Florida Courier - May 08, 2015

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MAY 8 – MAY 14, 2015

VOLUME 23 NO. 19

HIS LIFE’S MISSION President Obama launches ‘My Brother’s Keeper Alliance,’ a nonprofit organization focusing on improving the lives of Black and Brown men and boys.

BY CHRISTI PARSONS AND MICHAEL A. MEMOLI TRIBUNE WASHINGTON BUREAU / TNS

WASHINGTON – On Monday, President Obama launched a private-sector program to promote opportunities for men and boys of color, decrying the “sense of unfairness and of powerlessness” that fuels such violent eruptions as the Baltimore riots and pledging to make equality a cause of his lifetime.

The nonprofit organization, My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, is built on an initiative Obama started last year to highlight and close the gap between minority students and their peers in school performance, higher education and caCOURTESY OF YOUTUBE reer trajectory.

President Obama delivered remarks at the launch of the My “We are in this for the long Brother’s Keeper Alliance at Lehman College in the Bronx, N.Y. haul,” Obama told a crowd at New York’s Lehman College in the on Monday, May 4.

Monday’s pledge came just days after Obama spoke with clear frustration about the circumstances that led to the rioting in Baltimore – not just the mortal injury to a young Black man in police custody, but the broader issues of poverty and lack of opportunity that dot urban areas around the country.

They are problems for whole communities to solve, he said, Nothing from Congress and it will take sustained effort to The alliance, a spinoff of the My make a difference.

Brother’s Keeper initiative, shows Obama using the power of his of- Presidential tradition fice to convene community and Many of Obama’s predecessors business leaders to work on so- left the White House with a desire cial problems. It’s a strategy he to make changes they couldn’t efhas turned to repeatedly in the fect from the Oval Office. Presiwaning years of his presidency to dent Jimmy Carter set a new stanmake up for an inability to start dard of activism with his Habitat new government programs or win See MISSION, Page A2 funding from Congress.

Bronx. “Sometimes there won’t be a lot of fanfare. I notice we don’t always get a lot of reporting on this issue when there’s not a crisis in some neighborhood.

“But we’re just going to keep on plugging away,” he said. “This will remain a mission for me and for Michelle, not just for the rest of my presidency, but for the rest of my life.”

WRITE FIELD / POYNTER INSTITUTE

Young, gifted, in black

DEMORRIS LEE/SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

On May 1, 41 boys became the fourth class to participate in the Write Field’s graduation ceremony at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg. Speaker Will Packer, a St. Petersburg native, Florida A&M University graduate and filmmaker, told them they must learn how to overcome failure. The Write Field program improves the academic performance and life skills of middle school boys.

Reunited after 50 years Were others separated Adoption scheme?

That attention has been amat St. Louis hospital?

BY NANCY CAMBRIA ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH / TNS

ST. LOUIS – Homer G. Phillips Hospital was the crown jewel of The Ville neighborhood of St. Louis, heralded in the history books as the training ground for hundreds of African-American doctors at a time when few hospitals would hire or sponsor physician residencies for Blacks.

The city-owned hospital, which for decades was the only hospital in the segregated region dedicated to serve Black patients, closed its doors in 1979.

But now, on the heels of a mother-daughter reunion story that went viral on the Internet, the hospital’s former maternity ward is under intense scrutiny.

SNAPSHOTS FLORIDA | A3

Medical marijuana ballot initiative moving forward

ALSO INSIDE

plified by Clayton, Mo., attorney Albert Watkins, who sent out a news release this week demanding Missouri and St. Louis officials be fully transparent with state and city records involving the former hospital and city-run foster care system.

In a letter to Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, Watkins alleged “a scheme and artifice to steal newborns of color” for private adoption.

Special gift On March 8, a video was posted on Facebook and later YouTube that received hundreds of thousands of views showing the moment Melanie Gilmore of Oregon received a special 50th birthday present from her children. On the video Gilmore

– who is deaf – was told by her children through sign language and lip reading that they had found her birth mother she never knew.

The DNA her children had covertly swabbed from her mouth under the guise of a school project had turned out to be a match with a 76-year-old woman from St. Louis.

Gilmore’s mother, it turned out, was the world-renowned gospel singer Zella Mae Jackson Price, of Olivette, Mo., who has performed on stages and in churches around the world. And in the video, the two were instantly connected via a laptop computer.

Tracked via Facebook Gilmore’s daughter Mehiska Jackson, 22, said she had tracked Jackson Price down last summer through Facebook after piecing together the names Zella, Mae and Jackson – names her mother had once spied as a child on See REUNITED, Page A2

WORLD | A6

FOOD | B4

Kerry’s visit to Kenya paves way for president

Sweet treats for Mother’s Day

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, left, introduces Eric Ward, right, as current Chief Jane Castor looks on.

Tampa gets new police chief

BY SAMUEL JOHNSON SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

TAMPA – Eric Ward, a 47-yearold Tampa native who has spent his entire 26-year career with the Tampa Police Department (TPD), was introduced on April 30 as the city’s newest police chief. He replaces Jane Castor, who served for five years.

Ward’s appointment comes on the cusp of a widely distributed investigative report published by the Tampa Bay Times and reprinted in the Florida Courier that documented Tampa’s disproportionate enforcement of state bicycle laws that criminalize

“bicycling while Black.”

The strict bicycle traffic enforcement policy, instituted by Castor, has come under intense criticism and is now the subject of a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) probe because of the high rate of police stops and traffic citations occurring in predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods as compared to other Tampa communities.

‘The right person’ Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn showered praise on Castor’s performance, while calling Ward’s

COMMENTARY: CHARLES CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4 COMMENTARY: SINCLAIR GREY: WHY WE NEED A MORAL REFORMATION | A5

See CHIEF, Page A2

FOCUS

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MAY 8 – MAY 14, 2015

The pain of Freddie Gray’s death is all around you You knew Freddie Gray. You’ve met him on many occasions, during your layover in Atlanta or visiting Chicago. You’ve met him passing through that small town where gas stations seemed few and far between. The fact is that Freddie Gray exists in every state within the United States of America.

You don’t have to live in Baltimore to understand the anger and frustration surrounding Gray’s death, or to know that the city’s angst is bigger than Gray.

There is something about Baltimore that tugs at the very core of one’s soul – because you live in a Baltimore.

Perhaps they call your city Cleveland, Detroit, New Orleans or Oakland, but the conditions are the same.

A mirror Baltimore is simply providing a mirror that allows us to take a closer look at the epidemic conditions of poverty, lack of access to care, disproportionate unemployment rates and limited access to quality education. All of these conditions – what we call “social determinants” in public health – lead to poor life out-

REUNITED from A1

her birth certificate kept by her foster parents. Mehiska said her twin sister, Melika, looked exactly like the photos of Jackson Price on Facebook.

On Feb. 20, Mehiska said God finally gave her the courage to friend Jackson Price on Facebook. She sent her an instant message telling her she thought Jackson Price was her mother’s mother, and further, “I want to know if you’re my grandmother.”

In the dark hours of early morning, Jackson Price immediately messaged back and asked why Mehiska ever would think Jackson Price was her grandmother.

Mehiska then shared her mother’s Nov. 25, 1965, birth date at Homer G. Phillips. Jackson Price responded that she had given birth to a baby girl at the hospital the same day, but her newborn had died hours later.

By the end of the conversation, Jackson Price agreed to a DNA test.

Neither knew In her first conversation with her mother, Gilmore learned for the first time that Jackson Price did not give her up as her foster parents told her.

Nor did Jackson Price know her daughter was alive and had grown up near her with foster parents in St. Louis. Nurses told her that her daughter, whom she had named Diane, had died just hours after she gave birth to her prematurely.

Family reunion Last month, the entire family was able to arrange a reunion after Gilmore’s adult children raised the money to fly to St. Louis to meet Jackson Price, her five surviving other children and many grandchildren.

It was filmed by local television.

Amid the publicity, another shock hit. The families began getting Facebook messages and calls from people who said they feared the same thing had happened to them or their loved ones after delivering babies at Homer G. Phillips.

MISSION from A1

for Humanity and global peace work, and President George H.W. Bush runs the world’s largest organization devoted to volunteer public service, the Points of Light.

In their footsteps, President Bill Clinton dedicated his Clinton Global Initiative to projects he left pending, such as the fight against climate change and the campaign to improve health care worldwide.

There’s a strong impulse on the part of former presidents to finish the work they couldn’t do in office, said James A. Thurber, a professor of government and director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University.

“Rather than just establishing

of almost 20 percent for those ages 25 and above, which is more than double the citywide average of 8 percent. Detroit’s unemployment rate is worse than Baltimore’s, hovering at 23 percent.

KEVIN DEDNER GUEST COMMENTARY

comes.

The conditions of Baltimore, even your Baltimore, did not develop overnight. They are historic, systemic and indicative of a failure of government.

In Baltimore, there is a significance difference in life expectancy compared to the nearby communities of Roland Park and Guilford, just six miles away. Six miles adds 20 years to the span of one’s life.

This is not a phenomenon unique to Freddie Gray’s Baltimore. New Orleans has a 25-year difference in life expectancy between Black and mostly-White neighborhoods.

Fewer than 60 percent of students in Baltimore city graduate from high school. Cleveland has a graduation rate of 59 percent.

