Florida Courier - July 17, 2015

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JULY 17 – JULY 23, 2015

VOLUME 23 NO. 29

For more than a century, descendants of enslaved Africans could be punished or put to death for learning to read or arming themselves. The strategy: Keep Black America ‘dumb’ and defenseless.

Armed members of the Black Panther Party leave the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. on May 2, 1967. The Panthers entered the building fully armed, protesting a bill before the California Legislature restricting the carrying of guns in public.

NO BULLETS, NO BOOKS

Cutting the deal Obama’s worldview shows in Iran agreement BLOOMBERG NEWS /TNS

WASHINGTON – The Iran nuclear deal is as much the product of Barack Obama’s worldview as any diplomatic accomplishment of his presidency.

The agreement reflects Obama’s determination to follow through on a principle – scorned in 2007 as “naive” by his future secretary of state, Hillary Clinton – that the U.S. must unclench its fist and reach out to pariah states such as Iran, Venezuela and Cuba.

That foreign policy vision, which distinguished Obama from his predecessor and 2008 presidential rivals, is remaking U.S. relations with the world in historic ways.

During the past eight months, Obama ended the half century-long U.S. isolation of Cuba, opened a dialogue with Venezuela, concluded a climate agreement with China and eked out victory in a congressional trade vote to advance the economic component of his strategic pivot to Asia.

Direct talks

AP PHOTO

BY KARSCEAL TURNER SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

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rom the beginning, America’s founders and their descendants in formal and informal leadership have been willing to go to great lengths to keep Africans – kidnapped from their ancestral homes and transported to North America – from gaining the means to defend themselves from their oppressors.

The strategy: keep Blacks dumb and defenseless. From the Pilgrims’ arrival until the present day, the descendants of those Africans have been denied the same liberty “to bear arms” as their White oppressors.

Unarmed since day one From that fateful day in 1619, when the first African set foot in the North American colony of Jamestown, Va., to help produce tobacco and cotton, there has been a concentrated effort to keep Blacks unarmed and helpless.

And that effort took two avenues: (1)

through racist laws that punished Black people found in possession of guns – laws that eventually morphed into current-day gun control efforts; (2) through efforts to convince Black Americans to disarm themselves, especially by historical corruption of the ‘non-violent’ civil rights movement.

Shoot to kill Clayton E. Cramer, a history professor at the College of Western Idaho and the author of numerous books on gun ownership in America, writes, “Racist arms laws predate the establishment of the United States. Starting in 1751, the French Black Code required Louisiana colonists to stop any Blacks, and if necessary, beat ‘any Black carrying any potential weapon, such as a cane.’ If a Black refused to stop on demand, and was on horseback, the colonist was authorized to shoot to kill.”

According to Cramer, “the historical record provides compelling evidence that rac-

‘NEGROES WITH GUNS’ PART 2 Editor’s note: The title of this series is taken from the 1962 book titled, “Negroes With Guns” by Robert F. Williams, a North Carolina native and Marine Corps veteran who advocated armed self-defense by African-Americans.

“Another president would not have engaged with Iran – not in the way that he did, which is directly,” said Ivo Daalder, an early Obama campaign foreign policy adviser and later his ambassador to NATO. Yet the limits of Obama’s approach have grown clearer as they are tested against the realities of international relations.

Many Republicans charge that Obama’s hesitancy to intervene militarily has been read as weakness by foreign rivals, emboldening them to challenge U.S. interests. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Syria’s largely unchecked civil war against insurgents, the failure of Mideast peace talks and even the rise of Islamic State are all situations in which Obama’s reluctance to use military power has led to dangerous results, in the view of his critics.

“I do not think he has led as confidently and assertively in the Middle East as he might have, and it may be that he over-learned the lessons of Iraq 2003 and Afghanistan,” said R. Nicholas Burns, a former U.S. undersecretary of state in the administration of President George W. Bush and now a professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Burns said he’s nonetheless likely to support the Iran deal, pending details on the accord.

‘New climate’ Obama’s Iran strategy took shape when he deployed diploSee OBAMA, Page A2

See GUNS, Page A2

SNAPSHOTS

Study supports reducing juvenile arrests

BY MARGIE MENZEL THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – A new study on diversion programs for juvenile offenders is helping bolster a call to expand their use in Florida.

Released Wednesday, the report found that a 25 percent increase in the use of civil citations as alternatives to arrest would save taxpayers as much as $61 million – while keeping kids from handicapping their futures because of common misbehavior such as fighting, drinking or using drugs.

ALSO INSIDE

over the past four years. They offer law-enforcement officers the option of diverting teens into mandatory community service for certain offenses.

Additionally, offenders are required to write letters of apology to the victims and sometimes to law officers. They’re also assessed to see whether they are likely to re-offend, and, if so, are provided with other services – such as anger management or substance-abuse treatment.

Growing use “Children are afforded the The use of civil citations has chance to recognize their mistake grown enormously in Florida and alter their behavior with“The difference between children with an arrest record and those without an arrest record is some children get caught,” said Roy Miller, president of the Children’s Campaign, an advocacy group that supported the study.

The report found that being arrested as a juvenile “can impact employment, postsecondary education, housing and loans for the rest of (the offenders’) lives.”

TRAVEL | B1

out the negative consequence of an arrest record,” Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary Christy Daly wrote in an email. “This early intervention can be key to getting a child back on track and save their future.”

Dewey Caruthers, president of a Tampa-based firm that conducted the study, said the recidivism rate is 4 percent for offenders who complete civil-citation programs – compared with 42 percent for juveniles who serve time in residential facilities.

Save money “Civil citations save tax dolSee STUDY, Page A2

Is Brussels on your travel bucket list?

EDUCATION | A3

Ghanaian makes history at Howard NATION | A6

Black pastors join fight against samesex marriage

COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4 COMMENTARY: LEKAN OGUNTOYINBO: HAITIANS IN DOMINIC REPUBLIC MAY BECOME STATELESS | A4

FOCUS

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JULY 17 – JULY 23, 2015

Obama outlines criminal justice reforms to NAACP THOMAS FITZGERALD AND MARIA PANARITIS THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER /TNS

PHILADELPHIA – Putting nonviolent offenders away for long mandatory sentences costs the United States $80 billion a year, enough to pay for universal prekindergarten for all 3- and 4-yearolds, or free tuition at every public college and university, President Barack Obama said Tuesday in a wide-ranging speech to the annual conference of the NAACP. But the greater price is a psychic one, Obama said, measured in hopelessness and lives ruined, as well as anger and mistrust, because Black Americans and Latinos are more likely to be arrested and given longer sentences than Whites for the same nonviolent crimes.

“Any system that allows us to turn a blind eye to hopelessness and despair, that’s not a justice system, that’s an injustice system,” Obama said. “Justice is not only the absence of oppression, it’s the presence of opportunity.”

In a 45-minute speech to about 3,000 people at the Convention Center, Obama provided a road map for an overhaul of the crimi-

nal justice system, urging reduction or elimination of mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent crimes, a review of the use of solitary confinement, barring employers from asking job applicants about their criminal history, and other changes.

later; aides said he was discussing the agreement with world leaders. Even as his motorcade zipped from Philadelphia International Airport to the convention hall, Obama was on the phone with King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia.

Congressional action

Bipartisan efforts

He called on Congress to enact changes this year. In addition, Obama proposed that felons who have served their time should have the right to vote restored, as a way to help reintegrate them into society.

“If you are a low-level drug dealer or violate the terms of your parole, you have to be held accountable and make amends, but you don’t owe 20 years,” Obama said. “You don’t owe a life sentence. That’s disproportionate to the price that should be paid.”

It was one of the most expansive speeches on crime and justice issues of Obama’s tenure, though in some senses it was overshadowed by the announcement earlier in the day of the historic nuclear deal with Iran. His speech, originally scheduled for 3 p.m., began about two hours

Mandatory minimum sentences have disproportionately affected Blacks and Latinos, and there is a developing bipartisan consensus to change sentencing guidelines and smooth out disparities in punishment. Several Republican presidential candidates, including Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, have called for changes in the way the law treats nonviolent offenses.

In Washington, a bipartisan group of senators gathered Tuesday to discuss getting criminal justice changes passed this legislative year. In the House, a group of lawmakers formed a caucus focused on criminal justice reform.

The cause has “created some unlikely bedfellows,” Obama said, including the NAACP and the conservative billionaire Koch brothers, the ACLU and the con-

servative Americans for Tax Reform.

Obama’s visit came the day after he commuted the sentences of 46 drug offenders serving long federal sentences, doubling the number of nonviolent criminals granted clemency during his administration. He drew cheers when he gave the crowd his definition of justice.

“Justice is living up to the common creed that says, ‘I am my brother’s keeper and my sister’s keeper,’” Obama said. “Justice is making sure every young person knows they are special and they are important and that their lives matter – not because they heard it in a hashtag, but because of the love they feel every single day.

Not just love from their parents, not just love from their neighborhood, but love from police, love from politicians.

“Love from somebody who lives on the other side of the country, but says, ‘That young person is still important to me.’”

• A Black man born 25 years ago has just a 1-in-2 chance of being employed today.

• The nation’s prison population has ballooned, from 500,000 in 1980 to 2.2 million today.

• One-third of the Justice Department budget is spent on incarceration costs.

Boycott ends

The numbers

When the NAACP’s five-day convention opened Saturday in Philadelphia, its board of directors voted to end the civil rights group’s 15-year boycott of South Carolina. That boycott began in 2000, when the state refused to take the flag off the Capitol grounds.

On Wednesday – after the Florida Courier’s press time – former President Bill Clinton is scheduled to speak at the convention, followed in the evening by Loretta Lynch, the first Black woman to serve as the nation’s attorney general.

His speech was filled with statistics and references to policy changes as he made a case for reform:

Inquirer staff writers Sofiya Ballin and Sarai Flores contributed to this article.

OBAMA

STUDY

mats in 2013 to meet secretly with officials of the Islamic Republic.

The same year, he wrote a personal letter to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, followed by an unprecedented 15-minute telephone conversation with the Iranian leader, the highest-level contact between the two nations in more than three decades.

Once negotiations commenced, Obama stuck with them despite a campaign to undercut the talks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, congressional Republicans and even some lawmakers in his own party.

He fended off attempts to impose new sanctions on Iran amid the talks, which he said would have sunk an accord.

lars, in that their use is less expensive than arrest and subsequent involvement in the juvenile justice system,” Caruthers said.

“These dollars can be reinvested into law enforcement to prevent and combat more serious crimes and felonies.”

According to the study, 21,349 youth were eligible for civil citations in fiscal year 2013-2014, but 8,059 – or 62 percent – were arrested.

Miami-Dade County came in first among Florida counties for its use of civil citations with 91 percent of juvenile cases. Caruthers credited former Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary Wansley Walters, who pioneered the program in MiamiDade before Gov. Rick Scott appointed her to head DJJ in 2011.

