Florida Courier - July 18, 2014

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VOLUME 22 NO. 29

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JULY 18 – JULY 24, 2014

On July 13, 2013, an all-woman jury acquitted George Zimmerman of second-degree murder in the killing of Trayvon Martin. What’s happened to the people involved with the trial?

ZIMMERMAN TRIAL, ONE YEAR LATER FROM WIRE AND STAFF REPORTS

SANFORD – The five-week trial of George Zimmerman was a top news story across the nation, making household names of attorneys, witnesses and other key players.

What has become of Zimmerman and other key figures in the case since the trial?

Some have gone on to bigger things. Some have George Sybrina Tracy struggled. Others went back to their day-to-day Zimmerman Fulton Martin lives.

Mark O’Mara and Don West $2.5 million. He has sold paintings on eBay and toyed with – but rejectGeorge Zimmerman ed – the idea of taking part in a pay-per-view boxing Life after the acquittal has been turbulent for match with rap artist DMX. Zimmerman, who’s now 30. He moves among the In a Spanish-language interview in February, homes of people who let him sleep on the couch, Zimmerman told Univision that he suffers from said his brother, Robert Zimmerman Jr. He’s jobless post-traumatic stress disorder.

CHARLES W. CHERRY II / FLORIDA COURIER and has been arrested once, accused of threatening Cemetery visitors take pictures of Trayvon Martin’s crypt at a his girlfriend with a gun, and put in handcuffs an- Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin mausoleum at Dade Memorial Park North in Opa-Locka. The other time, accused of punching his father-in-law.

Since the acquittal, Trayvon Martin’s parents have inscription on his grave reads, ‘Rest my son, job well done.’

In both cases, authorities filed no criminal charges. campaigned against gun violence and “stand your He left his wife, Shellie, a month after the trial; See ONE YEAR, Page A2 they were later divorced. He owes defense attorneys Photojournalist’s view of Sanford, trial B1

APOLLO 11 / 45 YEARS

Lucy Morgan

Man on the moon

Charles W. Cherry, Sr.

Morgan, Cherry inducted Reporter, publisher are hall of famers SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

CORAL GABLES – On July 10, the Florida Press Association inducted longtime investigative reporter Lucy Morgan and Florida Courier & Daytona Times Founder Charles W. Cherry, Sr. into the Florida Newspaper Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame was created in 1989 to support and encourage newspaper journalism in Florida and to honor those men and women who have made significant contributions to this great industry. There are now 45 members whose years of service extend from 1888.

Five decades of reporting Lucy Morgan was born in Memphis and raised in Mississippi.

Her first newspaper job was covering Citrus County for the Ocala See INDUCTED, Page A2

SNAPSHOTS FLORIDA | A3

Judge installed as chair of Florida Bar Foundation NATION | A6

L.A. incident reminiscent of Rodney King beating

SPORTS | B3

Mural, jerseys sacrificed after James’ decision

ALSO INSIDE

NEIL ARMSTRONG/NASA VIA ORLANDO SENTINEL

Astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, the second man to set foot on the moon (after Neil Armstrong), poses in front of an American flag during the Apollo 11 mission. The spacecraft, one of the largest rockets ever built, was launched from Cape Kennedy 45 years ago on July 16, 1969.

Tampa-based Moffitt among top cancer hospitals SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

Ranking improved

TAMPA – Moffitt Cancer Center is the No. 1 cancer hospital in the Southeast based on the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals for Cancer rankings released Tuesday.

Florida has more than 260 hospitals. Seven are nationally ranked and 26 others meet standards for strong performance within the state. U.S. News has recognized Moffitt for 16 years in a row.

Located in Tampa, Moffitt is one of only 41 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction that recognizes excellence in research and contributions to clinical trials, prevention and cancer control.

Moffitt is No. 16 overall in cancer, up from No. 19 last year. The national Best Hospitals rankings, now in their 25th year, recognize hospitals that excel in treating the most challenging patients – those whose illnesses pose unusual challenges due to underlying conditions, procedure difficulty, or other medical issues.

“Moffitt is honored to be acknowledged by U.S. News as one of the top cancer hospitals in the nation and the top cancer hospital in the Southeast,” said Alan F. List, M.D., president and CEO of Moffitt.

“When it comes to serious and complex cancer cases, Moffitt rises to the top in providing the highest quality patient care and outcomes that beat the national

average. This is a reflection of the dedication and hard work of our clinical and research staff who support our focus on personalized cancer care and cuttingedge translational research.”

U.S. News also recognizes Moffitt as high-performing in Ear, Nose & Throat; Gastroenterology & Gastrointestinal Surgery; Gynecology; Nephrology; and Urology.

Ranks cancer specialties U.S. News evaluates hospitals in 16 adult specialties. In most specialties, it ranks the nation’s top 50 hospitals and recognizes other high-performing hospitals that provide care at nearly the level of their nationally ranked peers.

“The data tell the story – a hospital that emerged from our analysis as one of the best has much

to be proud of,” said Avery Comarow, U.S. News Health Rankings editor. “Just 3 percent of the nearly 5,000 hospitals that were analyzed earned a national ranking in even one specialty.

U.S. News publishes Best Hospitals to help guide patients who need a high level of care because they face particularly difficult surgery, a challenging condition, or extra risk because of age or multiple health problems.

Objective measures such as patient survival and safety data, adequacy of nurse staffing levels and other data largely determined the rankings in most specialties.

A complete list of rankings is available online and will appear in the U.S. News “Best Hospitals 2015” guidebook, available in next month.

COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4 COMMENTARY: JULIANNE MALVEAUX: SUMMER ENRICHMENT MEANS LIFETIME SURVIVAL | A5

FOCUS

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JULY 18 – JULY 24, 2014

Democrats share blame for Supreme Court rulings June 30, 2014 is a day when two truly horrendous U.S. Supreme Court decisions were handed down. Both cases will have lasting and devastating impacts on Americans, but the Republican right wing is not solely to blame for the damage done.

In Harris v. Quinn, the justices ruled that states cannot compel in-home domestic care workers to pay dues for collective bargaining efforts. Workers in Illinois, Missouri, California, Washington, Vermont and Massachusetts will be affected.

Most of these workers are women of color with some of the lowest wages in the nation. Collective bargaining is precisely what they need.

The decision harkens back to a time when domestic work was originally exempted from Social Security, and thereby excluded millions of Black people.

Another bad ruling On that same day, the court ruled that corporations with a majority of stock owned by five people or less can claim to hold the same religious beliefs that individuals can.

In Sebelius vs. Hobby Lobby Stores, the court ruled that employers could ignore the Obamacare contraceptive care mandate if they believe that doing so imposes an undue burden on religious beliefs. In the 2010 Citizens United campaign contributions case, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations have free speech and therefore “person-

MARGARET KIMBERLEY BLACK AGENDA REPORT

hood” rights.

The very concept is not only absurd on its face, but is also irreconcilable with the rights of living, breathing human beings. It also doesn’t appear to bring with it any of the obligations that real persons are bound to respect. If that were the case, the jails would be full of mortgage defrauders, oil company polluters and the like.

Reaction to the Hobby Lobby case has been rightly denounced by all but the dead-ender rightwing fringe. The impact is huge, with approximately 52 percent of American workers employed by companies fitting the Hobby Lobby criteria of “personhood.”

Employees have lost their right to contraception coverage, and to other protections that anyone may claim infringes on religious belief. The religious right clearly made good on their desire to force White women to make more babies.

These are serious issues indeed, but they don’t speak to the breadth of the problem.

What’s the difference?

In this dystopian world of latestage capitalism, corporations have ever-increasing rights; human beings have fewer and few-

er. Americans are fighting for their lives against corporate greed, White supremacy and misogyny because they are at the mercy of the two conservative political parties that control this country.

The Republicans are true believers in retrograde politics that will undo all protections against big corporations, law enforcement and the state itself.

Democrats have no interest in fighting the good fight. They want to be part of the permanent government, and that means pleading for corporate money and endlessly finding ways to compromise the interests of voters.

Regardless of their true feelings, their unwillingness to fight the power makes them of little use.

Faulty ‘Obamacare’ The Hobby Lobby decision came about because Democrats never considered true health care reform that would have separated insurance coverage from employment. Instead they colluded with big pharmaceutical and insurance companies to keep the profit motive in health care.

This market-driven system is responsible for all of this country’s health coverage ills, but Obama and the Democrats made it clear that a single-payer system was never on the agenda.

While the Republicans do away with teacher tenure in California and pass anti-labor “right to work” laws like Harris v. Quinn, Democrats join in when there are opportunities for career ad-

vancement and big paychecks.

Americans are trapped While Republicans openly campaign against anything that protects minorities and working people, Democrats talk out of both sides of their mouths. They say they want to increase the federal minimum wage, but in 2009 and 2010 they had a president in the White House, majorities in Congress and the power to do what they wanted. They did nothing.

While Democrats talk a good game, Republican true believers go for the jugular. They speak openly of impeaching President Obama should they gain control of the Senate in November.

In 2008, Congressman Dennis Kucinich brought 35 articles of impeachment against George W. Bush, but Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders scuttled his plans.

The Constitution also allows for a state to call for impeachment. When a Democratic legislator in Washington tried to bring the case for impeaching Bush, his efforts were also squelched. Sen. Obama was among those who demurred when Democrats had the chance to delegitimize Republicans for years to come.

Didn’t fight appointments The senator’s deference in his quest to become president has come back to haunt him. Justice Samuel Alito wrote the decisions in both the Harris and Hobby

INDUCTED

Entrepreneur, publisher Charles W. Cherry, Sr.’s life was

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ground” laws, in part through The Trayvon Martin Foundation they established.

The same month as the verdict, Tracy Martin, 47, attended a congressional hearing, urging measures to improve the opportunities of Black boys and men.

In the time since, the teen’s parents, who are divorced and live separately in South Florida, have often spoken out at hearings, marches and rallies.

Rachel Jeantel Jeantel, 20, is the young South Florida woman Trayvon spoke to in the moments before his death.