Decent employment is hard to come by in these cities as well.

The West Baltimore neighborhood has an unemployment rate

Rampant poverty In Baltimore, 34.5 percent of households with an average size of 2.6 residents live below the poverty line, meaning they have an annual income of less than $15,930. Oakland, Calif. fares a bit better than Baltimore with 29 percent of its residents living below the poverty line. These are the poor conditions in which young people face every day, coupled with limited access to healthy foods, few safe places to walk and be active, drugs, crime, and violence.

The conditions are preventable. There is an entity charged with just that – prevention and intervention of such conditions.

The government has the primary responsibility of protecting citizens’ health and well being by implementing strategies of prevention and intervention, not unlike what occurs in cases of measles outbreaks. In the same way, the government bears

the responsibility to eradicate the conditions that claim so many lives.

When we refuse to acknowledge these conditions while simultaneously condemning the righteous anger of Baltimore’s youth, we are complicit in the advancement of systemic and unjust policies.

A crucial question What would cause young people to take to the streets? To protest? To riot? To engage in acts of civil disobedience? Twenty years subtracted from their life expectancy seems like a good starting point for the motivation of such.

If we are forthright, we will admit that this country has not been fair in its treatment of people of color and lower socioeconomic status. If we are truthful, we will concede that the Freddie Grays of Baltimore were strategically created through a mass web of systemic and unjust policies.

Until now, we have been treating the symptoms of these conditions. We need a revolution of ideas and action. We have to strike at the very root of the cause.

Retired St. Louis physician Dr. Mary Tillman, who was an intern and later did a pediatric residency at the hospital during the 1960s, said Thursday that the hospital had numerous protocols in place and recordkeeping to track the babies and their mothers. She said she had no suspicions anything was amiss during her time there

Kevin Dedner, MPH, is senior consultant and managing director of Forward Solutions, a consulting firm providing strategic and technical guidance to advance policies that improve public health outcomes and foster social change. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

from A1

appointment “the right person at the right time” to take over TPD. Ward outlined a three-pronged policy initiative. His first policy is focused on beefing up community outreach programs. Ward recounted that in his youth, he took advantage of programs like the Police Athletic League that fosters positive interactions between youth and law enforcement.

Secondly, Ward wants to devote more resources to fighting violent crimes by using special task forces to tackle gang violence, homicide and narcotics. He wants to develop a partnership among law enforcement, community residents and business partners to fight violent crime.

Ward’s third area of focus is officer training.

‘Hard to dismiss’

Nothing suspicious

We must demand that the government and leadership face these conditions and act by stimulating good-paying jobs, a massive overhaul of the education system and the rebuilding of American cities.

The greater tragedy is not the looting and the destruction of property in Baltimore. The tragedy is the failure of government and leadership, for allowing these conditions to develop and persist.

If we are honest, we will face the realization that unless we act to eliminate systemic disparities of health, wealth and quality of life, every city is Baltimore waiting to happen.

CHIEF

Watkins, the attorney hired by the family, said he had been contacted by well over a dozen people. All say they or a loved one gave birth at the hospital, were told by a nurse the babies died, but were never given a chance to see the bodies.

“There are so many similarities to their stories, it’s pretty hard to dismiss,” said Watkins, who noted the mothers were all Black, and typically single from poor circumstances.

“And these women have in many cases endured decades and decades of anguish and grief and unresolved closure.”

On Wednesday, a woman who did not want to be identified came to Watkins’s office accompanied by her niece with suspicions that the same thing had happened to her at the hospital in 1976. The pair went all the way to Jefferson City, Mo., to get the original birth certificate. They said they found no death certificate for the child on file with the state.

Jackson Price said her efforts on Thursday to locate a birth certificate for Gilmore at the city vital records department did not turn up a match with Gilmore’s name given at birth, Diane Jackson. She said employees there said about 10 other people had come in recently seeking birth certificates for children born at Homer G. Phillips.

Inquiries by the Post-Dispatch to St. Louis offices on whether records from the hospital are in city archives have yet to be answered. City officials have also not responded to requests to find out what publicly accessible records exist regarding the then-city-run foster care system.

In the meantime, people can only speculate on what truly happened.

Make demands

TPD ‘transparent’

COURTESY OF ZELLA JACKSON PRICE

Melanie Gilmore, left, recently met her mother Zella Jackson Price for the first time. and hopes it was a mere mix-up and not a nefarious action of an employee.

Tillman said paper records at the time were extensive. She noted that doctors, not nurses, made the final call if a baby died and were always the ones to keep parents appraised of a baby’s condition and break the news to parents if a child died. She said the hospital’s policy was to allow parents to hold their deceased children, though Watkins said numerous mothers who had come to him said the hospital refused that request.

‘A real grandmother’ As for Mehiska Jackson, she said her mother and her siblings are delighted to learn they have so many loving relatives, though the mystery of what happened to her mother and

a library that shows what they did, they want to continue the work,” Thurber said.

Obama, he said, might be more effective on his chosen cause after he leaves office.

“He can address racism and poverty, two things that are very closely linked, in a very effective way,” Thurber said. “These are big problems in America, and he is in a special position to get people talking about them.

“He’s likely to be more effective in that way than by trying to pass legislation in trying to deal with them,” he said.

Long time coming Obama has been gearing up his effort for years, said Joshua DuBois, the former head of Obama’s Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

Obama worked on healthy families and fatherhood measures in the Senate and started a father-

the years they all lost with their extended family is upsetting.

“I’ve always wanted a grandmother – a real grandmother,” she said. “And now I just want her to stay on this earth forever.”

Jackson Price said there were plans for Gilmore to move to St. Louis to be with the mother she missed out on for nearly 50 years. She hopes that God is helping others like her find answers and that it has “given them hope.”

But Jackson Price has a profound worry amid her joy.

In September 1960, five years before her daughter Gilmore was born, Jackson Price delivered another child at Homer G. Phillips hospital. She named him Michael. He too was born a few weeks early.

She was also told by nurses that Michael had died.

hood program shortly after becoming president.

“There’s a through-line of concern for men and boys of color that started long before he was in the White House and will last long after he’s closed the doors to that building for the last time,” DuBois said.

The effort took on more urgency after the death of Trayvon Martin in 2012, when Obama began to talk publicly about the importance of helping men and boys of color thrive.

Sustained effort In conversations with staffers, Obama has repeatedly returned to the idea that the real problems require a concerted, lasting effort, DuBois said.

“He talks about how we tend to ignore these communities unless it’s a time of crisis,” DuBois said.

“This is the opposite of that. This is him paying attention to those

Ward encouraged the DOJ investigation, adding that TPD is “a transparent organization.”

Calling it “an education initiative,” Ward insists that strict enforcement of bike laws is necessary because of the high rate of biking fatalities.

(Florida has the highest rate of biking deaths in the nation.)

ACLU disagrees Immediately after Ward’s appointment, a crowd gathered outside TPD headquarters to oppose the “business as usual” policy of preemptive bike stops. They want the Tampa City Council to delay Ward’s appointment unless the bike enforcement program is suspended.

Joyce Hamilton Henry, the midFlorida regional director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said her organization condemns the disparity of the bike stops that predominantly impact African-Americans.

The ACLU is undertaking its own investigation.

Wide-ranging duties Ward earned a criminal justice degree from St. Leo University. He has also supervised various units in TPD, including its dive team, SWAT unit, hostage negotiations team, K-9 unit, and mounted patrol, among others.

Ward will earn $156,000 yearly as chief of police. He will supervise 300 civilian employees and approximately 1,000 sworn officers.

issues not just in the moment but in a sustained way.”

The new organization aims to build “a national ecosystem” to help boys and young men of color, primarily through educational initiatives and intervention programs designed to close what Obama called the “opportunity gap,” boosting education and employment rates that lag behind those of their peers.

On Monday, Obama argued that most Americans share the belief that everyone deserves an equal shot.

“There’s a tragic history in this country that has made it tougher for some,” he said. “And folks living in those communities, and especially young people living in those communities, could use some help to change those odds.”

Cops need help He also said that addressing explosive situations such as

those in Baltimore and last year in Ferguson, Mo., and New York City’s Staten Island, where the deaths of Black men at the hands of police set off unrest and waves of protests, needs to go beyond improved law enforcement strategies.

“If we ask the police to simply contain and control problems that we ourselves have been unwilling to invest and solve, that’s not fair to the communities. It’s not fair to the police,” he said.

My Brother’s Keeper Alliance is being led by Joe Echevarria, former chief executive of consulting firm Deloitte, who helped coordinate private-sector involvement in the president’s initiative since it was launched last year.

Musician John Legend will serve as the honorary chairman, heading a board and advisory council that include more than four dozen current and former elected officials, pro athletes, celebrities and business leaders.

MAY 8 – MAY 14, 2015

FLORIDA

A3

Medical marijuana ballot initiative moving forward United for Care will try to get amendment on 2016 ballot THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

After lawmakers adjourned last week without taking up the medical-marijuana issue, supporters of legalization are gearing up for a renewed attempt to pass a ballot initiative in 2016.

In a statement posted last week on the website of the advocacy group United for Care, Orlando attorney John Morgan said his “commitment is as strong as ever” to pass a constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana.