The study estimates the savings of using civil citations at $1,467 to $4,614 per juvenile. It cites earlier work, including a 2010 report by Associated Industries of Florida, which found that processing offenders through the juvenile-justice system cost $5,000, while issuing a civil citation cost $386.

A 2011 report by the Florida TaxWatch Center for Smart Justice put taxpayer savings from the use of civil citations at $44 million to $139 million annually.

from A1

Limited success His approach hasn’t paid similar dividends in other conflicts.

With a civil war in Syria displacing nearly half the country’s population and helping fuel the growth of Islamic State, Obama has largely limited U.S. involvement to airstrikes. He’s been reticent to commit significant U.S. force to the fight against the militant group in Syria or Iraq.

“The president’s desire to retrench entirely from the Middle East helped create the conditions for the Islamic State to arise,” Sen.

GUNS from A1

ism underlies gun control laws, and not in any subtle way. Throughout much of American history, gun control was openly stated as a method for keeping Blacks… ‘in their place’ and to quiet the racial fears of Whites.”

Although the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution clearly states, “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed,” it was not written with non-Whites in mind.

Different reasons In the early years of America, the North and the South had their own respective justifications for keeping Blacks disarmed.

In both the colonial and immediate post-Revolutionary periods, the first laws regulating gun ownership were aimed squarely at Blacks and Native Americans. In both the Massachusetts and Plymouth colonies, it was illegal for the colonists to sell guns to

from A1

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/TNS

President Barack Obama speaks during a press conference in the White House on Wednesday.

Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican who’s frequently critical of Obama’s foreign policy, said Sunday on the CBS program “Face the Nation.”

The gains Obama made in an early “reset” with Russia dissipated as Vladimir Putin returned to the presidency with an expansionist agenda, annexing Crimea and menacing Ukraine.

Despite the administration’s hopes that economic engagement with China would nurture reform, the Asian power is increasingly aggressive in territorial disputes with its neighbors.

Mideast mess The U.S. public’s fear of terrorism grows as Islamic State beheads foreigners, even after the U.S. killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

The overthrow of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi that Obama supported brought chaos and terrorist attacks in the country. The outreach to the Muslim world that Obama launched has faltered as the appeal of Islamic radicals grew in the Arab Spring, while U.S. drone attacks and support for Israel continued to alienate

natives, while Virginia and Tennessee banned gun ownership by free Blacks.

The central importance of slavery to the South’s economy made it clear to White Southerners that allowing enslaved Africans to arm themselves was a non-starter.

The Northern states of the new republic remained in fear of armed Blacks, whether ‘free’ Blacks living “up North” or enslaved Blacks toiling “down South.”

Why? Revolts against slave owners often degenerated into generalized racial warfare. And there was the perception that free Blacks were sympathetic to the plight of their enslaved brothers and sisters.

Therefore, whether people of African descent were ‘free’ or enslaved, they would remain weaponless and defenseless anywhere in the young country named America.

siana colony and among Whites in the slave states of the United States.

From the 1830s to the 1860s, a movement to abolish slavery in America gained strength in the northern United States, led by free Blacks such as Frederick Douglass and White supporters such as William Lloyd Garrison.

In 1831, as a result of the Nat Turner revolt, Virginia and other Southern state legislators passed new laws to control enslaved Africans and free Blacks. They prohibited teaching any Black person – slave or free – how to read; restricted rights of assembly for free Blacks; and punished any Black person who was armed.

Three decades later in 1850, Douglass declared, “The best response is a good revolver” as a rebuttal to the Fugitive Slave Act that required any slave who escaped to be returned to Southern slavery.

Revolutionary impacts

Faulty ‘Reconstruction’

During the Haitian Revolution of the 1790s, enslaved Africans successfully threw off their French masters. This revolution was perceived to be a race war, aggravating existing fears in the French Loui-

The end of slavery in 1865 did not eliminate the problems of racist gun control laws. The former states of the Confederacy – many of which had recognized the right to carry arms openly before the

the Middle Eastern public.

Obama’s sense that the Iraq War was misguided – he was an early opponent, calling it “a dumb war” when Bush sought congressional authorization in 2002 – has been central to his approach to the conflict in Syria, Daalder said.

“He learned the lesson, which I agree with, that our ability to change the internal dynamics of societies through military force is very limited to nonexistent,” said Daalder, now president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. “Most other presidents would have gotten Civil War – developed a very sudden willingness to qualify that right. Thus, the various “Black Codes” adopted after the Civil War required Blacks to obtain a license before carrying or possessing firearms or even Bowie knives.

During the post-Civil War Reconstruction period (1865-77), former slaves received the rights of citizenship and the “equal protection” of the Constitution in the 14th Amendment (1868) and the right to vote in the 15th (1870), but the provisions of Constitution were often ignored or violated.

Reconstruction was ultimately frustrating for African-Americans because of the restrictive gun laws and the violent resurgence of Southern White supremacy, which came in the wake of the U.S. government’s decision to withdraw federal troops from the South.

The rise of racist organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan was aided by the inability of newly freed enslaved Africans to defend themselves.

In 1892, Black newspaper owner Ida B. Wells noted that “the only times an Afro-American who was assaulted got away was when he had a gun and

us into Syria a lot earlier, a lot quicker and a lot more deeply and because of that would have been less likely to pivot to Asia.”

Obama won authority from Congress last month to “fast-track” free-trade deals, opening the way to final negotiations on an accord with 11 other Pacific Rim nations, called the Trans-Pacific Partnership, that is the economic cornerstone of his Asia strategy.

Still, Obama’s foreign policy shortcomings in the Middle East and Eastern Europe loom largest in the minds of his opponents. used it in self-defense.”

Wells offered some blunt advice: “a Winchester rifle should have a place of honor in every Black home, and it should be used for that protection which the law refuses to give.”

Non-violent, not defenseless The premise that the civil rights movement in the South was strictly a nonviolent movement remains a dominant theme and a gross misrepresentation of history. In almost every Southern community, Black people picked up arms, organized, and met force with force to defend their leaders, their communities, and their own lives.

In particular, Black people relied on armed selfdefense in communities where federal government officials failed to protect them from the violence of racists and segregationists – who were often supported by local law enforcement.

At the height of the civil rights movement, Black freedom fighters took selfdefense seriously.

Although he was denied a concealed-carry permit, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a veritable “arsenal” at

home. Far from being a violation of the principle of nonviolence, King’s willingness to defend himself and his family was part of a long, proud tradition in Black America.

Modern gun control Of note was the first major ban on the open carrying of firearms. It was a reaction to “Negroes with guns.”

A Republican-led bill was drafted in California after members of the Black Panther Party began hanging around the state legislature in Sacramento with their guns on display. The gun control bill was signed in 1967 by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan of California.

It was followed by the federal Gun Control Act of 1968, that was primarily a reaction to the dangers of “Saturday night specials” – cheap handguns owned by the poor and Blacks.

Next week: Gun control and the rise of the National Rifle Association.

Karsceal Turner is an award-winning independent journalist regularly covering Central Florida human interest features and sports.

JULY 17 – JULY 23, 2015

EDUCATION

A3 How finalists chosen FAMU led all HBCUs with 14 nominations, followed by host Hampton with 10. A record 430 nominations from universities, alumni and students were submitted for the 2015 edition of the awards.

Who reviewed them

COURTESY OF EDWARD WATERS COLLEGE

Holding up their awards are Dr. Brian Seymour, research director of the Edward Waters Center for the Prevention of Health Disparities, and Dr. Francis Ikeokwu, chair of the EWC Department of Business Administration

A top HBCU honor for FAMU president Mangum, Edward Waters research director among honorees at Hampton FROM WIRE REPORTS

Two of Florida’s Black universities were honored last week at the annual AARP HBCU Awards ceremony held at Hampton University.

Dr. Elmira Mangum, president of Florida A&M University, was named the “Female President of the Year.’’

Edward Waters College’s Department of Business Administration won “Best Business Program” and Dr. Brian Seymour, research director for the EWC Center for Dr. Elmira the Prevention of Mangum Health Disparities, was named “Best Male Faculty of the Year.

Health care study Seymour conducted a pilot study that found major variations in allergic antibodies among the

African-American populations living in Jacksonville. The results could lead to improved health care and eventually reduce the high mortality rate among Blacks with allergic disorders.

“Edward Waters College’s two 2015 HBCU Awards and the institution’s total six nominations represent the unprecedented ways our faculty, staff and students have excelled. It also demonstrates the college’s commitment to become a national leader for innovative teaching and learning to better educate the next generation oi global leaders,” said Dr. Nathaniel Glover, president of Edward Waters Col-

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

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

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

lege (EWC), who was nominated for male president of the year.

Howard University President Wayne Frederick was named top male president.

The EWC Department of Business Administration partnered with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to offer a free entrepreneurship certificate program to the community in an effort to increase the number of minority business entrepreneurs.

The seven-week program provided a complete overview of the business skills needed to develop a full, applicable knowledge base of the start-up and business operations process.

Finalists were selected based on the impact of the nominees’ achievement on institutional development, and for media coverage earned for the university by way of the nominee.

According to HBCU Digest, nominees were selected based on their “... impact and achievement in the fields of leadership, arts, athletics, research and community engagement in the previous academic year.”

The nominations were submitted and reviewed by a host of individuals close to the HBCU community including students, alumni, PR officials and journalists covering historically Black colleges and universities. Votes are counted in each category via secret ballot of 13 HBCU presidents and the Center for HBCU Media Advocacy (CHMA) board members.

HBCU Digest is billed as the “national news resource of record for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).”

Mangum on honor The honor for Mangum follows her recent selection by U.S. Secretary Tom Vilsack to serve on the USDA Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee (APAC), which is responsible for helping to shape our international agricultural trade policy.

“I accept this award on behalf of the entire FAMU community,” said Mangum at the July 10 program. “The award represents the hard work and dedication of our staff, faculty, Board of Trustees, alumni, and supporters. Without them, I would not be here tonight receiving this award.”

Other FAMU awardees included Cecka Rose Green, who created the university’s 10 for $10 giving campaign, and three-time MEAC track and field championship-winning head coach Darlene Moore.

Ghanaian makes history at Howard with promotion as provost FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Dr. Anthony K. Wutoh made history last month when he became the first African provost in Howard University’s history.

A native of Ghana, Africa, Wutoh was named provost and chief academic officer of Howard last month.

Wutoh has a rich educational history at Howard and previously served as the university’s dean of the College of Pharmacy and assistant provost of International Programs.

He succeeds Dr. Michael R. Winston, the former provost. Winston will continue to serve Howard as Academic Counsel to the President, a position he also has held since 2013.

“Since Dr. Wutoh’s arrival at Howard University as an Assistant Professor in 1996, he has displayed amazing leadership inside and outside the classroom,” Wayne A. I. Frederick, president of Howard University, said in a statement.

