Florida Courier - October 16, 2015

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Courier photographer captures history at Million Man anniversary See Page B1

CHARLES W. CHERRY, SR. 1928-2004

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OCTOBER 16 – OCTOBER 22, 2015

VOLUME 23 NO. 42

ANSWERING THE CALL Hundreds of thousands of people descended on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. in response to Min. Louis Farrakhan’s demand for “Justice or Else” on the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March.

COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS

WASHINGTON – Responding to the call of the Nation of Islam’s Min. Louis Farrakhan 20 years after the Million Man March, a sea of determined faces of different ages, races and ideologies gathered at the U.S. Capitol to demand justice, with their numbers swelling down the National Mall.

At 10 a.m. when the official program for “Justice or Else” started in front of a growing crowd – some there as early as 4 a.m. – #JusticeorElse was trending worldwide in the No. 5 position on Twitter and climbing steadily.

‘Much at stake’ “We are here continuing the legacy of the Million Man March.

We gather today knowing much is at stake,” said Tamika Mallory, an event co-convener. “Let us remember the words of Ida B. Wells: ‘The ones who commit the murders write the reports.’ We are here today to say we choose differently.”

To the conservative media who reported that the gathering was to incite violence, she said, “We are not the violent ones. We are being murdered. We are here to provoke peace.

“To my friends who called me who are scared, step aside. We didn’t come to Washington to play games. Go back and tell your brothers and sisters that the time for playing games is over.”

Prayers, recognitions The

program

began

DUANE C. FERNANDEZ, SR./HARDNOTTS PHOTOGRAPHY

On Oct. 10, a large crowd began to gather as early as 4.a.m. to position themselves between the U.S. Capitol building and the Washington Monument.

prayers from diverse communities, including a call to prayer by Ghanain Ahmed Tijani, respect for Indian traditions by Hector Perez Panchero, a Christian prayer by the Rev. Anthony Wendell, head of the Detroit chapter of the NAACP, followed by the Muslim prayer by Abdul Khadir Muhammad, and the pouring of a libation.

The Rev. Anika Wilson Brown with from Union Temple Baptist

Church told the crowd that they were standing in their power and today is a new day.

“We say today, up you mighty people and rise. An army is rising up. We are here to break the chains of bondage and oppression. Today it is midnight in America, the darkest moment before the light.

I hear the chains falling. Break the chains!” She was followed by Y’Anna Crawley backed by a choir

MIAMI BROWARD ONE CARNIVAL 2015

The beauty of Carnival

singing, “There is Power in the Name of Jesus.”

The first hour of the program was moderated by the Rev. Willie Wilson, pastor of Union Temple Baptist Church and a co-convener 20 years ago. He told the crowd why they were gathered.

Making demands “We’re going to break the chains

See MARCH, Page A2

‘Call the auditors’ Alum support McCray; NAACP objects to Scott’s award See related reader commentaries on Page A4. Read the NAACP press release and the Daytona Beach alumni chapter’s letter at www.flcourier.com.

BY THE FLORIDA COURIER STAFF

CHARLES W. CHERRY II / FLORIDA COURIER

“Party people” from the Caribbean and around America converged on South Florida for Carnival activities last week, climaxing with the Parade of Bands and Concert at the Miami-Dade Fairgrounds on Oct. 11. Log on to flcourier.com to view a gallery with hundreds of Carnival pictures. Read full coverage of Carnival in next week’s Florida Courier issue.

DAYTONA BEACH – As alumni and supporters of BethuneCookman University converge on Daytona Beach next week for the school’s annual Homecoming Week activities and its trustees convene a critical board meeting, the university’s administration is catching flak online from alumni and criticism in writing from two of the university’s strongest organizational supporters.

In a letter Oct. 14 and addressed to B-CU’s Board of Trustees, Carmen Oliver Williamson, president of B-CU’s Volusia County Alumni Chapter, wrote that the chapter is on record as supporting a B-CU trustee’s call for a forensic audit – an intensive, specialized review of financial records that attempts to find the source of transactions with an eye toward revealing and prosecuting fraud, financial malfeasance and economic crimes.

See B-CU, Page A2

SNAPSHOTS FLORIDA | A3

Draft Senate maps released before special session

BY BRANDON LARRABEE THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – The Legislature on Wednesday released six draft maps of Senate districts for a special session that begins next week, opening up the next phase of a long-running battle over Florida’s congressional and legislative lines.

The “base maps” drawn by legislative aides were released days before lawmakers return to Tallahassee for a three-week session

ALSO INSIDE

to approve new districts for the 40 Senate seats.

The Legislature agreed to craft new lines as part of a deal to settle a lawsuit challenging the existing districts under the antigerrymandering “Fair Districts” standards approved by voters in 2010.

House and Senate aides took two different approaches to drawing the lines: one that emphasized keeping counties whole and trying as much as possible to keep districts contained with-

in one county; and another that aimed to prevent the number of times each county was split. Staff members drew three maps following each of those approaches.

Not much effect The new proposals do not seem likely to dramatically alter the balance of power in the Senate, which Republicans now control with a 26-14 majority.

Currently, there are 22 districts that were carried by both Repub-

lican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in 2012 and GOP Gov. Rick Scott in 2010; 15 that went for both Democratic President Barack Obama in 2012 and Alex Sink, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, in 2010; and three more that swung between the two parties.

On the new maps, the number of districts that were carried by both GOP candidates range from 19 to 22, and both Democrats carried 16 districts in all but one of the maps. In the outlier, 15 districts voted for both Obama and Sink.

State considers repeal of standards for heart surgery on kids FLORIDA | A6

Supreme Court Rubio’s voting weighs death record in penalty law Congress HEALTH | B3

READER COMMENTARY: WILLIE J. BARBER: AN OPEN LETTER TO B-CU LEADERSHIP | A4 COMMENTARY: GEORGE CURRY: WHY BLACK PEOPLE ANSWER WHEN FARRAKHAN CALLS | A5

Officers helping colleagues with fragile mental health

FOCUS

A2

OCTOBER 16 – OCTOBER 22, 2015

B-CU

Support emerges Burney’s efforts picked up local and statewide support when both the Volusia County-Daytona Beach Branch of the NAACP as well as the Florida State Conferences of NAACP Branches weighed in.

“The officers and executive committee members of the Volusia County-Daytona Beach Branch of the NAACP are strong supporters of Bethune-Cookman University,” states a media release dated Oct. 12 and distributed by the Volusia County-Daytona Beach branch.

“Many NAACP members and their families are graduates of the University. Nonetheless, the local branch does not support the decision made by Bethune-Cookman to confer on Governor Scott the Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Leadership Award.”

from A1

It is different from the regular yearly audit that B-CU typically produces.

‘Mother Chapter’ “I am writing on behalf of the Volusia County Chapter of the Bethune-Cookman University National Alumni Association, affectionately known as the ‘Mother Chapter,’ to endorse Trustee Johnny L. McCray, Jr.’s recent call for a forensic audit of the University’s financial records,” Williamson advised.

The alumni chapter’s message comes less than a week after the Florida Courier broke the story McCray’s ultimatum demanding that the board bring in forensic auditors to probe the school’s finances for fraud and fiscal mismanagement – or he would file lawsuits against individual fellow board members and request a state and federal criminal investigation.

McCray, a Pompano Beachbased attorney, is a longtime member of the B-CU Board of Trustees. His letter was the first public glance at a boardroom dispute that has been roiling in the wake of the university’s decision to spend $72 million to build new on-campus housing.

He demanded that the board convene “an appropriate investigation” at this week’s board meeting, starting with putting the item on the board’s agenda for discussion and action.

‘Rosy picture’ Citing local media reports as well as Florida Courier reporting, Williamson’s letter states, “The (Florida Courier) article highlights the rationale underpinning Trustee McCray’s appeal to the Board, and the full letter appended to the article by electronic link outlines a litany of allegations and unanswered questions that should alarm and disturb all who have any interest in the University.”

Williamson wrote that the alumni chapter was not happy with the university’s reaction to media reports.

“In addition to the articles and Trustee McCray’s letter, the alumni community has also read what appears to be (B-CU Board of Trustees) Chairman (Joe) Petrock’s reply in part to Trustee McCray’s request. Having reviewed the Chairman’s letter, it paints a rosy picture of progress at the University but conspicuously fails to debunk any of the allegations in Trustee McCray’s letter or fails to mention any corrective measures to address the events detailed therein.”

Last week, Petrock distributed a letter to B-CU stakeholders citing the university’s various accomplishments before concluding, “Bethune-Cookman University is financially healthy and is in good standing.”

‘Demand accountability’ “We believe it is not only our right but our duty to demand accountability from those charged

MARCH from A1

of envy, jealousy and disunity,” he said. “But if you are here for a gala, you’re here for the wrong reason.

If you are here for a ceremony, frolic, just to celebrate, you’re here for the wrong reason. We are here to demand justice and to demand it now.”

He added. “We have done everything conceived to fight for justice and equality on this country. We have voted, fasted and prayed – and then been continually rebuffed. Our cries, moans, and demonstrations for justice have been disregarded.

We’ve been met with contempt. We can no longer just beg and pray. We must stand up and demand justice.”

He was followed by Washington, D.C. City Councilman Vincent Orange, who spoke on the need for D.C. statehood.

Mayor Muriel Bowser welcomed everyone to the nation’s capital.

By 11:30 a.m., #JusticeorElse was trending at No. 1 nationwide on Twitter.

New leadership The gathering also featured the voices of emerg-

Doesn’t match values CHARLES W. CHERRY II / FLORIDA COURIER

Bethune-Cookman University’s Daytona Beach-area “Mother Chapter” of its national alumni association has joined the fight for “accountability…and transparency” in the wake of the school’s $72 million dormitory construction project.

PROJECTS VETOED BY GOV. RICK SCOTT In June, Gov. Rick Scott slashed hundreds of projects from the budget adopted by the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature. Here is a partial list of funds that won’t be allocated to projects of interest to Black Floridians (in random order).

Edison Jackson

Rick Scott

with governing the University. In so doing, as alumni, we must remain vigilant to ensure the fiscal soundness and vitality of our great institution,” Williamson’s letter continued.

“Accordingly, at the Volusia County Chapter meeting this past Saturday, October 10, 2015, members unanimously voted to begin mobilizing efforts in support of the request by other alumni and Trustee McCray’s call for a forensic audit.

“We urge the Board of Trustees to deliver on the transparency to which Chairman Petrock committed in his recent address and to uphold the duties and legacy with which it has been entrusted by immediately moving to undertake a forensic audit, at least sufficiently broad in scope to address the multitude of questions generated by Trustee McCray’s letter,” the letter concludes.

Scott unworthy?

Last week, B-CU’s Mary McLeod Bethune Legacy Awards Gala, now considered to be one of the school’s leading fundraiser, was suddenly the focus of controversy when the university announced that Gov. Rick Scott will receive the school’s highest honor: the Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Leadership Award.

In response, B-CU alumna Jasmine Burney of Orlando, a member of the school’s Class of 2009, initiated a Change.org petition entitled, “Bethune-Cookman

ing new leadership in America. In fact, many said the overwhelming success of the gathering had the footprint of youth all over it.

