Florida Courier - June 30, 2017

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Frederick Douglass: ‘This Fourth of July is yours not mine’ See Page A5

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JUNE 30 – JULY 6, 2017

VOLUME 25 NO. 26

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PRESORTED STANDARD MAIL

‘OBAMACARE’ FIGHT CONTINUES

As Congress goes on recess, Republican senators get an earful from constituents, including a ‘die-in’ at Florida Senator Marco Rubio’s office.

bill on the third try.

impasse on their health care overhaul but emerged with no apparent strategy for resolving differences by an end-of-week deadline. McConnell of Kentucky vowed to try again for a vote after the Fourth of July recess.

Senators were aiming for a revised bill by Friday – after the Florida Courier’s Wednesday night press time – the Republican Whip, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, told reporters, so it could be assessed by the Congressional Budget Office during the break.

Wednesday’s lengthy lunchtime huddle appeared to run long on ideas but short on consensus. As many as 10 Republican senators now publicly oppose the bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act. McConnell can only afford to lose two Republican votes in the face of Democratic opposition.

Still trying

Nonexistent support

Senate Republicans reconvened behind closed doors Wednesday trying to break the

At the heart of the controversy is a bill that, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Bud-

COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS

WASHINGTON – The abrupt decision Tuesday by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to temporarily shelve a vote on the Republican Obamacare overhaul gives him a few extra weeks to build support for a revised bill before it risks becoming hopelessly stalled by the opposition.

McConnell will be aided by what amounts to a $200 billion piggy bank to push Republican holdouts over the line. That’s the bill’s extra savings compared with the House version that McConnell can tap to provide perks to individual senators, from more

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/TNS

President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, which became known as “Obamacare,” in the White House’s East Room on March 23, 2010. More than seven years later, Republicans are still battling to get rid of the law. opioid assistance to expanded tax-free health savings accounts.

A similar strategy – delay and enticements – worked well in the House, where Republicans last month passed their health care

get Office, would lead to 22 million fewer Americans having health insurance in 2026 than would be the case under current law.

Fresh polling Wednesday showed paltry support for the Republican approach to overhauling the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, which has enjoyed a surge in popularity now that Republicans are closer than ever to repealing it. A USA Today poll put approval of the Senate GOP bill at 12 percent.

Republicans, though, are under enormous pressure from their most conservative supporters – and big-dollar donors, including the powerful Koch network – to deliver on their promised to end Obamacare.

Senate Democrats, meanwhile, suggested that President Donald Trump convene all 100 senators – much the way thenPresident Barack Obama did during his first days in office for a session at Blair House – to see See FIGHT, Page A2

Ayala’s lawyers grilled

KILLED BY THE HEAT

Hot car, quick death

State court hears pros, cons

BY DARA KAM THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – Florida Supreme Court justices appeared highly skeptical of a Central Florida state attorney’s assertion that prosecutors have absolute discretion in death-penalty cases during arguments Wednesday in a legal dispute between the prosecutor and Gov. Rick Scott.

Almost immediately after arguments began Wednesday morning, even the court’s more liberal justices started grilling a lawyer representing Aramis Ayala, the 9th Judicial Circuit state attorney stripped of two dozen cases by Scott soon after she declared her office would not seek capital punishment for defendants charged with capital crimes.

Aramis In her lawsuit Ayala against Scott, Ayala – the state’s first Black elected state attorney – accused the governor of usurping the OrangeOsceola prosecutor’s authority by removing her from the cases, including a high-profile case involving accused cop-killer Markeith Loyd.

SEBASTIAN BALLESTAS/MIAMI HERALD/TNS

At the Florida Highway Patrol headquarters in Doral, a City of Miami Fire Rescue member removes a test dummy used for a rescue demonstration on saving the life of an infant or pet in a hot car. Read the story on Page A3.

Cases taken away Scott reassigned the cases to OcaSee AYALA, Page A2

B-CU alumni join lawsuit, target Jackson

BY THE FLORIDA COURIER STAFF

MIAMI – The Florida Courier has learned that the Bethune-Cookman University National Alumni Association (NAA) voted overwhelmingly to join a lawsuit filed against the university for refusing to seat the NAA’s designated representative to B-CU’s Board of Trustees.

The action took place last week during a plenary session of the NAA’s annual national conference in Miami.

ALSO INSIDE

The lawsuit was filed in February

by Robert Delancy, the NAA’s chosen appointee to the board. B-CU’s trustees refused to accept Delancy, a retired Internal Revenue Service special agent, allegedly in retaliation for his aggressive questions about the school’s finances.

Delancy’s lawsuit was dismissed on June 14 by Circuit Judge Christopher France, who gave Delancy 30 days to correct and refile it. In the order, the judge wrote that the NAA is the proper party to bring the lawsuit.

Without the organization’s involvement, the lawsuit had little chance of going forward. Their entry into the action means the case may eventually go to trial.

Delancy’s current attorney, Nathaniel E. Green, Jr., will represent the NAA.

Conference call A separate group of concerned alumni have started grassroots efforts to persuade B-CU’s trustees to fire current president Dr. Edison O. Jackson.

Alumni are incensed by a story published June 24 in the Daytona Beach News-Journal daily newspaper. According to the article, “B-CU’s most recent tax returns, which covers the period from July 2015 to June 2016, paint a grim picture of the institution’s finances, including a nearly $18 million operating loss that’s almost 12 times the loss recorded in the previous year.”

In a group conference call on Tuesday evening, alumni were urged to write individual letters to trustees demanding Jackson’s dismissal or forced resignation.

SNAPSHOTS TRAVEL | B1

Plenty to see and do along Route 66

FLORIDA | A3

Tourism officials weigh in on travel ban NATION | A6

More questions about Trump’s travel ban

FOOD | B4, B5

Fire up Fourth with these recipes

COMMENTARY: HARRY C. ALFORD: WHEN OBAMA’S WHITE HOUSE ATTACKED THE NBCC | A4 HISTORY: WESLEYAN COLLEGE IN GEORGIA TRYING TO ATONE FOR ITS RACIST PAST | B6

FOCUS

A2

JUNE 30 – JULY 6, 2017

Violence is a double-edged sword I begin this week’s column by thanking the readers and supporters of The Gantt Report. I truly appreciate your longtime and dedicated readership.

Sadly, this may be the final time The Gantt Report will appear in newspapers and media outlets that do not value what is possibly the most widely-read opinion column written by an independent Black journalist.

I also thank the media outlets for the time and space given to me to make Lucius Gantt a name that is known locally, statewide, nationally and internationally, But times have changed. Writers and media owners cannot continue to inform and educate its readers unless we work together to sustain each other.

TGR will still appear in selected Black media sources, but not all of them. Several will receive legal notices soon to prohibit them from publishing copyrighted columns.

With that said, enjoy today’s column!

LUCIUS GANTT THE GANTT REPORT

The Holy Bible says we will reap what we sow. If you plant an apple seed, you can’t expect the tree that will result from the planting will be a banana tree!

I’m so sorry, and offer my sincere condolences to all the individuals and families that have been victims of violence in recent days.

Stimulus and response But oftentimes violent actions are followed by violent responses. In other words, life is like a double-edged sword! When you do things or say things to hurt someone, you just might hurt yourself!

When some Republican members of Congress were engaged in a peaceful practice for an up-

coming annual softball game between Republicans and Democrats, a man opened fire on the group and seriously injured some Republican politicians, as well as some African-American security officers that were there to protect them.

After the despicable attack, members of both major political parties joined in saying, “When one of us is attacked, it is an attack on all of us!”

Okay. But I say an attack on anybody is an attack on everybody!

When unarmed Black motorists are shot and killed, the victims are demeaned and the perpetrators are honored and praised!

Little sympathy for us Everybody has sympathy for politicians that are shot. But very few people have sympathy when children and teenagers of color are shot, and African-American senior citizens are shot, tased, beaten, kicked and thrown down on concrete sidewalks!

AYALA

Hungry and angry If crime is most rampant in Black neighborhoods, it is be-

with the death penalty and another without it, all over the place.

How is that proper? Why do we need the Legislature, if we have that?” Labarga asked.

Throughout Wednesday’s arguments, and afterwards, Austin maintained that nothing in Florida law required Ayala to seek the death penalty as a punishment in capital crimes.

He also disputed harsh questioning by some of the court’s more conservative members, including Justices Charles Canady and Alan Lawson, who asked whether Ayala’s position could allow prosecutors to refuse to charge drug dealers with crimes if the state attorneys disagreed with the Legislature’s views on drug policy.

from A1

la-area State Attorney Brad King, a veteran prosecutor and outspoken defender of the death penalty who is also a defendant in Ayala’s lawsuit.

Ayala’s lawyers maintain that prosecutors have broad discretion in sentencing decisions, including whether to seek death.

But Justice R. Fred Lewis, who consistently sides with the liberal-leaning majority in high court opinions, hammered Roy Austin, a lawyer representing Ayala, over how much discretion Ayala and other state attorneys have.

Lewis, and other justices, repeatedly referred to Ayala’s own words during a March press conference that led to Scott’s reassignment of the cases.

Yes, life is like a double-edged sword.

When you go out of your way to oppose reforms in gun laws; when you take tax dollars to finance the militarization of local law enforcement; when you encourage closet Klansmen, neoNazis and skinheads to throw peaceful protestors out of public political events; and when you contribute to and vote for politicians that body slam reporters for merely asking a question; that violent sword can cut you, too.

Now Black people. When police, deputies and other local lawmen get your tax dollars to buy more guns, more armored vehicles, more tasers, more tear gas, more shields and build and finance more private prisons to incarcerate people for non-violent offenses, who do you think they use all that stuff on?

They use those things on you!

FLORIDA COURIER FILES

Blanket rule?

Most of Florida’s Supreme Court justices appear skeptical of State Attorney Aramis Ayala’s arguments about her refusal to argue for the death penalty in criminal cases.

At the time, Ayala – who defeated incumbent Democrat Jeff Ashton in an August primary – said she based her decision on research showing that the death penalty is not a deterrent to crime, is discriminatory, is costly, leaves the families of victims in limbo for too long and is imposed on innocent people too often.

“To my mind, discretion is when you make a decision on a case-by-case basis,” Lewis said.

“But this was just the uniform – or am I mistaken – was there not a statement that, ‘I am not going to follow Florida law,’ essentially?”

But Austin, a Washington, D.C., lawyer, argued that “there’s nothing in the law that says discretion has to be on a case-by-case basis.”

That didn’t satisfy Lewis, who said the case wasn’t about whether Ayala had discretion.

“This is about following Florida law,” the justice said.

Legal disparities?

