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VOLUME 22 NO. 47
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NOVEMBER 21 – NOVEMBER 27, 2014
SINCE CONGRESS WON’T… President Obama will move forward with immigration reform on his own, fulfilling a promise to do so with or without congressional approval.
COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS
OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/MCT
Supporters of immigration reform protested outside the White House on Nov. 7.
WASHINGTON – President Obama will detail his longawaited executive action to provide relief from deportation to millions of immigrants here illegally on Thursday night – after the Florida Courier’s press time Wednesday. On Friday, he is scheduled to give a speech at Del Sol High School in Nevada, a swing state with a growing Latino community. Obama first launched his campaign to overhaul the immigration system during a
speech at the school in January 2013. Since then, Republican opposition in the House has thwarted the president’s legislative push. Obama has said that he won’t wait any longer for Republicans to pass legislation and plans to use his executive authority to ease deportations.
Millions affected Administration officials have indicated that the proposals could affect as many as 5 million people and could be aimed at the parents and rel-
JULIA T. CHERRY
Happy 87th birthday!
atives of U.S. citizens and permanent residents. In his 2013 speech at the school, Obama urged Congress to move forward a comprehensive bill to overhaul the immigration system. “The time is now” to get it done, he said then, laying out “key markers” he would require to be part of immigration reform – among them a pathway to citizenship for many of the 11 million undocumented residents living in the U.S. If Congress didn’t act quickly, he said, he would send his own bill to them and “insist that they vote on it right away.”
House inaction The Senate approved a proSee OBAMA, Page A2
Another ‘first’ of many Joyner selected Senate Dem leader COMPILED FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
TALLAHASSEE – Sen. Arthenia Joyner will now lead the Democratic Party on the floor of the Florida Senate, a little more than a half century after spending a couple of weeks in the Leon County Jail as part of local civil rights struggles. Joyner, a Tampa Democrat, was unanimously elected Monday by the Senate Democratic Caucus to be the minority party’s leader the next two sessions. The selection was first announced in May as the 2014 session came to a Arthenia close. She replaces Joyner Fort Lauderdale Democrat Chris Smith, although Smith remains in the Senate. Sen. Oscar Braynon of Miami Gardens was elected the party’s leader pro tempore, making him second Chris Smith in line.
The Cherry family celebrated the latest birthday of family matriarch Julia T. Cherry with dinner in Daytona Beach on Nov. 16. Pictured, left to right, are Cassandra Cherry Kittles, Charles W. Cherry II, Dr. Valerie Rawls Cherry, Charles W. Cherry III, Julia T. Cherry, Dr. Glenn W. Cherry and Chayla Cherry.
Wages, Medicaid Joyner said the issues she wants Democrats to push during the See JOYNER, Page A2
SNAPSHOTS NATION | A6
AKAs accuse UConn frat of racism
BY KAREN KAPLAN LOS ANGELES TIMES / TNS
WORLD | B3
Africa’s health systems continue to struggle
HOLIDAY | B4
Back to basics: Gifts that inspire the imagination
ALSO INSIDE
Kissing transfers 80 million bacteria, scientists say A 10-second “intimate kiss” can transfer a whopping 80,000,000 bacteria from one mouth to another, according to a new report in the journal Microbiome. A team of Dutch researchers recruited 21 couples who happened to be visiting the Artis Royal Zoo in Amsterdam on a summer day. All 42 volunteers (whose ages ranged from 17 to 45) allowed the researchers to wipe their tongues with a cotton swab several times. They also agreed to spit into sterile tubes and answer questions about their kissing habits.
The researchers found that the particular community of bacteria living on a volunteer’s tongue was more similar to the bacteria on his or her kissing partner’s tongue than to a stranger’s tongue. They quantified this using a measure called the Morisita-Horn index, where 0 indicates complete overlap and 1 means no overlap at all. The MH index value for kissing couples was 0.37, significantly lower than the 0.55 for strangers. Then the volunteers engaged in some public displays of affection (a 10-second kiss “involving full tongue contact and saliva exchange”) and had their tongues swabbed again. According to
the bacterial analysis, a fresh kiss barely budged the similarity index value. That suggests that the overlap in tongue bacteria is probably “a long-term effect of couples living together” – sharing meals, toothpaste and other items from daily life. In a further test, some of the volunteers were given a probiotic yogurt drink spiked with a marker bacteria. Researchers swabbed their tongues and asked them to kiss their partners. Then the partners had their tongues swabbed. Comparing the contents of the yogurt-drinkers’ swabs and their partners’ swabs, the researchers calculated that a single kiss can deposit 80,000,000 bacteria from
one tongue to another. A single kiss had no immediate effect on the composition of bacteria in the saliva samples, the researchers found. But swapping spit certainly entails swapping bacteria as well. The more often a couple kissed, the more similar the bacteria in their saliva samples. A bonus finding: The men said they kissed their partners an average of 10 times a day, while the women recalled kissing only five times a day. The researchers concluded that the men were most likely exaggerating the frequency of their romantic encounters.
COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4 COMMENTARY: BARBARA HOWARD: OBAMACARE IS A SCAM ON AMERICA | A5
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NOVEMBER 21 – NOVEMBER 27, 2014
There are good preachers and bad preachers Sometimes in Gantt Report columns I comment about preachers. Obviously, all preachers are not alike. Comments made are not intended to paint all religious leaders with the same brush. There are very good, sincere and holy messengers, and there are false prophets that masquerade as men or women of God. How can you tell the difference? God will tell you the difference.
No calls, texts No, the Lord won’t call you on your smart phone or send a text to your iPad or send an email to your e-address. But God will send you a sign that will reveal when a preacher is ratchet or righteous! I like the preachers that teach the word via a meaningful message that we all can understand. Screaming and shouting won’t move me. The smell of incense won’t motivate me. And weekly talks about tithing won’t inspire me to act right or do right! Believe it or not, I go to church regularly, meaning I attend worship services much more than once a year or once a month. At the same time, I’m well aware that you don’t have to go to church at all to find God. God is everywhere, at every place at all times. And we all come to God and we all find the Truth in our own ways at our own times. If you
LUCIUS GANTT THE GANTT REPORT
became “saved” ten years ago and another person found God ten minutes ago, in God’s eyes, neither person is more godly or better than the other.
Rough side I wasn’t born in a manger, but I did grow up on the rough side of town. The Atlanta neighborhoods of Fourth Ward, Buttermilk Bottom, Carver Homes projects, Kirkwood and other neighborhoods like Liberty City, Edgewood, Frenchtown, and 22nd Street were where I grew to be the man I am. You can take me out of the ‘hood, but you can never take the ‘hood out of me! One of the biblical “’hoods” was a place called Samaria. Samaria was a place that biblical Jews and others wanted to stay out of, stay away from. But Jesus wasn’t afraid to go to or through the hood and neither am I. One day, Jesus ran across a “half-breed” woman at a well in Samaria. Biblical half-breeds were treated just as bad as mixed race people today. Nobody want-
ed to claim them; nobody wanted to associated with them. The woman was thirsty. In a way, she was thirsty just like some women you meet at the club today. She wanted some water, but Jesus explained to her that well water was temporary. It may quench your thirst for a while but soon you would want more water to drink. Jesus offered the woman eternal water that would enable her to never feel thirsty again.
Then and now The water in Samaria is just like the political water of today. Democratic water and Republican water dies out when there is political change. If you’re a Democrat in a Republican-controlled state or city political, water will never flow in your neighborhood. That is why voters and citizens rush to change parties after every election. When you walk with the spirit and preach – or write – the truth, you are a good preacher. When you suck up to political parties, corrupt politicians and devilish political agendas in church or in the streets, you are a bad preacher! I believe good preachers love Lucius Gantt and they love The Gantt Report! They read The Gantt Report and they support
The Gantt Report! For example, I like Miami’s Bishop Victor Curry. He has allowed me to appear on his radio programs. He has invited me to speak at his church. He has lived clean, as far as I know, and he lets his works be seen! If you don’t know, very few preachers will let me speak at their churches perhaps because they feel they can’t control what I will say.
I handle things At the same time, when TV cameras, radio microphones, news magazines, wire services and satellite trucks surround the church, the preachers oftentimes call Lucius Gantt. And what do I do? I protect them from the satanic imperialist press. I handle the media. Don’t take my word for it. Ask Rev. Henry Lyons, ask Minister Louis Farrakhan, ask Imam Muhammad Siddeeq, ask Elder Ernest Ferrell, ask Yahweh Ben Yahweh and others that have benefited from my help given to religious leaders. I have my own religious beliefs, but I respect all religions and religious leaders.
‘More perfect’ I’m somewhat imperfect, and so are the world’s preachers. But I expect the bishops, the ministers,
JOYNER
Tampa roots Joyner, now 71, attended Middleton High in Tampa and went on to Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in political science in 1964. As a FAMU student a year be-
OBAMA from A1
posal last year, but the House has refused to act, in large part because of Republican division on the issue. The White House reiterated Tuesday that Obama plans to issue the executive order by the end of the year. But Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the president would back off on his executive order if House Republicans would take up and pass the Senate bill. “Republicans can certainly prevent the president from taking this executive action,” Earnest said.