“I was hoping – like many of you – that our legislators would wake the hell up, realize that the science is there, the will of the people is there, and that a delay not only hurts patients

– it’s going to hurt them in the next election,’’ Morgan said in the statement.

“Make no mistake – I will do what I can to alleviate the pain of those suffering – and make sure those that are responsible for this delay feel pain politically.”

683,149 signatures needed Morgan led efforts to pass a constitutional amendment in 2014, but the proposal fell short of the 60 percent voter approval needed for ballot initiatives. He hoped lawmakers would address legalization during the 60day legislative session.

Supporters, however, face obstacles in returning to the ballot in 2016.

In part, they will need to submit 683,149 valid petition signatures to the state – and had not submitted any as of Monday morning, according to the Florida Division of Elections website.

RICARDO RAMIREZ/ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS

The Medical Marijuana Initiative, Amendment 2, which was on the November 2014 ballot, failed.

Florida pastor objects to criticism of Carson’s ‘All God’s Children’ remark BLACK CHRISTIAN NEWS NETWORK ONE

FLORIDA BAPTIST CONVENTION

Dr. Maxie Miller is shown with Florida Baptist Convention staffers during 2005 Hurricane Wilma relief efforts in Miramar.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE FOR BLACK STUDENTS. NO EXCUSES. The classic guide from Florida Courier publisher, lawyer and broadcaster CHARLES W. CHERRY II PRAISE FOR ‘EXCELLENCE WITHOUT EXCUSE’: “This guide for African-American college-bound students is packed with practical and insightful information for achieving academic success...The primary focus here is to equip students with the savvy and networking skills to maneuver themselves through the academic maze of higher education.”

– Book review, School Library Journal • How low expectations of Black students’ achievements can get them higher grades; • Want a great grade? Prepare to cheat!

• How Black students can program their minds for success; • Setting goals – When to tell everybody, and when to keep your mouth shut; • Black English, and why Black students must be ‘bilingual.’ …AND MUCH MORE!

A Florida pastor and civil rights leader says Ben Carson’s comment that “We are all God’s children” is widely accepted in the African-American community as an “innocent” and unifying message, and, he contends that objections raised about the statement reveal a lack of cultural understanding.

Reacting strongly to news that Carson would not be speaking at the Southern Baptist Convention in Columbus Ohio, in June, Dr. Maxie Miller Jr. said criticisms about the GOP presidential candidate’s “theology” over the one statement are troubling.

“In our culture, in African-American culture, it’s something that we are taught as children,” said Miller, former director of the African-American division of the Florida Baptist Convention and the senior pastor of New City Church in Plant City. “No matter what happens to you and how people treat you, remember we are all God’s children. All parents told you that.”

Carson’s Easter message Some Southern Baptists raised their concerns publically about Carson, who expresses his faith through the SeventhDay Adventist tradition, including leaders of Baptist21, a network of Calvinistic Mil-

Fort Walton Beach legislator apologizes for tweet Joyner calls racist State Rep. Matt Gaetz, RFort Walton Beach, apologized on May 1 for a Twitter post that drew criticism about possible racial overtones. The controversy started on April 30 when Gaetz tweeted about a lawsuit filed by Senate DemoRep. Matt crats challenging a House Gaetz decision to adjourn the regular legislative session early.

“This lawsuit reads like it was researched and drafted by Sen Joyner … and spell checked by Sen Bullard,’’ Gaetz wrote, referring to Senate Minority Leader Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, Sen. Arthenia and Sen. Dwight Bullard, D-Miami. Joyner and BullJoyner

lennials with Southern Baptist Theological Seminary ties.

Among their concerns was an Easter greeting Carson posted on Facebook in which he addressed Jews, Christians and Muslims.

In context of “godly principles of loving our fellow man” Carson noted “there are ideological differences in who Jesus was” but offered “we should find peace in the fact that we are all God’s children.”

‘A moral statement’ Baptist21 leaders strongly rejected the notion.

“Certainly, we do not all worship the same God — we worship the Trinity whom Muslims and Jews would deny,” they wrote on their blog. “And, the idea that we are all God’s children is at best the type of liberalism the Conservative Resurgence sought to address, and at worst, it is universalism.”

They also said an appearance by Carson — who is not a politician and considered a Washington outsider with no connections to the Republican Party establishment— would give the impression that Southern Baptists are “in bed with the Republican Party.”

Miller said he understands Carson’s statements as one who came out of the civil rights movement, but also as a trained theologian.

It should not be dissected for its theological truth, he said, but understood as a moral statement.

“That was one of the mantras of the civil rights movement — we are all God’s children — why are you treating us any differently?” Miller added. ard are African-Americans, and the tweet caused an uproar that even led House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, to say he didn’t condone Gaetz’s post.

“He is an agitator, yes, but not a racist,” Crisafulli tweeted. “Please accept my apology to those offended.”

Joyner goes in But Joyner issued a lengthy statement the morning of May 1 that described Gaetz’s tweet as racist.

“And so while the speaker may try his best to walk back the motive of his member, he cannot walk back the 140 characters of Rep. Gaetz’s racist barb,’’ Joyner said in the statement. “His words are the kind I have fought against my entire life, the relic of days through which I lived and hope never to live through again.”

In the apology, Gaetz indicated his tweet was related to opposition to a health-coverage expansion under the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.

The state House and Senate are locked in a budget battle stemming, at least in part, from a Senate proposal to use federal Medicaid money to expand coverage.

“My criticisms of ObamaCare Expansion and it’s supporters are based solely on the facts,’’ Gaetz tweeted. “Deeply sorry if anyone read more into it than that.”

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

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for info on speeches, workshops, seminars, book signings, panel discussions.

Twitter @ccherry2

Stafford to seek fourth term as Miami legislator State Rep. Cynthia Stafford, D-Miami, has filed paperwork, signaling that she will run again in 2016 in Miami-Dade County’s House District 109, according to the state Division of Elections website.

Stafford, who was first elected in 2010, will seek a fourth term.

Meanwhile, freshman Rep. Colleen Burton, R-Lakeland, drew a challenger in Polk County’s House District 40. Lakeland Democrat Shandale Terrell filed paperwork as a first step toward running for the seat.

Filing the paperwork, at least in part, allows candidates to raise money.

– The News Service of Florida

Born in Miami, Rep. Cynthia Stafford also is an attorney and adjunct college professor.

FLORIDA HOUSE PHOTO

EDITORIAL

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MAY 8 – MAY 14, 2015

Why we need a moral reformation How long will we allow people who don’t care about what happens to African-Americans vilify us? How long will the media portray people of color as anything less than human? I don’t know about you but I’m fed up with the notion that we have to behave a certain way in order to be accepted by others who don’t look like us, care about us, understand us, or even care to learn anything about us. Does this give one person the right to act up and act out? No it doesn’t. However, it does mean that no one has the right to label us as inhumane or as ‘thugs’- the new code word for “Nigga.”

When Seattle Seahawks football player Richard Sherman was interviewed by Erin Andrews (a White female reporter) almost 2 years ago after the NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers, the world was aghast because she appeared

DR. SINCLAIR GREY III GUEST COLUMNIST

frightened by his language and adrenaline during the interview. After the interview, he was quickly and unjustly labeled.

Wait a minute - a man who is intelligent, articulate, and educated is judged by the reaction of a White woman. Because of what transpired, many Whites labeled him a thug and even AfricanAmericans decided to align their thoughts and opinions on the side of the White masses.

Less than human The recent protests in Baltimore lends itself to another discussion. What was supposed to

be a protest against police brutality escalated at one point to looting and rioting by many citizens.

Under no circumstances do I condone looting or rioting, however I do have a problem with many in the media calling people ‘thugs.’ Forget the human being - let’s label them as being less than.

If I had the opportunity, I would like to ask the same media the following questions: what do you call people who constantly use their power to oppress the least and left out? What do you call people who refuse to provide adequate resources to schools and neighborhoods? What do you call people who are more inclined to lock up African-Americans rather than develop programs to help them and empower them? I could go on but I won’t.

The media as well as so many people who like to label peo-

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: ROUGH RIDE

JOHN COLE, THE SCRANTON TIMES-TRIBUNE

Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 255 Black faces in high places – I’ve written before that being a “First Black” in anything is a highly overrated experience…but somebody’s gotta do it to make room for the “second,” “third,” and all the others to the point where nobody’s counting anymore.

And what happens when we stop counting? Then perhaps we can judge those Black faces strictly by performance, rather than reflexively defending them because of the color of their skin.

So as I congratulate new Tampa Police Chief Eric Ward, Tampa’s “second” Black chief, on earning what is probably his dream job, I humbly paraphrase the late James Brown: “It ain’t blue, Black or White-it’s right.” Meaning, the police culture’s “blue code of silence” that even many Black cops are immersed in with their White brethren has got to be broken.

It’s all about what’s right…

My Brother’s Keeper Alliance – It’s great that Bro. Prez will devote his postpresidential life to improving life for Black and Brown boys and men. (You know there’s a “but” coming.)

But what if he had done that in the first two years of his administration, when Democrats had control of the House and Senate?

QUICK TAKES FROM #2: STRAIGHT, NO CHASER

CHARLES W. CHERRY II, ESQ. PUBLISHER

What if he had pushed urban summer jobs programs, decriminalized low-level weed sales, strengthened HBCUs, increased small Black business funding?