“Dr. Wutoh’s work as Assistant Provost for International Programs – working across virtually every school, college, and department on campus – has expanded the university’s reach by forging strong international relationships that present our students, faculty, and staff with new and exciting opportunities abroad.”

Passion for research In addition to his most recent role as dean and assistant provost, Wutoh has been director of the Center for Minority Health Services as well as director for the Center of Excellence, funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration.

“I am humbled and honored to be asked to serve as Provost and Chief Academic Officer,” said Wutoh. “Howard University

Provost Dr. Anthony Wutoh cuts a celebratory cake with his wife, Dr. Rita Wutoh, and two daughters, Nadya and Niya. is a historic institution that has educated some of the world’s greatest minds. With that, I accept my charge of implementing President Frederick’s vision for even greater academic excellence.”

Wutoh’s passion for research has resulted in more than $50 million in grants from several sources, including the National Institutes of Health; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the United States Agency for International Development; the Health Resources and Service Administration; and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

A practicing pharmacist in Maryland since 1990, he is an alumnus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Biochemistry in 1987. He then earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy in 1990 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Pharmacy Practice and Administration in 1996.

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

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

Twitter @ccherry2

College challenging move to end nursing program THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

A Broward County college has challenged a move by the Florida Board of Nursing to end the school’s nursing-education program because of low passage rates by graduates on licensure exams, according to documents filed last week in the state Division of Administrative

Hearings.

The Board of Nursing in May issued an order to “terminate” the nursing-education program at City College-Fort Lauderdale. The order said graduates’ passage rate in 2014 was 60 percent. But in the challenge filed at the Division of Administrative Hearings, the college said it had met benchmarks in a 2013 remediation plan and that the Board of Nursing should have approved a request for an additional year of probation. “(The college) disputes and denies that it has not demonstrated adequate progress towards the graduate passage rate goal,’’ the college said in a petition for an administrative hearing.

EDITORIAL

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JULY 17 – JULY 23, 2015

Haitians in Dominican Republic may become stateless Racism is flaring its ugly head again on the island of Hispaniola, a Caribbean island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

For decades, thousands of Haitians have crossed over into the more affluent Dominican Republic to seek better economic opportunities. Over the years, some of these Haitians stayed, made new lives for themselves, and had families.

An estimated 460,000 Haitians or Dominican-Haitians live in the Dominican Republic. Now hundreds of thousands of people of them are in danger of being deported. While some of these “Hiatianos,” as they are known there, are undocumented residents, a large percentage were born in the Dominican Republic and have little or no ties to Haiti.

In the meantime, thousands of Haitians have fled to Haiti. Haiti’s prime minister has warned that the actions of the government of the Dominican Republic risk triggering a humanitarian crisis.

Like the United States, children of immigrants born in the Dominican Republic are automatically granted citizenship. But in 2004, migration law was changed to exclude children of Haitian migrants from citizenship. And in 2013, the Dominican Constitutional Court revoked the citizenship of anyone in the Domini-

can Republican born to those the court deemed “foreigners in transit.” The court’s decision made the term “transit” retroactive to 1929.

The Dominican Republic’s plan to kick out the Haitians is another sad and nasty chapter in the history of race relations between natives of these two countries.

ing Napoleon’s army – Haiti has become the most impoverished nation in the Americas.

Haitians are mostly treated like lepers by their Dominican neighbors. One of the most shameful racist episodes in the island’s turbulent history occurred in October 1937 when Dominican strongman Rafael Trujillo ordered the massacre of thousands of Haitians on the border.

The irony is that by American standards, the overwhelming majority of Dominicans are Black – or at least they would be classified that way here in the United States or in Canada.

Haitian revolution

‘Light is right’

At one time, Haiti was the envy of the non-White world. In 1802, a band of gallant enslaved Africans defeated the French army, then the world’s most powerful military, and Haiti became the world’s first Black republic. For a brief period, the Dominican Republic – which would not gain its independence from Spain until 60 years later –was under the domination of Haiti.

But over the past 70 years, for a variety of reasons that include natural disasters, mismanagement and punitive financial measures from Western powers – who never quite forgave Haiti for best-

But in the Latin world, the yardstick for race is considerably more complex, with more attention paid to characteristics such as skin hue and hair texture (Trujillo is reported to have had African ancestry). Bottom line: in the Dominican Republic, your light skin makes life so much easier.

In many respects, it’s just like the United States. But unlike the United States, overt racial discrimination is an accepted practice. Indeed, a report by two United Nations experts found systemic racism and discrimination in the Dominican Republic, particularly against people of Haitian

LEKAN OGUNTOYINBO NNPA COLUMNIST

Democrats think you are stupid Last month, Talking Points Memo noted that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the recipient of tens of millions of dollars in legal bribes (campaign contributions) from Big Oil, Big Ag, Big Pharma, Wall Street, military contractors, and more.

The DNC is featuring Bernie Sanders on the mass fundraising mailings it sent to thousands of likely Democrat donors.

Bernie Sanders describes himself as a socialist. He talks about what he calls “a political revolution.”

Nevertheless, Bernie Sanders talks and votes like many other pro-war liberal Democrats. Official Democrats think he’s Democrat enough to run in Democratic primaries and caucuses. Bernie’s even pledged to support the eventual Democratic Party nominee, pointing out that he does that every election anyhow.

What’s happening?

There’s no question that the DNC is the subservient tool of its ruling-class donors, and of their candidate Hillary Clinton. TPM’s Josh Marshall explains that although Hillary remains the official candidate of the DNC and its donors, they need an official opposition to make the year-long run up to the Democratic nominating convention a year from now look less like a coronation.

Bernie’s presence, and his half-hearted pro-war brand of socialism, doesn’t further any “political revolution” at all. What it does is make Hillary’s absolutely certain Democratic Party nomination look almost legit, as though she emerged from some kind of process where the Democrats’ base voters actually get to have their say.

But the cynicism of corporate Democrats runs much deeper than this. Immediately after President Obama muscled fasttrack legislation needed to pass his so-called trade bills though Congress without legislators being able to amend or even see what’s

BRUCE A. DIXON BLACK AGENDA REPORT

in them, the California Democratic Party was emailing thousands of likely small-and medium-sized donors with the promise that it would “continue the fight” against “unfair trade agreements” like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

The California Democratic Party chose not to remind prospective donors that their Democratic president forced TPP’s fasttrack provision through Congress, and that their Democratic president is hounding, harassing convening secret grand juries and jailing on espionage and terrorism charges Wikileaks and other persons for revealing parts of the so-called trade agreements – which are really corporate power grabs.

Won’t fight Obama The California Democratic Party isn’t about to fight Obama over TPP, the privatization of schools, cutting the military budget, rolling back the prison state, or anything else. Their feeble and hypocritical pretense of opposing TPP is aimed at the most deluded and gullible among their donor base, in the same spirit that the DNC uses Bernie Sanders to supplement fundraising.

It’s a measure of how uninformed and stupid Democratic Party leaders on the state and national level imagine Democratic donors and voters to be – another marker of the boundless contempt that Democratic Party leaders have for ordinary Democrats, and ordinary people.

Bruce Dixon is managing editor of BlackAgendaReport.com.

Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 262 QUICK TAKES FROM #2: STRAIGHT, NO CHASER

CHARLES W. CHERRY II, ESQ. PUBLISHER

Edward H. “Googie” Hayes, III, 1955-2015 – My hometown of Daytona Beach is a small town in which everybody pretty much knows everybody else in town, especially if you are Black. It was even smaller when I was growing up in the late 1960s and early ‘70’s. Googie Hayes was the kind of kid who everybody thought was his or her best friend because he was funny, pleasant, and always

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: OBAMA’S IRAN DEAL

BOB ENGLEHART, THE HARTFORD COURANT

ancestry. Haitian immigrants and Dominicans of Haitian ancestry are extremely vulnerable and face unjustified deportations, and are often denied passports or even birth certificates.

In recent years, there have been numerous reports of Haitians or Haitian-Dominicans being lynched for alleged offenses that range from robbing stores to burning a Dominican flag. Several Haitian-Dominicans have had their homes torched – and cops have been reluctant to investigate.

In large cities, including Santiago and Santa Domingo, some bars refuse to admit Blacks – or at least people who look Black.

plans have drawn the fury of the international community. New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio, whose city is home to 400,000 people of Dominican ancestry and 100,000 Haitian-Americans, has weighed in, as have many major international human rights groups. Foreign investment in the Dominican Republic is also down as a result. In response to this pressure, the government appears to have backed down – at least for now.

Pressure must be sustained so that the Dominican Republic accords ethnic Haitians the dignity and human rights they deserve.

Worldwide outrage

Lekan Oguntoyinbo is an award-winning journalist.

The

Dominican

Time to repeal Second Amendment In Chicago during the July 4th holiday, there were 14 citizens killed with guns and 82 injured by gunshots. Violence with guns is a pervasive sickness in our society, and firearms must be removed from the streets.

Americans think gun ownership is a right guaranteed by the Second Amendment, and that nothing can ever change with firearms. But in 2015, there is a solution to gun violence. It begins by making gun ownership heavily regulated and tightly controlled by the law.

At the present time in America, there are 270 million guns legally in circulation. The number of illegal guns being used is off the charts.

Few gun deaths In Japan and Switzerland, there are .05 percent deaths by guns per 100,000 people and citizens. Their families feel safe when they travel around the country. In the United States, there are 5.0 percent per 100,000 deaths by guns and that number is increasing.

Police admit they cannot control the epidemic of gun violence in the inner cities. Gangs and thugs control certain neighborhoods. Problems are resolved by killing. Everyone is carrying a gun and most of them are illegal. Guns are a way of life in the inner cities, and at any time, you can be killed for flashing the wrong gang symbol.

With America’s fixation on guns, supporters think everyone in the country should own a gun and they should be taught to shoot at an early age. This kind of thinking is creating a battleground in the streets, and vigilante groups are stockpiling weapons for a domestic war.

For the police to win back the streets, gun ownership must be heavily regis-

smiling.

My family and his were close; his parents were my godparents when I was baptized as a Catholic in elementary school – so my dad could pay less tuition. (I’m a practicing Bedside Baptist now after spending years studying various world religions on my own.)

My parents and his were all teachers. His mom Joretha and my mom Julia taught for years in the same elementary school before desegregation shut the school down and scattered Black teachers throughout the Volusia County school system.

Things got tense when my dad ran against his dad for a Daytona Beach City Commission seat three

CREDO OF THE BLACK PRESS The Black Press believes that Americans can best lead the world away from racism and national antagonism when it accords to every person, regardless of race, color or creed, full human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person. The Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief...that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back.

Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Sales Manager

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Dr. Valerie Rawls-Cherry, Human Resources

Charles W. Cherry, Sr. (1928-2004), Founder Julia T. Cherry, Senior Managing Member, Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Cassandra CherryKittles, Charles W. Cherry II, Managing Members

ROGER CALDWELL GUEST COLUMNIST

tered and tightly controlled by the law.

