually calm, narrow, five-foot deep stretch of the Appomattox River near the campus.

Do that and they would be in, the pledges later said they were told by James A. Mackey Sr. Mackey, owner of Mac’s Grill, an Ettrick restaurant two blocks from the campus that served as club headquarters, and the other club members, including several VSU students who had recruited them.

Walk to danger It would be a wet walk in the park, they were told. The water would only be chest high, at most, they were told. There were rocks to walk on, they were told. Only cowards would back down, they were told, not real “Men of Honor.”

They walked into the river in a line early Saturday, April 20, just past midnight. They were undaunted by pelting rain, a slashing cold wind and near pitch-black conditions. They went in near a bridge connecting Petersburg to VSU and Ettrick without a safety line, life jackets or supervision.

In the blink of an eye, they found themselves fighting for

Marvell Edmondson

Jauwan Holmes

their lives in a raging current whipped up by the stormy weather. The high-risk adventure turned into a tragic disaster when the pledges tried to make it back to the riverbank.

Five somehow made it ashore, but two were swept away – Marvell Edmondson, 19, of Portsmouth, and Jauwan Holmes, 19, of Newport News.

Students arrested Edmondson’s body was recovered Monday after the tragedy, and Holmes’ body was found two days later – on Wednesday, April 24.

Chesterfield County Police charged Mackey and three other members of Men of Honor with five misdemeanor charges of violating a state law against hazing, defined as the reckless or intentional endangerment of a student’s health or safety. Two of those charged are enrolled at VSU, Eriq K. Benson, 19, of Quinton, and Cory D. Baytop, 26, also of Newport News.

The tragedy has only been compounded by the knowledge that the seven were trying to join a rogue club. According to VSU, Men of Honor was not connected in any way to the university and had no permission to use the school’s logo on information sheets it distributed to students as part of its recruitment drive.

This story is special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Richmond Free Press.

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OPEN A MACY’S ACCOUNT FOR EXTRA 20% SAVINGS THE FIRST 2 DAYS, UP TO $100, WITH MORE REWARDS TO COME. Macy’s credit card is available subject to credit approval; new account savings valid the day your account is opened and the next day; excludes services, selected licensed departments, gift cards, restaurants, gourmet food & wine. The new account savings are limited to a total of $100; application must qualify for immediate approval to receive extra savings; employees not eligible.

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IFE/FAITH How to take charge of your career See page B4

SOUTH FLORIDA / TREASURE COAST AREA

May 3 - May 9, 2013

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

Trumpeter touts name change for jazz See page B5

www.flcourier.com

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SECTION

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Severe drought conditions, rampant wildfires and destructive hurricanes: Are these extreme events a forecast of things to come? Scientists point to climate change as the direct cause of increasingly destructive weather.

Rick Nease/ Detroit Free Press/ mct

By Merrie Leininger McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

H

urricane Sandy devastated coastal communities all along the Eastern Seaboard and killed more than 180 people in the United States and Caribbean, according to reports.

Sandy was the 18th tropical cyclone and named storm and 10th hurricane of the 2012 hurricane season. In August, Isaac delayed the 2012 Republican National Convention, killed 41 people and caused millions in damage. According to Reuters, disaster modeling company EQUCAT estimated Sandy caused up to $20 billion in insured losses and $50 billion in economic losses in the United States alone, ranking the storm as the fourthcostliest catastrophe ever in the U.S. Michael Oppenheimer is the Albert G. Milbank Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs at Princeton University.

He also is faculty associate of the Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences Program.

In the wake of Sandy, Oppenheimer told CNN, “It’s a foretaste of things to come.” Bigger storms and higher sea levels will create a “growing threat” in the coming decades.

Steven Hamburg, chief scientist of the nonprofit organization the Environmental Defense Fund, agreed and said climate change is the direct cause of increasingly destructive storms: “Yes. Without a doubt, the pattern of the new normal is very consistent with the changing climate. …We can look at things like the increase in sea temperatures and know they are directly caused by climate change and increasing the power of a storm like Sandy. We can’t predict a month from now, this is going to happen or this storm will hit, but … what we can anticipate with a high degree of confidence is we will expect to see more of this.”