“The core organization of the gathering was done through social media,” observed Native American activist YoNasDa Lonewolf.

“This Joshua generation is able to see through the falsehood and insincerity” demonstrated by some of the traditional and political leaders, she admonished.

Most traditional civil rights leaders were absent from the demonstration.

In their place were young leaders like Carmen Perez of the New York Justice League, who voiced support for Farrakhan’s efforts during his organizing visits to New York.

“What is great about this movement is its inclusiveness – Latino, Black, Mexican, and native communities,” she said. Her specific focus is to end the schoolto-prison pipeline and her demand for justice for young people.

‘Natural evolution’ “What we are witnessing today is a natural evolution in leadership, new voices that are not controlled and are clear,” said Abel Muhammad, an emerging Latino leader in the Nation of

PROJECT AMOUNT CUT Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts-Orlando $5 million Bethune-Cookman University Center for Entrepreneurship $750,000 Mount Olive Development Corporation Re-Entry Program $200,000 Sankofa Project $1 million EFI-Africa Trade Expansion Program $259,500 Jake Gaither House Museum $125,000 Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church/Pinellas $240,956 Tallahassee Urban League - Taylor House Museum Project $150,000 Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center $200,000 Bridges to Success Ex-Offender Re-Entry Program $350,000 City of Belle Glade Stormwater Improvements $400,000 City of West Park $650,00 City of Pahokee $107,321 Miami Gardens Stormwater Improvements $175,000 Opa-Locka-Multi-Purpose Cultural Facility $1 million Caribbean Chamber Student Entrepreneurship-Internships $50,000 SANT LA-Haitian Neighborhood Center $300,000 SOURCE: GOV. RICK SCOTT’S OFFICE

University honors Gov. Rick Scott over Students and Community Interest” that garnered 593 signatures as of the Florida Courier’s press time late Wednesday night.

“This great institution of higher learning has chosen to commit such an atrocity as honoring a man that has done quite the opposite for the poor, minority and disenfranchised of our state,” the petition states. “As a premier historical Black College and University of Florida the institution should be embarrassed by this decision to celebrate a man with such a record.”

Burney listed bullet points accusing Scott of committing government fraud, refusing to restore

Islam. “In the past, Black leadership and leadership of people of color was largely controlled and sanctioned.”

The diversity of the young audience participating in the rally included not only Native and Latino faces, but also Asians, native Africans, and Caribbean natives. And despite the hue of their skin, many of them wore shirts that read, “Black Lives Matter” – a movement that played an important role in the rally.

Came with friends Seventeen-year-old Darrell Davis from Ithaca, N.Y., attended with a group of friends from his high school wearing #BlackLivesMatter hoodies. They took three cars to travel from their home city to get to Washington.

“I’m not used to coming somewhere and seeing this many Black people gathered, at least not for a good cause,” young Davis said.

“The sense of unity is really cool. I feel comfortable.

Usually, going out in public, there’s some sense of wanting to look around…

Here, it’s just a good sense of unity and it makes you want to go back home and just emphasize being one with what we need to do because there’s a bigger cause

civil rights of ex-felons, opposing Medicaid expansion, purging voters from voting rolls, cutting early voting hours to stifle “Souls to the Polls,” appointing a single Black judge, and cutting funding for all historically Black colleges and universities in 2011–including B-CU. Originated by B-CU President Edison O. Jackson, the Legacy Awards Gala is now one of the university’s leading fundraisers. According to the school, the 2014 Legacy Gala raised $2.5 million, including a $1 million donation from the B-CU student body as a consequence of a referendum approved by the students to add a $30 endowment fee to their fees.

than us going against each other, really.”

Davis’ basketball coach took about 40 Black boys and girls from their school to a conference in Cleveland, Ohio. He recalls that when they came back, they were spreading the word about how awesome it was.

So when his coach brought up going to the Million Man March anniversary, he was willing to go.

“My coach explained it as really historical and something you’d only see once,” the teenager said. “We got our T shirts, and just started really spreading the movement through New York. So a lot of people heard about it.”

From Ohio Students Ashia Evans, Braylin Rushton and Shienne Williams came representing the Black Student Union at Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio.

“We need the solidarity, man,” Rushton said.

“There’s so many people that don’t care and it’s important that we form in a group of solidarity and stand against things that need to be changed…We’re inheriting all of this and next it goes on to our children and so forth. We got to make a change somewhere.”

The release praises Jackson “for his vision of creating the Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Legacy Gala,” but states that the award “should recognize accomplishments that are in-line with the values of Dr. Bethune.

“Governor Scott has done virtually nothing to improve the lives of African-Americans and other minorities since elected to office.

Critically, in 2011, Governor Scott cut all funding from HBCUs including Bethune-Cookman University. The recent monetary gift that he has granted to the university only restored money that he had taken away from HBCUs,” the organizations argue. “…What Governor Scott has amassed a long record of anti-minority initiatives that should disqualify himself from receiving this award.”

‘Anti-minority record’ Said Volusia County-Daytona Beach Branch President Cynthia Slater: “In light of Governor Scott’s overwhelmingly anti-minority record, the Volusia CountyDaytona Beach NAACP respectfully opposes the bestowing of the Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Leadership Award on him. Governor Scott has not earned this great honor.”

Adora Obi Nweze, president of the Florida State Conference of Branches of the NAACP, agreed.

“The Florida NAACP strongly supports the position of our local branch in Daytona Beach regarding the Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Leadership Award. Mary McLeod Bethune would not have been pleased.”

In addition to Scott, other awardees include Daytona Beach-area hospital administrator Jeff Feasel; Florida Blue executive Tony Jenkins; B-CU graduate and published author Lucille O’Neal, the mother of NBA AllStar Shaquille O’Neal; and Rev. Dr. Gerald Lord, a former United Methodist Church leader.

The gala is set for Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. at the Ocean Center, 101 N. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach. It is open to the public; individual tickets are $125. Go to http://www. cookman.edu/gala for more information.

These students are also fighting against the schoolto-prison pipeline in their city – policies and practices that push the most at-risk children out of the classroom and into the penitentiary.

Bike riders Nicolaus David, Lalibela Emmanuel and Azubile Akunne rode their bicycles nearly 800 miles from Chicago to Washington to attend the event.

The cyclists started their journey at the Nation of Islam’s flagship Chicago mosque in the early morning of Sept. 28. The journey took them through Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. They arrived in D.C. on Oct. 9.

Five blowouts “The journey was so beautiful. We saw God at work,” said David, who is the founder of an organization called Cycle of Peace (www.thecycleofpeace. org).

The team faced high winds in Ohio, but was not deterred. The group had five tire blowouts during the ride. They changed tires, rode in formation, played to each other’s strengths and weaknesses and pressed on. Communities along the way gave them encourage-

ment and support, including several fire stations that allowed them to stay overnight.

“We were shown love from people you’d less likely expect to get love from.

One guy with the Confederate flag in his window, when he found out what we were doing, gave us a $20 donation,” said David.

Pained by the tremendous level of youth violence, lack of proper nutrition and an apathetic attitude in the community, this is their way of honoring the Million Man March anniversary.

“This represents a unique opportunity to galvanize the community around a consciousness of healthy lifestyles, meditative peace and the ideology that we begin to change the world by first changing ourselves,” said David.

Next week – Min. Louis Farrakhan speaks.

Janaih X Adams, Ashahed Muhammad, Brian Muhammad, Richard B. Muhammad, Starla Muhammad, Toure Muhammad and Michael Z. Muhammad of the Final Call; and Matt Pearce of the Los Angeles Times / TNS all contributed to this report.

OCTOBER 16 – OCTOBER 22, 2015

FLORIDA

A3 advocate that these standards remain in place.”

No ‘legislative direction’

St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach was the subject of a yearlong CNN investigation, which found that from 2011 to 2013, the program had a 12.5 percent mortality rate for open heart surgeries, more than three times the national average.

State considers repeal of standards for heart surgery on kids

BY MARGIE MENZEL THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – Nneka Campbell spent the third anniversary of her daughter’s death at a hearing at the Florida Department of Health in Tallahassee – to honor, she said, the memory of 10-month-old Nneka Amelia, who died Campbell of complications following heart surgery at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach.

Amelia was one of nine infants

who died after heart surgery at St Mary’s over four years – a death toll that drew national attention when CNN reported it in early June. At the time, St. Mary’s and the state contested CNN’s allegations. But in August, the hospital shuttered its pediatric cardiology unit; its chief executive resigned.

“When a mom walks through the doors of any hospital with her child who has special healthcare needs, she is very aware of the risk that she is taking when she entrusts her child’s the life to another,” Campbell told Department of Health officials Monday.

“I trusted that St. Mary’s Medical Center was one of the facilities that I could choose from for the care of my Amelia because it had

met the standards of care for the procedure to be performed. I no longer trust this to be the case.”

About the rule Campbell traveled from Boynton Beach to the state capital because of a proposal by the Department of Health that would reduce state oversight of hospitals where cardiac surgery is performed on children.

The debate is centered on the role of a long-running state program known as Children’s Medical Services, which oversees care for tens of thousands of children with special health-care needs.

Behind the scenes, it also has standards of care that hospitals can choose to meet – but they’re not required to by law.

On Monday, the Department of Health held a hearing on a proposal to repeal a rule for the Children’s Medical Services program.

More than 30 years ago, the rule established standards and criteria for staffing, minimum physician and facility volumes, and data reporting for hospitals that

perform pediatric cardiology surgery.

But the law behind the rule was abolished in 2001, and the Department of Health says it must fix the discrepancy.

“We think these standards have value,” said Jennifer Tschetter, the department’s chief operating officer. “They’re just not law.”

Appeal for standards Currently, there are eight hospitals statewide approved by Children’s Medical Services to perform heart surgery on infants.

What’s more, the program’s standards are nationally respected, said Tallahassee attorney Jon Moyle, who arrived with a group of pediatric cardiologists from around the state and a stack of letters of support.

“The Florida CMS cardiac facility standards have been a model for other states,” William Mahle, the director of pediatric cardiology at Emory University School of Medicine, wrote to the Department of Health. “I would strongly

Moyle contended that no one had filed a challenge to the rule, but Tschetter said the department had been reviewing all its rules and weeding out those that didn’t reflect the intent of the Legislature.

“We can only do what’s been delegated to us legislatively,” she said.

Moyle, however, said lawmakers had never indicated a wish to dismantle the Children’s Medical Services cardiac standards.

“There hasn’t been a legislative direction to that effect that I can locate,” he said.

But Tschetter said the department “can’t force our way into hospitals.”

“I’m not overly optimistic that we have a way that we can keep these (CMS standards) in the law of the state of Florida,” she said.

“But I am optimistic that if we continue to work together, the department remains open to solutions, to good ideas, because we’re committed to kids.”

Operated anyway St. Mary’s never received approval from Children’s Medical Services for its pediatric-cardiology program and was not required do so. But after some children died, it allowed a team of pediatric cardiologists from the state’s CMS Cardiac Technical Advisory Panel to visit in 2014.

While the doctors advised the hospital not to operate on babies younger than 6 months old until it had upgraded its standards, St. Mary’s was free to disregard the advice – and did.

