Florida Courier - October 5, 2012

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Why Florida Supreme Court Justice Peggy Quince is under attack B1

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OCTOBER 5 - OCTOBER 11, 2012

VOLUME 20 NO. 40

NOTORIOUS GOP? Mitt Romney, the Republican National Committee, and the Republican Party of Florida – all of whom fought to restrict voter registration and early voting rules – collectively paid millions to a voter registration firm now under investigation for election fraud.

COMPILED FROM WIRE AND STAFF REPORTS

Multiple counties An FDLE spokeswoman said the agency received a complaint Sept. 28 from the Florida Department of State and has since found enough evidence to warrant a full-blown probe.

Suspect voter registration forms have shown up in at least Florida 10 counties, including Palm Beach – where more than 100 were discovered.

Submitting false voter registration information is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.

Republican organizations near and far quickly washed their hands of a company that was paid millions of dollars for a major get-out-the-vote effort in seven swing states, after Florida prosecutors launched an investigation into possible fraud in voter registration forms.

On Wednesday, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) launched a formal criminal investigation into the activities of Strategic Allied Consulting, a Virginia-based company hired by the Re- Almost $4 million publican Party of Florida Working through state (RPOF) to register voters in parties, the Republican Napreparation for the NovemSee GOP, Page A2 ber elections.

NAACP fights for civil rights restoration Scott blamed for reversing progress

BY BRANDON LARRABEE THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

JOE BURBANK/ ORLANDO SENTINEL/ MCT

FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY / 125 YEARS

Rattlers still strike after 12 decades

Hoping to take advantage of a nationwide focus on new voting restrictions, advocates of allowing former felons to more easily gain the right to vote called Tuesday for Gov. Rick Scott and the state clemency board to reverse a decision last year making the restoration of those rights more difficult.

With little more than a month before the November general election, the groups conceded that the changes were unlikely to be approved in time for the election.

But they hoped that the attention being devoted to a state-by-state battle over voting rights could help boost the restoration of rights isGov. Rick sue.

Scott “It’s easy to do dirt in the dark,” said NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous. “It’s harder to keep doing dirt in the light.”

More restrictive The clemency board, which consists of Scott and the Cabinet, voted in early 2011 to reverse a policy change four years earlier allowing felons who had completed their sentences and any other requirements of the criminal justice system to more easily gain the right to vote.

The new rules require offenders to wait between five and seven years after completing their obligations to apply for their rights to be restored.

FLORIDA A&M SPORTS INFORMATION

This week, FAMU held two days of special events in honor of its 125th anniversary. Former FAMU President Dr. Frederick S. Humphries was the keynote speaker for the Founders Day Convocation, as FAMU Student Government Association President Marissa West looks on.

See NAACP, Page A2

SNAPSHOTS NATION | A3

WORLD | A6

Presidential election could change direction of US Supreme Court

NAACP seeks UN help on voting issues

BOOKS | B2

Review of ‘NW’

by Zadie Smith

ALSO INSIDE

FINEST | B3

Meet Keyonna

Florida Courier wins print quality award The Southern Newspaper Publishers Association (SNPA) recognized the Florida Courier for excellence in newspaper printing at its News Industry Summit annual convention in Naples last week.

Newspapers were judged in five circulation categories: under 25,000 daily circulation; 25,001-50,000; 50,001-100,000; over 100,000; and a category for non-daily

The Florida Courier placed third in the non-daily category, behind the Bluffton Today of Bluffton, S.C. and the Jupiter Courier Newsweekly, Port Saint Lucie.

Kevin Conner, quality assurance manager of The Washington Post, Washington, D.C, chairs the SNPA’s annual Print Quality Contest and Evaluation.

Objective evaluation Judges evaluated entries only for those quality attributes that can be objectively The Florida Courier is printed at the measured: black ink density and uniformiScripps Treasure Coast facility in Port ty, color ink density and uniformity, color St. Lucie. register, page alignment, lithographic defects and other defects.

According to SNPA, its mission is “to be newspapers. The Florida Courier’s printer, Scripps Treasure Coast Publishing Com- the most valuable personal network for pany, entered the Florida Courier into the contest.

See AWARD, Page A2

COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4 COMMENTARY: DR. E. FAYE WILLIAMS: RECOVERY ON THE WAY DESPITE NAYSAYERS | A4

FOCUS

A2

OCTOBER 5 - OCTOBER 11, 2012

Is Obama a day late and a dollar short in Black Florida?

Most of us know that our Sunshine State is so important in presidential politics because (1) Florida has 29 electoral votes of the 270 necessary to elect a president, and (2) we are a “swing state” that can vote either Democrat or Republican.

But if you listen to most political pundits, this election is done and Bro. Prez will win easily. The president, who is a cautious politician, has already gone into a “prevent” defense/”four corners” offense that takes little risk. He will attempt to run out the campaign clock on Mitt Romney.

Not so fast Well, here’s news. The latest Real Clear Politics poll that averages various Florida polls show Bro. Prez up by 3.2 percent as of this writing. That average is within the collective margins of error of the polls, which means that Mitt Romney can still win Florida – a must-win state for him.

If Romney loses Florida, he’s done. But Bro. Prez can win without Florida if he holds many of the states he won in 2008. That’s another reason our state is so important; if Obama wins here, he puts Romney out of his misery. Thus, every vote counts here.

Here’s my evaluation of Obama’s Florida campaign thus far: • Obama’s Black voter campaign strategists must think it’s

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq. PUBLISHER

still 2008. As columnist Lucius Gantt has often written, every crackhead, pimp and prostitute in Florida registered to vote – many for the first time – and voted for The First Black President in 2008; all you had to do was point them to the polling places.

But Black Floridians’ enthusiasm for Obama began to slowly wane as a consequence of the 2008 multibillion-dollar bank bailout that left us all behind; the 2009 stimulus package that had little impact in our neighborhoods; and the disproportionate number of bank foreclosures among Black Americans that the Florida Courier began to report on in 2007.

Obama has not used the bully pulpit of the presidency nor the levers of power effectively to protect key voting blocs who put him in office – Blacks, Hispanics, and youth, especially college students.

Voter suppression and early voting restrictions were put in place by the GOP-dominated Florida Legislature in 2009 while Obama and the Department of Justice watched; they didn’t get into the fight until early 2012.

Bro. Prez’s reluctance to fight for his base has allowed the GOP to

make it harder to vote and has reduced the number of Black voters in Florida. That means that voter education, especially about proper absentee voting and having valid IDs, as well as early get-out-thevote (GOTV) efforts, should have already started in Florida – but they haven’t. Why not? Because...

• The campaign still takes Black voters for granted. Running a 2008 campaign in Black Florida in 2012 reflects the Democrats’ sense of entitlement with regard to non-White voters. (Obama should ask 2010 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink how that worked for her.)

Politicians and political parties put their money and time where their mouths are. Bro. Prez has spent no time seriously fighting for the Black vote. He’s only given a lackluster speech to the Urban League, softball call-in interviews on non-political Black radio talk shows – Tom Joyner, Michael Baisden, etc. – and hasn’t taken hard questions from Black journalists. (He refused to take questions when Black newspaper owners met him in the White House in March. I was there.)

As of this writing, the Washington Post reports that Obama has spend $174 million in TV ads alone. But the campaign hasn’t spent one dime on Black newspaper political ads anywhere in the country to date even though Nielsen Company research indicates that 28 percent of Black

NAACP

AWARD

from A1

from A1

Focused on Scott Though Attorney General Pam Bondi was also a key supporter of the change, much of the fire at a Tuesday news conference was focused on Scott.

“It should be unconscionable for all of us as citizens for a governor to turn back the clock on an entire group of citizens who, if they lived somewhere else, would be able to vote,” Jealous said.

Supporters of the restoration of civil rights said making it more difficult for felons to vote can actually make it harder for the offenders to rejoin society.

“What people don’t realize or fail to realize is once a person decides that they want to register to vote, they want to go down and make their voice be heard, that is part and parcel of being rehabilitated,” said Charles Dutton, an actor who spent years in prison for violent crimes.

As part of the effort to draw attention to the issue, the NAACP plans to have mobile billboards deployed to Florida, Virginia, Kentucky and Iowa – states that have some of the

GOP from A1 tional Committee (RNC) has sent more than $3.1 million this year to Strategic Allied Consulting, a company formed in June

by Nathan Sproul, an Arizona political consultant.

Lincoln Strategy Group, another Sproul company, was paid about $70,000 by the Mitt Romney campaign during the primaries to gather signatures.

In North Carolina, Colorado and Virginia – all swing states where Strategic Allied Consulting had been awarded lucrative contracts to register voters – the state Republican Party cut ties with the firm after learning of the issues in Florida.

It’s not yet clear if the firm has been involved in similar voter registration irregularities in states besides Florida. Elections officials in North Carolina and Colorado said Friday there haven’t been any reported problems.

Strategic Allied Consulting was the only vendor the RNC hired to register voters.

Sproul well-known Sproul is a fixture in Arizona Republican politics, a former head of the Arizona Christian Coalition and a veteran of a number of GOP campaigns. For three years, he was executive director of the state party.

BRANDON LARRABEE / NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

Actor Charles Dutton, an ex-felon, spoke in support of restoring civil rights for people who have served their criminal punishment. more difficult processes for the restoration of rights.

Voter suppression?

Many of those rules, originally rooted in post-Civil War movements to restrict the political power of freed slaves, have since become ways of suppressing the black vote in order to hold down Democratic votes, opponents argue.

Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, said the clemency board’s decision was aimed at making it more difficult for President Barack Obama to win reelection this year. Republicans

Sproul has operated other companies that have been accused in past elections of improprieties designed to help Republican candidates, including dumping registration forms filled out

by Democrats.

Various allegations In 2004, a company Sproul started was paid millions by Republicans to register voters. Employees in Oregon, Nevada, West Virginia and Pennsylvania alleged they were told to register only Republicans.

One worker in Las Vegas said he watched a supervisor tear up Democratic registrations.

The Department of Justice launched an investigation, but it did not lead to any charges. But the long record of allegations has made Sproul a lightning rod in political circles.

Both the RPOF and the RNC severed ties with the company after allegations arose last week that registrations were improperly gathered.

Palm Beach first Palm Beach County flagged 106 registration forms that had signature irregularities or incorrect information for voters already on file, such as new dates of birth and faulty Social Security numbers. Some of the forms in question attempted to change a voter’s address but violated state law by using business locations.

Unauthorized chang-

hold every seat on the clemency board.

“They saw the numbers and they saw the trend among exfelons to vote Democratic,” Joyner said of Scott and Bondi.

Scott’s office didn’t appear to be backing down.

“Gov. Scott believes that for convicted felons to re-enter civic society, they must demonstrate a commitment to remaining crime-free as well as a willingness to request to have their rights restored,” spokeswoman Jackie Schutz said in an email.

es of address could present problems when voters show up to cast ballots.

Florida voters used to be able to change or correct their addresses at the polls.

But under a recent change in the state’s election law, voters whose registration is in a different county from the polling place must use provisional ballots – which are much less likely to be counted.

“If they’re changing the addresses out of county, it is potentially disenfranchisement,” said Daniel A. Smith, professor of election law at the University of Florida.

Other counties affected After problems in Palm Beach County emerged, Florida counties from Miami to the Panhandle reported similar irregularities with voter registration forms that all tracked back to the Republican Party of Florida.

Last week, the RPOF made the unusual move of filing an election fraud complaint against Strategic Allied Consulting. While it led the charge to impose strict new regulations on outside groups that register new voters, the state party now claims it is the victim of fraud by a company that until two weeks ago was its highest paid vendor.

Caught by their law The ability of officials to track back registration applications to their source is

voters that won’t get to the polls – Florida’s ex-felons, who turned out in droves in 2008. In August, the Florida Courier reported that the Florida Parole Commission is sitting on more than 17,000 Restoration of Civil Rights certificates that would notify former felons that they can now register to vote. The American Civil Liberties Union cross-checked the names on those certificates with voter registration lists and found that 13,571 of them are not registered voters – presumably because many of them don’t know they’ve been cleared to register.

(The state says it didn’t have their addresses.)

The parole commission’s website - https://fpcweb.fpc.state. fl.us/ - allows viewers to search to see if an ex-offender’s rights have been restored. Did the campaign think to add the link to their registration website? Was any thought given to locating these folks? How much would it have cost to design and execute a media campaign just to this population of voter-eligible ex-felons? A day’s worth of Florida TV ads?

Next week – Hard head, soft behind.

“baby boomers’’ – Obama’s base of support – still consume print media, and 67 percent of Black Americans surveyed want to see ads targeting them. He’s spent a pittance on Black radio, and everything else on “mainstream’’ TV and on the Internet.

• Thousands of Black votes have been left “on the table.’’ Voter registration ends on Oct. 9 for the presidential election. On Aug. 29, a federal judge invalidated part of a law that reduced Democratic voter registration by almost 95 percent in Florida from 2008.

That same week, the Obama campaign spent more than $2 million for TV ads primarily in South Florida, Orlando and Jacksonville, according to the Washington Post.

Black fraternities, sororities, civil rights group local branches and churches could have been mobilized with Black-owned media statewide, at the campaign’s expense, to put on weekend voter registration drives for six weeks from Aug. 29 through Oct. 9. It would have cost the Obama campaign less than what was spent on TV ads for a single week in Orlando.

As part of its digital campaign strategy, the Obama campaign initiated a “Gotta Vote Florida” online campaign to register new voters. It’s been a failure. How do I know? It hasn’t been well-publicized – and it’s got only about 1,000 Facebook “likes.’’

And there’s another pot of Black

publishers to find and exchange ideas, solve problems and develop their businesses.” SNPA members include daily and non-daily news publications (in print or electronic format) primarily in the South. Members also include supplier companies, as well as journalism school professors and retired newspaper industry executives.

The Florida Courier, a 100-percent color newspaper, was the only Black-owned newspaper to win an SNPA Print Quality Contest award.

Design, color “Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers is proud to have a strong relationship with the Florida Courier, Florida’s only statewide Black newspaper,” said Bob Brunjes, president and publisher of Scripps Treasure Coast Publishing Company.

“When considering a wide range of potential products to enter into the SNPA 2012 annual print contest, the Florida Courier’s design and vibrant use of color photos and color advertising were the perfect choice to showcase our printing capabilities,” he explained.

“We are very proud of the talent-

an ironic twist to an election year that has been dominated by talk of voter fraud.

Republicans in the Florida Legislature, inspired by successful Democratic registration drives by groups like ACORN that they likened to fraud, pushed through a controversial and sweeping elections law during the 2011 session.

The law, House Bill 1355, required third-party organizations to register with the state and created a database that would help track new registration forms back to the group that submitted them.

The bill also limited the amount of days that can be used for early voting, required people who change their addresses at the polls to use provisional ballots, and required third-party groups to turn in registration forms within 48 hours or face hefty fines.

Republicans argued the bill was needed to reduce voter fraud, even though there was scant evidence of any in Florida.

A host of lawsuits were filed in response to the new elections law, although most of the provisions have been upheld. One that didn’t stick: the 48-hour registration requirement.

‘No way to know’ It’s because of the law that Florida supervisors of elections know instantly if a voter registration form was turned in by a thirdparty organization and, if

Contact me at ccherry2@ gmail.com; holler at me at www. facebook.com/ccherry2; follow me on Twitter @ccherry2. ed team who produce the Florida Courier week after week and we are pleased to get this great feedback from SNPA. On behalf of everyone at Scripps, I would like to say Bob ‘thank you’ to the Brunjes team at the Florida Courier for the opportunity to achieve these outstanding results.”

Strong partnership “Producing a successful newspaper is a collaboration of many people and organizations,” said Florida Courier Publisher Charles W. Cherry II. “Having a skilled, highquality print partner is critically important.

“A newspaper can have great stories written by skilled writers and fabulous graphic design. But if the printed newspaper is poor – with smudged or faded print, dark pictures, and other problems – all the great work done prior to going to print is meaningless.

“Scripps has been a consistent and valued print partner for us for the past five years,” Cherry exclaimed. “Their commitment to printing excellence makes it easy for the Florida Courier and Daytona Times staffs to put our best effort forward every week.”

Sunshine shenanigans

Election officials in at least 11 Florida counties have uncovered potentially fraudulent voter registration forms submitted on behalf of Republicans.

Ala.

Santa Rosa

Ga.

Okaloosa Walton Bay

Escambia

Pensacola

Jacksonville Clay

Duval

Tallahassee

Counties where possibly fraudulent voter registration forms are being turned in

Atlantic Ocean

Florida Tampa Charlotte

Palm Beach

Fort Myers Lee

Florida

Miami

Gulf of Mexico

Miami-Dade 100 km 100 miles

Source: Florida Division of Elections, Tribune Washington Bureau Graphic: Chicago Tribune

so, which one.

“Before that law, there would be no way to know where these voter registrations were coming from,” Cate said.

Requests task force Democratic U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch released a letter Monday to Republican Gov. Rick Scott asking him to appoint a bipartisan task force to investigate.

“We have a governor who has led this crusade against illusionary voter fraud for months in an effort to suppress the vote and kick eligible voters off the rolls,” Deutch said. “Now when he’s confronted with real

© 2012 MCT

voter fraud with major implications on the outcome of this election, he’s missing in action.”

In a statement, Scott noted that the company has been fired and its forms turned over to law enforcement: “We have zero tolerance for any illegal voting activity in Florida.”

Matea Gold, Melanie Mason, Franco Ordonez and Joseph Tanfani of the Tribune Washington Bureau; John Lantigua of the Palm Beach Post; and Michael Van Sickler, Tia Mitchell and Toluse Olorunnipa of the Miami Herald (MCT) all contributed to this report.

october 5 - OCTOBER 11, 2012

NATION

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Supreme Court to deal with two major race cases Presidential race could determine future decisions, direction of court

BY DAVID G. SAVAGE TRIBUNE WASHINGTON BUREAU (MCT)

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is not on the ballot in November, but its future direction on issues such as abortion, gay rights, gun rights, voting laws and the role of money in politics depends on who is elected president for the next four years.

The justices, who opened their annual term Monday, are closely split along ideological lines.

The current court has four liberals appointed by Democrats, four conservatives appointed by Republicans, and a centrist Republican in 76-year-old Justice Anthony M. Kennedy.

The court’s makeup means that a President Mitt Romney could tip the court decisively to the right if he were to replace liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 79, with a conservative. Similarly, a re-elected President Barack Obama could tilt the court to the left if he were to replace Kennedy or Justice Antonin Scalia, 76, with a liberal.

Average term: 25 years “A change in the ideology of only one justice could have a profound effect on the course of constitutional law,” said professor Geoffrey Stone at the University of Chicago Law School, where Obama formerly taught.

An Obama win “could bring about a significant — and in my view, healthy — change in the direction of the court,” he said.