GOP weighs options House Republicans are considering how best to address the White House’s action. A new option emerged on Tuesday: passing an omnibus in December and later, after Obama issues his executive action on immigration, rescinding funding for the specific federal programs being used to implement the order. House Appropriations Chairman Harold Rogers, R-Ky., pitched the idea at a closed-door GOP conference meeting Tuesday. He argued that such an approach was a prudent way to expediently fund the government, saving the House’s work on fiscal 2015 spending bills while also responding to the president’s immigration order. Congress will need to pass some sort of spending bill by Dec. 11, when the current continuing resolution expires, or it
Divided house falls If the Black community is a kingdom, the biblical chapter of Luke 11:13 -17 explains, “every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.” Black communities don’t always fall into disrepair. Sometimes bad preachers with bad intentions push us down by suggesting that we praise and worship politicians more than we honor God! All of the real, good preachers must continue to stand up and fight for what is right!
Contact Lucius at www.allworldconsultants.net. “Like” The Gantt Report page on Facebook. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.
State Sen. Arthenia Joyner is now the top Democrat in a Republicandominated Florida Senate. Standing next to Joyner on Monday are her sisters, Sonja Bexley and Claretha Davis.
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coming 2015 session include increasing the minimum wage and ending the Republicans’ “Berlin Wall” of resistance to the expansion of Medicaid. “There is no freedom for the tens of thousands underpaid and underemployed because the new jobs pale in comparison to ones lost in the Great Recession,” Joyner told the caucus members and a number of Republicans, including outgoing Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, and incoming President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, who attended the caucus meeting. Gardiner, who formally replaced Gaetz on Tuesday, told Joyner, “We’re going to be partners.” Republicans hold a 26-14 advantage in the Senate. Joyner was introduced by Sen. Geraldine Thompson, D-Orlando, as “a woman who has made history.”
the imams, the Yoruba chiefs and other preachers and religious leaders to be more perfect than I am. So know when I write about preachers selling out, punking out and hanging out with politicians and other wicked and deceitful people that hate AfricanAmericans, I am in no way talking about true servants and messengers of God, Allah, Jehovah, Oludamare or whatever you want to call the Creator.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SEN. ARTHENIA JOYNER
fore the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, Joyner was among people arrested twice, charged with trespassing for marching outside a Tallahassee movie theater that didn’t admit Blacks. The theater was blocks from the state Capitol. Joyner would also spend time in jail in the 1980s for protesting outside the South African embassy to end apartheid. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the FAMU College of
Law in 1968, and also has an honorary Doctor of Laws from Stetson University.
will trigger a shutdown. “I am for all ideas right now. I think we need to get together as a conference, decide what we’re going to stand behind and then stand united on whatever that strategy is,” said Raul R. Labrador, R-Idaho. He added, “I don’t think anybody’s thinking about a government shutdown. The only person who’s thinking about a government shutdown is the president.”
tions of millions of immigrants living in the country illegally. Asked in a 2013 Telemundo interview whether he would heed calls to expand his deportationdeferral program to include more immigrants, Obama said, “If we start broadening that, then essentially I would be ignoring the law in a way that I think would be very difficult to defend legally, so that’s not an option.” Although Obama’s 2014 program is likely to push the limits of presidential power, immigrationlaw experts predict opponents will have a hard time stopping him. Courts have historically given the executive branch broad leeway to decide how to enforce deportation laws.
Looking past Obama A coalition of business executives and prominent conservatives is warning Republican leaders not to get further mired in the rhetorical immigration battle. Jeremy Robbins, executive director of the Partnership for a New American Economy, said the demographics of the country are rapidly changing. Leaders can’t ignore the speed with which the Latino and Asian voting bloc is growing if the party wants to remain competitive in 2016 and beyond, he said. Robbins cites his group’s own findings that there are more than 13.2 million unregistered Hispanic and Asian eligible voters in the United States, with high numbers in swing states such as Texas (2.4 million), Florida (814,000), Colorado (272,000), and Nevada (154,000). By 2020, another 4.2 million Hispanic and Asian residents are expected to become naturalized citizens and therefore eligible to vote, the partnership found.
Hard to block Just a year ago, Obama was among those who doubted he had the power to halt deporta-
Leadershp positions The first female Black attorney in Hillsborough County, Joyner also has served as president of the Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter of the National Bar Association as well as the National Bar Association itself.
Used by others It’s a power that has been used by most presidents over the last 70 years. President John F. Kennedy shielded Cubans who arrived on U.S. shores. President George H.W. Bush, building on similar executive action taken by President Ronald Reagan, shielded an estimated 1.5 million children and spouses of immigrants who’d been granted amnesty under a 1986 law. Both presidents acted alone after Congress declined to include the immigrants’ family members. “That is a strikingly close parallel to what President Obama is considering,” said Stephen Legomsky, a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis and former chief counsel for immigration at the Department of Homeland Security. The Supreme Court ruled two years ago that the executive
She was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2000 and to the Florida Senate in 2006. She was chair of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus in 2012-2013. Joyner, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and life member of the NAACP, has received numerous state and national honors. In 2012, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Black Caucus of State Legislators. In
May, she was inducted into the Hillsborough County Women’s Hall of Fame. Her involvement in government includes being a state director of Women in Government as well as national vice president of the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women.
branch has “broad discretion” in setting deportation policies. The case involved a confrontation between Arizona officials and the Obama administration over the state’s plan to arrest immigrants who were living there illegally. To the surprise of state officials, the Supreme Court, including Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., declared that Obama had the power to block Arizona’s strict enforcement plan. Although only Congress can decide who can become a citizen, the justices said, the executive branch decides whom to deport among the millions in the nation illegally. “The principal feature of the removal (deportation) system is the broad discretion exercised by immigration officials,” including the power to decide “whether it makes sense to pursue removal at all,” Justice Anthony M. Kennedy said.
This refers to the familiar idea that those who enforce the law cannot pursue every lawbreaker. No one expects police officers to stop and ticket every motorist they observe driving faster than the posted speed limit. Federal drug agents regularly choose to go after those who deal heroin or cocaine and not those who possess marijuana, even though both are illegal under the same anti-narcotics law. Those urging Obama to act say the government has no choice but to engage in selective enforcement, noting that Congress has only provided enough money to deport about 400,000 immigrants per year. The Obama administration says it focuses deportation on gang members, terrorism suspects and criminals such as smugglers.
‘Things have changed’
But critics argue that a president’s enforcement discretion should be limited to individuals and case-by-case decisions – not used as an end-run around Congress to implement broad changes that exempt large groups. Congressional Republicans liken the president’s actions to amnesty. By also offering immigrants work permits, critics say, Obama is trying to implement an immigration overhaul without Congress.
Asked whether Obama stood by his comments to Telemundo, White House spokesman Earnest said that the president had subsequently solicited legal advice from the Justice Department about what he could do. “Obviously, there are some things that have changed in this,” Earnest said. “We have been in a situation where the president has ordered a broader, in-depth review of the existing law to determine what sort of executive authority does rest with the presidency to determine what kinds of steps he could take on his own.” Obama said last week that he could make a change that “falls within the realm of prosecutorial discretion.”
Jim Turner of the News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
Dodging Congress?
Franco Ordoñez and David Savage of the McClatchy Washington Bureau; Tamar Hallerman and Matt Fuller of CQ Roll Call; and Kathleen Hennessey of the Tribune Washington Bureau (TNS) all contributed to this story.
NOVEMBER 21 – NOVEMBER 27, 2014
NATION/WORLD
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US to UN: Torture treaty applies to all people, everywhere High levels of police violence against Blacks also addressed by panel
U.N.’s 10-member Committee Against Torture, which oversees compliance of the 156 countries that have signed the accord.
‘There are no gaps’
BY JOHN ZAROCOSTAS MCCLATCHY FOREIGN STAFF
GENEVA — The Obama administration moved forcefully on Nov. 13 to distance itself from Bush administration policies, telling a United Nations panel that the ban on torture enshrined in a 1984 treaty that the U.S. signed applies worldwide and covers all people and places, including detention facilities abroad. “The answer to the question whether the U.S. will abide by the universal ban on torture and cruel treatment in armed conflicts, or beyond U.S. borders, including Bagram and Guantanamo, is unequivocally, yes” said Mary McLeod, the acting legal adviser to the U.S. State Department, mentioning specifically detention centers in Afghanistan and Guantanamo, where allegations of mistreatment have been common. The long-awaited clarification came in the closing minutes of a two-day session to review U.S. compliance with the 1984 Convention Against Torture. “The understanding of this statement is the prohibition of torture is absolute for the American administration,” said Alessio Bruni, an Italian member of the
Bruni told McClatchy that the statement makes acts of torture undertaken by U.S. officials anywhere in the world punishable as crimes under the treaty’s Article 4. U.S. officials cannot escape responsibility by transferring a prisoner to another country. “This is black and white in their statement,” he said. Earlier, McLeod had stated “the prohibition on torture is categorical, there are no gaps.” The limits of U.S. policy toward the torture convention have been sharply debated since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington. The Bush administration said that the treaty’s ban on torture did not apply to U.S. actions outside the United States and that U.S. legal jurisdiction did not extend to the Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where it set up a prison for suspected terrorists. It also set up a series of secret detention centers run by the CIA in other countries where prisoners were subjected to harsh interrogation tactics.