That prompted doctors affiliated with Children’s Medical Services to call for more state control over infant cardiac surgery programs. Some wanted the standards put into state law, as was the case before 2001. Such standards would have required the St. Mary’s program, in part, to reach a certain volume of infant cardiac surgeries.

Tschetter said Monday the plan to repeal the rule was not related to the St. Mary’s issue. She said the department has been considering a repeal since 2013.

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Enter to Learn. Depart to Serve.

EDITORIAL

A4

OCTOBER 16 – OCTOBER 22, 2015

An open letter to B-CU leadership I am a 1977 graduate and supporter of Bethune-Cookman College (now University). My son is a 2009 graduate.

This letter is to notify you of my profound disappointment with the recent announcement that Bethune-Cookman University intends to recognize Florida Governor Rick Scott during the upcoming Mary McLeod Bethune Legacy Awards Gala for his “leadership.”

A comparison The startling decision not only begs the question of why, but just as important, on what merit?

Let me begin with a quick comparison.

Mary McLeod Bethune, by whom our university founded, was a child of former slaves who rose from humble beginnings to become a world-renowned educator, civil and human rights leader, champion for women and young people.

Mr. Scott, too, rose from humble beginnings, but it is there the similarities end. He went on to found a for-profit hospital chain accused of fleecing the taxpayers, a governor whose drug testing company stood to handsomely profit from his executive order requiring welfare recipients

B-CU cut WILLIE J. BARBER READER COMMENTARY

and state employees to submit to unconstitutional drug testing, and whose second term has now been indelibly stamped by turning his back on healthcare for the working poor.

Targeted turnout This is the man you tout as “providing affordable, high quality care to the community,” and “visions for efficiency and quality to all residents of Florida?” The man who targeted minority-voter turnout, who made it harder for ex-felons to regain their civil rights and rejoin democracy? The governor who routinely forgets diversity in his appointments to judgeships and other positions of power over Floridians?

Your news release also cites the governor’s “consistent support of higher education.” The only consistency shown by Gov. Scott in education – whether higher or lower – has been his lack of support for fully funding our schools and universities, including ours.

B-CU’s values are not for sale Editor’s note – Mr. Perez made these remarks at a meeting of the Miami-Dade chapter of the National Alumni Association of Bethune-Cookman University.

In the 8th chapter of the book of Mark, 36th verse, the question is asked, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

As was shared earlier, our alma mater has made the decision to “honor” current Florida Governor Rick Scott during the Third Annual Legacy Gala on Wednesday, October 21 of this year. This has sparked concern for some and outrage for those who are aware.

Check the petition A petition on change.org protesting this decision lays out the case against having Gov. Scott being recognized by BethuneCookman University, so I won’t go into the list of grievances therein. I certainly invite and encourage all present and attentive

JOSÉ E. PÉREZ READER COMMENTARY

to see for themselves.

I am compelled to address briefly yet forcefully this development in my capacity as a graduate of Bethune-Cookman, as a leader in alumni circles, and as the kind of person that Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune made her life mission to cultivate: a man of conviction, principles, and honor.

At our football game tonight against South Carolina State, we’re having a #blackout. In the (Daytona Beach) Ocean Center on the 21st, we’re having a #sellout.

I can’t speak much plainer than that. I shall explain my viewpoint.

Charter schools flunk out in New Orleans Arne Duncan, the outgoing U.S. secretary of education, will be succeeded by an even more rabid professional privatizer of public education.

John B. King, a Black and Puerto Rican native of Brooklyn, New York – and, like President Obama, a product of Harvard and Columbia Universities – has spent his entire teaching career in the charter school business. King is a hit man for school privatization – the perfect credentials to take over from presidential buddy Arne Duncan, the ghoul who obscenely declared that “the best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans was Hurricane Katrina.”

Corporate profit Corporations stand to make hundreds of billions of dollars from privatization of education, so it pays to tell lies about what happened when Katrina provid-

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA

GLEN FORD BLACK AGENDA REPORT

ed the opportunity to illegally fire 7,000 New Orleans teachers – the majority of them Black – replacing them with young, largely White, non-union and ultimately temporary staff, and then converting all of the city’s schools to charters.

The privatizers claim that test scores are way up in New Orleans, but studies show that it’s all propaganda and phony numbers. Charter schools do what they have always done: they select and retain students that tend to do well on tests, and discard the rest. That’s called “creaming” – taking the better-performing students right off the top.

But, in New Orleans, the

Need I remind you of the $750,000 veto to Bethune-Cookman this year? Or his first year gutting funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including Bethune-Cookman?

Take a closer look at the cuts to Bright Futures scholarships under his watch – cuts which have an immediate impact on hardworking minority students’ access to college.

Finally, if you’re going to promote his job creation track record, please do our students a service by reminding them that the majority of jobs this governor has created are low-wage, lowbenefit service sector ones – the kind from which a good education was supposed to spare you, but this governor’s policies have made harder to escape.

The Black lawmakers of Florida have worked tirelessly to overcome political biases to improve the quality of life for all Floridians. The news that BethuneCookman chose this governor as a stellar example of leadership is an abject slap in the face. This is the example you want to hold up to the students of Bethune-Cookman University as a leader to follow?

Why I’m troubled First of all, it goes beyond – and back again – to Gov. Scott. Another honoree during the Lost Legacy Gala is the CEO of Halifax Health Systems, Jeff Feasel. This is profoundly troubling for the following reasons: Feasel has been beset by calls for his sacking due to what the Daytona Beach News-Journal called “his unsatisfactory provision of [a] Medicare fraud lawsuit as well as other incidents.” According to another published report by the News-Journal, those other incidents include “$120 million in legal and settlement costs related to [the] Medicare fraud suit [and] the loss of accreditation for the hospital’s general surgery residency program.”

Also per the News-Journal, the aforementioned legal and settlement costs as well as the insurance fraud stem back to a “former Halifax Health compliance officer [who] filed a whistleblower suit in 2009 accusing the hospital of improperly billing Medicare and maintaining illegal contracts with some of its doctors.” The controversy and subsequent circling of the wagons that have kept Feasel in his gilded throne prompted creaming preceded the charter school coup. One-third of the Black population was driven from the city, never to return.

The schoolchildren among these displaced Black persons were disproportionately poor – precisely the demographic that does relatively worse on standardized tests. They never showed up for class in New Orleans newly charterized schools, leaving a more affluent mass of students to take the standardized tests.

But the charter schools continued the creaming students, in an attempt to boost the test numbers, especially at selected schools – all the while claiming that underperforming students were not being displaced.

That was a lie For example, a study by the Education Research Alliance showed that a preparatory high school somehow lost-two-thirds of its students when it converted to charter. The school claims it doesn’t know where they went, but keeps bragging about how great things are for the kids that remained and for the new students – many of them non-Black.

MILT PRIGGEE / WWW.MILTPRIGGEE.COM

‘Powerful potential’ In her Last Will and Testament, Mary McLeod Bethune wrote of our responsibility to the young: “Our children must never lose their zeal for building a better world,” she wrote. “They must not be discouraged from aspiring toward greatness, for they are to be the leaders of tomorrow. Nor must they forget that the masses of our people are still underprivileged, ill-housed, impoverished and victimized by discrimination. We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we

high-ranking Halifax officials to resign in protest.

Feasel has close ties with both (B-CU) Board Chair (Joe) Petrock, serving with him on the Daytona Beach Community Foundation Board for the past several years – and not surprisingly – Gov. Scott.

Outrage and alarm As per published reports and tax records, Feasel was paid almost $600,000 base salary in 2013 by Halifax with an additional $300,000 paid to his retirement plan “on top of retirement benefits that hospital employees receive.” Undisclosed so far is the extent of compensation Feasel has received thus far from serving as an appointee to Scott’s Commission for Healthcare and Hospital Funding.

Given the governor’s jaw-dropping $1.7 BILLION in fines paid for his own Medicare fraud hijinks while he was head of Columbia/HCA AND the fact that with a net worth of almost $150 million, Scott is the richest governor Florida has ever had, there should be outrage and alarm over the inclusion of Feasel in this pirate’s gala.

Thus, when I think of the gala’s top honorees, I am reminded

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.

Julia T. Cherry, Senior Managing Member, Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Cassandra CherryKittles, Charles W. Cherry II, Managing Members

Stand up I implore all of Mary’s children to stand up for what is right and say no to greed. Our Founder’s Legacy, our alma mater’s history, our university community’s values are not for sale.

I’ll close my comments by quoting from the Last Will and Testament of Mother Mary who cautioned that, “the Negro in America must be ever vigilant lest his forces be marshaled behind wrong causes.” Selling one’s integrity for a pile of cash is always a wrong cause.

José E. Pérez is vice president of the Miami-Dade chapter of the National Alumni Association of Bethune-Cookman University. He graduated with the Class of 1991.

all propaganda and phony numbers. Charter schools do what they have always done: they select and retain students that tend to do well on tests, and discard the rest.

Most of Louisiana’s charter schools are located in New Orleans. A study by the Network for Public Education found that the state’s charter schools performed significantly worse than conventional public schools. The gap between Louisiana charter schools – meaning, mainly, New Orleans – and public schools was the biggest in the country – which had a lot do with Louisiana overall scoring the fourth lowest in the nation.

Even by Louisiana standards, New Orleans’ charter school system flunks – even after controlling for factors of race, class and qualifications for special education. And the entire nation’s education system will also flunk, if

Dr. Valerie Rawls-Cherry, Human Resources

Charles W. Cherry, Sr. (1928-2004), Founder

of what Sir Alec Guiness said in the character of Obi Wan Kenobi in the motion picture, Star Wars: “you’ll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.”

Please note that all that I have shared with you has been from the heart and the head, and I ask that the hand of our recording secretary enter all of this into the record of this meeting. Please quote me.

up in New Orleans, but studies show that it’s

Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Sales Manager

W W W.FLCOURIER.COM

Willie J. Barber is a life member of the National Alumni Association of Bethune-Cookman University. He graduated with the Class of 1977.

The privatizers claim that test scores are way

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher

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

may direct their power toward good ends.”

Gov. Scott forgot about the masses the moment he stepped out of public housing, and his power of change has rarely been directed toward good ends. Honoring the legacy of our founder deserves better than the selection you’ve made. I strongly urge you to reconsider.

Jenise Morgan, Senior Editor Angela van Emmerik, Creative Director Chicago Jones, Eugene Leach, Louis Muhammad, Lisa Rogers-Cherry, Circulation Penny Dickerson, Staff Writer Duane Fernandez Sr., Kim Gibson, Photojournalists

MEMBER

Florida Press Association

National Newspaper Publishers Association

Society of Professional Journalists

National Newspaper Association

Associated Press

given over to the lying privatizers, like John B. King.

But don’t expect the Black Misleadership Class, masquerading as members of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, to save us. Leadership Conference CEO Wade Henderson had effusive praise for Arne Duncan, and for his Black and Puerto Rican protégé, who will undoubtedly become an even more effective educational evil than his outgoing boss.

Glen Ford is executive editor of BlackAgendaReport.com. Email him at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com.

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

Subscriptions to the print version are $69 per year. Mail check to P.O. Box 48857 Tampa, FL 33646, or log on to www.flcourier.com; click on ‘Subscribe’.

