Florida Courier - July 10, 2015 by Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC

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Exhibit of contemporary Ghanaian fashion on display at Florida museum See Page B1

A Black professional gun expert says Black-on-Black crime is a myth and urges African-Americans to be prepared to legally and properly defend themselves – no matter the threat.

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JULY 10 – JULY 16, 2015

VOLUME 23 NO. 28

TIME TO GET ‘STRAPPED’

Cosby admits to drugging women Criminal, other civil actions may follow COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS

PHILADELPHIA – Bill Cosby testified that he gave powerful sedatives to a 19-year-old woman in 1976 before the two had what he described as consensual sex, according to court filings unsealed Monday from a 2005 lawsuit. The 77-year-old comedian said under oath that he had obtained seven prescriptions for quaaludes, a depressant, with the intent to use them in sexual encounters with women. He later clarified, saying he gave them to only the one woman – the 19-year-old, who he had met backstage at a Las Vegas comedy show. He maintained that the woman knew what drugs she was taking at the time. “I give her quaaludes. We then have sex,” Cosby said. “I can’t judge at this time what she knows about herself for 19 years.” The statements were made during a deposition as part of a 2005 lawsuit from another Cosby accuser, former Temple University employee Andrea Constand. She alleged Cosby groped her at his Pennsylvania home in 2004. Cosby’s deposition was unsealed Monday by a federal court in Philadelphia over objections from his lawyers.

No privacy expectation

COURTESY OF CALIBER TRAINING GROUP

Longtime safety expert Samuel R. Hayes III says Black Floridians – including regular churchgoers – should get concealed weapons permits and personal self-defense training. BY KARSCEAL TURNER SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

‘NEGROES WITH GUNS’ PART 1 Editor’s note: The title of this series is taken from the 1962 book entitled “Negroes with Guns” by Robert F. Williams, a North Carolina native and Marine Corps veteran who advocated armed self-defense by African-Americans.

he summer of 2015 finds Black people living in a highly charged atmosphere reminiscent of the “long, hot summers” of the 1960s era. Fresh in the minds of many is the slaughter of a pastor and eight churchgoers during Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. by a 21-year-old White racist named Dylann Roof. Here in Florida, various threats exist. In May, Central Florida prosecutors arrested 10 members of a racist, White supremacist skinhead group called the “American Front” who called themselves “protectors of the White race.” The group was training at a fortified compound in rural Central Florida with automatic weapons, shotguns and explosives for what its reputed leader called an “inevitable race war.” On the mean, inner-city streets of Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale or any large municipality in Florida, violent assaults and gun killings occur with dismaying frequency. How can Black Floridians protect them-

selves, regardless of the threat? One man thinks he has some of the answers.

Seriously trained Samuel R. Hayes III is a U.S. Navy veteran, a certified weapons specialist, and the CEO of Caliber Training Group (CTG), based in Atlanta. Hayes and his firm specialize in firearms training, unarmed combat defense, and what he calls “urban preparedness” that teach his students and clients survival, evasion, resisting, and escaping tactics for hostile urban environments. The firm also teaches personal safety awareness training and rape prevention. Hayes has an extensive background in the security industry dating back to 1987, as well as various certifications in security awareness training, pistol instruction, personal protection and home defense, and concealed weapons instruction. He has trained thousands of private security professionals, law enforcement officers, private citizens and bounty hunters. He con-

The court challenge was brought by The Associated Press nearly 10 years after the deposition took place. It was prompted by more recent accusations of sexual assault from more than two dozen women – many of whom say they were drugged and sexually assaulted in incidents dating back four decades. Cosby has denied the allegations and has never faced criminal charges. His lawyers did not respond to calls for comment late Monday. In siding with the news organization Monday, U.S. District Judge Eduardo Robreno said the entertainer’s past outspokenness on moral issues diminished his expectations of privacy.

On ‘soapbox’ “Defendant has donned the mantle of public moralist and mounted the proverbial electronic or print soapbox to volunteer his views on, among other things, child rearing, family life, education and crime,” Robreno wrote. “The stark contrast between Bill Cosby, the public moralist and Bill Cosby, the subject of serious allegations concerning improper (and perhaps criminal) conduct, is a matter as to which the … the See COSBY, Page A2

See GUNS, Page A2

SNAPSHOTS

Court to consider guns in school dormitories BY JIM SAUNDERS THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – After a highprofile legislative debate this spring about concealed weapons on college campuses, a state appeals court will hear arguments in a dispute about whether guns should be allowed in residence halls and other housing at the University of Florida. On July 14, the First District Court of Appeal is scheduled to hear an appeal filed by Florida Carry Inc., which says people

ALSO INSIDE

have a legal right to possess firearms in their homes, including in university housing. An Alachua County circuit judge last year sided with the University of Florida in rejecting the group’s arguments in the case. In court briefs, Florida Carry cited a state law that seeks to ensure people can have firearms in their homes, and to the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment. It said the state law about guns in homes supersedes another law that generally bars guns at schools and colleges.

UF disagrees However, the University of Florida disputes that the federal or state constitutions guarantee the right to have firearms in university housing. “The Florida Legislature has struck a balance between preserving the right to bear arms for self-defense and protecting the safety and peace of mind of Florida citizens,” the university’s attorney, Barry Richard, wrote in a brief filed in March. “In service of the latter interest, Florida law has

long designated certain sensitive areas, including school and university campuses, as largely gunfree zones.” The appeals court arguments come after a closely-watched legislative debate this spring about whether people with concealed weapons licenses should be allowed to carry guns on college and university campuses. The proposal stalled in a Senate committee, but the National Rifle Association has already signaled the issue will come back during the 2016 legislative session.

FLORIDA | A3

State sees rise of kids in foster care NATION | B4

92 year-old gets library card denied her decades ago HEALTH | B3

Dye being removed from some kids cereals

COMMENTARY: LUCIUS GANTT: BE WARY WHEN SOMEONE TELLS YOU TO ‘GO WITH THE FLOW’ | A2 COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4

FOCUS

JULY 10 – JULY 16, 2015

‘Go with the flow.’ Really? I don’t care too much for the phrase “Go with the flow.” It reminds me of “Tow the line,” “Stick with the program,” “Follow the crowd,” or another phrase which I don’t like: “Don’t rock the boat!” Anyway, I recently came across a friend of mine by accident on Facebook. This friend of mine and I were teenaged high school classmates a long, Long, LONG time ago and had not seen or spoken to each other for many decades.

Wanted to hook up My friend felt I wanted to hook up again, so to speak, get things cracking, get things popping, and resurrect the little puppylike feelings we might have had

COSBY from A1

public … has a significant interest.” Cosby, whose public persona had already suffered massively in the court of public opinion, may now face additional problems. Attorneys and legal experts say the judge’s decision to allow Cosby’s admission to become public will bolster civil lawsuits against him and may motivate law enforcement to further scrutinize his behavior for more recent acts.

Lawsuits underway Attorneys for Cosby are currently asking the California Supreme Court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a woman who alleges she was molested as a 15-yearold at the Playboy mansion in 1974. Judy Huth, who has publicly identified herself, is one of 47 women to accuse the comedian of sexual abuse. But most are beyond statutory filing deadlines. Cosby also faces a defamation suit by former supermodel Janice Dickin-

GUNS from A1

tinues to put in a minimum of 200 hours of professional development training annually to improve his own skills. Hayes exhibits a no-nonsense attitude about the seriousness of weapons training.

Against all threats “Our objective at CTG is to teach people how to defend themselves. But it doesn’t always necessarily mean from the criminal element. Sometimes that criminal element is wearing a uniform or a three-piece suit sitting behind the desk of an executive office. “We must (also) learn to protect ourselves against civil unrest we’ve seen in Ferguson and Baltimore, as well as become more vigilant in our communities,” he insists.

‘Get you killed’ “Using a firearm for selfdefense is not something that comes natural to us,” Hayes said. “The proper skillsets to handle a weapon safely have to be taught under the watchful eye of a competent and knowledgeable instructor.” He says television isn’t a good teacher. “The majority of people in society get their information on how to handle firearms from television. In many instances, what is seen on TV will get you killed in real life. “We are often left in the position of having to defend our lives or the lives of our loved ones and children against the actions of violent predatory criminals. Ongoing training provides us with the practice and knowledge to be able to call upon these skills when needed, in much the same

LUCIUS GANTT THE GANTT REPORT

as children. The friend made it clear that now they were more mature, somewhat conservative and super-reserved – for good reasons. So the friend insisted we slow down a minute and just “go with the flow.” Of course, I didn’t really want to go out like that. I wanted to expedite things regardless of how those things turned out, good or bad! My friend and I agreed to al-

ways remain friends no matter what. We said what we had to say, and kept it moving!

Gotta flow right The only way I’ll go with the flow is when I know or I feel the flow is going in the right direction. When the flow gets dangerous, when the flow gets scary, when the flow might jeopardize your job, your status, your health, your security or your game, some people decide to run away from the flow! But be careful with that strategy. If the flow is the truth, you can run, but you can’t hide!

Jonah’s story The Biblical Jonah was sort of a jack-legged preacher that was going with the godly flow at one time. The Lord told Jonah to go to the town Nineveh and “cry against it” because Nineveh was a bad place. It was wicked, it was evil and a lot of devilish things were going on there.

Nineveh was like a modernday South Central, a Bankhead, a Liberty City, a Frenchtown, or a housing project wherever you live!

Made a run Instead of doing what he was told, the wimpy preacher made a run for the sea. He went to catch a boat to “get out of Dodge” to keep from going to Nineveh because he was weak and afraid. To make the story short, Jonah’s presence on the boat caused a storm that nearly tore the ship to pieces! To save the ship and the other mariners, a decision was made to throw Jonah into the sea. Shortly after Jonah hit the water, the ship was saved. A whale swallowed Jonah and he stayed in the whale’s belly for three days! God saved that preacher punk Jonah from the whale, and Jonah eventually did what he was instructed to do. He went to Nineveh and spread the truth about the Lord.

Be careful African-Americans should be careful. Don’t run to devilish politicians and political parties because someone suggests you should go with the flow. Stay in your neighborhood. Work to improve it. Don’t be so quick run to Satan’s suburbs just because that’s where the flow is. Don’t run to a certain school, a certain church or a certain lifestyle just because other people are doing it in the name of going with the flow! The only flow you need to go with is the flow to the truth! My friend and I decided it would be the truth that will take us where we want to go, because that street flow can take you anywhere. Besides, who wants to be swallowed up by a ‘hood whale?

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

son for his response after she accused him of attacking her.

Confirms allegations Gloria Allred, who represents 17 of Cosby’s alleged victims, said she is “hopeful” the admission will bolster Huth’s case and prevent efforts by his lawyers to stop the litigation. “This confirms the allegations of numerous victims who have said that he has used drugs in order to sexually assault them,” she said. Legal experts say if any case gets to trial, Cosby’s admission would be damaging. “It substantially corroborates the claims of the victims that were given drugs and too intoxicated to give consent,” said Dmitry Gorin, an attorney and former sex crimes prosecutor. “While Cosby doesn’t say he raped the women, he does admit to sexual relations with drugged women.”