Clint Bolick, a lawyer for the Goldwater Institute in Phoenix, is not rooting for an Obama victory, but he agrees the election could have a lasting effect on a closely split court. “The average justice remains in office nearly 25 years — more than six presidential terms. Supreme Court nomi-

THE COLLECTION OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES/MCT

The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court are from left: Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, Antonin Scalia, Stephen Breyer, Chief Justice John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Anthony Kennedy, Elena Kagan and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. nations are one of most enduring legacies a president has,” he said.

Obama’s two appointees — Justices Sonia Sotomayor, 58, and Elena Kagan, 52, — have generally liberal voting records so far. Sotomayor was in the minority in the 5-4 decision in the Citizens United case, which freed corporations and unions to independently spend unlimited sums on campaign ads, and Kagan opposed it when she served as solicitor general.

Affirmative action case this month Also pending are two major race-related issues. On Oct. 10, the court will hear a case from the University of Texas to decide whether to limit or end racebased affirmative action at colleges and universities. Kennedy and the court’s conservatives have been steadily skeptical of policies that treat people differently because of their race.

The court’s conservatives are also skeptical of the part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that puts much of the South under Washington’s scrutiny. Because of their history of racial discrimination, these states may not revamp their election laws until

they convince the Justice Department or a panel of judges that proposed changes would not have a discriminatory effect on Blacks or Latinos.

Texas and South Carolina failed that test earlier this year when they sought to put into effect new voter ID laws. Quite similar laws went into effect in Northern states, including Pennsylvania, which are not subject to this part of the Voting Rights Act. The justices will decide soon whether to hear an appeal from the South and decide whether what is widely regarded as one of the most effective civil rights laws of the 20th century has outlived its time.

Gay marriage also major issue Given one more liberal vote, the court would likely switch directions on campaign money and uphold laws that limit election spending and require the full disclosure of donors. With an extra conservative vote, however, the justices on the right are likely to go further and free big donors — including corporations — to give money directly to candidates and parties.

The law on abortion could al-

so switch with a change of one justice. With an extra vote on the right, the six Republican appointees would likely uphold strict regulation of abortion, and possibly, a criminal ban. With an extra vote on the left, however, the liberal bloc could strike down state or federal regulations that limit abortions or restrict abortion doctors.

This term, the court is being asked to rule for the first time on gay marriage, another issue likely to split the court on ideological lines.

More questions on marriage Two separate questions are pending. The first concerns the rights of legally married gay couples. Several judges have struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, and ruled that the federal government may not deny equal benefits to samesex couples who were married in states such as Massachusetts and Connecticut.

When the Obama administration refused to defend this provision, the House Republicans took up the cause. The justices have before them several appeals and are likely to decide in November

which case to take up.

Also pending is California’s Proposition 8 and the question of whether the U.S. Constitution gives gay couples a right to marry. After the California Supreme Court ruled for gay marriage in 2008, opponents put on the ballot and won approval for Proposition 8, which amended the state’s Constitution and restricted marriage to the union of a man and a woman.

In February, however, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down Proposition 8 in a 2-1 decision. The opinion by Judge Stephen Reinhardt did not say the U.S. Constitution gave gays and lesbians a right to marry in every state. Instead, he said California violated the Constitution by taking away a right to marry after it had been briefly granted.

Appeal pending on Proposition 8 The sponsors of Proposition 8 have an appeal pending before the high court (Hollingsworth vs.

Perry). The justices have put off a vote on it and are likely to consider it in November in conjunction with the DOMA cases.

In the court’s private conference, it takes four votes to grant an appeal, but five votes for a majority ruling. The conservatives and liberals may be wary of granting the appeal in the Proposition 8 case because they may not be sure where Kennedy would come down.

There are three options. The justices could turn down the appeal, which would clear the way for gay marriage to resume in California.

They could decide to hear the case because a federal court has voided a state constitutional amendment approved by the voters. Or, as many experts predict, they could opt to delay a decision on Proposition 8 until they have ruled on the DOMA cases.

EDITORIAL

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OCTOBER 5 - OCTOBER 11, 2012

Recovery on the way despite naysayers For far too long, we’ve been hearing such gloom and doom reports on the economy, on housing, on efforts to end Medicare and Medicaid, as well as ending Obamacare –as those of us who support affordable health care for all learned to affectionately call it when others tried to make the word a negative. As of late, all of these areas are looking up.

Some call the recovery a slow one, but hey, just like in sports, a win is a win! We are hearing about recoveries in many important areas. In all the polls, voters appear to be rejecting any talk of ending Medicare.

Finding the good We have had 30 months of job growth. I see people smiling and finding the good and praising it. I began to see the hope return dur-

Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. TRICE EDNEY WIRE

ing the recent Democratic Convention. I saw it at the recent Awards Brunch of the National Congress of Black Women, where we were blessed to have our usual number of attendees.

I spoke to a group of mostly senior women a few days ago, and they were “fired up and ready to go.’’ I left their meeting and went on to Columbus, Ohio, where I spoke to a diverse audience.

New polls came out that highly favored the candidates they thought best capable of protecting their interests, and as I talk with friends, they appear to be ea-

ger to get to Nov. 6.

As I spoke for an NAACP luncheon recently that celebrated diversity, I thought about how some African-Americans ask, “Why should I join? What have they done for me?” I shared my thoughts that, just as in the upcoming election when people ask, “What has my president, my senator or other representative done for me”, a more appropriate question sometimes is, “What are some of the negative things they have prevented from happening to me?”

We know historically that the NAACP has led in putting numerous laws in place to protect us, and has blocked lots of action that would have been detrimental.

We have a president who inherited massive problems that had to be repaired before being able to put parts of his agenda on which he campaigned into place. He had

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: Obama and Jobs Report Bump

Jeff Parker, Florida Today and the Fort Myers News-Press

Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 156 Presidential debate No. 1 – I’m watching with one eye as I’m putting 8-yearold Charles III to bed, and texting some 50-year-old frat brothers and classmates.

Initial impression: Mitt Romney tries to talk over moderator Jim Lehrer, who occasionally loses control like an NFL replacement ref. Bro. Prez doesn’t have high energy when he’s not in front of a live crowd.

He’s like a dull college professor tonight; we’ll see how it’s all spun and what the polls say.

Question: Does a tie go the ‘champ’ if you are the first Black prez? Or is there a different standard there, too? Does Bro. Prez have to knock Mitt Romney out and oratorically kick the bejesus out of him, or just answer the questions reasonably to be considered the winner? Just asking...

You can go online right now and read analysis publish reviews online. More in the ‘hard copy’ of the Florida Courier next week.

GOP and voter fraud – BWAWAHH HAA HAA HAA! That’s my ironic laugh that the Republican Party of Florida has pulled out its ‘voter fraud victim’ card. Wouldn’t it be something if Rick Scott’s Florida Department of Law Enforcement – which seems to have spent more time looking under FAMU’s skirts than anything else – actually found evidence of GOP voter fraud?

quick takes from #2: straight, no chaser

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq. PUBLISHER

What if the first person criminally prosecuted under Florida’s GOP-initiated ‘voter protection’ law is a longtime, nationally known GOP operative? BWAWAHH HAA HAA HAA! Want to know what really happened?

Think “Mission Impossible.” Remember, “If you are caught or killed, the secretary (the GOP) will disavow any knowledge of your actions. Good luck, Jim!” As long as dude didn’t get caught, they paid him his millions, and it was all good.

Nielsen report – Last week, I promised I’d get you a list of who’s a corporate friend of Black America and whom we are allowing to pimp us, based on the Nielsen demographic research about Black America’s consumer preferences. I’ll have that in next week, “fa sho.”

Contact me at ccherry2@gmail.com; holler at me at www.facebook.com/ ccherry2; follow me on Twitter @ccherry2.

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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to get the car out of the ditch before he could put it into gear. He had to clear a lot of ground before he could build.

He faced the monumental task of keeping America safe from terrorist activity on our shores, of preventing a total collapse of the banking system, of saving the automobile industry, of preventing America from losing more jobs to other nations, of preventing students from having no health care, and of preventing many of our young people from having to drop out of school because Pell Grants were not sufficient or did not go far enough in paying their school fees.

he helped us to overcome many other challenges that were totally unexpected.

Every day that I open my eyes, I find instances that prove recovery is on the way despite the naysayers. So, when I hear a young woman like Tara Wall, who’s benefited greatly from the President’s efforts, as well as the efforts of organizations like the NAACP, my heart breaks to think of the selfishness she exhibits in diminishing those efforts. Do you think she really believes she made it where she is on her own?

Dr. E. Faye Williams is chair of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc. www.nationalcongressbw.org and Obama defies odds board chair of the Black LeadMaybe he didn’t do everything ership Forum. Click on this he wanted to do—but as we judge story at www.flcourier.com to his record, we must consider how write your own response.

Why Black vote is so important As my good friend Matt Carter used to say, “Who can deliver? That is the question!”

Will President Barack Obama spend his campaign war chest on more television ads or will he spend some of his billions of campaign dollars on getting Black voters to the polls. It is no secret that Black voters in the United States will determine who will be in the White House and who will be in the political dog house!

White voters are divided.

Half will vote Democratic and the other half will vote Republican. Some white voters have no problem casting a vote for a Black man and some white voters wouldn’t vote for a Black president if their lives depended on it!

Black voters will decide Black voters will decide if Democrats can regain control of Congress and Black voters will decide if Democrats or Republicans will win state gubernatorial and legislative contests. Since the Black vote is so important, why is it that only one political party is trying to address that election matter?

The Republicans are doing everything they can to suppress Black votes by

Lucius Gantt THE GANTT REPORT

changing voting requirements and identification requirements and by limiting early and Sunday voting practices. Republicans are spending millions of dollars to fire up and motivate their Tea Party voters and other conservatives.