SUBMISSIONS POLICY SEND ALL SUBMISSIONS TO NEWS@FLCOURIER.COM. Deadline for submitting news and pictures is 5 p.m. the Monday before the Friday publication date. You may submit articles at any time. However, current events received prior to deadline will be considered before any information that is submitted, without the Publisher’s prior approval, after the deadline. Press releases, letters to the editor, and guest commentaries must be e-mailed to be considered for publication.

The Florida Courier reserves the right to edit any submission, and crop any photograph, for style and clarity. Materials will not be returned.

OCTOBER 16 – OCTOBER 22, 2015

Why Black people answer when Farrakhan calls It’s time to give Minister Louis Farrakhan credit. When he issues a call for people to join him in the nation’s capital, Blacks show up.

At least a million showed up for the Million Man March 20 years ago and at least two-thirds as many showed up for Saturday’s Justice or Else assembly on the National Mall.

Always controversial Without a doubt, Farrakhan-led events in Washington, D.C. attract more people than marches called jointly by all of the other civil rights leaders. And whenever Minister Louis Farrakhan is involved in a major event, there is always a controversy about numbers.

In his speech at the Million Man March, people were fascinated by his fascination with numerology. In the aftermath of that event, the U.S Park Service made the ridiculous estimate that 400,000 people attended. But Boston University’s Center for Remote Sensing placed the figure between 655,000 to 1.1 million – more than twice as large as the 1963 March on Washington.

Farrakhan manages to be a magnet while withstanding withering attacks. Consider a few recent headlines: • “Nation of Islam’s leader Louis Farrakhan: White People ‘deserve to die.’”

• “Nation of Islam’s Louis Farrakhan: ‘We need to put the American flag down.’”

• “Cancelled: Charleston Wants No Part of Farrakhan’s ‘Justice or Else’ Movement.”

‘Payday’ similarities A policy paper by the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) explores this predatory financial migration from payday and car title to unsafe installment loans.

“Despite their installment terms,” states the brief, “these

GEORGE E. CURRY GEORGE CURRY MEDIA

Never sold out How is it that the most reviled Black man in America consistently attracts waves of people?

African-Americans trust Minister Farrakhan. Even if strongly disagreeing with some of his views and the well-known antipathy between the Nation of Islam (NOI) leader and Jews, Blacks know that he won’t ever sell them out for personal gain or any other reason. They are smart enough to discern that which should be applied to their lives and that which should be ignored.

When Farrakhan suggested Saturday, for example, that Blacks should change their last name to throw off the yoke of White supremacy, many African-Americans in the audience chuckled.

But they cheered when he said, “We have a purchasing power of over 1 trillion dollars but in our reckless and wasteful spending habits, we have not been able to pool our resources in a collective manner to build institutions and create jobs for our people.

By strategically engaging in economic withdrawal, we can begin putting power behind our demands and build a new and better reality.”

For decades, many Blacks have admired their discipline, but viewed the Nation of Islam as a small, Black supremacy group telling wild-eyed stories about UFOs and trips to and from outer space in spaceships. More than any other NOI leader, Farrakhan has bridged the gulf between skeptical Christians and Nation of Islam followers, carefully repackaging his message to make it more palatable to non-Muslims.

He refers to God and Allah interchangeably and knows and quotes the Bible better than most Christians. Instead of ridiculing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as an integrationist, as he and others in the Nation of Islam have done in the past, Farrakhan now praises the slain civil rights leader – especially his call for economic empowerment.

Although women and men don’t sit together in NOI mosques, he is trying to show a greater sensitivity to and appreciation for the contributions of women.

«May I pause for a moment and say to women: Your language must change as to how you address yourselves,» he said Saturday. «You should never call another woman a ‹bitch. Get that word out of our language. No female is after a dog. Every female is after God.» Farrakhan continued, «Black men who like to use such words, pull it out of your tongue, before your tongue is pulled out of your head.»

CHARLENE CROWELL NNPA FINANCIAL WRITER

loans share the same troublesome characteristics as other payday and car title loans: a lack of underwriting; access to a borrower’s bank account or car as security; structures that prevent borrowers from making progress repaying; and excessive rates and fees that increase costs further when loans are flipped.”

Today, all three of these new predatory lending products are available in a handful of states like Virginia. In 10 other states, two of the disturbing loan models are available in California, Delaware, Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Debt equals profit Some might wonder why busi-

nesses would offer lending products with high delinquency and/ or default rates. The answer is there is more money to be made with debt. These lenders can collect more in fees than the principal owed long before the loan is due. Consider these examples from across the country: In the first half of 2015, Texas-based Cash America, a large storefront payday lender, had more delinquent installment loan balances ($2.5 million), than those that were current ($2.3 million).

Similarly in California, another national payday lender, Rise Credit, did business as Elevate and reported to its state regulator chargeoffs that were larger than all of its average monthly loan balances.

Last year in Virginia, nearly one-third of installment loan borrowers were at least two months delinquent in payments and 19,368 cars were repossessed – about 15 percent of their customers.

In Missouri, TitleMax, a national car title lender, reported

Wealth-building secrets from ‘America’s Rabbi’ Rabbi Daniel Lapin is an Orthodox Jewish rabbi who shares wealth-building principles directly from the Bible. He is an acclaimed author, speaker, radio talk show host and with his wife Susan, hosts a daily television show. He is known worldwide as “America’s Rabbi,” a noted rabbinic scholar.

He’s nationally in demand for his ability to extract life principles from the Bible and then communicate them in an entertaining manner. A favorite theme of his: “The more things change, the more you must depend upon those things that never change!”

Lapin has helped bring countless people, both Jews and Christians, closer to their respective faiths and learn how to use that faith to grow their wealth.

Rabbi Lapin co-founded the Pacific Jewish Center in Los Angeles with media personality Michael Medved. He was named “One of the Top 50 Rabbis in America” by Newsweek and has written four powerful books, including “Thou Shall Prosper (Ten Commandments for Mak-

A5

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER ELECTION

Bridged the gap

New forms of predatory lending threaten consumers Over the past decade, no state has authorized either predatory payday or car title loans. That consumer financial progress came about through a combination of state and local advocates working with state lawmakers to bring a sense of financial fairness to their local communities.

But just like a bad penny that won’t go away, new predatory products have emerged across the nation: high-priced openend lines of credit and installment loans that are remarkably similar to traditional payday and car title loans. If these new products are allowed to expand in today’s marketplace, even more financial harm will strip consumers of their hard-earned dollars and mire them in yet another cycle of debt.

EDITORIAL

WILLIE JOLLEY GEORGE CURRY MEDIA

ing Money).”

Untraditional scholar

even one-tenth of one percent of the human race. And they make up only about two percent of the U.S. population. Yet, they are disproportionally influential in many areas of American business.

According to Rabbi Daniel Lapin, money isn’t just physical; it’s a spiritual reality. It’s about people and relationships. And those connections make our interpersonal networks rich and fulfilling.

In his book, “Thou Shalt Prosper,” he writes, “This book makes the Jewish approach to money and wealth accessible and useful to anyone. It will describe some of the secrets to Jewish business success and will show how they can be adapted to all people regardless of faith and background.

You will find tips, tools and techniques that you will be able to apply to your life. And the best part is by doing that you will be helping those around you, as much as yourself.”

Rabbi Lapin studied the Torah, physics, economics and mathematics in Johannesburg, London and Jerusalem. This seemingly unlikely combination formed his conviction that there is no conflict between faith and wealth.

He works at answering age-old questions: What do the Jewish people know about wealth building that has allowed them to prosper financially at a disproportionate rate? What principles do they live by? What are the biblical insights that Jewish people have learned from the Bible that we could all use to grow our wealth regardless of our backgrounds? Insights, concepts What is their mindset towards In my SiriusXM interview with money and wealth?

Rabbi Daniel Lapin, he shared Jewish people do not constitute some incredible insights and con-

NATE BEELER / THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Critical of politicians Although his views have not changed towards Black politicians, he now befriends a few, including Rep. Danny Davis (DIll.), who made arrangements for Farrakhan to hold Saturday’s rally at the foot of the Capitol.

But Farrakhan is better known for his scathing descriptions of Black lawmakers.

Referring to then-Philadelphia Mayor Wilson Goode in 1985 following a deadly confrontation between Goode and the revolutionary group MOVE, Farrakhan said: “I say, Black people, whenever you put a Black man in office and that Black man betrays the best interest of those of us who put him there, I say take him out.

“And if he doesn’t repent, brother and sister, men and women like this, we tar and feather them, we will hang them from the highest limb, we will

in 2014 that better than one in five or 23 percent of its car title installment loans were over 60 days in arrears, better than one in 10 loans were charged off and 8,900 cars were repossessed.

Political power Two nearly identical state legislative proposals that would have authorized high-priced open-end lines of credit in Arizona and in Texas were fortunately defeated. Had either of these passed, another predatory product would exist. In Arizona, for example, consumers who borrowed $3,000 would have paid over $4,900 in interest and fees in addition to the principal owed.

Consumers who want to steer clear of deceptively high-priced loans should consider the same factors that should discourage payday borrowing: high fees; direct access to a borrower’s bank account or car; high rates of default; credit insurance or other add-on products that provide little benefit to the borrower and no consideration of a borrower’s ability to repay

Protect consumers Although the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau lacks authority to impose an interest rate cap, CRL believes its other powers can strengthen consum-

Jewish people do

chop off their heads and roll them down the streets, for the Black people of America are tired of Black leaders selling us out after we put them in office, working for our enemies, rather than working for ourselves.”

That’s the old Farrakhan. The new and improved one comes up with titles such as “Justice or Else,” and then let others worry about what the “else” means.

And like the McDonald’s commercial, Black people are declaring, “I’m lovin’ it.”

George E. Curry is president and CEO of George Curry Media, LLC. He is the former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine and the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA). Contact him via www.georgecurry.com; follow him at www.twitter.com/ currygeorge and on Facebook.

er protections by: • Issuing rules that require high-cost lenders to assess a borrower’s ability to repay a loan, including the applicant’s income and expenses; • Taking enforcement actions against lenders that engage in unfair, deceptive and abusive installment lending practices; and • Using its rulemaking and enforcement powers to prevent lenders from trapping borrowers into loans that are repeatedly refinanced, have unreasonably high default rates, or hinder a borrower’s ability to fully repay a loan.

“Whether we are talking about a payday loan, a car title loan or a high-cost installment loan, the fundamental harm is making a loan that a borrower cannot afford to repay,” said CRL State Policy Director Diane Standaert.

“While many states have acted to protect their people from predatory payday and car title loans, our report shows that abusive lenders see installment loans as a new front. Regulators and policymakers should beware.”

Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending. Contact her at charlene. crowell@responsiblelending. org.

than against it, you will prosper.

• The principles of gravity work for everyone – whether you benot constitute even lieve in it or not. The same is true for the principles God built into the world of financial success. one-tenth of one • You must learn the biblical principles God put in the Bible to percent of the human grow your wealth.