In China and Japan, private citizens are not allowed to possess guns and firearms, and penalties for arms trafficking ranges from 14 years imprisonment, to death.

Guns can be used by law enforcement, the military and paramilitary, and security personnel protecting property of state importance, financial institutions, and scientific research institutions. There are few exceptions to these laws, and the citizens understand that public safety is the reason for these rules.

Americans worry America must catch up with other advanced countries of the world, and not let millions of Americans carry firearms in public. Americans should not have to worry if the person openly carrying a firearm in public is a good guy, or a nut.

It’s time for the Second Amendment to be repealed or changed to reflect the realities of today. Americans can stop gun violence and mass killings if we follow countries around the world where gun violence is not a problem.

Roger Caldwell, a community activist, author, journalist, radio host and CEO of On Point Media Group, lives in Orlando. Contact him at jet38@bellsouth.net.

separate times. All the elections were like the Ali-Frazier “Thrilla in Manila” and “Rumble in the Jungle” fights. My dad (a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity) won two of the three campaigns he waged against Googie’s dad, Edward H. “Creamy” Hayes, Jr., (a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity). When one lost, he would have to endure years of trash-talk from the other until the next election.

Longtime readers of this column may recognize Googie’s name. Every year, during the commemoration of MLK’s murder on April 4, 1968, I write that my brother Glenn and I were shooting baskets at Googie’s backyard

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher

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basketball goal when his mom suddenly told us to “go home.” We did. That’s when Mom told us that Dr. King had been shot dead, and I saw my father cry – one of only two times in my life that I had ever seen that happen.

There’s way too much personal history with Googie and his family that so many of my childhood friends and classmates have for me to write here. I’ll only say we’ll miss you, Goog, and we’ll never forget you. Holla at your best friend “Hank” for all of us on this side…

Contact me at ccherry2@ gmail.com.

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JULY 17 – JULY 23, 2015

EDITORIAL

A5

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: THE GOP SUBMITS A BUDGET

BILL SCHORR, CAGLE CARTOONS

Former schoolmates Howard Simon and John Zippert were reunited in Selma, Ala. after 45 years.

The civil rights movement and the Class of 1965 In 1965, the City College of New York (CCNY) student government received a telegram from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – one of many he sent to allies around the country – urging that if they shared his vision and commitment to equality and racial justice, they join him for a “peaceful, nonviolent march for freedom’’ from Selma to Montgomery.

I was vice president and my friend John Zippert was student government president.

Parents fearful Understandably, our parents were terrified about our joining Dr. King in Selma. The month before, an Alabama state trooper shot and killed civil rights demonstrator Jimmie Lee Jackson, and a few weeks later thugs killed James Reeb, a Boston Unitarian minister, on the streets of Selma.

Two years earlier, three young men, Michael Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman (a student at another college of the City University) were murdered in Mississippi during the Freedom Summer campaign to assist Blacks in registering to vote. John Zippert’s mother knew the agony of Andrew Goodman’s mother; both mothers were members of the same chapter of Hadassah, a Jewish women’s organization.

Then, on March 6, 1965, the images “Bloody Sunday” were sent around the world. Alabama state troopers brutally turned their horses, tear gas and clubs on civil rights demonstrators who attempted to march from Selma to the state capital in Montgomery to demand that the federal government prevent Alabama and other states of the Old Confederacy from denying Black people the right to vote. Without the vote, Blacks had no voice in determining the quality of their children’s schools, municipal services or a way to address police abuse.

On the bus

HOWARD SIMON GUEST COMMENTARY

across the country to join him.

Despite our families’ fears of violence, John, another friend from Hunter College, and I boarded the bus for Selma.

With student-government “expertise,” I was assigned to work the mimeograph machine in the basement of Brown Chapel under the direction of Dr. King’s aide, Rev. Andrew Young. We attended rallies at the church, inspired by the words of Dr. King that Alabama and the nation had a “date with destiny.”

The 54-mile march began on Sunday, March 21. Under the terms of U.S. District Judge Frank Johnson’s order, a chosen group of 300 marchers (priests, nuns, rabbis and students – Black and White – led by Dr. King) crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge over the Alabama River headed to Montgomery. John and I, and others, were later bused to catch up with the demonstrators.

Tone changed We spent nights sleeping on school gymnasium floors. Along Route 80, we supported each other singing the anthems of the civil rights movement.

But the tone changed once we reached Montgomery. As we marched through the streets toward the Alabama state capitol, I recall the tense silence. Crowds lined the streets, often cursing, sometimes spitting at the marchers.

We heard Dr. King’s stirring words delivered as the Alabama state flag, which evoked the battle flag of that state’s Confederate infantry, flew over the Capitol dome: “The season of suffering will not be long, because truth crushed to earth will rise again.”

Volunteer killed

Later that day, a car with four After Dr. King turned around a Klansmen overtook the vehicle second march to avoid violating a driven by Viola Liuzzo, a volunfederal injunction, he urged allies teer who was ferrying a civil rights

40 reasons Blacks and the poor are incarcerated Editor’s note: This is Part 4. Other reasons will be listed in upcoming weeks.

18. Those who are too poor, too mentally ill or too chemically dependent, though still presumed innocent, are kept in cages until their trial dates.

No wonder it is fair to say, as the New York Times reported, our jails “have become vast warehouses made up primarily of people too poor to post bail or too ill with mental health or drug problems to adequately care for themselves.”

19. Poor people have to rely on public defenders. Though anyone threatened with even a day in jail is entitled to a lawyer,

BILL QUIGLEY GUEST COMMENTATOR

the reality is much different. Many poor people facing misdemeanor charges never see a lawyer at all.

For example, in Delaware, more than 75 percent of the people in its Court of Common Pleas never speak to a lawyer. A study of Jackson County, Mich. found 95 percent of people facing misdemeanors waived their right to an attorney and have plead guilty rather than pay a $240 charge for a public defender. Thirteen states

marcher back to Selma. Shots were fired, and the Detroit mother of five young children was hit twice in the face and killed.

With the nation outraged by the violence of Bloody Sunday and the murders of Jimmie Lee Jackson, the Rev. James Reeb and Viola Liuzzo, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act. It outlawed poll taxes, literacy tests, inaccessible registration procedures and other roadblocks erected by the White power structure and brutally enforced by local police and the Klan to prevent Blacks from voting.

committed the crime of getting married. The decision in the Loving case was issued in June 1967.

It barred Virginia and other states from making interracial marriage a crime.

The Zipperts became the first interracial couple to wed in Louisiana. They have three children, and 11 grandchildren.

The aftermath John’s life work has been dedicated to ensuring the survivability of Black-owned family farms. He is a founder of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, which now serves more than 70 cooperatives and 20,000 families across ten Southern states. On Dec. 5, 2012, John was inducted into the Tuskegee University’s George Washington Carver Hall of Fame.

Carol earned a Ph.D. in education and served her community as a college teacher, college president and member of a county school board. The Zipperts now live in Alabama and also publish a community newspaper, the Greene County Democrat.

I returned from Selma to graduate from The City College. I later received a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, and, for several years, taught at DePauw University in Indiana. Ten years after the Selma march for voting rights, with King’s words still resonating and inspiring me, I was appointed executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, and served from 1974 to 1997.

Now in Florida Since 1997, I have served as executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Florida affiliate. Protecting the right to vote, especially since the botched election in 2000, has been a major focus of my work.

It has been 50 years since Dr. King led the march from Selma to Montgomery. Those in power no longer use charging horses, clubs, tear gas and mobs to deny people the right to vote. Manipulation of voting procedures, onerous voter identification requirements, computer purges and voting bans against those with past felony convictions are today’s weapons.

Reunited

John is White and Carol Prejean is Black, and they fell in love during a period when their relationship was not legally permitted. In 1967, Louisiana’s anti-miscegenation law barred them from being issued a marriage license.

With help from the American Civil Liberties Union, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and others, John and Carol filed suit in U.S. District Court challenging the constitutionality of the state’s anti-miscegenation law. Their case was stayed until the U. S. Supreme Court decided Loving v. Virginia, the historic ACLU case involving a White man and his mixed-race wife who

I had not seen the Zipperts for 45 years – until we returned to Selma in March for the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” and the historic march for the Voting Rights Act. The reunion in Selma was moving and bittersweet. The courage of the “foot soldiers” and the determination of civil rights workers who helped to secure passage of the Voting Rights Act were celebrated. But it was hard not to note that the U.S. Supreme Court had ripped out the law’s heart and soul – federal oversight of state and local voting manipulation.

John and I – each in our own way – have worked for racial equality and the right to vote since the days we spent in Selma and walked Highway 80 to Montgomery 50 years ago. But in many ways since then the country FBI ‘unhooded’ seems to have moved backward During that time, I helped unon racial justice. cover evidence of the FBI’s complicity, under J. Edgar Hoover, in some of the worst violence in- Racism continues The equal legal status of Blacks flicted on those who went to the South to work for civil rights and in America is certainly different now than in the 1960s, but the voting rights.

We learned that one of the four ugly undertow of racism and racmen in the car from which the ist violence persists. The brutal shots were fired killing Viola Li- killing of nine people in an hisuzzo was the FBI’s chief paid in- toric Charleston, South Caroliformant in the Klan, Gary Thom- na church is reminiscent of the as Rowe, Jr. We also found docu- 1963 bombing of the Birmingham ments revealing that, four years church that killed four girls.

Yes, it is decades past due to reearlier, the same informant told the FBI that the Birmingham po- tire the battle flag of the Old Conlice would allow the Klan to attack federacy to a museum with other the first Freedom Riders when artifacts of American history. But they arrived on May 14, 1961. The we cannot allow ourselves to be FBI stood by and let it happen. distracted by a fight over symbols.

The ACLU brought a lawsuit on Addressing public policies that behalf of Viola Liuzzo’s five chil- breed racial inequality in our indren. Ultimately, a federal judge stitutions – in our educational cited insufficient evidence to de- system, in housing, in employtermine whether the shots that ment, and especially in America’s killed their mother were fired by criminal justice system – is both Klansman or the FBI’s informant. more difficult and more urgent A different federal judge found than a fight over what to do about that the FBI, armed with advance the symbols of racial inequality. knowledge of the attack on the Howard Simon is executive Freedom Riders and choosing to let it happen, was responsible for director of the American Civil the brutal assault.

Liberties Union of Florida.

have no state structure at all to make sure people have access to public defenders in misdemeanor courts.

20. When poor people face felony charges, they often find the public defenders overworked and underfunded. Thus, public defenders cannot fully provide adequate help in their cases. In recent years, public defenders in Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri and Pennsylvania were so overwhelmed with cases they refused to represent any new clients. Most other states also have public defender offices that have been crushed by overwork and inadequate finances, and do not measure up to the basic principles for public defenders outlined by the American Bar Association. It is not uncommon for public defenders to have more than 100 cases going at the same time, sometimes several hundred. Famous trial lawyer Gerry Spence, who never lost a criminal case be-

cause of his extensive preparation for each one, said that if he was a public defender and represented a hundred clients, he would never have won a case.