Educational legacy remains Cosby’s commitment to education issues is welldocumented. way that a musician is able to pick up an instrument and create music. “Firearms training provides the ability to create peace of mind, safety and security for our loved ones and those around us,” he said. “The responsibility of owning a firearm is one to be taken seriously. Quality training is a must.”

Blacks hesitant Hayes pointed to timidity about guns that he’s noticed in the Black community. “The negative stigma placed on firearms ownership through media brainwashing is definitely a hindrance to educating people, he said. “The media has convinced the African-American community that there is such a thing as “Black-on-Black” crime, and that the root cause of it is guns. “The reality is that Blackon-Black crime is no more of an issue than crimes perpetrated against Asians, Hispanics and Whites,” he explained. “Another hindrance I see is prioritization. Many in our community will scoff at spending $200-$400 on classes that could save your life. But they will spend the night sleeping on the street to be first in line for the new Jordans, concert tickets, or an iPhone. We will put thousands of dollars worth of rims on our cars, but won’t take a class to learn how to defend against being carjacked. I see a lot of dysfunctional thought processes in our ability to be able to discern what is important. “Our ancestors, as recently as the 1960s and ’70s with the Deacons of Defense and the Black Panthers, understood the importance of being armed and trained to defend ourselves and our communities. I decided that the skills I had been teaching and us-

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/MCT

Comedian Bill Cosby looks pensive during the August 2013 celebration of a Washington institution, Ben’s Chili Bowl, in Washington, D.C. Long before he achieved comedic stardom, the high school dropout earned his GED and attended Temple University on the GI bill. Eventually, he obtained a doctorate in education. Until the more recent sex assault allegations surfaced, he was a regular speaker on the college commencement circuit. At

times he courted controversy with his frank, public tongue-lashings, especially to Black youth. He served on Temple’s board of trustees from 1982 to 2014, when he resigned his seat in the face of unrelenting controversy. All the while, Cosby and his wife Camille were bankrolling scholarships at

ing for over 25 years needed to be shared with everyday citizens who make up the bulk of society,” Hayes added.

The percentage of Whites murdered by Whites was at the low-to mid-80 percentile. This data reflects murders involving murders reported by police to the FBI. Other data states that most people – whether Black or White – are murdered by people in their own racial group.

Black Floridians not immune In wake of the Charleston massacre, reports of three Black churches burning in the South continued to garner headlines last week. A visit to the Federal Bureau of investigation (FBI) website yields national statistics for hate crimes – most of which were committed against Blacks. As of 2013, 3,407 single-bias hate crime offenses were racially motivated; 66.4 percent were motivated by anti-Black or AfricanAmerican bias; 21.4 percent stemmed from anti-White bias; and 22.6 percent were prompted by an anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (mixed group) bias. The 2013 FBI report also reported that 3.5 percent of hate crimes occurred in churches, synagogues, temples, or mosques. Broward County (Fort Lauderdale), Miami-Dade County (Miami) and Orange County (Orlando) submitted the largest number of hate crime reports in the state.

The statistics A consistent concern regarding gun violence is the instances of so-called “Black-on-Black” crimes. During this year’s Fourth of July holiday weekend, 10 people – including a 7-yearold boy – were killed in shootings in Chicago. Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy called for more restrictive gun laws. Last year, 14 people were killed in Chicago over the Fourth of July weekend. The most recent data from the FBI’s annual Crime in the United States report ranked the percentage of Blacks murdered by Blacks at 90 percent or above from 2009 to 2013.

Black-on-Black ‘myth’ Hayes waives off the notion of Black-on-Black crime. He believes it’s a vehicle for the “mainstream’’ media to demonize the Black community. “‘Black-on-Black crime’ is a myth created in the 1980s around the time (President Ronald) Reagan was shot and the Brady Campaign to take away our guns began,” Hayes asserts. (Editor’s note: Reagan’s press secretary, James Brady, was paralyzed when he was shot during the 1981 attempt to kill Reagan. He and his wife, Sarah, started the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, which focuses on background checks on gun buyers; stopping the five percent of gun dealers who sell 90 percent of “crime guns;’’ and educating Americans about the dangers of guns in homes.) “The ploy was to demonize guns and make Blacks the culprit and “face” of violent crime in America. Kill two birds with one stone.

Close to each other “Blacks kill Blacks just like Whites kill Whites, Asians kill Asians, Hispanics kill Hispanics, etc. It’s a matter of proximity, not some monopoly one ethnic group has on murder over another group,” according to Hayes. “The U.S. is still largely segregated by neighborhoods – Black neighborhoods, White neighborhoods, Hispanic neighborhoods – again, a proximity issue. We engage in conflict

his alma mater, including a $3,000 award that bears his name for juniors seeking degrees in the natural sciences.

Millions to Spelman In 1987, the Cosbys – whose daughters attended Spelman College – gave a $20 million to Spelman, the single largest donation with those who live closest to us. “However, it is a fact: White people kill more than three times the amount of people annually than Blacks do. This is something you never hear the media publicize. Blacks repeat the bigoted rhetoric of ‘Black-on-Black crime,’ and perpetuate the stereotype that Blacks are in some way more murderous than any other ethnic group.”

‘Limited’ strategies Hayes went on to detail how people can protect themselves in a city like Chicago with strict gun control laws. “I suggest security upgrades at home. In public, most places that have heavy restrictions on guns also restrict knives, pepper spray, Tasers, etc. One is left with few options but to make one’s home secure. Learning how to fight will only carry you so far,” he said. Another option? Get out of the city. “When you live somewhere where your elected officials criminalize you and take away your right to defend yourself with restrictive legislation that criminals won’t adhere to anyway, your options for survival are extremely limited. Your best option is relocation. That is one of the main reasons I will never live in New York City again,” he declared.

Not about guns According to Hayes, bigcity crime is about “poverty and a corrupt system of law enforcement that allows crime to run rampant in the streets. “A very small percentage of the people killed in those violent weekends in Chicago are law-abiding citizens…Live by the sword, die by the sword. I could care less about criminals killing criminals.”

ever donated to a historically Black college or university. The money helped establish the Cosby Chair for the Humanities, an endowed professorship. It also helped pay for the construction of the Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby Academic Center, the home of Spelman’s Museum of Fine Art, as well as the school’s archives. The couple has also struck dozens of private arrangements to pay tuition for students through the Ennis William Cosby Foundation – a charity named after their son who was fatally shot during a 1997 robbery in California. It ceased operation in 2008. The couple has rarely spoken publicly about their education philanthropy. But in 2003, Cosby described those whose college careers he helped to support as part of his “larger family.”

Jeremy Roebuck and Susan Snyder oft the Philadelphia Inquirer and Richard Winton of the Los Angeles Times (TNS) all contributed to this report.

Is self-defense ‘Christ-like?’ Hayes responded to Black Christians’ concerns about armed self-defense. “Many times, I hear of Christians speaking of living a ‘Christ-like existence.’ They strive to live a humble and righteous existence and treat people with dignity and respect. Yet when it comes to matters of fighting for what they believe, there is somehow this unfounded position that physical force is not an option,” Hayes said. “Jesus and his disciples were hard men, not this band of simpering pacifists we have been led to think of as pushovers. They were not men of violence, but would not hesitate to fight for what they believed to be just and righteous. So we see here that the concept of physical force in defense of self and one’s beliefs is very much ‘Christ-like,’” he believes. “One could argue that the true essence of Christianity is to defend yourself and the core of your beliefs with righteous indignation when presented with a threat. There’s this ideology in the church that using physical force – up to and including lethal force in an instance like the recent shootings in South Carolina – is bad. Arguably, (that ideology is) against God’s will if you are not armed and properly trained to meet a threat, should you be called on to step into the role of ‘protector,’” Hayes said. “Discreetly carrying a firearm is a skillset that you hope you never need. But you’ll be glad you were able to engage a threat responsibly and effectively as a result of your training,” Hayes concluded.

Read more about Caliber Training Group at www.calibert raininggroup.com.

JULY 10 – JULY 16, 2015

FLORIDA

State sees sharp increase of kids in foster care Taking no chances

New methodology in place to keep children safer

A wave of media reports on child deaths in 2013 culminated in sweeping new legislation that went into effect a year ago last week. “The cultural environment that we have right now is one where no one wants a kid to die, ever,” said Mike Watkins, chief executive officer of Big Bend Community Based Care. “And the easiest way to make sure kids don’t die is to remove them. I think the department and pockets, certain communities like Miami, Broward and West Palm Beach, are extremely risk-averse and decide to remove the child if there’s any question.” Watkins also pointed to the fact that the state’s population has increased since 2008, when the number of people moving to Florida fell due to the recession. “Now that’s picked back up,” he said. Many agree that another factor is high turnover among child protective investigators at DCF and the six sheriff’s offices that handle child-protection cases, and among case managers at the community-based care organizations.

BY MARGIE MENZEL THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – The number of Florida children in the state’s fostercare system has reached its highest level since 2008 – driven by both a spike in the number of kids being removed from their homes and a drop in the number being discharged after a stint in foster care. In the last 24 months, the number of children in what’s known as out-ofhome care has reached 22,004 statewide, up from 17,591 in 2013. These and other trends are included in a report developed by the Department of Children and Families for a recent meeting of the state’s privatized community-based care organizations, which oversee foster care and adoption services.

Safety concerns Child-welfare professionals say there are multiple reasons for the surge, among them the state’s new method for assessing risks to a child’s safety. The new methodology involves looking past a single incident that prompts a visit from a child protective investigator to the likelihood of danger down the road. “The safety methodology requires that the investigators ask a lot more questions regarding (a family’s) past history,” said Mark Jones, CEO of the Community Partnership for Children, which serves Volusia, Flagler and Putnam counties. “The more questions they’re asking, the

A number of media reports on child deaths in 2013 culminated in new legislation that went into effect last year. A picture of Rilya Wilson sits behind a dog cage that prosecutors say she was kept in by Geralyn Graham, her guardian. In February 2013, Graham was sentenced to 30 years of kidnapping plus 25 years for aggravated child abuse in the high-profile murder case. A jury in January 2013 had deadlocked 11 to 1 on the charge of murder in Rilya’s death. more red flags they’re seeing, and they’re seeing that children may not be safe for the long term.” DCF Assistant Secretary for Child Welfare Janice Thomas agreed. “In our previous practice, we did (put) a lot of focus on what was happening right then, specifically what had been reported

to the hotline,” she said. “Now we are trying to take a different lens to that family and include any kind of prior history that we have.”