• Serve people and help them race. And they make improve their lives and you will make more money. up only about two • Using our ingenuity to create opportunities that serve others generates money. percent of the U.S. • As you serve others and help them achieve their goals, money population. Yet, they will come. Therefore, the key is to serve and then you will succeed. are disproportionally • Learn to be excellent in your specialty. Don’t be ashamed to influential in many accept money for helping people solve their problems with that specialty. areas of American • Pray for health and strength and constantly learn the ways business.

God has created for us to become “money makers.” cepts that can help you to grow • Believe, receive and expect your wealth and your success, in- wealth. Then, be willing to work cluding: hard to achieve that expected out• Money did not sneak up on come.

God. He knew about it, the need Willie Jolley is an inspirafor it and created it for us to use.

And He gave us ways to generate tional speaker, singer and auit. thor. He is the author of several • God built a “financial cur- best-selling books. Contact him rent.” If you flow with it, rather at www.williejolley.com.

TOJ A6

FLORIDA

OCTOBER 16 – OCTOBER 22, 2015

Florida’s Rubio leads the field in missing Senate voting

BY MATTHEW FLEMING CQ-ROLL CALL/TNS

Video footage taken from a surveillance camera appears to show two Jacksonville police officers grabbing Kelli Wilson and attempting to take her cell phone.

Woman says she was beaten, arrested for filming police

BY STEPHEN CROCKETT THE ROOT

On July 15, Kelli Wilson took out her cell phone to record two Jacksonville policemen arresting her husband when, she says, the officers assaulted and arrested her and took her phone, footage of which was captured by a surveillance camera.

“I was beaten and then falsely arrested, my phone was stolen, my car was taken,” Wilson told News 4 Jax. “It was a traumatic experience. It was definitely an experience you never think you would be going through.”

Wilson told the news station that the incident happened outside a Jacksonville convenience store and that initially she was recording the arrest of her husband to ensure that her husband was safe. Wilson says that one officer demanded that she stop recording. She asked the offi-

cer why.

“He asked for it, he demanded it again and I gave him the same, ‘Why do you want my phone? What do you need my phone for?’

He told me he would punch me in my face,” Wilson told News Jax 4. “I eventually got punched and beaten, and the sergeant that was on the scene joined in the beating.”

What happened Wilson said she was tackled and arrested by the officers, who took her phone.

Although Wilson lost footage of the incident when her phone was confiscated, footage captured by a surveillance camera shows Wilson talking to police before an officer attempts to grab her phone. The officer also appears to punch Wilson.

According to the police report viewed by the news station, Wilson refused several requests to identify herself. Police say Wilson interfered with the investigation, although on the footage,

Wilson can be seen backing away from the officers.

Wilson says police still have her phone and that the footage recorded on the phone could exonerate her.

Still facing charges As it stands, Wilson still faces charges, although it is unclear exactly what the charges are.

“The state attorney’s office has evaluated the facts and circumstances in this case and filed the appropriate charge. A jury will determine if the defendant is guilty of this charge,” according to a statement released by the state attorney’s office.

One of Wilson’s lawyers, Dexter Van Davis, told the news station that Wilson is fortunate that a surveillance camera captured the incident. “She was lucky for that video, because without it, I don’t think a judge or jury would believe her against three police officers,” he said.

WASHINGTON — For a presidential cycle known for upending conventional political wisdom, one thing certainly hasn’t changed: It’s hard to vote in the Senate if you’re campaigning across the country.

Like John McCain in 2007, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who missed every vote last week, leads the Senate in truancy for the year to date, voting just 68.7 percent of the time.

To his credit, he’s still beating the 2007 version of McCain, the sitting senior senator from Arizona, who finished that year voting just 44.3 percent of the time on his way to becoming the 2008 Republican nominee.

Two other Republican

Supreme Court weighs death row law THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

U.S. Supreme Court justices Tuesday spent an hour questioning attorneys in a case that could force key changes in the way Florida carries out the death penalty.

The appeal was brought on behalf of death row inmate Timothy Lee Hurst, who was convicted in the 1998 murder of a fastfood worker in Escam-

senators hoping to be the 2016 nominee, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Ted Cruz of Texas, are voting only slightly more frequently than Rubio: 75.2 percent for Graham and 77.7 percent for Cruz — good enough for second and third place in votes missed for the year to date.

Democrats’ record While the three Republicans are quick to point out their policy differences with President Barack Obama, 2016 Democratic hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. — the maybe-he-will-run-maybe-he-won’t candidate — the Republicans are pretty much in the same boat with Democrats when it comes to missing votes while on the trail. bia County, and contends that Florida’s unique sentencing system is unconstitutional.

In part, Florida’s system does not require unanimous jury recommendations before judges can sentence defendants to death. Also, the case focuses on the interplay between juries and judges on “aggravating” circumstances, which must be found before death sentences can be imposed.

2002 ruling cited Seth Waxman, a former U.S. solicitor general representing Hurst, argued Tuesday that Florida’s sentencing system is

It takes all-nighters, moonlighting, and burning the midnight oil to get where you want to be.

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In 2007, Obama, Clinton and Biden — all running for president while sitting senators, along with then-Sen. Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut — were just as absent.

Biden of Delaware voted 60.9 percent of the time, both Dodd and Obama of Illinois voted 62.4 percent of the time, and Clinton of New York voted 76.7 percent of the time.

Of course, two other presidential aspirants are showing that doing both is not impossible. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has voted 97.8 percent of the time this year to date, while Bernard Sanders, the Vermont independent who’s running for the Democratic nomination, has voted 96.8 percent of the time. unconstitutional under a 2002 U.S. Supreme Court ruling known as Ring v.

Arizona, according to a transcript of the hearing.

State Solicitor General Allen Winsor disputed that argument, saying “Florida’s capital sentencing system was constitutional before Ring v. Arizona and it remains constitutional in light of Ring v. Arizona.”

It likely will take months for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule, but the case could have far-reaching effects if justices find the system unconstitutional.

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IFE/FAITH

OCTOBER 16 – OCTOBER 22, 2015

Coping with life after breast cancer See page B4

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

SOUTH FLORIDA / TREASURE COAST AREA

NPR TV critic to speak at journalists’ banquet See page B5

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SECTION

WWW.FLCOURIER.COM

JOINING THE NATION FOR HISTORIC REUNION

B

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Florida Courier photojournalist Duane C. Fernandez Sr. was among the massive crowd at the Oct. 10 anniversary of the Million Man March.

BY DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR. FLORIDA COURIER

O

ct. 10, 2015 is one day I will never forget.

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam had invited people from all over the world to descend on Washington D.C. that day and respond to the injustices in our country.

This call for justice was for African-Americans, Latinos, Mexicans, Native Americans, justice for women, justice for poor people, justice for veterans and justice for the incarcerated all come together for the injustice in America.

I traveled to Jacksonville from Daytona Beach on Oct. 9 where I met with a group going by bus to the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March in Washington, D.C. After arriving in Jacksonville, I was greeted by a team of men – Audre X. Neal, Stephen Johnson Muhammad, Derrick Muhammad, Raymond Stiles Shabazz, Raymond Muhammad and Jamal Muhammad, who were the coordinators of the trip.

Remembering 1995 There were several older men who had gone to the first Million Man March 20 years ago.

One reminisced about that march, held on Oct. 6, 1995, and about its success. It was expected to be a failure and to cause trouble with so many Black men gathered at the National Mall. It didn’t fail and there wasn’t the trouble that so many had anticipated.

Our trip from Jacksonville started out with prayer

by Brother Jamal. While more than half was of the Muslim faith, there were others – of all ages – who were just wanted to observe history in the making.

In Brunswick, Ga., 16 more people were picked up and we headed on to D.C. The entire journey took 16 hours, but it was worth the long ride. During the trip, we watched videos about the Nation of Islam and Minister Farrakhan’s travels around the United States and around the world.

See REUNION, Page B2

Top: Hundreds of thousands attended the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March.

Above: Minister Rasul Muhammad, son of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, sings at the event.

Left: Raymond Stiles Shabazz holds up a sign in front of the bus from Jacksonville.

PHOTOS BY DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./ HARDNOTTSPHOTOGRAPHY. COM

B2

MILLION MAN MARCH

OCTOBER 16 – OCTOBER 22, 2015

STOJ

A view from the comforts of a classroom Renowned professor reflects on 20th anniversary of march Since I have to teach on Saturdays at the City College of New York, it was not possible for me to attend the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March in the nation’s capital. I doubt if I would have gone under better circumstances because I have “been there, done that” and the fact that I had done my penance and atonement, the message of the first march.

Not having the resources to charter a bus to get my students to the event - and interestingly the only student in my class who attended was the sole White male student - I thought the next best thing was to stream the march into the classroom, which is easy enough nowadays in our digital universe.

After setting up my system to project the event on the screen from the justiceorelse.com website, I discovered there were two other options: NBC.com and, of course, C-SPAN. I stayed with the Nation of Islam’s site, that is, until it began an interminably long buffering moment and then I went to C-SPAN.

HERB BOYD GEORGE CURRY MEDIA

The difference was noticeable, particularly when Minister Louis Farrakhan began his more than two hours at the podium.

Timed telecast The Nation’s telecast was obviously prepared for his speech and timed its photos and documents to complement and accentuate his speech, whether he was referencing Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, or the plight of the Native Americans.

And even the cutaways to the audience were done to highlight his presentation.

There was Professor Cornel West nodding, his arms folded. And was that Kadiatou Diallo and Margarita Rosario, two women who have lost sons to wrongful deaths by police, sitting nearby?

Before we began spending our nearly four hours watching the broadcast, I shared with the students an article I wrote for

the commemorative anthology “Million Man March/Day of Absence,’’ edited by Haki Madhubuti and Maulana Karenga, and published by Third World Press and the University of Sankore Press (1996).

ly heard at forums such as this.

Muhammad, among a coterie of speakers from the NOI, had one of the best lines of the day when he referred to rampant police brutality in America as the “Blue Klux Klan.”

Women honored

Families reflect

The focus of my piece was to weigh the criticism that Black women were being neglected in the march, although there were a number of Black women who felt the charge was false and exaggerated.

Black women, indisputably, were present and powerful last Saturday, and none more vibrant and outspoken than moderator Tamika Mallory, who was speaking when we joined the event at noon.

I was surprised to see her described as the national coordinator of the event, but, then again, I should not have been, given the role she has played in the Harlem community over the years, especially her previous commitment to the National Action Network.

When she was temporarily relieved by Minister Nuri Muhammad of Indiana, he brought to the rostrum a succession of female speakers, each one of them representing organizations rare-

It was so rewarding to see and hear Cora Masters Barry and her son reflect on the memory of Marion Barry, the former mayor of Washington, D.C. and civil rights legend.

Because my class is on the history of the Civil Rights Movement, Barry’s legacy was of special significance. Their assignment was to pay special attention to the issue of civil rights and highlight them in their weekly reports.

The terrible killing of Sandra Bland in Walker County, Texas, earlier this year was recounted when members of her family were introduced. And the gravity of emotion reached another plateau when Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin’s mother, delivered her words, noting that the gathering was “not an event, but a movement.”

New leaders speak “This is a movement, not a mo-

ment,” said Melina Abdullah of BlackLivesMatter, as if to give the event additional timelessness.