No Guantanamo answer The Obama administration since has renounced those positions generally, but this week’s statements were the first assertion of those positions before the
JOHN ZAROCOSTAS/MCT
There was a silent protest against Chicago police violence at the U.N.’s Committee Against Torture hearings on Nov. 13 in Geneva, Switzerland. The group of protesters were calling attention to the death of Dominique Franklin Jr., 23, who died on May 23 in Chicago after police used a Taser during his arrest. U.N. committee that oversees the convention. The committee welcomed the change but still expressed dissatisfaction with answers the administration gave on other issues related to treatment at Guantanamo and what forms of interrogation are permitted by the Army Field Manual, the guide that governs questioning and treatment of prisoners by all U.S. agencies. Administration officials provided no answer to when the detention center at Guantanamo will be closed, and it rejected any private meetings between detainees there and the special U.N. expert on torture, Juan Mendes, who’s sought such sessions. The administration also said that it would not release videos of a prisoner being force-fed at Guantanamo, citing national security concerns. A federal judge in Washington already has ordered the videos released, however, though her order is on appeal.
Chicago shootings cited
Silent protest
The committee also questioned Brig. Gen. Richard Gross, the legal counsel to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on the Army Field Manual’s standard of at least four hours of sleep for prisoners. Bruni objected that four hours of sleep over many days amounts to sleep deprivation — a prohibited form of torture. Gross noted, however, that prisoners can be granted more sleep, depending on circumstances. The panel also voiced concerns at the high levels of police violence against Blacks, the poor conditions in prisons, including sexual violence, the militarization of the police, and the treatment of undocumented migrants in the United States. They noted that in Chicago in 2009-2013, Blacks accounted for 32.3 percent of the population but 75 percent of people shot by police.
The proceedings were marked by a silent protest by about 10 Chicago-based activists to protest the death of Dominique Franklin Jr., who died in May after police shot him with a Taser. Jamil Dakwar, the human rights program director for the American Civil Liberties Union, was critical of the U.S. delegation’s performance. “The U.S. responses today fall short of meeting its obligations under the anti-torture treaty,” he said. “This is especially true for practices that emerged or became entrenched since President Obama came into office, such as indefinite detention at Guantanamo as well as immigration detention and deportations. President Obama’s legacy on human rights is now hanging in the balance.” The findings of the U.N. panel will be published on Nov. 28.
New laws for the homeless spark national debate Fort Lauderdale Legislation restricting feeding in public places among them BY TERESA WILTZ STATELINE.ORG
WASHINGTON — Right now, ground zero in the debate about policies affecting the homeless isn’t a large, bustling metropolis like New York or Chicago, but Fort Lauderdale, a city of about 170,000. On the one hand, there’s Arnold Abbott, a 90-yearold World War II veteran and chef who has been feeding the homeless in the city’s parks and beaches for decades — and who says he has no intention of stopping, despite a new ordinance passed last month restricting feeding in public places. Efforts to stop him, including three citations in the past couple weeks, have drawn a national spotlight. On the other hand, there is the exasperated Mayor Jack Seiler, who says the city’s new outdoor feeding law is a part of a series of “very compassionate” ordinances addressing the plight of the homeless. He doesn’t want to ban public feedings that take place in the parks, he says. He just wants to move them indoors. Thrown into the fray: Abbott’s request for an injunction against the city, citing a 2000 court ruling allowing food sharing in the city; a hunger strike by a member of the local chapter of Food Not Bombs to protest the new law; an online protest; a protest outside the mayor’s house and a bevy of activists lining up to be cited for what they call “rogue beach sharing.” Even Stephen Colbert weighed in.
Increase in legislation The battle isn’t unique to Fort Lauderdale. Since January 2013, 22 cities around the country, from Los Angeles to Atlanta to Philadelphia, have enacted legislation restricting individuals
and groups from sharing food with the homeless in public places, according to a new report by the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH). Nine more cities have pending legislation. The report found that there has been a 48 percent increase in cities attempting to pass such laws since 2010. Since 2007, 71 cities, in 27 states or commonwealths, including Puerto Rico, have either attempted or successfully enacted such legislation. Cities typically cite safety issues such as food poisoning, said Michael Stoops, the NCH’s director of community organizing. Cities also have enacted laws restricting camping or sleeping in public, loitering or sitting or lying down in public.
Too many feedings? According to Seiler, the Fort Lauderdale laws don’t prohibit the homeless from being in public spaces. “We simply said no one area should have all these feedings. (The park was) essentially overrun with these homeless feedings. Arnold Abbott (and his feedings) weren’t a problem, but we can’t make an exception for one person.” But advocates say the laws criminalize poverty and homelessness and usually stem from pressure from business interests or from homeowners taking a “not in my backyard” stance. “The real motivation of these laws is to make the homeless less visible in downtown areas,” Stoops said. “They hope such laws will force homeless people to seek help, which never works. If the homeless were all dressed up in nice suits and dresses, there would be no problem. Cities say it’s bad for tourism and economic development.”
JOE CAVARETT/SUN SENTINEL/MCT
Arnold Abbott, the 90-year-old man who heads Love Thy Neighbor, visits with people waiting for food on Oct. 5 at Stranahan Park in Fort Lauderdale.
Homeless Bill of Rights At the same time, three states have passed a “Homeless Bill of Rights,” which outlaws discrimination against homeless people, particularly by employers and landlords, and affirms their right to use public spaces. The bill also upholds their right to sleep in parked cars, eat and exchange food in public, access restrooms at any time, obtain legal counsel and vote. Rhode Island was the first state to pass the bill of rights in 2012; Connecticut and Illinois did so last year. A similar bill failed in the California State Assembly last year, and activists are lobbying hard for legislation in Oregon and Colorado. If the states’ bill of rights seems to pit states against cities, that is deliberate, says Paul Boden, who was once homeless and how is now the director of the Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP), a coalition of social justice organizations in the Western states.
“This is our attempt to say local governments have abused their authority,” said Boden, whose organization worked on the failed California bill. “These were local ordinances, passed by local government, enforced by local police departments, heard in local court and incarcerated in local jails. At some point, the state needs to step in and say, ‘This is discriminatory. How can you write a law that says it’s illegal to sit down?’ ”
Variety of issues Homelessness is a seemingly intractable problem with roots in a variety of societal ills, from mental illness to substance abuse to unemployment and a lack of affordable housing. (It is a myth that the majority of homeless people are mentally ill; only a small percentage of them are. Nor are all homeless people unemployed.) People experiencing homelessness often shun shelters because they feel they are not safe. Then
again, according to the National Law Center report, in many cities, there aren’t enough shelter beds to house the homeless. Consequently, the report found, 74 percent of the homeless population do not know how to find a place where it is safe and legal for them to sleep. Eighty-one percent reported being harassed by police for sleeping in public; 66 percent say they were harassed for sitting or lying down in public. Statistics on the precise number of homeless in the U.S. often conflict. The federal government says the homeless population is decreasing, while homeless advocates say it is on the rise.
U.S. count: 610,000 homeless According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, on a given night in 2013, their annual survey counted more than 610,000 homeless people. Advocates say the figure isn’t accurate
since it counts the homeless at one specific point in time, and looks only at people who are in some type of shelter or are easy to spot sleeping in public spaces. Large pockets of homeless populations are overlooked, said Tristia Bauman, senior attorney for the National Center on Poverty and Homelessness. “Homelessness is on the rise, thanks to foreclosure, prolonged unemployment and shrinking state resources.” According to the National Law Center, family homelessness has increased since the start of the recession, and the ensuing foreclosure crisis, in 2007. According to a study released Monday by the National Center on Family Homelessness, nearly 2.5 million American children were homeless at some point in 2013.
One-third are unsheltered The U.S. Department of Education reports that more than 1.1 million homeless children were served in the nation’s public schools during the 20112012 school year. Nearly a third of the nation’s homeless are unsheltered, which means they are living in the streets and are vulnerable to being prosecuted for vagrancy, public urination and the like. It’s also much more difficult for them to find food on a consistent basis, as few agencies provide meals for the homeless three times a day. “We strongly agree that homelessness is a problem,” Bauman said. “What we very strongly disagree with is using the criminal justice system to quote unquote ‘solve the problem.’ ” What’s more, Bauman said, laws criminalizing homeless activities end up costing municipalities and taxpayers more. “It’s much more cost-effective to provide housing than to temporarily cycle people through the criminal justice system,” she said.