While the Democrats seem to be telling their most loyal block of voters don’t worry about getting any campaign money, just vote for the Black guy.

Turnout is key Historically, the Democratic Party has insisted on spending campaign contributions collected from Blacks and Hispanics on efforts to generate white votes. Well, the frequent voting Blacks that vote in every election will vote in November but will 20 or 30 percent of the Blacks registered to vote in the United States be enough to insure the reelection of the President? I think not!

Obama and other Democratic candidates must have an extraordinary turnout that equals or betters the turnout in 2008. Why? Be-

cause of Super PACs. Don’t worry about how much money the Republicans have compared to Obama’s campaign funding. Worry about the super rich conservatives that will spend tens of millions of their own money to pay for negative, false and misleading advertising!

The Democratic tactic of using 1960 campaign strategies like putting flyers on cars in the church parking lot will not encourage or inspire unemployed, underserved, exploited and disenfranchised AfricanAmericans to vote.

The last minute of the last weekend ads placed in Black newspapers and on Black radio stations may seem like too little, too late.

I hope Black people go to the polls and vote for the candidates they desire because the people hired to turn out voters for Democrats nationwide are little more than political jokes that wouldn’t know a campaign plan to get out the vote if they saw one!

Like The Gantt Report on Facebook and buy Gantt’s book “Beast Too: Dead Man Writing and contact Lucius at www. allworldconsultants. net). Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Candidates not talking about rise in poverty Last week, the New York Times reported a horrifying measure of America’s shame. Life expectancy for White women without a high school degree had decreased by five years since 1990, according to a study in Health Affairs. Five years. The least-educated White men lost three years in life expectancy. And the life expectancy for American women is now dead last among developed nations, according to the Human Mortality Database.

Life expectancy in many ways is the measure of civilization. It rises as a society conquers deadly epidemics like smallpox or the plague. It rises as mothers giving birth receive adequate health care and nutrition. It rises as children are well-fed and grow up in safe neighborhoods and stable families. It rises as adults earn enough to feed their families and afford health care for them. It rises as seniors gain dignity and adequate care at the end of a life of working. And, of course, it rises as medical science advances.

I remember the shock at the precipitous decline in Russian life expectancy with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Yet in the U.S., this report on our own decline came and went with little notice.

Poverty rampant Poverty is at record levels in the U.S. — now more than 48 million people. Wages are falling for working families. Health care, paid sick

Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

leave, adequate retirement pensions — all have been cut drastically.

The New York Times, citing an American Cancer Society study, reports that 43 percent of working-age adults with less than a high school diploma now go without health insurance, up from 35 percent in 1993.

In many of our urban areas, junk food abounds, but fresh vegetables and fruit are scarce and expensive. Too many poor children go to schools without playgrounds or gyms. In the ghettos and barrios of despair, drugs and violence threaten lives. But as we’ve seen, the drug epidemic extends even into rural areas scarred by meth addictions.

Life expectancy is a meter of our character, of what kind of society we are.

Yet this subject remains almost invisible on the campaign trail. President Barack Obama has focused his message, sensibly enough, on reviving a broad middle class that has been sinking over the last decades.

War on the poor Republican Mitt Romney mentions poverty, but his agenda features a war on the poor rather than a war on poverty. He calls for more tax cuts for the wealthy and

corporations, paid for by deep and harsh cuts in programs for the vulnerable — Medicaid, Medicare, aid to poor schools, child nutrition, Head Start, home heating assistance, affordable housing and more.

His harsh view of the “47 percent” as “victims” who can’t take responsibility for their lives essentially writes them off his radar screen.

The contrast with our great leaders is stark. Franklin Roosevelt summoned Americans to build an economic bill of rights that would seek to ensure good jobs, health care and retirement security to all willing and able to work.

Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty succeeded in reducing childhood poverty before it was lost in the jungles of Vietnam. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington sought to rally the country to address the plight of the poor.

In the presidential debates, we’re likely to see a lot of “gotcha questions” and sound-bite answers. But surely some focus should be on the spread of poverty and the shocking decline in life expectancy.

Jesus said our character is measured by how we treat the least of these. The debates should probe how the candidates will deal with the most vulnerable among us.

The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. is president and CEO of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

EDITORIAL

october 5 - october 11, 2012

Believers departing from teachings of Abraham To those who are attacking our embassies and are convinced they are committing an act of justice on behalf of the one true faith, I would say to you, that the one true God does not need mankind to seek justice on his behalf.

If you think your God needs human assistance, we are not worshiping the same God. My God doesn’t need my help. I need his.

I have been blessed with a gift for languages and an ability to travel abroad without people immediately recognizing me as an American. This affords me an opportunity to be privy to things people might not otherwise say in front of an American. I have heard things about Americans and Christians, that I was offended by.

Yet I have sat and listened, with these people eventually learning who I am. While they would usually apologize, these sometimes awkward situations could create opportunities for dialogues, teaching and new understandings of differing cultures.

I am not blind to sensitivities about the Prophet Mohammad, but there are more productive ways to get people to respect what you hold dear than death, destruction and chaos.

ARCHBISHOP COUNCIL NEDD II GUEST EDITORIAL

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VISUAL VIEWPOINT: CHARTS AT THE UN

deaths — where there are still people who can tell you about when the Irish Catholics immigrants fought a long and deadly war with the Ku Klux Klan because of prejudice and the arrogance of blind certainty.

The same arrogance of blind certainty had “Sam Bacile” produce an offensive film — “Innocence of the Muslims” — about a religion he believes to be a cancer. This arrogance of blind certainty had Egyptians tearing down an American flag and replacing it with a black flag in protest of the film.

Arrogance of blind certainty led a small group of Libyans to murder a man, U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens, whom many more Libyans believed was a hero of their revolution. The arrogance of blind certainty has the US embassy in Yemen under siege. And the arrogance of blind certainty has my neighbors referring to all Arabs by names I had believed, hoped and prayed had been removed from their vocabularies for good.

Gulf is clearly not coincidental, we must be careful to not paint all of these attacks with a broad brush.

This is not a monolithic Muslim conspiracy.

Current news today I find most interesting are about those in Egypt and Libya embarrassed by the actions of their own countrymen. The Egyptians and Libyans I have met during my extensive travels in the region have always maintained the majority of their fellow citizens love the American people despite having issues with American foreign policy. The situation in Lebanon, for instance, could easily be attributed to a spillover from the war in Syria — and Hezbollah and others taking advantage of the situation.

In Yemen, it is quite different in that there seems to be a deep-seated hatred of all things Western in Seek God, read scriptures general and American in particuOur government officials will relar. spond to these attacks abroad in the manner they deem necessary.

Blind certainty For the rest of us, it is time for peoMuslim conspiracy I live in an isolated and rural ple of faith to pray that the Holy While the timing of the events part of Pennsylvania where certain Spirit changes the hearts of those in the Middle East and Arabian prejudices die hard, long and slow who believe they have a direct and

Nate Beeler, The Columbus Dispatch

unique access into the heart of God and can speak and act on his behalf.

Galatians 6:7-8 says: “[D]o not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, so shall he reap.For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

Those who coordinated the attacks should apologize to their God (astigfru allah) for what they have wrought. For those so easily duped in to going along with what increasingly seem to be coordinated attacks, those people must spend time reading their scripture and pay attention to what is real-

ly written. What is happening is a radical departure from any of the Abrahamic teachings.

Archbishop Council Nedd II, a member of the national advisory council of the Project 21 Black leadership network, has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf and helped in the creation of a new Episcopal parish in the United Arab Emirates. He is the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Missionary Church in the United States and the Archbishop of Abu Dhabi. Email: Project21@nationalcenter.org, Click on this story at www.flcourier. com to write your own response.

Liberals missing point on Chick-fil-A CEO's gay-marriage stance Overly sensitive liberals are crying foul over Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy’s admission that he is a supporter of traditional marriage.

Why?How can one not already have figured that the head of one of the most well-known faithbased businesses in America — a business closed on Sundays so employees would “have an opportunity to rest, spend time with family and friends and worship if they choose to do so” — would favor defining of marriage as solely between a man and a woman.

Cathy’s crime is his open faith, having outing himself as a supporter of traditional marriage and further said: “We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that… We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles.”

DEMETRIUS MINOR GUEST EDITORIAL

Cathy’s comments put a target on Chick-fil-A. “There is no place for this type of hate in our great City of Brotherly and Sisterly Affection,” said Philadelphia City Councilman James Kenney.

Stand spawns hatred Boston Mayor Tom Menino said: “I don’t want an individual who will continue to advocate against people’s rights. That’s who I am and that’s what Boston’s all about.” More liberal politicians pledged to neglect their commitment to creating jobs when it comes to considering applications for new Chick-fil-A restaurant in their cities.

I think liberals are missing a vital point in their blind hatred of Chick-fil-A. Being against gay

marriage is not being anti-gay. I am personally against same-sex marriage. It’s my moral conviction that marriage is a holy and sacred union between God, man and woman. But I am not against homosexuals. In consistence with my faith in God, I believe in showing love towards everybody without discrimination.

I also love Chick-fil-A. Life just doesn’t quite feel complete without a good chicken sandwich, waffle fries dipped in barbeque sauce and a large sweet tea that never fails to quench the thirst.