The heated questioning from defense attorney Don West, and Jeantel’s terse responses, demeanor and diction, drew scorn.

But others came to her aid. Radio host Tom Joyner supplied her with tutors and offered her a college scholarship, according to reports. This year, she earned her high school diploma, fulfilling a promise she made in Trayvon’s memory. His mother, Sybrina Fulton, watched.

Seeing her there “was a relief,” Jeantel said. “It was like . . . Trayvon was there, saying, ‘You did it, you did it. . . . You did what you’re supposed to be doing.’ ” A year after the trial, Jeantel is more confident, eloquent and reflective than she was in the crucible of the witness stand.

No ‘left’ in D.C. Republicans are far right and Democrats are center right. That alignment insures that Americans are left with no one in Washington who is willing to fight for their interests.

Democrats will use the Hobby Lobby case to help raise money and convince progressives that the barbarians are at the gate– when they are all barbarians who must be defeated. There is no lesser evil – just more or less effective malefactors who are all responsible for our ever-worsening plight.

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

tin Luther King, Jr. – released from Florida jails in the 1960s.

Amid all these endeavors, he also served several terms as president of the Volusia County-Daytona Beach Branch of the NAACP, as president of the Florida State Conference of NAACP Branches, and as a member of the National Board of the NAACP. Cherry, Sr. began his newspaper career when he launched Daytona Beach’s Westside Rapper in 1969 “to have our own Black voice.” The Daytona Times succeeded the Westside Rapper in 1978.

from A1

Star-Banner.

Morgan was hired by the St. Petersburg Times in 1967 and spent years rooting out local corruption and drug smuggling. In 1973, she was sentenced to eight months in jail for refusing to reveal an anonymous source. The Florida Supreme Court overturned the conviction, and her case established a limited right for journalists to protect the names of anonymous sources.

In 1982, Morgan was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize for a series of stories about drug smuggling in Dixie and Taylor counties that helped send dozens of people to jail. In 1985, she and Times staff writer Jack Reed won a Pulitzer for revealing corruption in the Pasco County Sheriff’s office, which resulted in the sheriff’s resignation.

After winning the Pulitzer, Morgan was named the Times’ Tallahassee bureau chief. The state Senate’s press gallery is named after her, and she is a member of the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame.

Lobby cases. He and Chief Justice Roberts are now the villains du jour for Democrats.

Unfortunately, Democrats in the Senate weren’t interested in keeping them off of the court when they had the opportunity to do so. Sens. Obama and John Kerry sat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which votes Supreme Court nominees up or down.

Alito and Roberts were wellknown members of the rightwing Federalist Society, but Democrats passed up the opportunity to grill them on their associations. Obama and Kerry could have filibustered these two nominees, but instead went along to get along and lobbed softball questions. The rest is history.

Radio ownership

LISA ROGERS-CHERRY / FLORIDA COURIER

Charles W. Cherry III accepts the Florida Press Association’s Hall of Fame recognition on behalf of his grandfather, the late Charles W. Cherry, Sr. multi-faceted. The centerpiece: a determination to see equal rights for all people, particularly in Daytona Beach and the state of Florida.

A decorated Korean Conflict veteran, he served as a BethuneCookman College educator and its business manager, a Realtor, a newspaper and radio station owner, and four full terms as a

Daytona Beach city commissioner. As one of the state’s few African-American bail bondsman, he worked to get civil rights protestors – including fellow Morehouse College graduate Dr. Mar-

Her aggressive prosecution of Marissa Alexander, the woman who says she fired a shot to back down her abusive husband during a fight, has drawn criticism and inspired a law expanding Florida’s “stand your ground” law by legalizing warning shots.

Corey, 59, is also the subject of a lawsuit from an employee who says he was fired for revealing that her office had concealed evidence in the Zimmerman case.

“(My) main focus is getting a job and getting into college,” she said, heaping praise on those who’ve helped her in the past year: “My tutors, family and my mentors, I’m learning every day from them. Every single day. . . . This is my family, like another family I never asked for, that I got.”

Circuit Judge Debra S. Nelson After the five-week trial and verdict, Nelson, 60, took two days off and then went back to work, hearing civil and divorce cases in Sanford.

She has not commented publicly about the Zimmerman trial and recently dismissed Zimmerman’s multimillion-dollar defamation lawsuit against NBCUniversal Media LLC. Zimmerman sued the company last year, accusing it of falsely reporting that he used a racial slur while talking to a police dispatcher the night of the shooting.

Defense attorney Mark O’Mara The trial made O’Mara, 58, of Orlando a familiar name. He sold a boat and a car and got a business loan during the trial to cover expenses and is not yet financially whole, he claims. But the trial allowed him to expand his practice and won him a contract providing legal commentary on CNN. His firm has grown from five to 11 employees, including someone in charge of media and mar-

In 1989, Cherry, Sr. went on to establish the Florida Courier to reach Florida’s Treasure Coast.

That same year, the Cherry family purchased WPUL-AM 1590, a Daytona Beach-area radio station.

In 2001, the Cherry family’s media business expanded to become Tama Broadcasting, Inc., then Florida’s largest privatelyowned African-American media group, which owned or operated 11 radio stations across three states.

After Cherry, Sr.’s death in 2004, the Cherry family relaunched the Florida Courier as Florida’s only statewide weekly newspaper.

GEORGE SKENE/ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT

Left to right: Attorneys Daryl Parks, Natalie Jackson and Ben Crump got national exposure by representing Trayvon Martin’s family. keting. He’s also raised his hourly rate from $400 to $525.

O’Mara’s greatest satisfaction, he said, is that he now speaks to bar associations and law schools and teaches attorneys what he’s learned about the media, highprofile cases and social media.

He plans to write a book about broader issues such as race, guns, the media and the criminal justice system.

Attorneys Ben Crump, Daryl Parks and Natalie Jackson The Zimmerman case put the attorneys for Trayvon’s family on a national stage. They have become sought-after commentators, often discussing taking cases that involve claims of profiling or unequal justice.

Crump and his law partner Parks of Tallahassee took up the

case of Marlon Brown, who was run over and killed by a DeLand police officer last year as he fled on foot. They also represent the family of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson, whose body was found rolled up in a mat inside a Georgia high school’s gymnasium in January 2013.

Prosecutor Angela Corey The Jacksonville-based state attorney who prosecuted Zimmerman has been under fire since his acquittal – and not just for losing this case. She is the subject of frequent protests demanding her ouster.

Corey’s office failed to win a first-degree-murder conviction in its case against Michael Dunn, the man who shot 17-year-old Jordan Davis during a dispute over loud music. Dunn was convicted on several attemptedmurder counts.

The jury In the time since six women decided Zimmerman’s fate, they’ve mostly stayed out of the public eye, even though a March 21 court order made their names public.

They got together at Christmas and shared a meal, one juror told the Daily Mail.

Two made television appearances. The first was the pet lover, who told CNN that Zimmerman had a right to defend himself from Trayvon, who “just didn’t know when to stop.”

That juror briefly signed with a book agent, who dropped her amid the criticism that followed.

Four of the other jurors issued a statement distancing themselves from her.

One juror later told ABC that Zimmerman “got away with murder,” though she also indicated that the law tied the jurors’ hands.

Rene Stutzman and Jeff Weiner of the Orlando Sentinel (MCT) contributed to this report.

JULY 18 – JULY 24, 2014

FLORIDA

A3 19d of the Orange County Courthouse was dedicated in his name.

Thompson received his law degree from the Florida State University College of Law and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida. He is a founder and former president of the First Central Florida American Inns of Court.

He was an active lecturer and former adjunct professor at Valencia College in Orlando, and an alumnus and former faculty member of the National Judicial College.

Thompson is a Fellow of The Florida Bar Foundation and a member of its Bronze Society for lifetime giving.

Foundation officers

Senior Judge Emerson Thompson and Sen. Geraldine Thompson, seated in the center, are shown with family and friends at a recent dedication of an Orange County Courthouse room in the judge’s honor.

Orange County judge installed as chair of Florida Bar Foundation SPECIAL TO THE COURIER

Senior Judge Emerson R. Thompson, Jr. of Orange County took office July 1 as president of The Florida Bar Foundation, a statewide charitable organization whose mission is to provide greater access to justice.

Thompson has been on the foundation board since 1995 and previously served from 1991 to 1993.

He has chaired or been active on numerous foundation committees, including the executive, investment, Medal of Honor Award, finance and audit, legal assistance for the poor/law student assistance, and improvements in the administration of justice committees.

“Matters of justice get a double dose of support and commitment in our family,” said State Sen. Ger-

aldine Thompson, who is married to Judge Thompson and represents District 12. “While (the judge) will now be focused on the subject from the charitable side of things, I will continue to support the judiciary by consistently seeking funding on the legislative front.

“Our family is very proud that he will now lead the Florida Bar Foundation,” Sen. Thompson said.

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

Distinguished career Prior to Judge Thompson’s retirement in 2008, he served as a county, circuit and appellate judge.

He was appointed to the Fifth District Court of Appeal in 1993 and served as chief judge from 2000 to 2003.

Before his appointment to the appellate bench, he was a trial judge in the Ninth Judicial Circuit and

was elected chief judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit by his colleagues, serving in that capacity from 1989 to 1991. In 1994, he was one of three finalists whose name was submitted to Gov. Lawton Chiles for appointment to the Florida Supreme Court.

Throughout his judicial career, Judge Thompson has been recognized for his distinguished service.

He was recently selected as the inaugural recipient of the James G. Glazebrook Award. He continues to work as a Senior Judge for the Ninth Circuit and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal. Another recent honor came when Courtroom

Agriculture commissioner warns against giant land snails THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

With inspectors at Los Angeles International Airport recently confiscating 67g giant African land snails, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam issued a warning Tuesday about the destructive creatures possibly coming into the state through ports in Miami and other cities.

Putnam’s department has worked to eradicate the land snails, which can grow

Other foundation officers include Miami attorney Julio C. Jaramillo, president-elect; Jacksonville attorney Dominic C. “Donny” MacKenzie, first vice president; Orlando attorney Matthew Brenner, second vice president; and Sarasota attorney John Patterson, immediate past president.