EDITORIAL
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NOVEMBER 21 – NOVEMBER 27, 2014
A shout-out to the athletes you don’t read about It seems like we’ve been hearing these classic, “Hi, Mom,” shotouts from college and professional athletes forever. They look straight into the television cameras on the sidelines after a big play and let it fly. But as a proud father of two teenage sons who have participated in multiple sports, I would feel some kind of way if I didn’t get an acknowledgment on camera along with my wife. I have to remind myself that a large number of Black athletes have never had a father around to acknowledge. According to recent statistics, 68 percent of African-American children are born to single mother households. That number is down from 71 percent a decade ago, but it remains much higher than the 43 percent of Latino, 26 percent of White and 11 percent of Asian-American families.
OMAR TYREE NNPA COLUMNIST
No father around So in 2014, the new sports family has become a blessing and savior for many of these fatherless kids, with more coaches accepting positions as surrogate fathers and role models. Hundreds of kids have even begun to move in with coaches or surrogate families resembling the movie, “The Blind Side,” including Jeremy Maclin, the Philadelphia Eagles star wide receiver out of Missouri, who inspired me to write this article. While being reared as the youngest of three sons in a bleak area of St. Louis, Maclin’s mother, Cleo, made the tough
and faithful decision to allow her youngest boy to move in with his Pee Wee football coach Jeff Parres and his family for high school. Years later, Maclin has now started a Mother’s Day Miracles foundation, where he pledges to award young athletes who are the products of single-mother homes an opportunity to give their mother’s something special for the hard work that they’ve done to guide them without fathers. Maclin chose the first five Philadelphia-area, academically accomplished boys aged 12 or older in May with loaded gift packages that included the surprise of flower bouquets, a free spa visit, dinner certificates, self-designed collages and of course family tickets to the Eagles games.
Another example Out of thousands of Black ath-
VISUAL VIEWPOINT: DC WEED
DAVID FITZSIMMONS, THE ARIZONA STAR
Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 233 Bill Cosby – Nexflix and NBC dropped him. “The Cosby Show” reruns are off the air, primarily because young folks on social media – many of whom hate him for criticizing “sagging” and verb-splitting Black youth – have hammered him relentlessly as a woman-raping hypocrite. FIFTEEN women accusers? Smoke, meet fire? He’s been sued (and settled, which is not unusual) but not criminally indicted…Jeez. Educational litmus tests – During a speech to Bethune-Cookman University’s Department of Mass Communications, I discussed the lack of diversity in Silicon Valley, its belief that it is a raceneutral culture based strictly on merit, and its tendency to use top schools as “litmus tests” for opportunity – just as President Obama uses the Ivy League as qualifiers for high-level jobs in his administration. (We see how well that’s worked out.) Unfortunately Black youth, particularly those from HBCUs, still have to be twice as good to get half as far in America. The double standard is still a law of racial and economic physics. Deal with it, Black students; govern yourselves accordingly… ‘Candy from a baby’ – Kobie Smith, a fellow Morehouse Man and entrepreneur living in Ghana, sent me an article on Bro. Prez’s recent trip to China. American companies (which are now global
QUICK TAKES FROM #2: STRAIGHT, NO CHASER
CHARLES W. CHERRY II, ESQ. PUBLISHER
multinationals) are selling China the proverbial rope – America’s high technology – with which the Chinese will eventually HANG us economically. Why? Shortterm greed and historical shortsightedness. President Obama’s obsession with getting something – ANYTHING – done won’t change the situation. He’s not a detail guy and is one of the worst high-level negotiators I’ve ever seen. Where is the Republican outrage regarding corporations selling high tech to our top competitor and creditor? Shouldn’t their boards and top management be prosecuted for TREASON? Oh, I forgot. Both parties are owned by Wall Street & Big Biz…And as long as Americans have pro sports, relatively cheap gas, fast food and flat screens, it’s all good in the American ‘hood! God bless America! But remember, “Dem corporate hoes ain’t loyal…”
Contact me at ccherry2@gmail.com.
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letes who are now able to tell similar single-mother household stories of success and survival, Maclin’s proactive generosity reminds me of one of my favorite all-time running backs, Warrick Dunne and his story. Born and reared in Baton Rouge, La. as the oldest of five, when Dunne’s mother, Betty Smother, a former police officer and security guard, was killed by two armed robbers just two days after his 18th birthday. The determined young athlete and Florida State recruit pledged not only to rear his four younger siblings, but to help as many single-mothers as possible to afford a home for their families, while kick-starting Homes For The Holidays. In partnership with Habitat for Humanity, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers community initiatives, the NFL charities and Aaron’s Inc. to assist economically disad-
vantaged single parent families, Dunne has now helped to provide down payments for homes to hard-working single mothers in more than 100 families for 14 years in the states of Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, Texas and New Jersey. Dunne has not yet settled down with a wife and kids of his own, nor has Jeremy Maclin. However, when or if they ever do to decide to start new families of their own, I can imagine that their kids would be inspired to give a classic shoutout to their dads as well. They deserve a “Hi, Dad” for hard work and guidance.
Omar Tyree is a New York Times bestselling author, an NAACP Image Award winner for Outstanding Fiction and a professional journalist. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.
Passing the baton In wake of the tragic plane crash that killed Pastor Myles Munroe his wife, Ruth, and seven other passengers of the Bahamas Faith Ministries en route to a Global Leadership Forum, I came across one of his last interviews on Charismanews.com that resonated deeply with me. He said, “Politically speaking I think we are in a leadership dilemma. We are at the point in history where transition is taking place and no one is deciding that, life is deciding that, most of the older leaders who are part of our historical journey are fading into the sun set, the realities are effective leaders always prepare their replacements… they mentor, they create succession.” He recounted a dream about the funeral of a celebrated track star. “It was about people dying with a baton instead of passing it on,” Munroe explained. “I was thinking, the young person who’s supposed to lead next has to go to the casket, pry the baton out of the dead man’s hand just to take it to the next leg.” This may be what we are struggling with here, people would rather die with the position then to pass it on and so we find the young people have to fight to get it. He continued, “Great leaders pass [the baton] on before they
JINEEA BUTLER NNPA COLUMNIST
die, and they live to see the other person run.”
Significant words In so many ways our community is at a standstill. Jealousy, hate, insecurity and envy are blocking the entire community from moving forward. So I ask in the spirit of Pastor Munroe: Who are you mentoring? Who are you training to take the baton? Will you live to see your replacement run? We are stuck in low-paying jobs and entry level positions with no growth opportunities because we are not creating opportunities for the next generation. If you don’t strive, the next person can’t flourish. How can the next generation grow if the generation before it stays the same? Am I supposed to grow around you? Grow through you? Oh right, I’m supposed to patiently wait for you to pass on and pry the baton out of your hand in order to win the race of life. In a 1992 interview with Richard Heffner, host of the Open Mind on PBS, Rev. Wyatt T. Walker sat with
James Farmer analyzing “Race Relations in America” 30 years after a similar conversation that included Malcolm X and Allan Morrison. When Walker was asked why he thought the movement was successful, the former aide to Dr. Martin Luther King replied, “I don’t subscribe to it being successful, I remember the morning I stood by the Washington Monument on the great march in ‘63 and I really believed with all my heart that the beloved community was just around the corner seven or eight years away. And now here 30 some years later or more, I know I will not see it in my lifetime even if I live to be 100 years old. There is an illusion that progress has been made but the reality is what progress that is been made is more cosmetic than it has been consequential.” Now, more than 50 years after the 1963 March on Washington, progress is cosmetic. So when will we pass the baton? Let’s correct our mistakes, have some hope and make a plan for the future.
Jineea Butler is the founder of the Social Services of Hip Hop and the Hip Hop Union. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.
Native American Heritage Month 2014 A fact that has gone unnoticed and unrecognized by too many people is that November is Native American Heritage Month. Every year, we celebrate the beginning of a New Year on January 1st, Black History Month during the month of February, Women’s History Month in March and the Hispanic Heritage Month from the middle of September to the middle of October. In addition to this, there are significant holidays and celebrations throughout the year that are recognized. However, it seems to appear as though Native Americans have been a victim of identity theft. Let me say it this way. It is rarely mentioned of the contributions made by our fellow brothers and sisters.
Black ancestry Whenever I hear people describe their ancestral heritage, especially African-Americans I usually hear traces of Native American. With that admission, how is it possible for one to overlook the major contributions benefited from Native Americans? The media as well as other influential entities have a way of dictating what’s important and what’s not. Because people of African descent understand all too well the issue of injustice, it’s incumbent upon us to help renew, revive, and re-examine the importance of Native Americans.