And why start a nonprofit when you still have 18 months left in the White House and you are still president not of Black America or White America, but of THE United States of America, as we are so often reminded?

I don’t remember Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, or George W. Bush starting their respective organizations and initiatives while they were still working full-time for the American people. Bro. Prez continues to give me the impression that he’d rather be anywhere else in the universe other than where he is right now…

Contact me at ccherry2@gmail.com.

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‘Spark discussion’ What happened in Baltimore should spark some discussion.

A discussion that seeks to expose the problem instead of trivializing the symptoms. Those who are in positions of leader-

Charles W. Cherry, Sr. (1928-2004), Founder Julia T. Cherry, Senior Managing Member, Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Cassandra CherryKittles, Charles W. Cherry II, Managing Members Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Sales Manager Dr. Valerie Rawls-Cherry, Human Resources Jenise Morgan, Senior Editor Angela VanEmmerik, Creative Director Chicago Jones, Eugene Leach, Louis Muhammad, Lisa Rogers-Cherry, Circulation Ashley Thomas, Staff Writer Delroy Cole, Kim Gibson, Photojournalists MEMBER National Newspaper Publishers Association Society of Professional Journalists Florida Press Association Associated Press National Newspaper Association

ship must get to know the people they represent. That means walking the neighborhood and talking with people, not about a vote, but about the person, their pain, their concern, and their neighborhood. We can’t stop there.

People in the community must value their community through cleanup actions and community empowerment just to name a few. Now, let me drop this in your spirit. Races and cultures must come together. Collectively, we can make a difference.

Dr. Sinclair Grey III is an activist, speaker, writer, author, life coach, and host of The Sinclair Grey Show heard on Mondays at 2p.m. on WAEC Love 860am (iHeart Radio and Tune In). Contact him at drgrey@ sinclairgrey.org or on Twitter @drsinclairgrey. Click on this article at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

The Florida Republican House quits This year the legislative session never felt right, and the two Republican Houses never liked or respected each other. There has always been finger pointing and name calling, but no one ever thought the Republican House would pack up their bags three days early and leave Tallahassee.

This is unprecedented, and the House left hundreds of bills unfinished and on the table. There is no budget that has been completed and if the two Houses cannot talk to each other, the Florida government can be eventually shut down. This makes no sense, but the Republican led House is firmly against Medicaid expansion, and the Senate supports it.

Senate President, Andy Gardiner says he’s disappointed with the Houses’ decision: “The House didn’t win. The Senate didn’t win, and the taxpayers lost. There are a lot of issues that aren’t going to make it, and it’s unfortunate.” The two Houses are apart $3 to $5 million and neither House is willing to budge. Some say this is ego, but our governor is showing no leadership skills, and the problems are exacerbated.

‘Right thing to do’

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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ple without getting to know them should have some moral reformation take place in their life.

What do I mean by moral reformation? It’s the ability to love people, respect people, to undo injustice, and to uplift people.

Whenever people are more concerned about themselves and how much they can get for themselves, a moral dilemma occurs.

Without listening to the pain of those who have been victimized by systems, unfair judgment and categorization happens. How can things ever get better? Better yet, how can moral reformation occur?

Speaker of the House, Steve Crisafulli says it was the right thing to do. “We’ve made every effort we can to negotiate with the Senate on a budget, and at this time, they’re standing strong on Medicaid expansion.” There is an impasse and this immature behavior started at the beginning of the session when both Houses refused to talk to each other.

As the Florida Legislature reveals a dysfunctional government, the residents never expected this behavior from their representatives that they voted into office. This is an assault on sanity, and every representative should explain to their constituency, why

ROGER CALDWELL ON-POINT MEDIA

they are not able to do the job they were put in Tallahassee to do.

Everyone expected the session to be expanded, but very few expected the House to leave early and not finish the session. At this point, no one knows what the next step is in this legislative saga.

Governor Scott has said he will call the legislature back for a special session to complete the budget even though they are miles apart. It is very easy for our governor to say he can work things out, but for the past sixty days, the two Houses were barely talking to each other.

‘We’re not dancing’ House Appropriations Chief, Richard Corcoran recently said “Here’s my message to the Senate: They want us to dance? We’re not dancing. We’re not dancing this session, we’re not dancing next session, we’re not dancing next summer. We’re not dancing. And if you want to blow up the process because you think you have some right that doesn’t exist? Have at it.”

Floridians should be very upset with our legislature because they are not doing their job in 2015. The one task the Legislature is mandated to do is to pass a budget. We need our representatives to do their job.

Roger Caldwell is the CEO of On Point Media Group. Click on this article at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Parents can be better influences on a child’s education Parents, we have got to do better to help shape for our children’s future. If your finances are lacking, it effects our children’s education and if we don’t pay attention to our children’s talents, they could go off to college and lose interest in 2-3 years or get a wasted degree.

Those are a few of the viewpoints shared recently at a prosperity town hall meeting, hosted by the Florida Prosperity Partnership, a non-profit coalition of financial institutions, community organizations and concerned citizens as myself.

One of the missions of the FPP is to decrease the liquid poverty for Florida families. Liquid poverty means a family lacks at least three months’ worth of living expenses in an emergency savings account.

But that’s a difficult task when families are deciding whether to pay the rent or to let the car go or move in with family members to cut down on expenses, said Lars Gilberts, a director for United Way of Broward County.

If a family decides to move in with family, it may mean a new school district and therefore pulling a child out of school and into another, which breaks continuity of education, said Gilbert.

Several speakers mentioned that students will need more than a high school diploma to get a good job, but they don’t necessarily have to go the traditional four-year college route.

High school not enough “A high school diploma is no longer the pathway to a middle class lifestyle,” said Laurie Meggesin of the Florida College Access Network.

She added that educators and guidance counselors have to get past “the 20th century notion that college isn’t for everyone and that some students aren’t the collegegoing type.”

Meggesin offered that students should be encouraged to pursue any form of post-secondary education, such as a certification, a technical certificate, an insurance license

TENESHIA LAFAYE MISS MONEY SENSE

or an associate’s degree.

A paid apprenticeship is another option, said Lisa Boyette of Associated Builders and Contractors.

“I’m often shocked that educators don’t know about apprenticeships,” Boyette said.

“Apprenticeships are (over 70) years old.

They started in the Great Depression.”

Boyette explained that an apprenticeship is ideal for students who like working with their hands and don’t like sitting in a classroom. They get on-the-job training, go to class two nights per week and finish the four-year program with 30 college credits and four certifications that qualify them for jobs helping to build stadiums, hospitals, schools and airports.

But parents have to take time to identify their children’s interests and talents and guide them down the proper education path.

I took time to identify my oldest son’s talents and interests when he was 10 years old and now he has followed in my footsteps to be a successful insurance agent and an aspiring writer and lives completely independent of me, two hours away. Right now, I’m working on my youngest son, who is now 10, to support his interests and career goals.

Teneshia LaFaye is a former awardwinning newspaper journalist and a nationally certified financial education instructor. She has written two books, What My Mom Taught Me About Money and Mom’s Money Lessons. Contact Teneshia at ww.facebook.com/mytensense. Click on this article at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

MAY 8 – MAY 14, 2015

President Obama: Baltimore criminals and thugs According to the Baltimore Police Department’s own story, all Freddie Gray ever did was make eye contact with a police lieutenBRUCE A. ant and take off running. In 21st DIXON century America, the relation of BLACK AGENDA REPORT young Black men to the police is such that when you run like a rabbit, cops will chase you like hounds. When the hounds caught 25 year old Freddy Gray they did President Obama is what hounds do when they catch a rabbit. Baltimore cops snapped big on poor people Freddy Gray’s spine, and they may have inflicted additional torture upon him during a half hour remaining peaceful in leg irons in back of a police van after which they finally got and nonviolent and around to calling the paramedics.

This kind of simple, elemental savagery is the ordinary ev- respecting the law. This eryday state of policing not just in Baltimore but in a hundred other is a notion that should US cities. Black Baltimore knows, just like Black Chicago, Black Los either make us laugh Angeles and Philly and Birmingham and Jacksonville and Detroit - they all know that the courts and out loud, or cry, it’s hard ballot box provide no credible remedies to the scourge of police to decide which. violence or the national policy of mass incarceration inflicted upon Americans of African descent.

Black faces in high places in Ferguson Missouri. But most BaltiBlacks at the forefront more mayors have been Black for Our Black political class was a generation, as have many of its quick to point to the absence of top cops. There are Black faces in

Taking risks At last, we have a Black woman that is risking her job, jeopardizing her career and perhaps putting her own life in danger by

LUCIUS GANTT THE GANTT REPORT

merely doing what she is being paid tax dollars to do.

Freddie Gray would be alive and no officers would be facing murder charges if only one law man had provided Freddie Gray with the medic and medical attention that he asked for multiple times.

So what if some of the officers charged with manslaughter and other crimes are Black?

If it were up to me, the Black officers that helped commit or refused to stop the crimes done un-

What we don’t know Let’s try to use what we do know to figure out what it is that we “don’t” know. A 25-year-old Baltimore man named Freddie Gray made eye contact with a police officer and took off running. Gray was pursued by the police. There is no known video of the pursuit. There is video of a handcuffed Gray being lifted to his feet, seemingly unable to walk and screaming in pain. He is dragged by police to a van and placed into it by the police because it appears that he is unable to get into it under his own power. Within one hour of being in custody, Gray arrives at the police station in medical distress, unable to walk or talk.