Hamburg said the consistent rise in global sea

and air temperatures means increased melting of sea ice at the poles, which changes weather patterns and that water evaporates more rapidly, creating intense rainstorms.

According to a study by scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as reported in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, summer ice melt over the Arctic Ocean was more than all previous measurements and equaled an area larger than the state of Texas.

“This is not only a record low, but it easily broke the previous record, set in 2007,” says Steve Vavrus, a senior scientist in the Nelson Institute Center for Climatic Research at the university, according to the school.

Hamburg said that the ice melt creates an effect like a boulder gaining steam as it rolls down a hill.

“We are losing the snow and ice because we’re getting warmer, and then more snow and ice melts.

Water absorbs more sunlight than ice, which reflects much of it back,” Hamburg said. “The reason you’d make your roof white instead of black is because it reflects the light back. On a hot day, you don’t go sit on black asphalt, because you’ll scorch.”

Hamburg said this also affects vegetation and agriculture.

“The nights are getting warmer than the days are, and there are impacts on vegetation. A particular example is, in my own area in Rhode Island, it makes it hard to make maple syrup, because you need warm days and cold nights.”

Combined with dense development in coastal areas, rising sea levels and more storms that make landfall, climate change is going to be very costly.

“It’s not one uniform effect, but in Rhode Island, where I live, in the past 75 years, the water is 8 inches higher than 75 years

Melting ice The amount of ice in the Arctic Ocean melted to an all-time low this year, shrinking 18 percent smaller than the previous record set in 2007.

Median melt, 1979-2000 Arctic sea ice extent, Sept. 19

0.0

The big problem • When sea ice melts, more of the dark ocean surface is exposed; 90 percent of sunlight is absorbed, warming the Arctic ocean

Minimum ice extent

GREENLAND

In millions of square miles (sq. km) and date measured 9/18/07 9/20/08 9/13/09 9/21/10 9/11/11 9/16/12

ago, and it is going to rise at a faster rate,” Hamburg said. “Development has assumed the geography is constant, so it created the conditions that are dangerous.”

Ironically, the same process that creates heavy storms also can cause drought.

“That puzzles people, but we saw that this summer. If you get more of your rainfall in big events, you can still have longer periods of no rain. It’s a double whammy. That’s one of our challenges — managing water in all aspects. Ensuring water when we need it and for vegetation,” Hamburg said.

In order to slow climate change, Hamburg said, people should focus on their energy usage.

“We need to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases over the long term — that means carbon dioxide. We are affected by the carbon dioxide of our parents and grandparents, as well as our own,” Hamburg said. “In the short term, we emit gasses such as methane and black carbon, which is different from carbon dioxide.

They are much stronger trappers of energy in the atmosphere, but don’t last as long.”

Hamburg suggested reducing emissions of methane, which is in natural gas, can slow the rise of temperatures.

“We can’t keep the train from getting faster, but we can slow the rate of increase,” Hamburg said.

“That allows us to build an economy that emits less carbon. That’s going to take a while. We can move to more efficient buildings and focus on renewable energy, but it will take time.”

Hamburg said anything that heats or cools your home or water uses the most energy. He has equipped his house with a programmable thermostat that allows the family to heat single rooms instead of the whole house and uses a timer to turn the heat or air on at certain times of the day when it’s needed.

“When we go to bed, thePHONE: heat 202-383-6064 is off. Before we getEMAIL: up, itgraphics@mctinfoservices.com comes back up. © 2012 MCT Information Services. Reprint with permission only.

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“Itmonth; isn’t thaw; melting coming as a shock. This is based on well-understood physical properties. We were talking about these patterns (seventeen years ago), and what we expect to see. That’s happening today and will happen more quickly.”