Convictions outdated Sadly, however, it seems that those who stand by moral principles today are often considered intolerant by their leftist critics. Logic on the left says religious convictions are outdated, irrelevant and an expression of cynicism and hatred. It is the secular and mainstream perception in this socio-cultural paradigm shift that recommends Christians turn a blind eye and deaf ear to princi-

White people must live up to Constitution “Can’t understand why we treat each other in this way… no matter what is said or done, we are one…”

– Frankie Beverly and Maze National politics in the United States of America has not been so divisive since the American Civil War 150 years ago. Similar to the period leading up to the American Civil War our nation is divided along entrenched ideological lines.

Unlike the Civil War the possible second term of a sitting president may well further divide the Union. Presidents Lincoln and Obama — leaders caught in the middle of historic downturns of national economies and civility — share some qualities, among them their home state of Illinois and the vitriolic relationship between Americans who share the same country.

Civility vs. patriotism Yet, at the end of the day, we are one people, occupying one nation. As such, despite our political differences, civility should be the predicate to patriotism.

Not long after the ink was dry following the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States, who became the first African-American to serve as America’s Commander-inChief the highest ranking U.S. legislator, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-

interrupted the President and yelled, “You lie!” Really?

Gary L. Flowers NNPA COLUMNIST

KY) stated publicly that the Republican Party’s top priority was not to make our nation a more perfect union, but to limit President Obama to one term.

Similarly, the highest-ranking member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), since taking office in 2010 has led a transparent band of Republican obstructionists in Congress to any and every policy proposal of the Obama Administration. Worst still, Speaker Boehner has been unwilling or unable to corral the vulgar words and actions of so-called “Tea Party” members of the Republican Party.

For example, he stood with House colleagues, who furled banners over the Capitol railings in support of Tea Party protesters as they spit on African-American Democratic Congressmen who walked through crowds to enter the Capitol Building. Yes, spitting!

And let us not forget the first State of the Union address by President Obama before a Joint Session of Congress in which Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) uncivilly

No Negro problem Maybe Dr. Maya Angelou is right when she says our nation is the “Yet-to-Be United States of America.” Perhaps Frederick Douglass was prophetic when he opined, “There is no Negro problem. The problem is whether the American people (White people) have loyalty enough, honor enough, and patriotism enough to live up to their own Constitution. “ Certainly Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. was correct when he exclaimed, “we must live together as brothers and sisters or perish separately as fools.”

On November 7, 2012, the day after American presidential elections, all Americans — Democrats, Republicans, and more progressive political parties — must make manifest the words, Red, Yellow, Brown, Black, and White, we are All precious in God’s sight.

We are one. Let respect rule our words and actions. Anything less is un-American.

Gary L. Flowers is executive director and CEO of the Black Leadership Forum.

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

ples to accommodate what the left deems to be socially acceptable.

So I strongly salute Chick-fil-A and others who stand for traditional marriage and withhold discrimination from those who believe differently from them. The last time I checked, Chick-fil-A wasn’t expressing a desire for gays not to eat at their restaurants or seek employment with them.

The leftist assault on religious convictions is beyond asinine and absurd. The moment we forsake our moral principles for the sake of being culturally relevant, we lose not only our influence but our God-given identity. I personally refuse to be a token of tolerance if it insists on me betraying my principles for temporary satisfaction or popularity.

Ironically, those preaching tolerance often neglect to practice it.

For example, because of my outspoken beliefs, a liberal named Khayree Billingslea posted his perception of me on my Facebook wall: “You are a sickening presence in my newsfeed. When I reflect on

the strange permutations of mankind that manifest themselves in the world and have the audacity to speak, I am confronted with thoughts of you as the most glaring example of that.”

What is my response to Khayree’s insulting and provocative remark? I think I’ll respond with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr: “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to care.”

Tolerance is the ability to love and to remain grounded in one’s conviction and belief. This has been and will continue to be my stance.

Demetrius Minor is a member of the national advisory council of the Project 21 Black leadership network and co-host of the BlogTalkRadio show “He Said, She Said” with Project 21 member Stacy Washington. Comments may be sent to Project21@ nationalcenter.org. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Obama won’t win unless we work for it In late Septembe, r the “nonpartisan” website Real Clear Politics (realclearpolitics.com) reported that President Obama leads Republican nominee Mitt Romney is several battleground states.

According to the polls, President Obama leads by 5.2 percent in Ohio, 4.5 percent in Virginia, 4.2 percent in Nevada, 4 percent in Iowa, and 3 percent in Florida. Do we believe the polls? I’m not so sure. But I surely don’t believe these polls should alter an aggressive effort to re-elect this Democratic president.

There are lots of ways to do voter suppression. One is to deny people ballots, or to change the rules on voting. Mandatory state-issued ID, new and more distant polling places, and all of the shenanigans documented by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (www.lawyerscommittee.org) are other methods of voter suppression.

Well-informed voters repel these shenanigans, but some voters fall for them. If such tawdry tactics affect only a few voters in a few precincts, they can have an impact on an electoral outcome. That’s why it is so effective to go door to door on Election Day, to provide rides for those who need them, and to do anything and everything to ensure that every voter gets out. That’s why it also makes sense to encourage early voting, especially for the elderly and others who may have challenges getting to the polls.

Enthusiasm can’t recede

DR. JULIANNE MALVEAUX TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

the President is leading, then some will pull back on their efforts. And that’s exactly what some Republicans are counting on.

Jay Cost, who writes for the conservative Weekly Standard, told radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt that “Democratic enthusiasm is going to recede”.

Another analyst said that the current polls are assuming a “record Democratic turnout”.

My grandmother used to say, “Don’t feed me fat meat and tell me it ain’t greasy”. Or, “Don’t spit on me and tell me it’s raining.” In other words, don’t believe the hype. To be sure, President Obama may be leading the polls in some states, but polls are like putting your finger in the air to see which way the wind blows.

Don’t believe polls Thus, polling results are both good news and provisional news. The good news – the polls tell us that an Obama win is not only possible but likely. The provisional news – President Obama won’t win unless we work for it.

It ain’t over til it’s over, and the outcome of this election will depend on the work that is done in the next several weeks.

Julianne Malveaux is a D.C.I am wondering if these polls showing President Obama in the lead in based economist and author. Click key states represent another form of on this story at www.flcourier.com subtle voter suppression. If we think to write your own response.

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WORLD

OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 11, 2012

NAACP takes felon voting rights fight to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Racism urged to take look at election laws in US TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

The NAACP spoke up at the 21st session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland last week for the rights of millions of former felons who have been denied the right to vote.

“Today, nearly 5.3 million U.S. citizens have been stripped of their voting rights on a temporary or permanent basis, including more than 4.4 million citizens who are no longer incarcerated,” said Lorraine Miller, chair of the Advocacy and Policy Committee of the NAACP board of directors, during a panel Hilary discussion.

Shelton “We commend U.S. Attorney General Holder for his work to prevent the implementation of recent challenges to voting rights,” Miller added. “However, we remain deeply concerned with the continued practice and discriminatory impact of felony disenfranchisement. We are here to urge the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on Racism to investigate racially discriminatory election laws.”

their sentence.

Florida joined the list this year after current Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, reinstated felony disenfranchisement restrictions even though his two pre-

decessors, Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist, worked to remove them.

Hilary Shelton, NAACP senior vice president for advocacy, said such policies block access to the bal-

lot box to those who need it most.

“These forms of disenfranchisement prevent those most in need of an advocate from the ability to elect someone who will

represent their concerns: the need for a decent public education, for a health care system that addresses their specific demographic needs, as well as the creation of decent jobs, a

functional criminal justice system and other basic human needs.”

This story is special to the Trice Edney News Wire from GIN.

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Suite of laws Earlier this year, the NAACP sent a delegation to Geneva to bring attention to a suite of laws, including voter ID measures, voter roll purges and reduced voting hours that could result in voter suppression.

Many of those measures, along with laws that bar felons from voting booths, unfairly target African-Americans and other minorities, NAACP officials argued. More than two million African-Americans are among those felons who cannot vote, yet Blacks make up less than 13 percent of the U.S. population, officials said.

Kemba Smith Pradia, a convicted felon whose romantic link to a drug dealer resulted in her incarceration, decried the fact that she cannot vote in her home state of Virginia.

History lesson A published author and ex-offender rights advocate, Pradia said she believes such policies are guided by racism.

“Even if I did understand the state of Virginia’s hesitancy to automatically restore a [felony convict’s] right to vote, how could the state totally ignore that these felony disenfranchisement laws had racial intent and emerged after the 15th Amendment?” she said at the panel.

“In 1901, Virginia state delegate Carter Glass stated, ‘This plan…will eliminate the darkey as a political factor in this State in less than 5 years, so that in no single county…will there be the least concern felt for the complete supremacy of the white race in the affairs of government.’

“It’s time for Virginia to right this wrong and follow suit with the majority of other states across the United States.”

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Florida on list Virginia joins Florida, Iowa and Kentucky as the only states that continue to disenfranchise persons convicted of felonies even after they have completed

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HEALTH FOOD || HEALTH TRAVEL | |MONEY SCIENCE | BOOKS | MOVIES | TV | AUTOS LIFE | FAITH | EVENTS | CLASSIFIEDS | ENTERTAINMENT | SPORTS | FOOD October 5 - October 11, 2012

IFE/FAITH

Dolce & Gabbana criticized for ‘Aunt Jemima’ earrings See page B3

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

Cooking with olives, olive oil See page B4

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Florida Supreme Court Justice Peggy Quince, who has had an exemplary high court career since 1998, is under attack in an unusual campaign battle

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FROM STAFF REPORTS

n 1998, Justice Peggy Quince was appointed by the late Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles and Gov.-elect Jeb Bush to the Florida Supreme Court, becoming the first African-American woman ever to serve on the state’s highest court.