Exhaustive contributions
DR. In a study by the USDA, SINCLAIR “Native Americans learned GREY III to grow and use many difGUEST COLUMNIST
Through studying the history of Native Americans, we will be able to embrace their history and their plight in this country we call the United States of America. If you have the opportunity to visit the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, you’ll discover the hurt and pain many indigenous tribes faced in the past and currently face today. In addition to this, you’ll be forced to re-examine the lies told about Christopher Columbus and European settlers coming into the new world. Don’t get me started on the myth of Thanksgiving. We must never dismiss the stories of our elders belonging to Native American tribes. Unfortunately, too many people have been brainwashed into thinking negative about Native Americans. So many label them and stereotype them without ever getting to know them. Having spoken with Native Americans in my past and still to this very day, I have developed a deep appreciation of them and for them. It’s through their body of work that we are able to have many things we have today.
ferent kinds of food that many people eat today, never considering that they first came from Native Americans: potatoes, beans, corn, peanuts, pumpkins, tomatoes, squash, peppers, nuts, melons, and sunflower seeds. They also helped the European settlers survive in the New World by sharing their farming methods with them.” The history and contributions of Native Americans can be quite exhaustive. It would behoove all of us to learn more about them and help dispel myths that uninformed and ignorant people have placed on them. Lastly, we must recognize this month as celebration for those who are often overlooked and neglected by the masses. Happy Native American Heritage Month to all those who are full-blooded Native Americans and to those who possess Native American blood lineage.
Dr. Sinclair Grey III is an activist, speaker, writer, author, life coach, and host of The Sinclair Grey Show heard on Monday’s at 2 p.m. on WAEC Love 860am (iHeart Radio and Tune In). Contact him on Twitter @drsinclairgrey. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.
NOVEMBER 21 – NOVEMBER 27, 2014
Obamacare a scam on America Remember the name Jonathan Gruber. He is an MIT economics professor and the architect of the Affordable Care Act known as Obamacare. During the week of Nov. 10, 2014, several different videos surfaced showing Jon Gruber bragging about how he wrote one of the most destructive pieces of legislation ever passed by the Congress with a total lack of the transparency that President Barack Obama had promised the American people. According to Gruber, he wrote Obamacare with the full knowledge of Obama and his administration and he was paid almost $400,000. Add that to the fees paid to him by several states, he made over $5.9 million to scam us. The videos show him speaking to different audiences, including at the University of Pennsylvania.
Had to pass Gruber confessed, saying “I mean this bill was written in a tortured way to make sure the CBO (the Congressional Budget Office) did not score the mandate as taxes. If CBO scored the mandate as taxes, the bill dies. …If you had a law which said healthy people are going to pay in, you made explicit that healthy people pay in and sick people get the money, it would not have passed.” Further this arrogant Obam-
BARBARA HOWARD GUEST COLUMNIST
acare consultant said, “Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage…Call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever, but basically that was really, really critical to getting the thing to pass.” Yes, he called you “stupid”. Read Jay Barnes in NEWSMAX: “Jon Gruber – ‘Architect’ of Obamacare Deception,” Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014. Jake Tapper on CNN writes in CNN Politics: “Obamacare Architect in 6th Video: ‘Mislabeling’ helped us get rid of tax breaks.”
Obama amnesia Tapper further writes how Gruber discussed that pushing the bill took part in an “Exploitation of the lack of economic understanding of the American voter”. FOX News referred to this as “Gruber-Gate” and that, according to Gruber, “Obamacare was “deceptively written to hide its true cost,” On Monday, Nov. 17, 2014, Fox showed President Obama feigning ignorance of the whole fiasco, saying he never misled the American people to get the
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bill passed and claimed he didn’t know anything about what “some adviser who never worked on our staff” said. Yet Gruber claims differently. Remember Obamacare was passed during the first few years of Obama’s first term when he and the Democrats had total control over Congress – the House and the Senate - as well as the White House. Now Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the House, claims she never even heard of Gruber, yet she quoted him back in 2010 as she and Harry Reid, President of the Senate, changed the rules so the Democrats could pass Obamacare without even one vote from Republicans.
Insult to Americans As a further insult to the American people who Gruber called “stupid,” Pelosi told us that Congress had to pass the bill in order to see what was in it. Therefore they cut out any debate normally held before the passage of a bill. This was the first time in the history of the Congress that this has happened. Now that Obamacare has been the law for over four years, most Americans know they’ve been duped because Obamacare doesn’t do what it claimed to do and costs them more. In fact, when the bill’s legal-
BILL DAY, CAGLE CARTTONS
ity was taken before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012, Chief Justice John Roberts cast the deciding vote which saved Obamacare from being declared unconstitutional. The basis used for his vote was that Obamacare was a tax. Now thanks to Jon Gruber, we know that Obamacare was deliberately written to fool the American people. And the claim by Obama that he would “restore transparency” to America as he blamed President George Bush for lying to the people, we now know was a lie. Some of us knew long ago that Obamacare was a scam. Now the
man who wrote it has confirmed it. And the Democrats are throwing him under the bus for telling us what they paid him to do. Wonder how many Obama followers will still want to debate the issue and call us conservatives ugly names for telling the truth?
Barbara Howard is the trade and travel goodwill ambassador to Kenya and the Florida Chair for the Congress of Racial Equality (C.O.R.E.). Write your own response at www.flcourier. com.
Conservatives planning for diversity in 2016 Most pundits predicted gains for the Republican Party in the 2014 mid - term elections but no one had an idea that they would win by such an overwhelming lead in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Democratic Party had the biggest whipping since 1922. Let’s assess the damage. Republicans stretched their majority in the House and added two more Blacks to their rolls. Mia Love a Black Mormon in Utah and Will Hurd a Jewish Black in Texas will take their oaths after the first of the year. Senator Tim Scott won his first full term election by a gigantic margin. He even had more votes than his compatriot Republican Senator, Lindsay Graham. How did this happen? Well, he got the same conservative White votes as Senator Graham but in addition to that many Black democrats crossed over and voted for this talented, level headed leader. This has the Black liberals of South Carolina very livid. The Democratic Party fears this up-
HARRY C. ALFORD NNPA COLUMNIST
and-coming political star. The GOP was hoping for at least 51 seats in the Senate. At last count they have 58.
Hard time in store for Obama President Obama will have a rocky time trying to move his agenda and pass significant legislation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will demand negotiation and consensus. Unlike his predecessor Harry Reid who killed every piece of House legislation favored by the GOP. As they say, “Elections have consequences”. Executive orders from the President and rule changes from his administration will have a hard time standing as it is the
such as the state registry program President Obama of the Affordable Care Act, AKA will have a rocky Obamacare, it will go to the Supreme Court for a final decision. time trying to move his agenda and pass The states will win History shows that the states significant legislation. will win this dispute. The same Senate Majority Leader will occur for the new rules on the Clean Air Act. The DNC is going to Mitch McConnell will have to learn to adjust to the new demand negotiation and power curve. Things will be different now and they will have to consensus. come to agreement with the othlegislature that makes the laws or approved administrative actions in the end. Another very important “sea change” in this election is what happened at the state levels. 43 of the 50 state legislatures (state representatives and senators) are now Republican held. It is amongst these ranks that new season candidates will arise to the federal congressional positions. If these states resist federal rules
New Senate majority leader is clueless In response to what he calls the president’s “war on coal,” Future Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell says, “I’m going to war with him.” For McConnell, the historic agreement that the president signed with the Chinese, committing them for the first time to dramatic reductions in their greenhouse gases, is an outrage, an assault on “my state.” McConnell has just been reelected by the citizens of Kentucky, albeit a small minority of them. (In a state where fewer than half of those eligible showed up, McConnell won with the votes of about one-fourth of the eligible voters). But seldom has a leader so clearly demonstrated that he will allow ideology and special interests to overrule both common sense and the common good. For McConnell, architect of the Republican scorched earth-obstruction against all things Obama, going to war with the president is an old hat. Among other things, he led the repeated Republican efforts to repeal Obamacare. Only, it turned out that health care reform is remarkably popular in Kentucky where the governor embraced it and hundreds of thousands have benefited, particularly from the expansion of Medicaid that McConnell is against.
Consequence of foolishness
REV. JESSE L. JACKSON, SR. TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM
infrastructure, for investing in its schools, for retraining its workers. He could argue that any just transition must include a real promise of jobs – with the government as the employer of last resort if necessary. He could demand investment in new hospitals and public health facilities, both to care for the miners afflicted from their work in the mines and to be a source of employment and good health in the future. He could be the leader who launches a long overdue renaissance for the region, rather than trying to hang on desperately to its no longer sustainable past.
The regular folk But of course to do that, McConnell would have to represent the common good of his constituents rather than the special interests – the oil and coal companies – that helped pay for his campaign. He’d have to accept that in a time of national and regional emergency, his conservative anti-government ideology should take a backseat to vital public investment and planning. Like Lyndon B. Johnson embracing the cause of civil rights, or Ronald Reagan reaching out to Mikhail Gorbachev, eighth and last leader of the Soviet Union, on nuclear disarmament, he’d have to have sufficient vision to ignore the brickbats of his allies on the right. McConnell shows no sign of rising to the historical opportunity before him. Instead, he will howl at the rising tides, deny the reality around him, and continue the unrelenting partisan warfare that has brought him to his current position.