Carmen Perez, executive director of The Gathering for Justice, moved the crowd with her comments on the prevalence of violence in our society and the steps to eradicate it. “We are the leaders we’ve been waiting for,” she charged, echoing a phrase from the 1960s.

Andrea Jones of Returning Families was passionate in her advocacy of the formerly incarcerated, citing the difficulties they faced upon being released from imprisonment.

Throughout the event there were placards that harkened back to the early Civil Rights Movement. Several declared “We Shall Overcome,” and “Fired Up, and Fed Up,” and the picture of Emmett Till, the 14-year old Black boy killed in 1955 near Money, Miss. for allegedly whistling at a White woman, flashed on the screen appeared along with photos of recent victims of police brutality or racist attacks.

Herb Boyd’s articles appear regularly in the New York Amsterdam News.

PHOTOS BY DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./HARDNOTTS PHOTOGRAPHY

Family members, loved ones and advocates hold up signs of people they say died due to injustices.

REUNION from Page 1

When our coach arrived in Washington at 8 a.m. Saturday morning, I could see the vendors were setting up shop with Tshirts, hats, blankets, books, buttons and water bottles. Just about anything you could print and sell was visible.

Muhammad’s son speaks When our group left the bus at Seventh and Lincoln Street – about four blocks from the Capitol.

There were many speakers on the schedule on this day. Most gave a detailed account of injustices – either to themselves or to someone they knew or represented or a whole class of people affected by a bad decision.

While photographing the event, I noticed a heavily guarded man sitting by himself on the front row in front of the podium.

After learning the man’s name, I asked if I could interview him.

I was given access through a roped-off area to interview Student Minister Rasul Muhammad, the son of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.

He talked about the significance of the event and how the Million Man March in 1995 was about reconciliation as husbands and families of men.

“Today, Justice or Else (the theme of this year’s march) is a different kind of thing. It’s not even a march. Going back to 1963, the Civil Rights Movement.

Justice is a demand. It’s a demand on our federal government, a demand on our state and city gov-

ernment. It’s also demand on our police departments or else we will die unless we begin to treat each other in a way that we want to be treated.

He remarked that Oct. 10 was a great day and it should not be judged by the numbers. Minister Muhammad added, “As Malcolm X said in the 1960s when he was asked about the attendance of rallies, ‘those that know don’t say and those that say don’t know.’’’

Respect for women After that interview, I headed to the media platform and waited to hear Minister Farrakhan speak. His focus was on the respect of our women and the treatment of women of all ethnicity. The Minister also spoke of the futility of waiting around for someone to give you a handout as though we are still slaves.

A statement by him that resonated with me was, “We as a people should strive to get our own and stop looking for a handout.’’

When I returned home to Daytona Beach on Sunday, I was grateful for the opportunity to witness history and to be among those who are pushing for change.

I will always remember how people of all races came together as one to fight for injustice for all, putting their differences aside to unite as one voice for every person who has had injustice in their lives.

Duane C. Fernandez Sr. is working on a book that chronicles the photographs he has taken covering various historical events, including the Trayvon Martin case and the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.

Floridians took a 16-hour bus ride from Jacksonville to the 20th anniversary in D.C.

Members of the Nation of Islam stand ready to serve.

This attendees sign sums up the reason for the event.

TOJ

OCTOBER 16 – OCTOBER 22, 2015

HEALTH

B3

Officers helping colleagues with fragile mental health

BY CHRISTINE BYERS ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH/TNS

ST. LOUIS — Filling out a traffic crash report felt as challenging as a chemistry test to Joan “Joann” Glover Straughter. A call for all available units boomed across the St. Louis police sergeant’s radio, but she didn’t flinch. Questioned later about why she didn’t respond, she exploded in anger, then cried.

Three days before, at a restaurant where she worked a security job, Glover Straughter had fatally shot a man who raised a gun at her after ignoring her commands to drop it.

She went through the motions of department protocol: completing a psychological evaluation, making a statement to investigators and returning to work three days later. But as the investigation moved ahead, she felt like she was moving backward.

Anger, grief, paranoia Routine paperwork took hours. She would get ready for work three hours early but barely arrive in time.

Sometimes, she couldn’t remember how she got where she was.

“It was like my brain was not clicking like I was accustomed to,” she explained recently. “It was like I was trying to do hopscotch and wasn’t sure which leg I wanted to move.”

Some colleagues noticed her distress, and told her they understood. For years, some city officers involved in shootings have informally mentored each other through the variety of emotions — including anger, grief and paranoia — that follow.

Most won’t talk publicly about it. As one put it: “I really don’t want to unpackage that.”

Called to minister Other cops, who never shot anybody, also opened up to Straughter about living risky off-duty lifestyles to keep up the adrenaline rush the job has conditioned their bodies to crave. And to dissipate the emotional traumas that build up.

Call to call. Day to day.

Year to year.

Straughter has made it her mission to minister to them, freely trading stories of their experiences.

The conversations intensified after the Ferguson police killing of Michael Brown. Cops repeatedly endured verbal and physical attacks while facing off with angry protesters. Their role as hero-protector was under challenge in social media. Police conduct became a headline topic in news stories that equated some cops to race-driven murderers.

“People think we are gun-happy and we want to shoot and kill, but that’s

J.B. FORBES/ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH/TNS

Officers Joan Glover Straughter and Dondrell Harris pose for a portrait on Aug. 19 in St. Louis, Mo. The two St. Louis police officers are being honored and called heroes for an incident in 2013 when they stopped a would-be robber in a restaurant full of people. not the case,” she said. “Because of my faith, the Word tells me as a police officer, I’m a minister of God. And Scripture tells us we have to defend by self-defense.”

Mental challenges She hopes the Ferguson

shooting can be the catalyst for publicly addressing not only police behavior but the mental challenges that can shape it — the very core of her hushed conversations among concerned cops.

Increasingly, it looks like she may get her wish.

Recommendations that departments formally address the mental health of officers are part of both the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing and the Ferguson Commission’s reports. It’s unclear how or when that may play out.

In the meantime, the St. Louis Police Wives Association has been raising money to provide mental health care as needed by local officers and their families. And researchers at the University of Missouri-St. Louis are studying the effects of the Ferguson experience on cops.

Straughter couldn’t be happier about it.

“A lot goes on in the streets. You see things, like babies getting hurt, and our brains are not equipped for that day in and day out,” she said. “And yet you don’t think about maintenance on your brain. We get our hearts checked … try to work out. So my question is, ‘You are trying to take care of all this, why not taking care of your brain?’ It’s a muscle that needs to be kept in working order as well.”

Domino effect St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said his department was talking about mental health before the Ferguson shooting. “We noticed that police departments in Missouri are woefully behind in addressing these issues,” he said. Larger departments like his have “early warning systems” to gauge whether an officer is struggling. While the city seeks to upgrade its system, he said his department is focused on training peer counselors.

“If there is some type of mental or physical problem, it’s going to affect an officer’s performance, and it’s a domino effect,” he said.

President Barack Obama’s policing task force saw the same thing.

“Hurt people can hurt people,” member Tracey Meares warned a hearing in February.

That group’s report, released in March, concluded: “The ‘bulletproof cop’ does not exist. The officers

‘You are trying to take care of all this, why not taking care of your brain? It’s a muscle that needs to be kept in working order as well.’

Sgt. Joan Glover Straughter St. Louis Police Department

who protect us must also be protected — against incapacitating physical, mental and emotional health problems as well as against the hazards of their jobs.”

St. Louis County police include mental health awareness training in their academy, including a suicide awareness class, said Sgt. Jeremy Romo of the Crisis Intervention Team.

Romo’s team typically trains police on de-escalating situations involving the mentally ill. After Ferguson, it began looking inward, too. Now it refers officers in need to two mental health professionals with law enforcement backgrounds. That helps overcome reluctance to confide in an outsider, he said.

“One thing Ferguson brought to light nationwide is that law enforcement does a really good job of taking care of people in the community with mental health needs, but we do a horrible job of taking care of our own,” Romo said.

The president’s task force said, “An agency work environment in which officers do not feel they are respected, supported or treated fairly is one of the most common sources of stress.”

Misconduct in McKinney The mental health issue lurks behind some highprofile controversies. An officer who resigned after video showed him forcefully dispersing a crowd of teens at a pool party in McKinney, Texas, had just responded to back-to-back suicides, his lawyer, Jane Bishkin, said. “With all that had happened that day, he allowed his emotions to get

the better of him.”

But poor mental health cannot be an excuse for misconduct, said Dr. John Violanti, a research professor at the University of Buffalo who testified before the president’s task force.

“Personality factors and a lot of different things can lead to that behavior; stress is a contributor,” he said.

An officer’s disposition, exposure to incidents in a given shift and the time of day can matter, he said.

“In a period of 20 years, can you imagine the trauma an officer sees?” asked Violanti, a New York State Police trooper, investigator and department psychological assistance coordinator for 23 years.

A study in the president’s task force report estimates that police kill themselves almost 2 1/2 times more often than others kill them.

Wellness checks Violanti cited the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data that suggest police are at a 69 percent greater risk than the average U.S. worker of committing suicide. He said various studies estimate that between 7 percent to 19 percent of all officers experience posttraumatic stress syndrome at some point.

An officer in Caseyville shot himself to death on duty last month.

Straughter said she believes she has helped prevent three officers from taking their lives.

Peer programs work, Violanti said, because police trust each other. Many fear that revealing themselves to bosses might cost them promotions, or even their jobs.

He said officers who resist mandatory counseling may respond to incentives and finesse. He recommends cash bonuses or extra time off to reward cops who submit to “wellness checks” for whatever ails them, physically or mentally.

Violanti said police already under high stress were demoralized after Ferguson, when “ … all of a sudden, it seems like all people think all officers are bad.” He explained, “Most cops sign up for the job because they want to help people, and that may decline over the years, but they’re still there. “And to not be appreciated for risking their life every day is not a good feeling.”

B4

HEALTH

OCTOBER 16 – OCTOBER 22, 2015

STOJ

Life after surviving breast cancer Why time after treatment can be the hardest stage of the disease

BY ALISON BOWEN CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS

For some cancer patients, the time after treatment ends can be the toughest.

Stephanie Logan still remembers the moment her doctor told her she was done — done with four rounds of chemotherapy, done with seeing nurses more than friends, done with regular pokes and prods.

She remembers thinking, “What am I supposed to do now?”

“You’re kind of thrown in the deep end,” the 51-yearold hairstylist said.

The moment of “surviving” breast cancer should be joyous, triumphant.

But for many, the time after treatment is a stage of uncertainty physically, mentally and socially. And as cancer treatment options improve and abound, some say resources for helping patients after they leave the hospital have not caught up.

Issues range from anxiety around checkups to pressure to find meaning in every moment. Breast cancer brings unique challenges as well, like dating after a mastectomy.

“Chemo brain” and persistent fatigue interrupt work. Vaginal dryness and scarred bodies take a toll on libido.

“People think that you have cancer, you’re battling cancer, then you finish cancer and then, ‘OK, now, next?’” said Hector Nunez, chief operations officer at cancer support group Imerman Angels.

“It’s not that easy.”