On the day she was sworn in, she reserved six rows of seats for children from her church in Tampa “so they could see firsthand that with education, hard work, and determination, great things are possible for anyone.’’

After being appointed to the Supreme Court in 1998, Quince was overwhelmingly retained for additional terms by the voters of Florida in 2000 and 2006.

She was also chosen by her colleagues to serve a two-year term as Chief Justice in 2008.

But this year, there is an unusual campaign push to ouster Quince and two of her fellow justices.

‘Judicial activism’ blamed Republicans are trying to oust Quince along with Justices Barbara Pariente and R. Fred Lewis for their “judicial activism’’ and give the Legislature greater power over Supreme Court appointments and judicial rules of procedure.

The campaign against the justices includes the Republican state party officials and a grassroots conservative group, Americans for Prosperity, founded by Charles Koch and part-time Palm Beacher David Koch.

The complaint against the justices? Obama’s health care law, for one.

In a 2010 ruling, the Florida Supreme Court removed from the ballot a nonbinding amendment allowing Floridians to refuse to buy mandatory health insurance. The justices ruled that the required ballot summary contained “misleading and ambiguous language” and asked the Legislature to fix it.

Lawmakers did, and it is back on the ballot this year.

The initial ruling was one of several, including decisions on redistricting and property taxes and, going back to 2000, the ballot recount in Bush v. Gore, that have displeased conservatives in the state and in the Republican-dominated Legislature, which has tried since then to exert greater control over the court.

How system works Lewis and Pariente were named by Chiles, a Democrat while Quince was chosen by both Chiles and Jeb Bush during the 1998 transition. No justice has ever lost a retention battle. All three of these justices were returned to the bench in 2000 and again in 2006.

Florida Supreme Court justices appear on the ballot every six years as part of a system of merit retention. Floridians

Rocky road to retention Left: Justice Peggy Quince is shown at a graduation with her family. Below: Quince became Florida’s chief justice in 2008 and served two terms in the position. Bottom left: Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is shown honoring Quince.

are asked to vote yes or no on whether the justices should remain on the bench. The system of selecting and retaining justices and appellate judges based on competence, and not politics, was put into place in the 1970s after a series of scandals involving popularly elected partisan judges.

Until recently, the process was widely praised and largely free of politicking. But in 2010 that began to change.

Old case brought up The Florida Republican Party’s executive board also has singled out a 2003 case in which the court reversed the murder conviction of a man who tied a woman to a tree and set her on fire, and ordered a retrial on technical grounds.

The United States Supreme Court reversed the decision, saying the justices had applied the wrong standard, and remanded the case to the Florida court.

Ultimately, the conviction was affirmed, and the man remains on death row. By announcing its opposition to the three justices, the Republican Party avoids clashing with a law that prevents political parties from endorsing judicial candidates. In its statement, the party said the justices were “too extreme not just for Florida, but for America, too.”

The justices have collectively raised more than $1 million to fight back, though judicial canons limit what they can say in their own defense.

Amendment 5 Even as the justices fight to hold onto their seats in merit

elections scheduled for November, a ballot proposal that would change how future appointees are named to the court is also headed to voters.

The most contentious part of Amendment 5 would subject all Supreme Court nominations to confirmation by the Florida Senate. The measure would also lower the bar for the Legislature to overturn court rules and would give lawmakers access to the records of judicial investigations, something that could be used in the impeachment process.

Currently, justices are selected by the governor from a list of

candidates sent to him by the Supreme Court Judicial Nomination Commission and take their seats on the court. They later go before voters in “merit retention” elections, where they face no opponent but must get the support of a majority of voters.

Opponents see the amendment as another effort to undermine the independence of the court.

‘Voters should be appalled’ Many newspaper editorial boards around the state are

weighing in – blasting the Florida GOP for its efforts and endorsing the justices.

The Tampa Bay Times had this to say, “Voters should be appalled. Merit retention is not about whether you agree with the court’s opinions. It is about qualifications, knowledge and impartiality. Appellate courts and individual judges and justices routinely disagree, which is why decisions often are appealed to another level. This is how our judicial system works.

“Justices Lewis, Pariente and See QUINCE, Page B2

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OCTOBER 5 - OCTOBER 11, 2012

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FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR Tampa: The Tampa Bay Women in Leadership Symposium will be held Oct. 5. beginning at 8 a.m. at 4050 Dana Shores Drive. Registration is $49 person. More information or to register: Contact Ameerah Mukayed at Ameerah.Mukayed@floridadiversitycouncil.org.

Clearwater: Enjoy a night of jazz with Kim Waters at Ruth Eckerd Hall Oct. 5. at 7 p.m.

1111 McMullen Booth Road.

More information: 813-7856235 or www.rutheckeredhall.com.

Tampa: The West Tampa Community Development Corporation and The National Institute for Strategic and Tactical Planning will host a free professional grant-writing workshop in basic grant writing on Oct. 13 from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at West Tampa Library - 2312 West Union St. Oct. 19 and Oct. 26 from 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, 1002 E. Palm Ave. More information: Michael Randolph, 813-8577657, wefindgrants@aol.com or mikeconsultant@gmail. com to confirm a seat and to attain an invitation and workshop packet. No one will be admitted without an invitation.

St. Petersburg: “An Evening of the Arts in Celebration of Mr. Harry Belafonte’’ is scheduled Oct. 6 at The Mahaffey, 400 First St. South.

The Harlem Renaissancethemed event, which begins at 8 p.m., will feature per-

MARY MARY

Gospel duo Mary Mary will perform at the Florida Theater Jacksonville Oct. 25 for an 8 p.m. show.

R. KELLY

The Single Ladies Tour featuring R&B Superstar R. Kelly will stop at the James L. Knight Center, Miami Oct. 21 for a 7:30 p.m. show.

SINBAD

Comedian Sinbad makes his way to the Orlando House of Blues Oct. 12 for an 8 p.m. show. formances from a number of artists.

Orlando: Frankie Beverly & Maze will be at the House of Blues Orlando Oct. 5 for a 7:30 p.m. show.

West Colonial Drive. Tickets are $25 in advance, $35 at the gate. Children 10 and under $10. More information: Gospelnowfest.com.

Orlando: Tyler Perry’s “Madea Gets a Job’’ makes a stop at the University of Central Florida Arena in Orlando on Nov. 8 and the American Airlines Arena in Miami Nov. 9-10.

Tampa: A Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival bid whist-spade tournament will be held Oct. 6 from 10 a.m. - noon at the Heritage Isles Golf and Country Club, 10630 Plantation Bay Drive.

A portion of the proceeds will generate a scholarship fund to promote the arts. Cost: $36 individual, $67 team of 2 or $124 team of 4. More information: tampablackheritage.org.

Orlando: The 2nd Annual Gospel Now Fest 2012 featuring live entertainment, food and merchandise vendors, bounce houses, video games and more will be held Oct. 13, 1 p.m. at the Central Florida Fairgrounds, 4603

Jacksonville: Jennifer Holiday will perform at Edward Waters College during its 11th Annual Fine Arts Scholarship Benefit Concert at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts on Oct. 14 at 8 p.m.

St. Petersburg: Enjoy an evening of jazz with Victor Wooden at the State Theater on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m.

Orlando: Senator Gary Siplin is hosting a health and social services fair Oct. 20 at Evans High School, 4949 Silver Star Road. Children ages 11 through 18 years old, living in Orange County and uninsured, can be registered for a free physical medical exam by Teen Express of Orlando Health. Information on Medicaid/Medicare, the WIC program, child support collection, breast cancer prevention will be available.

More information: 407-2972071.

Tampa: The Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival will host the Seventh Annual Heritage Golf Classic Fundraiser on Oct. 6 at Heritage Isles Golf and Country Club, 10630 Plantation Bay Drive.

Teams and individuals interested in participating can register at 813-2052466. Golf tournament fees

Scholarships to help college students stay fit StayFitInCollege.org, which promotes fitness in college, has announced scholarship awards for the 2012/2013 academic year. The scholarship award aims to help students avoid the dreaded freshman 15.

Any student that attends a university, community college or even a technical/trade college may apply for the scholarship award. Prospective student applicants should contact their school’s scholarship office and request an application or visit www.stayfitincollege.org/scholarship-awards.html to be considered.

are $100 for individual participants and $350 for a foursome, which includes lunch. Registration begins at 7 a.m. and the tournament will begin at 8 a.m. Trophies will be awarded.

Jacksonville: Comedian and actor Kevin Hart performs at the Times-Union Center for

the Performing Arts Oct. 12 for a 7 p.m. show.

St. Petersburg: First Fridays are held in downtown St. Petersburg at 250 Central Ave. between Second and Third Avenues from 5:30 p.m.10:30 p.m. More information: 727-393-3597.

‘NW’ takes readers in unexpected directions

BY DR. GLENN ALTSCHULER SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

Zadie Smith sets her new novel in the poor, dingy section of northwest London, where she was born in 1975. You would be wrong to dismiss it, one of her characters insists, “because actually it’s very interesting, very ‘diverse.’”

The four main characters in “NW’’ were born and raised in Caldwell, a housing project, with tower blocks named for great English philosophers: Adam Smith, Thomas Hobbes, Jeremy Bentham, John Locke and Bertrand Russell. And for many residents, life in the neighborhood was, indeed, nasty, brutish, and short.

Befitting the locale, Smith’s thirty-something protagonists are a diverse lot. Leah Hanwell, an Irish redhead, the only White in the quartet, is married to Michel, a half Algerian, half Guadloupian hairdresser (“he can do cain row, he can do extensions”).

