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VOLUME 22 NO. 32

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AUGUST 8 – AUGUST 14, 2014

ALL ABOUT AFRICA Nearly 50 African heads of state and top officials traveled to Washington to the U.S.-Africa Summit for three days of meetings and discussions about strengthening America’s relationship with Africa.

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

WASHINGTON – On Tuesday President Obama announced that the federal government and private U.S. companies are investing $33 billion in Africa – $12 billion in new commitments – as part of OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE PHOTO BY PETE SOUZA an overall plan for his administraPresident Obama listens to a question from Fatoumata Amadou tion to strengthen its relation with Sangho of Mali during a town hall-style meeting with young the world’s second-largest continent.

African leaders in the White House on Monday.

Speaking to nearly 50 African heads of state and top officials at the U.S.-Africa Summit in the nation’s capital, Obama said, “As president, I’ve made it clear that the United States is determined to be a partner in Africa’s success – a good partner, an equal partner, and a partner for the long term.”

Years behind China

ering of African leaders ever convened by a U.S. president, China has had several such conferences and has a strong presence in Africa, building infrastructure and making loans, without attaching the United States’ concerns about democracy or human rights.

China designated Africa as a priority region for expansion in the mid-1990s. Chinese construction companies have been undertaking large state-financed infrastructure projects, sending 200 to 2,000 workers at a time, often on two-year contracts.

Many of those workers are staySee AFRICA, Page A2

Although this is the largest gath-

TRAINING CAMPS BEGIN

Are you ready for some football?

Special legislative session set US Rep. Corrine Brown may continue legal fight

BY BRANDON LARRABEE THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

As Democratic Congresswoman Corrine Brown tells it, the reason for her district’s winding path from Jacksonville to Orlando is a matter of history.

The enclaves of Black voters, who form a majority of the Congressional District 5 approved by the Legislature in 2012, took shape in the wake of the Civil War. Newly freed African-Americans took up residence next to the St. Johns River.

“Because the land was prone to flooding, it was only natural that the poorest Floridians, including freed slaves, would settle there,” Brown said last week in one of many statements her office has issued defending the district.

“Segregated housing patterns, demanded by restrictive covenants and enforced by Florida courts, kept the African-American population together well into the mid-20th century, which is the central reason why these communities are segregated into those residential patterns across the state.”

A new map

JAMES BORCHUCK/TAMPA BAY TIMES/MCT

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Lovie Smith stretched with the team during Bucs training camp in Tampa on July 28. Pro, college, high school, and youth football teams around the state are starting or continuing training camps to prepare for the 2014-15 football season.

ER physician Dr. N. Bernard Saylor dies of cancer at 54 FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Nathaniel Bernard Saylor, a Tallahassee native who served as a longtime emergency room physician at Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C., died July 29 after fighting prostate cancer. He was 54.

Born January 6, 1960, “Bernard” was the son of the late Dr. Nathaniel Saylor and Dr. Lucille Phillips Saylor. He attended Florida A&M University High School from first through 12th grade, where he earned scholastic, artistic, and athletic honors.

In 1978, he graduated from FAMU High as one of the school’s top three students academically after being selected as a co-cap-

ALSO INSIDE

tain of the school’s state championship football team. He then enrolled at Morehouse College, where he graduated in 1982 after majoring in pre-medicine. While there, he was inducted into Psi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. After college, Saylor matriculated to the Morehouse School of Medicine, where he fulfilled his lifelong ambition of becoming a physician. He worked actively as an emergency room physician with fellow Morehouse schoolmate and Omega Psi Phi brother Dr. Fernando Daniels III until his (Saylor’s) death last month.

“It is with great remorse that we come to terms with his death, but celebrate his life and ac-

But after 20 years of controversy and being decried as one of the most gerrymandered districts in the nation, Brown’s district is now one of two that will be changed by the Florida Legislature in response to Leon County Circuit Judge Terry Lewis’ order in a congressional redistricting case.

Lewis ordered lawmakers to draw a new map by Aug. 15, trigSee BROWN, Page A2

SNAPSHOTS NATION | A6

Unemployment rate inches up again for Blacks TRAVEL | B1

More than country music in Branson

Dr. N. Bernard Saylor complishments through memories,” his surviving family said in a statement. “We will continue to uphold his legacy, and revere his character because in his life God’s purpose was fulfilled.”

Saylor is survived by his mother, five aunts, two uncles, three great-aunts and many cousins

COURTESY OF YOUTUBE

and friends, including nine of his fall 1980 Omega pledge line, the “Huck-A-Buck 9+4”. Saylor’s father and brother, Kevin Denard Saylor, and three of his line brothers predeceased him.

Homegoing services were held Aug. 2 in Tallahassee.

HEALTH | B3

Share health history at next family reunion

COMMENTARY: DR. SINCLAIR GREY III: ARE BLACK CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS STILL RELEVANT? | A4 COMMENTARY: DR. E. FAYE WILLIAMS: RAY RICE THE NEW POSTER BOY FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE | A5

FOCUS

A2

AUGUST 8 – AUGUST 14, 2014

The whitewashing of James Brown There were several meetings.

Eight White men and two White women. Was this a meeting of the Mormon Glee Club? The New White Citizens Council? Perhaps a Klan meeting?

No. That meeting was the creative team for the new James Brown movie, “Get On Up.” Welcome to post-racial Hollywood where if you host a fundraiser for Barack Obama, you’re freed of the burden of hiring Black writers. And where a rich White producer can jokingly declare, “I’m Black.”

Indeed, all the producers, writers, and the director of the James Brown movie are White. No Black people were hired until a few weeks before the cameras started rolling: the actors. In fact, several of the people involved in this whitewash are British. The Brits have a fetish for Black projects.

This is the Donald Sterling message: “Don’t bring them to the game.”

GREGORY ALLEN HOWARD GUEST COMMENTARY

When the late David Wolper was producing “Roots” thirty-something years ago, he hired no Black writers. When asked why, he was quoted as saying: “They’re too close to the material.” I guess we’re still too close.

This Hollywood apartheid against the African-American writer could be understood if the writers being hired were of such quality as to be beyond reproach artistically. With rare exception, that is not the case. Sift through the morass, and you’ll find a group of hacks, insiders, and drinking buddies. The executives are trading our icons around like baseball cards.

Online ‘research’

Many in development There are over fifty Black iconic biopics and Black-themed movies in development in Hollywood, including multiple Richard Pryor projects, five Martin Luther King projects, multiple Marvin Gaye projects, and civil rights projects, and only one or two have an African-American writer.

Our entire history has been given over to White writers.

How do these insiders, pals of the executives, become experts on Black culture overnight? Wikipedia. In case you didn’t know, the entire Black experience is on Wikipedia.

Here is a typical day in Hollywood. Agent calls a writer, tells him he got him an interview for “this Black guy who was really important.” The writer says cool, goes to the wiki pages, memorizes them, takes the meeting and

wings his “knowledge” of the Black icon. That’s it. He gets the job.

You see, the first thing people do in this town before hiring someone is look in the mirror. “What I see in front of me is beauty, brains, and competence, oh, and hipness. Yep, that’s who I’m gonna hire: Me!” If ever a project required Black creative involvement, it was this one.

A real Black man James Brown was the Blackest entertainer in the history of America. The Blackest. There was nothing integrationist about his art, at all. He never tried to cross over. You had to come to him. He was iconic and not just musically.

And yet, where did producer Brian Grazer hire to embody this Blackest of Black men? Three White writers, two of them from England. Then more producers were added, all White, and a White director, who has said that he sees this as a movie about singing and dancing. Bingo. Now we’re ready to make a Black movie.

It doesn’t matter a bit that one of the producers is a famous rock star who played with Brown a few times and lifted some of his moves.

James Brown belongs to us – the Black masses – and for us to be excluded from the creative

team that made this movie is an obscenity. I’m aware that Spike Lee was involved briefly, but the finished product looks like a Mitt Romney family reunion.

Let me tell you who James Brown was, really – not the Wikipedia James Brown.

He was a civil rights icon. Put James in the pantheon of the most impactful Black men of the 20th century, and he would not be out of place.

Black and proud How can I make such an assertion? One song: “I’m Black and I’m Proud.” Before that song, if you wanted to start a fight with a man of color, all one had to do was call him Black. Up until the mid-1960s, we were trying define ourselves; not colored anymore, now Negro.

But Black was not something we called ourselves. And along comes this little man and proudly states, “I’m Black and I’m proud!” He took the thing that the oppressor used to bludgeon us and made it a weapon of pride for us. That song caught on like wildfire. One day, our heads were down, the next day, our heads were held high, proud of who we were.

We had all these groups – civil rights groups, Muslims, Panthers – but it was JB who gave us our swagger. That song lifted up an entire race! He put us on his back and carried us. Dr. King gave us our rights. JB gave us our dignity.

Civil rights icon? You better believe it. When that song came on the radio, cars stopped in the

BROWN gering a special session scheduled to start Thursday – after the Florida Courier’s Wednesday night press time.

Lewis ruled that District 5, which includes parts of eight counties, does not comply with the anti-gerrymandering Fair Districts constitutional amendments adopted by Florida voters in 2010. Republican Congressman Dan Webster’s Orlando-area District 10 is also slated to be redrawn, and the changes will likely ripple through nearby seats.

But it is Brown’s district that has drawn the ire of activists for years – and is bringing tensions among Democrats to the surface.

Ironically, Brown’s district was born as the result of a lawsuit – a federal case filed in 1992 under the Voting Rights Act. Before that time, Florida hadn’t sent an African-American to Congress in more than 120 years.

However, some Black

AFRICA from A1

ing on in Africa, former president Bill Clinton said, “to seek their own fortunes in a new land that they have discovered seems to be wide open for business and full of opportunity.”

“We are missing the boat,” Clinton said. “This is a very important part of our future.”

The United States does most of its trading in Africa, primarily in the energy sector, with just three countries – South Africa, Nigeria and Angola.

‘Genuine partnerships’ Offering an indirect contrast to China’s presence in Africa, President Obama said, “We don’t look to Africa simply for its natural resources; we recognize Africa for its greatest resource, which is its people and its talents and their potential. We don’t simply want to extract minerals from the ground for our growth; we want to build genuine partnerships that create jobs and opportunity for all our peoples and that unleash the next era of African growth. That’s the kind of partnership America offers.”

The U.S. approach to business in Africa “is almost the opposite of the

Pale version But the focus of this movie is singing and dancing. When we are kept out of the room, that is what you end up with – a pale Wikified imitation of what a great man was.

And yet, if someone decided to do the Gloria Steinem story, you better believe women would be involved; they’d have to be.

Can you fathom ten men sitting in a room – male writers, directors, and producers – all staring at their navels grunting, “I am woman, hear me roar”? But that won’t happen because people in this town respect women.

It’s too late to save JB, but maybe there’s hope to save the other icons from the Wikifueled humiliation of having their stories told by people who have no organic connection to us or our struggle.

Gregory Allen Howard is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, author who wrote the original screenplay for “Remember The Titans,” starring Denzel Washington, and “Ali,” starring Will Smith. Read more of his essays at www.gregoryallenhoward.com. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Fort Lauderdale, have been more willing to embrace the goals of holding a special session, saying that a new map is needed to give the state constitutional districts.

from A1

Dems battle

street. People turned up their radios, came out of their houses, and sang along with it; radio stations put it in a loop and played it for hours. The next day, people greeted each other with “Hello, Black man!” “My Black brother.”

JB made Black beautiful overnight.

Alliances shift

JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT

Congresswoman Corrine Brown speaks at a 2011 press conference in Orlando in this photo.

Democrats have begun to say that an excessive concentration of AfricanAmericans in Brown’s district and other districts has the side effect of strengthening the Republican majorities in nearby districts by consolidating tens of thousands of Democraticleaning voters who would otherwise be spread out among several seats.

Chinese approach,” said Witney Schneidman, a former deputy assistant secretary of state for African affairs. He noted that when American companies invest in Africa, they generally hire and train Africans, which “has an incredible ripple effect and it helps to create skills, it helps to create this middle class.”