Depression follows More help is emerging in the medical community. New York City’s Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Cancer Center offers Living Beyond Breast Cancer resources. In Richmond, Va., the Massey Cancer Center at Virginia Commonwealth University includes a survivor health center.

For many, the battle while sick is demanding but distracting. The impact can hit later, experts say.

“I often see a lot of my patients get depression, not really around the diagnosis so much or the treatment; it’s about a year after,” said Dr. Jennifer Lit-

JOSE M. OSORIO/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS

Joanne Kao, far right, a volunteer with Imerman Angels and also a caregiver for her mother (who has stage 4 cancer), chats with Marina Beno, middle, whose 27-year-old daughter was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and Stephanie Logan, a breast cancer survivor, on Sept. 15. They were in the lobby at the UI Health Out Patient Cancer Clinic in Chicago. ton, associate professor at the University of Texas’ M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

This year, Oxford’s Journal of the National Cancer Institute published a paper outlining concerns that, despite improvements in treatment, resources for survivorship have fallen behind.

Beginning in January, new mandates from the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer require that patients leave primary treatment with survivorship care plans. Doctors should discuss side effects, the group suggested, as well as resources for emotional or mental issues.

“People were getting to the end of treatment and kind of being cut loose,” said Dr. Timothy Pearman, a psychologist and director of supportive oncology at Northwestern University’s Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chicago.

‘Never the same’ Experts advise that survivors allow space and grace on a roller coaster that, instead of coming to a screeching halt after the last appointment, might continue on for a loop or two.

Pearman often sees patients recovering — and reeling — from breast cancer.

“I think it’s really hard for a lot of women to not be hard on themselves and say, ‘What is wrong with me? Why am I not back to normal?’” he said.

Support, through a therapist or a group like Imerman Angels, which offers mentors to survivors, patients and caregivers, is key, experts said.

“You’re never the same,” Logan tells the women who call her at the phone number she freely dispenses.

“You’re not the same person. It’s OK to have a new normal.”

Nunez understands.

He harbors memories of his mother, after her mastectomy, feeling less of a woman. And he himself beat throat cancer only to realize radiation burns blocked his return to exercise. Meanwhile, side effects landed him in the hospital twice.

“I did not know,” he said, “the surviving was going to be the hardest.”

More changes A weight-lifting mentor helped him return to the gym and life. He’s running the New York City Marathon in November.

Breast cancer takes a unique toll, doctors say.

“Many women remain plagued by a plethora of physical, functional, emotional, financial, and social challenges,” the Journal of

the National Cancer Institute authors wrote.

Physical changes can be big and small. Nails and toenails can turn dark, hair growth can be slow, radiation can leave temporary burns on the skin.

Logan calls the physical toll a “blow to your confidence and self-esteem.”

Through the Look Good Feel Better program, she gives women tips — wig options, makeup for fatigued faces.

“You have your self-confidence issues,” Logan said. “‘Am I still attractive; will he still like me, still love me?’”

Dating, intimacy Relationships also factor into a new normal.

Friends might have fallen away, unsure how to help, or partnerships acquire a new rhythm.

And sexually, no other cancer has an impact quite like breast cancer, doctors said. Mastectomies can alter intimacy as women adapt to their new bodies. Treatment can throw women into early menopause.

“Everyone ties their sexuality to their breasts in different ways,” said Litton, who often refers patients to a sexuality clinic within M.D. Anderson.

Pearman’s patients wrestle with dating. One young woman didn’t feel

ready, because she was still bald. He often sees couples together: A wife might work through a new image in the mirror; a spouse’s respectful distance might be construed as disinterest.

“I think with a lot of cancers, there’s not that same sense of this being so tied to your gender and your body image,” Pearman said.

More chemo?

On a mental level, patients — far from being thrilled to exit hospital doors — feel an added anxiety away from doctors.

Pearman’s patients are often perplexed to no longer be constantly monitored. One worried her cancer would reappear undetected.

“She said she felt like she’d been walking this tightrope, and all of a sudden she got to the end of treatment, and she was still walking the tightrope, but the safety net got taken out,” he said.

Right before her last appointment, Sharon Martin, 57, a middle school teacher in Campbell, Calif., recalls asking her doctor, “Can’t I keep doing chemo? Just once a month?”

“It was like this comfort zone,” she said. “As long as I was having chemo, even though it stripped me of every hair on my body, I felt like I was safe.”

She added, “The 12 months following your treatment can be really terrifying.”

Doctors try to balance watchfulness with the alltoo-easy slip into obsession.

“Every twinge is going to be cancer in someone’s brain,” Litton said.

Her patients, after walking through a waiting room of still-sick patients, are hesitant to share negative thoughts.

“People tell me they feel like they’re being wimpy or whiny when they’re being bothered about these things when they should be grateful (to be alive),” Litton said.

Each patient moves forward at her own pace.

Some prefer to leave breast cancer completely behind, opting out of support groups. Others find solace in them. Routine checkups on one person’s calendar might be occasion to take a day off from work, but others treat it like any other errand.

Survivor Retreats Logan, whose sunny attitude is echoed by arm bracelets reading “Turn Up Your Praise” and “Keep Pushing,” found purpose through volunteering with Imerman Angels and starting the Empower Many Network, a social-gathering group of survivors.

Also a travel agent, she hopes to launch Survivor Retreats. A cruise to Jamaica and Mexico with friends capping her treatment helped her regain a sense of self, she said.

Chicagoan Phyllis Maciulis, diagnosed twice 20 years apart, refuses to feel fear constantly.

After her first diagnosis, every small change — a dentist’s raised eyebrow, an abnormality on an arm — immediately transformed into a cancer scare.

Each time, it was fine, until it wasn’t, she said.

“I’m not looking for cancer,” said Maciulis, 68, who also keeps a wry humor at the ready. “I already had a taste of being under a microscope. It was horrible.”

Since she first battled breast cancer two decades ago, much has changed.

The first time, she asked her doctor for resources. He responded, she recalled, that he would be her sole resource for any questions.

“I was flabbergasted by that,” she said. “It’s really a lot different now.”

What to know before getting a genetic test for breast cancer A genetic test to find out if people are more susceptible to breast cancer is available, but how do you decide whether to get it? With a lot of thought, cautioned Dr. Nora Hansen, director of the Lynn Sage Comprehensive Breast Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Prentice Women’s Hospital. She explained what patients should know.

For example, no medical standards dictate exactly who should get the test and when. Taking the test, which can show whether people have threatening mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 tumorsuppressor genes, can leave patients facing serious options, like surgery to remove breasts.

If the test comes back positive, Hansen noted, there are organizations that can help, including Bright Pink.

are questions related to their own self, in terms of when was their first period, when did they have their first child. If they’re postmenopausal, at what age did they go through menopause. In order to decide should a patient be tested for the gene, you really go through a family history, and so you want to know who in the patient’s history, both the mother’s and the father’s side, had any history of breast or ovarian cancer.

Q: How do you decide whether someone is a good candidate for genetic testing?

A: Say a patient came in to see me and her mother had breast cancer at the age of 38 and her mother’s two sisters as well, and the grandmother had breast cancer, too. That would be a sign that that family has a lot of breast cancer, and they’re very young, which would make you think this could be gene-related.

A good candidate?

Does age matter?

This is an edited version of the interview.

Q: How do you explain this test to a patient?

A: We have a long discussion with them. We ask multiple questions. There

Q: What should a patient consider before thinking about the test?

A: You don’t just want to send off the blood test and find out the information.

It’s very important that the

BY ALISON BOWEN CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS

JACOLINE SCHOONEES/XINHUA/ZUMA PRESS/TNS

Actress Angelina Jolie had a double mastectomy after genetic testing showed she had a high risk of getting breast cancer. patient meet with a genetic counselor who would really develop this family pedigree and help decide. You want to have some likelihood that the patient would be positive before you test.

If they have a very low risk of having the gene, it’s not worth testing, but if they

have a higher risk, greater than 10 percent, then they would get tested.

But the testing comes with a lot of implications — implications for the patient, for any family members, for the children — because it affects everyone.

I have a lot of patients that

don’t want to know. They say they’re just not ready to handle the information. They don’t know what they’re going to do with the information. And in some ways, if you’re not going to act on the results, it almost doesn’t make sense (to get the test).

Q: Is advice on whether to take the test any different for age ranges, for example, for someone 20 years old or 50?

A: We do think that most patients who have the gene develop breast cancer usually at an earlier age. For the genetic testing, you’d probably want to be tested earlier than later. I wouldn’t recommend testing anyone under 20, because what are you going to do with that information? A 30-year-old doesn’t get any (recommended) imaging at this point, but if we knew she were positive for the gene, we would get imaging for her at this age.

Q: Can anyone go into a doctor’s office and request this test?

A: A lot of gynecologists order genetic testing, because a lot of younger women, that’s their doctor. Oftentimes what’ll happen is, I’ll see a patient who comes in; a gynecologist ordered the test for her, she came out positive and now she has no idea what to do.

Ideally, it would have been best if she was seen in the high-risk clinic first, to go through the implications of the tests. Once you have the results, you have the results, and there’s no going back in a sense.

STOJ

OCTOBER 16 – OCTOBER 22, 2015

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

Meet some of

FLORIDA’S

finest

submitted for your approval

B5

Think you’re one of Florida’s Finest?

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

Model and United States Army veteran Rose hails from Cap-Haitien, Haiti. In addition to English, she is fluent in patois creole, Spanish and French, and has a degree in culinary arts.

Contact Rose at facebook.com/ wittyrosegallery or on Twitter @1wittyrose.

IMAGE 1ST, LLC

Ishmael participates in runway shows, print modeling and acting.

He has been featured on MTV, VH1 and BET as well as theatrical stage productions.

Contact Ishmael via email at blue832004@ yahoo.com.

rose

ishmael at 400 West Airport Blvd. Register with Stephanie Fyock at 407-665-3011 or Stephanie.

Fyock@flhealth.gov.

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR Tampa: Ra-Ra Designs will present its annual fashion show featuring the Exotic Elegance Plus Size Modeling Troupe. The show is Oct. 17 at Sons of Italy, 3315 W. Lemon St. More information and tickets: 813-500-2643.

Coral Gables: The Legends Of The Old School tour makes stops in Coral Gables, Estero and Orlando in November.

Performers scheduled are Vanilla Ice, Salt N Pepa, Coolio, 2 Live Crew, Color Me Badd, Rob Base, DJ Laz and Gucci Crew II. Fort Lauderdale: The African-American Research Library and Cultural Center will channel the ambiance of the Islands of the Bahamas on Nov. 6. This age 21-and-over event is scheduled from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The cost is $10.

Location: 2650 Sistrunk Blvd.

More info: 954-357-6210.

#8

CS

Plantation: Holy Convocation 2015, A Call For A Holy Nation is Oct. 21-Oct. 23 at Judah Worship Word Ministries International, 4441 W. Sunrise Blvd. Speakers will include Evangelist Joyce Haddon of Detroit, Prophetess

BIG FREEDIA

You can catch the hiphop artist on Oct. 25 at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale.

Sharon Seay Whitelaw of Tennessee, Pastor Gail Patterson and guest psalmist, Minister Antoine Handy of Belle Glade.

More details: 954-791-2999.