During the campaign, McConnell tried to square this circle by suggesting inaccurately that the Kentucky program could continue even if health care reform was repealed. In part to make up for that foolishness, he was forced to run one of the most expensive Senate races ever to save his seat in a deep red state. Now McConnell is proving that he is a man of the past, not a leader for the future. No matter how much he may stick his head in the ground, climate change is already a real and present danger. Even the Pentagon acknowledges that. Imagine what a more responsible leader of “coal country” would do. McConnell could easily go to the president and demand a major program to transform the region, a Tennessee-Valley-Authority-sized program that Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. is founder and presiwould make coal country a center for manufacturing windmills and solar panels and oth- dent of the Chicago-based Rainbow PUSH er renewable sources of energy. He could de- Coalition. Write your own response at mand funds for rebuilding the region’s energy www.flcourier.com.
er party members. The strength of the Presidency has been greatly weakened. He had both Houses when he became President and took a cocky stance on everything. It has cost him dearly. Civil rights groups like the NAACP and individuals like “Screaming Al Sharpton” will be losing their persuasive “mojo”. The lines for opportunity on the Republican side will be much shorter. A sharp political aspirant will find minimal waiting time to prove his/her skills and worth
to the party. They will be given much attention and encouragement. Like Dr. Ben Carson, newly elected Mia Love and Will Hurd, good talent will be recognized and supported by the GOP establishment. They know they have done a poor job in diversity and it is now a top priority for them. This is their moment and any hesitancy could quickly slow their progress or even stop it. The last six years have been ugly and divisive. America, we can do much, much better. Let’s recruit leaders who unite and set the example for a great America representative of all ethnicities while not compromising on talent and accountability. In 2016, I would like to see balanced diversity on both sides of the political spectrum.
Harry Alford is the co-founder and president/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce®. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.
True appreciation of war veterans My late father was born on what was originally called “Armistice Day” – now celebrated as Veterans Day – Nov. 11. He went on to serve in World War II in the U.S. Navy, stationed in the Pacific. My father was originally a high school dropout. I say “originally” because after returning home from his service in the Navy, he reoriented his life. He finished high school and then, through the GI Bill, was able to attend Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C. The next time that someone tells you that we need to shrink government, ask them “Why?” Had it not been for so-called “big government,” my father and millions of others returning from World War II would have found themselves in the midst of a massive economic depression. My father was able to use that college education and gain a respectable standard of living.
The G.I. Bill Unfortunately not all African-American veterans were as fortunate as my father. Many African-Americans were, in effect, ‘cashiered’ out of the service and thereby rendered ineligible for the benefits associated with the GI Bill. It is for this reason that the GI Bill overwhelmingly served White veterans while African-Americans were left behind. In addition, African-American veterans were returning to a racially segregated U.S.A. Even with the GI Bill, Black veterans frequently had the decks stacked against them. This situation actually contributed to the growth of the Civil Rights Movement as Black veterans felt increasingly incensed by having fought against fascism abroad, only to re-encounter racism at home. On Nov. 11, I also think about the Black veterans of the Vietnam War. Whereas World War II was recognized, overwhelmingly, as a “just war,” the Vietnam War was a criminal enterprise in violation of international law. Black
BILL FLETCHER, JR. NNPA COLUMNIST
veterans had the experience of a horrendous war and racism within the ranks, only to return to a nation that was on the verge of an economic transition that would limit their post-war opportunities. They returned to a U.S. that was beginning to be flooded with heroin and where jobs were starting to disappear. They returned to a USA that, for the most part, wanted to forget about the Vietnam War and the soldiers who served in it.
Sincerity of Veterans Day For all that this country says about how it cherishes veterans, the reality is that this is largely not the case. Certainly there are the heroes, dead and living, from various wars. But the average veteran who returns rarely has the opportunity to, safely, discuss their experiences in war. There is little sensitivity to issues such as post-traumatic stress, though that has improved over the years. And, to add insult to injury, war-monger administrations, such as the Bush administration most recently, was prepared to lie us into a war and, at the same time, cut benefits for veterans. I wish that there was some sort of sincerity on Veterans Day. Anyone who has or has had a veteran in their family probably knows exactly what I mean.
Bill Fletcher, Jr. is the host of The Global African on Telesur-English. He is a racial justice, labor and global justice writer and activist. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.
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NOVEMBER 21 – NOVEMBER 27, 2014 shootings, he said. “It goes with being an effective leader,” Voegtlin said. “Officers are provided training and education and we need to have … a sense that proper procedures are being followed.”
No stats from Florida
LAURIE SKRIVAN/ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH/TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon swears in 16 members of the Ferguson Commission on Nov. 18 at the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis. Nixon created the independent commission to address the “social and economic conditions” highlighted by protests after the shooting death of Michael Brown.
Not all police agencies reporting deadly force data Information on justifiable homicides sent to FBI considered optional BY CHRISTINE BYERS ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
ST. LOUIS — Federal, state and local agencies license police officers to kill, if necessary, but nobody counts all the bodies or tracks what, if any, consequences might follow. The numbers that do exist are hardly complete. The nation’s approximately 18,000 police agencies are expected to submit specified categories of crime statistics every year to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting program. But inclusion of justifiable homicides is optional. A St. Louis Post-Dispatch anal-
ysis of the data from 2005-12 shows more than 1,100 departments — or roughly 6 percent of the country’s law enforcement agencies — have reported a killing by an officer or private citizen that is considered justifiable.
Void in evidence Moreover, the federal data do not record how often police face criminal consequences for using deadly force. A police killing that is deemed a murder presumably is just included among the jurisdiction’s other criminal killings. The Aug. 9 fatal shooting of Michael Brown, who is Black, by Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson, who is White, ignited not only racially charged protests
and riots but also fresh questions about the frequency of police killings. The Police Foundation, a nonpartisan national research group, has been among those seeking answers. “The lack of data is a real problem. It leaves a tremendous void in the evidence that surrounds this public discussion of police use of force,” Jim Bueermann, the foundation president, said in an interview. “And in a void, people fill that with their own narrative based on their own experiences.” He continued, “We’re all entitled to opinions but not (our own) facts. That’s important in policy and legislative decisionmaking, and right now there’s a
lack of good data on a national scale about police use of force. And when we ultimately fix that situation, we may discover police use less force than we think they do, or more, and we may discover police are assaulted more often.”
Last report: 2001 In 1994, Congress directed the attorney general to “acquire data about the use of excessive force by law enforcement officers” as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. The International Association of Police Chiefs was asked to gather the information. Its last report dates to 2001, the last year for which federal funding was available, said Gene Voegtlin, director of the organization’s partner engagement and outreach. “The difficulty is that it’s a massive undertaking,” Voegtlin said. Voegtlin said the advent of better databases and technology might make it easier to collect the information now than it was more than a decade ago. Police chiefs have an intense interest in all use-of-force data, not just
The incomplete FBI statistics covering 2005-12 indicate that police killed 3,155 people in that period. No departments are included in the data from Florida, and only Chicago and Rockford are included from Illinois. New York City hasn’t reported one since 2006, and only three cities from New York state are represented at all. But in some years — sometimes several years in a row — a number of major cities that at least occasionally participate had reported no justified homicides. They include San Francisco; Boston; Minneapolis; Cleveland; Charlotte, N.C.; Des Moines, Iowa; Omaha, Neb.; Raleigh, N.C.; and El Paso, Texas. It’s not clear if none occurred in those agencies or if they simply didn’t report them. Counting criteria also vary among departments. And some miss the cutoff dates for submission into a given year’s data, so local numbers can differ a little from the FBI’s count.
Incorrect coding In Missouri, 39 departments provided data at some point in the period, including about a dozen in the St. Louis area. The largest totals came from St. Louis police, with 33 fatal shootings, and St. Louis County police, with eight. In 2010, a justifiable homicide by a St. Louis citizen was incorrectly coded as a justifiable homicide by a St. Louis police officer. So the FBI listed three suspects as being killed by St. Louis police that year instead of two. The information cannot be corrected because it was discovered after an 18-month deadline for corrections. It would be unusual for a police officer to face criminal charges for an on-duty killing in the St. Louis area. The last time prosecutors could recall was in 1999. St. Louis Officer Robert Dodson was charged with second-degree murder for the death of a burglary suspect on the roof of a pawnshop. A jury acquitted him.
UConn AKAs accused White fraternity of racism, sexism BY GREGORY BL. HLADKY HARTFORD COURANT/ TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
HARTFORD, Conn.—A University of Connecticut investigation into a confrontation between White fraternity students and women belonging to a Black sorority is regaining momentum after new allegations about the incidents were raised at a recent student community meeting. The September incident involving a rock-painting dispute has already resulted in a onemonth suspension and continuing probation for the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity for “intimidation and bullying,” according to UConn officials. But at a Nov. 10 meeting at the university’s African-American Cultural Center, the adviser to the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority made new allegations that fraternity members used racial and sexist slurs during the September confrontation. Members of Pi Kappa Alpha (known as PIKE) have denied making any racial comments.