Chief Justice Jorge Labarga, another justice who often sides with the more-liberal majority, also put Austin on the spot, asking whether Ayala’s decision not to seek the death penalty could essentially create constitutionally significant disparities between circuits.

“You are going to have a situation where, in the state of Florida, you are going to have one circuit

No categorical refusal In her petition, Ayala’s lawyers asserted that she was “not categorically refusing to apply the death penalty” regardless of the circumstances.

But the state’s lawyers questioned whether, given her comments, “the governor reasonably could have believed that Ayala was not open to applying the state’s existing death penalty statute to the 23 currently pending capital cases at issue here.”

The “practical effect” of Ayala’s policy decision “is to effectively nullify state law providing for the death penalty in the Ninth Judicial Circuit,” the lawyers argued,

cause that is where the disadvantaged, the jobless, the homeless, the drug-addicted, the mentally impaired, the exploited and the oppressed people live.

Money should be put in Black communities to provide alternatives for people that have fewer alternatives. A hungry man is an angry man!

Black people are hungry for food. They are also hungry for jobs, hungry for a good education, hungry for affordable health care, hungry for better opportunities, hungry for equal rights and hungry for justice.

When you plant ideas, thoughts, policies, legislation and attitudes about violence, violence can grow around you!

Life actions and behaviors are like double-edged swords that cut, stab and slash in every direction!

Buy Gantt’s latest book, “Beast Too: Dead Man Writing,” on Amazon.com and from bookstores everywhere. “Like” The Gantt Report page on Facebook. Contact Lucius at www. allworldconsultants.net.

an issue a number of justices raised during Wednesday’s arguments, using similar language.

But Austin said Ayala never intended to stop prosecuting capital crimes; her only dispute was with what sentence defendants charged with capital murder should face – life behind bars or death.

Can’t be ignored Florida Solicitor General Amit Agarwal, representing Scott, said that no one – including Ayala – has the right to ignore Florida law.

“No one individual, in our society, has the right to say ‘I’ve taken a hard look at this. I’ve considered all of the available evidence. I’ve figured out this issue, and I am going to make a policy judgment that is blanket, across the board.’

That has the practical effect of effectively nullifying it,” Agarwal said.

Despite the harsh questioning, Ayala remained upbeat when facing reporters on the steps of the Supreme Court after the hearing.

“I have violated no laws. There were no Florida statutes that I was required to seek the death penalty. There was no blueprint for me to follow. I did what I believed was proper under Florida law, and no laws have been violated,” she said.

News Service Assignment Manager Tom Urban contributed to this report.

FIGHT from A1

how they might be able to work together to improve, rather than repeal, the Affordable Care Act.

Not a full repeal At its core, the Senate bill, like its companion in the House, does not fully repeal Obamacare. Instead, it ends the Obamacare mandate that all Americans must carry insurance and cuts nearly $550 billion in taxes that were imposed on the health care industry and high-income Americans to pay for expanding Medicaid coverage and providing subsidies for private insurance.

The result, according to an analysis from the Tax Policy Center, is a big tax break for the wealthiest Americans. The top 1 percent of households, those earning more than $875,000 a year, would average a $45,000 tax break, the center said. Those earning beyond $5 million would get a break of about $250,000. Meanwhile, middle-income families earning between $55,000 and $93,000 would see a $280 tax cut.

Protests underway Prolonging the debate gives Democrats and other critics time to mobilize, and ensures that senators will be exposed to an onslaught of opposition as they head home for the weeklong holiday break to defend a bill estimated to leave millions more Americans without insurance.

On Wednesday, Democratic-leaning groups organized Orlando activist to hold a “die-in” outside of Senator Marco Rubio’s office. They lay down holding gravestones that detail causes of death due to loss of health care and pre-existing condition coverage, demanding that Senator Rubio vote against the Senate health care bill.

Mitch McConnell

Marco Rubio

According to a press release, the event was “part of a statewide day of action where community members will highlight the extreme difficulties that veterans, women, and people with disabilities will face trying to receive care if the Republican plan passes.”

Affecting state politics Even as the Senate delayed their planned procedural vote, the proposal was roiling Florida’s political landscape ahead of the 2018 elections.

Democrats running for the Senate and in the state’s governor’s race hammered away at the GOP, suggesting that they saw a chance to go on the offensive over an issue that has dogged them for years. Republicans running in the marquee contests, meanwhile, seemed to be doing everything they could to take a definitive stand on the legislation.

Democrats were already blasting away at Republican candidates in Florida over the measure, underscoring changes in Medicaid spending and the reductions in tax credits for some low-income workers. The attacks suggested Democrats now see Obamacare, which had generally hurt the party since 2010 but has recently increased in popularity, as a net positive.

‘Heartless’ bill Former Congresswoman Gw-

Gwen Graham

Andrew Gillum

en Graham, a Democrat who’s running for governor, labeled the Republican bill “heartless” as she delivered more than 4,000 petitions against “Trumpcare,” named for President Donald Trump, to Rubio’s Florida Capitol office.

Graham also blasted term-limited Republican Gov. Rick Scott for not agreeing to Medicaid expansion under Obamacare, and expressed hope that the GOP bill wouldn’t pass.

“But if that does happen, then we’re going to need an even better governor here in Florida,” she said. “The one we’ve had ... should not be able to sleep at night.”

‘Fundamental right’ Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, one of Graham’s opponents for the Democratic nomination, called for an amendment to the Florida Constitution that would recognize health care as “a fundamental right of all Floridians.”

“There is a public trust for the government to care for its citizens, and our state can no longer be ambiguous about that moral obligation,” Gillum said in a statement issued by his campaign. “When healthcare is under attack in Washington, we’re going to lean into the challenge of healthcare in the Sunshine State and live our values.”

Highlighting the potential dif-

Chris King

Rick Scott

ferences that exist even within the party, Graham was equivocal Tuesday when asked whether she would support such an amendment, stressing her support for a public option in the state.

“I think health care is a right,” she said. “But I want to make sure the way we go about it is doable.”

GOP criticized Winter Park businessman Chris King, the third declared Democratic candidate for governor, didn’t comment publicly on the bill Tuesday, but has in the past criticized a previous version passed by the House and attacked Scott and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam for not taking a stance on the bill.

Putnam is the only major declared Republican candidate for governor in 2018. A spokeswoman said Tuesday that Putnam’s campaign had no comment about his position on the bill.

American Bridge, a Democratic campaign organization, said Monday that Putnam was “complicit” in the federal legislation.

“If Adam Putnam wants to be governor, he should come out and propose a plan of his own instead of hiding behind this disaster of a bill that gives tax breaks to the wealthiest few at the expense of Floridians’ health,” said Lizzy Price, a spokeswoman for the group.

Bill Nelson

Scott evades Scott spent Tuesday in Washington, D.C., lobbying federal officials on the legislation while dancing around questions about his position during television appearances.

“I think it’s very important to repeal and replace Obamacare,” Scott told business channel CNBC when asked whether he would vote for the bill. “I’m up here as a governor. I don’t have a vote. I’m up here as a governor trying to make sure the bill is good for Florida families. I know the bill is a work in progress.”

That didn’t stop U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat likely to face a re-election challenge from Scott next year, from trying to tie his would-be opponent to the bill.

“Rick Scott is supporting and urging Republican senators to vote for a bill that makes huge cuts to Medicaid, takes coverage away from 22 million people and allows insurance companies to hike rates for older Americans,” Nelson said in a statement issued by his office.

“If he really cared about the people of Florida, he’d be doing the exact opposite of what he’s doing now.”

Lisa Mascaro of the Tribune Washington Bureau (TNS) and Brandon Larrabee of the News Service of Florida contributed to this report.

JUNE 30 – JULY 6, 2017

FLORIDA

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Deadly combination: Kids and hot cars On average, 37 children die from heat stroke after being left inside sweltering vehicles each year in the U.S. Twelve have died this year alone.

BY ADAM H. BEASLEY MIAMI HERALD/TNS

MIAMI – It wasn’t even 11 a.m., and the heat index was over 90 degrees on a recent Thursday.

But for the baby left inside a black sedan, with the windows up, it was way worse.

Experts say the interior of the car reached a lethal 122 degrees by the time rescue personnel got to the infant, pulling the baby from his car seat and rushing him into their fire truck.

In the end, the kid was fine. He was a doll. This was only a demonstration.

Two 2017 tragedies But if real children had been locked inside a car for that long, said Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Joe Sanchez, they wouldn’t have survived.

“We have to make sure we protect our greatest resources,” Sanchez said at a child protection awareness-raising event on June 22 at FHP headquarters in West Miami-Dade. “We have to make sure [people] do not leave a child or pet in their vehicle.”

The consequences, all too often, are tragic.

Already in 2017, two Florida children, including a 1-year-old boy in Pinecrest, have died as a result of hot car-related tragedies.

Back in February, Sammy Schnall was left inside a Toyota Camry for more than an hour during the hottest part of an 82-degree day in Miami-Dade.

Authorities at the time said a family member was watching the child and apparently forgot he was in the car. Schnall was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. He died at Baptist Hospital in Kendall a day later.

37 deaths a year This sort of tragedy happens almost weekly. On average, 37 children die from heat stroke after being left inside sweltering vehicles each year in the United States.

Twelve have died this year alone.

More than half of these cases were accidental, according to KidsAndCars.org, an advocacy group that educates the public on the dangers associated with children being left alone in or around motor vehicles.

PHOTOS BY SEBASTIAN BALLESTAS/MIAMI HERALD/TNS

Captain Ignatius Carroll speaks at a news conference to provide safety recommendations that should be taken this summer when leaving pets and kids inside the cars. The conference was at FHP headquarters in Doral on June 22.

And those dangers are very real.

The interior of cars left in the hot sun can reach 125 degrees in just minutes, even if the windows are cracked (which has no affect on the heating process).

“Sometimes, we get tied up in our usual routines, and anytime we get out of usual routine, that’s when accidents can happen.” said Gilda Ferradaz, the Department of Children and Family’s Southern Region managing director.

“The natural response for parents is to say this cannot happen to them,” added DCF community development administrator Silvia Beebe.

793 since 1990 But it does — over and over again.

Even the most diligent parents can forget their kid are with them, particularly new moms and dads who are overtired. Since 1990, there have been 793 documented vehicular heat stroke deaths in the United States, including 49 in 2010 alone.

Accidents happen both at and away from home. Ignatius Carroll, a captain with Miami Fire Rescue, told of a child who died

while playing hide-and-seek in the family car.

Heat stroke can occur when body temperature rises to 104 degrees; medics have found children whose bodies have reached 107 degrees.