Chinese trade has grown more rapidly over the last decade than the U.S., Schneidman said, but “the African market is so large and there’s such an opportunity there and there’s so many different needs that I think it’s really about how do we get more U.S. companies into the continent.”

Five steps Obama announced five steps that he said will “take our trade with Africa to the next level, ” explaining that his administration will work to renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act; provide $7 billion in new financing to promote American exports to Africa as part of the “Doing Business in Africa” campaign; partner with Africa to expand electricity, a requirement for economies to flourish; help African countries trade with one another; and do more to empower the next generation of African entrepreneurs.

Most of the government funding will come from existing U.S. development

CBC weighs in Last week, the Congressional Black Caucus wrote a letter upbraiding the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for supporting the lawsuit, though the DCCC was not involved in the court fight.

“There are instances where these types of lawsuits may be warranted,”

wrote Ohio Democratic Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, the caucus’ chair, to DCCC chair and New York Congressman Steve Israel.

“However, the recent Florida lawsuit aimed at dismantling the 5th Congressional district is not one.”

Some Black Democrats in Florida, though, including House Democratic Leader Perry Thurston of

banks and will not require new spending approval from Congress.

women and girls across Africa. He sat in the audience while they spoke.

Bush speaks to women

Millions still alive

Former President George W. Bush made a rare Washington appearance, urging the spouses of African leaders to do more to reduce the “stigma and ignorance” that he said still surrounds diseases that strike women.

“The first ladies ought to be ambassadors,” he told the audience at the Kennedy Center. “You can help build political will, you can save women from cancer.”

Bush noted that many women aren’t getting treated because of the stigma, and “some false rumors.”

‘Good politics’ While those barriers “may seem like an unbreakable wall,” he said, “it’s really made of glass, and through your leadership it can be broken.”

And, he joked, if the African spouses are worried about their husbands’ political futures, they should know that “taking care of women is good politics.”

Bush took the stage following a discussion led by his wife, former first lady Laura Bush, and First Lady Michelle Obama to highlight the ways political spouses can make a difference, with an emphasis on improving the lives of

Bush said that his 2003 President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR, was launched to stem a pandemic. Thanks to two U.S. administrations and increasing commitments from African countries, it now serves to stave off AIDS in more than 9 million people in sub-Saharan Africa.

“Disease can be defeated, and people living with AIDS refuse to be defeated,” he said. “A generation on the verge of being lost has been found.”

But Bush noted there’s still a stigma attached to AIDS and HIV infection and that women and girls are particularly vulnerable.

Women with HIV, he noted, are more likely to develop cervical cancer, a preventable but leading cause of death.

Struggling but improving Sub-Saharan Africa still struggles with political unrest, poverty and disease, including the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa. But the last decade has brought a sea change in its economic performance and perceptions of its future promise.

In 2000, Economist mag-

Sensing danger even before the new maps were passed, Brown went to federal court to try to block the Fair Districts amendments from taking effect. She faced opposition from several voting rights groups, including the Florida State Conference of NAACP Branches.

In the case before Lewis, though, the NAACP sided with the Legislature to oppose any major changes to the district. In a June filing with the court, the NAACP’s lawyers argued the wandering lines was still necessary.

But opponents of the district say it’s not necessary to put so many Black voters together to elect a candidate favored by African-Americans. Brown has won several elections with a high percentage of Black voters in her district without needing an AfricanAmerican majority.

And Lewis found one of the key changes to the congressional map before azine dubbed Africa “the hopeless continent.” Today, scholars talk about the “African growth miracle.”

Africa’s middle class is budding, and it is entering a so-called demographic sweet spot in which better health and declining fertility rates – which allows more women to have jobs – are boosting Africa’s working-age population, said Margaret McMillan, a Tufts University economics professor who specializes in Africa.

An extensive traveler in the sub-Saharan region, McMillan noted that there’s a Four Seasons in the middle of Serengeti in Tanzania. Africa has the largest penetration of cellphones in the world.

“It’s just amazing,” she said of the capital of Rwanda, a nation once torn by ethnic conflict. “The city is clean. They don’t allow plastic bags.”

So dramatic has been the turnaround that some experts have likened Africa’s growth to the remarkable rise of China and other Asian nations that harnessed manufacturing capabilities to become global export powerhouses.

Diversifying income Africa’s revenues have long been derived mainly from two sources: commodities and foreign aid.

Africa ships all kinds of things farmed or extract-

its final approval – extending the district into the city of Sanford, which bumped the proportion of Black voters up over 50 percent – was a political act not justified by voting-rights considerations.

Fight not over Lewis’ ruling has already sparked speculation that Brown or someone else might return to federal court after the special session to challenge the redrawn plan under the Voting Rights Act. “…I firmly believe that the lawsuit concerning the Florida congressional district maps is, in reality, part of a bigger movement to diminish congressional districts represented by minorities not just in Florida, but across the nation,” Brown said last week after Lewis issued an order triggering the special session.

“If successful in the state of Florida, those behind this movement will continue to attack minority seats and minority voting rights in every state throughout the nation.”

News Service of Florida reporter Margie Menzel contributed to this report. ed from the land – oil, copper, cotton, coffee. Ethiopia is the largest source of topnotch sheepskin, a key reason the Chinese firm Huajian opened a shoe factory near Addis Ababa.

But over the last decade, much of the economic growth has come from outside the commodity industries, mostly in construction and services such as retail and transportation.

With many countries still lacking adequate roads, rail and electric power, it remains to be seen whether Africa will replicate Asia’s growth model through manufacturing and exports.

Huge potential For the American economy, Africa represents just a speck of business at the moment.

Still, for individual American companies, the potential is huge, particularly for those in the energy business. About 70 percent of sub-Saharan Africans live without access to electricity, and more African nations, including Nigeria, recently have moved to open up opportunities to the private sector.

NNPA Editor-in-Chief George E. Curry, Anita Kumar and Lesley Clark of the McClatchy Washington Bureau, and Don Lee of the Tribune Washington Bureau (MCT) all contributed to this report.

AUGUST 8 – AUGUST 14, 2014

FLORIDA

A3 nized an out-of-state samesex marriage, according to Daniel Tilley, a staff attorney for the ACLU of Florida, who is helping represent other married gay couples in a current federal lawsuit filed in Tallahassee.

In July, a federal judge ruled Colorado’s same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional. Then, a federal appeals court upheld a lower court’s ruling that Virginia’s ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional, a decision that could topple similar prohibitions in the Carolinas and West Virginia.

Immediately after, North Carolina’s attorney general announced his office would no longer fight lawsuits seeking to overturn the state’s ban, according to Freedom to Marry.

Fourth ruling in weeks

STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT

A crowd cheers during a celebration party in Orlando on July 17 hosted by Equality Florida.

Another judge rules same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional Palm Beach judge fourth in state to rule on 2008 amendment

BY STEVE ROTHAUS MIAMI HERALD (MCT)

For the fourth time in 19 days, a South Florida judge has ruled against Florida’s gay marriage ban, this time in the probate case of a Pennsylvania widower whose husband died suddenly in Boynton Beach.

Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Diana Lewis on Tuesday ordered W. Jason Simpson should be personal representative in the estate of his husband, Frank Bangor, who died March 14. The two men, together 37 years, were married Oct. 23, 2013, in Delaware.

In her ruling, Lewis notes that shortly after Bangor died, the state of Pennsylvania legalized gay marriage and that Florida’s anti-gay marriage laws “unnecessarily discriminate” against Simpson.

The couple bought their South Florida home in 2008. To make it easier to get a bank mortgage, only Bangor’s name is on the deed, said Simpson’s attorney, Andrew “Drew” Fein of Boca Raton.

“That’s why we had to do probate,” Fein said.

What amendment states Florida probate law differs between residents and nonresidents. Any Florida resident can become someone’s personal repre-

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

– Book review, School Library Journal • How low expectations of Black students’ achievements can get them higher grades;

sentative if they are mentally and physically fit, not convicted of a felony and over age 18. Nonresidents, however, must also be “a spouse or a brother, sister, uncle, aunt, nephew or niece of the decedent” or blood relative.

In 2008, about 62 percent of Florida voters supported a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and civil unions in the Sunshine State: “Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized.”

‘No justification’ Bangor’s 2005 will leaves his entire estate to Simpson and names him personal representative. Flori-

da’s constitutional amendment prevented Bangor from being listed as married on his Palm Beach County death certificate, and Simpson from being declared his personal representative.

“There is no justification in denying Mr. Simpson the privilege of acting as the fiduciary, based solely on the gender and sexual orientation of his nowdeceased spouse,” Lewis wrote in her ruling.

Lewis, whose opinion only applies to this case, referred to rulings in previous state and national gay marriage cases to determine the outcome.

The gay-marriage battle is being waged across the nation. According to the national group Freedom to Marry, LGBT advocates have won more than 30 times in federal, state and appellate courts since June 2013, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Edith Windsor, a lesbian widow, and threw out a key portion of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. The Bangor-Simpson ruling is the first time any Florida judge has recog-

Police search of cell phone thrown out THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

A search of a man’s cell phone that led to finding names of about two dozen other people and Social Security numbers was improper because police did not have a warrant, a South Florida appeals court ruled Wednesday.

A three-judge panel of the 3rd District Court of Appeal sided with Viervens SaintHilaire, who sought to suppress evidence found on the cell phone.

During a routine traffic stop, a police officer discovered that Saint-Hilaire’s wallet contained about eight debit cards of the same color and bank name, according to the ruling. The officer arrested Saint-Hi-

The Palm Beach case is the fourth in under three weeks to undermine Florida’s gay marriage ban.

On July 17, Monroe Chief Circuit Judge Luis Garcia ruled the ban unconstitutional and that Aaron Huntsman and William Lee Jones of Key West could marry.

Eight days later, MiamiDade Circuit Judge Sarah Zabel ruled six same-sex couples in South Florida also had the right to marry.

Those decisions are valid only in the judges’ respective counties, and both rulings have been put on hold pending appeals by Attorney General Pam Bondi.

On Monday, Broward Circuit Judge Dale Cohen ruled Florida must recognize and then dissolve the Vermont civil union of a lesbian whose partner left her four years ago. Bondi’s office hasn’t responded in that case.

Bondi’s office did not file a response or an objection in the Bangor-Simpson case, Lewis wrote in her ruling.

Her office has 30 days to appeal, but Fein thinks that’s unlikely.

“I really respect Pam Bondi’s office not to oppose my client’s petition and to allow my client the same rights and privileges as any other widow or widower in an opposite sex marriage,” Fein said.

laire based on the coding on one of the cards.

Judges: Warrant needed A search of the cell phone found the names of 24 or 25 people and Social Security numbers, and Saint-Hilaire was later charged with nine counts of possession of personal identification information with an intent to defraud.

A Miami-Dade County circuit judge upheld the validity of the search. But the appeals court, pointing in part to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on warrantless searches of cell phones, overturned that ruling.

“Here, there was no evidence that the cell phone was going to be used to endanger the officer or resist arrest, or that evidence contained in the cell phone was going to be destroyed,’’ said the ruling, written by Judge Ivan Fernandez and joined by judges Leslie Rothenberg and Thomas Logue.

“Thus, the circumstances surrounding Saint-Hilaire's arrest required the officers to obtain a warrant before they searched the contents of the cell phone.”

• 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

Appeals court sides with insurer on death question

interpretation of the law.

“Nothing in the plain language of (a section of state law) supports DFS’ interpretation that funds become ‘due and payable’ at the moment the insured dies,’’ said the opinion, written by Judge James Wolf.

An appeals court Tuesday found that the state Department of Financial Services incorrectly interpreted a law that deals with when life insurance money becomes “due and payable” after a person dies.

The 1st District Court of Appeal sided with insurer Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, which argued, at least in part, that money becomes payable after an insurer receives proof of a person’s death.