21. Lots of poor people plead guilty. Lack of adequate public defense leads many people in prison to plead guilty. The American Bar Association reviewed the US public defender system and concluded it lacked fundamental fairness and put poor people at constant risk of wrongful conviction. “All too often, defendants plead guilty, even if they are innocent, without really understanding their legal rights or what is occurring...The fundamental right to a lawyer that America assumes applies to everyone accused of criminal conduct effectively does not exist in practice for countless people across the US.” 22. Many are forced to plead guilty. Consider all the exonerations of people who were forced by police to confess – even when

Back home John and I returned home from Selma to go our separate paths.

Almost immediately, though, John returned to the South – where he still lives and works.

Through the Congress of Racial Equality, John was assigned to help develop farmer’s cooperatives in Opelousas, in southwest Louisiana.

At a meeting he organized in the spring of 1966 to plan a sweet potato marketing co-operative, John met and fell in love with Carol Prejean. Born and raised in Lafayette, she was also working with Black farmers and sharecroppers to create a farmer’s cooperative to make sure that they would get a fair price for their crops.

Interracial taboo

they did not do the crime – who were later proven innocent. Some criminologists estimate 2 to 8 percent of the people in prison are innocent, but pled guilty. One longtime federal judge estimates that there is so much pressure on people to plead guilty that there may easily be 20,000 people in prison for crimes they did not commit.

23. Almost nobody in prison ever had a trial. Trials are rare in the criminal injustice system.

Over 95 percent of criminal cases are finished by plea bargains. In 1980, nearly 20 percent of criminal cases were tried, but that number is reduced to less than 3 percent. Why? Because sentences are now so much higher for those who lose trials; there are more punishing drug laws and mandatory minimum sentences; and more power has been given to prosecutors.

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

TOJ A6

NATION

JULY 17 – JULY 23, 2015

Black pastors join fight against same-sex marriage Many evangelicals have expressed guilt and regret that they did not push harder against what they believe is a sin

BY MOLLY HENNESSY-FISKE LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

HOUSTON — During an evening service titled “Stop, Look and Listen” in the spare fellowship hall of Mount Hebron Missionary Baptist Church, after dire Scripture readings about plagues and last days, the minister rose before a sign that proclaimed, “Jesus saves!”

“I wanted to come by today to keep encouraging you to hold on,” the Rev. Max A. Miller Jr. told the three dozen in attendance.

“Stand up for what is right.”

Miller didn’t directly mention the Supreme Court ruling five days earlier that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, but the inference was inescapable — hold on as Christianity comes under attack and fight to preserve our values. Hold on.

‘An abomination’ In Miller’s nearby study, several church members gathered after the service to share their unease with the ruling, as a gospel choir practiced within earshot.

“I’m deeply disturbed by the decision the Supreme Court made. It’s painful as a Christian to see the leadership — our president — has not taken God into consideration,” said Daryl Fisher, 54, a firewood salesman who clutched a Bible in one hand as he spoke.

“It’s an abomination,” he said as the others nodded. “Christians will have to stand up and fight even harder for what’s right. The courts have not respected us.”

It’s a sentiment ex-

sition was evolving, and he fully endorsed same-sex marriage six months before the 2012 general election.

Disappointed with Obama

pressed by many conservative Christians since the June 26 ruling — a sense that the rest of the country has lost its way.

As 100 evangelical leaders put it in an open letter after the ruling, “Evangelical churches in America now find themselves in a new moral landscape that calls us to minister in a context growing more hostile to a biblical sexual ethic.”

‘It’s not over’ The Barna Group, an evangelical polling firm, found that 94 percent of evangelical Christians surveyed opposed the Supreme Court ruling, compared with 66 percent of practicing Christians as a whole.

Fully 86 percent of evangelicals agreed that samesex marriage “will have negative impact on society,” compared with 59 percent of practicing Christians.

Along with sadness and dismay, many evangelicals expressed guilt and regret that they did not fight harder against what they believe is a sin.

The Rev. Bill Owens, president of the Memphisbased Coalition of African American Pastors, says conservative ministers are organizing to oppose the ruling, planning protests in the South as they did during the civil rights era.

“It’s not over. The Supreme Court has gotten things wrong. It got the Dred Scott decision wrong,” Owens said, referring the 1857 ruling that propped up slavery.

MOLLY HENNESSY-FISKE/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

The Rev. Max A. Miller Jr. and wife Rhonda Miller of Mt. Hebron Missionary Baptist Church in Houston are rallying opposition to the Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage.

Black pastors unite Miller spoke last week on behalf of about 60 African-American Baptist ministers who vowed at a news conference to stand up against same-sex marriage.

“It may be a right, but it’s not holy. It may be a right, but it’s not God’s word,” Miller said.

“We stand now joined with a unified voice as watchmen on the wall of history to call for a redirection and recommitment to Christian virtues and Christian morals,” he added.

In the Houston suburbs, the pastor of the more than 3,700-member Sugar Creek Baptist Church quickly addressed the court’s ruling, urging the congregation to repent and hold fast to biblical principles.

He let them know on the church website that a Republican state lawmaker

who belongs to the church had sponsored legislation to protect pastors from having to marry same-sex couples, and church volunteers had already started organizing to support similar efforts with an email list and separate website.

“It’s our Judeo-Christian values that our country was built and founded upon, our biblical values, that are obviously under attack,” said Sugar Creek’s associate pastor, the Rev. Clif Cummings, 58. “It’s a continued eroding taking our nation down a vast, slippery slope.”

Speaking out In his majority opinion for the Supreme Court, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote that the First Amendment guarantees that religious organizations and people “may continue to advocate with utmost, sincere conviction that, by di-

vine precepts, same-sex marriage should not be condoned.”

That’s little comfort to some.

Texas’ Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed the Pastor Protection Act last month to further guarantee ministers’ right to decide whom they marry, and he and other state leaders have spoken out since the ruling about protecting religious liberties. But, Cummings said, “With this last decision by the Supreme Court, I’m not sure we can say anything is concrete anymore.”

At Mount Hebron and other African-American churches, worshippers said they felt particularly betrayed by President Barack Obama, who cited his Christian faith in opposing same-sex marriages when he first campaigned for president.

But in December 2010, the president said his po-

Fisher, the firewood salesman, noted that he had voted for Obama.

“Ask me if I regret it,” said Fisher, still holding his Bible. “I do. If I could take it back, I would — on this issue alone. We expect him to rule this nation based on the beliefs in this book.”

The others in the pastor’s study agreed.

They also were upset by the decision to light the White House in rainbow colors after the ruling. That same day, Obama spoke at the funeral for the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, an African-American minister gunned down at a church in Charleston, S.C. Surrounded by African-American clergy, Obama prayed and burst into song — all after supporting same-sex marriage.

“Singing ‘Amazing Grace’ after he led the charge — what a shame,” Fisher said.

“The church is under siege; it’s just coming from different directions.”

“They have tried to attach this to civil rights,” said the pastor’s wife, Rhonda Miller, 52.

“No connection whatsoever,” Fisher said.

“Because they have a choice,” she said of gays and lesbians.

They blamed themselves for not standing up sooner, and more forcefully. The Bible told them to love the sinner, hate the sin, but perhaps they had been lax, loving the sinners too much.

“Satan is subtle,” Rhonda Miller said. “You say, ‘I’ll go along with that,’ and before you know it, it’s an abomination.”

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BRUSSELS IS IT ON YOUR BUCKET LIST?

Florida Courier travel writer shares her insights traveling to Belgium’s trendy city

BY ELEANOR HENDRICKS MCDANIEL SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

T

Top: Canals flow throughout old Bruges, making it the “Venice of the North.”

Above: Bruges’ City Hall can be found on Market Square.

Right: Clerks at the House of Belgian Chocolates happily offer free samples.

Below left: Manneken Pis is a favorite in Brussels.

Below right: Madonna and Child is the only sculpture by Michelangelo to leave Italy.

PHOTOS BY ELEANOR HENDRICKS MCDANIEL

o Americans, Brussels is one of Europe’s best-kept secrets. I can’t figure out why since it’s so convenient to reach. Several airlines fly directly to Brussels from the United States.

From London or Amsterdam to Brussels takes less than two hours by train; from Paris, only one hour and 20 minutes. In Brussels, French is the official language, but most people speak English.

Brussels is the capital of Belgium and the European Union and the headquarters of NATO, but that’s all the politics you’ll need to know. Let’s just concentrate on city’s charms.

700 types of beer In Old City, head to the breathtakingly beautiful La Grand Place. Brussels’ splendid main square flaunts the wealth of the country’s golden age during the 17th century. The richly decorated Town Hall dominates the space. The other structures once housed the craftsmen’s guilds. Now they house offices, shops and restaurants.

While on the square, take the tour in the Brewers’ Guild that ends with a free “brewski.”

Belgium’s 700 types of beer rank alongside the world-renown beers of Germany, England and the Czech Republic. I stopped at the sidewalk tables outside Le Roy D’Espagne café, located on the square. Shoehorned into the space of the old Bakers’ Guild, it serves a long list of specialty beers, wine and light dishes.

Although I’m not ordinarily a beer drinker, I really liked the cherry beer.

If you’re a beer fan, try the dark or blonde Grimberger beer made by monks.

For chocolate lovers Belgium has been making chocolates since the 17th century. But in 1912, a new technique was developed.

Even the Swiss (no chocolate slouches themselves) adapted the Belgians’ basic recipe. Say Godiva or Leonidas and chocoholics salivate. Both are Belgian chocolatiers.

On the Grand Place is La Maison des Maitres Chocolatiers Belges (The House of Belgian Chocolate Makers), the flagship of hand-made chocolate.

It promotes five artisanal chocolatiers from northern Belgium and five from the south. They offer chocolate-making demonstrations and a large selection of chocolates at reasonable prices.

The waffle The food in Brussels leans toward French cuisine, but no one leaves Belgium without sampling its very own wonderful and surprisingly crisp (yes, I said “crisp”) waffle. I was also surprised to discover that Belgians devour by the dozens mussels that come from the Netherlands.

In the months that include the letter “r,” they wind up on almost every menu. The seafood restaurant, Bij der Boer, serves some of the best mussels in Brussels.

Don’t miss the popular fountain that’s filled by Manneken Pis, a saucy lad who’s answering nature’s call.

When I first saw the statue years ago, he was naked. Today he wears a wardrobe any woman would envy. Outfits have arrived from around the globe, and the collection may be viewed in the City Museum on the Grand Place.

Today’s Brussels is a world-class metropolis with all the cosmopolitan trappings such as excellent museums, great shopping, theaters, fine dining and trendy clubs so why not put it on your bucket list?