Other characters Keisha (renamed Natalie) Blake, Leah’s best friend (and rival), a lawyer married to an Italian-Trinidadian banker, has done better than just about anyone else from Caldwell.

Felix Cooper, an aspiring filmmaker, who has worked in catering, retail, trucking, and T-shirt-making, as a mailman and a car mechanic, is “more about the day-to-day.” And Nathan Bogle is still a boy in the ‘hood, “looking at myself asking myself Nathan why you still here.”

Not always clear With plots that sometimes intersect, sudden shifts in narrative styles and in the story itself, “NW’’ is not always easy to follow.

Nor is it all that clear what Smith is trying to tell us.

At its best, however, “NW’ is a powerful and poignant description of social class

BOOK REVIEW in contemporary London, where people like Felix Cooper can “spend their whole lives just dwelling” – or dwelling “on some of the shit that has happened to them.”

And where people like Leah Hanwell and Natalie Blake, who “move up in the game” and “grasp the metaphor,” find it hard to figure out when – or whether – to declare the game over.

‘Ruthless competiton’ Smith conveys, quite vividly, the ways in which Western culture – and capitalism – render “ruthless competition” as the core component of human relationships. How Caldwell kids “did not have the luxury of mediocrity.” And what they were up against.

Her classmate, Michelle Holland, Natalie recalls, was a math prodigy. With her father in jail, Michelle lived with her grandmother in high-rises, which “had nothing to recommend them.” She was “sensitive and sincere, awkward, defensive, and lonely.”

Natalie was not surprised, however, to learn that she dropped out halfway through her final year at the university: “No drink or drugs or bad behavior.

She just stopped. Stopped going to lectures, studying, eating. She had been asked to pass the entirety of her through a hole that would accept only part.”

‘A bright list’ Careful to identify these perceptions as Natalie’s, Smith also enters into – but not to endorse – Natalie’s sense that “because of a long process of neglect” she had “lost the generative power to muster an alternative future for herself.”

Alas, Smith writes, Natalie could only envision “suburban shame, choking everything. She thought to the left and thought to the right but there was no exit.”

Although Smith’s thinking surely lists decidedly to the left, she tries to have it both ways.

Natalie’s closing sermon to Leah (undercut as “automatic and self-referential”) features a “bright list” that contrasts those who are smarter, work harder, and want to get out with those who aren’t and don’t, claims that “people generally get what they deserve,” and concludes that if you’ve got a job, a husband who loves you, friends, and family “you’re doing all right.”

Does Zadie Smith intend for us to read her conventional ending – and look at ourselves asking ourselves if we believe it?

Glenn C. Altschuler is the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies at Cornell University.

On July 1, 2008, Quince assumed the office of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida, the first Black woman and the second African-American – after Justice Leander Shaw – to hold the position.

QUINCE from B1 Quince carry out their duties with integrity, professionalism and impartiality. We don’t agree with all of their decisions, including some of the ones the state GOP is attacking.

But those decisions represent a fraction of their rulings. They have done absolutely nothing to warrant a “no” vote in November. They have strictly followed judicial canons mandating that they “not be swayed by partisan interests, public clamor, or fear of criticism.”

On her website, Justice Quince has stated about her career, “No one should come before the court system and feel that they have been treated unfairly. You may lose, but you still should come out of the court system feeling that you have been treated fairly.’’

Longshoreman’s daughter Quince was born in 1948 in Norfolk, Va., and raised by her father, a civilian longshoreman who worked loading ships for the Navy.

Her family didn’t have much but her father instilled in her the value of hard work and responsibility. She knew from an

early age that education would be a priority.

“As a part of growing up in Virginia, living in a rural area, you have to catch the bus to school, and the bus came very early. And my father would be gone to work by the time the bus came, so there was no one to take you to school if you missed the bus. My father did not want to hear about missing the bus,” she stated.

HBCU graduate Quince took her father’s lessons to heart. She won a scholarship to historically Black Howard University, graduating in 1970, and went on to get a law degree from Catholic University in 1975. And while her father died before her eventual appointments to the Second District Court of Appeal and later to the Supreme Court, Solomon Roosevelt Quince, Sr. did get to deliver some of the best news of Peggy Quince’s life.

“In Virginia, they used to publish all the names of the people who had passed the bar exam and that was in the newspaper even before you got your personal letter. My father had gone to work and called me that morning to tell me after reading it in the newspaper. You could hear the tears in his voice,” she recalled.

Quince began her legal career in Washington, D.C.

administering the city’s new rent control law as a hearing officer with the Rental Accommodations Office. She entered private practice in Norfolk in 1977, and upon moving to Bradenton in 1978, opened a law office where she practiced general civil law.

Handled death penalty cases In 1980, Quince went to work as an assistant attorney general in the criminal division of Florida Attorney General’s Office, where she handled numerous appeals in the Second District Court of Appeal, the Florida Supreme Court, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.

She spent 13 with the Attorney General’s office, including three spent handling death penalty cases exclusively, and five as the Chief of the Tampa Bureau.

Quince is married to attorney Fred L. Buckine.

They have two daughters, Peggy and Laura. Quince is involved in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Jack and Jill of America, the Urban League, the NAACP and The Links.

Information from the News Service of Florida and New York Times were used in compiling this report.

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FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

OCTOBER 5 - OCTOBER 11, 2012

Meet some of

FLORIDA'S

finest

submitted for your approval

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Think you’re one of Florida’s Finest?

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

d. andre

D. Andre of St. Augustine and Jacksonville loves fitness and bodybuilding. He says he’s a God-inspired athlete who is highly motivated to succeed. The current club promoter and bouncer enjoys spending time with family, friends, and, most of all, passionately pursuing bodybuilding competitions.

He wants to someday become a champion in the sport. Contact Andre at trueimagephil@aol.com.

T I Photography by Phil Jacksonville native Keyonna Brown, 21, describes herself as a people person, very caring and loyal. “I would say that I’m an adventurous person, enjoy things like traveling, rock climbing, camping, swimming, paint gun fighting and many more.

I have a lot of energy and I’m not the type to sit around doing nothing. This world is huge and I want to do as much as possible before I leave here. The camera is my best friend,’’ she said.

Keyonna can be reached by email at reach09@yahoo.com.

keyonna

Powerful partnership: Perry to create OWN projects The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) announced an exclusive partnership with Tyler Perry, the award-winning actor, director, screenwriter, playwright and producer, to become his singular destination for all new television series and projects.

This includes two new scripted series for the network to premiere in mid2013. These will be the first original scripted series for OWN and Perry will executive produce, write and direct both series.

The announcement comes as OWN’s momentum and ability to draw

Oprah Winfrey

Tyler Perry

new viewers continues to grow. The network closed its third consecutive quarter of year-over-year, double-digit ratings gains across primetime and total day in the key women 25-54 demo (+63 percent and +70 percent, respec-

tively) and saw triple-digit ratings growth in September.

Perry’s popular television series “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne,” “Meet the Browns” and “For Better or Worse” have been massive hits with recordbreaking ratings.

Perry had his first foray into television in 2007 with the hit series “House of Payne,” which premiered as cable’s biggest comedy debut ever. The series remained basic cable’s toprated sitcom only until the premiere of Perry’s second series “Meet the Browns.”

Success with ‘Next Chapter’ “I have been looking forward to the day when we would be in the position to enter the world of scripted television. That day has come,” said Winfrey, CEO of OWN. “We are all energized by the opportunity to collaborate with Tyler who has a proven track record for producing highly successful cable series. He has an incredible ability to illuminate life stories and characters in his unique voice and inspires and encourages people all over the world.”

“It’s a dream realized to partner with Oprah and bring scripted programming to OWN,” stated Perry. “She has accomplished so much with the network and I’m excited to work with her to be a part of its continued growth.”

OWN’s flagship series “Oprah’s Next Chapter,” featuring Winfrey’s interviews with top news-making celebrities, has given the network its highest ratings ever, hitting No. 1 in its time period in all of cable multiple times.

The fall premiere of the OWN original primetime series “Iyanla: Fix My Life”

featuring life coach Iyanla Vanzant garnered the network’s highest rated series debut in network history and the return of the popular family docu-series “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s” hit an all-time series high.

In addition, the thoughtprovoking documentary series “Our America with Lisa Ling” recently wrapped its summer season posting triple-digit gains versus year ago numbers.

Dolce & Gabbana earrings sparks talks of racism FROM WIRE REPORTS

TWITTER PHOTO

Shown above are Shorty Da Prince, Paigion, Miss Mykie and Bow Wow of “106 & Park.’

Bow Wow’s newest title: ‘106 & Park’ host BET’s signature music video countdown show, “106 & Park’’ has announced Shad Moss, better known as Bow Wow, as one of its four new hosts.

The 25 year-old rapper released his first album in 2000 at the age of 13 and has since dropped five more. Signed under YMCMB, his seventh album, entitled “Underrated,’’ is expected to drop by the end of the year.

Bow Wow will share hosting responsibilities with Paigion, Shorty Da Prince, and fellow recording artist Miss Mykie, replacing former hosts Terrance J and Rocsi Diaz.

Paigion and Shorty Da Prince have appeared on “106 & Park’’ several times in the past. Bow Wow currently holds the record for the most No. 1 songs on the show.

The clothes at Dolce & Gabbana’s spring 2013 Milan Fashion Week show may have been inspired by Sicily, but the slave-imagery-inspired earrings— well, they’re a whole other talk show. Design duo Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have come under fire for showing Blackamoor-inspired earrings on their spring runway.