The department contended the period begins upon a person’s death and that state law created an obligation for insurers to search databases, including what is known as the Social Security Administration’s “Death Master File,’’ to determine if deaths have occurred.

The case stemmed from questions about when insurers must remit to the Department of Financial Services any insurance funds that go unclaimed after a person dies. A three-judge panel found that the department had a “clearly erroneous”

Incumbent Democratic state Reps. Randolph Bracy and Richard Stark have filed paperwork to run again in 2016, according to the state Division of Elections website. Bracy of Orlando and Stark of Weston are unopposed this year.

Bracy plans to seek another term in Orange County’s District 45, while Stark would run again in Randolph Broward County’s District Bracy 104. Filing the paperwork will allow Bracy and Stark to raise money for the campaigns. In all, 20 candidates have filed to run for House seats in 2016.

Bracy, Stark running again

– The News Service of Florida

EDITORIAL

A4

AUGUST 8 – AUGUST 14, 2014

Making history is not enough In many ways Obama’s presidency has been historic.

On June 19, 2008, Obama became the first major-party presidential candidate to turn down public financing in the general election since the system was created in 1976.

On Thursday, August 28, 2008, Obama became the first Black to be nominated by a major U.S. party.

On November 4, 2008, Obama won the presidency with 365 electoral votes to 173 for Sen. John McCain, becoming the first Black to be elected president of the United States. Earlier, Obama won 52.9 percent of the popular vote to McCain’s 45.7 percent.

Sonia Sotomayor, nominated

by Obama on May 26, 2009, to replace retiring Associate Justice Da-

RAYNARD JACKSON NNPA COLUMNIST

vid Souter, was confirmed on August 6, 2009, making her the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice.

On October 9, 2009, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that Obama had won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

Re-elected On November 6, 2012, Obama won 332 electoral votes, exceed-

ing the 270 required for him to be re-elected as president. With 51.1 percent of the popular vote, Obama became the first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to twice win the majority of the popular vote.

During his second inaugural address on January 21, 2013, Obama called for full equality for gay Americans: “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.”

But for all of Obama’s firsts, at the same time, he has left people scratching their heads, especially Blacks.

How could the first Black president not even interview a Black female for either of the two Supreme Court openings he had to fill? After all, Black women were the largest voting bloc for both of his presidential elections (96 percent in 2012).

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: RICE KNOCKOUT

MILT PRIGGEE, WWW.MILTPRIGGEE.COM

Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 221 Africa! Bro. Prez has, six years into his eight-year term, finally discovered Africa!

HALLELUJER! The Black Press has been writing about the economic potential of mankind’s Motherland for decades. I’ve been writing for years in this space about the entrepreneurial and cultural opportunities Africa offers Black America IF we can get past the brainwashing caused by Tarzan movies and mainstream media, our addictions to creature comforts and easy living, and our aversion to taking rational entrepreneurial risks to improve our lives and those of our descendants.

I’ve told you that Bro. Prez ain’t a detail guy. Missed opportunities abounded in the three-day US-Africa Leaders Summit.

First: No public discussion of the impact of the African Diaspora, meaning those of us of African descent who live outside the continent. Many first-generation Africans who immigrated to America, whether they are cabdrivers or medical doctors, send billions of dollars back to the continent to their families or for investment there.

Without those dollars, many African countries would collapse.

Second: No public discussion of the power of Black America as the economic and cultural “tip of the spear” in competing with China. For at least 50 years, there has been a slow but growing exodus

QUICK TAKES FROM #2: STRAIGHT, NO CHASER

CHARLES W. CHERRY II, ESQ. PUBLISHER

of Black Americans moving and living everywhere in Africa. They bring skills, education, the American work ethic, and dollars. They respect, appreciate, and love African people, culture, and history. Unlike the Chinese, most Black Americans in Africa are looking to give and receive, not exploit, take, and run.

So why no public discussion about helping African natives in America and Black Americans living in Africa with business grants and no-interest loans, or help with dual African and American citizenship, among other issues?

And as usual, Bro. Prez advocated for giant multinational companies – the same companies he accuses of renouncing their U.S. corporate ‘citizenship’ so they dodge paying American business taxes.

Africa? Check. Gays? Check. Hispanics and Latinos? Check. (At least he can say he fought Congress for them). Black America? Still waiting…

Contact me at ccherry2@gmail.com.

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.

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Got away with it Obama promised during his 2008 campaign that his administration would be the “most transparent in history.” According to a recently released report by the Associated Press, nothing could be further from the truth.

The AP calls the Obama administration “the most secretive presidency in American history.”

Obama has signed at least three executive orders giving entitlements to homosexuals, at least two giving entitlements to those in the country illegally, and zero specifically for Blacks. Obama will go down in history as the first U.S. president to totally ignore his largest voting bloc and be allowed to get away with it.

Obama will also go down in history as one of the most lawless presidents in history (Benghazi, I.R.S., NSA, etc.).

He has done more damage to the U.S.’s standing in the world than any other president in history. No one fears Obama.

Russian President Vadimir Putin thumbs his nose at Obama and marches into the Ukraine. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has total disdain, publically and privately, for Obama.

Foreign leaders – including the presidents of Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador – are not afraid to chastise Obama while standing on White House grounds when they disagree with his policies.

Obama thinks he is the president of the world, not just the U.S. This is one possible explanation for why he is so hell-bent on trying to give amnesty to those in the country illegally or unilaterally trying to make homosexuality a universal entitlement. So, indeed Obama’s presidency is historic, but not for all the right reasons.

Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a Washington, D.C.-based public relations/ government affairs firm. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

Are Black civil rights organizations still relevant in today’s culture?

There was a time when Black Civil Rights organizations were relevant in the struggle for freedom, justice, and equality. Just the mention of the NAACP, SCLC, and the National Urban League brought about such reverence and respect that people had to take notice of their positive and progressive stance against injustice.

Black organizations helped with housing, education, voting rights, and economic empowerment for those disenfranchised. We remember their works of the past, but I’m worried if they are still relevant today? What I mean by relevant has to do with their power.

Before you get all bent out of shape at my question, I want to ask a few questions that need to be addressed.

Are many of these organizations discussing the HIV/ AIDS epidemic running rampant in the AfricanAmerican community? Are many of them challenging the lack of effective leadership in Congress? Do they rally the support of people within their community to clean up street corners, eliminate unattractive landscapes, and promote Black entrepreneurship? Are they taking a stand to make sure that children of color are getting properly educated as well as having all of the necessary resources to compete globally?

Discuss silent issues My hands-on experience with some of the civil rights organizations I was involved in centered around getting

organization. An organization cannot claim to make DR. a difference but is afraid to SINCLAIR speak out against a system GREY III that funds them when they see a wrong GUEST COLUMNIST Re-evaluate the leadership team. If someone isn’t people registered to vote productive then it’s time to during election time and a address the issue conference here and there about HIV/AIDS. While voting is definitely important, Understand your other issues must to be dis- vision and mission cussed. HIV/AIDS is imporAsk people to get involved tant and yet it remains a si- and once people become lent issue within many orga- interested, give them somenizations. thing to do that’s purposeful Sadly, I didn’t see many and meaningful youth and young adults getI refuse to believe that ting involved because leadmany of the founders of our ership was more concerned about being politically cor- Black civil rights organizarect within their organiza- tions did their work in vain. tional structure than doing They were led to make a difsomething beneficial for the ference for generations to come. Now, it’s up to every community.

Here’s the challenge for organization (whether big every Black civil rights orga- or small) to step up to the plate and become relevant. nization: For members who pay For those who have and their dues, send out a continue to make a differmonthly or quarterly news- ence, I applaud you. On the letter outlining what the or- other hand, for those simply ganization has done previ- wasting time, I urge you to ously, is doing, and plan- become relevant. ning to do I leave you with the quesStop competing with each tion I posed earlier - are other and work together for Black Civil Rights organizathe betterment of the peotions still relevant today? ple, community, and country Dr. Sinclair Grey III is While many have a an inspirational speaker, 501(c)3 status, please don’t fall into the trap of remain- motivator, radio personing silent when a voice ality, author, life coach, needs to be heard. If an or- and committed advocate ganization feels as though it for change. Contact him may lose its non-profit sta- at drgrey@sinclairgrey.org tus on speaking out against or on Twitter @drsinclairinjustice, ask the board of grey. Write your own redirectors to develop a fund- sponse at www.flcourier. ing campaign to support the com.

All ‘quid’ and no ‘quo’ The term “Maát” is familiar to many of us. I give credit to the youth at the SBA (“Saba”) Academy in Ft. Wayne, Ind., under the superb leadership of Brother Kweku Akan and his staff, for enlightening me on the exact meaning of the term and the principles it embodies: Truth; Justice; Righteousness; Balance; Harmony; Order; and Reciprocity. We have scholars among us who know far more than I on these principles, so I will not even attempt to discuss them in total. I do want to speak about the last principle: Reciprocity.

It simply means something for something, for mutual benefit, between two parties or entities. In politics they use the Latin term quid pro quo, probably because the majority of the electorate does not know what the term means. It sounds nice and sophisticated but it simply means reciprocity. You give me something and I will give you something in exchange. In political circles, of course, it could be boiled down to dollars for votes, or votes for dollars.

JAMES CLINGMAN NNPA COLUMNIST

portionate numbers than Whites in 2012, we still suffer from a lack of reciprocity. Despite our undying loyalty we are still an all quid and no quo voting bloc.

To many Black folks, Maát has real meaning. We recite the principles, chant, sing, and teach them, but a relative few of us actually practice them. As for reciprocity, Black people have far to go in the marketplace and in the political arena.

We give but we do not receive. All quid with no quo.

So what should we do?

Well, my contention is that Black people must move beyond the politics and voting issues, and the only way to do that is achieve the lofty goal of 100 percent Black voter registration and voting.

Once that is off the table, our attention can then be directed to the economics of it all (See next week’s column for an expansive view on this solution.) We must have more quo for our quid, y’all.

when it comes to campaign donations. So our quid pro quo should be “votes for dollars.” Although we call them programs and benefits, nonetheless, our “quo,” in return for our “quid” should be flowing back to us. We should not have to beg, march, demonstrate, or fight for our “quo;” if reciprocity is the name of the game Black voters should be sitting pretty right now.

But for all of our quid election after election, we have little quo to show for it.

Politically speaking, Black people are being played. The sad part about it is that we don’t seem to care. The lower we sink, politically and economically, the more we are available “to get off the couch and put on our marching shoes” to demonstrate our dissatJim Clingman, foundisfaction about the political er of the Greater Cincinsystem, as though our an- nati African American ger will change it.

Chamber of Commerce, is the nation’s most proLack of reciprocity lific writer on economic Fight for our quo The mis-leaders keep empowerment for Black Blacks are the most loy- telling us how powerful people. Write your own al voters in this country our vote is, but in spite of response at www.flcouribut not the most generous turning out in greater pro- er.com.

AUGUST 8 – AUGUST 14, 2014

Government health care success: 49 years of Medicare and Medicaid Last week marked the 49th anniversary of two of the most important “big government” programs ever — Medicare and Medicaid. On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed these two critical health care programs into law. At the signing ceremony, LBJ handed the first two Medicare cards to former President Harry Truman, who had called for the program years before, and his wife, former first lady Bess Truman.

Contradicting the conservative fable that “big government” programs never work, Medicare has made the lives of millions of American senior citizens more secure and healthier. Medicaid has improved the lives of millions more poor Americans, by giving them access to health care at a fair price.

These programs are among the most important legislation passed during LBJ’s Great Society, and are so popular that Republicans spend every election cycle pretending that they really support expanding coverage, while spending a lot of their legislative time in the House and Senate trying to whittle down both programs.

Technicality causes problem

REV. JESSE L. JACKSON, SR. TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

tives on the Supreme Court have just ruled that a key provision of the Affordable Care Act is invalid, putting an important national law in jeopardy — on a technicality!