Break a window Children overheat three to five times faster than adults and have died from heat stroke in temperatures as low as 60 degrees.

That’s why officials encourage anyone who sees a child in a potentially life-threatening situation to act — call 911, and then break a window and get the kid out of the car as soon as possible. The law protects Good Samaritans from civil liability in such situations.

Dogs have been victims too.

More than a dozen police K-9s died last year as a result of being left in hot cars.

Last month, there was such a case in the small town of Sebastian, just north of Vero Beach, where a cop left his dog in his cruiser after returning from a hearing in Brevard County.

Two years ago, two Hialeah K9s died after being left in the officer’s SUV at his Davie home.

Police officers show a thermostat with temperatures of 188 Fahrenheit inside a car at Florida Highway Patrol in Doral on June 22.

Tourism officials weigh Trump’s impact on international travel to state (HB 1A) that included the governor’s original $76 million request for Visit Florida, argued that the money was needed to boost the state’s tourism numbers from the nearly 113 million estimated in 2016.

“With full funding of $76 million and important accountability and transparency measures in place, this legislation puts Visit Florida on the right track to continue supporting Florida jobs and attracting record numbers of visitors to our state,” Scott said Monday in a press release.

BY JIM TURNER THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – Attracting more than 120 million visitors before the end of the calendar year remains a goal of the state’s tourism-marketing arm, now that Visit Florida’s funding won’t be slashed.

But Visit Florida board members, whose agency continues to undergo belttightening as a result of new operational guidelines ordered by state lawmakers, expressed concern Tuesday over the potential international impact of President Donald Trump on the travel industry.

New leader’s advice Vice Chairwoman Maryann Ferenc, a Tampa restaurateur who will take over as chairwoman on Saturday, openly wondered if the board should consider a goal based on the economic impact of tourism on the state, rather than the individual number of visitors.

“If we were budgeting for our own businesses, we would look at the things that have happened in this year, both in terms of the state of Florida as well as we know that we’re seeing (a) potential to an international drop in business,” Ferenc said. “We’ve seen that at the international shows that we’ve gone to. It’s a variable that we really have not a lot of control over and we’re going to suffer from.”

Drop in Canadians JIM RASSOL/SUN SENTINEL/TNS

A large group of protesters are shown in February in front of Trump Plaza in West Palm Beach. They were planning to march toward Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s residence in Palm Beach, to protest his travel ban.

Slump or bump?

Visit Florida President and CEO Ken Lawson said he and others have heard “anecdotal” reports, both positive and negative, about international travel due to the new president, but the agency doesn’t expect to have hard data until information for the first half of the year comes out in August.

“I just don’t know how much of the international evaluation is anecdotal or how much of it real,” Lawson said. “We’ve heard Trump slump. We’ve heard Trump bump. I’ll tell you the only true data I’ve seen to date in April was U.S. visitation was actually up 4 percent and we’re very eager to

see what that translates into as far as Florida’s proportional share.”

‘The right visitors’ While the goal of 120 million visitors remains a “cautiously optimistic” figure as they revamp their yearround marketing plans, agency officials expressed a desire to attract a better class of visitors, winter travelers, families and those undertaking weekend getaways, who spend more per person while in the Sunshine State.

“We also understand that at the end of the day it’s all about yield,” Nelson Mongiovi, interim chief marketing officer, told the board of directors during a teleconference Tuesday. “We

would certainly rather have 80 million of the right visitors in the state versus 120 million of the wrong ones, that aren’t spending money and are just applying pressure on infrastructure.”

That doesn’t mean they’re abandoning the goal, he added.

Full funding The calendar year benchmark could justify the battle waged by Gov. Rick Scott against House leadership to maintain $76 million in funding for Visit Florida, after legislators sought to slash the agency’s budget to $25 million during the regular session that ended early in May. Scott, who signed a special session bill on Monday

Florida drew 31.1 million visitors during the first three months of the year, the highest number during any quarter in state history, according to the governor’s office.

Florida’s tourism numbers were bolstered by a 3.2 percent increase in domestic travelers, who make up the vast majority of the state’s visitors. Meanwhile, there was a 2.2 percent drop in Canadians – due in part to a weaker Canadian dollar – and a 1.8 percent decrease in overseas visitors.

Both are trends that have been underway for more than a year.

Before the marketing changes were outlined to the board on Tuesday, Visit Florida had already announced it had severed its $2.875 million sponsorship of an auto racing team, with $1 million left on the deal, and was negotiating for a better agreement with an

English football club.

Those sponsorship deals were among a number of the agency’s marketing agreements – including a $1 million contract with Miami rapper Pitbull – that drew questions from state lawmakers.

More changes The agency is also expected to undergo its latest executive re-organization in the next 30 to 45 days.

Alfredo Gonzalez, Visit Florida’s onetime vice president of global meetings and trade, and Shari Bailey, formerly the international marketing program director, both submitted their resignations on June 12.

Neither expressed a reason for their exits.

Their resignations came days after the state Legislature upped the funding level for Visit Florida during a special session earlier this month.

New guidelines As part of the bill, Visit Florida also received new operational guidelines that include a cap on the annual pay for its executive director, new cash contribution requirements from local tourism boards and a requirement that contracts valued at $500,000 or more be posted online.

Contracts in excess of $750,000 will have to go before the Joint Legislative Budget Commission and could be voided within 14 days by the House speaker or Senate president.

EDITORIAL

A4

JUNE 30 – JULY 6, 2017

When Obama’s White House attacked the NBCC, Part 1 It seemed like the world was changing for the better. People all over the world celebrated because America elected its first Black (half-Black) president. Millions of people in national capitals went to the streets in euphoria. On Election Night, I cried in joy for hours.

It all seems kind of silly today.

Our thoughts and expectations would soon melt into disappointment. Our democracy would be threatened by a sea of regulations. Our political activity took a strong left turn with a funny interpretation of our Constitution.

I thought, “Something is wrong here. He taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago.”

Things go downhill It didn’t take long before a string of executive orders started flowing out of the White House.

The first group of victims under this assault were minority and women construction workers.

I was working on the Obama transition team when I learned that the new president was going to impose project labor agreements (PLAs) on all construction projects over a million dollars. I was in disbelief until it was confirmed a few days later.

We convinced President George W. Bush that construction unions discriminate against people of color and women. He

HARRY C. ALFORD GUEST COLUMNIST

verified the statistics and issued an executive order banning PLAs on federally funded projects.

What a victory! Now it was about to go away thanks to our newly elected Black president, who was making a move to hurt Black contractors.

Just the beginning Soon Black lending by the Small Business Administration would fall from eight percent to less than two percent. Investigative reporters divulged this, because the SBA and anyone else in this new administration would not report Black business numbers – lending, contract numbers, contract dollars, etc. They claimed they didn’t keep those numbers.

It was just a lie! It wasn’t that they didn’t care. In retrospect, I believe they did it on purpose for some strange reason.

I began to oppose the White House. During one of my few visits there, I went up to Michael Strautmanis, Valerie Jarrett’s chief of staff. I stated my displeasure about the vile executive or-

Trump ratchets up use of guns, bombs, troops, insults In his campaign, Donald Trump promised, “We’re going to start winning again.” In office, he has defined winning largely in military terms.

His budget decimates the State Department while adding billions to the Pentagon. He boasts he’s delegated decisions on force levels abroad to the Pentagon.

Secretary of Defense Mike Mattis recently announced that 4,000 more troops would be sent to Afghanistan. Four thousand more troops won’t produce a “win” in Afghanistan.

Trump is wrong America’s military is already the best in the world. But for America to “start winning,” we need more smart diplomacy, not more smart bombs.

Since coming to office, Trump has ratcheted up the use of force.

He dropped the “mother of all

REV. JESSE L. JACKSON, SR. TRICE EDNEY NEWSWIRE

bombs” on Afghanistan, while adding troops there. He rained cruise missiles on an airbase in Syria, and a U.S. jet recently shot down a Syrian jet in Syrian airspace, a clear act of war.

He’s added troops to Iraq and to back rebels in Syria. He lavished arms and praise on the Saudis, backing up not only their merciless war on Yemen but also their blockade on tiny Qatar.

Not one of these actions will “start America winning.”

No strategy The war in Afghanistan is in its 16th year. Even Secretary Mat-

New research shows men are the weaker sex I grew up in a family that was a de facto matriarchy. My seven sisters, as well as every woman I’ve known since those formative years, make the following Mail Online news story seem self-evident: “A growing body of scientific study is turning centuries-old gender research on its head – by suggesting that women are, in fact, stronger than men. ‘‘We often think of males as being the tougher and more powerful sex,’ explains Angela Saini, author of ‘Inferior,’ a groundbreaking new book which charts the scientists’ findings. … “‘When it comes to the most basic instinct of all – survival – women’s bodies tend to be better equipped than men’s.’”

We already knew Did we need scientific research

ANTHONY L. HALL, ESQ. FLORIDA COURIER COLUMNIST

to tell us that women live longer than men; that women are more resourceful (even more cunning) than men; and, indeed, that women are stronger than men in every respect except for brute physical strength (and that, even here, the strength women show during childbirth diminishes the superiority generally ascribed to men)?

Hell, drones and robots are even rendering superfluous the male brawn once needed for military warfare. Since time immemorial, men have perpetuated

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: HEALTH CARE IN AMERICA

der and asked him to pass my displeasure on to his boss.

While I was there, I looked around and realized I didn’t know 95 percent of the people in the room. Most of them were union executives and left-wing extremists.

‘Big mistake’ I became nauseated and went home. I told my wife, “Kay we have made a very big mistake.

Blacks will not become better with this Obama guy. I believe we have voted for the devil.”

The assault on Black construction would last throughout both Obama administrations. However, the National Black Chamber of Commerce formed coalitions with other associations to fight the onslaught of harmful regulations that hurt small businesses.

We started opposing items dealing with labor, the environment, banking, etc.

The first big showdown was the “cap and trade” bill which would have devastated Black America. Someone financed a very convincing study contesting the proposed bill and gave it to us. We took ownership of the study and started circulating it to the world. This became big news and the Democratic Party decided to discredit me personally.

They controlled both chambers of Congress at the time.

tis admits we have no strategy for victory there. Four thousand more troops will add to the violence and the costs. They will help ensure we don’t lose, but the war will go on.

In Syria, Trump had suggested on the campaign trail he would focus on defeating the Islamic State, not on regime change in Syria. That opened the possibility of a working coalition with Russia and Syria against the Islamic State. Instead, we’re now clearly at war with Syria as well as the Islamic State.