‘Pill mills’ spike Jones, who said his agency had seen a spike of 35 percent in out-of-home placements over the last nine months, also noted

that over time, the number of children in the system typically varies. For instance, he said, the last spike came in 2012, due to the state’s prescriptiondrug epidemic. The Legislature responded to concerns about so-called “pill mills” earlier this decade by cracking down on prescription-drug abuse, leading to more child-protection actions. “Every three or four years, we see the pendulum swing, from family preservation to child safety,” Jones said. “I think it’s got less to do with methodology and more to do with the focus in the media, specifically on child safety and child deaths.”

More funding The 2014 child-welfare reform law was accompanied by an increase of $21.2 million for new child-protective investigators. However, because there is still a high rate of turnover among the CPIs, as they’re known, many are relatively new and more likely to err on the side of removing a child from the home. And while the community-based care organizations got $10 million in new funding last year and $29.1 million in new funding this year, they say it won’t meet the need caused by the uptick of children in foster care. “It will not be enough,” Watkins said. “The new dollars don’t take in the projections we’re seeing.” Former state senator Ron Silver, who handles legislative affairs for Our Kids, the community-based care lead agency in Miami, agreed. “We’re very grateful for what they’ve done,” he

said. “But that was catchup time. They gave us more money, but they had not given us (increased) money for a long period of time.”

Gaps in services According to DCF, between May 2013 and July 2014, the number of children receiving Our Kids inhome services in MiamiDade and Monroe counties increased more than 63 percent, while the number in out-of-home care increased nearly 36 percent. The increased numbers also have revealed statewide gaps in family services that allow children to stay with their parents after verified findings of abuse or neglect. Christina Spudeas, executive director of the advocacy group Florida’s Children First, said she found the most troubling aspect of the DCF report to be the fact that “in-home services to prevent removal have declined since a peak in 2012.” “The key to successfully leaving children in the home after an allegation of abuse or neglect is to have the right services provided to the family at the right time, with sufficient oversight,” Spudeas said. “If the lead agencies are not working hard to have those services in place, then they are part of the problem.” But DCF’s Thomas, who has worked in child welfare for more than 30 years, said the new methodology was still being implemented and would ultimately succeed. “The practice we’ve established is the best I’ve ever seen,” she said. “It’s the best we’ve ever practiced in Florida, in my opinion. ... People are still learning it.” On February 12, 2013, the judge sentenced Graham to 30 years for kidnapping plus 25 years for aggravated child abuse. Two other abuse sentences – 25 years and five years, respectively – will be served concurrently for a total of 55 years behind bars. Prosecutors had sought the maximum of life plus 65 years. But at 67 years old at the time of sentencing, Graham will end up serving a life sentence.[6]

Study: ‘Fish poisoning’ in state more prevalent than reported BY JENNY LUNA MIAMI HERALD/TNS

Carmelo Gianino, who works on a tow boat at the Miami Beach Marina, follows an old rule of thumb in South Florida fishing — stay away from the big barracuda to avoid a nasty fish-borne illness called ciguatera. He has seen a few people return to the dock, proudly displaying their toothy catches, and tried to pass on some local knowledge. “They show me a big barracuda and I say, ‘I don’t eat those,’ and they tell me, ‘You should, they’re good,’” Gianino said. Clearly, not everyone takes the advice. A new study conducted by the University of Florida and the Florida Department of Health found that ciguatera strikes nearly 30 times more people than previously believed — with Hispanics among the most common victims to a toxin that can cause vomiting, nausea and, in the worst cases, paralysis. The Florida Keys, where seafood is a daily staple, tops the list for a sickness often called fish poisoning, followed by Miami-Dade County. But the previous official rates, researchers say, dramatically underestimated the impacts. © 2014 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES

Toxin in algae Official state health records show that ciguatera affects about one out of ev-

ery 100,000 people in Miami-Dade and three out of every 100,000 in Monroe County each year. But based on more than 5,000 surveys of anglers, the Health Department and UF’s Emerging Pathogens Institute found that — while still rare compared with many other foodborn illnesses such as salmonella, E.coli and norovirus — actual ciguatera cases are likely closer to 28 per 100,000 in MiamiDade and 84 per 100,000 in Monroe. Ciguatera is caused by a toxin in algae that grow on reefs in tropical and subtropical waters. It moves up the food chain as fish feed on the algae and become prey for larger ones. The toxin is ingested into the flesh of the fish and causes unpleasant symptoms when eaten by humans. While barracuda — which many South Florida anglers have been schooled to throw back — is known to be the most common carrier, researchers report that mahi mahi, hogfish, amberjack and grouper could carry the toxin, as well. “Any carnivorous fish that eats fish off the reef could potentially be toxic,” said Elizabeth Radke, the lead author of the study published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Radke doesn’t think people should avoid eating them altogether, but just be aware of the risk. “People

who eat fish from these areas should know it’s possible to get sick.”

No cure Ciguatera is colorless and odorless and can’t be eliminated by cooking or freezing. There’s no cure for the illness, though a drug called mannitrol has been shown to reduce symptoms if taken early. Radke recommends those who feel sick one to three hours after eating fish seek medical attention and save a piece in the freezer that can be tested for toxins later. South Florida is the most common place for ciguatera in the state, where seawater temperatures are higher and reef algae is prevalent. The ideal temperature for the algae to grow is in warm water, 84 degrees or more, and Radke worries that as temperatures rise, new areas may be at risk. “For ciguatera, the hypothesis is that it will move further north as sea temperatures change with climate change,” she said. Odds are that fishermen up north aren’t aware of ciguatera, which could cause public health risk in the future. Although researchers found cases of ciguatera to be more common than previously thought, actual infections are not on the rise. The Florida Department of Health plans to continue educating communities via their website and outreach.

EDITORIAL

JULY 10 – JULY 16, 2015

We are putty in other people’s hands Incidents over just the past two months have taken Black folks on the psychological ride of our lives. The White woman in Spokane, Wash., who passed as Black caught and held our attention. Then there was the McKinney, Texas pool party incident; then the Supreme Court decision on Obamacare; the Confederate flag controversy; then the Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage. Add to that Walter Scott being fatally shot; Malissa Williams’ and Timothy Russell’s killers going unpunished for firing 137 bullets into their car; 12-year-old Tamir Rice being killed in less than two seconds after cops rolled up on him in a park in Cleveland; Freddie Gray’s death in police custody in Baltimore; and the nine church members killed during Bible study in Charleston, S.C. It’s easy to see how Black folks can be so off-balance and unfocused. And to think we haven’t even finished dealing with the Eric Garner case.

Distracting issues We are constantly bombarded with so many tangential issues that keep us from concentrating on the important ones. Life is the most important thing we have, but we are so easily swayed from cases like Eric Garner’s, to superficial issues like flags. We are such a pliable people, and dominant society knows that all too well. We will jump on any superfluous issue the me-

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: THE CHARLESTON MASSACRE

‘Do something’ JAMES CLINGMAN NNPA COLUMNIST

dia present to us and neglect the substantive ones. We are like putty in the hands of folks about whom we complain; they can shape us into anything they want us to be, and use us in any way that fits their agendas. A media firestorm began when the president’s said “nigger” in an interview. Many of us were steaming, others thought it was alright, and still others didn’t care at all. Nonetheless, our heads and our attention turned to that issue, and no sooner than we started to recover from the lack of oxygen caused by the White/ Black NAACP branch president, we moved right into discussions and arguments about a word that the NAACP ‘buried’ in 2007 at its convention in Detroit. (There must have been a resurrection.) Then after nine people are killed, the Confederate flag becomes such a vicious symbol that it now has to come down. Private corporations called for its removal and stores took the flag off their shelves – obviously in an effort to get in front of the issue and show Black folks they really care about our feelings. Politicians did their usual thing by calling for the flag to be taken down. It seems the flag has become more important than the lives that were taken.

If the flag is so important now, it was just as important in 2000, when the boycott of South Carolina’s tourism industry was called. All they had to do back then was move the flag to another location. Reflecting on the tourism dollars lost, I am sure the folks in Charleston said, “We had better do something quick before our money starts drying up again.” Another flag is also in the public scrutiny: the gay pride flag. Black folks are arguing whether we should support or lambast the Supremes for their actions, which were followed by the president calling the plaintiff to congratulate him and telling him he had changed this country, and then illuminating the White House with the rainbow colors of the gay pride flag. Then there’s the real hook, line, and sinker for Black folks. President Obama did his Black preacher thing and then broke out in song at the funeral of the slain pastor. That did it for many of us. I wonder how many of us know about the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement that Obama signed? “Don’t bother us with that stuff, Jim; we’re still hummin’ ‘Amazin’ Grace’ – on the black keys.” We continue to major in the minors – constantly allowing ourselves to be dragged into nonsensical and nonproductive discussions, and held hostage by talking-head puppets on TV. Meanwhile, the world is moving forward at a very fast pace.

Gay still isn’t the new ‘Black’ There is nothing amusing about the expression “gay is the new Black.” In essence, it means that any concerns about the persistent violation of Black Americans’ citizenship rights are supplanted in favor of another group. Very powerful people made marriage equality a reality, but they show no inclination to eradicate inequality of any other kind. Racism directed against Black people has a unique and enduring power in this country. Over time we have witnessed – if not the end of other prejudices – at least an end to their respectability. The Supreme Court decision that declared same-sex marriage to be a constitutional right brought this issue into very sharp focus. The court made the correct ruling but reactions to it raise very serious questions for Black people.

Rich supporters In 2011, New York State made same-sex marriage legal. While laudable, the change came about because a group of wealthy political donors bought enough Republican votes to win the day. Republican legislators were

MARGARET KIMBERLEY BLACK AGENDA REPORT

promised protection from primary challenges and given assurances that their support wouldn’t cost them politically. Those negotiations were typical of political deal-making that goes on in state capitols every day, but the needs of Black people are never given such urgency. Many supposedly liberal White New Yorkers supported “stopand-frisk” and the arrest quotas that made life hell for Black people. These same people may rejoice about the Supreme Court decision, but they have no qualms about gentrifying Black neighborhoods or enjoying the myriad other privileges they have in this society. Gay rights and other issues regarding private behavior are litmus tests for progressives precisely because they don’t demand seriousness about other, more difficult political struggles.

It is easy to point at conservatives and their retrograde opinions about gender and sexuality. However, it is much harder to fight against the anti-Black racism that endures in this country.