Newly appointed foundation directors are Miami attorney Ramón Abadin, Florida Bar presidentelect; Jacksonville attorney Cleveland Ferguson, III, president of Florida Legal Services Inc.; Miami attorney Patricia Acosta; Administrative Law Judge Suzanne Van Wyk of the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings in Tallahassee; and Tallahassee attorney Daniel H. Thompson.

Reappointed directors are Miami attorneys Yara Lorenzo and David B. Rothman, Sarasota attorney Erin H. Christy, and Tampa attorney Hala Sandridge.

The Florida Bar Foundation contributed to this story.

to 8 inches in length, since they were first detected three years ago in Miami. The invasive species consumes at least 500 different types of plants, plaster and stucco and also carries a parasite that can cause a form of meningitis, according to a release from Putnam’s office.

“Giant African Land Snails are a triple threat. Not only do they destroy plants and damage buildings, they are (a) risk to public health,” Putnam said in a statement.

“We’re working hard to eradicate this invasive pest from South Florida, but it’s just as important to prevent any more from entering our borders. I appreciate the diligence demonstrated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in safeguarding our nation from threats such as these.”

Putnam’s office cited an Associated Press report about inspectors in Los Angeles seizing 67 snails that arrived earlier this month on a flight from Nigeria. The seized snails were incinerated.

• 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!

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

Altamese Brown of Tampa, Willie Mae Sheffield of Sarasota and Alletha Welch of St. Petersburg were honored as former Gibbs Junior College queens. They were “recrowned’’ at the alumni association’s Ring of Honor induction ceremony held at St. Petersburg College on May 23.

Alumni of St. Petersburg’s Black junior college celebrate 57 years of founding of institution FROM STAFF REPORTS

Gibbs Junior College, the second Black junior college in Florida, was established in St. Petersburg in 1957 under the leadership of Dr. John W. Rembert, who was at that time the principal of Gibbs High School. The first was established in Escambia County in 1949.

Junior college students attended classes at night at the high school. By the beginning of the 1958 academic year, Gibbs Junior College was in its own facilities on the same street as the high school.

When the institution finally merged with St. Petersburg Junior College, many of the graduates decided that the legacy of Gibbs

Junior College must not fall by the wayside.

From May 23-25, alumni association members came together to observe the 57th anniversary of the Black junior college’s founding. The alumni association has gone on to provide scholarships to more than 50 students at St. Petersburg College.

An anniversary banquet was held at the Hilton St. Petersburg Carillon on May 24 with the theme “Our Roots, Our Legacy, Our Future.’’ The speaker was St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman.

Bill McCloud, president of the alumni association, said his efforts will be focused on whatever it takes to keep the “legacy of Gibbs Junior College alive.’’

EDITORIAL

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JULY 18 – JULY 24, 2014

Republicans’ selective memory on executive orders To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, arguably the most overrated U.S. president in history, there they go again.

They, of course, are Republicans in the House of Representatives. And they are going after President Obama yet again, this time over his use of executive orders, presidential directives that have been issued by every president over the past 73 years.

First, let’s brush up on our high school civics.

According to a report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), “Presidents from Franklin D. Roosevelt through Barack Obama have issued orders that seek to leverage the government’s procurement spending to promote socio-economic policies that some commentators would characterize as

GEORGE E. CURRY NNPA COLUMNIST

extraneous to contractors’ provision of goods or services to the government.”

The report, titled “Presidential Authority to Impose Requirements on Federal Contractors,” explained, “Presidential power to issue executive orders must derive from the Constitution or from an act of Congress.

Contractor-related executive orders historically have been issued based upon the President’s powers under Article II of the Constitution or the powers delegated to the President by FPASA,”

a reference to the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949.

One of the most significant presidential actions was Executive Order 11246, which was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on Sept. 28, 1965. It requires federal contractors to “take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, color, religion, sex or national origin.”

Low use of power Of the past 10 presidents, beginning with Franklin D. Roosevelt, President Obama has issued the fewest executive orders per year. According to the American Presidency Project, Obama is-

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: EYE PHONES

RANDOLL ENOS, CAGLE CARTOONS

Mercenary justice is coming to America The federal criminal trial of four Blackwater mercenaries in the unprovoked 2007 massacre of Iraqi civilians should be of critical interest to Americans.

Two years before the atrocity, Blackwater descended on New Orleans in the wake of the 2005 hurricane, setting up a downtown headquarters and deploying its troops in full battle gear, armed just “as they would be in Iraq.”

Jeremy Scahill, reporting for The Nation magazine, said Blackwater troops told him that in addition to having been authorized to use lethal force, they were also empowered to arrest citizens. Many of them had flown in straight from Iraq. At least five mercenary companies patrolled New Orleans under contract with Homeland Security, including an outfit of Israeli ex-special forces.

Civil liberties activists warned at the time that placing an American city

GLEN FORD BLACK AGENDA REPORT

come an independent militia. By that time, the Pinkertons were a larger force than the standing army of the United States.

The driving force behind the explosive growth of killer corporations is the U.S. military, which trains assassins, sends them on missions of murder worldwide, and later hires them at fantastic salaries through mercenary corporations, which in turn become indispensable to the U.S. war machine.

If the United States is allowed to act with imperial impunity, its uniformed and civilian armed forces will recognize no laws or limitations on their behavior. Private soldiers and mercenary corporations are only reflections of the government that gave them birth.

under mercenary occupation is illegal, but neither President Bush, Barack Obama, Congress nor the courts have clarified the question of mercenary deployment.

Therefore, it is inevitable that legions of hired killers from around the world will again be sent to U.S. cities.

Mercenaries have a long history in the United States. The Pinkerton National Detective Agency, founded in 1850, specialized in thuggery and advanced intelligence-gathering techniques to make millions defending ruling class privileges and propClick on this story erty.

The state of Ohio out- at www.flcourier.com lawed the Pinkertons in to write your own re1890, fearing it had be- sponse.

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

THE 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.

W W W.FLCOURIER.COM Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC, P.O. Box 48857 Tampa, FL 33646, publishes the Florida Courier on Fridays. Phone: 877352-4455, toll-free. For all sales inquiries, call 877-352-4455; e-mail sales@flcourier.com.

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Materials will not be returned.

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 Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Chief Executive Officer Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher Dr. Valerie Rawls-Cherry, Human Resources Jenise Morgan, Senior Editor Linda Fructuoso, Marketing Consultant/Sales, Circulation Angela VanEmmerik, Creative Director Chicago Jones, Eugene Leach, Louis Muhammad, Lisa Rogers-Cherry, Circulation Andreas Butler, Ashley Thomas, Staff Writers Delroy Cole, Kim Gibson, Photojournalists MEMBER National Newspaper Publishers Association Society of Professional Journalists Florida Press Association Associated Press National Newspaper Association

sued 147 executive orders during his first term, compared to 504 by FDR, 266 by Dwight D. Eisenhower, 247

by Richard M. Nixon, 213 by Ronald Reagan, 200 by Bill Clinton, and 173 by George W. Bush over a similar period.

As of June 20, Obama had issued 35 executive orders during his second term.

Strangely, Republicans, who have voted 54 times over four years to repeal or alter the Affordable Care Act, are not planning to sue President Obama on any of those issues. Instead, House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) has asked Congress for permission to sue Obama because he suspended the start date of the employer mandate provision of the health care law.

Plain out ridiculous It doesn’t get more ridiculous than this. Unable to repeal what they call Obamacare, House Republicans are moving faster than the lips of an auctioneer on crack to sue the president because he is making it easier to comply with what everyone except anti-Obama Republicans recognize as the law of the land.

As Sabastian Payne wrote in the Washington Post, “Bill Clinton was no stranger to far-reaching orders either. During his two terms in office, he banned the import of 50+ types of semiautomatic assault weapons and assault pistols… In May 1989, George H. W. Bush temporarily halted the importation of some semi-automatic firearms, following a

school shooting in Stockton, Calif. This was made permanent a month later. Ronald Reagan also enacted some significant policy initiatives through executive power.

The NSA has said that its controversial collection of e-mail and Internet data, for example, was authorized back in 1981 by Reagan’s executive order.”

What Reagan did was far more dangerous than postponing a health care start date. Yet, there wasn’t even talk of taking him to court.

George E. Curry is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA). Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

Don't be fooled by the GOP’s impeachment game Those who’ve found it difficult to connect with the racial history of post-Civil War America – when Black Americans were stripped of the citizenship rights they gained right after that conflict – should pay special attention to the national political arena now.

The conservative movement, in its desperate mania to destroy Barack Obama’s presidency and neutralize the growing political clout of Americans of color, is dramatizing how that betrayal and the construction of a post-slavery racist society was accomplished.

The tricked–up claims of “voter fraud” by state legislatures in order to deny Blacks access to the ballot box. Federal court and Supreme Court decisions that justified state and local governments’ violations of Black Americans’ rights.

Declarations that Whites were being “victimized” and “enslaved” by laws that expanded democracy to those who’d been excluded.

White racists’ claims that elected Black officials were acting in “lawless” fashion.

(In that regard, search the phrase “Obama and lawless” on the Internet and note how often now and during the past six years GOP party officials and pundits have used it to describe Obama’s actions.)

Impeach him That current reaction is reaching a new low point with right-wingers’ increasing calls to impeach the president. GOP politicos and their echo chamber of conservative pundits and talk-show jockeys have

LEE A. DANIELS NNPA COLUMNIST

been dropping heavy hints about this for at least two years.

Last week, however, it’s bubbled up to the surface of the cesspool that is Republican politics these days with Sarah Palin’s call for Obama’s impeachment.

Perhaps that is as it should be; for no other single individual offers a more instructive comparison of what the Republican Party has become vis-à-vis Obama. Completely ignorant of and uninterested in learning about American domestic and international policy, Palin was rapidly exposed as the worst vice-presidential candidate in U.S. history. Then, she abandoned her post as Alaska’s governor for the lucrative, no-work money trail of no-substance speeches and reality shows.