In the Persian Gulf, we’re backing the Saudi destruction of Yemen, creating a failed state that will mint more terrorists. And bizarrely, Trump seems to have turned on Qatar, a tiny emirate that is an ally and the site of a vital American air base. The recent announcement that the U.S. will sell $12 billion in arms to Qatar makes our policy utterly incoherent.

Worse, not better In our own hemisphere, Trump has repeatedly acted to worsen relations rather than ease them.

He’s insulted the Mexican president and alienated the Canadians, our closest trading partners.

When Venezuela descended into desperate hunger, the administrathe stereotype of the hysterical, emotionally crippled woman to rationalize their dominance. But most of us can readily attest that, when the rubber meets the road, we’d rather have a woman controlling that joystick than a man.

Meanwhile, has there ever been any question about female superiority when it comes to the myriad forms of ‘soft power,’ most notably the power of persuasion?

Nothing new for me As it happens, I’ve been championing women as the stronger sex for years in various commentaries since 2005. That’s why I was so heartened when I read recently that Barack Obama, the erstwhile most powerful man in the world, is now doing the same. I welcome him among the ranks of men not empowering but championing women to rule the world.

Here is how I justified this clarion call in “Men Should Be Barred from Politics,” September 25, 2013: We have enough data, as well as anecdotal evidence, from the

RICK MCKEE, THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE

I wasn’t worried Senator Barbara Boxer was chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee and she called a hearing to discuss the Cap and Trade bill. Someone called to alert me that the Dems were going to set me up. I wasn’t worried, as I knew the proposed legislation like the back of my hand.

After reading my testimony, the Democratic members pounced.

One by one I was strongly winning the debate. Senator Boxer decided she was going to break me – a big mistake. During her frustration, she started becoming racial (“What are you doing with that expensive study?”) and I called her out.

When we got back to the office,

Voters may have thought Trump the businessman would be a strong negotiator, as he promised. Instead, he’s turned out to be a showman, infatuated with military gestures, scornful of the quiet arts of diplomacy. tion passed up the opportunity to offer humanitarian assistance, and come to the aid of a neighbor in need. With the reversal of Obama’s opening to Cuba, Trump is isolating the U.S. from its neighbors.

In the State Department, offices on the top floors remain empty. Trump’s budget calls for a 30 percent cut in the department. At a time when the U.S. desperately needs creative diplomacy – a combination of the State Department’s professionals and skilled way women have influenced the corporate world to make some credible extrapolations. The correlation between more women holding positions of power and the implementation of familyfriendly policies is undeniable in this respect. Therefore, it’s entirely reasonable to assert that if more women held positions of power in politics they would use their power more towards building up human resources than military armaments – just to cite one obvious example.

Finland’s president, prime minister, president of the Supreme Court, as well as eight of its eleven government ministers are all women. Arguably, there’s a direct correlation between their positions and the fact that Newsweek rated this county the best place to live in 2010 – in terms of health, economic dynamism, education, political environment, and quality of life.

There’s no denying the twin trends of, on the one hand, women dominating the brainy professions, while on the other hand, technology dominating the

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher

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all our workers were laughing.

Cable news had our hearing on live. For the next two days, it was the biggest news. The whole nation laughed watching me shake down Senator Boxer. The hearing went viral.

The cap and trade bill went down from there. It was the Obama administration’s first loss.

The White House was starting to fear the National Black Chamber of Commerce. They decided to do something about that.

Harry C. Alford is the cofounder and president/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC). Contact him via www.nationalbcc.org.

political appointees – Trump is demoralizing the department, chasing away professionals and scaring away the experts who might lead real change.

America is a great nation. Our economy is still one of the greatest in the world. Our military is unmatched. Our so-called “soft power” – in culture, language and commerce – is without rival. Yet we find ourselves unable to “start winning.”

No victory in sight The military is mired in conflicts in the Middle East with no exit and no victory. Trump is alienating our neighbors, even when we should be strengthening our bonds. Our allies are increasingly perturbed by the president’s erratic bluster.

Voters may have thought Trump the businessman would be a strong negotiator, as he promised. Instead, he’s turned out to be a showman, infatuated with military gestures, scornful of the quiet arts of diplomacy.

He isn’t putting America first; he’s putting America at risk.

The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. is president and CEO of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. brawny ones. Therefore, it behooves us to not only champion the ascent of women in this context but also help men cope with the emasculating cultural transformation afoot.

Still manly As written in The Economist on May 30, 2015, “Women have learned that they can be surgeons and physicists without losing their femininity. Men need to understand that traditional manual jobs are not coming back, and that they can be nurses or hairdressers without losing their masculinity.”

The Economist might have added that men can also take pride in being househusbands, performing the most traditional of all jobs once relegated to women.

Anthony L. Hall is a native of The Bahamas with an international law practice in Washington, D.C. Read his columns and daily weblog at www. theipinionsjournal.com.

Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC, P.O. Box 48857 Tampa, FL 33646, publishes the Florida Courier on Fridays. Phone: 877-352-4455, toll-free. For all sales inquiries, call 877-352-4455; e-mail sales@flcourier.com.

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JUNE 30 – JULY 6, 2017

EDITORIAL

A5

‘What to the slave is the Fourth of July?’

Editor’s note: On July 5, 1852, anti-slavery crusader Frederick Douglass spoke at an event commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Rochester, N.Y. Excerpts appear below. To read the entire text, go to www.flcourier.com.

(T)he Fourth of July... marks the beginning of another year of your national life…Nations number their years by thousands. You are…still lingering in the period of childhood. Were the nation older, the patriot’s heart might be sadder, and the reformer’s brow heavier.

Our eyes are met with demonstrations of joyous enthusiasm.

Banners and pennants wave exultingly on the breeze…The earpiercing fife and the stirring drum unite their accents with the ascending peal of a thousand church bells.

Prayers are made, hymns are sung, and sermons are preached in honor of this day; while the quick martial tramp of a great and multitudinous nation, echoed back by all the hills, valleys and mountains of a vast continent, bespeak the occasion one of thrilling and universal interests nation’s jubilee.

Why am I here? …(W)hy am I called upon to speak here today? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us? And am I, therefore, called upon to bring our humble offering to the national altar, and to confess the benefits and express devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us?

I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us, I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me.

The sunlight that brought life and healing to you has brought stripes and death to me.

This Fourth [of] July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony. Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak today?

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down. Yea! We wept when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there, they that carried us away captive, required of us a song; and they who wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

How can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth.

Fellow-citizens; above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are, today, rendered more intolerable by the jubilee shouts that reach them. If I do forget, if I do not faithfully remember those bleeding children of sorrow this day, “may my right hand forget her cunning, and may my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth!”

To forget them, to pass lightly over their wrongs, and to chime in with the popular theme, would be treason most scandalous and shocking, and would make me a reproach before God and the world.

From the slave’s perspective I shall see, this day, and its popular characteristics, from the slave’s point of view. Standing, there, identified with the American bondman, making his wrongs mine, I do not hesitate to declare, with all my soul, that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this Fourth of July! Whether we turn to the declarations of the past, or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting.

America is false to the past,

Frederick Douglass, 1818-1895 false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future. Standing with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged, in the name of liberty which is fettered, in the name of the Constitution and the Bible, which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery-the great sin and shame of America!

I will not equivocate; I will not excuse; I will use the severest language I can command; and yet not one word shall escape me that any man, whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice, or who is not at heart a slaveholder, shall not confess to be right and just.

No persuasion needed But I fancy I hear some one of my audience say, it is just in this circumstance that you and your brother abolitionists fail to make a favorable impression on the public mind. Would you argue more, and denounce less, would you persuade more, and rebuke less, your cause would be much more likely to succeed.

But, I submit, where all is plain there is nothing to be argued. What point in the anti-slavery creed would you have me argue? On what branch of the subject do the people of this country need light?

Must I undertake to prove that the slave is a man? That point is conceded already. Nobody doubts it.

The slaveholders themselves acknowledge it in the enactment of laws for their government. They acknowledge it when they punish disobedience on the part of the slave.

There are seventy-two crimes in the state of Virginia, which, if committed by a Black man, (no matter how ignorant he be), subject him to the punishment of death, while only two of the same crimes will subject a White man to the like punishment. What is this but the acknowledgement that the slave is a moral, intellectual and responsible being?

It is admitted in the fact that Southern statute books are covered with enactments forbidding, under severe fines and penalties, the teaching of the slave to read or to write. When you can point to any such laws, in reference to the beasts of the field, then I may consent to argue the manhood of the slave.

Is it not astonishing that, while we are plowing, planting and reaping, using all kinds of mechanical tools, erecting houses, constructing bridges, building ships, working in metals of brass, iron, copper, silver and gold; that, while we are reading, writing and ciphering, acting as clerks, merchants and secretaries, having among us lawyers, doctors, ministers, poets, authors, editors, orators and teachers; that, while we are engaged in all manner of enterprises common to other men, digging gold in California, capturing the whale in the Pacific, feeding sheep and cattle on the hill-side, living, moving, acting, thinking, planning, living in families as husbands, wives and children, and, above all, confessing and worshipping the Christian’s God, and looking hopefully for life and immortality beyond the grave, we are called upon to

prove that we are men!

Would you have me argue that man is entitled to liberty? That he is the rightful owner of his own body? You have already declared it. Must I argue the wrongfulness of slavery? Is it to be settled by the rules of logic and argumentation, as a matter beset with great difficulty, involving a doubtful application of the principle of justice, hard to be understood?

How should I look today, in the presence of Americans, dividing, and subdividing a discourse, to show that men have a natural right to freedom? There is not a man beneath the canopy of heaven that does not know that slavery is wrong for him.

What, am I to argue that it is wrong to make men brutes, to rob them of their liberty, to work them without wages, to keep them ignorant of their relations to their fellow men, to beat them with sticks, to flay their flesh with the lash, to load their limbs with irons, to hunt them with dogs, to sell them at auction, to sunder their families, to knock out their teeth, to burn their flesh, to starve them into obedience and submission to their masters?

Must I argue that a system thus marked with blood, and stained with pollution, is wrong? No! I will not. I have better employments for my time and strength than such arguments would imply.

Fire and thunder O! Had I the ability, and could I reach the nation’s ear, I would, today, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder.

We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced.

What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelly to which he is the constant victim.

To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy – a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.

There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of these United States at this very hour.

Go where you may, search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the old world, travel through South America, search out every abuse, and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the everyday practices of this nation, and you will say with me, that, for

revolting barbarity and shameless rose in rebellion to oppose,” a sevhypocrisy, America reigns without enth part of the inhabitants of your country. a rival.