— SOURCES: NOAA, NBC News, The Guardian, The L.A. Times, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, University of WisconsinMadison

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Source: Arctic Sea Ice News and Analysis Graphic: Melina Yingling

rising temperatureS Global Highlights from the National Climatic Data Center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • The Northern Hemisphere land surface temperature for June 2012 was the all-time warmest June on record, at 2.34 degrees Fahrenheit above average, based on temperatures recorded since 1880.

• The globally averaged land surface temperature for June 2012 was also the all-time warmest June on record, at 1.93 F above average.

• The June worldwide ocean surface temperatures ranked as the 10th warmest June on record.

0.5

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CALENDAR

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FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR

MAY 3 – MAY 9, 2013

TOJ

KEYSHIA COLE

Keyshia Cole is among the artists slated to perform at Funk Fest 2013 at Tampa’s Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park May 3 and 4. Complete lineup: http://funkfestconcerts.com.

MCT

St. Petersburg: The National Council of Negro Women Founder’s Day Luncheon will be held May 4 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Isla Del Sol Yacht & Country Club, 6000 Sun Blvd. $35. More information: 727-479-9178.

Clearwater: A “Business Plan for Every Situation” workshop designed for those who want to develop a solid plan for success, satisfy lenders and investors or just want to stay on task will be held May 9 from noon to 2 p.m. at 13805 58th St. N., Suite 1-200. $25. More information: pced.org.

TYGA

T.I. and Tyga are scheduled to be part of the America’s Most Wanted Festival starring Lil’ Wayne at the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach July 14.

Fernadina Beach: The annual Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival will be held May 3-5 on Amelia Island.

Free admission and family friendly.

More than 100,000 attendees expected.

LENNY WILLIAMS

The second annual Mother’s Day Concert featuring Lenny Williams, Melanie Fiona and Stephanie Mills will be held at the James L Knight Center, May 12 at 7 p.m.

Orlando: The first Mothers’ Milk Bank of Florida 5k Run/Walk and 2 Mile Family Walk, which is helping raise funds to create a donor human milk bank for babies, will be held May 11 at Bull Frederick Park, 3401 S Hiawassee Road. Start time: 7:15 a.m.

St. Petersburg: The St. Petersburg local government invites the community to a “Do Business with the City - Reverse Trade Show” to provide local businesses the opportunity to register as a city vendor and find out what goods and services the city is looking to procure on May 3 from 9 a.m. – noon at The Coliseum, 535 Fourth Ave. N. More information: www.stpete.org/ purchasing.

Orlando: R&B songstress Jordin Sparks will be at the House of Blues Orlando for a benefit concert hosted

by Masters Champ Bubba Watson on May 17.

St. Augustine: Rap artist Kendrick Lamar will be at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre June 19 for a 6:30 p.m. show.

Jacksonville: The Jacksonville Children’s Chorus is partnering with A Social Affair Dance Studio for Jacksonville’s “Dancing with the Stars’’ May 3 at 8 p.m. at the Jacoby Symphony Hall in the Times-Union Center for Performing Arts. More information: 904-3531636.

Tampa: Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s Centennial Torch Tour makes a stop in Tampa on May 18. The day, hosted by the Tampa Alumnae Chapter, will include an event for students at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A Crimson Yacht Soiree on the Yacht StarShip starts at 6:30 p.m. More information: Call 850284-3386 or visit www.dstta.com.

Florida Theatre Jacksonville May 24 for a 7 p.m. show.

Tampa: State Rep. Janet Cruz presents the 2013 West Tampa Job Fair July 30 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Higgins Hall, 5255 N. Himes Ave. Admission for job seekers is free and an eight-foot table is free to employers. More information and to register as an employer: 813-6734673.

Jacksonville: Sample barbecue from up to 60 teams and cast your vote for the best barbecue in Jacksonville at the fifth annual Jacksonville Backyard BBQ Championships featuring food, live music and games April 27 from noon – 5 p.m.

More information: danielkids.org.