Hard fight It is hard to fight against capitalism and imperialism. It is hard to point out that American aggression has created misery for millions of people around the globe. Fighting these issues means taking on the ever-present elephant in the room, the persistent belief in “Manifest Destiny” and the right of White Americans to control whatever and whomever they want. The reluctance to tackle the hardest fights isn’t difficult to understand. Eradicating the system of mass incarceration would require not only a tremendous legislative effort, but an all-out assault on the racism – which is embedded in every aspect of America life. Taking on this monster would require a singular level of commitment that most liberals simply do not have. The truth is that the radicalism needed to protect Black civ-

Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 261 QUICK TAKES FROM #2: Why a series called ‘Negroes STRAIGHT, NO CHASER with Guns’? Because it’s time for Black America to adapt or die. My good Christian friends, in CHARLES W. the wake of seeing men and womCHERRY II, en of God slaughtered like sheep, keep saying, “The battle isn’t ours; ESQ. it’s the Lord’s.” In the word of Huggy Lowdown PUBLISHER of the Tom Joyner Morning Show, I say, “Bullshiggety” to that bibli- based hypermasculine street culcal interpretation. ture) IS ours AND the Lord’s – if The battle against Black Ameri- you believe in God. ca’s enemies, both foreign (rogue cops, systemic disproportionate pain) and domestic (street gangs, Star ‘Trekker’ Black-on Black violence, prisonI’m a fan of the entire “Star Trek”

franchise, especially the original TV show in the 1960s. One of the original characters named Spock played multidimensional chess in the original version of the show – much like our enemies do now. Our problem? We are playing checkers, trying to use only spiri-

ADAM ZYGLIS, THE BUFFALO NEWS

Slipping behind Our people are being killed at an alarming rate – not only by cops and fanatics, but also by other Black folks. We are slipping further behind other groups in this nation when it comes to economic/political empowerment and education. We are gnashing our teeth about the disproportionately high incarceration of Black men and women. All of this, and much more, negatively affects Black people. Yet we are kept off stride by what the president says rather than what he does, by Confederate flags, and by other peripheral inanimate objects. Like putty in the hands of disingenuous politicians, greedy reil rights is in short supply in this country. Many people who consider themselves leftists are nothing of the sort. In a nation that moves ever rightward, the term “left “is damning with faint praise.

Liberals disappear Progressives or liberals may think themselves very enlightened but were nowhere to be seen when a Democratic president claimed a right to assassinate them, enshrined surveillance into law, or destroyed sovereign nations in order to keep American imperialism in place. They happily accept propaganda that makes wars more likely and adhere to the juvenile belief that one member of the two-party duopoly is actually markedly better than the other. The Supreme Court decision took place on the same day president Obama eulogized State Senator Clementa Pinckney, a victim of the Charleston, S.C. church massacre. Even as the world mourned a victim of American race prejudice, the president felt compelled to speak of Confederate “valor” during the Civil War. While infuriating, his words weren’t at all surprising. His ability to make White people feel comfortable is in large part retual (prayer) and political (voting) strategies against problems that are economic, cultural, and psychological in nature. It’s time to adapt, individually and collectively, to a 21st Century America that is awash in 400 million guns (and counting), gives not one good damn about truth and righteousness, is dead-set on maintaining worldwide empire, where money and the so-called “free market” is GOD, and that is high on the sound of its own ‘freedom’ ‘justice’ ‘equality’ verbal hypocritical bloviation spread around the planet. Either we as Black Americans adapt – and start playing multidimensional chess in a country that still largely considers us to be “the other” – or we and our children will die culturally, spiritually, emotionally, economically, and finally physically.

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher

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

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tailers, pompous preachers posing as everything but real preachers, and surreptitious interlopers, Black people are molded into exactly what they want us to be, and we end up doing exactly what they want us to do – which includes even placing symbolism over our existential substance.

James E. Clingman, founder of the Greater Cincinnati African-American Chamber of Commerce, is the nation’s most prolific writer on economic empowerment for Black people. Contact him via www.blackonomics.com. sponsible for his rise to the presidency. While gay rights are on the rise, Black rights still languish. The president lit the White House in the rainbow colors that symbolize gay pride, while giving only the most cursory attention to Black lives. None of the killer cops or vigilantes who have stolen Black lives have been prosecuted by the Obama Justice Department. Waving a rainbow flag is much easier.

Be radical Black people have struggled mightily to win some measure of justice. Any future advancements require an acknowledgement that the system we live under is incapable of protecting our rights. If few others are radical, then we must certainly be. The path to gay rights victories will not work for Black people. It won’t work to end wars, austerity or capitalist predation. Those fights will require a bigger and much more fundamental struggle over the very foundations of this society. Margaret Kimberley’s column appears weekly in BlackAgendaReport.com. Contact her at Margaret.Kimberley@BlackAgendaReport.com. One part of that solution is to become “Negroes with guns.” As you will learn from our Florida Courier series, Negroes with guns and books (other than the Bible) have been America’s worst nightmare from the foundation of this nation. Gun control was put in place to keep Black Americans from defending ourselves and our families against White racist domestic terrorism. And in my humble opinion, the Bible has been used to brainwash Black Christians into unilaterally disarming themselves, while their White Christian brethren are invoking the same Jesus and singing, “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.” Time to wake up and adapt…or die.

Contact me at ccherry2@ gmail.com or on Facebook.

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JULY 10 – JULY 16, 2015

Don’t pressure Africa to embrace same-sex unions Over a picture of two bearded tuxedo-clad men kissing, a Nigerian-born acquaintance of mine posted on Facebook: “May I, my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren never be part of this abominable act.” A short piece popular among English-speaking Africans on social media for months reads: “(Whites), you asked us to wear (suits) under the hot sun and we did. You said we should speak your language and we obediently dumped ours. You said our ladies should wear dead people’s hair instead of the natural ones the Lord gave to them and they obeyed. You said our decent gals should wear catapults instead of conventional pants and they obeyed. Now you want our men to sleep with fellow men and our women with fellow women…We will not agree with you this time. If you like keep your (foreign) aid.” Same-sex relationships get significantly less buy-in from Blacks around the world – including here in the United States.

Ripple effect? In the wake of the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling effectively legalizing same-sex marriages, there’s been a lot of talk about a possible ripple effect extending to some of the world’s most conservative regions, including Africa and the Middle East. Twenty countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway, Denmark, Argentina, Spain and South Africa already

LEKAN OGUNTOYINBO NNPA COLUMNIST

had laws on the books sanctioning gay marriages before America’s high court ruled. But none of these countries carry the global clout of the United States. Still, it’s hard to see how that clout will influence the African continent and the Muslim world.

Rejected by Africans According to a 2013 Pew Research Center survey, Africa is less accepting of same-sex relationships than any other continent. In Sub-Saharan Africa, nine in 10 people believe homosexuality should not be accepted by society. In Nigeria, 98 percent frown on it. The numbers are 96 percent in Ghana, 96 percent in Uganda and 90 percent in Kenya. In South Africa, which is reputed to have the most progressive constitution in the world, 61 percent say it should not be accepted. And that figure is relatively low only because acceptance is significantly higher among Whites and Asians in “the rainbow nation.” Over the years, leaders of many African countries have publicly blasted gays. Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe once described gays as “worse than dogs

Separating marriage from religion The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Obergefell v. Hodges extended the right to marry to same-sex couples and touched off a passionate debate. Core to the discussion has been the extent to which the decision sanctions behavior that many find in violation of certain religious principles. Lost in the discussion was the fact that religious beliefs are irrelevant to the Court’s decision – and indeed the legal concept of marriage.

A contract In the eyes of the state, marriage is an amoral contract. There is no emotion; no meanings deeper than the relevant legal parameters. The deeper meanings reside in the hearts of the individuals entering

AARON N. TAYLOR, ESQ. GUEST COMMENTARY

into the union. The state could care less if it is a marriage of mere convenience or the most solemn expression of the deepest love. As long as the couple meets the legal requirements of entering into a marriage contract, the state recognizes the union. The legal requirements were the crux of the Obergefell case. Specifically, the court had to consider whether denying the right to marry due to gender sameness violated the U.S. Constitution.

or pigs and worse than organized addicts or even those given to bestiality.” In a 2013 address before the United Nations General Assembly, Gambian President Yahya Jammeh called homosexuality “very evil, anti-human and against Allah.” More than two-thirds of African countries have laws on the books criminalizing homosexual acts or same-sex relationships. Six years ago, Uganda’s parliament proposed a bill calling for the death penalty for anyone who engaged in acts of “aggravated homosexuality.” In 2013, Nigeria’s legislature passed a bill banning same-sex marriage and the formation of gay rights organizations. In 2010, a court in Malawi sentenced two men to 14 years in prison for sodomy. (The men were pardoned during the visit of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.) In America, Blacks are less likely than Whites and Hispanics to support gay marriage and are typically less accepting of homosexuality. A recent poll showed that 59 percent of Whites support same-sex marriage, compared to 41 percent of Blacks.

Why the rejection? Many academics have come up with an assortment of reasons to explain these racial differences in attitude, including religion, disparities in income, and lower levels of educational attainment. But such explanations are simplistic. The majority of the vociferous The Constitution, while finding inspiration in Judeo-Christian values, is a secular document. The oft-cited but underappreciated concept of separation of church and state is embodied in the First Amendment. While individuals are free to make faith-based decisions in their personal lives, the state must be dispassionate in the application of laws and the provision of public benefits.

About the benefits Public benefits are the main reason why same-sex couples fought to have their unions recognized by the state. Our laws incentivize marriage in many ways. Our tax code affords married couples benefits unavailable to unmarried individuals. Public benefits such as Social Security and Medicare flow more broadly to legally married couples as well. Same-sex couples have long had their unions celebrated and blessed by loved ones and religious traditions. But in many

The argument that the

Surprising controversy

swastika represented

The recent flap surrounding the Confederate flag is all the more surprising because we all know what it stood for and still stands for today. It does not represent youthful rebelliousness; nor does it truly represent the heritage of a particular American region. Most importantly, it does not represent truth, justice and freedom. Put simply, it is the musty artifact of a defeated insurrection against our government. What the Confederate flag represents is the attempted perpetual dominion of one group of human beings over another group. The cry of the secessionist southern states preceded George Wallace’s “Segregation now, segregation forever.” Instead, the rallying cry of the boys in gray was,”Slavery Now. Slavery Forever.” Prior to the Great Migration of the 1940s, the majority of African-Americans had toiled, been lynched, dehumanized and marginalized in the South. While their experience

KWAME S. SALTER GUEST COMMENTARY

Confederate flag is a symbol of Southern heritage is tantamount to saying that the Nazi German heritage. Lest we forget, Jewish people in Germany were Germans. differed markedly from Whites in the South, Southern Blacks have as much of a claim to Southern heritage as their more privileged White brethren.