Attacked on social media UConn spokeswoman Steph-
Ken Miguel exhales e-cigarette vapor at The Vape Bar in San Jose, Calif., on Oct. 18, 2013. DAI SUGANO/ BAY AREA NEWS GROUP/ TNS
anie Reitz said the comments made at that meeting prompted administration officials to “ask for more information from the various parties” involved in the original incident. Reitz said the university has been told that AKA plans to file an appeal of the administration’s decisions concerning sanctions against the PIKE fraternity. According to Reitz, the deadline for appeals by parties involved in the dispute was extended until Nov. 21. The dispute has resulted in a barrage of hostile social media comments directed at Alpha Kappa Alpha and its members, school officials say. “Students have brought many of (those posts) to my attention,” said Willena Kimp-
son Price, director of UConn’s African-American Cultural Center. “I think some of them could be characterized as racist for sure.”
responsibility — year-round — to reinforce the values of diversity, civility, and respect that are so important to us.’’
UConn president ‘appalled’
Bullying tactics
The anonymous social media attacks prompted UConn President Susan Herbst to say in a Thanksgiving message emailed Tuesday to students that she is “appalled” by the anonymous attacks. “These are serious allegations that the university continues to thoroughly investigate, as it should. There is no room for hateful speech or incivility on our campuses,” Herbst wrote. “In addition, I am appalled by the comments being made anonymously through social media directed at Alpha Kappa Alpha and other members of our community. She continued, “I will be meeting with the student leaders of Greek letter organizations in the coming weeks to discuss the broad issues raised during a November 10 town hall meeting in connection with what took place in September. It is important that our community know that UConn students, faculty, and staff share a
Many of the anonymous hostile comments were posted via a college cell phone app called Yik Yak. The dispute relates to an incident that occurred Sept. 29 and into the early hours of Sept. 30. According to the university’s investigation, PIKE members had painted UConn’s “spirit rock” to honor a member facing a medical crisis. Alpha Kappa Alpha women wanted to repaint the rock in honor of the anniversary of their charter. University officials said in a statement that UConn police were called to the scene twice. The administration’s initial investigation of the incident found that the fraternity men had used intimidation and bullying tactics to prevent the sorority from repainting the “spirit rock” on North Campus. In a statement on the controversy, university officials said that members of AKA originally reported that the fraternity men
used terms that were “rude and intimidating” but did not tell officials that any racial comments had been made. On Nov. 10, Brittney Yancy, an AKA graduate adviser who was present at the confrontation, told UConn officials that those fraternity members had used racial and sexist slurs during the encounter. Sorority members also claimed that campus police failed to resolve the situation and that the abuse continued after police came to the site and then left, according to university officials. As a result of the university’s initial investigation, there was a suspension of the fraternity, which has now been lifted. PIKE has been placed on probation at least until May 2015. Members of the fraternity will also be required to have “extensive and thorough” educational training about diversity and sensitivity, according to a statement by UConn officials. No sanctions were imposed on any individual member of the fraternity.
Evelyn Simien, an associate professor of political science at UConn, said she believes that the confrontation was about more than racism.
Word of the year: Vape TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
You’re not alone in thinking e-cigarettes have made a push into the mainstream this year. The wordsmiths at Oxford Dictionaries think the trend is so significant that they’ve named “vape” the word of 2014. The meaning of the word is “to inhale or exhale the vapour produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device.” It originated as an abbreviation of the terms vapor and vaporize. The word beat out other contenders like “bae” (a term of endearment for one’s romantic partner) and “budtender” (a person whose job is to serve customers in a pot dispensary) as the dictionary’s word of the year.
HEALTH FOOD || HEALTH TRAVEL | |MONEY SCIENCE | BOOKS | MOVIES | TV | AUTOS LIFE | FAITH | EVENTS | CLASSIFIEDS | ENTERTAINMENT | SPORTS | FOOD COURIER
IFE/FAITH
Photos that have social media buzzing this week See page B5
SOUTH FLORIDA / TREASURE COAST AREA
NOVEMBER 21 – NOVEMBER 27, 2014
SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE
Allegations continue to plague Cosby See page B5
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The annual showdown between B-CU and FAMU is Saturday in Orlando FROM STAFF REPORTS
When the Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats and Florida A&M University Rattlers face off on Saturday, it will be for the 69th time overall and the 35th time as the Florida Classic. The Florida Classic is now the largest football game between two historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the country, surpassing the Bayou Classic between Grambling and Southern in New Orleans. Since its inception in 1978, the Florida Classic has now seen over 1.5 million spectators attend the game. The series began in 1925, with Florida A&M (FAMU) winning 25-0. B-CU’s (then B-CC) first win came a year later, 12-0 in 1926. Florida A&M holds a 20-10 edge in the meetings since the instate rivalry moved from a home-and-home scenario to an annual neutral site spectacular. Overall, the Rattlers lead the series, 48-15-1. However, Bethune-Cookman has made the series more competitive since 1973, winning 12 of its 15 series victories during that span, including a 58-52 overtime win in 2004, which was the first-ever three-game winning streak for the Wildcats. Since the game has come to Orlando, FAMU has won nine of 13 games against B-CU although the Wildcats have been victorious in four of the last eight.
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COUNTDOWN TO THE
CLASSIC
The bands, the game The Florida Blue Battle of the Bands takes place Nov. 21 at the Amway Center, 400 W. Church St., Orlando. The extravaganza, which begins at 7 p.m., will feature dance teams, high-stepping drum majors, precision drumlines and roaring brass sections. Tickets start at $15. Kickoff for the football game is Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. It will be televised on ESPN Classic in the newly renovated Citrus Bowl. Tickets are $15 and up. B-CU goes into the game with an 8-3 record this year overall and 5-2 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic conference (MEAC). FAMU has won three games and lost eight overall and is 3-4 in MEAC standing. A highlight of the Classic always is halftime, which features B-CU’s Marching Wildcats and FAMU’s Marching 100.
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Presidents to discuss state of HBCUs On Sunday, Nov. 23, the State of the Florida HBCU: Pathway to Preeminence on Retention and Graduation forum will be held at the Rosen Centre starting at 10:30 a.m. This panel discussion will feature Florida’s HBCU presidential leaders discussing best practices for common concerns as it pertains to retention and graduation. The panel will include: Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, president, Florida Memorial University Nathaniel Glover Jr., president, Edward Waters College Dr. Edison O. Jackson, president, Bethune-Cookman University Dr. Elmira Mangum, president, Florida A&M University Dr. Rosa Cintron, researcher/ lecturer, University of Central Florida Dr. John Michael Lee, vice president, Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities The event is free and open to the public.
4. 1. The Wildcats try to put the brakes on a FAMU player during a previous game at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. 2. The Florida Classic is the largest HBCU game in the country. 3. Bethune-Cookman’s 14 Karat Gold Dancers perform during a game.
4. These B-CU fans were among the 61,712 spectators at the Florida Classic game in 2010. 5. FAMU’s Marching 100 entertains the crowd during last year’s game. 6. B-CU Coach Brian Jenkins, shown during his 2013 win, is seeking his fourth Classic victory on Saturday. FLORIDA COURIER FILES
For more information about the Florida Classic and to buy tickets, visit www.floridaclassic.org.
6.
CALENDAR
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FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Night Stand will feature Ginuwine, Lyfe Jennings, Jon B and Case.
Miami: The Black Friday Comedy Jam takes place Nov. 28 at the Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater. The show will feature Lavell Crawford, Melanie Comarcho and Aida Rodriguez.
Fort Lauderdale: An Evening with Kenny G starts at 8 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Parker Playhouse. Miami: Usher takes the stage on Dec. 13 at AmericanAirlines Arena. Performers include D.J. Cassidy and August Alsina. A Dec. 14 show is at the Amalie Arena in Tampa.
Fort Lauderdale: South Florida Jazz presents the Sublime Saxophone Summit on Dec. 13 at 8 p.m. at the Rose & Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center.
Tampa: Candy Lowe hosts Tea & Conversation every Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. at 3911 N. 34th St., Suite B. More information: 813394-6363.
Orlando: The 2015-Model Central Florida International Auto Show will be at the Orange County Convention Center Nov. 27-30. Hundreds of the latest vehicles will be on display. More info: www.AutoShowOrlando.com.
Jacksonville: Catch R&B singer Avant on Dec. 20 at the Ritz Theatre & Museum for an 8 p.m. show.
Miami: Nicole Henry will perform at the Colony Theatre in Miami Beach on Dec. 13 Jacksonville: Anthony Hamilton: Home for the Holidays show takes place on Dec. 4 at the Florida Theatre Jacksonville. Special guest will be Mali Music. Orlando: A show with The Isley Brothers featuring Ron Isley and special guests is set for 8 p.m. Dec. 26 at the CFE Arena. Miami: A Dec. 20 show at the James L. Knight Center titled One
NOVEMBER 21 – NOVEMBER 27, 2014
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VANESSA WILLIAMS
Tickets are on sale now for a Jan. 4 show featuring Vanessa Williams at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach.