Meanwhile, her GOP confederates were trying again and again to wreck the Obama administration – and the country. But their congressional policy of obstruction hasn’t worked. Their government shutdown tactics haven’t worked. Their tolerating a vicious anti-Obama racism among their officeholders and supporters hasn’t worked. Their state legislators enacting sham voter ID laws in an effort to block Democratic-leaning voters from the ballot box in 2012 didn’t work. And their two attempts to find two – just

two – Republicans to form a credible presidential ticket hasn’t worked. So, now they’re trying to splash more political filth on themselves and the American political tradition and the American people.

Wannabe celebrity Of course, true to form, Palin’s cry was all about her: She’s desperately seeking attention in order to prop up her “celebrity status” and to maintain her influence among the GOP base, and thus on the party itself. The GOP establishment despises her, not least because of the outsized contribution she made to Obama’s defeating John McCain in 2008.

But don’t be fooled by Speaker of the House John Boehner’s terse “I disagree” when asked about Palin’s remark. He knows that raising the specter of impeachment now – which would make Obama the second consecutive Democratic president the Republicans have sought to impeach – would threaten to alienate both moderate Republicans and independent voters the GOP needs to regain control of the Senate in the November elections. If they do, the right-wing calls to impeach Obama will explode, and Boehner and the rest of the GOP leadership will start whistling a different tune.

Lee A. Daniels is a longtime journalist based in New York City. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

Look up from your cellphone and be a parent I was strolling down a very busy Broadway in New York City a couple of weeks ago. It was a very nice Saturday and it seemed like everyone was out walking and shopping. In front of me was a woman and her very young child (maybe 3or 4-years old). The woman was completely entranced by her cell phone. She was texting away. Her daughter was walking a few steps behind her and was meandering around.

My wife and I found this very unsettling. So, too, did two young men who were approaching us. They looked at each other and got ready to say something to the young mother.

My wife beat them to the punch, telling the woman that she needed to pay attention to her child because someone could simply grab the child since the mother appeared completely oblivious to the surroundings.

The mother grunted – there is no other way to describe it – and yelled to her child to stay with her.

As we crossed the street I

BILL FLETCHER, JR. NNPA COLUMNIST

looked behind me and noticed that, while the daughter was closer to her mother, the mother was back at texting.

This all reminded me of an episode from Star Trek: The Next Generation, where members of the crew discover this toy that completely captivates them to the point that they can do nothing but play with it.

It can wait, can’t it?

On another recent day, I saw a mother and her child walking to school with the mother texting away, ignoring the child altogether.

Let me be clear. I use my cell phone regularly. But what I am seeing is not simply the usage of cell phones.

Rather, it is the cell replacing real human contact.

It is the cell as a narcotic.

The woman in NYC had completely lost focus. Her child could have vanished in a nano-second and she would not have noticed.

Yet, there is another aspect to this. When I was a child and with my parents, my parents would talk with me. I do not mean that I was the center of every conversation, but we spoke about all sorts of things.

If a parent is focused on that cell – and dollars to donuts they are not cutting deals for some hedge fund or handling major issues in their organizations – they cannot pay attention to the questions that the child might be asking or might wish to ask.

Let me put it even more directly in case I have been too subtle: what is so important in that cell phone that one feels comfortable ignoring a child?

Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a racial justice, labor and global justice activist and writer. Write your own response at www.flcourier. com.

JULY 18 – JULY 24, 2014

EDITORIAL

Democratic money This week’s flavor of the day, as far as issues are concerned, are recent reports that national, statewide and local offices of the Democratic Party spend less than 3% of billions of dollars in campaign funds with businesses owned by the party’s most loyal base of voters.

Ho hum! To Gantt Report readers this is old news, decades old!

The twist is that I don’t blame the Democratic Party like your favorite TV and radio show hosts.

In the past, yes, but today I blame the politically ignorant, hat-in-hand, handkerchief wearing, boot licking lackeys that knew what was going on for years and were scared to open their mouths and say anything for fear it would upset Democratic politicians and Democratic Party leaders.

Spend with other Black vendors Now, newsman Roland Martin and others have been ranting and raving about what a bad thing the underutilization of Black political professionals is.

No disrespect to my media brother, but we should be even more upset with the Toms, Sambos and Jemimas that donate thousands of dollars to Democratic causes and don’t “earmark,” the contributions or expressly state what they want money contributed by Black party supporters to be used for.

LUCIUS GANTT THE GANTT REPORT

Money raised and contributed by Black individuals and Black groups to the Democratic and the Republican Parties could be earmarked to be spent on Black owned media, spent with Black political researchers, spent with Black direct mailers, spent with Black pollsters, spend with Black campaign consultants, spent with Black call centers, spent with Black owned printing companies, spent with Black sign printers and other Black professionals.

Everybody in the game knows that organized labor groups demand that politicians receiving union contributions are required to use “union” print shops!

So, why are modern day Jezebels and Fiddlers afraid to tell political parties to spend the money that Black people donate with professional Black vendors?

Check for yourself I expect White Democrats to spend political money with White vendors. I expect Jewish politicians and Cuban politicians to spend money with Jews and Cubans.

I don’t have to tell you who the

African-American politicians and elected officials that you love and you contribute money to spend most of their campaign dollars with. Look at their campaign expense reports and you tell me the name of the Black political vendors getting paid by the elected officials that you love.

And, the big man that you love, the Black man that is the head of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the leader of the free world, the Commander in Chief and the man that can control hundreds of millions of dollars in political spending spends more money with White political consultants and vendors than almost any Black political figure in the world!

And you want to be mad at some faceless, nebulous “Democratic Party”.

Nobody in politics is spending money with Black political professionals because Black voters and Black businesses don’t make politicians spend money with Black professionals!

Henry Crespo, head of the Democratic Black Caucus of Florida is trying to put together a fundraising political group that can fund political efforts in Florida’s Black communities.

All of Florida’s Black trial lawyers, Black doctors, Black contractors, Black engineers and others that make political contributions should give to groups like DBCF before that give to the organiza-

A5

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: MIDDLE EAST

AISLIN, THE MONTREAL GAZETTE

Be in the know

When you go to political forums at Black churches and other places you should demand to know how many Black employees and how many Black vendors does the politician have before you contribute a dime to his campaign and certainly well before you vote for the closet klansman that masquerades as your political savior.

The Gantt Report told you 20 years ago that politicians you love hated to spend money with you and now that radio comedians are cracking jokes about the disparity in spending, you want to be upset!

Buy Gantt’s latest book “Beast Too: Dead Man Writing” online or at any bookstore and contact Lucius at www.allworldconsultants.net. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

tions that refuse to patronize us.

Unions like the Longshoremen and AFSCME should finance groups like the DBCF before they dump tons of union workers union dues on contributions to political bigots that won’t use Black vendors under any circumstance.

Summer enrichment means lifetime survival It’s mid-July. Do you know if your children are learning? Just a month ago they were eager to leave the regimentation of the daily classroom to “enjoy the summer.”

A month from now, many will prepare to return to school.

Will they return ready to hit the ground running in the fall? Or will they struggle to catch up because their summer activities were not stimulating enough to prevent learning losses.

Student’s score lower on standardized tests at the end of the summer than at the beginning of the summer, according to the National Summer Learning Association. That organization makes a strong case that young people must be engaged in summer learning and enrichment opportunities, because they lose as much as two months of math learning, and more than two months of reading proficiency without summer engagement.

DR. JULIANNE MALVEAUX TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

dents experience more losses, while middle-class students may gain proficiency during the summer. The National Summer Learning Association says that at least half of the achievement gap between lower and higher income young people is a function of unequal access to summer learning opportunities. Some youngsters don’t have summer opportunities because they don’t know about them, others because they can’t afford them, and still others because they are needed at home.

Some teens are tasked with taking care of younger siblings, though they might be better served in enrichment programs that would prepare them for the Income has a role next school year. Others must Of course, lower income stu- choose between work and sum-

mer enrichment programs, and when money matters, work wins over enrichment. And while subsidized summer enrichment programs are available, some students are unable to participate when even modest fees are required.

Blacks affected more

Trailblazers set the course

that participate in the Read Aloud program are politicians and business leaders, artists and educators. If they are anything like me, they leave uplifted by the children and their promise of resilience.

I’m encouraging those who can to help with a summer enrichment program.

Spend a day, a few afternoons, and maybe more time to help provide a summer experience. Funding helps provide great summer opportunities for our youth, and informal programs with a couple of retired teachers and a church basement can go a long way, as well. We cannot afford is to widen the achievement gap by leaving too many of our young people unengaged this summer.

I’ve not spoken of race, only income, in examining the importance of summer enrichment programs. But because AfricanAmerican students are more likely to be low-income than others, we know that race matters here. We also know that space makes a difference as well. There will be a greater variety of summer enrichment programs in affluent neighborhoods, as opposed to other neighborhoods.

And while programs in affluent neighborhoods may offer scholarships for those who need assistance, transportation may beJulianne Malveaux is a DC Time with our youth come a barrier. based economist and author.

Every morning, these fifty or so Whether excuses or explanaWrite your own response at tions, the achievement gap speaks young’uns are affirming themto differential outcomes. While selves through song. The adults www.flcourier.com.

Rise up again I come from a long line of women who rose up to meet the challenges of their time. My mother rose to the challenge of rearing 9 children after my 11th birthday without the benefit of our father in our home. Daddy left my mother with stair step babies, but she never made excuses for not being able to provide for us. At the age of 92, she is still there for all of her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren! On her birthday last year 57 of us showed up for the celebration. This past Mothers’ Day, about the same number showed up to honor her because she has always risen to the occasion for us. Raising 9 children caused her a lot of pain as she struggled to give us opportunities she never had, but she did it anyway.

summer enrichment opportunities are differentially available, with Black and brown young people less likely to have access to opportunities than others, some organizations are doing the work to ensure that young people are intellectually engaged during the summer, enabling them to return to school ready to do their best work.