Eleanor Hendricks McDaniel, an experienced travel journalist, wrote this story for the Florida Courier.

She has lived in Paris, Florence (Italy) and Philadelphia. She currently resides in Ormond Beach. Check out her blog: flybynighttraveler.com and follow her on Twitter: ellethewriter.

Belgium is one of the top producers of beer in the world.

CALENDAR

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JULY 17 – JULY 23, 2015

STOJ

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR Miami: Nicki Minaj’s Pinkprint Tour lands at the Bayfront Park Amphitheatre in Miami on July 20. The 7 p.m. show also will feature Meek Mill, Dej Loaf and Tinashe.

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

Tampa: An Injustice & Inequality in Tampa’s African American Community in the Buckhorn Era, the first in a Community Conversations series, is 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Aug. 1 at the HOPE Center, 4902 N. 22nd St. Register by calling 813-420-1177 or email. Free admission.

Orlando: The Opal Network Alliance’s South Florida Women’s Summit is Oct. 28-29 at the at the Bonaventure Resort & Spa in Weston.

More information: www. onatoday.com.

Clearwater: Mothers of Minors (M.O.M.) will host the “Showers of Love” Community Baby Shower from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Clearwater MLK Jr. Neighborhood Center, 1201 Douglas Ave. More information: www.mominclf.org.

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 954-8490980.

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.

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.

WILL VRAGOVIC/ TAMPA BAY TIMES/TNS

VINCENT JACKSON & VICTOR OLADIPO The Skills Center, Inc. will present a Tampa Bay Youth Sports Expo on July 18, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Tampa Convention Center. This annual event engages pro sports teams and players with more than 1,500 youth during a one-day comprehensive program to educate, train and empower youth, parents, coaches, and sports administrators. Vincent Jackson of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Victor Oladipo of the Orlando Magic will provide clinics.

More information: www.tbyse.com.

Hollywood: Smokey Robinson 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.

EDDIE GRIFFIN & CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER D.L. Hughley, George Lopez, Cedric the Entertainer, Eddie Griffin and Charlie Murphy are scheduled to be part of the Black and Brown Comedy Get Down on Aug. 7 at Amway Center in Orlando.

St. Petersburg: Catch Jill Scott on Aug. 8 at Hard Rock Live Hollywood or Aug. 9 at the Mahaffey Theatre in St. Petersburg.

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.

Florida Memorial has new basketball coach Florida Memorial University has hired Artis Maddox from Mountain State University as the head coach of the men’s basketball team.

“I’m excited about the possibilities at Florida Memorial University. I am very passionate about athletics and look forward to growing great student-athletes not only for the game but in the game of life,” said Maddox about his new position.

Maddox will work with the athletic director to develop and maintain a system to identify potential recruits, to adhere to National Association of Intercollegiate Ath-

letics (NAIA) rules and regulations, to support coaches as well as student athletes on interfacing with sports governing body, and to monitor a complaint environment in compliance with NAIA. Prior to coming to Florida Memorial, the Jacksonville native was the assistant basketball coach for Mountain State University in West Virginia for nine years. He coached and recruited the Cougars to a No. 1 ranking in the country, to win the NAIA tournament, and to produce 16 AllAmerican players.

Maddox obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from Mountain State University. He was the team captain of the basketball team and led them to a Sweet 16 with a season record of 27-6.

Sports reporter to speak at FAMU graduation

miliar places.

“FAMU was almost my agent in the beginning when they said, ‘There is an opening here, and we think you should go for Fox Sports reporter Pam Oliver will ad- it,’” she related.

Oliver, who grew up in Niceville, was a dress graduates at Florida A&M University’s (FAMU) summer com- college All-American in both the 400-meter and the mile relay while attending mencement on Aug. 7.

Oliver received her bach- FAMU. She was inducted into the FAMU elor’s degree in broadcast Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.

“I am grateful that Pam Oliver has journalism from FAMU in 1984. She is entering her agreed to share her experience and vision 21st season as a reporter with our graduates,” said FAMU President for Fox Sports coming the Elmira Mangum. “Her story is so inspiraNFL. She was a reporter tional and uplifting. She is a living testawith ESPN during the ear- ment to the value of courage, hard work, Pam Oliver ly 1990s before joining Fox perseverance, and dedication. These are Sports in 1995. In recent values that we strive to instill in our stuyears, she also has done courtside report- dents every day at FAMU.” Summer commencement will be held at ing on TNT during the first two rounds of 4 p.m. on Aug. 7 at the Alfred Lawson Jr. the NBA playoffs.

Oliver credits FAMU with giving her the Multipurpose Center and Teaching GymsupportTHE needed to go outside her comfort CLIENT: nasium that AD: is Surprised located at 1800 Wahnish RICHARDS GROUP JOB #: BON080034 Ad Council Baby_Horizontal Half-Page TRIM: Same as live fears ofLIVE: 7'' x 4.875" to unfa- BLEED: .125'' zone and discard moving Way, Tallahassee.

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The LATCH system makes it easier to be sure your child’s car seat is installed correctly every time. Just clip it to the lower anchors, attach the top tether, and pull the straps tight. To find out more, visit safercar.gov.

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

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BY JUDD APATOW A UNIVERSAL PICTURE © 2015 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES

STOJ

JULY 17 – JULY 23, 2015

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

Meet some of

FLORIDA’S

finest

submitted for your approval

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Think you’re one of Florida’s Finest?

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

lunie elie

tevon

Model Lunié Elie started doing test shots a few years ago and works with magazine executives across the globe to build her brand. She recently launched a YouTube channel called “My Journey To Becoming A Model” while balancing medical school and work. She says she is “determined to become the entrepreneur she has always dreamed of.”

Contact Lunié at facebook.com/ TheLunieElie.

Graduating from Tennessee State University with a degree in speech communication and theater, Tevon is very versatile in arts, having the opportunity to be involved with film work in a variety of films, including “The Game’’ (football player) and “Hunger Games 2’’ (peacekeeper). He also has worked on the Disney movie “Let It Shine,’’ “Ricky Smiley Morning Show,’’ “Necessary Roughness’’ and “Single Ladies.’’ Contact Tevon via e-mail at Tevplunkett@yahoo.com or facebook.com/TevonPlunkett.

‘Amazing Grace’ opens on Broadway Play recounts journey of former slave trader who wrote popular song

mixed reviews, the creators — director Gabriel Barre and a 32-actor cast, including Tony-winner Chuck Cooper — forged ahead with the unlikely plans for Broadway.

BY LINDA WINER NEWSDAY/TNS

‘Most beloved song’

Many Americans were surprised and deeply moved last month when President Barack Obama concluded his eulogy for slain Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney by singing the hymn “Amazing Grace.”

It is fair to say, however, that few were moved on as many different levels as was Carolyn Rossi Copeland, a lead producer of the new Broadway musical “Amazing Grace.” The show, which has opened at the Nederlander Theatre in New York City, tells the journey of John Newton, a former English slave trader, who, in 1773, wrote what was to become one of the world’s most popular songs of redemption and forgiveness.

There is no way this jolt of global publicity could be seen as anything but good for a show that, given its topic and faithbased roots, is hardly easy-sell Broadway fare. And yet, Copeland is understandably dismayed that anyone might see her suddenly newsworthy show “capitalizing” on the June 17 outrage, which killed nine people in a historic Black church in Charleston, S.C.

Years in the making “We have been working on this show for so many years,” she says, her voice trailing off for a moment at the confluence of events.

In fact, she has been helping develop what is now a $15 million musical since she heard firsttime composer (and former Philadelphia police officer) Christopher Smith’s work at a concert in the basement of the Empire State Building seven years ago.

“The music was so remarkable,” she remembers. “I wanted to help him fill the vision.” A production at the Goodspeed Opera House was followed by a Chicago tryout last autumn. Despite

The commercial theater has not been a welcoming place for projects honoring belief. Ask Kathie Lee Gifford about her shortlived musical, “Scandalous.” On the basis of “The Book of Mormon,” “Hand to God” and “An Act of God,” a stranger coming to Broadway this summer might think the theater is obsessed with wildly irreverent comedy.

Copeland, not surprisingly, resists letting anyone corner her show into a God-or-No-God argument. “This is based on the life of a man who begins as a horrible person and becomes a great human being. We are not selling religion. We are selling great entertainment.”

They also are celebrating a hymn that the show’s press material calls “the world’s most beloved song.” Is it? I’ve tried to come up with songs of comparable popularity, at least in the English-speaking world. You try it. For now, I’ve given up.

“Amazing Grace” has been sung, played or recited at funerals — including ones for Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon. People like to hear it at weddings. UNICEF is using it as the background for one of its TV ads about starving children.

Sung by Mahalia, Elvis Newton, who brought people from Africa as slaves, ironically, to Charleston, had a religious conversion during a storm at sea in 1748. Although he wrote the hymn for his Church of England sermon, the song has become a huge part of the African-American church. Mahalia Jackson’s 1947 version was an indelible soundtrack of civil rights marches.

Judy Collins and Joan Baez made it part of Vietnam protests, yet it is also played at many military funerals. I read that the Library of Congress has a collec-

PHOTOS BY JOAN MARCUS/TNS

Tony Award winner Chuck Cooper, center, is chained in the Broadway production of “Amazing Grace ed world. It was written by a slave trader and became a legend.”

Audience participation

Josh Young, center, stars as John Newton in the Nederlander Theatre’s production of “Amazing Grace.” tion of 3,000 versions of it and of songs inspired by it — including one by Elvis. And let’s not forget the song’s significance in an episode of “The Simpsons” that dealt with redemption.

I asked Eric Metaxas to explain the pull of the seven simple stanzas of the song, which credits “grace” for bringing the singer safe through “dangers, toils and snares.” Metaxas — syndicated radio host, cultural advocate for faith and author of “Amazing

Grace,” a biography of British abolitionist William Wilberforce — half jokes that the hymn “Is one of the few songs in American life that people know. Like ‘Happy Birthday to You.”” “We don’t have a unified culture anymore,” he said more seriously. “How many people know the lyrics to the same song?” He mentioned that it’s a favorite of Garrison Keillor. Bill Moyers did a special analyzing its appeal. “It is something unifying in a divid-

Metaxas sang it himself in Greece in an Athens church, leading the congregation in the country where his father was born. He also sang it to end his 2012 speech at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, where Obama and the first lady were among the 3,500 guests.

Metaxas is pretty sure Obama got the idea from him.

He is happy that Broadway will have a show that doesn’t “mock a lot of people in America who have a simple faith,” a show that, he believes, will bring in “religious audiences, conservatives, liberals, Blacks, Whites and the whole family in a show that’s powerful but not saccharine. I have always wanted that kind of entertainment in the culture.”

When Obama began his sweetly unpolished — all right, offpitch — rendition at the end of his eulogy, the people in the church stood and sang with him.