Jacksonville: Avant will be at the

Orlando: An Art of Networking workshop teaching entrepreneurs how to “work a room so it works for you” will be held May 15 from 8 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. at the Chamber of Commerce building, 75 South Ivanhoe Blvd. RSVP is required. More information: 407-835-2486.

Jacksonville: The Ideas and Inspiration Home Show will be held May

3-5 at the Prime Osborn Convention Center featuring celebrities from HGTV. More information: www. ideasandinspirationhomeshow.com.

Jacksonville: The stage play and musical “Dreamgirls” will be at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts May 21 at 7:30 p.m.

St. Petersburg: LL Cool J, Ice Cube, De La Soul and Public Enemy will be at The Mahaffey in St. Petersburg during their Kings of the Mic Tour on June 6 and the St. Augustine Amphitheatre June 7.

St. Petersburg: Youths ages 7 to 11 can enjoy a night of football, kickball, ping-pong, foosball, video games and dance parties during “Freestyle Fridays” at the Fossil Park & Willis S. Johns Center, 6635

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N. First visit free; $6 each following visit.

More information: 727-893-7756.

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

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

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Centennial Torch Tour makes May 18 stop in Tampa FROM STAFF REPORTS

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is celebrating 100 years of public service and social action. In concert with chapters all over the world, the Tampa Alumnae Chapter is celebrating the legacy of sisterhood by lighting the sorority’s Centennial Torch.

“Maintain the Flame, Continue the Vision,’’ commemorating the historic journey of the sorority’s 22 founders, the Centennial Torch will travel to 22 cities across the world. It began its historic journey on Jan. 1, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif., and has traveled as far as Tokyo, Japan.

Tampa is one of four cities in Delta’s Southern Region to host the Torch – on Saturday, May 18. Tampa also is home of the sorority’s national first vice president. Dr. Paulette Walker. Cynthia Butler-McIntyre of Louisiana is the sorority’s national president.

From Tampa, the Centennial Torch will travel to Bermuda en route to its final destination this summer of Washington, D.C. – the birthplace of Delta Sigma Theta. Tampa is one of very few cities to pass and carry the Delta Torch. It is the only city in Florida.

STEM program for kids The sorority will host a Lighting the Torch program with students from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI).

This STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) event includes a voyage of snap circuits, math robotics, video

Dr. Paulette Walker

Cynthia ButlerMcIntyre

game creating, rocket launching and much more. It is being hosted in partnership with The Dream Center, Delta Academy, The EMBODI Program, Young Magnet Middle School, and Sligh Middle School.

More than 200 kids are expected to participate.

Lighting ceremony, cruise A private cruise on the Yacht StarShip begins at 6:30 p.m. on May 18. Before the departure, the community is invited to join the Deltas for a special torch lighting ceremony.

The torch lighting ceremony will begin promptly at 6 p.m. After the ceremony, the yacht will journey through the historic Ybor Channel into the Hillsborough Bay and then pass through the Garrison Channel.

Members of Delta’s National Executive Board and local dignitaries will be in attendance to dine, dance, and celebrate 100 years of sisterhood, scholarship, and service.

For more information about the MOSI event and the cruise, visit http://www. dstta.com/centennial-torchevents-agenda or call 850284-3386.

These homeowners were helped by the program. To hear their story, go to MakingHomeAffordable.gov

If you’re struggling to keep your home, there is help.

Today, many people are at risk of foreclosure through no fault of their own.

Making Home Affordable is a free program from the U.S. government that has already helped over a million struggling homeowners.

The sooner you act, the better the chance we can help you.

MakingHomeAffordable.gov

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1-888-995-HOPE (4673)

SOJ

MAY 3 – MAY 9, 2013

PERSONAL FINANCE

B3

GRADUATION GIFTS After years of studying late into the night, cramming for tests and working hard, it’s time to reward your favorite graduate with a really great gift. Here are a few ideas everyone on your list will love.