A week or so ago, I began my morning with the young people at Washington DC’s Southeast Tennis and Learning Center for their “Read Aloud” program. At about 8:30 in the morning, the youngsters, whose ages range from 6 to 15, gather in a circle to hear a book read to them, and to engage in an energetic and affirming ritual. I love the read aloud program because I love looking into the eyes of these young people, to imagine the leaders they will become.

DR. E. FAYE WILLIAMS, ESQ. TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

Rosa Parks rose up for our right to be treated with dignity on public transportation. Thanks to her we can ride any bus today to get where we need to go. She understood the risks, but she did it anyway.

More women stand up Harriett Tubman rose up to lead many of her people out of slavery.

She returned many times to get more and led them safely to freedom. Every trip carried dangers, but she went anyway.

I could go on about Black women who rose up for us, but now it’s time to look to the future with a new group of women rising up as these women did. We are faced with one of the most critical elections in history. We have a lot to lose if we don’t rise up to make a difference. Black women always make a huge difference in elections. When we vote, we vote in the best interest of our communities — but we must challenge more to get involved before November 4, 2014. We must help in getting someone registered to vote. No matter what others do to prevent us from voting, we must use our skills to get voters to the polls.

We must rise up just as our sisters before us did when it was far more dangerous to do so.

I met Dr. Dorothy I. Height when I was 17, and I continued to go to her for advice up to the time she passed away. I knew she was always one who rose up for our community. She challenged us to do what was necessary as she taught us, “We Black women don’t always do what we want to do, but we always do what we have to do.”

It was true when she said it. It’s still true today.

Fannie Lou Hamer rose up for us knowing it might cost her life (and it almost did) when she went down to that court house in Mississippi to register to vote. When confronted by her boss for doing so, she just told him, “I didn’t do this for you. I did this for myself” and the rest of her story is history.

Ida B. Wells-Barnett rose up when she could no longer take the lynching Dr. E. Faye Williams is Presiof her people. She paid dearly, but she knew that was possible when she dent/CEO of the National Congress spoke out against that horrible prac- of Black Women. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com. tice — yet she did it anyway.

Will Congress work with the president to fix the border crisis?

Last week, President Obama met with his harshest critic, Texas Governor Rick Perry about the border crisis.

The Republicans would have you believe that the president is dragging his feet and his policies are the problem.

But astute political observers acknowledge that the Republicans have been blocking the president’s initiatives on immigration.

Republicans continue to argue that the federal government has failed to secure the border, and that is the reason the problem has escalated.

But everyone knows that the government can spend trillions of dollars on securing the border, and still people will find a way to get across the border.

Senate offers solution In the Senate, the legislators have passed a comprehensive immigration bill that would provide the border with 20,000 additional border patrol agents. This law would also provide additional resources and more legal assistance for the country and immigrants. But Congress has refused to bring the bill on the floor or discuss the positive and negative aspects of the law.

The president understands that the Republicans who control Congress have the ability to start fixing the problem. By asking the Republicans to authorize supplemental financing that would

ROGER CALDWELL GUEST COLUMNIST

give the government $3.7 billion, the problem could start to be improved.

The $3.7 billion would set up new detention facilities, conduct more aerial surveillance, and hire immigration judges and Border Patrol Agents. In the last 6 months there have been a flood of over 60,000 children and some mothers passing through the Rio Grande Valley. Many of these illegal unaccompanied children expect to be caught, because the government refuses to deport them back to their country, based on a 2008 Bush law.

Many of the Republicans are placing this crisis on a 2012 Obama action, which allowed young people in the U.S. illegally to stay in the country. Instead of working together to solve a problem, the Republicans are blaming the president as slow and ineffective.

Attention seekers On the other hand, President Obama believes that the Republicans are more interested in theater and photoops. The president says, “The problem is fixable if lawmakers are interested in solv-

ing it, but if the preference is politics, it won’t be solved. Is Congress prepared to act to put the resources to get this done? Are folks more interested in politics or in solving problems,” says the president.

It is obvious that there is a problem at the border in the Rio Grande Valley, but the president is offering a solution with more resources and finances. Instead of talking about the problem, the president is laying out a concrete plan that makes sense.

When, President Obama met with Texas Governor Rick Perry last week to discuss some of his concerns, he said there is nothing that is taking place down here that he is not intimately aware of.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson had made five trips to the border and was preparing for his sixth trip.

It is very easy for the Republicans to look at a situation and say what the president is not doing. But to implement a plan that works is hard work, and it takes time.

In our instant society the border crisis will not magically disappear.

Roger Caldwell is the founder and CEO of On Point Media Group. Write your own response at www. flcourier.com.

TOJ A6

NATION

JULY 18 – JULY 24, 2014

Public outrage increases over beating of woman on L.A. freeway Officer’s force used on great grandmother reminiscent of Rodney King incident TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

Outrage continues to grow over the beating of a Black woman by an officer of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). A group of protestors met for a rally July 12 to demand that the officer be fired.

“The point of the rally is we want to put pressure on CHP to do the right thing and fire the officer, said Rev. K. W. Tulloss, western regional director of the National Action Network, and nationally led by the Rev. Al Sharpton.

“We also want to continue to let the family of the victim know that we’re here and we’re supporting and we’re here to give her voice because she’s voiceless.”

The beating of the woman, identified as Marlene Pinnock, has spotlighted a historic distrust between police and AfricanAmericans.

Some view the Pinnock case as the worse videotaped beating since the Rodney King beating by Los Angeles police in 1991.

“The reality is this is probably one of the worst beatings seen throughout this nation and it happened to a lady,” Tulloss said.

U.S. probe sought CHP Commissioner Joseph A. Farrow has said he is “deeply concerned” and promised a fair and thorough investigation. But circulation of the video of the Ju-

ly 1 incident has continued to fuel ire across the nation.

It shows the woman pinned down by the officer at the side of the Los Angeles Marlene freeway as he rePinnock peatedly punches her about the head and face as she attempts to defend herself.

Tulloss said NAN is also pressing for the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate to give additional oversight to the CHP. “We look at it as a vicious crime,” Tulloss said. “We’ve been through this before and we just don’t have confidence in police conduct. They’re protected by their Police Bill of Rights and we don’t have confidence in them policing themselves and doing their own investigation.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF OMAROSA MANIGAULT

Caree Harper, lawyer for Marlene Pinnock, speaks at a rally on July 12 as the Rev. K. W. Tullos of the National Action Network looks on. Tullos was the organizer of the rally.

This image shown on KTLA 5 in Los Angeles shows Marlene Pinnock being punched by an officer.

Video goes viral Pinnock, 51, had apparently been walking on Interstate 10 west of downtown Los Angeles.

At a news conference CHP Assistant Chief Chris O’Quinn said the officer was trying to restrain the woman after seeing her veering into the highway when an altercation occurred.

A passing motorist, David Diaz, recorded the incident and sent it to media outlets. The video went viral on the Internet, social media and TV. Diaz told the Associated Press that the officer “agitated the situation more than helped it.” He said the woman was actually walking off of the freeway when the officer said something to her

that started the incident.

Reports say that Pinnock, a great grandmother, is now hospitalized while undergoing psychiatric evaluation. The officer, placed on administrative duty, has also not been identified.

Severe injuries Pinnock’s lawyer, Caree Harper, told CNN that her physical in-

juries are severe. “Her family went to visit her,” Harper told CNN. “She has multiple lumps in her head, lumps on her shoulder like the size of a plum, bruises and lumps all over her upper body.”

Tulloss has had several conversations with the lawyer, who also participated in the rally.

He said NAN is also pushing for the CHP to so right by Pin-

nock in civil court. Pinnock’s family has reportedly said they will file a lawsuit.

“We see that CHP has an officer who is not fit for the job. He should not wear the CHP uniform ever, ever again,” said Tulloss. “That’s what we’re pressing for and we’re pressing for the Department of Justice do an independent review of this case.”

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/MCT

President Barack Obama, flanked by Ravila Gupta, president of Umicore USA, met with business leaders from across the country and around the world on May 20 at the White House to discuss the importance of investing in and creating well-paying jobs in the U.S.

Latest jobs report indicates Blacks benefiting from improved economy

BY FREDERICK H. LOWE TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

An ebullient President Barack Obama said on July 10 that the day's jobs report showed the fastest growth since the first half of 1999.

"This is also the first time we've seen five consecutive months of job growth over 200,000 since 1999. And we've seen the quickest drop in unemployment in 30 years," President Obama said.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 288,000 in June and the unemployment rate declined to 6.1 percent, led by growth in professional and business services, retail trade, food services and drinking places and health care.

The Economic Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C. -based nonpartisan think tank, reported that African-Americans benefited from the improved economy.

"The share of working age AfricanAmericans with a job increased 1.3 percentage points since January 2014," Valerie Wilson, director of EPI's Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy, wrote in a blog.

The overall Black unemployment rate was in June was 10.7 percent compared to 11.5 percent in May. The African-American unemployment rate, however, is still

much higher than the 8.3 percent unemployment rate recorded in 2007, according to Heidi Shierholz, labor-market economist for EPI. The jobless rate for Black men 20 years old and older was 10.9 percent compared to 11.5 percent in May. For Black women 20 years old and older, the jobless rate in June was 9.0 percent compared to 10.0 percent in May. The labor-participation rate for Black men and Black women also improved, according to the BLS. It wasn't all good news. The Economic Policy Institute reported that a large pool of workers are missing because of still weak job opportunities.

"They are neither employed nor actively seeking a job," EPI reported. "In other words, these are people who would be either working or looking for work if job opportunities were significantly stronger." If the missing workers were looking for work, the unemployment would be 9.6 percent, EPI reported.

Obama admits there is more work to do. "Now, what we also know is, as much progress as has been made, there are still folks out there who are struggling," the president said.

"We still have not seen as much increase in income and wages as we'd like to see. A lot of folks are still digging themselves out of challenges that arose out of the Great Depression."

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Protesters were in an area fenced off from the courthouse, hours before the verdict was read.

Photojournalist who covered the Zimmerman trial for the Courier reflects on his experience

BY DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR. FLORIDA COURIER

I

t has been a year since George Zimmerman was found not guilty of killing Trayvon Martin. As a photojournalist, I had the importunity to cover this trial. Tensions were high all over the country while waiting for the verdict to be handed down.