Attempt to dominate So, the argument that the Confederate flag is a symbol of Southern heritage is tantamount to saying that the Nazi swastika represented German heritage. Lest we forget, Jewish people in Germany were Germans. Both the swastika and the Confederate flag represent a failed attempt to either eliminate a group

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: DROUGHT CONDITIONS OUT WEST

MIKE KEEFE, CAGLE CARTOONS

opponents of gay relationships in Black communities around the world are highly educated, well-heeled, and driven by a desire to strengthen families. Besides, such arguments fail to take into account other factors – custom, tradition and deeply-held conservative views among Blacks about family and procreation – views that were once widely held in Western culture and are still deeply entrenched among certain groups.

tinent. In the economic sphere, many African countries are finally starting to come into their own. Six of the 10 fastest-growing economies in the world are in Africa. Several African countries, including Nigeria, are strategic allies of the United States in the war against terrorism. Successfully fostering relationships will require understanding and, most importantly, respect of the culture and traditions of people of African descent. Go slow Cultural imperialism does not The United States, which for make for good partnerships. years has leaned on many African Lekan Oguntoyinbo is an incountries to show more tolerance toward gays, would be wise to dependent journalist. Contact tread carefully as it continues to him at oguntoyinbo@gmail. expand its influence on the con- com. states, they were shut out of the tangible public benefits that have made marriage a highly effective means of acquiring mutual rights and building wealth. A major concern among critics, including the four justices who dissented, is the extent to which the decision imposes same-sex marriage on individuals who find it offensive. This concern puzzles me. The decision is binding on the state (and its agents) only. It does not force ministers to officiate same-sex marriage ceremonies. Individuals are still free to conceptualize marriage in whatever forms their hearts and minds desire. The decision is about the extension of public rights, not the imposition of private beliefs.

Jim Crow was defended as essential to the preservation of White rights and dignity. Its eventual dismantling and the extension of equal rights to Black Americans are still seen by many as infringements. We tend to call those people racists. Therefore, I am troubled when I hear similar arguments made to justify excluding same-sex couples from the potential windfall that is state-recognized marriage. Fundamentally, Obergefell is about fairness and equality in the eyes of the law. It is about fostering a society where differences are respected, even if not embraced. It is about holding the state accountable to everyone. It may not be the sign of the apocalypse some seem to believe it is, but it is a profound step toNo threat wards the more perfect union we There’s an inherent danger in are still seeking. couching the extension of rights to others as a threat to one’s own Aaron N. Taylor is a professor rights. This has long been a trope at Saint Louis University School used to justify the continued op- of Law. He wrote this article for the St. Louis American. pression of disfavored groups.

‘Old Glory’ is the real Rebel flag Flags are imbued with the values, sentiments and aspirations of whoever honors and flies them. A flag is a visible and material reminder of what a particular group stands for or values. Flags can evoke passionate emotions. Flags carry a very loud, nonverbal, yet specific and irreducible message. In the US, the American flag carries the message that we stand for truth, justice and democracy. However, in other places around the world, our flag carries the message that we are there to impose our way of life and values on the indigenous population, whether they like it or not. Flags are not value-neutral. Flags say what they mean and mean what they say.

EDITORIAL

of people or, in the case of Blacks, to keep them as chattel property. Both flags are abhorrent reminders of man’s inhumanity to man. For over 150 years, the victorious North has mollycoddled and enabled the defeated White South. Our central government allowed the wholesale disenfranchisement of Black Southerners, thus allowing White Southern racists to control the most powerful committees in our national Congress. We permitted the construction of statues lining the streets of Richmond, Va., Charleston, S.C., and other Southern cities paying homage to ‘war heroes’ intent on keeping my people in bondage. Every day of a Black southerner’s life, he or she must be reminded of those very men who sought to keep them as work animals. That’s akin to having statues of Hitler and his generals lining the boulevards of Berlin. The Confederate flag is not the symbol real Rebels should adorn their homes and clothes with to assert their independence. How about hoisting the American flag –the real Rebel flag? While not always perfect in living up to it, the genesis of our national flag grew out of an aspirational vision: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal. Endowed by the creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty and pursuit of happiness...”

Kwame S. Salter is president of The Salter Group LLC, and the author of two books including “Striving While Black.” His website: www.talenttrumps.com.

40 reasons Blacks and the poor are incarcerated Editor’s note: This is Part 3. Other reasons will be listed in upcoming weeks. 13. This system creates a lot of jobs. Jails are local, usually for people recently arrested or awaiting trial. Prisons are state and federal and are for people who have already been convicted. There are more than 3,000 local jails across the US, according to the Vera Institute, and together usually hold about 500,000 people awaiting trial and an additional 200,000 or so convicted on minor charges. Over the course of a year, these local jails process over 11.7 million people. Prisons are state and federal lockups that usually hold about twice the number of people as local jails, or just over 1.5 million prisoners. 14. The people in local jails are not there because they are a threat to the rest of us. Nearly 75 percent of the hundreds of thousands of people in local jails are there for nonviolent offenses such as traffic, property, drug or public order offenses. 15. Criminal bonds are big business. Nationwide, over 60 percent of people arrested are forced to post a financial bond to be released pending trial usually by posting cash or a house or paying a bond company. There are about 15,000 bail bond agents working in the bail bond industry, which takes in about $14 billion every year.

BILL QUIGLEY GUEST COMMENTATOR

16. A high percentage of people in local jails are people with diagnosed mental illnesses. The rate of mental illness inside jails is four to six times higher than on the outside. Over 14 percent of the men and over 30 percent of the women entering jails and prisons were found to have serious mental illness in a study of over 1,000 prisoners. A recent study in New York City’s Rikers Island jail found 4,000 prisoners – 40 percent of their inmates – were suffering from mental illness. In many of our cities, the local jail is the primary place where people with severe mental problems end up. Yet, treatment for mental illness in jails is nearly nonexistent. 17. Lots of people in jail need treatment. Nearly 70 percent of people in prison meet the medical criteria for drug abuse or dependence. Yet, only 7 to 17 percent ever receive drug abuse treatment inside prison.

Bill Quigley is legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights and a law professor.

TOJ A6

NATION

JULY 10 – JULY 16, 2015

Republican candidates divided on Trump’s comments His Mexican immigrants rant sparks criticism as well as defense BY DAVID LAUTER TRIBUNE WASHINGTON BUREAU/TNS

WASHINGTON — Weeks after Donald Trump’s disparaging comments about Mexican immigrants, he continues to dominate the Republican presidential campaign debate and to divide his rivals for the nomination. Initially, most Republican candidates tried to ignore him. Donald But as maTrump jor corporations cut ties with Trump over his declaration that some Mexican immigrants are rapists and drug-runners, and as the issue continues to fill the airwaves of Spanish-language media, more candidates have spoken out, separating into two camps. Those who hope to appeal to Latino voters, including the two Floridians in the race, former Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio, as well as former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, have criticized Trump. On the other side, several candidates who hope to consolidate support among conservative voters suspicious of immigration, including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, have defended Trump or avoided comment. A significant chunk of GOP voters have said in recent polls that they support Trump, who said as he kicked off his presidential campaign last month: “The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody else’s problems. When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. ... They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists,” he said, adding, “And some, I assume, are good people.”

‘Ugly and ‘wrong’ Bush, who initially commented about Trump only in an interview in Spanish, stepped up his criticism last weekend, calling Trump’s remarks “extraordinarily ugly” and “wrong.” “He’s doing this to inflame and to incite and to draw attention to his campaign,” Bush said. “It doesn’t represent the Republican Party or its values. “Politically, we’re going to win when we’re hopeful and optimistic and big and broad rather than just ‘grrrrrrr,’ just angry all the time,” Bush said. “There is no tolerance for it.” Rubio, in a statement, said Trump’s comments were “not just offensive and inaccurate, but also divisive.” And Perry said on ABC’s “This Week” that he was offended by Trump’s comments. “I’ve said very clearly that Donald Trump does not represent the Republican Party,” Perry said. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee also separated himself from Trump, though more gently than some of the others. “I would never besmirch all the people who come here,” Huckabee said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “Sometimes, we get wrapped up in how many people are coming. The real question is, why are they coming?” he said. “If they’re coming because they want to be part of the American dream, if they want to come and share our flag, our interests, our language, assimilate into our culture because they believe in what we stand for, you know, then that’s the same reason our ancestors came.”

Cruz, Christie respond New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called Trump’s remarks inappropriate, although he added that he likes Trump personally. By contrast, Cruz, in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press’’ said, “I salute Donald Trump for focusing on the need to address illegal immigration.” Trump has a “colorful way of speaking,” which is “not the way I speak,” Cruz said. But “the Washington cartel supports amnesty,” and the media wants Republi-

cans to attack each other, and “I’m not going to do it,” he said. Trump has expressed surprise about the intensity of the criticism he has faced. “It’s bad for my brand,” Trump said in an interview on Fox News in which he lashed back at several of his GOP critics. “The crime is raging. It’s violent, and people don’t want to even talk about it. If you talk about it, you are a racist. I don’t understand it,” he said. ANTONIO PEREZ/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS Trump said Bush was “out of touch with the About 100 protesters rally outside the City Club of Chicago before the arrival of 2016 presidential candidate Donald Trump on June 29 in Chicago. American people.”

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JULY 10 – JULY 16, 2015

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

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MADE IN

Africa Contemporary fashions from Ghana’s most notable designers on display at Florida museum

“Christie Brown” Batakari Cocktail Dress, 2009. Premiered at the 2009 Arise Africa Fashion Week.

PHOTOS BY RANDY BATISTA Juliana “Chez Julie” Norteye’s “Akwadzan” of the 1960s. Wax Juliana “ Chez Julie” Norteye. Kente Kaba. Late 1960s. print textile.

BY PENNY DICKERSON FLORIDA COURIER

frican fashion in its most sophisticated form is on display at the University of Florida’s Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art in a cutting-edge exhibition titled “Kabas and Couture: Contemporary Ghanaian Fashion.” The installation offers an unprecedented look at the 50-year history and contemporary social impact of one of Africa’s most vibrant fashion industries and features the work of several internationally noted Ghanaian designers, including Juliana “Chez Julie” Kweifio-Okai. The Parisian-trained pioneer’s innovative creations paved the runways for Accra’s current generation of fashion designers. African-Americans often resign the wearing of authentic African attire to Black History Month or cultural festivities. But for Ghanaian women, it is a form of dress that has become a symbol of national identity.

Everyday attire The kaba consists of an elaborately embellished, tailored blouse worn with a wrapped skirt. Not only is it a part of Ghana’s everyday fashions, it actively responds to the rapid and unexpected shifts in local and international fashion trends. “Kabas and Couture will contextualize African fashion as a globally engaged and aesthetically dynamic practice,” said Rebecca Nagy, director of Gainesville’s Harn Museum and a noted African art scholar. “We are pleased to display an exhibition that draws from our permanent collection of African textiles and garments to provide historical and contemporary perspectives on one of Africa’s leading fashion industries.”

High fashion Haute couture, translated from French, means high fashion. The ubiquitous term has earned its rightful place in Accra, Ghana, which holds its own fashion week likened to runway spectaculars held in New York and Paris. In addition to Chez Julie, names like Aisha Ayensu, Christie Brown, Ajepomaa Design Gallery and others are as synonymous to African fashion as Michael Kors and Dolce and Gabana are to fans of American flair. The exhibit features the work of emerging Accra designers like Ayensu whose accomplishments include winning the 2009 Emerging Designer of the Year award at Arise Africa Fashion Week in Johannesburg, South Africa, and recently designing a suite of garments for the dancers of Beyonce’s “Mrs. Carter Show” world tour.