Top picks for the Class of 2013

– Family Features

Keurig The Keurig MINI Plus Brewing System brews a perfect cup of coffee, tea, hot cocoa or iced beverage in under two minutes at the touch of a button. With the choice of three cup sizes, the MINI Plus brewer offers a removable drip tray to accommodate short travel mugs. To operate, you simply add fresh water into the single-use reservoir, choose your favorite K-Cup pack, brew and enjoy.

Find out more at www.keurig.com.

VSP Vision Benefits Sometimes the most meaningful gifts for grads and other loved ones don’t come in a box. With affordable individual and family vision benefits from VSP® Vision Care, you can enroll a family member or friend in a vision insurance plan for as little as 41 cents a day. Benefits include great coverage on eye exams, designer glasses or contacts, and access to the largest doctor network in the industry – all backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Visit www.givevsp.com for more plan details.

Roku 3 What do many new graduates do right after getting their diploma? They pack up and move away to a new job or college. Roku 3 allows them to take 750 channels of movies, television shows, sports, music and games with them. So, no more calling the cable company each time they move. Available at RadioShack, the device easily connects to a television and wireless network, then combines all of their streaming services in one place. Roku 3 makes it easy to find movies and shows quickly and the private listening mode is perfect for late-night streamers who don’t want to wake up roommates. They can also watch or play on a smartphone, iPad or other device no matter where they are. Visit www.RadioShack. com for more details.

Belkin Conserve Valet

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Get a gift that allows your graduate to charge up to four electronic devices at once. The Belkin Conserve Valet features a sleek design that keeps cords neat and organized.

Most chargers continue to use power as long as they’re plugged into the wall – even after you unplug your device.

The Conserve Valet Smart USB Charging Station lets you charge all of your mobile devices in one convenient place, and automatically shuts off power – including standby power – after devices are fully charged. It even senses when new devices are added so you always get a full charge, and has an innovative cord management system to keep things neat. Keep your devices ready to go, and save energy, too. For more information, see www.belkin.com.

Despite tight economy, Blacks still spending big Report breaks down AfricanAmerican buying power dollar by dollar TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

According to the data found in a new report, “The Buying Power of Black America,” now may be the most opportune time ever for businesses to develop a strategy for increasing their share of the Black American market. With the nation slowly recovering from recession, Black consumers represent the margin of profitability in most consumer product categories.

“What the recession did to Black America’s buying habits is to give them a reason to re-evaluate how they spent the billions of dollars

they earned collectively,” said Ken Smikle, president of Target Market News and editor of the report.

“Before tight economic times, companies felt they could afford to take their loyalty – especially to top brands – for granted. That changed during the downturn. Price was a bigger factor driving purchasing decisions. Now brands have to earn the loyalty of Black consumers all over again.

Black consumers are asking brands, ‘what have you done for me lately.’”

105-page report For the past 17 years, Target Market News has published the only report that breaks down in dollars the impact of the Black Consumer Market. Now approaching a trillion dollars in spending, the earned income of Black America is already the 16th largest

ing Power of Black America” includes a section detailing the dollars spent by major companies on advertising in Black media.

It also compares the ad spending of companies by categories.

Advertising counts

Target Market News’ report breaks down how much of Black consumers’ $836 billion in income was spent during 2011 on clothing, entertainment, food, beverages, toys, consumer technology, cosmetics, autos, travel and dozens of other categories. market in the world, and is on the verge of surpassing the gross national income of Mexico.

This 105-page report breaks down how much of Black consumers’ $836 billion in income was spent during 2011 on clothing, entertainment, food, bev-

erages, toys, consumer technology, cosmetics, autos, travel and dozens of other categories.

Another factor causing a shift in the loyalty of Black consumers is social media and increased access to business information. The new edition of “The Buy-

“African-Americans can now rely on their own research about brands,” said Smikle. “This is one of the reasons why we added a section that tracks how much leading advertisers spent in Black-oriented media. There is a correlation between building and sustaining Black consumers’ patronage and the dollars spent to reach them through advertising. That fact has not changed in this diverse media environment – it has become an imperative for brands that want success.”