This law was argued and debated over two long, arduous years. Everyone voiced their opinion, and still does. Lies were told about what “Obamacare” would supposedly do.

Dire predictions of failure were made by conservative pundits — too few people would sign up; too few young people would sign up, it would kill millions of jobs.

None of that proved true. Poor and middle-class Americans have signed up for the Affordable Care Act at rates higher than expected, among them millions of the young. No death panels have emerged, despite the predictions of Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann. And the economy has continued to grow, despite right-wing attempts to obstruct progress.

Help who?

Today is no different. Conserva-

Yet far too many Republican

Economic growth is up - will it trickle down?

Last quarter’s rate of economic growth is good news, especially after the economy stalled, losing momentum in the first quarter of 2014. Many said it was an aberration, caused by bad weather, especially since economic growth in the last half of 2013 was more than three percent. On the surface the economy is, indeed, recovering, not only because of growth rates, but because other indicators (excepting unemployment) are positive signs.

Of course, consumer spending explains two-thirds of economic growth. If people don’t put their money into the economy, buying durable goods like cars and refrigerators and non-durable goods like clothing and food the economy stalls. Yet while the economy is growing overall, the 99 percent have captured most of the growth.

DR. JULIANNE MALVEAUX TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

Wages have not yet risen, and according to one report, job creation dropped from 281,000 in June to 218,000 the month before. As of this writing, unemployment data has not been released. But here’s what we do know – the Dow Jones industrial average is under 10,000 as of 2009; it has grown by 60 percent in 2014.

Most on top In contrast the official unemployment rate in 2009 dropped by a third, indicating that those at the top have gained more in re-

governors and legislatures, especially across the South, continue to prevent the expansion of Medicaid to their own citizens. Medicaid expansion is a key part of the Affordable Care Act, an opportunity for millions of “near-poor” Americans to gain access to health care at a low cost. Yet despite demonstrated need, despite dire health problems, despite the negative impact this denial of Medicaid is having on both individual families and many existing hospitals, the fear of reprisals from Tea Party voters has made GOP governors afraid to help their own citizens.

So they block Medicaid expansion to their own people, even though the federal government will pay almost all the costs, and even though there is demonstrated need.

This is just wrong.

In 22 states, many of them among our nation’s poorest states, Republican governors and state legislatures are refusing to expand Medicaid. Almost half of those refusals come from the states that made up the old Confederacy (10 out of 11, with only Arkansas, headed by a Democratic governor, attempting to find an alternative solution to expansion). Wisconsin and Maine and Alaska, along with another nine states across the Midwest and in the Upper Rockcovery than those at the bottom.

How can the stock market expand so rapidly while the bottom 99 percent are stuck? Low wages mean high profits. Some of the stock market gains that have been realized are a function of wages that have not increased. Indeed, some corporations have chosen to move their headquarters away from the United States.

Fortune Magazine’s Alan Sloan reports that Ireland, Bermuda and Switzerland are the tax havens for the top ten corporate tax - tax avoiders. While these companies hit the road to avoid taxes, they have no hesitation in enjoying the benefits that come from tax protection, and regulation.

When these corporations underpay their workers, who supplement their inadequate wages with government-funded income subsidies (like food and housing assistance). When these countries need securities protection, they don’t hesitate to use the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) though the United States government pays for that regula-

We need to fight for equality Recently, I had the great honor to receive the Benjamin L. Hooks “Keeper of the Flame” Award from the Labor Committee of the NAACP’s Board of Directors.

Both the new president, Cornell Brooks, and Lorraine Miller, who served as interim president before him, were present. I felt humbled by the honor.

This is the 105th anniversary of the NAACP. The conference was a constant reminder of the legacy of those who cut a long path in the fight for equality-not just racial equality-in America. But last year, this year and next also mark important 50-year anniversaries of the civil rights movement. Last year was the March for Jobs and Justice, this year was the Civil Rights Act and next year is the Voting Rights Act. But we should not forget that we also are marking the anniversaries of human sacrifice to justice.

Lasting memories Last year, it was the assassination of Medgar Evers and four young girls, Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, who were murdered when the 16th Street Baptist church was bombed in Birmingham, Ala., during church services. This year, it was James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, murdered for registering African-American voters in Philadelphia, Miss.

Next year, it will be to remember the campaign to

WILLIAM SPRIGGS TRICEEDNEYWIRE

register voters in Alabama, the Bloody Sunday attack on marchers crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge and Viola Liuzzo, who was murdered driving marchers for the march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. It is important to note these events occurred when the NAACP was already more than 40 years in the struggle for justice. A solid reminder that this is a long struggle, and it is marked with the blood and sacrifice of many.

The working poor The labor luncheon at the NAACP convention is to rededicate the cooperation of two movements with one goal. The labor movement has a long history of struggle as well, fighting for equality and human dignity. Dignity for many begins with dignity at work.

Our nation is engaged in a huge experiment, pitting low-wage states like North Carolina against states that want to make work pay. In 2012, 67.5 percent of working age (older than 15) poor people in North Carolina held a job during the year, including 8% who worked full-time year round.

This is where the agenda of Rev. Barber’s civil rights meets labor rights. Only 4.8% of North Carolina’s workforce

is represented by a union. So there is no voice for workers on the plant floor or in the offices of North Carolina.

The one place they can have a voice is in the state legislature, to campaign for decent wages.

Voting hardship Under Ronald Reagan, voting laws were updated in 1984 to make it easier for people with disabilities and older Americans to vote.

The National Voter Registration Act of 1993-the Motor Voter Act-insured greater access to voter registration through state agencies interfacing with the public.

The Help America Vote Act of 2002 aimed to clean up dysfunctional voting processes exposed by the “hanging chads” of Florida’s paper ballots in 2000. And President George W. Bush signed the reauthorization of the 1965 Voting Rights Act after it passed the Senate 98-0.

So, after the continued progress on voting rights that was launched 50 years ago, you have to wonder why politicians would now take great efforts to make it more difficult to vote? Reversing democratic progress to silence the 99 percent only helps 1 percent of Americans. So, we must fight.

William Spriggs has been Assistant Secretary for Policy at the Department of Labor since June 2009.

Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

EDITORIAL

A5

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: CONGRESSIONAL RECESS

NATE BEELER, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

ies, are also refusing to expand their constituents, and make their Medicaid — almost all of them lives both healthier and more seheaded by Republican governors. cure.

It’s the right thing to do. It’s the moral thing to do. The 49th anniRight thing to do versary of Medicare and Medicaid This is just wrong. Their constitthis week reminds us that an exuents need access to health care, pansion of Medicaid everywhere too. As we mark the 49th anniver- could help America be a better, sary of the signing of Medicare healthier nation. I call on the GOP and Medicaid programs into law, to keep hope alive for all their we should consider that poor fam- constituents, even their less affluilies today also need health care, ent constituents, and their minorjust as seniors did in 1965, just as ity constituents. I call on them to poor people did in 1965. Medi- stop blocking access to Medicaid. care and Medicaid were two of It’s time to do the right thing, and the greatest accomplishments of end their partisan obstruction.

President Johnson’s Great Society.

If Republican governors would set Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. is presaside their partisan hostility to- ident/CEO of the Rainbow/ ward President Obama and the PUSH Coalition. Write your Affordable Care Act, they could own response at www.flcourier. ease the worries of millions of com. tory agency. While these corporations operate like foreign corporations for tax purposes, then expect the services of the United States government for their protection.

Ripping off taxpayers

serters should be heavily taxed before they go (or their products should be taxed), giving their competitors an advantage because of lower prices. Similarly, the companies who choose to stay in the United States ought to gain a tax benefit for their loyalty. The tax system can be used to level the playing field. Some legislators get it, but too many use the free market excuse to say their hands are tied.

Legislation that prevents corporate rip-offs makes sense, but it is likely to be swallowed by the legislative gridlock that is a permanent feature of this Congress.

As long as runaway corporations push their tax burden on the rest of us, economic recovery is rushing up instead of trickling down.

Meanwhile, the leaders of these companies are some of those who argue for lower estate taxes, and lower taxes for the wealthy. Give me a break! These corporations are ripping off United States taxpayers in two ways. First, they don’t pay taxes on the benefits they receive. Secondly, their advocacy to cut personal taxes is yet another attack on the tax base.

Those in the bottom 80 percent gain little from the Securities Exchange Commission and other financial regulatory agencies. They gain little from the regulatory agencies that force corporations to play nice. They’ll pay for these regulatory agencies because they Julianne Malveaux is a D.C. are part of the budget, part of the based economist and author. tax bill.

Can we do something about Write your own response at this? Either those corporate de- www.flcourier.com.

Ray Rice: New poster boy for domestic violence Last week I was in Jacksonville, Fla. on the Marissa Alexander case. She’s the Black woman who received a sentence of 20 years for avoiding shooting her abusive husband by firing into the ceiling to back him off from beating her up again. He’d already done so, causing her to have premature delivery of her baby just nine days before the shooting incident. She’s currently out on bail, facing a new trial and State Attorney Angela Corey who prosecuted the Trayvon Martin case is threatening to ask for 60 years this time.

While in Florida, I became aware of the Ray Rice case where he hit his fiancé so hard that he knocked her unconscious.

Domestic abuse is common place, and many think this should make Rice the new poster boy for domestic violence. As if the role Rice played in this case, Steve Smith – the brash, big mouth sports analyst – used the occasion to comment on women provoking such abuse. The reaction to his comment quickly made him want to take it back!

Slap on the wrist

DR. E. FAYE WILLIAMS, ESQ. TRICE EDNEY WIRE

Handled in court In these incidents, the good old boy network must look long and hard at public reaction to cases like this because no longer will men with money have a walk in the park in domestic violence cases.

The reaction to the penalty was overwhelming and sent a message that that says team executives must be very careful how they handle these cases.

All of us who work against domestic violence daily, and sympathizers, can sleep just a little bit better – not because of the action taken by the league, but because of the reaction of the public to the penalty.

Smith, who got more time off the air than the perpetrator, must be wondering if what he said was that bad! People responded to his comments, which he had a right to say, but again it was the reaction of the people that made even ESPN respond by suspending him with a little slap on the wrist like Rice’s. It wasn’t much of a punishment, but poor Steve got more suspension time than Rice!

This case puts colleges and universities, sportscasters, the NFL and others on notice that the misconduct of athletes will no longer be resolved in the locker room!

Months went by after the 2014 Valentine’s Day incident was widely publicized. This happened only after Rice received a little slap on the wrist from the National Football League for his egregious behavior. Admittedly, we don’t know what happened before we saw Rice dragging a woman we now know to be Janay Palmer out of an elevator.

We understand both were arrested and released. The police report indicated they were not sure of what happened. Rice and Ms. Palmer were not married at the time of this tragic event, but they were married soon thereafter – which leads one to wonDr. E. Faye Williams is President/ der if their marriage occurred to dampen the impact of his brutality – possibly to CEO of the National Congress of Black prevent her from testifying in case there Women. Write your own response at www.flocourier.com. was a trial in the matter.

TOJ A6

NATION

AUGUST 8 – AUGUST 14, 2014 increasing investments in girls’ education around the world,” the first lady said.

“But I said I wanted to be honest. And if I do that, we all know that the problem here isn’t only about resources, it’s also about attitudes and beliefs. It’s about whether fathers and mothers think their daughters are as worthy of an education as their sons.

“It’s about whether societies cling to outdated laws and traditions that oppress and exclude women, or whether they view women as full citizens entitled to fundamental rights.”

Mutilation, rape, trafficking

OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE PHOTO

Participants raise their hands as President Barack Obama asks for questions during a town hall-style meeting with young African leaders in the East Room of the White House.

‘The blood of Africa runs through my veins’ First lady shares world vision for girls, women at summit

BY ZENITHA PRINCE TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

Michelle Obama engaged in some “real talk” on the issue of female education at the Summit of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders on July 30.