I will not enlarge further on your national inconsistencies. The exDefiled Christianity (T)he church of this country… istence of slavery in this countakes sides with the oppressors. try brands your republicanism as It has made itself the bulwark of a sham, your humanity as a base American slavery, and the shield pretence, and your Christianity as a lie. It destroys your moral power of American slave-hunters.

Many of its most eloquent Di- abroad; it corrupts your politicians vines who stand as the very lights at home. It saps the foundation of the church, have shamelessly of religion; it makes your name a given the sanction of religion and hissing, and a byword to a mockthe Bible to the whole slave sys- ing earth.

It is the antagonistic force in tem.

They have taught that man may, your government, the only thing properly, be a slave; that the re- that seriously disturbs and enlation of master and slave is or- dangers your Union. It fetters your dained of God; that to send back progress; it is the enemy of iman escaped bondman to his mas- provement, the deadly foe of eduter is clearly the duty of all the fol- cation; it fosters pride; it breeds inlowers of the Lord Jesus Christ; solence; it promotes vice; it sheland this horrible blasphemy is ters crime; it is a curse to the earth palmed off upon the world for that supports it; and yet, you cling to it, as if it were the sheet anchor Christianity.

For my part, I would say, wel- of all your hopes.

Oh! Be warned! Be warned! A come infidelity! Welcome atheism!

Welcome anything in preference horrible reptile is coiled up in your to the gospel as preached by those nation’s bosom; the venomous creature is nursing at the tender Divines!

These ministers make religion a breast of your youthful republic; cold and flinty-hearted thing, hav- for the love of God, tear away, and ing neither principles of right ac- fling from you the hideous montion, nor bowels of compassion. ster, and let the weight of twenty They strip the love of God of its millions crush and destroy it forbeauty, and leave the throng of re- ever! ligion a huge, horrible, repulsive form.

I still have hope It is a religion for oppressors, tyAllow me to say, in conclusion, rants, man-stealers, and thugs. It notwithstanding the dark picture is not that “pure and undefiled re- I have this day presented of the ligion” which is from above, and state of the nation, I do not despair which is “first pure, then peaceof this country. There are forces in able, easy to be entreated, full of operation, which must inevitably mercy and good fruits, without work the downfall of slavery. “The partiality, and without hypocrisy.” arm of the Lord is not shortened”…

But a religion which favors the I, therefore, leave off where I began rich against the poor; which exalts the proud above the humble; – with hope.

No nation can now shut itself up which divides mankind into two from the surrounding world, and classes, tyrants and slaves; which says to the man in chains, stay trot round in the same old path of there; and to the oppressor, op- its fathers without interference.

The time was when such could press on; it is a religion which may be done. Long established cusbe professed and enjoyed by all the robbers and enslavers of man- toms of hurtful character could kind; it makes God a respecter of formerly fence themselves in, and persons, denies His fatherhood of do their evil work with social imthe race, and tramples in the dust punity. Knowledge was then conthe great truth of the brotherhood fined and enjoyed by the privileged few, and the multitude of man.

All this we affirm to be true of walked on in mental darkness.

But a change has now come the popular church, and the popular worship of our land and nation over the affairs of mankind. Walled – a religion, a church, and a wor- cities and empires have become ship, which, on the authority of in- unfashionable. The arm of comspired wisdom, we pronounce to merce has borne away the gates of be an abomination in the sight of the strong city. Intelligence is penetrating the darkest corners of the God. globe. It makes its pathway over Inconsistency, hypocrisy and under the sea, as well as on the earth.

Americans! Your republican Oceans no longer divide, but politics, not less than your repub- link nations together. From Boston lican religion, are flagrantly incon- to London is now a holiday excursistent. sion. Space is comparatively anYou boast of your love of liber- nihilated. Thoughts expressed on ty, your superior civilization, and one side of the Atlantic are distinctyour pure Christianity, while the ly heard on the other. No abuse, no whole political power of the nation outrage whether in taste, sport or (as embodied in the two great poavarice, can now hide itself from litical parties), is solemnly pledged the all-pervading light. to support and perpetuate the enIn the fervent aspirations of Wilslavement of three millions of your liam Lloyd Garrison, I say, and let countrymen.

You invite to your shores fugi- every heart join in saying it: God speed the year of jubilee/ tives of oppression from abroad, honor them with banquets, greet The wide world o’er them with ovations, cheer them, When from their galling chains set toast them, salute them, protect free,/Th’ oppress’d shall vilely bend them, and pour out your money to the knee, them like water; but the fugitives And wear the yoke of tyranny/Like from your own land you advertise, brutes no more.

That year will come, and freedom’s hunt, arrest, shoot and kill.

You are all on fire at the mention reign,/To man his plundered fights of liberty for France or for Ireland; again but are as cold as an iceberg at the Restore.

God speed the day when human thought of liberty for the enslaved blood/Shall cease to flow! of America.

You can bare your bosom to the In every clime be understood,/The storm of British artillery to throw claims of human brotherhood, off a three-penny tax on tea; and And each return for evil, good/Not yet wring the last hard-earned far- blow for blow; thing from the grasp of the Black That day will come all feuds to end./And change into a faithful laborers of your country.

You profess to believe “that, of friend one blood, God made all nations Each foe.

God speed the hour, the glorious of men to dwell on the face of all the earth,” and hath commanded hour,/When none on earth all men, everywhere to love one Shall exercise a lordly power,/Nor another; yet you notoriously hate, in a tyrant’s presence cower; (and glory in your hatred), all men But all to manhood’s stature towwhose skins are not colored like er,/By equal birth!

That hour will come, to each, to your own.

You declare, before the world, all,/And from his prison-house, the and are understood by the world thrall to declare, that you “hold these Go forth.

Until that year, day, hour, artruths to be self evident, that all men are created equal; and are en- rive,/With head, and heart, and dowed by their Creator with cer- hand I’ll strive, tain inalienable rights; and that, To break the rod, and rend the among these are, life, liberty, and gyve,/The spoiler of his prey dethe pursuit of happiness;” and priveyet, you hold securely, in a bond- So witness Heaven! /And never age which, according to your own from my chosen post, Thomas Jefferson, “is worse than Whate’er the peril or the cost,/Be ages of that which your fathers driven.

NATION

TOJ A6

JUNE 30 – JULY 6, 2017

More questions about Trump’s travel ban Supreme Court’s decision expected to spark concerns, lawsuits relating to a ‘bona fide relationship’

been assigned to a specific resettlement agency?

At what stage in the process, which can take as long as two years, is such a relationship considered bona fide?

Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration professor at Cornell Law School, argues that a refugee who has already been identified by a U.S. refugee resettlement agency and is just waiting to board a plane will likely be allowed to enter. But a person who is just starting the refugee application process and doesn’t have any ties to the United States probably won’t.

BY FRANCO ORDONEX MCCLATCHY DC/TNS

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to only partially lift an injunction against President Donald Trump’s travel ban is likely to create a nightmare scenario for border officials and the lower courts, as federal officials struggle to decide who should and shouldn’t be allowed to enter the United States.

Both proponents and opponents of Trump’s temporary travel ban against six majority-Muslim countries expect more lawsuits this summer to define what it means to have a “bona fide relationship” with someone or some group in the United States.

The Supreme Court decided Monday to allow parts of Trump’s 90-day travel ban to go into effect and will hear oral arguments on the case in October.

But the court will allow people from the six designated countries — Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — to enter the U.S. if they can prove they have “bona fide relationship with any person or entity in the United States.”

What that means In its 13-page decision, the court gave several examples of what it considers an appropriate bona fide relationship.

They include a foreign national who wishes to visit a spouse or someone with a “close familial relationship;” a student who has been admitted by a university; a lecturer who has been invited to address an American audience, or a worker who has accepted a

Ready for battle

BRIAN CASSELLA/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS

Demonstrators converge in reaction to the initial executive order travel ban on Jan. 29 outside of O’Hare International Airport. job from an American company.

But the court’s decision also left many open questions. What actually is a “close familial relationship?” Does it include a cousin or grandparent? What about a business person who is traveling to the United States on a job assignment or prospect?

One of the largest groups that immigration lawyers are concerned about are refugees. The court’s decision doesn’t explicitly address the conditions under

which refugees from the six nations will continue to be allowed into the United States.

Admitting refugees Presumably, the term “bona fide relationship” could apply to the tens of thousands of prospective refugees who have ties with a resettlement agency in the United States, immigration lawyers argue. But what about those prospective refugees who have not

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Organizations that challenged the ban argued that most people from the affected countries attempting to enter the United States already have the necessary long-standing relationship.

But the International Refugee Assistance Projects and American Civil Liberties Union lawyers said they’re ready if the administration tries to interpret the court’s decision more aggressively and ban more people from entering.

“It’s going to be very important for us over this intervening period to make sure the government abides by the terms of the order and does not try to use it as a back door into implementing the full-scale Muslim ban that it’s been seeking to implement,” said Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU immigrants rights project.

The justices also said that a nonprofit group devoted to immigration issues could not simply add a foreign national from one of the designated countries to its client list just so that person could travel to the United States.

Thomas’ take The high court’s decision to consider the ban in October, and lift lower courts’ orders blocking the measure, was Trump’s first major victory on the issue — after multiple courts blocked the

travel ban against travelers from the six countries.

In a dissenting opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas argued that that injunction against Trump’s travel ban should be completely lifted. He predicts the lawsuits and called the court’s remedy “unworkable.”

He said it would burden executive officials with the task of deciding whether individuals from the six affected nations have a sufficient connection to a person in the U.S. to be allowed to enter the country.

“The compromise also will invite a flood of litigation until this case is finally resolved on the merits, as parties and courts struggle to determine what exactly constitutes a ‘bona fide relationship,’ who precisely has a ‘credible claim’ to that relationship, and whether the claimed relationship was formed ‘simply to avoid’ the executive order,” Thomas wrote in a dissent, which was joined by Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Neil M. Gorsuch.

Less chaos?

Confusion about Trump’s initial order created chaos at U.S. airports as immigration and customs agents initially blocked the entry of all citizens from the involved countries, including those who had lived in the United States for years.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer referred all questions about what it means to have a bona fide relationship to the Justice Department.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials said Monday they’re reviewing the order with the departments of Justice and State.

“The implementation of the Executive Order will be done professionally, with clear and sufficient public notice, particularly to potentially affected travelers, and in coordination with partners in the travel industry,” DHS said in a statement.

HEALTH FOOD || HEALTH TRAVEL | |MONEY SCIENCE | BOOKS | MOVIES | TV | AUTOS LIFE | FAITH | EVENTS | CLASSIFIEDS | ENTERTAINMENT | SPORTS | FOOD COURIER

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ConFunkShun among groups coming to Florida See page B2

JUNE 30 – JULY 6, 2017

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

Stories behind songs on ‘Purple Rain’ soundtrack See page B3

SOUTH FLORIDA / TREASURE COAST AREA

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF ELEANOR HENDRICKS MCDANIEL

This travel writer takes a break from her Route 66 tour. One of her stops includes the Route 66 Museum in Lebanon, Missouri.