Additionally, advertising

is a key measurement of the economic relationship companies have with Black consumers. “The largest single investment that Corporate America makes in the Black community is in advertising,” said Smikle.

“That investment is about $2 billion a year, but it should be at least twice that amount given the importance of the market and the role these consumers play in any company’s bottom line.”

The spending of the top 80 advertisers in Black media are detailed in the report. The No. 1 company, Procter & Gamble, spent $78.9 million in 2011, while the No. 80 company, Apple, just spent $1.6 million.

This story is special to the Trice Edney News Wire from Target Market News.

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PERSONAL FINANCE

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MAY 3 – MAY 9, 2013

Photos courtesy of Getty Images

From Family Features

Whether you want to advance your career or make the change to a new career, it’s up to you to make it happen.

“Sometimes hundreds of professionals are sending resumes for one open position, so you cannot leave things up to chance,” said University of Phoenix School of Business Dean Dr. Bill Berry. “You need to put a solid plan in place that will help you set the right career goals and obtain the skills you need to give you a competitive advantage.”

Determine your career goals Think about what you really want to do with your career — and be specific. Ask yourself some questions: • What are the things that interest you most?

• What motivates you?

• In what kind of work environment do you thrive?

• What kinds of jobs fit these criteria?

If you’re not sure, it can be helpful to take a per­sonal assessment. “Doing so can help you uncover your passions and preferences,” said Dean Berry. “It can help you identify strengths and can help you make an informed decision about your career.”

TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR CAREER suing education in order to address their own skills gaps — and it’s helping position them for career growth.”

Bridge the gaps If you have a skills gap in one area, such as know­ledge of current computer software, you can take a single course or seminar to catch up. But for many, getting or finishing a college degree is the key to making a positive career change.

University of Phoenix’s survey found that hav­ing a degree has given those surveyed tangible benefits: • 63 percent of those with bachelor’s degrees or higher believe that their education led to more responsibility.

• 60 percent of those with bachelor’s degrees or higher believe that their education positively affected their ability to get promoted.

• Those with bachelor’s degrees also say they perceive that their education led to other bene­fits including receiving raises (58 percent), keeping a job (58 percent) and being given more management opportunities (57 percent).

“For those returning to the classroom after many years, they’ll find that learning tools and platforms have changed significantly,” said Dean Berry. “With online learning and other innovations, the classroom is evolving to mirror the workplace and the skills that employers want.”

Online coursework is one way that

many adults are achieving their goals while holding down a job and/or raising a family. Fifty-nine percent of those surveyed say they are currently taking such a course, or plan to in the near future.

When inves­tigating education opportunities, look into your online options to help you maximize your time and pursue the degree plan that best fits your needs.

“The bottom line is that you have to take charge of your career,” said Dean Berry. “With a good plan and clear goals in place, you can make yourself more marketable and put yourself on the path to a more fulfilling and rewarding career.”

Learn more about available education programs and career services at www. phoenix.edu.

Identify skills gaps There are more than three million job openings in this country, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, yet many companies are finding it dif­ficult to fill those positions. A common reason given for this is that employers can’t find qualified people with the appropriate skills.

A survey by the University of Phoenix found that many people are recognizing the need to add skills in order to improve their careers: • 89 percent of working Americans believe there is still room for them to grow in their careers, and can point to at least one.

• 58 percent who are not currently enrolled in school full-time believe that going back to school would be crucial if they were consider­ing a new career path.

• 36 percent say they need additional education in order to get to the next level of their careers.

“Taking an objective look at the skills you currently have and comparing them to the skills required for the type of job you desire, gives you a clear picture of what it will take to make the job changes you want,” Dean Berry said.

• Start by writing down the skills, knowledge and qualifications you currently have.

• Next, research the types of jobs you want, and write down the qualifications needed.