The Guardian newspaper wrote last week: “The earrings are reminiscent of Blackamoor statues that can be found in Italy, but more recognizably to non-Italians, Aunt Jemima dolls. That’s the same Aunt Jemima that, initially conceived as part of a minstrel show, became an image that romanticized slavery and plantation life. There’s no denying they’re offensive.’’

The Guardian’s Sarah Ilyas added, “There wasn’t a single Black model in Dolce & Gabbana’s show, and it’s hard not to be appalled by the transparent exoticism in sending the only Black faces down the runway in the form of earrings.”Dolce & Gabbana posted an article on the website Swide, which explained the historical context behind the “Blackamoors.’’

“The head is inspired by Moorish features,” it

Dolce & Gabbana has caught flak for earrings featuring Aunt Jemima dolls. read. “Moorish is a term used to define many peoples throughout history…In Sicily’s case it defines the conquerors of Sicily [from 827 to 902 AD.]” The article goes onto to say that these Blackamoor figures can be found all over Italy from homes to hotels. These figures are made from glazed ceramic, called Maiolica.

Lil Wayne tops Elvis’ Billboard record Rapper Lil Wayne has officially topped Elvis Presley as the male artist with the most entries on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

According to data released by Billboard, Lil Wayne has placed

109 songs on the chart, surpassing Elvis Presley’s record of 108 songs.

A Game track “Celebration” features Lil Wayne, alongside Chris Brown, Tyga and Wiz Khal-

ifa. The track by rapper Game recently debuted on the charts and Lil Wayne’s appearance allowed him to surpass “the King of Rock & Roll” for most records placed on the chart.

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FOOD

TOJ

OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 11, 2012

FROM Family Features

Now is the perfect time to relax and invite friends for an evening of good food and great com­pany. Entertaining can be as easy as preparing a few simple, yet impressive appe­ tizers — and olives and olive oil are a great way to add life and flavor to any menu.

Olives and olive oil are incredibly versatile. They’re bursting with flavor and health benefits, making them essential ingre­ dients in every cook’s kitchen. And with a few flavorful recipes in your back pocket, you’ll always be ready to impress. Try one of these delicious, easy-to-prepare recipes created by the International Olive Council to make your casual evening one to remember. Visit www.addsomelife.org for more inspiration, and stay up to date on all things olive by following Add Some Life on Facebook and Twitter.

Crispy Garlic Shrimp Skewers Total Time: 30 minutes Makes: 32 appetizers 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided 1 egg white 2 large cloves garlic, minced 32 raw medium shrimp, shelled and deveined (about 1 1/4 pounds) 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh dill or parsley 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel Dash salt, optional 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs 1/3 cup finely shredded pecorino or Parmesan cheese 16 pitted large green olives 16 pitted large ripe olives 32 grape tomatoes 1/2 medium cucumber, sliced lengthwise and cut into 32 pieces 32 (4 to 6-inch) appetizer skewers

Heat oven to 475°F. Blend 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 table­spoon lemon juice, egg white and garlic in small bowl. Add shrimp; toss to coat; set aside.

Blend remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, dill, lemon peel and salt in small bowl. Set aside.

Mix bread crumbs and cheese on waxed paper; dredge shrimp to coat evenly. Place in single layer on baking sheet. Bake 8 to 12 minutes or until light golden and thoroughly cooked. Gently loosen shrimp from baking sheet; cool 1 to 2 minutes.

Thread a single shrimp, olive, tomato and cucumber piece on each skewer. Serve immedi­ately drizzled with olive oil mixture.

TIP: Rub bread crumbs and cheese between your palms to create a uniform, consistent mixture. The mixture will adhere more evenly to the shrimp.

Easy Scallop Appetizer Cups Total Time: 15 minutes Makes: 15 appetizers 1/3 cup finely chopped pitted ripe olives, drained on paper towels 3 tablespoons garlic and herbs spreadable cheese 15 prebaked phyllo shells (1 9-ounce package) 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 clove garlic, slivered 3 to 4 ounces bay scallops, thawed and patted dry 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves, optional

Combine olives and spreadable cheese in small bowl; mix well.

Spoon evenly into shells (filling 2/3 to 3/4 full); set aside.

Heat olive oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add garlic slivers; cook and stir 10 to 15 seconds until fragrant. Remove and discard garlic. Reduce heat to medium; add scallops. Cook and stir 2 to 4 minutes or until scallops are thoroughly cooked.

Remove scallops with slotted spoon.

Place 2 to 3 scallops in each shell, pressing lightly. Serve immediately.

Pork and Mushroom Sliders Total Time: 45 minutes Makes: 12 sandwiches 1/4 cup sour cream 2 tablespoons coarse ground mustard 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided 2 large cloves garlic, divided and minced 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves, divided 1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed 4 cups finely chopped shiitake mushrooms 1/2 cup chopped ripe olives 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots 12 small rolls, split (warmed, if desired) Heat oven to 400°F. Blend sour cream and mustard in small bowl; cover and refrigerate.

Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 clove garlic and 1 teaspoon thyme leaves in mini chopper or finely chop garlic and blend mixture in bowl with fork, mashing garlic.

Rub pork with garlic mixture; place in shallow baking pan and roast 25 min­utes or until internal temperature is 160°F. Remove from oven; let stand at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 3 table­spoons olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 clove garlic; cook and stir 30 seconds or until fragrant but not browned.

Add mush­rooms, olives, shallots and remaining 1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.

Remove from heat; set aside.

Thinly slice tenderloin diagonally across grain. Spread each cut side of rolls with mustard mixture.

Spoon half of mushroom mixture (about 2 table­spoons) on bottom of each roll. Top rolls evenly with sliced pork and remaining mushroom mixture. Cover with top halves of rolls. Serve on coated sandwich wraps or bakery sheets if desired.

TIP: Meat can be roasted several hours in advance, then refrigerated and sliced before assembling sandwiches.

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OCTOBER 5 - OCTOBER 11, 2012

You can power your refrigerator for 29 days

With the savings you get in one month by switching to high-efficiency light bulbs Get energy fit with the improved FPL Online Home Energy Survey, and make your bill even lower, visit www.FPL.com/energyfit

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CULTURE

STOJ

OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 11, 2012

‘First great gathering’ of Blacks after election State of the Black World Conference planned at Howard University

second administration, President Obama will feel emancipated and free to speak out and not be so constrained and not feel as if he said something relative

to Black people that somehow he’ll be accused of being pro-Black because he is president of everybody.

That includes us too.”

On the other hand, if Re-

publican candidate Mitt Romney is elected, Daniels said, “It would be a much more complex and much more difficult terrain which probably would require

probably much more direct action in the streets, much more vocal, vociferous protests because their agenda is so antithetical to the agendas of Blacks, labor, women

TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

As political observers prepare for the presidential debates and activists continue to plan get-out-to-vote and voter protection efforts, at least one organization is focused on the next four years after the election, regardless of who wins.

“We don’t make any pretense that we have any capacity as a non-profit organization to impact the election,” said Dr. Ron Daniels, president of the Institute of the Black World – 21st Century. “But we want to be in a position after the election to do an assessment of Dr. Ron exactly what Daniels happened in the election no matter who wins…

And then we chart a course.

We begin to talk about where we go from here as people of African dissent.”

This is the purpose of the State of the Black World Conference that Daniels has announced for Nov. 14-18 at Howard University. He describes it as “the first great gathering of Black people immediately after the election.”

Not just talk The long list of more than 100 leading panelists, speakers and contributors are well-acquainted with Black America and its issues. They include the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr.; Congressman John Conyers (DMich.); Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.); the Rev. Al Sharpton and Dr. Julianne Malveaux.

Though these are all orators, Daniels says the uniqueness of this conference is it will be focused on action than on talk.

“We hope to come out with a declaration of intent to heal Black families and communities. In other words, at the conference in working sessions, we’re asking people to do four things,” he says. They are: • Determine what Blacks “can we do for ourselves as Black people.”

• Decide and document what we expect from private sector institutions like banks, retail establishments where Blacks spend billions a year. What are we asking them to do in terms of reinvesting in our community?

“We will also decide how to use economic sanctions or boycotts. We’ve got to fight back.”

• As tax-paying citizens of the United States of America, decide what we must demand of government, including urban policy, targeted jobs, and economic development “in the hardest hit areas in the Black community where people are suffering so badly.”

• Decide which organizations or combination of organizations will be responsible for moving forward on specific actions that are agreed upon during the conference.

AT You’ve goT friends in The business is your minority or woman-owned business ready for the inside track to success in the retail industry?

We’re looking for stars like you!

Macy’s is in the business of fashion and is committed to aggressively pursuing business opportunities with innovative minority and woman-owned retail vendors.

The Workshop at Macy’s is designed to help retail entrepreneurs and designers that are poised to succeed on a larger scale, but need additional tools on retail business practices to build and sustain growth in the industry.

The Workshop at Macy’s is now accepting applications for our spring 2o13 Program. for more information, including interviews with past participants, application requirements and deadlines, visit macysinc.com/workshop.

History of activism “Our theme, therefore, is ‘State of emergency in Black America – A Time to Heal Black Families and Communities,” Daniels noted.

“Joblessness, mass incarceration, crime, fratricide, violence – these issues require direct, specific targeted action at the Black community."

Daniels has a long history of activism in the Black community. He is perhaps best known for his leadership of the Haiti Support Project and his mantra, “For the love of Haiti.” He also was a key organizer and advisor to Jackson in his 1984 and 1988 bids for the White House.

“Our hope is that in his

Diversity. It’s not what you think. At Macy’s, it is part of everything we do.

and so many groups.”

Registration information for the 2012 State of the Black World Conference can be found online at www. ibw31.org.