Curating a concept Susan Cooksey, the Harn’s curator of African Art, said she had to be convinced that it was a good idea to focus on fashion from one African nation. “This is an experiment for the Harn since we’ve never done a contemporary fashion exhibition,” said Cooksey. “If that were the only focus, it would’ve seemed like an arbitrary and irrelevant approach to showing African fashion, which crosses so many borders and boundaries, conceptually, spatially and temporally.” Christopher Richards introduced the idea to Cooksey several years ago and served as guest curator. Richards is a University of Florida alumnus and Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for the Creative Arts of Africa in Johannesburg, who worked intensely from Ghana and served as a liaison between Accra designers and the Harn to scale a stellar exhibit. “The textiles and fashions displayed in this exhibition illustrate a rich discourse

PHOTO BY MEGAN PUGH

Chris Richards (standing), guest curator for Kabas and Couture: Contemporary Ghanaian Fashion, shares information about the exhibit at the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art. between Ghanaian textile traditions and brings attention to an understudied area of African artistic expression,” explained Richards. “I think the scale and scope of the exhibition are perfect, in that they give you a sense of the history of fashion but foreground new designers’ works,” he added. Emphasis is on the time period right after independence, so the garments are viewed as a shaping and formation of national identity. The work additionally reflects the Ghanaian awareness of a noble pre-colonial past with its extraordinary artistic traditions, including kente, now a national and international symbol of Africanity.

Interactive ‘tailor shop’ Kabas and Couture is comprised of loans from private collections, works from the Harn’s extensive African art holdings, and two vintage Chez Julie garments generously gifted to the museum to perpetuate their famous family member’s legacy. Garments are displayed on sleek mannequins and Richards created supersized, painted hangers of women for an interactive kabas “tailor shop.” Patrons are encouraged to “try on” kabas and view what it’s like to both be in Ghana and design your own clothes. Accra visual artist Daniel Jasper handpainted the sign for “Auntie Emily.” Included are video and photography of Accra Fashion Week. The installation was fully funded by Dr. Madelyn M. Lockhart, former dean of the University of Florida graduate school and advocate whose work was Africa-based. Lockhart died weeks before the opening.

Thousands of visitors According to Tami Wroath, director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Harn, more than 46,000 visitors have viewed the exhibit to date. “Ultimately, what I sought to celebrate was African diversity, innovation and originality in a positive way,” said Richards. “Hopefully, it will encourage people to develop an awareness, sensitivity, and appreciation of other cultures.”

Admission to the museum is free. The Kabas and Couture exhibit will be on display through Aug. 23. For more information, visit www.harn.ufl.edu.

PHOTO BY MEGAN PUGH

Above is a view of the seamstress and fabric market stall of the Gainesville exhibit. The Harn hosted “Ghanaian Glam” in June where families with children of all ages enjoyed interactive tours and “tried on” their own kabas. HARN MUSEUM

FASHION

JULY 10 – JULY 16, 2015

STOJ

Saving soles: Tuskegee grad creates shields for shoes Protect Your Pumps helps women with high-priced footwear

no problems, but enough reported peeling paint that for a while Jackson simply advised not using her shields on the brand.

BY RICK ROMELL MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL/TNS

Help with Loubotins

MILWAUKEE — Kathryn Jackson operates her business from the most modest of headquarters — a windowless office in a nearly 90-year-old industrial building that has attracted an eclectic mix of small firms, artists and musicians seeking inexpensive space. “We kind of try to run lean,” Jackson said. But there’s nothing downscale about Jackson’s market. Her firm, Protect Your Pumps LLC, targets women who spend hundreds of dollars on a pair of shoes and want them to look great heel to toe and top to bottom. A Tuskegee University business graduate who found corporate life didn’t suit her, Jackson, 28, launched the firm in 2011 after having a brainstorm while selling pricey shoes at Nieman Marcus in Chicago. Now she sells her clear, adhesive shields all over the world. Stick them on the bottom of a pair of Jimmy Choo stilettos or Manolo Blahnik snakeskin thong sandals and the soles will stay as sleek and shiny as the uppers. “It is a bit of a niche market,” said Jackson, who on this day was wearing a pair of taupe Michael Kors pumps. “… There are a lot of women who wouldn’t think to protect the bottom of their shoe.”

MIKE DE SISTI/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL/TNS

Kathryn Jackson, founder of Protect Your Pumps, holds up a shoe with the sole protected by one of her adhesive shields. The clear shield captures dirt that otherwise would become embedded in the sole.

Up to $10 a pair

National notice Jackson has been able to hire an employee — a significant step for any venture. The shields also have won notice from the “Today” show, Shape Magazine and other media. She has nurtured her online business through social media and connecting with fashion bloggers who share her enthusiasm — she has about 70 pairs of shoes — for footwear. Among her fans is Justine Searle, a 24-year-old Arizona woman who, with her sister, Krystal Petersen, publishes a blog called The Desert Mermaids. “Most women want to prolong the life of their shoes, especially when they fork up a small fortune

Kathyrn Jackson holds up one of the special adhesive sheets that adhere them to the bottom of the shoe’s sole, that protects it from getting scuffed. on them,” Searle said by email. “While I only have (the shields) on a few pairs of pumps right now, I would definitely recom-

mend spending a little extra on this product so you can protect those expensive, designer heels later,” she said.

Colette GloverHannah of Tampa helps girls find “cute and stylish’’ shoes that are age-appropriate.

Book teaches sewing, styling tips to young fashionistas

Tampa mom solves challenge of shoe shopping for girls

Lesley Ware still remembers helping her mom sew clothes when she was a kid growing up in Muskegon, Mich. Now she’s helping other girls make those kinds of memories. Her book “Sew Fab: Sewing and Style for Young Fashionistas” ($19.95; Laurence King Publishing), published earlier this year, aims to equip readers with the skills and self esteem to create their own looks through colorful illustrations, step-bystep projects and words of style wisdom. The response has been “really positive,” said Ware, a former Pittsburgher who lives and runs an art gallery in Brooklyn with her husband, Kamau. He’s the gallery curator, while she serves as fashion director and coordinates its sewing workshops and fashion camps. “I get photos every week from girls who’ve actually started to make the projects in the book,” which include howtos for hair bows, a scarf, totes, a circle skirt and other apparel. Besides sewing tips, the book covers such fashion advice as how to shop your own closet, mix prints and figure out what colors work best for which people. “It’s the stuff that I wish I would have known as a girl and even as a young adult that I had to figure out the hard way,” Ware remarked.

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Colette Glover-Hannah of Tampa was frustrated when she couldn’t find large-size shoes for her ’tween daughter that weren’t too high or too mature so she decided to start a store to help other parents. So last year she created Hannah’s Shoebox, an online retailer that exclusively provides fashion footwear to preteen girls who wear women sizes 5-13. The online site offers a variety of styles including boots, flats, dressy/casual sandals and those hard to find special occasion shoes. “After years of frustration in finding age-appropriate shoes for my daughter whose shoe size has matched her age since age 6 and her feet stopped growing at a size 11 when she was an 11-yearold fifth grader, and hearing the same despair from other parents, I decided to create a solution to this challenge,” Glover-Hannah said.

Huge challenge There are a range of challenges when searching for shoes for tween girls, Glover-Hannah said, and Hannah’s Shoebox offers customers a one-stop shopping experience. Throughout the year as special occasions such as middle school graduations, father-daughter dances, music recitals and other religious events occur, shopping for the perfect style and size shoe can become a huge challenge.

The shields, which are made by a Pennsylvania company, cost $7 to $10 a pair and come in packages of three, 10 or 20 pairs. They typically should be replaced after being worn five to 10 times, Jackson said. “Some of the girls buy a 10 pack or a 20 pack a month. And they are not buying $50 shoes.” “… Some of them are high executives at big companies with a lot of disposable income. Some of them are wives of NFL, NBA players.” But Jackson said her customer base also includes “that woman who saved for months to buy that one pair of Christian Louboutin or Jimmy Choo shoes, so she’s really interested in preserving them.” Christian Louboutin — the brand known for its lacquered red soles, on which it holds a U.S. trademark — has posed a few problems for Jackson. In 2013, some women complained on fashion forums that the red paint peeled off when they removed the Protect Your Pumps shields. Some Louboutin wearers had

‘Confidence and pride’ The CEO and founder of Hannah’s Shoebox said there’s more to her business than selling shoes. “My ‘aha’ moment came when I began to see the confidence and pride of young ladies after they received our larger sizes 11, 12 and 13. I saw magic happen when I witnessed a 14-year-old try on a size 13 shoe with rhinestones and a small two-inch heel,” Glover-Hannah explained. “Her face lit up and she was so happy to finally find cute, stylish shoes in her size. On the other hand, parents are so appreciative and happy to find shoes that keep their girls looking like girls. I have seen shoes transform attitudes and emotions.’’ For more information, visit Hannahsshoebox.com.

Nonprofit background For her, “Sew Fab” is a culmination of the various twists and turns her life and career have taken her over the years. After high school, she earned a degree in elementary education at Western Michigan University, but soon after college realized that the classroom wasn’t the

Shoe parties planned She also is planning to travel to her prime U.S. markets — New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Miami — and show off Protect Your Pumps at shoe parties and other events. Rising sales could help Jackson in her plans to develop other shoe care products and maybe even prompt her to resume her former pace of footwear purchases. “I don’t buy as many now because I run a business,” she said. But the appeal remains. “For women, a good pair of shoes just gives you the right attitude,” Jackson said. “When you put on a good pair of shoes and you step out, you just step out with more confidence. You stand a little taller. You feel a little stronger — like the world is yours to conquer.” fashion into my extracurricular life,” she remarked.

Launched blog

BY SARA BAUKNECHT PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE/TNS

“Research shows that most girls today are physically larger sooner than those generations ago. In addition, their feet are larger too and it’s understood that special attention should be given to their feet’s development and size. When purchasing at Hannah’s Shoebox, customers will always find a variety of the latest fashionable shoes that are age and size appropriate,” Glover-Hannah explained. Hannah’s Shoebox doesn’t just make a difference through selling shoes. The company has donated more than 100 pairs of new shoes to girls who have been abused, abandoned and neglected.

Eventually, after surveying customers about their experiences, she posted on her website special instructions for Louboutins — along with a disclaimer of responsibility for any damage. Customers also receive similar information on a card that is shipped with their shields. One effective method, she said, is to use two pairs of shields, leaving the bottom layer on permanently. Jackson said her overall return rate during four years in business has run less than 1 percent. “Aside from the Louboutin issue that a few people have had, people really love the product,” she said. Jackson declined to disclose annual sales but said revenue rose about 60 percent last year compared with 2013. She recently received an award from the U.S. Small Business Administration as Wisconsin’s “young entrepreneur of the year.” Pushing for further growth, Jackson recently started offering monthly subscription plans at discounted prices that she hopes will generate a steady revenue stream.