• Compare the two lists, and take notes on the skills you’re currently missing.

“Once you do that, you can make decisions on how you’re going to bridge that skills gap,” said Dean Berry. “At the University, we are seeing working adults pur-

Top 10 Skills You Need According to research by Apollo Group, parent company of University of Phoenix, successful workers in the 21st century need certain skills. Here’s what employers are looking for — and how you can get them through education: • Leadership — Being a great employee is different than being a great leader. Look for coursework that emphasizes leadership skills and enables you to lead teams.

• Critical thinking — Take coursework that offers an opportunity to engage in self-directed, project-based and applied learning.

• Communication — Learn in an environment that requires participation in many modes of communication.

• Collaboration — Choose courses that are collaborative and also measure success by team results.

• Productivity and accountability — Develop an organization and com­muni­cation system that accounts for short-term and long-term projects.

• Adaptability — Take advantage of flexible course schedules and learning platforms in order to work, raise a family, volun­teer and learn.

• Innovation — Seek out learning environments that build technology and media fluency.

• Accessing, analyzing and synthesizing information — Seek out a market-driven curriculum focused on real workplace issues to help you think about how to interconnect.

• Entrepreneurialism — Improve your problem-solving abilities with class projects and case studies that tackle issues and require analysis and strate­gic planning.

• Global citizenship — Learn in a diverse classroom to build cross-cultural understanding.

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MAY 3 – MAY 9, 2013

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

Meet some of

FLORIDA'S

finest

submitted for your approval

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Think you’re one of Florida’s Finest?

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

Trina is an aspiring model who currently works in customer service. She enjoys reading, traveling, and always finds time to work out. Connect with her on facebook. com/tee. powell.3 or at businessminded 2004@gmail. com

Larry Ray aka Ray is a model, actor and dancer who was featured in Miami Fashion Week in April.

The native of Kansas City, Mo., will be featured in the new series “Graceland’’ June 6 on USA as well as a new movie based in Miami called “Caribbean Heist.’’ Contact Larry at larryvray@ gmail.com or on Facebook at www. facebook.com/ raytheactor.

trina

ray

Trumpeter continues campaign to change jazz to BAM

BY CHRIS BARTON LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT

In a cramped UCLA classroom, trumpeter Nicholas Payton is leading a young septet of college students through his piece “The Backwards Step.” He’s here as part of a weeklong teaching residency, and the song he plays to the group at the Thelonious Monk Institute is led by his gliding trumpet.

Framed by keyboard and vibraphone, it sounds like a simmering post-bop standard. But to Payton, this isn’t just jazz — it’s the sound of Black American Music.

BAM, an acronym Payton coined to break with the word “jazz,” is a term that’s become linked with the 39-year-old trumpeter.

“When Black American Music became ‘jazz,’ it separated itself from the American popular music idiom,” Payton wrote in 2011 in one of his earlier online musings on the subject. “I’m just trying to take it back to its roots.”

The post closed with a declaration: “I am Nicholas Payton and I play Black American Music.”

Online BAM campaign The New Orleans-based artist recently took a break between his classes to discuss his ideas surrounding the notion of BAM. “I don’t have a problem with anyone who wants to refer to what they do as jazz,” Payton said over lunch.

He was sharply dressed in a polka-dotted shirt, black vest and matching hat with a bright blue feather in its band. “I do have a problem with the historical connotations of the word, which has been well documented. ... Many great artists, including Thelonious Monk, were not fans of the word. (Sidney) Bechet, Miles, we can go on down the line.”

Payton’s oft-repeated Twitter hashtag, #BAM, has become something of a calling card, but he began his online campaign in 2011 with a blog post titled “On Why Jazz Isn’t Cool Anymore.” The 128-line story included musings such as “jazz is a label that was forced upon the musicians,” “jazz died in 1959” and “jazz is haunted by its own hungry ghosts.”

Seeking ‘proper acknowledgment’

No stranger to controversy surrounding the definition of jazz, Marsalis’ response surprised Payton, particularly since he sees that the two fundamentally agree about the jazz tradition.