“As an African-American woman, this conversation is deeply personal to me,” Obama said. Citing her ancestry and her

Michelle Obama husband, President Barack Obama’s close ties to Kenya, where his father and other family are from, the first lady added, “The roots of my family tree are in Africa. … The blood of Africa runs through my veins, and

I care deeply about Africa’s future.”

Mrs. Obama referenced some “heartbreaking” statistics on the issue of girls’ education: 62 million girls worldwide are not in school, including nearly 30 million girls in SubSaharan Africa. And even for those girls who get the chance to attend school, they do so at their peril.

Outdated laws, traditions This was made clear recently in Pakistan, where Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen, and in Nigeria

where more than 300 girls were kidnapped from their school dormitory by Islamist terrorists.

According to a 2014 report from the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack, the desire to block girls from being educated is one of the leading reasons behind attacks on schools worldwide.

Obama said most of the solutions to this undermining of girls’ education have focused on resources – more schools, teachers, better infrastructure, etc. – but a key component has been overlooked.

“I could give a perfectly fine speech today about

Mrs. Obama urged the young African leaders to advocate on behalf of women and to challenge practices such as female genital mutilation, forced child marriages, human trafficking, rape and domestic violence.

“While I have great respect for cultural differences, I think we can all agree that [these] practices . . . are not legitimate cultural practices, they are serious human rights violations and have no place in any country on this Earth,” she said, eliciting applause.

“These practices have no place in our shared future, because we all know that our future lies in our people – in their talent, their ambition, their drive. And no country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens.”

Let Girls Learn launched The Obama administration last month launched an initiative, Let Girls Learn, led by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that committed $230 million for new programs to support education around the world.

Several of Hollywood’s biggest actors, singers and athletes also got behind the project, appearing in an online PSA that offers examples of how girls’ education benefits society.

“A threat to girls’ education anywhere is a threat to progress everywhere,” “Modern Family” star Julie Bowen said in the twominute video.

The first lady also used her life as an example of the things that are possible when women are treated as equals and supported by the males in society.

“See, what I want you all to understand is that I am who I am today because of the people in my family – particularly the men in my family – who valued me and invested in me from the day I was born,” she said.

Her story “My ancestors came here in chains. My parents and grandparents knew the sting of segregation and discrimination. Yet I attended some of the best universities in this country. I had career opportunities beyond my wildest dreams. And today, I live in the White House, a building . . . that was constructed by slaves,” Obama later added.

“Today, I watch my daughters – two beautiful African-American girls – walking our dogs in the shadow of the Oval Office.

And today, I have the privilege of serving and representing the United States of America across the globe.

“So my story and the story of my country is the story of the impossible getting done. And I know that can be your story and that can be Africa’s story too.”

This story is special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Afro American Newspaper.

LET’S MAKE HISTORY VOTE

PERRY THURSTON OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/MCT

Job seekers wait in line to enter a job fair at the Arena Stage on March 28 in Washington, D.C.

FOR FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL

Unemployment inches back up for African-Americans Rate climbs from 10.7 to 11.4 percent TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

July was a bad news month for African-American workers although nonfarm payroll employment increased by 209,000.

The overall unemployment rate on a seasonally adjusted basis for Blacks climbed to 11.4 percent, up from 10.7 percent in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this week.

The jobless rate for Black men 20 years old and old-

er was 11.1 percent in July compared to 10.9 percent in June. And the unemployment rate for Black women 20 years old and older was 10.1 percent in July, dramatically up from 9 percent in June.

5.3 for Whites The jobless rate for Black workers is twice as high or even higher than other racial or ethnic groups. The unemployment rate for Whites was 5.3 percent in July, the same as it was in June. The jobless rate in July for White men 20 years old and older was 4.8 percent, down from 4.9 percent in June.

The number of White

women 20 years old and older who were out of work in July was 4.9 percent, up slightly from June, which was 4.8 percent.

Hispanics also fared better in the job market compared to African-Americans. The jobless rate for Hispanics was 7.8 percent in July, the same as June.

On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the Asian unemployment rate was 4.5 percent in July, down from 5.1 percent in June.

BLS reported the overall unemployment rate in July was 6.2 percent. Businesses added jobs in professional and business services, manufacturing and construction.

For Perry Thurston, the August 26 primary may be his first step on the way to history. With your votes and support, Thurston will be the first black Attorney General and Florida’s first elected black cabinet officer since Reconstruction.

We need a high African-American turnout.

Not just on November 4, but in the Democratic primary on August 26. We can’t miss this opportunity to make history.

Elect PERRY THURSTON on August 26 Subscribe now at: www.flcourier.com

Political advertisement paid for and approved by Perry Thurston Campaign for Florida Attorney General, Democrat

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AUGUST 8 – AUGUST 14, 2014

A Black Cinderella on Broadway See page B5

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

Sampling James Brown See page B5

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MORE THAN COUNTRY MUSIC

Missouri city known for its entertainment theaters has plenty of shows featuring diverse performers

BY ELEANOR HENDRICKS MCDANIEL SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

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f you’re searching for a fun getaway that will please the whole family, Branson, Missouri could be the place. Long known as the Mecca for live country music shows, the destination offers much more. And it offers it for much less than expected.

Perched comfortably on the slopes of the Ozark Mountains, Branson has been drawing visitors since 1880 when Marvel Cave was discovered. Nature lovers soon followed to fish, hike, boat, swim, camp and hunt. But it wasn’t until the latter half of the 20th century that country music performers took an interest in the sleepy mountain town.

Today, superstars representing every musical genre have taken their act to Branson. Of course, a plethora of other amusements have rounded out the vacation scene.

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From Mathis to Motown If you happen to be a country music fan, don’t despair. There’s still plenty to satisfy you. Clint Black, Wynonna, the Charlie Daniels Band and others perform regularly in Branson. In fact, Charley Pride, the famous African-American Country Music Hall of Fame member, will headline at the Andy Williams Moon River Theatre in October and November.

But move over Charley because crooner Johnny Mathis will show up at the Oak Ridge Boys Theater in November, following on the heels of Bill Cosby’s October comedy sets.

Over at the Branson Hot Hits Theatre, “Motown Downtown” is bringing back the sounds that put Detroit on the music map. It’s featuring smash hits by The Temptations and The Four Tops, while “Doo Wop” pays tribute to The Drifters, Tina Turner, James Brown and others.

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1. A relaxing cruise on the Showboat Branson Belle offers dinner and a live show.

2. Kids and adults can cool off at Branson’s White Water Park.

3. There’s lots of comfort food on the menus at Silver Dollar City restaurants.

Legends and newcomers You’ll marvel at the carbon-copy performers who imitate America’s mostloved singers. “Legends in Concert” at Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater showcases the talents of Whitney Houston, Ray Charles, Diana Ross, Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, Marilyn Monroe and more.

For a special treat, attend “Ayo – Voices of Glory” at the Hughes Brothers Theatre. You may remember the Cole family who placed as one top five finalists in TV’s “America’s Got Talent.”

In Branson, they offer a concert that sizzles as they belt out R&B, jazz, gospel and pop renditions. Teens Nadia, age 14, and Avery, age 18, vocalize with their old-

5. er brother, Michael, age 22, but each Cole also sings solo. Stay around after the performance and you can chat with these young professionals.

Family favorites The incomparable precision of Chinese performers shines at the Incredible Acrobats of China featuring the New Shanghai Circus. Acrobats, contortionists, jugglers, trapeze artists and drum-

mers thrill the audience with acts of unbelievable skill that date back 2,000 years.

Colorful costumes, iconic music and state-of-the-art lighting enhance the experience. You can meet the young troupe as you exit the theater.

Whether you’re a fan of theme parks or not, you’ll enjoy Silver Dollar City because, in addition to exciting rides, it showcases the best of Ozark Mountain See BRANSON, Page B2

4. Outlaw Run at the Silver Dollar City theme park is the world’s second fastest wooden roller coaster.

5. Charley Pride, Bill Cosby and Johnny Mathis all have show dates in Branson this fall.

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EVENTS

AUGUST 8 – AUGUST 14, 2014

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FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR Hollywood: Tickets are on sale now for an Oct. 15 show at Hard Rock Live featuring Earth, Wind & Fire.

West Palm Beach: Drake vs.

Lil Wayne is scheduled Sept.

3 at the Cruzan Amphitheatre.

LYFE JENNINGS The Tampa Urban Music Fest with Anthony Hamilton and Lyfe Jennings is at the University of South Florida Sun Dome on Aug. 23.

Coral Gables: Israel Houghton and New Breed along with Miel San Marcos are scheduled at the Almavision Miami radio anniversary on Sept. 12 at BankUnited Center.

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

Orlando: Lauryn Hill is scheduled Aug. 15 at the House of Blues Orlando.

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

BIZ MARKIE

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

KEYSHIA COLE

Keyshia Cole’s Point of No Return tour stops at the House of Blues Orlando on Aug. 11.

Media legend, congresswoman, activist to headline Women of Color Empowerment Conference Los Angeles corporate media legend Paula Williams Madison, Maryland Congresswoman Donna Edwards along with Chicago author and activist Maggie Anderson will be the keynote speakers at the fourth annual Women of Color Empower Conference (WOCEC) on Saturday, Sept. 13 at the Bahia Mar Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale.

They will join more than 20 accomplished presenters from business, government, nonprofit and the professions speaking on the 2014 conference theme,

“When Women Succeed, America Succeeds.”

“Each year we are committed to providing the dynamic women leaders who attend the conference with inspiring keynote speakers and top tier experts on our breakout panels,” said WOCEC Founder and Chair Burnadette NorrisWeeks, Esq. “Our goal is to educate and motivate accomplished, influential women decision makers to more effectively lead their organizations and to seek new leadership challenges, ultimately for the benefit of our entire nation.

Madison has been named one of the “75 Most Powerful African Americans in Corporate America” by Black Enterprise magazine, and to the “Power 100” lists of both The Hollywood Reporter and Ebony magazine.

Invested in Sparks, Africa Channel

Made congressional history in Maryland

Madison spent 22 years as a top media executive, including seven years as general manager of KNBCTV in Los Angeles before being promoted to executive vice president of NBC Universal in 2007.

She retired in 2011 to grow her family-owned Williams Group Holdings LLC, which now has significant ownership and investments in The Africa Channel, the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, and various real estate, consumer, financial and trading businesses.

Edwards became the first African-American woman to represent Maryland after winning a special election to Congress in June 2008.

She began her first full term in the 111th Congress in 2009.

One of six children raised in a military family, Edwards worked on the Spacelab project at Goddard Space Flight Center before deciding to attend law school with an eye toward law in the public interest. She used her training to co-found the Na-

seum Attraction (titanicbranson.com) and receive a boarding pass that has the story of one of the 2,208 actual passengers or crew.

An audio headset guides the visitor through authentically reproduced areas and staterooms. Showcases display 400 recovered luxurious and simple relics. Many interactive exhibits place you onboard that ill-fated night of April 14, 1912. Imagine the terror as you step onto a dark, frigid deck and hear “Ice-

Avery, Nadia and Michael Cole perform at their own show at the Hughes Brothers Theatre in Branson, Mo. They were 2009 contestants on “America’s Got Talent.’’

BRANSON from B1

culture. Called the Home of American Craftsmanship, the park is proud to promote the country artisans who continue the crafts of the hill people, and display their wares.

You can watch as they create pottery, woodwork, make fiddles, weave baskets, blacksmith and produce other time-honored crafts. The Culinary and Crafts School invites visitors to learn the secrets of regional home cooking, which includes the 50-year recipe of Silver Dollar City Stew.

Outlaw Run and more Silver Dollar City presents live shows and hosts seven festivals during the year. But the buzz around the park focuses on its new major attraction, Outlaw Run. It’s a record-breaking wooden coaster with the world’s steepest drop, three barrel rolls, while speeding at 68 mph – the second fastest on the planet.

But there’s more. Adults and kids can cool off in a wet playground. White Water features 13 acres of water activities such as speed slides, a tropical river adventure, a wave pool and interactive attractions, to

name just a few.