Copeland says audiences at the end of the musical also stand and join the company in the song. “We didn’t write that in. It just happened every night. We watched people want to sing, so we give them the opportunity ...

I think we’re in the perfect moment to celebrate grace.”

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HEALTH

JULY 17 – JULY 23, 2015

STOJ

Health care act, math and politics Florida among states not budging on Medicaid expansion

BY CHRISTINE VESTAL STATELINE.ORG

TAMPA — With its ruling in King v. Burwell last month, the U.S. Supreme Court likely settled the question of whether President Barack Obama’s signature Affordable Care Act (ACA) will survive. Whether and when the health law will be fully implemented in all 50 states is a different question.

“With the King decision behind us, the drumbeats for Medicaid expansion are increasing,” said Matt Salo, executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors. “There is movement in every state.

They’ll get there. Maybe not today and maybe not this year, but they’ll get there soon.”

That’s the hope of health care industry groups and legions of consumer advocates. Major business organizations and local and county governments are also onboard. Following the high court’s decision, Obama vowed to do all he can to persuade states to opt in before he leaves office in 18 months.

But in the mostly Southern and Midwestern states that have rejected expansion, opposition shows little sign of abating.

“We oppose expanding Medicaid because it is a broken system with poor health outcomes, high inflation, inseverable federal strings and no incentive for personal responsibility for those who are able to provide for themselves,” wrote Steve Crisafulli, Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, in the Tampa Bay Times earlier this year.

How Florida ranks So far, 29 states and the District of Columbia have taken the federal government up on its offer to fund

all but a fraction of the cost of providing health care to low-income adults not previously eligible for the federal-state program. Among the remaining states, only Alaska and Utah are expected to reach agreement on expansion this year, leaving 19 states where either Republican lawmakers, governors or both are opposed to expansion.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly 7 million more people are likely to receive coverage under the health law’s Medicaid expansion if all states opt in to the program.

The result would be 4.3 million fewer uninsured Americans in 2016, according to a new White House report.

But states with the most to gain have proven to have the strongest objections to accepting federal funding to provide health care for their poorest residents.

The uninsured rates in Texas (20 percent) and Florida (19 percent) are among the highest in the country, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

In those two states alone, nearly 2 million people stand to gain coverage if state officials expand Medicaid under the ACA.

Record uninsured rate In addition, poverty rates in most of the states that have declined to expand are higher than the national average, meaning a large percentage of their populations would be eligible for the low-income health plan.

With 16 million newly insured people since the Affordable Care Act took effect last year, the nation’s uninsured rate is at an alltime low. Among adults ages 18 to 64, the population covered by the Medicaid expansion, the uninsured rate dropped from 20.4 percent in 2013 to 16.3 percent in 2014, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But regional health coverage disparities have widened.

President Barack Obama with Vice President Biden by his side delivers a statement on the Supreme Court’s Affordable Care Act ruling in the Rose Garden of the White House on June 25.

DENNIS BRACK/ BLACK STAR/SIPA USA/TNS

For now, expansion is a nonissue in Texas, but it has been the subject of heated debate in Florida. In June, Republican Gov. Rick Scott called a special session of the legislature after the House of Representatives refused to approve a Senate Medicaid expansion proposal during the regular session. Scott, who previously said he supported Medicaid expansion, now sides with the House in opposing it.

Hospital funding At issue was $1.3 billion in funding to support hospitals that serve large numbers of uninsured people.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it would drastically reduce the funding if Florida did not expand Medicaid. In spite of that, the House voted against expansion and appropriated $400 million in state Medicaid spending to keep public hospitals afloat.

The federal government also has said it would reduce similar hospital funding in Tennessee ($500 million) and Texas ($4 billion) next year. Kansas stands to lose $45 million in federal hospital subsidies in 2017.

In Florida’s case, “Lawmakers’ concerns about future budget pressures from the Medicaid expansion ring hollow since they were willing to spend hundreds of millions to vote against it,” said Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families.

“Nowhere is it clearer than in Florida that Medicaid expansion has become a fight within the Re-

Affordable care poll Percent of health care providers who say that since January 2014, their ability to provide high-quality care to all patients has: Gotten worse

Stayed about the same

Improved

Physicians

Total Increase in Medicaid or newly insured patients No increase in Medicaid or newly insured patients

20% 21 18

59

20 23

55 65

16

19

Nurse practitioners / Physician assistants

Total

18

63

Increase in Medicaid or newly insured patients

19

60

21

68

15

No increase in Medicaid or newly insured patients

16

Source: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Graphic: Tribune News Service

publican Party between the more pragmatic wing and the more ideological wing that wants to say no to the Affordable Care Act at any cost,” she said.

Health care and budgets Ever since the Supreme Court’s 2012 decision making Medicaid expansion a state option, the issue has become more political than practical. Despite the offer of billions in federal dollars, Republican politicians have rejected the deal, fearing they could lose their jobs if they’re seen to be cooperating with the Obama administration on a law most conservatives disagree with.

Under the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, the federal government pays the full price for covering newly eligible adults with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level ($16,243 for an individual) through 2016 and then gradually lowers its share to 90 percent in

igible adults offset a variety of health care costs the states had been paying on their own.

A recent report sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which advocates for health care, toted budget savings for eight regionally and demographically diverse expansion states, including Kentucky, at $1.8 billion by the end of 2015. Kentucky’s own study estimated Medicaid expansion would improve its fiscal bottom line by $819.6 million between 2014 and 2021.

Legitimate concerns 2020 and beyond, making states responsible for no more than 10 percent of the costs in the future.

But some states worry that even covering 10 percent of the total cost could cripple their budgets, or that the federal government could scale back its contribution. State officials also talk about needing to rein in Medicaid, which has grown faster than any other part of state government.

Substantial savings In a few states that expanded Medicaid in 2014, enrollment did grow faster than predicted. Kentucky’s enrollment, for example, was more than twice what the state had expected. Instead of 147,634 new enrollees, 310,887 had signed by midyear, stirring concerns among opponents in other states about Medicaid’s unpredictable growth.

However, Kentucky and other states documented substantial savings as Medicaid coverage for newly el-

Still, some states’ concerns about the size of the Medicaid program and their frustration over not being able to control its growth are legitimate, said Len Nichols, a health care economist at George Mason University in Virginia.

Because Medicaid is an entitlement that expands to meet the needs of people whose incomes drop during tough economic times, expenditures for the program often balloon when tax revenue falls and states are least prepared to pay for it. The resulting budget crunch can limit states’ ability to spend on other critical programs such as universities and transportation.

But Nichols and others are quick to point out that the Affordable Care Act’s formula for expansion is a bargain, and if expansions states’ experiences so far are any indicator, the net fiscal impact of extending eligibility to more adults should be minimal, if not positive.

University of Central Florida center helps woman regain her voice Passed the test

BY GABRIELLE RUSSON ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS

Fernanda Mello’s voice was trapped inside as her tongue was paralyzed, like she had eaten a jar of peanut butter. After her stroke, her brain didn’t function properly to retrieve the words.

At the UCF (University of Central Florida) Aphasia House, graduate students work with stroke patients such as Mello, 33, who struggled to recall the English language.

The patients’ brains were like short-circuited lamps, flickering in and out. It was an excruciatingly slow healing process. Some recovered during months or years; some never.

“They know what they’ve lost,” said Jane Hostetler, an associate instructor at the University of Central Florida. “They want to get it back.”

It made Mello furious when a family friend asked whether she was mentally disabled. No, she wasn’t slow just because the words didn’t flow.

From Brazil to Florida She was still the same person as before: the doting aunt who took her three nieces shopping, the friend with the silly personality, the student hungry to finish her education.

The speech pathologists knew they could not underestimate Mello.

When Mello, who moved

JACOB LANGSTON/ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS

Fernanda Mello, center, reacts after being surprised with a party in her honor at the Aphasia House on June 30. to Florida from Brazil in high school, announced she wanted to become a U.S. citizen, her speech therapist vowed to help her.

But the citizenship test meant Mello would be put on the spot. She would need to fire out answers in front of a stranger.

Could she communicate well enough to pass when sometimes the right words would not come out?

Learning to talk again Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Dec-la-ra-tion.

Mello tapped out the syllables on the table to say “Declaration of Independence,” a trick she learned at Aphasia House.

In Mello’s rehab, her speech therapists reminded her of ways to pull out the words. Sometimes writing it down helped. Or sign-

ing the first letter of the word in sign language under her chin.

How old was Mello? She counted 30, 31, 32 in her head to reach the answer — “33,” she said.

Mello was in the hospital nearly six years ago after she suffered a stroke at age 27 — the age of the speech therapist sitting with her, Michelle Condemarin.

Now, Condemarin, a UCF graduate student, listened as Mello read aloud about the U.S. colonies and Revolutionary War during their Monday morning sessions. Condemarin corrected her when Mello said the word “judicial” wrong.

“When you have somebody who really wants to help you, that makes a big difference,” said Mello’s mother, Renata Brandt, who became a U.S. citizen herself in 2010.

When Mello drove, she listened to a practice CD to memorize the 100 questions.

She smiled often, flashing her wide grin. She learned how to laugh at her mistakes. It was better than crying.

The therapy sessions helped her language skills during the past five months, but more importantly, they gave her confidence. Condemarin assured Mello she could pass the test.

“Who is the current president of the United States?” the test proctor asked her in May. “Obama,” Mello said.

She was ready.

Her mother knew she passed when Mello flashed her the thumbs-up sign.

These days, Mello’s life is crammed with daily gym visits, going out with her friends and family time. She isn’t afraid to go to the coffee shop and order a drink alone or ask for a different shirt size at a store.

“I did it,” Mello said, brushing the imaginary dirt off her shoulders as she recalls the daily victories.

She dates. “My English isn’t so great. I’m from Brazil,” she slyly tells men, hiding the real reason for her struggles.

She easily holds a conversation, although she relies on her therapy tricks to recall some words.

Her next challenge, she decides, is to go back to school to become a physical therapist’s assistant.

Layton Construction Co., Inc. (LCC) has been selected as the construction manager for a 185,000 SF ground up acute care hospital project in the Orlando/Oviedo area and is currently seeking bids from qualified Subcontractors and Suppliers for the upcoming construction project.

Please join us for a Pre-construction Meet & Greet to explore more opportunities with this project.

The new 64-bed, 4 story hospital includes contracting opportunities for the following trades & scopes: • Demolition • Site Concrete • Masonry • Millwork & rough carpentry • Roofing • Fireproofing • Water and air barriers

• Doors, frames & hardware

• Aluminum windows, doors &

• Framing, Drywall & Finishing

glazing

• Painting

• Loading dock equipment

• Ceramic Tile

• Radiation protection & Lead

• Resilient flooring & carpet

shielding

• Specialties

• EIFS

What: Pre-construction Meet & Greet When: Thursday, July 23, 2015; 1:00 p.m. – 2:30p.m.