“I’ve seen him in the past say essentially the same thing,” he said. “It’s not so much what I’m saying, it’s just that he’s used to creating the conversation. ... It’s been hard for (Branford) to admit that I’m right.”

“I’m not against anyone supporting the music or playing the music,” said Payton. “But the fact that it’s been misappropriated and mislabeled and packaged as such that it doesn’t have anything to do with the Black community is ultimately detrimental to the art form. ... It’s not about renaming it so much as giving the proper acknowledgment to those who created it.”

His cause has culminated in a campaign on the social media site Thunderclap, where he proposed to have #BAM added as a genre on the music site CD Baby.

He set a goal of 500 supporters, which he exceeded a day before his deadline in March. Musicians were among those joining his cause on Twitter, including the Bad Plus’ Ethan Iverson and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea, who wrote “I support #BAM, let artists call music what they want.”

Payton’s defense

Hot topic But not everyone agreed. His ideas rubbed many the wrong way, especially since he is far from a fringe figure in jazz. The son of New Orleans bassist and composer Walter Payton, he is a respected musician with an encyclopedic knowledge of the music’s history and enough of a mainstream presence to have toured as part of an ad-hoc band celebrating the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records.

In recent years, Payton became something of a lightning rod, and as a result many musicians have since been asked to weigh in on using the term BAM. It became a particularly hot topic over the last year, which saw jazz artists tapping into the broader spectrum of Black popular music, such as hip-hop, soul and funk on Grammy-winning releases from Esperanza Spalding and Robert Glasper, who has played with Payton in the past.

Some harsh reaction When asked about #BAM in 2012, Glasper agreed with Payton’s ideas — to a point.

“I understand the origin of the word (jazz) and I understand what Nicholas is talking about,

JAY L. CLENDENIN/LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT

New Orleans trumpeter Nicholas Payton, who created controversy with his idea to replace the genre “jazz” with Black American Music, or #BAM, listens to his students last year at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, in the Herb Alpert School of Music, on the Westwood campus of UCLA. Payton is a guest instructor at the Monk Institute. and I respect that,” he explained.

“I just don’t think to call it Black American Music is the way to go, because there’s a whole lot of Black American music under that umbrella, and they all have names. So now what?”

“I think the umbrella is BAM, but this piece of the genre that

doesn’t want to be called jazz needs to be called something else,” he said.

Others reacted harshly, such as fellow Crescent City native Branford Marsalis, who tartly dismissed Payton’s talk as “nothing” and “a non-discussion” in a 2012 interview with JazzTimes.

Payton’s advocacy of #BAM also has resulted in some in the jazz community branding him a racist.

“Saying something is Black has become offensive to the mainstream, which shouldn’t be the case,” he explained.

There is no way to talk about Payton’s views on jazz without talking about race and the language surrounding it. Over a freewheeling conversation that touched on Al Sharpton, technology’s impact on society and ‘70s television, Payton scoffs at the idea of a “post-racial” society (a term that gained prominence after the election of President Obama).

Among his examples are the Trayvon Martin case, proposed shifts in language about slavery in textbooks and the immigration debate.

“That whole dichotomy like we see here, it’s ‘Go back to Mexico.’

This was actually Mexico before you quarantined and marginalized a whole section of people and said, ‘This is yours,’” he said.

“That’s what’s happened with Black people, that’s what happened with jazz. It’s been taken and we’ve been erased out of it, and it’s been called something else,” he said.

It’s a situation that Payton sees as playing a role in a disengagement on the part of Black people from jazz, which he feels #BAM would help address.

“I think the image that many Black folks associate with jazz is primarily being White music. Because that’s who goes out to the clubs, that’s who they see,” he said. “If you ask most Black folks or maybe people in general who is the most popular living jazz artist they might say Kenny G.”

TOj B6

FOOD

TOJ

MAY 3 – MAY 9, 2013

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