The Seminole County Courthouse in Sanford was the center of focus, but I became interested in how African-Americans were living in Sanford during the trial. My curiosity led me to drive around Sanford while I recorded and documented the African-American community.

Duane What I disFernandez Sr. covered was abandoned homes, boarded-up businesses and many shacks occupied by people living way below the poverty level. Many of these homes and businesses were just yards away on the same street as the new multimillion dollar Sanford police station.

Followed by police There were many days during the trial while I was out and about photographing the community that law enforcement followed me. I was never stopped – just made aware of their presence while recording their town. There were a few local African-Americans in the areas I approached while photographing, but they were afraid to speak on the trial.

I remember one older African-American man telling me that when every one of the media outlets are gone, he will still have to live there. He asked, “Who was going to protect him against these same police if they see him talking to me or anyone else?’’

It’s appalling that in Florida if you kill a black bear you can be sentenced to jail time plus fined heavily, because the black bear is considered an endangered species and protected by the law. The young African-American male is also an endangered species with little protection from the law.

PHOTOS BY DUANE FERNANDEZ SR./HARDNOTTS PHOTOGRAPHY

A closed-down and dilapidated daycare center is located blocks away from the Sanford Police Department.

Far left: Some Sanford residents were reluctant to discuss the trial.

Left: A memorial for Trayvon Martin and others killed in Sanford was dedicated in April 2013 at the Goldsboro Welcome Center.

Far left: A melting pot of protesters were on verdict watch at the Seminole County courthouse on July 13, 2013, a day after jurors received their instructions.

Left: Sanford resident Don Brown decided to wait for the verdict at the Historic Goldsboro Community Center in Sanford, where a memorial in Trayvon Martin has been constructed.

Duane C. Fernandez Sr., owner of Hardnotts Photography based in Daytona Beach, is a photojournalist for the Florida Courier and its sister paper, The Daytona Times.

Francis Oliver is the curator of the Goldsboro Historical Museum in Sanford. She is shown at a Moral Monday Florida event earlier this year in Tallahassee.

Not guilty of second-degree murder was the verdict in the trial that lasted for about three weeks.

OBITUARY & EVENTS

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JULY 18 – JULY 24, 2014

STOJ

Olympic legend Alice Coachman Davis dies at 90 COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS

Alice Coachman Davis, the Olympic legend who shattered ceilings and the status quo when she became the first Black woman to win a gold medal at the games, earning the medal for her 5-foot-6-1/8-inch high jump, died on July 14 in her hometown of Albany, Ga. She was 90.

Mrs. Davis had been grappling with health issues in recent months, suffering from a stroke.

Her daughter, Evelyn Jones, told the Times that the former track and field star went into cardiac arrest on Monday, following breathing problems.

During the fateful 1948 Olympics Games in London, she became not only the first Black woman to secure the gold, but was also the only American woman to medal gold in the track and field section.

Despite being honored and wined and dined after her astounding win, with King George VI bestowing her with her medal and being invited on to a British royal yacht and congratulated by then-U.S. President Harry Truman, true to the racial tensions of the time, she suffered through the harsh cruelties of segregation, the Times reports.

Alice Coachman was the first Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal.

According to the National Women’s History Museum, her parents had hesitations about encouraging a girl to be athletic, but she found support in her fifth grade teacher at Monroe Street Elementary School, Cora Bailey.

Outside of school, her aunt, Carrie Spry, helped her to look beyond her obstacles.

Continue to inspire Still, she was cognizant of the impact her medal win had for Blacks.

“I made a difference among the Blacks, being one of the leaders,” she told the New York Times in 1996, the Times notes. “If I had gone to the games and failed, there wouldn’t be anyone to follow in my footsteps. It encouraged the rest of the women to work harder and fight harder.”

“Few athletes have dominated a sport like Alice Coachman dominated the high jump,” wrote the New Georgia Encyclopedia.

Ran, jumped barefoot She was born on Nov. 9, 1923 to Fred and Evelyn Coachman in Albany, Ga. The young Alice not

Tuskegee grad

Alice Coachman Davis only had to deal with her nine other siblings, but also with segregation. Because of her race, she was barred from public training facilities and forced to use whatever she could to train. She ran and jumped barefoot on dirt roads and playgrounds.

Alice immediately joined the track team of Madison High School when she enrolled in 1938, and soon was noticed by Harry Lash, the boys’ track and field coach. He fostered her talent and encouraged her dreams.

In 1939, at the age of 16, she was granted a scholarship to Alabama’s prestigious Tuskegee Institute. Even before classes started, she took part in the Amateur Athlete Union (AAU) national championship’s track and field competition – she

broke the high school and collegiate high jump records barefoot.

She competed for Tuskegee during the war years and won the AAU nationals in the high jump and 50-yard dash. She won national championships in the 50 meter, 100 meter, and high jump competitions and ran on the national championship relay team. She was the only AfricanAmerican to be named to the five All-American teams.

The athlete received her degree from Tuskegee Institute in 1946 and enrolled in Albany State University. Despite a back injury just prior to the 1948 Olympics, she easily qualified for the London Olympics in 1948. She joined the team with a recordbreaking 5’4” jump (the previous record was set in 1932 and was 5’3¼”). With an opening jump of 5’ 6”, she crushed all competition and was awarded an Olympic Gold Medal for her feat

Many top honors When she returned to the United States, she stopped training and began to support other athletes -- but even after she stopped competing, she continued to break records.

In later years, she formed the Alice Coachman Track and Field Foundation to support young athletes and provide help for Olympic veterans.

When Atlanta hosted the 1996 Olympics, she was honored as one of the top 100 greatest Olympic athletes. Since the end of her career, she has been inducted into numerous halls of fame.

Information from the National Women’s History Museum and www.theroot.com were used in compiling this report.

PATTI LABELLE

Tickets are on sale now to see Patti LaBelle on Sunday, Nov. 16, at The Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg.

T-PAIN

T-Pain’s “Drankin Patna Tour’’ stops at The Beacham in Orlando on Aug. 11 and Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale on Aug. 12.

MARY JANE GIRLS

The Mary Jane Girls will appear at the Allstate Tom Joyner Reunion during Labor Day weekend. More information: www.blackamericaweb.com.

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR Hollywood: Actor and comedian Chris Tucker will give an 8 p.m. show on July 12 at Hard Rock Live Hollywood.

St. Peterburg: The Steve Harvey “Act Like A Success’’ Tour will stop at The Mahaffey on Oct. 18.

Daytona Beach: Cuba Gooding Sr. presents a Sweet Soul of the 70’s Benefit Concert on July 19. The concert will feature The Main Ingredient, Peaches & Herb, The Emotions and Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes. More information: www.Cuba-Gooding. com.

Orlando: Bones Thugs N Harmony is scheduled at Firestone Live on July 18 for an 8 p.m. show.

Plantation: Judah Worship Word Ministries, International will celebrate the 41st teaching anniversary of its senior pastor, Dr. Willett L. Mitchell.

Special guest for the July 20 service at 8:15 a.m. will be

Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief. More information: 954-791-2999.

Clearwater: The crooner Maxwell is coming to Florida. He will make stops in Clearwater, Orlando and Jacksonville in August. More information: www.musze. com.

Orlando: Kirk Franklin presents Tye Tribbett at the House of Blues Orlando on July 20.

Hollywood: The Wayan Brothers will perform a show at Hard Rock Live Hollywood on Aug. 15.

Tampa: State Rep. Janet Cruz will present a free job fair on July 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Higgins Hall, 5225 N. Himes Ave. Fort Lauderdale: Tickets are available now for the “American Idol’’ tour on July 19 at the Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center.

Tampa: Candy Lowe hosts Tea & Conversation, which focuses on local and national issues, every Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. at 3911 N. 34th St., Suite B. More information: 813-394-6363.

Boca Raton: John Legend’s The All of Me Tour makes a stop at the Mizner Park Amphitheater on July 27.

Miami: Tamela Mann and Vashawn Mitchell are scheduled at the James L. Knight Center on Aug. 16 for a 7 p.m. show.

Kissimmee: The Hip Hop Legends Jam 2014 will feature DMX, Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rock, Rakim, Biz Markie, Black Sheep and Special Ed. The show is Aug. 9 at the Silver Spurs Arena at Osceola Heritage Park.

Hollywood: The Wayans Brothers perform Aug. 15 at Hard Rock Live.

© 2014 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

, JULY 25 STARTS FRIDAY CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES

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B3

SPORTS

JULY 18 – JULY 24, 2014

A crushing blow for Miami Heat fans James’ decision prompts fans to deface mural and burn jerseys FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

LeBron James returns to the Cleveland Cavaliers with a two-year, $42.1 million contract with the Cavaliers.

According to an Associated Press report, the contract includes an option for James to become a free agent next summer, but it is strictly “a business deal.’’

James made announcement on July 11 through Sports Illustrated. He met with Miami Heat officials in Las Vegas, then took two days to ponder his decision that he’s returning to Cleveland after four years with the South Florida team.

“I’m not having a press conference or a party,” James said. “After this, it’s time to get to work.”

James announced on July 11 that he was returning to the Cavaliers after four years with the Miami Hat. His decision to leave the Heat for the Cavaliers prompted some discontent from Miami fans. Some Heat fans turned on the man who was instrumental in bringing two titles to Miami and four straight NBA Finals appearances.

Mural defaced Just a few hours after announcing his decision to return to the Cavaliers, a mural depicting James and the team was defaced in South Beach. The mural includes other members of the Heat’s 2012 NBA championship team.

The mural, which took artist Serge Toussaint two

years to complete, last weekend had LeBron’s face blacked out with paint and the words “Thanks LeBron” spray painted across it. Later on in the day after his decision to leave, there were pictures of humorous LeBron faces posted on top of the vandalized mural.

But Toussaint wasn’t at all upset when he heard the news that someone had painted over his mural. He agreed with the unknown vandal’s sentiments, stating “It’s not wrong at all.’’

Toussaint said he was inspired by James’ move to Miami.