Tampa: NAS, Lil Wayne and Yo Gotti are among the scheduled performers at the HIT Music Festival on Nov. 7 at the University of South Florida Sun Dome.

Tampa: The Hillsborough County NAACP’s annual Freedom Fund Dinner is Oct. 30 at the Embassy Suites on Spectrum Boulevard. More information: www.hillsboroughnaacp.org.

Sanford: The Florida Department of Health in Seminole County will host a free “Domestic Violence is Your Business” Lunch & Learn on Oct. 16 from noon to 1 p.m.

FLORIDA COURIER FRI 10/16 3 COL. (4.93) X 10 ALL.CSP.1016.FCEMAIL

NPR TV critic to speak at Tampa black journalists’ banquet

CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES

Eric Deggans, National Public Radio’s TV critic, will be the keynote speaker at the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists’ Griot Drum Awards & Scholarship Banquet on Thursday, Nov. 12, at Tampa Marriott Westshore, 1001 N. Westshore Blvd.

The 6 p.m. cocktail hour will showcase works by local photographers. Dinner and the awards ceremony will begin at 7 p.m.

Rod Carter, an anchor with WFLA News Channel 8 and TBABJ’s vice president of broadcast, will be the emcee.

Eric Deggans

St. Petersburg: Catch the group during the first 95.7 Beats By The Bay music festival on Oct. 24 at Vinoy Park.

The lineup includes Tyrese, Blackstreet, 112, Whodini and Rob Base.

Tampa: The B.E.S.T. program will celebrate its 11th year with a “Diamonds in the Rough” gala on Oct. 17 at the Centre Club, 123 South Westshore Blvd. The program is from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Candace McCowan, WFLA reporter, will be the guest emcee. Tickets: www. brainexpansions.org.

St. Petersburg: Tickets are on sale for a concert featuring Chaka Khan on Nov. 13 at the Mahaffey Theater.

Sarasota: The West Coast Black Theatre Troupe will present “The Color Purple’’ Oct. 14-Nov. 21. More information http://westcoastblacktheatre.org.

Orlando: The Opal Network Alliance’s South Florida Women’s Summit is Oct. 2829 at the at the Bonaventure Resort & Spa in Weston. More information: www.onatoday. com.

A journalist for more than 20 years, he also is the author of “Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation,’’ a look at how prejudice, racism and sexism fuels some elements of modern media.

Purchase tickets online

Tickets to the Nov. 12 banquet are $30 for TBABJ members, $35 for non-members, $10 for full-time students and $300 for a table of eight.

Tickets can be purchased now using TBABJ’s secure PayPal feature on its website at www.tbabj.com.

FOOD

B6

OCTOBER 16 – OCTOBER 22, 2015

TOJ

JERK RIBS WITH BROWN SUGAR RUB Prep: 25 minutes Cook: 2 hours, 15 minutes to 2 hours, 45 minutes Makes: 4 servings From “My Life on a Plate” (Kyle Books, $24.95) by Kelis, who writes, “You might be surprised that I ask you to add the entire thyme sprigs, stems and all, to the blender when making the sauce. The stems are actually where the most flavor is in the herb and where the most oils are, and when they’re all blended up, they give the sauce its body.”

E. JASON WAMBSGANS/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS

Kelis’ recipe for jerk ribs is featured in her cookbook, “My Life on a Plate.

‘My Life on a Plate’ R&B star Kelis goes from ‘Milkshake’ to cookbook

precise. There are certain techniques with French foods you don’t mess with. Same with Puerto Rican.

It has starters like sofritos; don’t even bother making it another way. Puerto Rican food is very beautiful; it looks appetizing to the eyes as well.

BY KEVIN PANG CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS

This book is not a celebrity cash-in. See, singer-songwriter Kelis, who’s made a steady career on the vanguard of R&B and soul music for nearly 20 years, just wrote a new cookbook called “My Life on a Plate.” It’s a book of serious recipes, ambitious in its geographic breadth and an insightful look at how food and music intersect.

This, of course, could well be accomplished by a celebrity with a competent ghostwriter, but Kelis has the authority where most celebrity cookbook authors don’t.

About 10 years ago, in between record deals, Kelis was watching TV one morning and saw an ad for a cooking school. As she writes in her book, “I looked up the number for Le Cordon Bleu, and within a few minutes it was decided that I would start the semester full time bright and early Monday morning.”

Here was this recognizable music figure, who scored a pop hit with “Milkshake,” making beurre blanc inside a sweaty kitchen.

She writes: “I was enthralled. I soon realized that, fear aside, this was one of the best things I would ever do.”

That cooking touches many parts of Kelis’ life is unmistakable; her most recent album was called “Food.”

“My Life on a Plate” is a reflection of her worldwide travels as a musician, as well as her family. There’s a strong presence of her Puerto Rican heritage throughout these pages, as well as influences from Asia and the American South.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

Favorite time Q: You called working in the kitchen “the best time of your life.” How so?

Making of ‘Food’

Kelis has written “My Life on a Plate,” a collection of recipes influenced by her world travels and her Puerto Rican heritage.

A: There’s an intensity in the kitchen that’s not like anything else. You’re dealing with fire and people and time. You just have to produce. There’s no time to be pretentious; it’s just, get it done. There’s something really gratifying about that. It’s not like you’re onstage, and people are applauding! You’re done with your shift, and it’s “get out of the way.” There’s something really genuine.

If I’ve learned anything from the past couple of years, I am my most honest in the kitchen. It’s my favorite time. I like being exhausted from it.

Puerto Rican cuisine Q: There’s a strong presence of Puerto Rico in your cookbook. What do Americans not understand about its cuisine?

A: People assume Latin food is all the same, which couldn’t be more from the truth. Puerto Rican food is very flavorful.

It’s like the French of Latin food; it’s very

Q: The highlight from your 2014 album, “Food,” for me, was your single called “Jerk Ribs.” And the song really has nothing to do with jerk ribs.

A: The whole album being called “Food,” it’s funny. The title came up randomly because someone randomly asked what the title was, and I jokingly blurted out, “Food.”

As I said it, I thought, “Yeah, that’s perfect.” I couldn’t have done better if I thought hard about it. All the titles on the album, there are no songs that are about food. That song “Jerk Ribs” came out when I was cooking a lot with (producer and TV on the Radio member) Dave Sitek.

He was writing; we got a whole bunch of musicians in the room, and I was cooking jerk ribs. The entire band ate it, all 13 guys, and it was the quietest they’ve ever been. So you know what, that’s the name of the song.

In fact, all the names of the song were what we were eating at the time. Why change them?

Lessons from mom Q: You can tell from reading the book your mother, who was a chef, plays an important role in your life. What did you learn most about cooking from your mother?

A: To this day, if something doesn’t look beautiful to my mom, she wouldn’t even try it. I learned you have to eat with your eyes first. And if I can put my hands in the food (while cooking), there’s a real love in it.

It’s really personal. People who think, “You don’t work with gloves?” That’s like a cafeteria! I want you to know there’s human touch. I’m not ashamed to put my hands in it. I learned that from my mom.

For the ribs: 2 racks pork ribs (preferably St. Louis — style ribs; 2 to 3 pounds each) 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/2 cup brown sugar rub, see recipe For the sauce: 1/2 cup toasted sesame oil 1/4 cup molasses 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons ground allspice 4 to 6 garlic cloves, peeled 1 to 2 Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, seeded or whole (using seeds will make the sauce very spicy) 1 bunch scallions, trimmed, coarsely chopped 1 bunch fresh thyme sprigs 1/2 teaspoon black pepper Position two oven racks in the center, and heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Season both sides of the ribs with the salt. Stir the smoked paprika into the brown sugar rub; coat both sides of the ribs with the rub. Place ribs, bone side down, in a large baking dish.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil and roast the ribs on the center rack for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, rotating the baking dish from the top to the bottom racks halfway through, so they cook evenly.

The ribs are done when the meat separates easily from the bone.

While the ribs roast, make the jerk sauce. Combine all of the ingredients in the jar of a blender or the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, and puree until smooth. Transfer the jerk mixture to a saucepan, and bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce until it darkens in color, 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove the ribs from the oven, but do not turn it off. Remove the foil but don’t discard it. Using a basting brush or the back of a spoon, coat the ribs evenly with the jerk sauce. Cover the dish with the aluminum foil again and roast the ribs for 15 minutes more.

Serve the ribs with the rest of the sauce on the side.

BROWN SUGAR RUB Makes: 1 1/2 cups 1 cup light or dark brown sugar 2 tablespoons whole caraway seeds 2 tablespoons granulated garlic 2 tablespoons kosher salt 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Use immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to several months.

Tailgating cocktails with a kick

BRATTY MARY Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 7 minutes Servings: 4 cocktails 1 cup vodka 3 cups Bloody Mary mix or tomato juice 1 tablespoon horseradish sauce 1 tablespoon hot sauce 2 tablespoons lime juice 2 dashes pepper 1 Johnsonville Brat, grilled 1 brat bun 4 skewers 4 cheddar cheese cubes 2 dill pickle spears, cut in half In pitcher, mix vodka, Bloody Mary mix or tomato juice, horseradish sauce, hot sauce, lime juice and pepper.

Pour into 4 glasses with ice.

Assemble grilled brat in bun and slice into four pieces.

For garnish, assemble each skewer with one quarter of brat with bun, one cheese cube and half dill pickle and place into cocktails.

FAMILY FEATURES

With football season in full swing, throwing a winning tailgating party is a must. Fire up the grill and mix up some great cocktails to keep your party going strong from kickoff to the final horn.

This year, take your game to new heights by putting an unexpected twist on traditional tailgate eats and drinks. Ditch the wilted stalk of celery and soggy slice of bacon, and bolster your Bloody Mary with any variety of sausage – a gamechanging play sure to turn heads, experiment with different flavor in your garnish and earn the respect of your comrades.

A Bloody Mary is more than just a crave-worthy cocktail.

It’s a spectacle, a cultural phenomenon and an opportunity to make a statement at your next tailgate party.

No matter which team you’re rooting for this football season, you can customize your Bloody Mary with a smoked cooked Johnsonville sausage and other garnishes. For added fun, offer a complete Bloody Mary bar to let guests call their own audible. Include options such as: • Johnsonville Summer Sausage • Johnsonville Smoked-Cooked Andouille Sausage • Plain or flavored salt for glass rims • A variety of hot sauces • Worcestershire sauce • Horseradish • Pepper • Pickled green beans or okra • Pickles • Wedges of lemon and lime • Pearl onions • Olives stuffed with pimento or blue cheese • Cheese cubes

SWEET ’N SOUTHERN BLOODY MARY Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 7 minutes Servings: 4 cocktails 1 cup sweet tea vodka 3 cups Bloody Mary mix or tomato juice 1/4 cup okra juice ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon hot sauce ½ teaspoon celery salt 1 dash ground black pepper 4 skewers 4 Johnsonville Smoked Beef Brats, grilled 4 okra spears In shaker or pitcher, mix vodka, Bloody Mary mix or

tomato juice, okra juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, celery salt and black pepper. Pour into 4 glasses with ice.

For garnish, assemble each skewer with smoked beef brat and okra spear and place into cocktails.