Plenty to see and do along Hotels, eateries and museums offer a glimpse of history along the ‘Mother Road.’

BY ELEANOR HENDRICKS MCDANIEL SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

W

ith the advent of Henry Ford’s “Tin Lizzie,” Americans were eager to hit the road. But before 1926, long-distance travel by automobile was difficult, if not impossible.

Only 2 percent of roads were paved – the rest were dirt or gravel trails. Maps and road signs differed from state to state, and were confusing or non-existent. In 1921, the federal government stepped in and solved those problems by establishing the U.S. highway system.

Old, traditionally named roads like the Lincoln Highway and the Santa Fe Trail, were now numbered. The National Old Trails Highway became Route 66.

A travel invite Running for 2,400 miles from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California, the two-lane highway rolled east and west through some of the nation’s most iconic landscapes. It became the pathway to exploration and adventure.

Today, Missouri is working on recapturing the nation’s driving obsession by revitalizing its portion of Route 66 (aka the Mother Road).

The state is inviting motorists to tour that legendary highway’s mid-century heyday. So fill up the car with gas, luggage, snacks and your favorite pals, and hit the road.

Where to stay Starting in the 1950s, post-war Americans headed out to see the USA. Clean and comfortable accommodations topped the list of necessities for travelers. In Springfield, Missouri, Edgar and Elinor Lippman built the Route 66 Rail Haven Court. The Best Western chain joined the inn in 1948, and is now called the Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven Motel.

It still retains its retro appearance, but the guestrooms have been updated to please today’s traveler with modern amenities like free Wi-Fi and flatscreen televisions. But in every room hangs a picture of Elvis Presley and his mother when they stayed there.

Get a bit of nostalgia at the tiny village of Red Oak.

Stuck in 1949 On the other hand, Boots Court in Carthage is frozen in 1949.

In spite of its choice location at the Crossroads of America, (which is the junction of Route 71 that runs northsouth from Canada to Louisiana and Route 66), nothing has changed since post-World War II. The lodging boasts of period furnishings, chenille bedspreads, showerheads fixed for short people. There are carports and radios since TVs were rare at that time. But, as the best hostelry in the area, people from all walks of life slept there, including Hollywood’s Golden Era leading man Clark Gable.

Diner favorites Equally as important as lodging was eating while on the move.

For 36 years, Carthage Deli has filled the transient tummy. When customers enter the eatery and see the 1950s décor, they expect 1950s food favorites.

At that time, not many people were counting calories or eating low-fat so large breakfasts like bacon, sausage, eggs, grits and biscuits with gravy were on the menu.

Lunchtime offers the simple sandwiches many of us grew up on: tuna salad, BLT, club and grilled cheese. But just like in those days, Carthage Deli continues to take care of its diners with a sweet tooth by scooping its homemade ice cream, and, on Tuesdays, giving away free brownies.

If you’re still craving more American staples, pull into the first Steak ‘n Shake that, incidentally, still has curbside service. It’s located right on Route 66 in Springfield.

Museum of memorabilia The Route 66 Museum in Lebanon gives a comprehensive overview of the conditions, issues and problems along

Order your burger at the first Steak ‘n Shake restaurant. the Mother Road in the 20th century.

The 10-year old venue has a collection of artifacts, photographs, dioramas, newspaper ads, maps and more.

Don’t miss the vintage recreations of a diner, a motor inn cabin and a gas station while on your self-guided tour.

The owner, Mark Spangler, is passionate about the subject. He says, “In a 40-year period, we (America) achieved amazing progress for automobile trips.”

Place for car lovers If you’re motoring along Route 66, you might love cars. If you love cars, you should brake at the Route 66 Car

The Best Western Route 66 Rail Ha-

See ROUTE 66, Page B2 ven Motel retains a retro mode.

CALENDAR & BOOKS

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JUNE 30 – JULY 6, 2017

STOJ

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR Miami Gardens: The city will present a Fourth of July family celebration on Tuesday from 5 to 9:30 p.m. at the Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex, 3000 NW 199th St. It will include games and fireworks.

Orlando: Reggae star Beres Hammond performs Aug 5 at Hard Rock Live Orlando and Aug. 6 at the AuRene Theater at the Broward Center.

CONFUNKSHUN

MORRIS DAY

Catch the legendary groups along with Steve Arrington and Cherelle (right) at the Funk Legends of R&B concert on July 8 at the James L. Knight Center in Miami.

Jacksonville’s Morocco Shrine Grounds will be site of the Aug. 12 Throwback Concert featuring Morris Day and The Time, Adina Howard, Lakeside, Ready for the World, Troop, and Rude Boys.

BET

Michael Brown book gets picked up by Hollywood

BY JOE HOLLEMAN ST. LOUS POST-DISPATCH/TNS

Warner Bros. is taking steps to make a movie about the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in 2014 in Ferguson, a Hollywood trade publication reports.

According to Tracking Board, the studio has picked up the rights to the autobiography of Lezley McSpadden, Brown’s mother. The book is titled “Tell the Truth & Shame the Devil.”

Fort Lauderdale: Comedian and actor Sinbad takes the stage Aug. 11 at the Parker Playhouse.

Jacksonville: Rick Ross and K. Michelle will perform on July 8 at the Times Union Center for the Performing Arts.

Orlando: An All White Affair starring

ROUTE 66 from Page 1

Museum. The site contains over 70 collector vehicles.

Classic antique autos and high-performance sports cars are parked next to Hollywood movie cars, trucks and motorcycles. Cars as old as the 1907 REO and as new as the modern-day Viper bookend those from every decade in between.

Colorful festoons and automobile memorabilia decorate the 20,000 squarefoot space. A gift shop sells all sorts of auto souvenirs for kids and adults.

With more than 300 miles of Route 66 crossing Missouri, there are even more roadside attractions to visit.

For instance, catch a movie at the Route 66 Drive-Inn in Carthage, or pull into a

The book was released in May 2016 and focuses on Brown’s being shot by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson shortly after the 18-year-old allegedly robbed a convenience store.

The event set off months of unrest in the area and sparked a national debate about the problems with the relationship between police and the Black community.

Wilson was not indicted in the incident and the U.S. Department of Justice ultimately ruled that Wilson acted in self-defense.

The publication goes on to say that the studio, which was competing with several other shops for the movie rights, want to “develop a drama that is tonally and thematically similar to Crash, which won Best Picture in 2005.”

The studio is currently seeking a writer to adapt the book, which McSpadden co-

Sunrise: Lionel Richie, Mariah Carey and Tauren Wells will be in concert on Aug. 10 at the BB&T Center and Aug. 11 at Tampa’s Amalie Arena.

More to see

Released last year

Seeking a writer

Coral Gables: DJ Khaled will be at Coral Gables’ Watsco Center on June 29 for Impact ’17.

Ginuwine and DJ Envy is July 21 at Hard Rock Live Orlando.

Tampa: Tickets are on sale for the Total Package Tour with Paula Abdul, New Kids on the Block and Boyz II Men at the Amalie Arena on July 15.

Jacksonville: Catch Betty Wright on July 22 at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts.

Orlando: Full Gospel Baptist presents Rickey Smiley and Friends on June 30 at Hard Rock Live Orlando.

Miami: J. Cole’s Your Eyez Only Tour stops at the AmericanAirlines Arena on Aug. 14 and Orlando’s Amway Center on Aug. 16.

St. Petersburg: Tickets are on sale for a show with the Isley Brothers on Aug. 6 at the Mahaffey Theater.

Orlando: The 18th Annual Darrell Armstrong Classic Weekend is Aug. 11-13. The foundation helps premature babies. More info: 407-252-333 or jbm395@gmail.com.

Miami: Tickets are on sale for Kendrick Lamar’s Damn Tour on Sept. 2 at the AmericanAirlines Arena and Sept.

10 at Tampa’s Amalie Arena.

vintage Phillips 66 gas station in the little town of Red Oak – but gasoline is not available.

You can explore caves, taste beverages at St. James Winery and Public House Brewing Company in St. James or tour Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield in Republic. And the list goes on.

For more information, log on to visitMO.com.

Eleanor Hendricks McDaniel is a seasoned travel journalist who enjoys writing about girlfriend getaways, history, culture, food, wine, and some of the people she meets along the way. Her travels have taken her throughout the United States, Europe and other countries. Formerly of Philadelphia, she now resides in Ormond Beach. Follow her on Twitter: @ellethewriter, Instagram: @eleanor1004, Facebook: Eleanor.hendricks.mcdaniel and her website: flybynighttraveler.com.

SIMON & SHUSTER/TNS

“Tell the Truth & Shame the Devil” is the autobiography by Lezley McSpadden, Michael Brown’s mother. wrote with novelist Lyah Beth LeFlore, and is “eager to hire a writer of color” to adapt the book for the big screen, the story reports.

Romance author to launch 25th book at Fort Lauderdale event Florida-based author Yahrah St. John, celebrates the launching of her 25th Harlequin Romance book.

Released on May 23 in paperback and June 1 as an e-book, “Miami After Hours’’ is the first of of three books in the Millionaire Moguls series.

A book launch is scheduled during the South Florida Book Festival “Evening with the Literary Stars” on July 21 at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center, 2650 Sistrunk Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale.

About the author St. John earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Northwestern University. As a bestselling contemporary romance author at Harlequin, one of the world’s largest publishing houses, she has written for the Kimani Romance line since 2004. Her books are sold in both print and online editions.

The Chicago native is a newlywed currently residing in Central Florida with her

Yahrah St. John’s new book is titled “Miami After Hours.’’ It’s the first in the Millionaire Moguls series. husband. She is a prominently recognized member of Romance Writers of America and has been lauded for her literary contributions across the globe.

St. John’s accolades at Harlequin include being the recipient of Romantic Times Book Reviews 2013 Reviewer’s Choice Award and Best Kimani Romance for her book, “A Chance with You.’’ For more information about her and her books, visit http://yahrahstjohn.com.

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CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES

STOJ

JUNE 30 – JULY 6, 2017

Meet some of

FLORIDA’S

finest

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

B3

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.

Thousands of Caribbean culture lovers converge on South Florida every year on the Columbus Day weekend to attend the annual Miami Broward Carnival, a series of concerts, pageants, parades, and competitions. On Carnival Day, “mas” (masquerade) bands of thousands of revelers dance and march behind 18-wheel tractortrailer trucks with booming sound systems from morning until nightfall while competing for honors. Here are some of the “Finest” we’ve seen over the years.