Unique to Silver Dollar City is Marvel Cave (originally called Marble Cave).

Descend a staircase for 300 feet below the surface and enter the Cathedral Room, the largest cave entrance in the USA. For a more authentic experience, take the Lantern Light Tour that replicates the original tours of the 1890s.

Ships Ahoy!

When most of us think “ocean liner, iceberg,” the Titanic comes to mind.

Looming large over the middle of Branson is a model of the behemoth ship crashing into a faux iceberg. Follow the gangplank into the Titanic Mu-

Kissimmee: The Allstate Tom Joyner Reunion takes place Aug. 28-Sept. 1 at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center. More information: www.blackamericaweb.com.

tional Network to End Domestic Violence and received national recognition as a leader in the successful fight to pass the Violence Against Women Act of 1994.

In Congress, Edwards currently serves on the Science, Space and Technology Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. She also is an Executive Committee member of the Human Rights Commission and is co-chair of the Bipartisan Congressional Women’s Caucus.

Tampa: Tickets are on sale for the Drake vs. Lil Wayne concert on Sept. 4 at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre at the Florida State Fairgrounds.

Tampa: Tommy Davidson will be at the Improv Comedy Club through Aug. 10.

Orlando: T-Pain’s “Drankin Patna Tour’’ stops at The Beacham in Orlando on Aug. 11 and Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale on Aug. 12.St. Peterburg: The Steve Harvey “Act Like A Success’’ Tour will stop at The Mahaffey on Oct. 18.

Boca Raton: John Legend’s The All of Me Tour makes a stop at the Mizner Park St. Petersburg: Catch Macy Gray on Oct. 10 at Jannus Live.

Hollywood: The Wayans Brothers perform Aug. 15 at Hard Rock Live Hollywood and Aug. 16 at Hard Rock Live Orlando.

Miami: The Back to Love Tour with Anthony Hamilton and Chrisette Michelle makes a stop at the James L. Knight Center on Sept. 20.

A first-generation Cuban-American, activist, speaker and author Margarita “Maggie” Anderson is the founder of The NEW Empowerment Experiment (EE) and MaggiesList.com.

Anderson exploded on

the national media scene during her family’s experiment, living exclusively off Black businesses, professionals and products for an entire year. Their experience was documented in a landmark study by Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business and is chronicled in Anderson’s 2012 book, “Our Black Year.”

A resident of suburban Chicago, Maggie Anderson has become one of the nation’s most prominent faces of the conscious consumerism movement, appearing on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, C-SPAN, “PBS Newshour’’ and “CBS Morning News’’ among many others.

For more information on the conference, visit www.

SouthFloridaWomenOfColor.com or call 954-5222290.

berg ahead!” More than four million already have experienced the museum.

If you really want to get out on real water, Branson has Table Rock Lake. Sail back to the 19th century during a smooth two-hour cruise on the Showboat Branson Belle (showboatbransonbelle.com) that features dining, a live show and spectacular mountain views. Tour the vessel, and visit the bridge to meet the captain.

For more information, visit explorebranson.com.

Eleanor Hendricks McDaniel is a seasoned travel journalist who enjoys writing about history, culture, food, wine, and some of the people she meets along the way. She lives in Philadelphia and Ormond Beach, Fla. She provided this article special to the Florida Courier. Follow her on Twitter: @ellethewriter and her website: flybynighttraveler.com.

Family experiment went national

Robins & Morton is currently seeking bids from qualified Subcontractors and Suppliers for the Poinciana Medical Center Vertical Expansion construction project. Poinciana, Orlando and other surrounding area businesses are invited to attend a Pre-bid Meet & Greet to learn more about procurement opportunities associated with the upcoming project.

Robins & Morton and HCA are strongly committed to the development and implementation of initiatives which promote the inclusion of minority and womenowned businesses.

Project Description: Project consists of a vertical addition to the existing patient tower @ PMC. Two additional floors will be added above the existing 2nd floor, along with the addition of elevators and extension of existing elevators to serve new floors.

What: Pre-bid Meet & Greet When: Monday, August 11, 2014 • 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Where: Poinciana Medical Center Hospital Classroom 325 Cypress Parkway Kissimmee, Florida 34758 Bid Packages include the following: Concrete • Steel • Masonry • Caulking • Fire Proofing • General Trades/ Rough Carpentry • Metal Framing & Drywall • EFIS • Doors & Hardware • Glass & Glazing • Flooring • Painting • Acoustical Ceilings • Specialties • Fire Protection • Mechanical/Plumbing, Electrical • Low-Voltage IMPORTANT NOTE: Bids shall be received in Robins & Morton’s Nashville office no later than Tuesday, August 19th, 2014 by 2:00 p.m.(Eastern time). Contractors must submit prequalification information prior to consideration of your proposal. Please contact Robins & Morton for access to bid documents and prequalification forms. Please contact Lisa Rota at Lrota@robinsmorton.com To RSVP for the upcoming Meet & Greet, contact: Rhea Kinnard, Diversity Consultant at (615) 941-8396 Email: kinn0167@aol.com

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AUGUST 8 – AUGUST 14, 2014

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HEALTH

Hospitals make exercise fun for kids Summer boot camps helping children stay active, learn about fitness and nutrition

to the program, dubbed Crunchtime, are monitored closely during the nine-month program.

The children are given a bone density scan, put on a nutrition plan and are given a comprehensive fitness evaluation. The first three months are the strictest.

“The idea is to go hard and fast in the beginning,” said Miller. “Really the hardest part is just getting started.”

At the end of the day, fun is key, said Miller.

BY CARLI TEPROFF MIAMI HERALD (MCT)

As soon as she heard the word “go,” Ashley Jackson grabbed her orange dumbbells, lifted them above her head and then lowered them to her sides.

To the sound of the pulsating music, she continued with the dumbbells until she heard Rickey Dickenson say “switch.” She put them down immediately and began jumping jacks.

Ashley, who is only 10, is part of a Kids’ Boot Camp at Memorial Hospital West, in Miami, a program aimed at getting kids in shape at an early age.

For Ashley, the 45-minute high-impact class gives her something to do during the summer and helps her achieve her goal of being able to wear her clothes comfortably.

“I have some clothes I stretch out,” she said as she took a water break. “It’s tiring, but it’s fun.”

Starting early Memorial West’s class is one of several programs offered through hospitals to help children stay healthy through exercise and proper eating. While Memorial’s program is specifically geared toward keeping children active, both the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Miami Children’s Hospital offer comprehensive programs for children who are obese or at-risk of becoming overweight.

The idea is to encourage healthy eating and exercise as early as possible to prevent health problems later on. They say parents need to introduce fruits and vegetables and limit television and computer time so it becomes part of a child’s routine.

Sweating, having fun

PATRICK FARRELL/MIAMI HERALD/MCT

Nikki Smith, 7, works out during Ricky Dickerson’s fitness class on July 14 at Memorial West Hospital in Pembroke Pines, a boot camp for kids to help them stay active and healthy.

“It’s a serious problem and can only get worse,” said Dr. William Muinos, who heads the Weight Management Program at Miami Children’s Hospital. “It’s all about health.”‘

Fighting obesity According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every three children is obese.

The number has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years, the CDC reports.

Muinos sees about 30 children every Friday as part of the hospital’s weight management program.

Muinos works to create individualized plans based on the age of the child and height of the child’s Body Mass Index. Growing children are placed in a percentile based on their age and gender.

He said in extreme cases,

he has worked with children who have had to lose more than 100 pounds.

While he works to get the children to understand the importance of losing weight, he knows he also has to make sure the family is on-board.

“A child cannot do it by themselves,” he said. “The parent has to make the commitment.”

‘Lot more energy’ He starts by encouraging vegetables and reducing starchy food from the child’s diet. He also develops a “doable,” exercise plan that can be anything from walking to going to the gym.

“We have to make sure it’s something a child will stick with,” he said.

Muinos said most of the time getting a kid on track means changing behavior completely. He said today’s world of fast food, televi-

sion and video games contributes to the “epidemic.”

“This is a societal issue,” he said.

For Jose Carlos Sanchez, the past two months have been a complete change in lifestyle. He was referred to Muinos by his pediatrician because the 14-yearold weighed nearly 250 pounds. He has already lost about 20 and is motivated to continue down the right path.

“I feel much better about myself,” said Sanchez, who lives in Hialeah, and is going into the eighth grade. “I have a lot more energy.”

His mom, Mayelin Govea, said she is very happy that doctor was able to get her son’s weight under control.

“He didn’t like fruit or salad,” she said in Spanish. “He didn’t want to exercise.”

Now she takes him to the gym several times a week

and he plays basketball with his friends.

“I see a big change in him,” she said.

Nutrition education Miami Children’s Hospital also has a 10-week program for overweight Latin teen girls called Healthy Chicas. The two-hour-long sessions include exercise and nutrition education and cooking instruction.

The sessions have an adolescent medicine doctor and a nutritionist.

At the University of Miami’s Batchelor Children’s Research Institute, Dr. Tracie Miller screens children and then puts them on a plan that includes healthy eating and exercise. She starts by explaining how excess weight can affect each organ.

“It’s very important that understand what is going on in the inside,” she said.

Children who are referred

At the exercise class at Memorial West, many of the children didn’t even realize how hard they were working.

Dickenson, who teaches the class, said he tries to make it like a club with popular music and includes games so “they can be kids.” He creates a highendurance and high-cardio class by using hula hoops, sliders, weights and balls.

“I make it a rock startype atmosphere and the kids get into it,” he said. “By the end of the class they are all sweating.”

Viana Espinal, 7, said when she is done she “feels good,” about herself.

“I worked hard,” she said, her face red from the workout. She likes the music and the games.

Her grandmother, Ana Espinal, who uses the gym every day, said while her granddaughter is visiting her for the summer from New York, she can’t have her sitting around all day.

“It’s not good for her,” she said. “She needs to get some energy out.”

For Linnea Martinez, the class is a great outlet for her three sons to get used to physical activity. Martinez said she is a former ballerina and often goes to the gym.

“I want them to be strong and confident,” she said of her three boys, who are 7, 9 and 10. “And they are boys, they need to run off some of that energy.”

New tradition at family reunion: Share your health history FAMILY FEATURES

Family reunions are a great opportunity to reconnect and turn relationships into strong, eternal ties. This year, try starting a new tradition – share your health history with your family.

Passing down family health history can be as important as sharing that heirloom recipe your great grandmother shared with your grandmother. Many health conditions run in the family so knowing the

health history can help you or your loved ones take the right steps to stay well and get tested if you or they are at risk.

Sharing a health history means having a conversation about your health conditions or those experienced by another family member. These conversations can transform a simple update about a loved one’s wellbeing into a piece of prevention.

Why it’s important Though

marked

JE Dunn Construction is currently seeking bids from qualified subcontractors and suppliers for the Brandon Regional Hospital construction project. Brandon, FL and surrounding area businesses are invited to attend a Pre-Construction Meet & Greet to learn more about opportunities associated with this upcoming project.

JE Dunn Construction and HCA/Brandon Regional Hospital are strongly committed to the development and implementation of initiatives which promote the inclusion of local, minority and women-owned businesses.

Bid Packages include: Surveying • Final Cleaning • Temporary Fencing • Demolition •Turnkey Concrete • Lightweight Insulating Concrete • Masonry & Stone • Structural & Miscellaneous Steel • Medical Equipment Supports • Waterproofing, Expansion Control, & Joint Sealants • EIFS • Metal Roof and Wall Panels • Membrane Roofing • Sprayed Fireproofing • Firestopping & Acoustical Sealants • Doors, Frames, and Hardware Supply • Doors & Hardware Installation • Overhead Doors • Glass & Glazing • Drywall & Acoustical • Hard Tile • Resilient Flooring • Moisture Mitigation • Specialties (Furnish and Install) • Interior & Exterior Signage • Healthcare Casework • Manufactured Heliports • Elevators • Pneumatic Tube Systems • Fire Protection • Plumbing and Medical Gas • Solid Surface Shower Units • HVAC & Controls • Test & Balance • Electrical, Fire Alarm, and Access Control • Structured Cabling & Telecommunications • Access Control • Turnkey Site work

with

stories and laughter, family reunions are a perfect time to talk about important matters that affect the health of your family members. As the number of those with common ailments such as obesity, heart disease and cancer continues to rise, other major conditions should not be overlooked, especially kidney disease.