TNS

Lesley Ware’s “Sew Fab: Sewing and Style for Young Fashionistas” ($19.95; Laurence King Publishing) is to help readers with the skills and self esteem to create their own looks through colorful illustrations, stepby-step projects and words of style wisdom. right fit for her, she related. She later went back to school to pursue a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in nonprofits. She landed a job with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and then moved to Pittsburgh in 2004 to work for The Pittsburgh Project, a nonprofit community development organization. Starting a new job in a new city gave her a chance to reinvent her style. “That’s where my interest in fashion started to reemerge,” she said. People started to take notice of the way she put outfits together and invited her to take part in some of the fashion events across Pittsburgh, including modeling in some runway shows. “Even though I was working in philanthropy and had this 9-to-5 life, I found ways to incorporate

Also while living in Pittsburgh, Ware met the man who would become her husband when he sold her some art from a gallery he was running downtown at the time. The couple eventually migrated to New York City, and Ware took a job with the national office of the Girl Scouts. But her desire to do something in fashion didn’t go away. On lunch breaks, she’d scout fabric shops in the Garment District (“I didn’t even have a sewing machine,” she said). During New York Fashion Week, held in tents at Bryant Park at the time, she’d grab a sandwich and a bench outside the shows and daydream about what it would be like to be inside. She launched a blog www. TheCreativeCookie.com and sought out gigs in the business, including interning with a few designers and working at Anthropologie. When she saw an ad on Craigslist for a man looking to teach his 11-year-old daughter how to use a sewing machine he’d bought for her, she applied. Her background in sewing and elementary education made her a good fit, so she spent the next several months visiting the Upper East Side teaching the young girl — and then her friends — how to sew. It was from this experience that her idea for the book was born. “I figured that there had to be a million books on the shelves for girls about sewing. All the ones that I found were not anything that I would feel good about sharing with my students,” she says, adding that they didn’t feel modern, lacked diversity in their imagery or were too difficult to read. “So I guess I’m going to have to write a book,” she decided. Laurence King Publishing is slated to publish her second book — a sewing workbook — in early 2016. So far, “Sew Fab” is for sale in select bookstores and museums in New York and online at Amazon and the Barnes and Noble website.

JULY 10 – JULY 16, 2015

HEALTH

No more artificial colors, flavors in Trix, Cocoa Puffs General Mills to remove dyes from cereals by the end of this year BY MIKE HUGHLETT STAR TRIBUNE/TNS

MINNEAPOLIS — General Mills has announced that it will remove all artificial colors and flavors from its cereals beginning with Trix, Cocoa Puffs and Reese’s Puffs by the end of 2015. General Mills, based in the Minneapolis suburb of Golden Valley, appears to be the first major U.S. cereal maker to systemically extract artificial colors. But it’s the latest of several big food companies to dump artificial colors and flavors. As more consumers have become wary of processed foods, they’ve gravitated toward “clean” labels free of stuff that doesn’t look natural. “Consumers increasingly want the ingredient list for their cereal to look like what they pull out of their pantry,” Jim Murphy, president of General Mills U.S. cereal business, told the Star Tribune. They don’t want labels chock-full of “colors with numbers and ingredients you can’t pronounce.” That means Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 1 and other artificial dyes common in some cereals — particularly kids cereal — will give way to colors made from spic-

es and fruit and vegetable juice concentrates.

Longer for others Murphy said that over 60 percent of General Mills cereals already have no artificial colors or flavors. By the end of 2016, the company expects 90 percent of its cereal portfolio to be free of them, with the remainder going natural in 2017. Lucky Charms, Count Chocula and other cereals with marshmallows will take the longest to reformulate. Marshmallows are more difficult to retool — without effecting taste, texture and appearance — than grain flakes or puffs. Cereal is General Mills’ largest U.S. business, and the company and Kellogg each own about 30 percent of the nation’s cereal market. Trix and Cocoa Puffs are historic kid favorites, while Lucky Charms — one of General Mills’ top selling cereals — does well in the adult market, too.

Changing breakfast fare The U.S. cereal business has been declining the past few years as consumers move toward protein-rich options from Greek yogurt to old standards like eggs. Murphy said he “didn’t think there’s any question” that removing artificial colors and flavors would help the beleaguered cereal market. Packaged food makers and restaurant companies of many

Doctor clears up common questions about psychiatric medications MAYO CLINIC NEWS NETWORK / TNS

Taking medications on a daily basis can be a chore, but it becomes more challenging if there’s lack of understanding of or misconceptions about your medication. “In my practice, I come across many patients who are skeptical about taking psychiatric medications,” says Filza Hussain, M.D.,

for color. “The look is important,” Murphy said. “People taste with their eyes sometimes.” Tastewise, General Mills’ cereal overhaul should be “imperceptible” to consumers, Murphy said. Reese’s Puffs made with natural vanilla essentially taste the same as those containing artificial vanilla. They look about the same, too, though the brown is a bit duller in the natural version.

Mayo Clinic Health System behavioral health physician. Hussain says there are a few factors that contribute to this distrust: The medication has to be taken every day. Unfortunately, psychiatric medications don’t always work immediately like pain pills do. Psychiatric medications often take several weeks to start working.

No green, blue puffs

Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 1 and other artificial dyes common in some cereals like Trix (above) will give way to colors made from spices and fruit and vegetable juice concentrates. stripes have concluded that artificial anything isn’t good for business these days. Over the past month, Subway and Taco Bell announced they were dropping artificial colors and flavors. Nestlé earlier this year said it would remove artificial flavors from its chocolate candy, while Kraft nixed the stuff from its mac and cheese. While such artificial-be-gone announcements are propelled by marketing, companies are responding to consumers’ changing perceptions.

Working on taste

Patients worry about how their medications will affect them, both with side effects and risk of addiction. She noted that prescription medications referred to as antidepressants are also effective antianxiety medications. To see results, you must take these medications consistently, she says. If you’ve been taking your medication for at least six weeks without much benefit, ask your physician to look at the dose you were prescribed. The medication dose needs to be optimized before you can determine the medication’s efficacy.

Most not addictive

General Mills started tinkering with artificial colors and flavors in cereal about two years ago. Such product reformulations can be expensive, though Mills declined to disclose the cost of its cereal project. “We are investing money into the product and we are not going to pass that down to consumers,” Murphy said. Reformulations are also risky because consumers might reject them, and not only for taste, but

Some psychiatric medications are habit forming. These medications are considered controlled substances. Your physician will prescribe these types of medications only when absolutely necessary. The most commonly prescribed antidepressant medications aren’t habit-forming or addictive. Although some medications may cause increase anxiety or irritability, this response isn’t common. If there’s a change in your behavior after taking a particular medicine, speak with your phy-

Consumers are most likely to notice a difference in brightly colored cereals. They’ll lose some of their sheen. “Trix is known for color, so this hit Trix pretty hard,” said Kate Gallagher, a General Mills cereal developer. Trix is basically sweetened corn puffs tinted red, yellow, orange, purple, green and blue. Artificial dyes for the first four colors will be replaced by concoctions of turmeric — a yellow spice — and juice concentrates made from radishes, strawberries and blueberries. The new naturally colored Trix will not contain green and blue puffs. It’s difficult to replicate blue food colors with natural ingredients, and blue is essential to creating green. Not that General Mills didn’t try a natural alternative. “It didn’t deliver the brighter color and it was imparting a flavor we didn’t want,” Gallagher said. sician to help you to find a more suitable option. If you’ve had side effects from one medication, you won’t necessarily experience the same side effects on similar medications. “If you’re having issues with medications, promptly contact your health care team. Discontinuing medications on your own is not a good idea,” adds Hussain. “Don’t wait until your next appointment, because you lose precious time and spend days suffering unnecessarily. Your physician wants to help you find medication that works for you.”

CULTURE

JULY 10 – JULY 16, 2015

STOJ

A long journey for a library card Former Shaw University student receives card denied her 73 years ago BY SARAH NAGEM NEWS & OBSERVER/TNS

RALEIGH, N.C. — Pearl Thompson was a student at Shaw University in 1942 when she was told she couldn’t check out a book from Raleigh’s public library because she was Black. She was sent to the library’s basement, where she had to wait for a staff member to bring her the book she was assigned to read for a history class. Blacks weren’t issued library cards, so she had to stay in the basement to read it. Seventy-three years later, Thompson finally has her library card. She entered the Cameron Village Regional Library on July 2, aided by a walker, to attend a ceremony in her honor. “It’s going to take me awhile to get to you,” Thompson told the library staff, “but it’s been a long journey anyway.” Thompson, 92, grew up on Lenoir Street in Raleigh, the oldest of four children. She said her father was the first Black American doorman at the Sir Walter Raleigh Hotel downtown. When her father died of pneumonia, Thompson said, her mother started working to support the family and pay her children’s college tuition.

History of libraries Thompson can’t remember which book she was assigned to read for that class. But Shaw didn’t have it, so she went to the

Olivia Raney library, although she knew it was only for Whites. “I expected to go in and get a book,” she said. The Olivia Raney library was Raleigh’s first public library. A separate library was established in 1935 on Hargett Street to serve Blacks. That library eventually became the Richard B. Harrison library on New Bern Avenue, said librarian Wanda Cox-Bailey. The Harrison library merged with the White libraries in the 1960s, CoxBailey said. After she graduated from Shaw, Thompson taught in Raleigh’s black schools for 12 years. Then she moved to Ohio with her husband.

On her wish list Thompson now lives in an assisted-living facility in Cincinnati. Her daughter, Deborah Thompson, said her mother has kidney disease and heart problems. Thompson made a wish list of things she wants to do. On that list: Coming home to North Carolina for a visit. And getting the library card she was denied so many years ago. She didn’t want people to make a big fuss over her. She became emotional as she recounted her experience as a young college student. As a teacher, Thompson said, she was determined to give Black children every opportunity to read. She wasn’t afraid to ask for what she needed to make that happen. When a school principal in Raleigh said they were

PHOTOS BY TRAVIS LONG/RALEIGN NEWS & OBSERVER/TNS

Pearl Thompson approaches the checkout desk before receiving the library card she was denied decades ago. out of money, Thompson recalled, she went to the superintendent to ask for more. A big truck showed up at the school, packed with paper, pencils, chalk, new desks and so much more, she said.

Not angry Later, Thompson traveled around to the city’s Black schools to help students. If there was no classroom space for her, she’d set up shop wherever she could. “I tried to expose them to everything I knew,” Thompson said of her students. Ann Burlingame, deputy director of Wake County Public Libraries, said she was thrilled when Deborah Thompson reached out

about getting a library card for her mother. “I just felt like this woman was denied access to a library and a book,” Burlingame said. “I just wanted the opportunity to rectify that, not just for her but for us as the library system.” Deborah Thompson said her mother loves to learn. “That’s the legacy that she leaves,” she said. Pearl Thompson could have spent the past seven decades being angry about what happened to her at the Olivia Raney library, which now serves as a local history library. But that’s not her style. “I don’t hold any kind of hate in my heart, because that doesn’t do it,” she said. “That doesn’t get you there.”