Go to www.miamibrowardcarnival.com for information on this year’s Carnival.

CHARLES W. CHERRY II / FLORIDA COURIER

Keyboardist shares stories behind ‘Purple Rain’ soundtrack

BY JON BREAM STAR TRIBUNE/TNS

The songs from “Purple Rain” are familiar. The stories behind them are not. Prince and the Revolution never really talked about them. Until now.

With remastered and deluxe versions of the blockbuster 1984 soundtrack “Purple Rain” being released this week, the Star Tribune spoke to Lisa Coleman, keyboardist for Prince and the Revolution.

She talked about the wellknown songs, the 11 previously unreleased tunes and a live DVD of a 1985 concert in Syracuse, N.Y., that is included in a four-disc expanded package.

Lisa Coleman

‘He’d be proud’

On Prince’s involvement with this repackaging, which was reportedly in the works before his death in April 2016: “It was hard for him to ever look backwards,” Coleman said.

“I can’t imagine him being involved in it. But who knows? He was such a control freak.”

Nevertheless, she felt “he’d be proud of it. They (Warner Bros.) made smart choices as far as what bonus tracks to include.”

On songwriting Unlike previous Prince albums, “Purple Rain” was “a band thing,” said Coleman. Prince would come to rehearsal in a warehouse and the Revolution would flesh out his ideas.

For example, Coleman said, “Let’s Go Crazy” started as “a typical rock riff. I thought it was kind of silly. The more we played it, the more it developed into a

BET honors for Beyoncé, Chance the Rapper FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

sparkly, tough song. It’s sort of Disneyland, but it’s talking about life before death. The band added just the right attitude.”

‘Purple Rain’ Prince had the seed of an idea in his mind, Coleman said, but the song was country or folk — and he didn’t cotton to either genre. He brought the song to rehearsal anyway.

“When Wendy (Melvoin) played those chords on guitar, it changed his mind about what the song could be. I remember his face: ‘How do you do that?’ It ignited him and the rest of us. By the end of the day, it was pretty much in shape. Except for the vocals.

“He overwrote. He wrote many more verses. We played three verses at First Avenue (at a concert in August 1983 when the song was first recorded). He later cut it to two. Lyrically the other verse wasn’t in the same heart as the first two.”

About Wendy line Coleman also speaks about opening line to “Computer Blue” — “Wendy? Is the water warm enough?”

“Isn’t it so silly?” Coleman proffered. “It was Prince. He literally handed me a piece of paper in the studio and said, ‘Would you say this?’ I said, ‘When?’

‘Right now on the mic,’ he said.

‘Stop being a wiseguy.’

“The words had no meaning in my mind.”

‘When Doves Cry’ “I didn’t think it would connect with people. I thought it was really mature. It was the most grown-up thing he’d done. There’s something about the minimalism of it that’s sophisticated. Then the lyrical content is universal. He found such a great

RICHARD HARTOG/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

Prince performs “Purple Rain” as the opening act during the 46th Annual Grammy Awards show on Feb. 8, 2004 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. way of addressing that old issue of us becoming our parents. It was very artful.”

‘Darling Nikki’ He recorded this song and “The Beautiful Ones” all by himself, without the Revolution. And then he played “Nikki” for Coleman in his car one night.

“I loved it. I tagged the line (about masturbation) that (people) were going to freak out about. I thought it was funny. He was like, ‘Am I going to get away with it?’ He blasted it in his car.

Blew my head off. So I had to punch him in the arm. He was too good. Musically it was so cocky.”

‘Our Destiny’ Coleman also comments on the new songs — starting with “Our Destiny/Roadhouse Garden,” which the Revolution is performing on its current tour.

They were two different songs at first. Prince sang “Our Destiny,” then he had Coleman record it on lead vocals and then Jill Jones do it.

Coleman said Prince was caught up about a line about Rita Hayworth that didn’t please him.

To Coleman, “Roadhouse Garden” was “such a good time. It reminds me of a sunny day in Minneapolis and things were good.

We were in a good mood. Prince was really happy. It felt like a true story.”

‘Electric Intercourse’ “That’s the kind of songs when little girls love Prince. It’s like ‘Do Me, Baby’ or something like that but a little more risqué. It was successful when we played it live, but in the studio it wasn’t quite as dynamic.”

Beyoncé, who had twins this month, won five more awards at the 2017 BET Awards, including Album of the Year and Best Female R&B/Pop Artist.

Chance the Rapper took home three trophies, including Best New Artist and the Humanitarian Award. He was introduced and praised via video for his humanitarian work by former first lady Michelle Obama. The awards show aired on June 25 from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

“Chance is showing our young people that they matter. Because of you, countless young people will grow up believing in themselves,’’ she stated.

Bruno Mars, who kicked off the show with his song, “Perma,’’ was named best male R&B/pop artist.

It was his first BET award.

Rema Ma bests Minaj Kendrick Lamar, who performed with Future, won best male hip-hop artist.

Remy Ma won the best female hip-hop artist, an award that had gone to Nicki Minaj since 2010.

The show included performances by Xscape and New Edition.

For a list of all of the winners, visit BET.com.

‘Father’s Song’ “Prince and his dad had a very deep, important relationship. His father was a piano player. Prince really looked up to him. Their relationship needed a lot of healing. After a couple years, he started inviting his dad around more.

“This song was a healing gesture. It was important to Prince to have his father be represented. ‘Father’s Song’ is based on a melody that John Nelson wrote.

Prince played piano on the recording.

“He would be pleased to have it included (in this package). Their relationship got so much better.”

MARSHALL/REX SHUTTERSTOCK/ZUMA PRESS/TNS

Chance the Rapper, 24, received BET’s Humanitarian Award on June 25. He’s shown above on May 2 at a concert in Colorado. Earlier this year, he pledged $1 million from his summer tour to Chicago’s public school system.

B4

FOOD

JUNE 30 – JULY 6, 2017

STOJ

FIRE UP the FOURTH with tasty backyard recipes FROM FAMILY FEATURES

Fireworks, family and food are what the Fourth of July is all about. This year, add some spark to backyard staples like grilled chicken and potato salad with a little help from tangy condiments, smoky rubs and your cast-iron skillet.

For a main dish that’s sure to be a crowd pleaser, smother grilled chicken with a white barbecue sauce – the South’s tangy little secret. It’s made with simple pantry ingredients like mayonnaise, cider vinegar and mustard.

RED, WHITE AND BLUE CAKE Prep time: 25 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Servings: 12 1 package (2-layer size) white cake mix 2 teaspoons McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract 1/2 teaspoon Blue McCormick Assorted Neon Food Colors & Egg Dye 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 2 teaspoons McCormick Red Food Color

Make a one-pan side dish next to the cooking chicken by placing your cast-iron skillet directly on the grates. Smash whole potatoes in the pan then top with bacon, cheese and a chipotle seasoning. Let it all melt together and then top with sour cream for a smoking side.

Round out the meal with a festive cake that looks as impressive as it tastes. Dye white cake mix batter red and blue using food color then assemble in a flag shape with whipped cream and berries.

Find more recipes and ideas to fire up your Fourth of July at McCormick.com.

nonstick spray 1 container (16 ounces) white frosting 1 cup raspberries 1/2 cup blueberries Heat oven to 350 F. Prepare cake mix as directed on package, adding vanilla. Transfer 1 1/2 cups batter to small bowl and tint with neon blue food color. Tint remaining batter red by adding cocoa powder and red food color. Pour each color batter into separate 9-by-5-inch loaf pans sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Bake blue-tinted cake 20-25 minutes; red-tinted cake 30-35

minutes. Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely.

Trim cakes to remove rounded tops and edges. Slice red cake in half horizontally to form two thin layers. Place one layer on platter.

Slice remaining red cake layer in half lengthwise. Slice blue cake in half lengthwise. (Blue and red cakes should be same dimensions.)

Frost red cake layer on platter with 1/3 frosting. Top with lengthwise slices of red and blue cake side-by-side. Frost with 1/3 frosting. Repeat cake layer and frosting. Garnish with raspberries and blueberries to resemble flag.

GRILLED AND LOADED SMASHED POTATOES Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes Servings: 12 1 1/2 pounds medium Yukon gold potatoes 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 5 teaspoons McCormick Grill Mates Bacon Chipotle Seasoning, divided 6 slices Applewood smoked bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces 1 cup chopped yellow onion 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions 1/4 cup sour cream Heat grill to medium.

Place potatoes on microwavable plate. Pierce potatoes with fork several times. Microwave on high 5-6 minutes, or until fork-tender but still firm. Let stand until cool enough to handle. In large bowl, toss potatoes, oil and 3 teaspoons seasoning until well coated.

Place potatoes on grill and cook, turning frequently, 4-5 minutes or until skin is crispy. In large castiron skillet on grill, cook and stir bacon 8-10 minutes, or until crisp.

Add yellow onion and bell pepper; cook and stir 2-3 minutes, or until tender-crisp.

Push bacon mixture to one side of skillet. Add potatoes to other side of skillet. Smash each potato with heavy spatula, bottom of small sturdy bowl or meat pounder.

Sprinkle potatoes with remaining seasoning. Spoon bacon mixture over potatoes. Sprinkle with cheese.

Cover pan or close grill. Cook 3-5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

To serve, sprinkle with green onions and dollops of sour cream.

Test Kitchen Tip: Cooking potatoes before grilling reduces overall grill time.

WHITE BARBECUE SAUCE WITH SMOKY CHICKEN Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes Servings: 6 White Barbecue Sauce: 1 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup cider vinegar 2 tablespoons Zatarain’s Creole Mustard 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish 1/2 teaspoon McCormick Coarse Ground Black Pepper 1/2 teaspoon McCormick Garlic Powder 1/4 teaspoon salt Smoky Chicken: 1 cup hickory wood chips 2 pounds bone-in chicken parts 2 tablespoons McCormick Grill Mates Applewood Rub To make sauce: In medium bowl, mix mayonnaise, vinegar, creole mustard, horseradish, black pepper, garlic and salt until well blended. Cover.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving to blend flavors.

To make chicken: Cover wood chips in water and soak 30 minutes. Season chicken with rub. Drain wood chips. Fill smoker box with wet wood chips. Place smoker box under grill rack on one side of grill before lighting. Close grill.

Prepare grill for indirect medium heat (350-375 F). Heat grill by turning all burners to medium. Once cooking temperature is reached, turn off burner(s) on one side. Place chicken on unlit side of grill. Close grill cover.