“I mean, I spent two months in the hot sun painting this, bro. You were like our idol, bro,” said Toussaint.

With paint bucket and brushes in hand, Toussaint painted over the black spray paint covering James’ face with the word “Queen,” nothing that he was giving his idol a demotion in title from “King’’ James.

Like some Cavaliers fans did four years ago, some Heat fans also burned their James jerseys.

Anthony sticks with Knicks Meanwhile, another NBA free agent has caused quite a stir after giving multiple teams the runaround. After weeks of waiting on Carmelo Anthony to make a decision about whether he will leave the New York Knicks and sign with another team, he decides to return to the Knicks.

After entertaining offers from the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, and the Chicago Bulls, Anthony has decided to re-sign with the Knicks based on the fact that he trusts Phil Jackson and his abilities in the front

LeBron James’ face was vandalized after his decision to return to the Cavaliers. office to build a championship caliber team within the next couple of years.

$130 million contract Jackson already has begun to assert himself within the organization by bringing in guards such as Jose Calderon and Shane

Larking, as well as the capable swingman Wayne Ellington to beef up the Knicks roster. No doubt Jackson will also be trying to make financial adjustments by moving Andrea Bargnani and Amar’e Stoudemire next season after both of their contracts are up to create some breathing room to add more tal-

ent.

Anthony also has great faith in new head coach Derek Fisher and his abilities to bring a veteran and championship mentality to the team. After an 11-year career, Anthony has been able to accomplish making it to the first couple rounds of the playoffs, but he has still not won a champi-

onship. It is clear that patience will have to be a virtue Anthony will have to learn to develop if he is putting his faith in the development of the New York Knicks franchise.

Anthony, 30, has agreed to a five-year maximum contract with the Knicks for about $130 million.

Lest we forget: What James did for Heat Here are some memorable moments of James with the Heat

CHARLES TRAINOR JR./MIAMI HERALD/MCT

© 2014 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

STARTS FRIDAY, JULY 18

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FRI 7/18 3 col (4.93”)” x 10” ALL.PUR.0718.FCemail

UNIVERSAL PICTURES PRESENTS A PLATINUM DUNES/BLUMHOUSE/WHY NOTEXECUTIVE PRODUCTION “ THE PURGE: ANARCHY” FRANK GRILLO CARMEN EJOGO ZACH GILFORD KIELE SANCHEZ AND MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS PRODUCERS JEANETTE VOLTURNO-BRI LL LUC ETIENNE PRODUCED WRITTEN AND

BY JASON BLUM p.g.a. MICHAEL BAY ANDREW FORM BRAD FULLER SEBASTI ´ EN K. LEMERCIER p.g.a. DIRECTED BY JAMES DE MONACO #PURGEANARCHY A UNIVERSAL RELEASE

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LT

LeBron James displays the spoils of a 95-88 win against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 of the NBA Finals at the AmericanAirlines Arena in on June 20, 2013.

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/MCT

LeBron James, center, and other players share a laugh with U.S. President Barack Obama as the president welcomes the 2013 NBA Champion Miami Heat to the White House on Jan. 14.

GARY CORONADO/PALM BEACH POST/MCT

James (6) slams dunks the ball in the first quarter during Game 2 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami on May 30, 2012.

B4

CULTURE

JULY 18 – JULY 24, 2014

STOJ

Hope, challenges five years after cemetery scandal Emmett Till among civil rights icons buried at Chicago’s historic Burr Oak

BY JOHN OWENS CHICAGO TRIBUNE (MCT)

CHICAGO — Five years after workers were accused of digging up and dumping hundreds of bodies in a scheme to resell burial plots, Burr Oak Cemetery is trying to overcome the scandal and reassume its place in preserving Chicago’s African-American history.

But Burr Oak and other Blackowned cemeteries in the south suburbs are facing an uncertain future, with challenges involving finances and limited space.

Patricia Brown Holmes, the court-appointed trustee who assumed control of Burr Oak nearly three years ago, said she’s reminded on an almost daily basis of the historical significance of the cemetery near Alsip, which is home to such notables as civil rights icon Emmett Till, rhythm and blues singer Dinah Washington and heavyweight boxing champ Ezzard Charles.

“We get school buses that show up almost every day just to see the graves of famous people,” Holmes said. “We know how crucial these grounds are to African-American history.”

Dwindling profit margins The same could be said for Chicago’s other historically Black cemeteries — Mount Glenwood Memory Gardens South in Glenwood, Restvale Cemetery in Alsip and the long-abandoned Mount Forest Cemetery in Thornton.

The four cemeteries, all just a few miles from one another, were created to serve African-Americans who were either barred or segregated at White Chicago-area cemeteries in the first part of the 20th century.

“They’re the final resting place for our ancestors, both famous and unknown,” said Tony Burroughs, founder and CEO of the Chicago-based Center for Black Genealogy. “They’re very important places, even though some people currently don’t give them the significance they deserve.”

Today these cemeteries are dealing with dwindling profit margins because of increased competition from cemeteries like Mount Hope, which once barred Blacks, and Oak Woods, which once segregated Blacks.

Running out of room The historically Black cemeteries are also starting to run out of room. At Burr Oak, Holmes estimates that at least 120,000 people are buried on the 150-acre site. It has about 3,500 open grave spaces available, Holmes said. That doesn’t include the area used as a dumping ground for bodies, which is still considered a crime scene by the Cook County Sher-

iff’s Office, according to Holmes.

“We can’t go below ground there, but we can go above ground,” Holmes said. “So we could build a crypt or mausoleum there, and that would give us a few more spaces.”

Meanwhile, Mount Glenwood has about 60,000 people buried in its 52-acre cemetery, adjacent to the Thornton Stone Quarry in Glenwood. Only 4,000 open grave spaces are available, according to Jeannie Walsh, president of Mount Glenwood Memory Gardens.

“I would say the cemetery has another 20 years left before we’re full,” Walsh said.

No public aid burials The increase in cremations over the past 20 years will help keep the cemetery’s population down, Walsh said, along with other policies that have reduced business at Mount Glenwood.

“We used to do a lot of public aid burials here, but we stopped taking them because it’s difficult to get paid by the state for that sort of thing,” Walsh said.

The present-day owners of Chicago’s historically Black cemeteries are more concerned now with upgrading their facilities and gaining back the trust of families alienated by the Burr Oak scandal, in which four workers were arrested July 8, 2009.

Bankruptcy proceedings with Burr Oak’s prior owner, Perpetua Holdings, made $2.3 million available for renovations. Holmes and the cemetery’s managers (who also own Restvale Cemetery) have arranged for a new front office; a new 10,000-foot black wroughtiron fence surrounding the cemetery; and a 10-foot monument near the front gates, dedicated to the families of the grave reselling scandal.

Tourist attractions?

Holmes said the official unveiling of that monument will be in late July or August.

Additionally, a kiosk will be placed near the front gate, with information on where graves are located at Burr Oak. The kiosk will use a database created by the state after the scandal, under the Cemetery Oversight Act. Mount Glenwood just opened the “Garden of Memories” on an undeveloped section of the cemetery. Walsh said that will give them an additional 780 grave spaces.

“We’re not doing a lot of advertising these days,” Walsh said.

“Usually how it works, it’s heritage. When you lose a loved one in your family, most people will go where their relatives are.”

Still, observers are speculating about what these historic burial grounds will be once they are full, besides being maintained for the families of those buried there.

“They could work as museums, they could be tourist attractions,” Burroughs said. “But their historic importance should be realized.”

JOHN OWENS/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/MCT

A sculpture of two anonymous children holding up a photo of their parents featured on a memorial site dedicated to the victims of the Burr Oak grave reselling scandal at Burr Oak Cemetery near Alsip, Ill., on July 7.

Above is the gravestone of Emmett Till in the Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Ill. This photos was taken in 2005.

Randolph reflects on baseball career in new book nies he feels - in check.

BY DR. GLENN C. ALTSCHULER SPECIAL TO THE COURIER

Willie Randolph grew up in Brownsville, Brooklyn. As a kid, he played baseball in Betsy Head Playground, a 10-acre park full of broken bottles, garbage, and syringes. “The Jackie Robinson Story,’’ the first book Randolph read, reinforced his determination to make it to the major leagues.

Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Randolph was traded to the New York Yankees in 1975.

He wore the pinstripes for almost 30 years as an AllStar second basemen and coach.

From 2005-2007, he was the manager of the New York Mets.

In “The Yankee Willie Way,’’ Randolph Randolph reflects on his career, the men he played with and against, and changes to the game, including the impact of free agency, performance enhancing drugs, and the QuesTec measurement of umpires’ ball and strike calls.

On Clemens, Martinez

BOOK REVIEW Review of “The Yankee Way: Playing, Coaching, and My Life in Baseball.‘’

By Willie Randolph. HarperCollins.

274 pp. $26.99 A baseball traditionalist, Randolph is capable of considerable candor but, perhaps because he wants to manage again someday, he seems at times to keep his views – and the bitterness he de-

“The Yankee Way’’ is at its best when Randolph takes readers inside the clubhouse.

He accepts the practice of pitchers throwing at batters to intimidate them as part of the game, for example, but explains how difficult it was for him and his teammates to “forget all the years” of Roger Clemens “dusting guys” like Derek Jeter when Clemens was traded from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Yankees.

And when the Mets signed Pedro Martinez, an “assassin” on the mound, who “will cut out your heart to win,” Randolph, who had had his share of run-ins with the right hander, had to be reassured that their shared past was a non-issue.

Underpaid, undervalued Although he professes to hold no ill will toward owners, Randolph claims that he was underpaid for most of his career. He blames himself for naiveté, not fully recognizing his value, and not negotiating hard enough to get what he deserved.

That said, he indicates that the collusion of owners to limit player movement and keep salaries down in the 1980s was “definitely not my fault.”

And, although he does not “want to get into all the aspects of it” and “didn’t want to see a strike go forward” in 1994, Randolph “believed that the players were in the right.”

Reticent on race Randolph also does not get into all aspects of race in baseball. To be sure, he characterizes scouts as “White men with their sun visors and clipboards and beach chairs who could make my dream happen,” most of whom didn’t come to Brownsville to look for big league prospects.