According to the U.S. Renal Data System, nearly one in six African-American adults (or 6.2 million) has signs of kidney dis-

What: The project will consist of approximately 38,000 square feet of new construction and 35,200 square feet of major renovation areas.

The project scope includes expanding the existing Emergency Department to a capacity of 72 beds, relocating the existing cardiac rehab, installing a new helipad, construction of three canopy entrances (Walk-in/ Ambulance, Pediatric), generator replacement/upgrade, and adding CT and Radiology rooms.

There will also be extensive site work involved at the existing Emergency Department areas.

This project will consist of multiple phases.

ease. There are usually no symptoms for early kidney disease, which is why it is sometimes called a “silent disease.” The two primary causes of kidney disease are diabetes and high blood pressure.

The National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP) is encouraging relatives at family reunions to talk about the connection between diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease.

The program’s Family Reunion Health Guide can help you plan large group or one-on-one conversations about kidney disease. You do not need to be a health care professional or expert to start these important conversations — the guide has everything you need. To download

or order a free copy, visit http://nkdep.nih.gov/getinvolved/talk-with-family. shtml?ref=MAT.

Five talking tips Talking about health history at family reunions can be challenging. Having a strategy for difficult conversations can help guide the discussion and make it a meaningful and productive experience. Here are some tips for getting a one-on-one conversation started at your next family reunion: Ask permission to have the conversation and try to choose a convenient time and comfortable environment. Look for a quiet, private place that is free from distractions.

Acknowledge that it is

not always easy to face personal health problems. Try to be supportive and listen to their concerns.

Include personal stories in your health discussion.

Try sharing your story on how you manage diabetes or high blood pressure to help put them at ease.

Offer to go with family members to their health care provider and encourage them to bring information about kidney disease, diabetes and high blood pressure to appointments.

Follow up with family members in ways that work for them. Some relatives may prefer a phone call to an email or text message.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/ MaketheKidneyConnection.

When: Thursday, August 14, 2014 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. EST Where: Oakfield Medical Plaza, Suite 244 (Classroom A&B) (located on the campus at Brandon Regional Medical Center), 276 Moon Avenue South, Brandon, Fla. 33511 For information regarding the bid packages for this project contact: Dustin Turner at (615) 620-3114 or Email: dustin.turner@jedunn.com To RSVP for the upcoming Meet & Greet, contact: Rhea Kinnard at (615) 941-8396 Email: meetandgreetus@aol.com

COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES

The National Kidney Disease Education Program is encouraging relatives at family reunions to talk about the connection between diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease.

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BUSINESS

AUGUST 8 – AUGUST 14, 2014

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jobs are coming back to the U.S.” In the next few years, he said, he expects more growth in the industry as customers increasingly turn to social media.

Companies began sending call center jobs overseas years ago because they sought to reduce labor costs, said Matt Zemon, chairman of the nonprofit group Jobs4America based in Chapel Hill, N.C. But in recent years, as overseas labor costs have increased, companies have been reversing some of those decisions, he said. Some companies also found that customers were unhappy with the service from overseas call centers.

By Zemon’s count, about 180,000 call center jobs were created nationally in 2012 and 2013.

Paul Stockford, the director of research for the National Association of Call Centers in Hattiesburg, Miss., said the nonprofit membership group estimates there are about 66,000 call centers in the U.S., with that number expected to grow.

Airlines, auto companies

JESSICA J. TREVINO/DETROIT FREE PRESS/MCT

Detroit resident Carlettia Ellis, 24, works as a customer service representative at Dialog Direct call center in Highland Park, Mich., on July 30.

Call center jobs in US on the rise Higher costs overseas resulting in more companies returning services to the States

BY FRANK WITSIL DETROIT FREE PRESS (MCT)

In a hive of cubicles at the Dialog Direct offices in Highland Park, Mich., Keontay Kelley and other employees answer calls through headsets.

While they work, LED signs on the walls flash reminders: “Manners Matter,” “Phone Etiquette,” “Yes Ma’am/Sir,” “Thank You” and “I Apologize.” The room buzzes with conversation, the

sound of hundreds of metro Detroiters earning paychecks.

“I was looking for a job,” said Kelley, 26, of Detroit. “This did it.”

After years of sending call center jobs to India, the Philippines, Mexico and other countries, companies are bringing them back to the U.S. An estimated 5 million Americans are employed in call centers.

The trend, industry watchers said, is driven by changes in technology, rising overseas labor costs — and customers demanding better service.

Dialog Direct, which employs about 800 people in its headquarters, announced recently it is planning to add 500 more — 300 in Highland Park and 200 in

its Grand Rapids offices. Another call-center company, S&P Data, said it plans to add 420 employees at its offices.

‘Knight in shining armor’ So far this year, the Michigan Economic Development Corp. estimated, at least 1,400 call center jobs have been created in the state.

“We’re all about more and better jobs,” said Amy Cell, senior vice president for talent enhancement at the MEDC. “Call centers offer great entry-level opportunities for new college graduates or people trying to get a foothold in customer service fields.”

Kelley, a Ferris State graduate, has worked at Dialog Direct for less than a year.

He said he enjoys working there. Some calls can be frustrating. But, he said, the job lets him work inside an office, wear professional attire — and best of all, the work lets him feel like he’s helping solve people’s problems, he said.

“I like to be the knight in shining armor,” he said.

In his experience, Kelley said, callers appreciate that the center is in the U.S.

Overseas costs increase Doug Kearney, Dialog Direct’s president and CEO, said, “A lot of

Companies are still using overseas centers to handle sales calls involving low-price, low-margin items and also to address calls seeking technical help. “The higher the value of the customer, the more likely the job will be in the U.S.,” he said.

If a customer is confused or dissatisfied, it could cost a company sales, and they don’t want to miss out on opportunities, especially when it comes to bigticket items. Stockford pointed to airlines, which are selling plane tickets worth hundreds, even thousands, of dollars.

United Airlines has a reservation center in Dearborn.

In addition, he said, though many call center jobs are entry level, they require skills — and expertise — that can lead to advancement.

“Lots of people make a career out of it,” he said. “Other people get burned out. If you’re picking up a phone, and you’ve got someone screaming in your ear for something you didn’t do, it can be very frustrating.”

Last year, General Motors started moving call center jobs from overseas to the U.S.

American Airlines adds city in Haiti to its route

BY JACQUELINE CHARLES MIAMI HERALD (MCT)

After a modified 757 transporting then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in October 2012 became the first large aircraft to touch down on its runway in decades, Cap-Haïtien soon will welcome similarly sized jets at its newly expanded and transformed international airport.

American Airlines recently began selling tickets for daily nonstop service from Miami, starting Oct. 2, making it the first major airline to add Haiti’s second largest city to one of its routes.

“This is a big deal,” said Art Torno, American’s senior vice president of its operations in Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America. “That area of the country has about 35 percent of the population, and has always been a desirable place for us.”

Benefits business, tourism Torno estimates that between 30 and 35 percent of American’s Haiti-bound passengers traveling from JFK in New York, Miami International and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airports currently head north after landing at Toussaint L’Overture International Airport in Port-au-Prince.

Expanding operations outside of the Haitian capital, he said, is not just good for business but also benefits Haiti’s tourism, currently undergoing an overhaul.

“From a location standpoint, it’s just absolutely perfect to serve that part of the population,” Torno said of the area, which includes Royal Caribbean’s private beach in Labadee and a postearthquake $300 million U.S.backed industrial park.

“There is a large drive to develop infrastructure there. It’s important for the country; having spent so much time in Port-auPrince this is another opportunity for economic development

“This is great news for the northern region, for the people, the diaspora and the business community.

It is a gate opener and I am happy this is finally happening.”

Maryse Pénette Kedar

President of Royal Caribbean’s Haitian subsidiary in the country, and that will take some pressure off the capital.”

‘A gate opener’ Clinton and her husband, former President and U.N. Special Envoy to Haiti Bill Clinton, visited the area in October 2012, landing within minutes of each other on a newly asphalted 7,500-foot runway, to attend the industrial park’s opening. Their arrival was as much about promoting economic development for the area, as it was about tourism.

“This is an important step toward Haiti’s continued economic growth,” said the former president, who had long pushed for a modern airport in the region.

“Investors will now be able to easily access industrial parks and a growing number of small businesses in and around Cap-Haïtien, and tourists will be able to visit important World Heritage sites.”

Maryse Pénette Kedar, a former tourism secretary of state who is president of Royal Caribbean’s Haitian subsidiary, also sees American’s expansion as “a major development.”

“This is great news for the northern region, for the people, the diaspora and the business

JACQUELINE CHARLES/MIAMI HERALD/MCT

Several private jets crowd the 7,500-foot runway at the airport in Cap-Haitien, Haiti. American Airlines is beginning daily nonstop service from Miami to Cap-Haïtien, making it the first major airline to add Haiti’s second largest city to one of its routes. community,” she said. “It is a gate opener and I am happy this is finally happening.”

Working on image American Airline’s entry into northern Haiti and the airport’s modernization comes as Haiti pushes to change its tarnished tourism image. Marketing the volatile country as a destination of choice for travelers has been a key focus of President Michel Martelly’s administration.

For instance, last month the singer-turned-president hosted the country’s second carnival — the Carnival of Flowers — this year, in the Champ de Mars in Port-au-Prince.

While critics say the impoverished nation, which can’t pay its judges and civil servants, shouldn’t be wasting its meager resources on partying, Martelly

said the festivities are a chance to sell a better image of Haiti and attract tourists.

So, too, is the airport in CapHaïtien, said Haiti’s Tourism Minister Stephanie Balmir Villedrouin.

The airport, she said, will serve as an international gateway to not only remote pockets of cascading waterfalls and pristine beaches, but also to the monuments telling the story of Haiti’s birth.

“The historical town of CapHaïtien, the Citadelle, the biggest fortress of the Americas, and the Palais Sans-Souci, will be less than two hours away from the United States,” said Villedrouin, who is set to sign another tourism-related project for the north with Carnival Cruise Lines. “This airport will welcome thousands of visitors looking for a history experience.”

International effort Preparing the airport to handle increased flights, international security protocols and nighttime landings and takeoffs has itself been an international effort.

While financing has come from Venezuela, the U.S. government has provided some security equipment through its law enforcement program, and technical help on security standards from the Transportation Security Administration. American Airlines, which was approached by the Haitian government to fly to Cap-Haïtien, also is stepping in with temporary terminals and other technical help, Torno said.

“We were also asked to partner with the government in terms of planning and execution of the terminal,” Torno said. “It really has come along very nicely.”

STOJ

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

AUGUST 8 – AUGUST 14, 2014

Meet some of

FLORIDA’S

finest

submitted for your approval

B5

Think you’re one of Florida’s Finest?

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

Florida Courier photojournalists were on board Royal Caribbean ships with thousands of “Tom Joyner Morning Show” fans on previous Fantastic Voyage cruises.

We’re featuring some of the “Finest” cruisers.

Photos by DELROY COLE/FLORIDA COURIER and TONY LEAVELL/FLORIDA COURIER

Ryan Gentles

Palmer to become first Black to play Cinderella on Broadway EURWEB.COM

It’s a fairy tale come true for Keke Palmer…literally.

The actress and BET talk show host said she’ll play the title role in “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” at the Broadway Theatre, beginning Sept. 9, reports the Associated Press. She will become the first African-American to play the part on the Great White Way. “It’s honestly one of those things that I can’t believe is really happening,” Palmer told the AP by phone on Aug. 1 from her Los Angeles home. “I’m very excited.

Very excited and nervous as well — a bunch of feelings all at once.”