He later lapses into a coma and dies of his injuries a week later. The preliminary report is that Freddie Gray’s spinal cord was 80% severed and his voice box was crushed. Many are asking “why did he run?” Maybe the question should be, “why did they pursue him?” When did it become illegal to look at a police officer and then take off running?

Broken limbs The video indicates that Gray’s inability to use his legs and his inability to get into the van under his own power are evidence that his neck was broken during the take

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: BALTIMORE MOTHER’S DAY

DARYL CAGLE, CAGLECARTOONS.COM

hundreds of cop shops that routinely confiscate cash and assets with little or no justification from people for its own use, a runaway policy called asset forfeiture blessed by the incoming attorney general Loretta Lynch.

So let’s be clear – when presidents and mayors call for “nonviolence” and “obeying the law” and “respect for private property” they’re appealing to rules they would not dream of following themselves.

These are the rules the police Asset forfeiture and prison state makes for its vicThe Baltimore PD is one of tims, the rules that hounds make

der color of law that killed Freddie Gray should get more jail time and punishment than anybody involved!

Throwing shade This “Django Unchained” idea that the best way to get ahead is to love your enemies more than you love yourself and your biological and extended family members must be discarded.

You’re not dead but no matter where you live or where you work there are people that look like you that don’t care what happens to you.

Not too many Caucasians read The Gantt Report but every week a modern day Buckwheat or Kingfish will run to tell someone that “Lucius wrote about devils!”

The Baltimore rebellion and Newton’s third law of motion When one body exerts a force on a second body, the second body simultaneously exerts a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction on the first body.” Or, as it is more commonly stated, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. – Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion 1687 Sparked by the not so mysterious April 19, death of Freddie Gray at the hands of the Baltimore police, citizens of West Baltimore and other outside agitators took to the streets in yet another seemingly endless display of urban unrest. Reporters from mainstream media outlets such as CNN are unable to place the unrest in any substantive historical context.

“I don’t remember seeing anything like this in the United States of America in a long time” — @wolfblitzer and CNN’s Don Lemon refuses to engage in any substantive analysis of the basis of the outrage in Baltimore. He prefers to simply state, “… the city is burning because someone in essence set it on fire.”

A5

judges’ chambers, a mostly Black city council and Maryland has a large and active legislative Black caucus. Curbing the cops though, is not part of what any of our Black political class actually do.

President Obama is big on poor people remaining peaceful and nonviolent and respecting the law. This is a notion that should either make us laugh out loud, or cry, it’s hard to decide which. President Obama you see, also claims the law entitles him to drone-bomb hundreds, perhaps thousands of civilians across Asia and Africa whose names he doesn’t even know based upon their “profiles” or their proximity to supposed “terrorists,” also frequently unknown by name. The president, along with his outgoing and incoming attorneys general assure us this is all perfectly legal. We have to take their word for it, because they’ve made the precise legal language of the rule classified - a secret.

Along with the president, Baltimore mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake also drew the line at protesters interfering with the private property of others. This too is a joke.

Finally, a fair state attorney Thank God for Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby. She is a hero to me but we really don’t need heroes. I thank God for sending us a Black public servant that is not afraid to do the job she is supposed to do!

Law enforcers and others have been directly or indirectly involved in the murders, beatings, choking of people of color for hundreds of years. Don’t act like you’ve never heard of lawmen led lynch mobs that resulted in Black men hanging from trees back in the day!

EDITORIAL

DR. WILMER J. LEON III TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

down and subsequent cuffing. As an eye witness says on the tape, “hey, that boy’s legs look broke…” His injuries are consistent with a knee being placed against the back of his neck with tremendous force as he laid on the ground and was being restrained.

That is also consistent with police tactics and training. Initially, people in Baltimore took to the streets with peaceful protest but those protest turned violent; resulting in looting, burning, and total mayhem. When asked why she did not use a show of force much earlier in the protest, Mayor Rawlings-Blake said, “We also gave those who wish to destroy space to do that as well.” It is now apparent that Mayor Rawlings-Blake got what she allowed and much more. She finally called for and Maryland Governor Larry Hogan activated the National Guard. So, the people who she allowed to “destroy space” are now the same people Mayor Rawlings-Blake is condemning as “thugs.”

Simple physics But this reaction in the streets should have been anticipated. Actually, it follows the natural laws of physics. Newton’s Third Law of Motion states, ““When one body (the police) exerts a force on a second body (the community), the second body simultaneously exerts a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction on the first body.” More simply put, when police officers treat a community that they are sworn to protect and serve as enemy combatants, the community will rebel. When a people see a police force that is supposed to protect and serve them turn into an occupying force, they will revolt.

Dr. Wilmer Leon is the Producer/ Host of the Sirius/XM Satellite radio channel 126 call-in talk radio program “Inside the Issues with Wilmer Leon.” Click on this article at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Every day you turn on the TV some Negro comes on to throw shade on a Black person! They don’t like the President, they don’t like Mayweather, they don’t like Atlanta Housewives, They don’t like Tyler Perry, they don’t like Creflo Dollar!

Ok, even I’m not fond of some people of African descent but I don’t use my preferences or nonpreferences to keep a job, keep a title or get a come up!

Do your job I am a writer. I do my job. We all should do the job we were hired to do, took an oath to do or volunteered to do.

Can you be like Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby? If you’re a police person can’t you just protect and serve? If you’re a lawyer can you just fight for your clients in a court room instead of taking whatever plea or settlement that is

for rabbits. If we no longer intend to be hunted by hounds, we have to start by ignoring their rules, as many of our finest young people are seizing the opportunity to do.

The most important lesson of Freddy Gray’s death may be that it’s high time to stop running like rabbits.

Bruce A. Dixon is managing editor at Black Agenda Report and a member of the state committee of the GA Green Party.

Click on this article at www.flcourier.com to write your own response. offered to you? Teachers, can you just do a good bit of teaching? Can we all just contribute to a better society by doing whatever job we have to do?

Every city, no most cities, don’t have a State Attorney like Marilyn Mosby. Don’t take my word for it.

Tell me in what city is there a State Attorney that will oppose misconduct by a law enforcer, prosecute someone for hurting or killing a Black person and not over-charge or seek exaggerated sentences for Black suspects?

The answer is nowhere! You can’t find a State Attorney like Marilyn Mosby in Hollywood!

Thank God for Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby.

Buy Gantt’s books and contact Lucius at www.allworldconsultants.net. Click on this article at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Police reform now: The state of emergency in our precincts “There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetuated under the shield of law and in the name of justice.” – Charles de Montesquieu, – “The Spirit of the Laws,” 1748 A tragic déjà vu is playing out in communities all across America, particularly in the growingly skeptical streets of Black and Brown neighborhoods.

Once again, our nation is forced to grapple with fresh accounts of police misconduct in its deadliest incarnation.

Once again, the victims are unarmed Black men and the perpetrators are the very public servants charged with keeping them — in fact, all of us — safe; it seems only the states and the circumstances change.

On April 4, Walter Scott was driving a Mercedes-Benz with a busted taillight through North Charleston, South Carolina. Officer Micheal Slager pulled Scott over. Said to be in fear of being arrested, the 50-year-old ran away from the car.

A cellphone video shows Officer Slager chasing Scott and shooting at him with his stun gun, when that failed to stop him, he used his gun to fire eight shots at Scott’s back, killing him on the scene.

Weeks later, in a West Baltimore neighborhood, witnesses used cellphone video to capture parts of Freddie Gray’s arrest. Police say the 25-year-old was arrested after making eye contact with the police and then running away. Gray can be heard screaming in pain as he’s being dragged into a police van. He died of those injuries a week later.

Exception, not the rule

MARC H. MORIAL TRICE EDNEY WIRE

our nation’s desperate need for solutions during this state of emergency that calls for action, and an action plan, I want to reintroduce the National Urban League’s 10-Point Justice Plan for police reform and accountability, calling for: 1. Widespread use of body cameras and dashboard cameras 2. Broken windows reform and implementation of 21st century community policing model 3. Review and revision of police use of deadly force policies 4. Comprehensive retraining of all police officers 5. Comprehensive review and strengthening of police hiring standards 6. Appointment of special prosecutors to investigate police misconduct 7. Mandatory, uniform FBI reporting and audit of lethal force incidents involving all law enforcement 8. Creation and audit of national database of citizen complaints against police 9. Revision of National Police Accreditation System for mandatory use by law enforcement to be eligible for federal funds 10. National comprehensive anti-racial profiling law The rage that has spilled out onto so many of our streets since the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri last year makes it clear that the issue of police-involved killings is one that will not be easily swept under a rug of unawareness and indifference. When we, as a nation, address the problem of police officers using deadly force, particularly against people in communities of color, we know that we are saving lives — perhaps our own — and shaping a more just system of justice for all.