He celebrates several African-American mentors, especially Willie Stargell, who taught him “some good and powerful lessons.” And he evinces pride in Martin Luther King, Barack Obama, African-American culture, Negro League players, and his selection as the first major league manager of color in New York City.

He seems reticent, however, to

engage larger issues, including the role of race in the appointment of Blacks as managers or to front office positions.

Ready to return Randolph wasn’t happy, of course, when Mets General Manager Omar Maniya fired him in 2008. Convinced that he has the knowledge, experience and passion to lead a team to a pennant and a World Series, he hopes he will get another shot at managing.

Until he gets “another chance to give back to the game and the community,” he implies he is content to select his All-Willie team, enjoy his wife and four children, and remind himself that baseball, religious faith, and hard work gave him a chance to get out of his neighborhood, go places, and do the things he had dreamt about.

Dr. Glenn C. Altschuler is the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies at Cornell University. He wrote this review for the Florida Courier.

TOJ

JULY 18 – JULY 24, 2014

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

Meet some of

FLORIDA’S

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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.

More than 4,000 cruisers joined nationally syndicated radio talk show host Tom Joyner on the 13th annual Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic Voyage 2012 aboard Royal Caribbean’s “Navigator of the Seas,” one of the world’s largest cruise ships. The Florida Courier spotlights some of the best-looking people on board.

Kris Cain, a Houston resident, was on her first Tom Joyner cruise.

Chris Simmons, who lives in Kansas City, was on his first Tom Joyner cruise.

DELROY COLE / FLORIDA COURIER

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Compton reassessing feelings for Dr. Dre

BY ANGEL JENNINGS LOS ANGELES TIMES (MCT)

COMPTON, Calif. — Every fall, economics teacher Louis Stewart puts aside the textbooks and gives his students at Centennial High School in Compton a lesson in Dr. Dre 101.

He pulls out the Forbes magazine list of America’s richest celebrities and points to Dr. Dre, who is usually high on the list.

Most of his students assume the only way a Compton native could have become so wealthy is through professional sports, Stewart says, “because that’s all they know.”

Stewart explains Dre’s rise from the streets of Compton to rapper to music producer to co-founder of Beats Electronics, the high-end, bass-heavy headphone and speaker company.

With Apple Inc.’s recent purchase of Beats for $3 billion, Dre (real name: Andre Young) is now being hailed around town as Compton’s first billionaire and an even more powerful role model in a community where opportunities for young people often seem few and far between.

The milestone is also prompting some to reassess their feeling for Dre, who at times in his career has been a divisive figure in Compton.

Gangsta rap and gospel Some in the community blamed Dre and his N.W.A. bandmates for casting the city in a bad light.

Their 1988 debut album, “Straight Outta Compton,” chronicled the plight of living in one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S. It was dark, and the graphic lyrics were laced with violence and rage.

For years, Compton tried

LUIS SINCO/LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT

Dr. Dre, right, sits with fellow music mogul Jimmy Iovine during an event in Santa Monica, Calif., in 2013. Dre (real name: Andre Young) is now being hailed as Compton’s first billionaire and an even more powerful role model in a community where opportunities for young people often seem few and far between. to shed the image as a birthplace of West Coast gangsta rap. It spent millions of dollars hosting an annual gospel festival in an effort to become the gospel music center. The wildly popular event brought gospel performers from across the country.

In recent years, however, these concerns have faded as Dre emerged as a successful businessman who left his gangsta rap past behind.

Compton Mayor Aja Brown, no fan of gangsta rap, recently offered Dre a key to the city. Like Stewart, she sees Dre as an inspiration for the city and its youth.

“It’s a source of pride for the community that someone could come from such humble beginnings and reach a considerable level of success — and not necessarily for his artistry — but for his business acumen and really being an entrepreneur,” Brown said.

Left decades ago In the past, Brown has shied away from honoring Compton-bred rappers and athletes. She said she did

not want youngsters to view music and sports as the only pathways out.

But Dre is different, she said. Because it was his business sense that propelled his success.

“The majority of people, especially young people, know Dr. Dre because of Beats by Dre, not necessarily from him being a rap artist,” she said. “That was over 20 years ago. They see Mr. Young as a business person and entrepreneur.”

Dre hasn’t actually lived in Compton in nearly three decades. He moved to Westlake Village, Calif., in the late 1980s. Around that time, his Mercedes was stolen at gunpoint in Inglewood. He told reporters at the time that living in “dangerous places” affected his mental state and he had “to get out to keep (his) sanity.”

Days after selling Beats, Dre bought a $40 million Brentwood compound previously owned by supermodel Gisele Bundchen and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

Then he put his current Hollywood Hills West home on the market for $35 million.

B6

F0OD

JULY 18 – JULY 24, 2014

TOJ

MOSCATO MEATBALL SKEWERS Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Servings: 32 meatballs 2 pounds bulk spicy Italian sausage 1/2 cup Gallo Family Vineyards Red Moscato 1 cup plain Greek yogurt 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup diced cucumber 1 lemon 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped Parmesan cheese, optional Preheat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir together sausage and Moscato until combined. Using medium cookie scoop, form meatballs and place on baking sheet, evenly spaced. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until no longer pink.

Meanwhile, in small bowl stir together all other ingredients to create yogurt sauce.

Thread meatballs onto skewers and serve alongside yogurt sauce. Garnish with additional cilantro and grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

STRAWBERRY PINK MOSCATO ICE POPS Prep time: 15 minutes (plus at least 10 hours to freeze) Cook time: 1 minute Servings: 16 Fruity layer: 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1 pound ripe strawberries, hulled 1 pinch of fine sea salt 8 fluid ounces Gallo Family Pink Moscato Creamy layer: 1 can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk 1 1/2 cups half and half 1 cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon orange blossom water 1 pinch of fine sea salt To make fruity layer, combine sugar and water in small saucepan. Heat over low, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Add cooled syrup, strawberries and salt to jar of blender and puree until almost smooth, leaving bit of texture. Stir in pink moscato.

To make creamy layer, place everything into a 4-cup capacity measuring cup with a spout and whisk together until well combined.

To freeze, fill ice pop molds about one-fifth of way with either mixture (layers can be any size or amount you choose). Put in freezer until first layer is set enough to hold another layer, 60–90 minutes. Store mixtures in fridge between layers.

Remove and fill another one-fifth with opposite mixture. Return to freezer until layer is set. Repeat until molds are filled to top, adding ice pop sticks in once third layer is added (adjust to type of ice pop mold).

After final layer is added, freeze at least another 6–8 hours before serving. To serve, run bottom of molds under hot water for few seconds, or until able to pull ice pop free from mold. (If using paper cup, just peel cup away.)

Note: If you don’t want layers, whisk mixtures together.

You can also make each layer into its own ice pop, if you choose.

SWEET IDEAS FOR

Al fresco entertaining FROM FAMILY FEATURES

You can heighten the fun of every outdoor gathering with the right nibbles, noshes and refreshments. A fruitful al fresco experience involves lively conversation with good friends, easy finger foods and tasty, versatile drinks that fit the laid-back atmosphere. For the hosts who long for a successful backyard bash, consider serving palate-pleasing Moscato.

This deliciously sweet wine varietal has become very popular as its approachable flavor profile is a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

Mix it up with fun flavors In addition to the classic peach taste of the Gallo Family Vineyards Original White Moscato, try the aromatic orange blossom notes of their Pink Moscato or the yummy red berry finish of their Red Moscato.

Or, dust off your finest barware and make a splash by serving simple wine cocktails. Whether it’s a refreshing spin on a classic, like the Moscato-lini below, or your own recipe, Moscato’s fruitforward flavors make it a great and unexpected base for cocktails.

Add a bit of flare To keep outdoor gatherings exciting, Gallo Family Vineyards offers these refreshing tips: • Label your food offerings for guests in a fun way by cutting a slit in wine corks and insert­ing a small card.

• Help guests cool down by serving sweet wine cocktails on ice.

• Give your guests a fun way to keep track of their drinks by painting the bottom of wine glasses with chalkboard paint. Guests can use chalk to write their names and draw pictures.

For other ideas to make outdoor entertaining a hit, visit www.

GalloFamily.com.

BLACKBERRY MOSCATO BELLINI Servings: 1 1/4 cup blackberries 1 tablespoon water 5 ounces chilled Gallo Family Vineyards Moscato 1 whole blackberry for garnish Combine blackberries and water in blender and puree until smooth. Strain through fine-mesh strainer, discarding seeds and solids. Fill bottom of chilled Champagne coupe with blackberry puree. Top with Moscato and garnish with fresh blackberry.

MOSCATO MOSCOW MULE Servings: 1 4 ounces ginger beer 3 ounces Gallo Family Vineyards Moscato 1 ounce lime juice 1 lime wheel 1 mint sprig for garnish Pour ginger beer, Moscato and lime juice into ice-filled copper mug. Garnish with lime wheel and mint sprig.

FOOD PAIRING NOTES Moscato is more than just a dessert wine. It tastes great with a variety of food and particularly helps balance out spicy dishes that heat up the night. No matter what cuisine you’re cooking up, a chilled glass of Gallo Family Vineyards Moscato and the pairing guide below are the perfect combination to elevate your outdoor engagements.

• White Moscato: The honey notes are a perfect match for grilled seafood, such as shrimp or trout.

• Pink Moscato: Great paired with spicy Asian or Mexican dishes, and complements everyday desserts.

• Red Moscato: This refreshing red is served cold. Try it with light cheeses and juicy burgers.

MOSCATO MANGO MOJITO Servings: 1 1 lime, cut into eighths 5 leaves basil, plus more for garnish 1/2teaspoon demerara sugar 1 1/4 ounces Gallo Family Vineyards Moscato 1 ounce white rum 1 1/4 ounces mango puree or mango nectar Muddle lime, basil leaves, and sugar in bottom of cocktail shaker. Fill with ice; add Moscato, white rum and mango nectar.

Shake and strain into ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with basil sprig.