Grill, turning occasionally, 30-40 minutes, or until internal temperature of thickest part of chicken is 165 F. Move chicken to lit side of grill with skin side down. Turn lit side of grill to high.

Grill, uncovered, 3-5 minutes longer, or until chicken is charred. Serve chicken with White Barbecue Sauce.

Test Kitchen Tip: Refrigerate any leftover sauce and use as salad dressing, condiment for burgers or dipping sauce for pretzels and vegetables.

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JUNE 30 – JULY 6, 2017

FOOD

B5

SERVE UP A SUNDAE BAR The only thing better than a dish of cold ice cream on a hot summer day is the chance to make it all your own. Let guests create their own dishes of deliciousness with a DIY sundae bar. Start with a healthy supply of cups, spoons and towels to mop up inevitable drips then fill the bar with irresistible options like these: A sampling of ice creams, like vanilla, chocolate and strawberry Fresh sliced fruit Crushed candies and cookies Sauces (chocolate, caramel and something fruity, too) Assorted nuts Crunchy favorites like crumbled cones or salty pretzels Coconut (raw and toasted) Whipped cream Sprinkles

ADD SIZZLE TO YOUR FOURTH FROM FAMILY FEATURES

Great ideas for grilling and more PHOTOS COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES

A dazzling fireworks display may be the grand finale for your celebration, but you can make your mouthwatering menu a close second with these ideas to light up your Fourth of July. From bold burgers to crisp salads and sweet sides, give your guests plenty of reason to feel festive all day long. And don’t forget to add a little indulgence for all ages with a DIY dessert bar.

Find more recipes perfect for the Fourth of July at culinary. net.

A TROPICAL SUMMER TWIST If you find yourself hosting a last-minute barbecue without time to plan an extensive menu, don’t panic.

Simply add a twist to traditional summer staples, like mixing one bag of cabbage with one jar of coleslaw dressing for a classic coleslaw side dish or incorporating coleslaw into your main course. This spin on a classic barbecue meal, Grilled Hawaiian Chicken and Tropical Coleslaw, can take your entertaining to the next level. For more recipes, visit litehousefoods.com.

GRILLED HAWAIIAN CHICKEN AND TROPICAL COLESLAW Total time: 1 hour, 25 minutes Serves: 6 1/3 cup ketchup 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce 1/4 cup pineapple juice 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus additional for brushing grill 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar 4 teaspoons Litehouse Instantly Fresh Garlic 1 tablespoon Litehouse Instantly Fresh Ginger 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil 3/4teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus additional, to taste salt, to taste 1 3/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped into 1 1/4-inch cubes 1 large red onion, diced into 1 1/4-inch pieces 1 1/2 large green peppers, diced into 1 1/4-inch pieces 3 cups fresh cubed pineapple Coleslaw: 1 package (14 ounces) coleslaw mix 1 cup diced red pepper 1 cup diced pineapple 1/2 cup slivered almonds 1/2 cup Litehouse Coleslaw dressing In mixing bowl, whisk together ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger and sesame oil. Stir in pepper and season with salt, if desired.

Place chicken in gallon-sized re-sealable bag. Reserve 1/2 cup marinade in refrigerator then pour remaining marinade over chicken. Seal bag and refrigerate 1-2 hours. Soak 10 wooden skewer sticks in water 1 hour.

While chicken marinates, prepare coleslaw.

In medium bowl, toss together coleslaw mix, red pepper, pineapple, almonds and coleslaw dressing. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Heat grill to 400 F. Drizzle remaining olive oil over red onion, bell pepper and pineapple; toss. Season red onion and bell pepper with salt and pepper then thread red onion, bell pepper, pineapple and chicken onto skewers until all chicken is used.

Brush grill grates with olive oil then place skewers on grill. Grill 5 minutes then brush along tops with 1/4 cup marinade. Rotate to opposite side and brush remaining marinade on opposite side; grill about 4 minutes, or until chicken registers 165 F in center on instant read thermometer.

Serve skewers warm with coleslaw.

A HONEY OF A SIDE No summer picnic or grilling spread is complete without an array of mouthwatering sides. When planning your menu, go for variety with dishes ranging from rich and savory to light and refreshing. If you want to mix things up a bit, look for ways to dress up timeless favorites, like this take on baked beans that gets its sweetness from honey instead of sugar. Find more ways to sweeten up your celebration at honey.com.

HONEY BAKED BEANS Recipe courtesy of the National Honey Board Servings: 4-6 4 slices bacon, diced 1/2 cup chopped onion 4 1/2 cups cooked navy beans (or 3 cans, 15 ounces each) 1/2 cup honey 1/2 cup ketchup 1 tablespoon prepared mustard 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce Heat oven to 350 F. Saute bacon and onion until onion is tender; combine with remaining ingredients in shallow 2-quart, ovensafe baking dish. Cover with lid or aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 45 minutes longer.

A BOLD TAKE ON AN AMERICAN CLASSIC When it comes to feeding family and friends on the Fourth of July, nothing pleases guests more than fan-favorite American bites fresh off the grill.

Cheeseburgers are a tried-and-true classic for summer grilling season. Give your burger recipe a bold, sweet kick this Fourth of July with honey barbecue sauce and the finishing touch of delicious, smooth-melting Borden Cheese. Find more summer recipes to transform mealtime into memorable family time at bordencheese.com.

BOLD HONEY BARBECUE BURGER Total time: 35 minutes Servings: 4 1 pound ground beef 1/2 cup chopped green onions 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 3-4 tablespoons steak seasoning 4 hamburger buns 1/2 stick melted butter

3/4 cup barbecue sauce 1 tablespoon honey 4 slices Borden Cheese American Singles 8 slices thick bacon, cooked until crispy 8 frozen onion rings 4 slices tomato fresh lettuce Combine ground beef, green onions, garlic powder and cayenne pepper; form into four patties. Sprinkle both sides of each patty with steak seasoning. Cover and chill. (Patties can be made several hours in advance.)

Brush buns with melted butter; set aside.

In small bowl, mix barbecue sauce with honey; set aside.

Heat grill to medium-high heat.

Grill burgers to internal temperature of 160 F, about 4-6 minutes per side. Two minutes before burgers are finished, grill buns, butter-side down, until golden brown.

Place cheese slices on burgers to melt.

Serve each burger on buttered bun topped with two slices bacon, two onion rings, honey barbecue sauce, lettuce and tomato.

B6

HISTORY

JUNE 30 – JULY 6, 2017

S

Atoning for a college’s racial past For years, Wesleyan identified with the Ku Klux Klan through class names and extreme hazing rituals and traditions that carried forward into the late 20th century.

BY BRAD SCHRADE ATLANTA JOURNALCONSTITUTION/ TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

MACON, Ga. – Like other first-year students corralled in Wesleyan College’s auditorium in Macon, Dana Amihere didn’t know what to make of the spectacle unfolding on stage.

It was fall 2006 and the freshman had been awakened in the dead of night.

A group of sophomores stood on stage yelling, screaming and cheering as part of a hazing ritual that seemed part pep rally, part seance, she said.

But one feature struck Amihere, an African-American, about the young women on stage tormenting the first-year students: They wore purple, hooded robes.

“They looked just like Klan robes,” she said. “It was kind of like bells and whistles going off.”

Amihere had no idea at

the time how close she was to the truth.

Ties to Klan For more than a century, the nation’s oldest college chartered for women has had historical links to the Ku Klux Klan that have never been formally acknowledged. Its class names in 1909, 1913 and 1917 were the Ku Klux Klan. The 1913 yearbook is named the “Ku Klux.”

A sketch of a masked night rider on horseback galloping under crescent moon graces the title page.

The 1910 yearbook contains a prominent sketch of a female figure in white hood and robe holding a burning cross.

The school for years identified with the Klan through class names and fomented extreme hazing rituals and traditions that carried forward into the late 20th century, often involving racist symbolism such as nooses, hooded costumes, blackface and figures hung in effigy.

Blacks treated badly For decades, successive generations of school leaders seemed to downplay the troubling history, but they broke their silence this month after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published its story online.

Officials acknowledged the school’s Klan history and apologized for the pain that it had caused, according to a statement posted on Wesleyan’s website.

BOB ANDRES/ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION/TNS

For generations, decade after decade, elite White families from across the South sent their daughters to Wesleyan – the first chartered women’s college in the country, founded in 1836. But wrapped in its traditions is a racist legacy that the school has never confronted.

“Wesleyan’s people were products of a society steeped in racism, classism, and sexism,” the statement said.

“They did appalling things — like students treating some African-Americans who worked on campus like mascots, or deciding to name one of their classes after the hate-espousing Ku Klux Klan, or developing rituals for initiating new students that today remind us of the Klan’s terrorism.”

Institutional atonement The acknowledgment follows an incident in January where classes were canceled for a day after racist graffiti appeared on dorm walls. Someone wrote the N-word in black marker and targeted an international student with offensive language.

“We probably should have done it 20 years ago

but we didn’t,” said Vivia Fowler, who formally takes the helm as Wesleyan president on July 1 after serving as vice president of academic affairs the past decade.

“So we’re doing it now. …

We can’t ignore what happened in the past.”

The institutional atonement will include a public statement and a revision of the school’s history on its website and other materials — a project launched in February 2016 by President Ruth Knox, who steps down June 30.

The school will also recognize the role African-Americans played on campus dating back to its founding in 1836.

‘Long overdue’ Over the past decade or so, a handful of colleges and universities, including Emory University, have also attempted to reconcile their connections to slavery or historical racism and

apologize for it.

For Amihere and others, Wesleyan’s acknowledgment should have come years ago.

“This is something that’s been known for decades,” she said. “The administration has scratched at the surface of acknowledging racism before. I commend the efforts being made now, but I think that they’re long overdue.”

Sharing the truth Knox has commissioned a Wesleyan professor to write a history of race on campus and the school is digitizing its yearbooks and other archival materials for the web. Fowler and Wesleyan’s leaders will decide whether to issue a formal apology once the commissioned history is complete.

Professor Karen Huber is conducting the study and provided a partial timeline of her findings to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

In addition to outlining

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the Klan ties, the research will identify the school’s founding president as a slaveholder and defender of the pro-slavery Methodist movement in the South.

About the school In many ways, Wesleyan is just as it appears — a safe, cloistered women’s college of 700 students that sits on a 200-acre campus in the northern suburbs of Macon. The school moved to the current campus in 1928 after being housed in downtown Macon for its first 90 years.

Today, roughly 31 percent of Wesleyan students come from foreign countries, many of them from China. About 34 percent of American students are White and 35 percent are minorities. African-Americans comprise the largest minority group, about 24 percent of the student body.