This unjust treatment of our nation’s Black and Brown citizens by law enforcement officials sworn to dispense justice should stir, if not shock, our collective conscious. These heavy-handed, sometimes fatal, police tactics should inspire outcry from all corners of our country — and the world. But we can’t leave our frustrations — and our fight — at the doorstep of outrage. Our challenge is to make the Scotts and Grays of this nation the rarest of exceptions, not the fatal rule. Anger has its place, but it Marc Morial is the president of the is in action — strategic, comprehensive action — that we will begin to attack the National Urban League. Click on this article at www.flcourier.com to write cancer of police misconduct.

In light of the most recent deaths, and your own response.

WORLD

TOJ A6

MAY 8 – MAY 14, 2015

Kerry’s visit to Kenya paves way for president Secretary of State and Kenyatta discuss counterterrorism and security

people and to divide America from the citizens of this country,” Kerry said of the embassy attack, stressing the unity of the U.S. and Kenya in the fight against terrorism.

“We know that the struggle in which we are all engaged now is not going to be over soon,” he said.

“We do have, however, the power to fight back, not only with our military and law enforcement, but also through something that may be even more powerful and that may make a bigger difference in the end, and that is our unity and the character of our ideals,” he added. “Unlike some, we do not define ourselves in terms of hate. We are builders, we are teachers, we are dreamers, we are doers.”

BY ROBYN DIXON LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

JOHANNESBURG — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday sought to rebuild America’s frayed relationship with Kenya, which went into decline after the 2013 election of a president who had been charged with crimes against humanity in the International Criminal Court.

Kerry met with President Uhuru Kenyatta to discuss counterterrorism efforts and security cooperaJohn tion. The secreKerry tary also met with opposition leaders and laid a wreath at a memorial to those who died in the alQaida bombing of the 1998 U.S. Embassy in Nairobi.

When the court dropped charges against Kenyatta last year, prosecutors cited Kenyan authorities’ obstruction and refusal to cooperate. Nonetheless, Washington has sought since then to rebuild relations with its most important ally in the war against terror in East Africa. Deputy President William Ruto still faces charges of crimes against humanity at the court.

Obama in July Kerry’s meetings pave the way for a visit by President Barack Obama in July, his first to Kenya since becoming president, an important step to strengthen relations. Kerry is the first high-level U.S. official to visit the country since his predecessor, Hillary Rodham Clinton, came in 2012.

A year later, Kenyatta and Ruto were elected after the top U.S. diplomat on Africa at the time, Johnnie Carson, warned that the

Surprise visit to Somalia

ZHANG CHEN/XINHUA VIS ZUMA PRESS/TNS

People that were inside the Westgate Mall at the time of an attack are escorted out on Sept. 21, 2013, in Nairobi, Kenya. A gun battle inside the shopping centre left several people dead after gunmen attacked one of the city’s most exclusive malls. selection of two men charged by the international court would “have consequences.”

Although the U.S. endorsed no candidate, the comments were characterized by Kenyatta and Ruto as American interference in the election and were used to boost support for their campaign.

Kenya’s entrenched corruption and its record of serious human right abuses by police and other security forces also frayed relations.

Continued financial aid In recent years, Kenya has seen two major terror attacks by al-Shabab, Islamist extremists

from neighboring Somalia: the Westgate shopping mall attack in 2013, which killed 67 people, and last month’s attack on Garissa State University, which killed 148 people.

Foreign Minister Aminu Mohammed said on May 3 that Kenya was seeking stronger support from the U.S. in its battle against terrorism as it struggles to contain the threat from al-Shabab.

Despite tensions in recent years, Kenya receives around $1 billion in U.S. aid annually, much of it security assistance. Kerry signaled Monday that American counterterrorism support and cooperation would continue as he offered condolences to the families of ter-

ror victims, including those who died in the Garissa attack.

‘Power to fight back’ Kerry said the fight against terrorism in the region was likely to continue for some time. While alShabab has been seriously weakened in Somalia after U.S. drone strikes killed several top leaders, it has gained strength in Kenya, and remains capable of killing dozens of people with devastating attacks that often rely on just a handful of gunmen.

“The terrorists who struck on Aug. 7, 1998, failed utterly in their purpose, which was to implant fear in the hearts of the Kenyan

On Tuesday, Kerry paid an unannounced visit to Mogadishu in Somalia. Because of concern about a terrorist attack, he didn’t step outside the heavily secured airport and was on the ground for just a few hours.

But his meeting with Somali President Hassan Sheik Mohamud sent a strong message of support as the country struggles to emerge from years of war.

Mohamud called it a “great moment” for the country. The visit was the first ever by a U.S. official at Kerry’s level.

“More than 20 years ago, the United States was forced to pull back from your country,” Kerry said in a video message to the Somali people, referring to the 1993 battle when two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down in Mogadishu and the 18 U.S. servicemen died. The U.S. government pulled out of Somalia as a result and has yet to formally return.

“I visited Somalia today because your country is turning around,” Kerry said in the video message. “Now we are returning in collaboration with the international community and bearing high hopes, but also mixed with ongoing concerns.”

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Mother’s

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MAY 8 – MAY 14, 2015

Are you getting enough nutrients?

See page B3

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

Phylicia Rashad: Revered actress and director See page B5

SOUTH FLORIDA / TREASURE COAST AREA

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The Florida Courier staff pays tribute to their moms with personal photos and narratives

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DAY

Dear Grandma Julia, This Mother’s Day, we want to appreciate you for all you have done for us. You brighten the visits to Daytona in a snap. You’d never know how much we love you through words!

Chayla and Wig

To the chairwoman of our board: Thanks for being our anchor in the stormy seas of life.

We love you!

Chuck, Glenn, Cassandra

To my Mother and our Grandmom, Mamie Gooden-Lee, thank you for teaching us the true meaning of unconditional love. The many life lessons that you have taught us are forever etched in our hearts. You have been a tremendous example and an amazing Mother and loving Grandmother from day one. We thank God for blessing us with you.

We love you more than mere words can express. May God continue to abundantly bless and keep you. You Rock! Love and hugs!

Lisa, Chayla, and Charles III

To our family’s phenomenal First Lady – Mrs. Josephine Griffin. Thanks, Mom, for your godly words of wisdom, your unwavering faith, amazing strength, and your peace that surpasses all understanding.

Jenise and Cynthia

The love of a grandmother never fades whether she is here or in heaven.

Love you both Jamal

Happy 88th Birthday and Happy Mother’s Day to Alma Barlow Jones. We love you!

Chicago, Rebecca, Annette and Valerie

She was my Mama, my friend, my confidante. Thanks for leaving so many gems to live by. I love you, Julia

My mom (Dr. Denise Avent) is absolutely, hands down, board certified, by an overwhelming majority... the best mom in the world!

Ashley

SECTION

The days go by, but the memories I have will never die. On this Mother’s Day without you, the sadness returns, but when I remember your voice, your laugh, and your constant love, my heart gets a little lighter. Sending thoughts of roses and love to you Mom until we meet again!

Happy Mother’s Day! Valerie

To my Dear Mother, Josephine Taylor Allen.

Mama, you are classy, beautiful, strong, and a servant.

In short, you are a phenomenal woman! Thank you for being the best mother in the world.

We love you and we thank you for the sacrifices. Your Children, Daphne Taylor and siblings.

My best friend and confidante: I wish you were still here to share my thoughts. Looking forward to our reunion in heaven. Love ya, Jerry

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you..”

Exodus 20:12 I give honor on Mother’s Day to Ethel M. Jones who has proven to be my lifeline and first source for learning: childhood lessons and doctrines that shape my own maternal journey.

The most important doctrine she examples is to forgive and press forward despite challenges. Mom, you are a woman of survival, strength, and fortitude. May this day and every day be a wellspring of eternal joy.: Linda, Natalie and Penny Dickerson

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CALENDAR

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MAY 8 – MAY 14, 2015

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Diverse films shown at International Christian Film Festival in Orlando

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR Jacksonville: Aaron Bing will be in concert May 31 with Jon B at the Times Union Center for the Performing Arts.

Orlando: Young Buck is scheduled May 16 at Firestone Live.

Boca Raton: The Legends of the Old School tour is May 29 at Mizner Park Amphitheater featuring Salt N Pepa, Vanilla Ice, Stevie B, Color Me Badd and 2 Live Crew.

Clermont: The Clermont Downtown Partnership will host a free Youth Art & Culture Fest from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

May 9 in conjunction the annual Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest. For more Information and to pre-register as a chalk artist, visit www.ClermontDowntownPartnership.com.

Orlando: The Democratic Black Caucus of Florida annual conference will meet May 29-31 at the Doubletree

by Hilton, 10100 International Drive. Details: www.dbcflorida.org.

Jacksonville: Florida Sen. Chris Smith will speak at Edward Waters College’s graduation on May 9 in the Adams-Jenkins Sports and Music Complex at 1 p.m.

Miami Beach: Singer Ciara is in concert on May 15 at the Jackie Gleason.

Fort Lauderdale: Alexandra Barbot’s exhibit, “Black Empires and Kingdom of Haiti, W.I.” is on display at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center.

Tampa: One Church One Child of Florida is hosting an education forum on May 14 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the C. Blythe Andrews Jr. Public Library, 2067 E. Dr. Martin

There were more than 1,200 attendees at the International Christian Film Festival (ICFF) held April 23-25 at the Crowne Plaza OrlandoDowntown.

During the festival, 23 feature films, 21 short films, 17 documentaries and eight music videos were screened.