Where: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Orlando East (Waterford Room), 12125 High Tech Avenue, Orlando, FL 32817 Layton Construction Company, Inc. and HCA are strongly committed to the development and implementation of initiatives which promote the inclusion of all local construction related businesses with an emphasis on minority and women-owned enterprise firms.

For additional information regarding the project, contact: John Thomas, Project Manager at (615) 843-6215 or Email: jthomas@laytonconstruction.com To RSVP for the upcoming Meet & Greet contact: Rhea Kinnard at (615) 941-8396 or Email: kinn0167@aol.com

TOJ

JULY 17 – JULY 23, 2015

FOOD & NUTRITION

B5

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES

FAMILY FEATURES

For many, making better-for-you food decisions and staying physically active go hand in hand with maintaining a quality lifestyle.

According to an article published by the Mayo Clinic, those who engage in regular physical activity enjoy the benefits of improved mood, more energy, better sleep and much more. For consumers who want to main­tain healthy lifestyles, the NuVal® Nutritional Scoring System, which is found in grocery stores across the U.S., is easy to use for identifying summer snacks and meal items to energize fitness activities.

“Consumers deserve to get the most nutritional bang for their buck,” says Mike Nugent, NuVal General Manager. “That’s why NuVal scores were developed — to support healthy lifestyles. The scores analyze the nutrition facts on food labels boiling them down to a single 1 to 100 score. With 100 being the most nutritious, higher scores mean better nutrition, allowing consumers to make at-a-glance nutrition comparisons as they shop.”

Developed by a team of recognized experts, the scoring system was created as a direct response to America’s rapidly rising rates of obesity and diabetes in both the adult and child populations.

Displayed directly on shelf price tags in the grocery store, scores are determined by an independent team of nutrition and medical experts who analyze more than 30 nutrition factors such as vitamin D, omega 3 fatty acids, saturated fat and calories. The experts do the research, so consumers can feel better about their food choices. The scores do not tell consumers what to buy or eat; but simply reflect the overall nutritional quality of a food making it easy for consumers to compare nutrition as they do price.

“No matter what their food plan, the scores guide people in shopping for anything from produce and dairy to snacks and packaged goods,” adds Nugent. “If you can count to 100, you can use the system to shop, cook, eat and feel better.”

Step up to summer fitness While it’s important to be physically active all year, many people simply find themselves more active in summer — both because the outdoors beckons and there is more time for recreation. This creates an oppor­tunity to fit in more daily physical activity, which generally means some potential to build lean muscle

mass, lose excess body fat and get more fit.

According to Dr. David Katz, M.D., M.P.H. — founding director of Yale University’s Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center and the principal inven­tor of the science behind NuVal scores — the more active you are, the more performance fuel your body needs.

“The increased activity level of summer is a perfect time to think about trading up food choices, improving overall diet quality, and establishing a foundation for better overall health and vitality,” says Dr. Katz.

For optimal fueling, Dr. Katz offers the following tips: • Pick foods with dual duties.

Some foods are ideal for meeting the needs of high quality nutrition, as well as concentrated fuel for an active lifestyle. Some great food options include nuts, seeds and nut butters; fresh and dried fruits; beans and lentils; and whole grains. Protein sources are dairy (think non-fat Greek yogurt), eggs and lean meats.

• Embrace seasonal dishes. Summer is a great time for salads. Options are almost limitless. Consuming an abundance of vegetables is always a great place to start; but also consider a good protein source to provide the energy you need. Bean and lentil salads are a great fuel-up option.

• Know when to eat. Before exertion, avoid eating too much, so blood flows to working muscles rather than to digestion. Before workout, eating some fresh, seasonal fruit might be ideal. Post workout, replenish what exercise has burned with fruit, nuts, whole grains and a protein source.

• Snack small and often. Small portions of nuts and dried fruits, separately or together, make a great snack. Snack bars made from nuts and dried fruits — and little else — are a good option as well, and especially convenient when on the go.

• Be active at any age. If older and new to exercise, ease in and build up gradually. Walking, biking on relatively flat terrain, and swimming are excellent activities. All motion is good motion, so it is essential to find what you like. Dancing counts; so does yoga or anything else that has you up and going.

• Hydrate. As for hydration, water is generally best. Invest in a quality water container to have with you throughout the day — and during your workout.

For more tips to feel your best and get the most out of those summer months, visit www.nuval.com.

Perfect pairings Consuming a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables throughout the day is a great way to fuel up physical activity and add nutrients vital to keeping cells healthy and protected. Here are some summer produce picks, along with NuVal scores. (Higher scores equal better nutrition.) n Apricots

(NuVal 100) n Avocados (NuVal 88) n Bananas (NuVal 100) n Blueberries (NuVal 100) n Broccoli (NuVal 100) n Cantaloupe (NuVal 100) n Carrots (NuVal 100)

Break a sweat

Incorporate these summer activities into your schedule and enjoy new ways to boost your fitness routine:

n Cucumbers n Green

(NuVal 100)

beans (NuVal 100)

n Iceberg

lettuce (NuVal 94)

n Mangoes n Peppers

(NuVal 100)

(NuVal 100)

n Tomatoes

(NuVal 100)

n Canoeing

n Running

n Hiking

n Swimming

n Biking/mountain n Kayaking

biking

n Walking n Tennis

B6

FOOD

FROM FAMILY FEATURES

You may be surprised to learn that cooking with olive oil is a simple way to add heart-healthy “good” fats to your diet. In fact, the health benefits, flavor and versatility of olive oil are all good reasons that olive oil is a staple in many kitchens.

Not only can you replace other oils in recipes with olive oil (or extra virgin olive oil for added flaOLIVE OIL POACHED TUNA WITH CRISP ROMAINE SALAD Serves: 4 2 romaine hearts, cleaned and leaves separated 4 hard boiled eggs, cut into quarters 25 Haricot Vert/French green beans, blanched 4 Olive Oil Poached Tuna portions, recipe follows 4 yellow potatoes, peeled Salt and pepper to taste 20 Kalamata olives, pitted 12 grape or cherry tomatoes, ashed 8 lemon quarters Prep romaine, eggs and green beans, and chill the day before. Poach tuna and let cool to room temperature.

Boil potatoes until tender and drain.

Season potatoes with salt and pepper while still hot. Let potatoes cool to room tem­perature, cover with plastic and reserve.

Arrange romaine, eggs, green beans, olives, tomatoes and potatoes on four dinner plates. Break and flake tuna on top and drizzle with olive oil from poaching. Squeeze one lemon wedge on each plate and season with fresh pepper and salt. Serve with another lemon wedge.

OLIVE OIL POACHED TUNA 4 tuna portions (5 ounces each) 2 cups extra virgin olive oil Kosher salt to taste Black pepper, freshly ground to taste 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary 4 tablespoons parsley cut in long, thin strips 2 lemons, zested and juiced Drizzle tuna with extra virgin olive oil. Season tuna gener­-ously with salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary, parsley and lemon zest. Place tuna in 12-inch saucepot and cover with extra virgin olive oil and juice of lemons. Heat over moderate heat until tuna poaches to medium rare, approximately 7-10 minutes depending on thickness of tuna. Remove from heat; allow tuna to con­tinue to poach and cool to room temperature.

GRILLED FLAT BREAD PIZZA WITH HIDDEN VEGETABLE SAUCE Serves: 1 1 large slice peasant bread cut 1/4- 3/8-inch thick, or any type artisan/ crusty bread Extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Hidden Vegetable Tomato Sauce, recipe follows Mozzarella, grated Parmesan Reggiano, grated Heat oven to 350°F and heat gas grill or grill pan to medium high.

Brush bread generously with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill bread crisp on each side and transfer to baking sheet lined with baking paper. Top each slice with tomato sauce. Cover

JULY 17 – JULY 23, 2015

STOJ

vor), in many recipes you can also replace butter with olive oil to reduce saturated fat, cholesterol and calories.

Studies show that your body absorbs nutrients from greens and vegetables better when they are consumed with a monounsaturated fat such as olive oil. These recipes help you get the most out of your veggies, and enjoy a decadent dessert too.

Learn more at www.aboutoliveoil.org.

with grated mozzarella and sprinkle with grated parmesan Reggiano.

Bake until cheese is melted, about 10-15 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

HIDDEN VEGETABLE TOMATO SAUCE 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 cups peeled and small diced eggplant 1 cup small diced onion 1 cup small diced carrot 1 cup small diced celery 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped 3 quarts canned crushed tomatoes 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme 2 tablespoons fresh basil cut in long, thin strips 1-2 dry bay leaves Salt and pepper to taste In large (5-quart or bigger) thickbottomed pot, heat extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add eggplant, onion, carrot, celery and garlic, and saute gently (not browning vegetables or garlic) until vegetables start to become tender. Add tomatoes, herbs and bay leaves. Simmer, uncovered, for about 1 hour, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Puree until all veg­etables are hidden in tomato sauce. Chill and reserve to make quick pizzas. Freeze unused sauce in smaller portions for future use.

distribute. Marinate overnight or at least 4 hours.

Heat charcoal or gas grill for direct grilling. Use sharp round cutter to remove core before grilling, if preferred.

(This is optional; you can eat the core and it is easier to grill with it intact.)

Brush grill grates and wipe with rag soaked with olive oil. Grill pineapple on each side about 3 minutes.

Transfer grilled pineapple to plate and top with scoop of Olive Oil Ice Cream. Garnish with sliced strawberries and mint.

OLIVE OIL ICE CREAM 12 ounces heavy cream 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped 2 pinches ground cinnamon 12 ounces milk 1/2 cup egg yolks 1/2-2/3 cup honey 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, delicate/fruity flavor profile In saucepot scald cream, vanilla, cinna­mon and milk. In bowl whip yolks and honey. Temper whipped mixture with scalded cream mixture. Pour tem­ pered mixture back into sauce­pot and cook until it coats the back of a spoon.

Don’t boil. Strain mixture and cool. Stir in olive oil. Cool and freeze in ice cream machine.

OLIVE OIL ICE CREAM WITH GRILLED PINEAPPLE Serves: 6 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 3 tablespoons honey 2 teaspoons Sriracha chili sauce 1 golden pineapple Olive Oil Ice Cream, recipe follows Mint sprigs Sliced strawberries Combine extra virgin olive oil, salt, honey and Sriracha. Set aside.

Cut top and bottom off pineapple and remove outer skin. Turn pineapple on side and cut even slices about 3/8-inch thick leaving the core in.

Place cleaned pine­apple slices in large resealable bag, pour marinade over them, and gently rotate bag to

SIMPLE SUBSTITUTIONS Margarine/Butter

Olive Oil

1 teaspoon

3/4 teaspoon

1 tablespoon

2 1/4 teaspoons

2 tablespoons

1 1/2 tablespoons

1/4 cup

3 tablespoons

1/3 cup

1/4 cup

1/2 cup

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons

2/3 cup

1/2 cup

3/4 cup

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon

1 cup

3/4 cup