Pearl Thompson signs her card on Thursday, July 2 at the Cameron Village Regional Library in Raleigh, N.C.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE FOR BLACK STUDENTS. NO EXCUSES. The classic guide from Florida Courier publisher, lawyer and broadcaster CHARLES W. CHERRY II

The omission of darkerskinned women, while celebrating hairstyles so closely linked to the Black community, immediately caused a stir on social media.

PRAISE FOR ‘EXCELLENCE WITHOUT EXCUSE’: “This guide for African-American college-bound students is packed with practical and insightful information for achieving academic success...The primary focus here is to equip students with the savvy and networking skills to maneuver themselves through the academic maze of higher education.” – Book review, School Library Journal • How low expectations of Black students’ achievements can get them higher grades; • Want a great grade? Prepare to cheat!

EURWEB. COM

• How Black students can program their minds for success;

Magazine berated for lack of darkskinned Blacks in braids story FROM WIRE REPORTS

Teen Vogue is catching flak for using fair-skinned models in its African braids feature. The magazine received harsh criticism for excluding identifiable darkskinned models in an article about Senegalese twists – a hairstyle popular among African-American women. The June/July issue includes a personal anecdote by the magazine’s beauty and health director Elaine Welteroth. In the piece, she writes about having her hair braided in

Rwanda and the reaction she received on her return to New York City. While Welteroth, who is Black, uses her own pictures in the online edition of the story, the print version prominently features biracial model Phillipa Steele and only cites White and fair-skinned biracial women as examples of “Plaited Ladies.’’ Welteroth, who wrote the article, tried to defend the choice of model on her Instagram page, asking: “How do you define black?” she writes in response to one poster. “Just curious. Is it about skin color? Eye col-

or? Hair texture? I ask because this mixed race model is as black as I am. Also, how do you define cultural appropriation? I ask only because I want to better understand your point of view.” Many felt her response missed the point about the magazine deliberately choosing fair-skinned models. One reader asked: “Why can’t I look in a magazine and see models who look like me?”

A report by Eurweb. com was used in this article.

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

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

Facebook ccherry2 excellencewithoutexcuse

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

Twitter @ccherry2

STOJ

JULY 10 – JULY 16, 2015

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

Meet some of

FLORIDA’S

finest

submitted for your approval

natasha

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.

j. cabarrus

Natasha Jones is a business entrepreneur with businesses based in Florida and Georgia. She has been featured in a runway show alongside R&B singer Fantasia for Outre Duvessa Hair. Natasha has taken part in print work, runways, catwalks, magazines and commercials and will be attending school in the spring for fashion design. Natasha can be contacted at facebook.com/TashTashTheBeast or Tashtashjones@gmail.com. CREDIT: Natasha

J. Cabarrus, based in Atlanta, is a veteran in the modeling industry. He has been featured as an extra for “Big Mommas, Like Father, Like Son,” a runway show for Kontrol Magazine, and the “Naked Black Justice” campaign by photographer James C. Lewis. His hobbies include traveling, working out and reading with dreams of becoming an international face of fashion. You can reach J. at JerryCabarrus@gmail.com or facebook.com/jcabarrusnow. CREDIT: Nathan Pearcy

TINASHE MEEK MILL

The artists will perform during Nicki Minaj’s Pinkprint Tour at Bayfront Park Amphitheatre in Miami on July 20. The 7 p.m. show also will feature Dej Loaf.

FLOETRY

Catch the neon-soul duo Floetry on Aug. 6 at the Ritz Theatre & Museum in Jacksonville.

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR Orlando: D.L. Hughley, George Lopez and Charlie Murphy are just a few of the comedians who will be part of the Black and Brown Comedy Get Down on Aug. 7 at Amway Center.

UNIVERSAL PICTURES PRESENTS AN APATOW PRODUCTION A JUDD APATOW FILM “TRAINWRECK” AMY SCHUMER BILL HADER EXECUTIVE BRIE LARSON COLIN QUINPRODUCED N JOHN CENA WITH TILDA SWINTON ANDWRITTENLEBRON JAMES MUSIC BY JON BRION PRODUCER DAVID HOUSEHOLTER BY JUDD APATOW p.g.a. BARRY MENDEL p.g.a. BY AMY SCHUMER DIRECTED BY JUDD APATOW A UNIVERSAL PICTURE © 2015 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

STARTS FRIDAY, JULY 17

CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES

Plantation: Judah Worship Word Ministries will observe the anniversary of Dr. Willett L. Mitchell, senior pastor, on July 17 at 7:30 p.m. and July 19 at 8:15 a.m. at 4441 W. Sunrise Blvd. More information: 954-791-2999. Fort Lauderdale: PBS talkshow host Tavis Smiley is scheduled to speak at 10:30 a.m. July 18 at the South Florida Book Festival at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center Others at the July 17-18 event will include authors Eric Jerome Dickey and Edwidge Danticat. Festival lineup:

www.broward.org/Library/ Services/Pages/default.aspx. Pompano Beach: The Blanche Ely High School class of 1965 is celebrating its 50th reunion July 25-31. More information: Call Bettye Allen Walker at 954-849-0980. St. Petersburg: Tickets are on sale for a July 25 show with Kenny “Babyface’’ Edmonds at the Mahaffey Theatre. Orlando: Catch reggae artists Beres Hammond and Tarrus Riley on Aug. 22 at Hard Rock Live Orlando. Fort Lauderdale: Steel Pulse takes the Stage on July 14 at Revolution Live. Miami: Janet Jackson’s Unbreakable World Tour stops at AmericanAirlinesArena on Sept. 20, Orlando’s Amway Center on Sept. 23 and Tampa’s Amalie Arena on Sept. 24. Hollywood: Smokey Robin-

son takes the stage July 25 at Hard Rock Live Hollywood for an 8 p.m. show. Jacksonville: The comedian Sinbad performs Aug. 7 at the Florida Theatre Jacksonville. St. Petersburg: Catch Jill Scott on Aug. 8 at Hard Rock Live Hollywood or Aug. 9 at the Mahaffey Theatre in St. Petersburg. Pompano Beach: Mt. Calvary Baptist Church will celebrate the 11th anniversary of the Rev. Anthony Burrell. Fellowship begins July 8 at 7:30 p.m. and ends on July 12 at 11 a.m. The church is at 800 NW 8th Ave. Miami: Sam Smith performs July 20 at the AmericanAirlines Arena and July 21 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa. Tampa: Candy Lowe hosts Tea & Conversation every Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. at 3911 N. 34th St., Suite B. More information: 813-3946363.

FROM FAMILY FEATURES

fter splashing in the pool, rooting on your favorite team or playing in the backyard, nothing beats the end of a long summer day like a cool, classic treat. So grab the kids, some bowls, spoons and the trusty old ice cream scoop — and dig in. July is National Ice Cream Month, and aficionados agree that when it comes to the best tasting ice cream, “fresh” is the must-have ingredient. For nearly 80 years, Blue Bunny has been making premium ice cream using only the best, locally-sourced milk from within 75 miles and turning it into out-of-this-world ice cream in less than 24 hours. Dial up your summer fun with the freshness of ice cream and fruit with these recipes, and find more recipes at www.BlueBunny.com. CHERRY VANILLA CRUMBLE SQUARES Prep time: 25 minutes Freeze time: at least 8 hours Makes: 9 servings 1 cup old fashioned oats (rolled oats) 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 1/4 cup butter, melted 1 package (12 ounces) frozen dark sweet cherries, thawed and well drained 1/3 cup all fruit black cherry fruit spread 4 cups Blue Bunny Sweet Freedom Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream, softened In medium bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar and butter; mix thoroughly. Remove 1/2 cup and set aside; pour remaining crumb mixture in an 8-by-8-inch baking dish. Coarsely chop cherries and transfer to medium bowl. Add fruit spread, stirring to blend. Pour over crust, gently spreading evenly in bottom. Spoon ice cream over top, gently spreading evenly. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Cover and freeze at least 8 hours. Cut into squares to serve. HONEY-PEACH FROZEN YOGURT SUNDAES Prep time: 15 minutes Makes: 4 servings 1/3 cup walnut halves 2 medium fresh peaches, sliced 1/4 cup honey 1/4teaspoon ground cinnamon Pinch ground cloves 4 scoops (1/2 cup each) Blue Bunny Vanilla Bean Frozen Yogurt 2/3 cup fresh raspberries In medium skillet over medium heat, cook walnuts until toasted, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Cool. When cool enough to handle, chop very coarsely. Set aside. In same skillet over medium heat, combine peaches, honey, cinnamon and cloves; cook and stir until peaches soften.

FOOD

JULY 10 – JULY 16, 2015

Cool several minutes before spooning equally over frozen yogurt. Top each serving with about 4 raspberries. Serve immediately. COOL PARTY CUBES Prep time: 30 minutes Freeze time: at least 1 hour Makes: 4 servings 2 squares (2 ounces) white chocolate baking squares 1/2 cup prepared vanilla frosting 4 Blue Bunny Premium Birthday Party Ice Cream Sandwiches 2 medium firm kiwi, peeled 1 3/4 cups halved small strawberries (or large strawberries cut into chunks) 3/4 cup fresh blueberries 3 tablespoons peach preserves (pineapple, mango or apricot could be substituted) Grate or shred white chocolate with box grater onto large plate. Thinly spread frosting on one side of one ice cream sandwich, keeping remaining sandwiches in freezer. Press frosting side into white chocolate, spread frosting on unfrosted side, turn and press into white chocolate. Return to freezer; repeat with remaining ice cream sandwiches. Freeze at least 1 hour, until solid. (May be kept covered in freezer overnight.) Thirty minutes before serving, cut kiwi into thick slices, then cut slices into quarters. Place in medium bowl along with other fruit. Heat preserves in microwavesafe bowl, just until melted (20 seconds in a 1250 watt microwave), breaking up large pieces of fruit. Pour over fruit and toss to coat; chill 15 to 20 minutes. Remove prepared ice cream sandwiches from freezer, cut each into bite-size squares; arrange with glazed fruit in 4 dessert bowls or plates. FRUIT SALSA SUNDAES Prep time: 10 minutes Makes: 4 servings 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks 1 tablespoon light brown sugar 6 medium fresh strawberries, diced 1 large kiwi, peeled and diced 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin 4 small firm bananas, cut in half lengthwise 8 1/3 cups Blue Bunny Premium Banana Split Ice Cream Fat-free whipped topping, optional Chocolate sprinkles, optional 4 maraschino cherries, optional In medium skillet over medium-low heat, cook pineapple and brown sugar just until pineapple is softened, 5 minutes. Add strawberries, kiwi and cumin; cook several minutes until fruit is heated through. Arrange 2 banana halves in each of 4 dessert bowls; top each with 2 scoops ice cream. Spoon glazed fruits equally over ice cream. Garnish with whipped topping, chocolate sprinkles and a maraschino cherry, if desired. Serve immediately.

STOJ