The range of categories were diverse – family, historical, suspense, thriller, adventure, music, documentary, dramatic, Christian and evangelical.

Well-known actors in attendance included Stephen Baldwin, and Ernie Hudson showcasing their new movies. They were joined by actors, writers and film professionals from all over the country and world, including Canada and Hong Kong.

“Everyone is considered a winner because the ICFF is a platform to recognize artists’ creative achievements. There were periods of joy-crying at the award ceremonies, and throughout the weekend. Each film is the producers’ masterpiece of beautiful designs, and unique storylines,” said Marty Jean-Louis, organizer of the festival.

Said producer Cliff McDowell, “The ICFF was an absolute pleasure to attend. This was a well-organized festival. The closing award ceremony felt like you attended the Christian Oscars.’’ McDowell’s “Masked Saint’’ was named best picture.

For a list of winners, visit www.internationalcff.com.

FANTASIA & JOY DENNIS

Catch the singers in concert May 22 at the Florida Theatre Jacksonville.

MAZE

Maze featuring Frankie Beverly will perform June 14 at The Peabody Auditorium in Daytona Beach.

Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Learn about adopting and being a foster care parent. RSVP at 813-985-7831 or lakay_fayson@ococfl.org or visit www. ococfl.org.

Daytona Beach: BethuneCookman University’s spring commencement takes place May 13 at the Ocean Center, 101 N. Atlantic Ave. Tampa: Darius Rucker’s Southern Style Tour is May 22 at the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre at the Florida State Fairgrounds and May 23 at the Coral Sky

Amphitheatre at the South Florida Fairgrounds.

Tampa: Catch comedian and actor Chris Tucker on June 12 at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.

Miami: The Forever Charlie Tour takes place on June 19 at AmericanAirlines Arena and June 20 at Amalie Arena in Tampa. The show features Charlie Wilson, Joe and Kem. Boca Raton: The Legends of the Old School tour takes place at 7 p.m. May 29 at Mizner Park Amphitheater. The show

will feature Salt N Pepa, Vanilla Ice, Stevie B, Color Me Badd and 2 Live Crew.

Tampa: Candy Lowe hosts Tea & Conversation every Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. at 3911 N. 34th St., Suite B. More information: 813-3946363.

Miami: The Haitian Compas Festival is May 16 at 4 p.m. at Sun Life Stadium.

Sunrise: 99 Jamz presents Rick Ross and Jeezy on May 23 at the BB&T Center.

Festival organizer Marty Jean-Lewis is shown with actor Ernie Hudson.

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MAY 8 – MAY 14, 2015

HEALTH

B3

The nutrition gap: Too many missing critical nutrients Take stock of daily diet; add right vitamins if necessary FAMILY FEATURES

Our busy lifestyles make it challenging to ensure we’re getting all of the nutrients our body needs. We split time between 40-plus hour workweeks, afterschool activities, band practice, time at the gym and errands – all leaving precious little time to ensure we eat a balanced diet.

It’s easy to understand why many Americans have a nutrient gap.

According to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition, 90 percent of Americans fall short in getting key nutrients from food alone.

To make up for this shortfall, supplementing with essential nutrients like omega-3s, lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamins D and E can help ensure your body is getting the vital nutrition it needs for optimal health.

Consult a dietitian Don’t know how best to fill your shortfalls? Consider sitting down with a registered dietitian to discuss your unique needs, especially if you’re taking medication or have a health condition.

Beforehand, take stock of your diet and arm yourself with information about how you can improve your overall nutrition to fight heart disease, and support eye health, brain health and prenatal health.

Check your diet According to the American Heart Association, the average adult’s daily diet should include: Eight or more servings of colorful, vitamin E- and lutein-rich fruits and green vegetables Three or more servings of 100 percent whole grains Three servings of a calcium/vitamin D-rich food such as nonfat milk Two servings of protein/iron/

PHOTO COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES

If you aren’t eating enough nutrient-rich food, supplementing with the right nutrients can help fill the gap. zinc-rich foods, such as legumes, chicken breast or extra-lean meat At least twice a week, a serving of fatty fish with omega-3s, such as salmon

Fill nutrient gaps If you aren’t eating enough nutrient-rich food, supplementing with the right nutrients can help fill the gap. Shortfalls should be addressed as deficiencies may lead to health issues.

Eye health: Proper eye care is

often neglected until it is too late to make a difference. According to the American Optometric Association, lutein and zeaxanthin may reduce the risk of chronic eye diseases, including cataracts.

Heart health: Heart disease and stroke are top killers, according to the American Heart Association. Omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial to your heart, whether healthy or at high risk for cardiovascular disease. However, people closely monitoring fat intake, such as those with coronary ar-

tery disease, may not get enough omega-3s by diet alone.

Brain health: Brain volume and general cognitive function decline with age. Focusing on nutrition, physical health, mental health and social well-being can help support brain health.

In addition, studies from the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging show that vitamin E helps slow the progression of Alzheimer’s because of its antioxidant properties.

Prenatal health: A mother’s

nutrition at conception, during pregnancy and through lactation plays a key role in determining both her and her child’s health.

Numerous studies have found a range of benefits associated with DHA omega-3 supplementation, including support of infant brain, eye and nervous system development.

To learn more about the essential nutrients your body needs, visit www.vitaminsinmotion.com.

FOOD

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MAY 8 – MAY 14, 2015

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Mentor knows

CINNAMON ROLLS WITH CARAMEL GLAZE Servings: 1 dozen rolls Rolls: 1 1/3 cups warm milk (105°F) 2 packages (1/4-ounce each) active dry yeast 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened 2 egg yolks 1 teaspoon Wilton Pure Vanilla Extract 3/4 teaspoon salt 4 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting Filling: 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened 1/3 cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons bread flour 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon Glaze: 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter 1/2 cup lightly-packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 1 teaspoon Wilton Pure Vanilla Extract 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup confectioners’ sugar (about 1/4 pound) For rolls, stir together warm milk, yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in large bowl. Let stand 5–10 minutes or until foamy. Add butter, remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, egg yolks, vanilla and salt. Mix with electric mixer using dough hook on medium speed until combined.

Gradually add flour, 1 cup at a time, and mix on medium speed until smooth, elastic dough forms, about 5 minutes.

Spray large bowl with vegetable pan spray.

Form dough into ball, place into bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand in warm place for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

For filling, stir together butter, sugar, flour and cinnamon in medium bowl until wellcombined.

Prepare 13-by-9-inch pan with vegetable pan spray.

Punch dough down and roll out to 18-by-14-inch rectangle on floured surface.

Spread filling onto dough and roll up from long end, like a jelly roll. Pinch seam to seal, trim ends and cut into 12 equally-sized pieces.

Place rolls into prepared pan; cover with plastic wrap and let rise 25–30 minutes or until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, heat oven to 350°F. Remove plastic wrap from rolls and bake 25–29 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack while preparing glaze.

For glaze, melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and cream.

Cook over medium-high heat until mixture reaches a simmer; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt. Whisk in confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Pour glaze over warm rolls.

Serve warm.

BEST The Mother’s Day Edition FROM FAMILY FEATURES

Whether she’s your mom or a “like-amother” mentor, chances are you’ve got a lot to thank her for this Mother’s Day. It’s a time for celebrating your biggest supporters, number one fans and best friends.

In life, we’re lucky to form relationships with women we can learn from and grow with. Beth Somers, Elizabeth Nelson and Emily Tatak from the Wilton Test Kitchen consider themselves lucky.

Beth Somers, Director of Creative Content Development, owes her start to her former boss Milette Raz. Raz is trained in the Wilton Method of Cake Decorating and taught Somers how to decorate.

But Somers thinks of Raz as so much more — calling her a mentor, her second mother and her friend. Years after working together, the duo teamed up for Cupcake Wars on the Food Network, returning home as champions of season six with winning recipes like Tropical Getaway Cupcakes.

Elizabeth Nelson, Assistant Culinary Specialist, attributes her love of bak-

ing to her grandma Ann, learning the basics with her and picking up passed down recipes that she brought with her to college. She looks up to her mother, her grandmother and her great-grandmother, whom she’s told she also gets her competitive nature from. Nelson and her grandmother went through a lot of trial and error together to come up with what they believe is the perfect cinnamon roll recipe, very similar to this recipe for Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Glaze.

For Emily Tatak, preserving family recipes and continuing the traditions around the holidays and in the kitchen led to her career at Wilton as an Assistant Culinary Specialist. She owes her inspiration to her mom, who taught her how to bake. Together they iced cakes, decorated sugar cookies and even made a gingerbread house from scratch. Keeping with tradition, celebrating the holidays without grandma Irene’s Kolachy recipe just wouldn’t be the same.

For more recipe ideas to honor your mother or special mentor, such as Tropical Getaway Cupcakes, visit s.wilton.com/ MentorKnowsBest.

AWARDWINNING GOODIES Celebrate that special mother figure in your life with this fruity and flavorful recipe for Tropical Getaway Cupcakes, created by Beth Somers and Milette Raz.