The 21-year-old is stepping into the shoes first worn by Tonynominated Laura Osnes, then put on by “Call Me Maybe” Canadian pop star Carly Rae Jepsen and currently worn by Paige Faure, who launches a national

tour in the title role this fall.

Many film, TV roles The role also marks Palmer professional stage debut folKeke lowing a host of Palmer film and television roles, including “Akeelah and the Bee,” Showtime’s “Masters of Sex” and her BET talk show, “Just Keke.”

Her albums include the 2007 CD “So Uncool” and a self-titled 2012 EP. She also played Chili in “CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story” and starred in Nickelodeon’s “True Jackson, VP.” Additionally, Palmer appeared opposite Cicely Tyson and Vanessa Williams in Lifetime’s “A Trip to Bountiful,” which was nominated for an Emmy Award.

“She acts beautifully, she dances, she sings — she’s an amazing young woman,” Tony Awardwinning producer Robyn Goodman said. “I think she’s going to be just so lovely.”

The Illinois-born actress’ parents, Sharon and Larry Palmer, both worked as professional actors, and young Keke said she grew up watching theater and welcomes the discipline it will give her.

“Theater offers so much more than I haven’t been able to access doing film and TV and everything like that,” she said. “I’m very excited to learn all that it has to offer — that focus and that dedication to perform at a certain level every night.”

ie opposite Whitney Houston. “I feel like the reason I’m able to do this is definitely because Brandy did it on TV,” Palmer said. “In me doing this, it shows everybody that everything is possible.”

The producers of “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” have always been colorblind about casting the show, which Actors Equity honored for excellence in diversity on Broadway last year.

“We’ve always just cast the best people for the parts. Sometimes they’re African-American, sometimes they’re Latino, sometimes Asian-American,” Goodman said. “It’s wonderful when it works out and we’ve finally found our Cinderella.”

Recalls Brandy’s role

Broadway breakthroughs

One of Palmer’s heroines growing up was the singer and actress Brandy Norwood, who played Cinderella in a 1997 TV mov-

The traditional fairy tale has been given a sly and witty makeover by Douglas Carter Beane, who updated the story for a new

Sampling James Brown Since the 1980s, many hip-hop artists have used singer’s music in their tracks D.L. CHANDLER BLACKAMERICAWEB.COM

James Brown, better known as the “Godfather of Soul,” left behind a musical legacy that still captivates listeners to this day.

However, the late bandleader could very well be considered the Godfather of Hip-Hop and R&B as well, given how many acts have sampled his funky grooves.

Since the 1980s, hip-hop producers moved from spinning breakbeats and live instruments to the innovative style of sampling small bits of music and looping them in succession. The practice took hold, and it was rare that a hip-hop jam during this time didn’t feature some form of Brown’s influence.

In 1986, the duo of KRS-One and the late DJ Scott La Rock, better known as Boogie Down Productions, used a series of

Kardashian making $700k a day with mobile game

Brown songs for their big single, “South Bronx.” The song used Brown’s “Funky Drummer,” “Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved,” and “Get Up Offa That Thing.’’

In 1987, Eric B & Rakim’s “I Ain’t No Joke” sampled “Pass The Peas’’ while Biz Markie made great use of “Papa Don’t Take No Mess” for his 1988 classic, “The Vapors.”

BY PETER MUCHA PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER (MCT)

From LL to Brown himself LL Cool J also benefited from Brown’s sound, reigniting his career in 1990 with the hardcore “The Boomin’ System” from his hit album, Mama Said Knock You Out. The track sampled “The Big Payback,” which was also used in MC Lyte’s 1993 hit “Ruffneck.” The same sample made an appearance on R&B trio Total’s smash “Can’t You See” which featured verses from the late Notorious B.I.G. One of LL’s chief rivals, Kool Moe Dee, sampled Brown’s “Super Bad” for his track, “I Go To Work.”

Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth’s “T.R.O.Y.” (When They Reminisce

generation. The songs by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II include “In My Own Little Corner,” ”Impossible/It’s Possible” and “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful?”

“Every girl’s dream is that story so to be able to play is going to be a dream come true for me. Not to mention that Stuart Weitzman made the glass slippers I’ll be wearing,” Palmer said, laughing.

Winning the role of Cinderella is the latest breakthrough for African-Americans on Broadway, joining Norm Lewis as the first Black man to play the title role in “The Phantom of the Opera,” Nikki M. James playing Eponine in “Les Miserables,” James Monroe Iglehart as the manic Genie in “Aladdin” and Condola Rashad as Juliet opposite Orlando Bloom’s Romeo.

“Look around America. Broadway is a little behind America,” Goodman said.

CHUCK KENNEDY/MCT

James Brown performs during the “United We Stand: What More Can I Give?” benefit concert ON Oct. 21, 2001 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. Over You)” was released in 1992 and still gets plenty of play to this day. Pete Rock sampled Brown’s “A Blind Man Can See It” for the track, which was also applied to Blackstreet’s “No Diggity.”

Even Brown himself rocked over his own samples. His 1988 album, I’m Real, was produced

by Full Force and the title track

featured samples from the track “Get On The Good Foot” and “Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine.”

Over the course of his 50-plus year career, Brown recorded 71 studio albums, 14 live albums, 49 compilation albums and 144 singles. The biopic of his life, “Get On Up,’’ is now in theaters.

Whoever thinks life is fair never heard of Kim Kardashian.

We’re not even talking all the free publicity she gets like Yahoo! making her a lead story because — gasp! — she’s been married 73 days, one day more than her last marriage!

We’re talking major booty, as in cash, moolah, pirate treasure.

The fake celebrity/reality TV star is raking it in with a mobile game one reviewer said kills brain cells.

“Kim Kardashian: Hollywood,” which pretends to train people in a celebrity lifestyle, is making $700,000 a day, and could haul in $20 million this year, according to CNN. Her cut could be 45 percent.

The app is free, but apparently suckers, er, players are willing to pay for fancy virtual clothes and shoes with actual dough.

B6

Regional dishes featuring delicious peanut butter

F0OD

AUGUST 8 – AUGUST 14, 2014

FROM FAMILY FEATURES

In kitchens, cafeterias and restaurants nationwide, our local food preferences may be unique, and our culinary traditions may be diverse, but we all share a common bond: a love for peanut butter.

“Affordable, nutritious and of course delicious, peanut butter is a staple found in most American homes,” said Leslie Wagner, executive director of Southern Peanut Growers.

“While some parts of the country prefer their foods hot and spicy, others prefer savory or sweet. But no matter where you go, families

CAROLINA DREAMING APPETIZER MEATBALLS Recipe contributed by winner Janice E., Southeast region Servings: 24 meatballs 1/2 cup peanut butter 1/4 cup fig preserves 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey 4 green onions, finely chopped (including green tops) 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 large egg 1 teaspoon salt Diced green onion tops or chopped parsley (optional) Preheat oven to 425°F. Whisk together peanut butter, preserves, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice until well blended. Add ginger, black and red pepper, mixing well. Reserve.

Place approximately half peanut butter mixture into mixing bowl (reserve remainder for later). Add turkey, green onions, parsley, egg and salt to mixing bowl and mix lightly but thoroughly.

Roll mixture into 1-inch balls and place 1 inch apart on lightly greased, rimmed baking sheet.

Place into oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and brush tops of meatballs with remain­ing peanut butter mixture.

Return pan to oven and bake for about 5–8 minutes more, or until nicely browned.

Remove from oven. Arrange on serving plate and sprinkle with diced green onion tops or parsley, if desired.

Note: Use with decorative toothpicks placed in each meatball for easy consumption.

NUTTY JALAPENO-CHICKEN STUFFED PEPPERS Recipe contributed by winner Lori M., Southwest region Servings: 12 peppers 12 large jalapeno peppers, split open (not all the way through) and seeded 1/2 cup peanut butter 1 cup shredded cooked chicken 13-ounce package cooked bacon pieces 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1 cup crushed cornflakes Preheat oven to 350°F. Place peppers in medium bowl and cover with boiling water 2 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

In medium bowl, mix together peanut butter, chicken, bacon and cheese. Fill each jalapeno with mixture. Smear each pepper with a little mayonnaise and roll in cornflakes in shallow dish to cover.

Place jalapeno on non-stick baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until golden, about 15–20 minutes.

love making peanuts or peanut butter a key ingredient in their favorite recipes.”

To celebrate the unique flavors from coast to coast, and to find the best hometown PB recipes, Southern Peanut Growers conducted its first “PB My Way” regional recipe contest.

Peanut butter lovers nationwide submitted their recipes, from spicy stuffed peppers inspired by the South­west to decadent chocolate bars in the Northeast. These are the top regional PB-powered recipes in our “United States of Peanut Butter.”

For more recipes, visit www.peanutbutterlovers.com.

TOJ

AFTER SCHOOL PEANUT BUTTER APPLE PIE Recipe contributed by winner Alisa L., Midwest region Servings: 8 pieces Prepared pie crust Chopped peanuts (optional) Filling: 7 apples, peeled cored and sliced 2/3 cup sugar 3 tablespoons flour 1 teaspoon lemon juice Crumble: 3/4 cup rolled oats 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup brown sugar 1/2cup flour Place crust in 9-inch pie pan and crimp edges.

Use dried beans to weigh down bottom. Bake crust for 10–15 minutes, or until crust is lightly browned.

Mix all filling ingredients together and put in crust.

Using hands, mix crumble ingredients until in peasized pieces. Top apples with crumble. Don’t worry if sky high, apples will cook down and pie will be perfectly proportioned.

Bake at 350°F for 40–50 minutes. Keep edges covered with foil until last 15 min­utes. Garnish with chopped peanuts.

EASY PB & J BREAKFAST TARTS Recipe contributed by winner Susan M., West region Servings: 8 tarts 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour 6 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon sea salt 2/3 cup shortening 6 tablespoons peanut butter plus 4 heaping teaspoons for filling (1/2 teaspoon per tart) 1/2 cup cold water 5 tablespoons jam (strawberry works well) Drizzle option 1: 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 tablespoon jam 1 tablespoon milk Drizzle option 2: 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1/4 teaspoon strawberry extract, optional 1 tablespoon milk Preheat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl mix together flours, sugar and sea salt.

Using pastry cutter, cut-in shortening and peanut butter, until mixture resembles small peas.

Drizzle mixture with cold water until mixture is moist and holds together. Roll out on floured surface to at least 1/16th of an inch thickness.

Using 3-by-5-inch index (recipe) card for template, cut into sixteen 3-by-5-inch shapes.

Re-rolling works fine. In middle of eight shapes, smear 1/2 heaping tea­spoon peanut butter and heaping tea­spoon of jam on top.

Be careful not to go to edges. Using fingers, wet edges with water and place another piece of pastry on top. Press all sides well, and using fork press all edges to secure. Using fork, gently poke tops in four places so steam can escape.

Place inch apart on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 13–14 minutes until starting to brown around edges. Cool on rack.

Whisk together drizzle of choice in small bowl. Drizzle over cooled tarts.

Note: This pastry is very user-friendly and delicate.

Freeze tarts up to one month and defrost at room temperature before serving.

PENNSYLVANIA PB & C BARS Recipe contributed by winner Victoria Z., Northeast region Servings: 12 bars Crust: 1 cup melted butter 2 cups peanut butter 3/4 cup brown sugar 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 5 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 cup chopped peanuts Topping: 1 1/2 tubs chocolate frosting

1 cup peanut butter, melted 1 cup salted peanuts, chopped Preheat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, mix butter, peanut butter, sugars, salt, eggs and vanilla until well mixed.

Add flour and baking powder and mix thoroughly.

Spread on a 10-by-15-by2-inch ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 12–15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool.

Spread frosting over crust. Drizzle melted peanut butter over chocolate.

Sprinkle chopped peanuts on top of peanut butter and chocolate. Let set until topping is firm.

You can refrigerate cookie sheet to speed firming process, if desired. Cut into desired size bars.