GRANDMA’S KOLACHY COOKIES Servings: 6 1/2 dozen cookies 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon Wilton Pure Vanilla Extract 1/2 teaspoon salt Poppy seed, apricot and strawberry pastry filling Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting In large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter with electric mixer on medium speed until well com­bined. Add flour, vanilla and salt; beat until just

combined. Divide dough into 2 disks. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill at least 12 hours.

Heat oven to 375°F. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll each to 1/8-inch thickness on generously floured surface. Cut cookies using 2-inch round cutter. Place on cookie sheet and make indentation in dough with thumb. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon pastry filling into each indentation.

Bake 16–18 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool cookies on pan on cooling grid 5 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on grid. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

STOJ

MAY 8 – MAY 14, 2015

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

Meet some of

FLORIDA’S

finest

D. Andre of St. Augustine and Jacksonville loves fitness and bodybuilding. He says he’s a God-inspired athlete who is highly motivated to succeed. The current club promoter and bouncer enjoys spending time with family, friends, and, most of all, passionately pursuing bodybuilding competitions.

He wants to someday become a champion in the sport. Contact Andre at trueimagephil@aol.com.

T I Photography by Phil

submitted for your approval

B5

Think you’re one of Florida’s Finest?

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

d. andre

Jacksonville native Keyonna Brown describes herself as a people person, very caring and loyal. “I would say that I’m an adventurous person, enjoy things like traveling, rock climbing, camping, swimming, paint gun fighting and many more. I have a lot of energy and I’m not the type to sit around doing nothing. This world is huge and I want to do as much as possible before I leave here. The camera is my best friend,’’ she said. Keyonna can be reached by email at reach09@yahoo.com.

keyonna

Phylicia Rashad also a respected director Renowned actress has made name as revered person behind camera

play zipped long. It has so much heart.”

Center Theatre Group artistic director Michael Ritchie was so impressed with Rashad while she was in rehearsals for “Joe Turner” that he started talking to her then about her next project at the Taper.

“You come to me with any idea, with any play,” Ritchie recalled. “She came back with ‘Immediate Family’ and said, ‘I really believe in this playwright and this play.’”

BY SUSAN KING LOS ANGELES TIME/TNS

Poet Vivian Ayers once told her daughter Phylicia Rashad that being an actress made her one of the “magic” people.

“I said, ‘What do you mean, Mama?’” said Rashad. “She said, ‘You create so much out of nothing.’”

And for the majority of her career, the 66-year-old Rashad was content being a “magic person.”

She didn’t harbor any secret desire to follow in her younger sister Debbie Allen’s footsteps and become a director.

Allen directed and co-starred with Rashad in the 2001 PBS drama “The Old Settler” and directed her on Broadway in the 2008 revival of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.”

“I was having so much fun being an actress,” said Rashad, best known as everyone’s favorite mom, Clair Huxtable, from the 1984-92 NBC sitcom “The Cosby Show.” She’s also appeared on the stage, including the 2004 revival of Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun,” for which she received a Tony Award for lead actress.

But then she got a call from Constanza Romero, the widow of award-winning playwright August Wilson. Romero asked Rashad to direct her husband’s drama “Gem of the Ocean” in a 2007 production at Seattle Repertory Theatre. Rashad starred in the play at the Mark Taper Forum in 2003 and earned a Tony nomination for the subsequent Broadway production.

‘Like second nature’ “She said, ‘I think you could do this. I know you can do this,’” Rashad said. And Rashad received further affirmation from Kenny Leon, who directed her on Broadway in “Raisin in the Sun” and “Gem.” Leon is also an experienced Wilson interpreter, having directed the Broadway productions of Wilson’s “Radio Golf” and the 2010 revival of “Fences.”

“So I went and did it,” Rashad said. “I chose some fine actors to work with. My sensitivities for the work were well informed from the work I had done as an actor

Family life

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/TNS

Phylicia Rashad is a BET Honors 2015 recipient. She was one of the honorees recognized on Jan. 24 at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. previously. Directing was an adventure — a new adventure. It is an investment in the entire production. I can truthfully say it’s like second nature.”

Since “Gem,” Rashad has blossomed into a well-respected theater director. She directed Wilson’s “Fences” at the Long Wharf in Connecticut,” “A Raisin in the Sun” at the Ebony Repertory Theatre and the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles and a revival two years ago of Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” at the Taper.

Zen-like calmness Times theater critic Charles McNulty stated in his review of the Wilson drama that Rashad kept the staging of “Joe Turner” “simple and actor-focused. ... Rashad knows that what matters most is emotional clarity, not scenic flourish.”

On a recent Friday afternoon, Rashad was relaxing in the downstairs lounge at the Taper, where she is directing the comedy “Immediate Family,” which opened at the theater May 3. Elegant and gracious, Rashad exuded an almost a Zen-like calmness considering she was amid rehearsals for the play by Paul Oakley Stovall.

(The only topic she won’t discuss is her former co-star Bill Cosby, who has been accused of sexually assaulting women over the years. After she said she was misquoted in January in an interview about her defense of Cosby, Rashad has been mum on the subject.)

“Immediate Family” allows Rashad a chance to explore comedy. The play, which she directed three years ago at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago — four of the six original actors are reprising their roles — is being described as “Modern Family’ meets “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.”

Diverse ‘Family’ Set in Chicago’s racially diverse Hyde Park neighborhood — the Obamas lived there for 20 years — “Immediate Family” revolves around an affluent African-American family that reunites for the youngest sibling’s marriage.

There’s an older, religious and judgmental sister, her easygoing brother who is about to get married, a biracial half-sister and the middle brother, who hasn’t told his older sister he’s gay. Added to the comedic mix is a lesbian neighbor and the gay sibling’s

White Swedish boyfriend.

Stovall, a Chicago-based actorwriter, had briefly met Rashad in her dressing room when he was appearing on Broadway in “August: Osage County” and got to know her better while doing a staged reading of a musical in Jackson, Miss.

“I told her I was a budding writer,” Stovall said.

“After we worked together, he sent me two of his plays, and this was one of them,” Rashad added.

A good subject One reason she responded to the play is because “family is a good subject for theater, a good subject for a play. It is about all things that affect us as humans — self-acceptance, tolerance, love, truth.”

“I really applaud how she has jumped into a new work,” Stovall said. “What thrills me about her is her discipline. She is always prepared. She never comes in and doesn’t know what she wants to work on. She is fun and precise.

She respects the word on the page more than anything else.”

Since its premiere in Chicago, Stovall has tightened the play.

“There is clarity in there that was not there before,” Rashad said. “Even at the Goodman, the

For Rashad, directing is about creating a vision “galvanizing all the creative energies involved to move in alignment with that vision and leaving room for those creative energies to bring that, which I have not considered, so everybody can be invested. I’m very open to discussion.”

As much as she loves acting and directing, the real joy in Rashad’s life are her grown children — William Bowles III and Condola Rashad, who has become one of Broadway’s best young actresses, earning Tony nominations for “Stick Fly” and “A Trip to Bountiful.” Condola’s father is Ahmad Rashad, the former pro football player and sportscaster who was married to the actress from 1985 to 2001.

“What I am so proud of is the way she works,” said Rashad, who took her daughter to the “Cosby” set and theater rehearsals. “It’s all about the work. She grew up watching the work. She saw what the work entailed. She loved it.”

Still acting Despite her success as a theater director, Rashad hasn’t abandoned acting. She recently shot “For Justice,” a CBS drama pilot directed by “Selma’s” Ava DuVernay, in which she plays an assistant attorney general working in the civil rights division of the Justice Department.

During the filming, DuVernay asked her if she wanted to direct for TV or film.

“It’s been suggested to me on a few occasions by a few people ‘You should be doing this,’” Rashad said. “I say, ‘OK.’ And then they said, ‘No, really, you should direct in film and television as well.’ I say, ‘OK.’ And then I go to whatever it is I’m doing next.”

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EDUCATION

MAY 8 – MAY 14, 2015

STOJ

PHOTOS BY KIM GIBSON/FLORIDA COURIER

Jeh Charles Johnson, the nation’s Secretary of Homeland Security, addresses Florida Memorial University graduates on May 2. The commencement was held on the campus of the university based in Miami Gardens.

Homeland Security leader addresses Florida Memorial grads Jeh Johnson shares life experiences at Miami Gardens commencement FROM STAFF REPORTS

F

lorida Memorial University graduates received a lesson on successfully navigating through life by the country’s security leader on Saturday, May 2.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, the commencement speaker, had some sage advice for the graduates of the Miami Gardens-based HBCU. Florida Memorial is one of the four historically Black institutions of higher learning in the state.

“Neither I nor anyone else can teach you to avoid mistakes; you will make them. Bad choices, bad investments, bad relationships, bad haircuts. You have to make your own mistakes, but hopefully you will learn from them,” Johnson told the graduates at the commencement held on Florida Memorial’s lawn near its Clock Tower Promenade.

An HBCU graduate himself, he mentioned his experience at Morehouse College, noting how he went from a struggling student to having a 4.0 as a senior.

He received his undergraduate degree at Morehouse and a law degree at Columbia Law School.

“I came to Morehouse College as a boy, and I left Morehouse College as a man on fire,” he remarked.

He further noted the importance of serving others.

“The opportunity to serve others and make a difference is selfsatisfying and simply makes you a happier person,” he added.

Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, president of Florida Memorial University, and Jeh Johnson take time for photographs after the graduation.