Coral Gables: The Ultimate Holiday Experience is scheduled Dec. 27 at Bank United Center featuring Angie Stone, El DeBarge, Ron Isley and the Isley Brothers. Fort Lauderdale: Audra McDonald and Seth Rudetsky are booked for the Parker Playhouse on Jan. 8. The concert begins at 8 p.m. Jacksonville: Tickets are on sale for the 70s Soul Jam with The Spinners, The Stylistics, Jimmy Walker and the Main Ingredient. The show starts at 8 p.m. on Jan. 8 at the Florida Theatre Jacksonville. Another show is scheduled Jan. 18 at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa.
DAMAN WAYANS & DAMAN WAYANS JR.
Daman Wayans and Daman Wayans Jr. are scheduled Dec. 13 at Hard Rock Café Tampa for shows at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.
ANDRAE CROUCH
The gospel legend takes the stage on Dec. 15 at the CFE Arena in Orlando for a 7 p.m. show.
Author describes significance of civil rights prosecutions in ‘Racial Reckoning’ BY DR. GLENN C. ALTSCHULER SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER
On July 11, 1964, Ku Klux Klansmen shot and killed Lemuel Penn, a 49-year old assistant superintendent of schools in Washington D.C., as he and two companions were driving home after two weeks of Army reserve training in Fort Benning, Ga. Noting their D.C. license plates, the Klansmen concluded that the “out of town niggers” were “President Johnson’s boys.” After their lawyer blasted federal intervention in the South – and used Penn’s request to use a “regular restroom” at a service station in Atlanta to imply that he was a radical “outside agitator” – the Klansmen were acquitted. The murder of Lemuel Penn was not an isolated incident. Without any meaningful prospect that they would be brought to justice, hundreds of segregationist die-hards committed racially motivated acts of violence in the 1950s and 1960s. Only a few of them were brought to trial – and virtually none of them were convicted.
Cases reopened During the last two decades, more than 100 of these cases have been reopened, with more than a dozen of them (including the indictment of Byron De La Beckwith for the murder of Medgar Evers) brought to trial. In “Racial Reckoning, ‘’
REVIEW “Racial Reckoning: Prosecuting America’s Civil Rights Murders’’ by Renee Romano. Harvard University Press. 268 pp. $35. Renee Romano, a professor of history and Africana Studies at Oberlin College, explains why these prosecutions occurred and assesses their significance. Romano argues, provocatively, that contemporary civil rights trials fit a narrative of racial progress that “has been widely accepted despite the fact that race so clearly continues to structure American society.” A well-researched book, “Racial Reckoning’’ would have benefited from more careful copyediting. Romano claims, for example, that Penn’s killers were tried in Alabama, then indicates that it was Georgia, and seems unable to determine if two or three defendants were acquitted.
Civil rituals Nonetheless, “Racial Reckoning’’ raises important questions about our “post-racial” society. The long overdue convictions, Romano points out, support Martin Luther King Jr.’s claim that the arc of the moral universe “bends to justice.” But she also maintains that the trials have served as civil rituals, in which racism is defined narrowly as the hateful actions of individuals, local and state governments and
the wider community are absolved of responsibility, and the punishment of “embarrassing relics” and “walking time capsules” of a bygone era are celebrated as proof of racial progress. In some quarters, in fact, convictions were offered as a “final chapter,” offering the country “closure” on its racist past.
Call for a conversation According to Romano, activists have sought to use the trials – and the publicity given to them in the mass media – as a first step in reframing the debate about justice delayed in terms of social responsibility rather than guilt. They have attempted as well to remind Americans that they are not outside observers of their own history who have a right to close the door on it. Some of them have advocated the establishment of an American-style Truth and Reconciliation Commission that would prod “a national conversation on race.” A conversation, that includes “stories of community complicity, political responsibility, and systemic racism,” however, hasn’t displaced the narratives of individual responsibility, closure, and redemption.
Dealing with reality One White man, Romano writes, attended a trial in Greenville, Mississippi because he felt the crime “caused black peo-
ple to feel bad about something the young generation had nothing to do with;” he hoped the verdict “would put all this behind us.” In 2013, the Justice Department closed all but 20 of the 112 cases that had been opened for investigation under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act. The legal process had offered some com-
fort to family members of the individuals who had been murdered, including Myrlie Evers. Romano concludes, however, that it left largely untouched a society in which African-Americans are nearly three times more likely to live in poverty than Whites, drop out of high school at a much higher rate and attend college
at a much lower rate than Whites, and are incarcerated at six times the national average.
Dr. Glenn C. Altschuler is the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies at Cornell University. He wrote this review for the Florida Courier.
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE FOR BLACK STUDENTS. NO EXCUSES. The classic guide from Florida Courier publisher, lawyer and broadcaster CHARLES W. CHERRY II PRAISE FOR ‘EXCELLENCE WITHOUT EXCUSE’: “This guide for African-American college-bound students is packed with practical and insightful information for achieving academic success...The primary focus here is to equip students with the savvy and networking skills to maneuver themselves through the academic maze of higher education.” – Book review, School Library Journal • How low expectations of Black students’ achievements can get them higher grades; • Want a great grade? Prepare to cheat! • How Black students can program their minds for success; • Setting goals – When to tell everybody, and when to keep your mouth shut; • Black English, and why Black students must be ‘bilingual.’ …AND MUCH MORE!
www.excellencewithoutexcuse.com Download immediately as an eBook or a pdf Order softcover online, from Amazon, or your local bookstore ISBN#978-1-56385-500-9 Published by International Scholastic Press, LLC Contact Charles at ccherry2@gmail.com
Facebook ccherry2 excellencewithoutexcuse
for info on speeches, workshops, seminars, book signings, panel discussions.
Twitter @ccherry2
STOJ
NOVEMBER 21 – NOVEMBER 27, 2014
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WORLD
Health systems continue to struggle across Africa Problems include insufficient financing and poor organization BY NOAM N. LEVEY TRIBUTE WASHINGTON BUREAU
CHOKWE, Mozambique — The little boy born just before sunset was lucky. He had stopped breathing just after his mother delivered him into a shawl as she lay in a cramped hospital ward here in this provincial town 100 miles north of the capital, Maputo. Fortunately, a group of nurses was a few beds away. After a frenzied, 15-minute scramble with a suction machine and ventilator bag, they resuscitated the baby. Two hours later, there would have been no nurse. The ward is staffed only until 7 p.m. The boy probably would have died, joining tens of thousands of children who perish prematurely every year in this southern African nation. On the other side of the continent, Ebola has focused attention on the inability of local health systems to contain a major disease outbreak. But even in African nations untouched by the epidemic, health systems are struggling with insufficient financing and poor organization. That holds back progress against malaria, HIV/AIDS and basic health problems such as infant mortality.
PHOTOS BY NOAM LEVELY/LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT
Nurses at a rural hospital in Chokwe, a small provincial town 140 miles from the capital of Mozambique, struggle to save a baby after he stopped breathing minutes after being born. Had the boy been born a few hours later, he likely would have died, as the ward isn’t staffed after 7 p.m.
Too few clinics Although children in Mozambique have substantially better odds of surviving than two decades ago, they are still 15 times more likely to die before turning 5 than an American child. “It seems like health care is always at the end of the queue,” said Dr. Inacio Chichango Jr., 31, director of the Chokwe hospital. Despite rapid economic growth, countries including Mozambique are spending on things other than health care, leaving much of Africa with too few clinics, hospital beds, doctors and health workers, and with inadequate systems for linking them together. At the Chokwe hospital, doctors have had to make do without an ultrasound machine since spring. Over the past decade, more than half of sub-Saharan countries have either cut the share of government spending devoted to healthcare, or barely increased it, according to World Health Organization data. In Mozambique, health care dropped from 15 percent of the government budget in 2001 to 9 percent in 2012.
Building systems Although simply spending more isn’t sufficient, more investment is frequently necessary, said former World Bank health director Julian Schweitzer, who advises developing countries for Results for Development Institute, a Washington-based nonprofit. “Countries that have been successful have built systems. They trained doctors and health workers, expanded insurance schemes, created financial incentives. ... These countries learned you have to do all these things together.” Ethiopia, still one of the world’s poorest countries, has deployed nearly 40,000 community health workers in the past decade. And after its 1994 genocide,
Crisaldo Julio Mawelele, a 25-year-old community health worker in rural Mozambique, writes out a prescription for a toddler whose grandmother carried him on her back to a clearing at the center of the village of Zucula. The little boy, who had recently been treated for malaria and anemia, had severe diarrhea. Rwanda built a national health insurance system and began rewarding clinics that provide appropriate care, such as delivering babies in health facilities rather than at home. The two countries are among just 10 worldwide on track to meet the United Nations’ 2015 targets for reducing child and maternal mortality.
Scaling back The lagging investment in health in Africa is even more worrisome as many industrialized nations, including the United States, are under pressure to scale back foreign assistance during their own economic struggles. After nearly tripling between 2000 and 2010, global health aid has hit a plateau over the past four years, according to data compiled by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. “The need here is still huge,” said Jean-Luc Anglade, chief of
mission in Mozambique for Doctors Without Borders. The aid group — which for months led the international response to Ebola — has developed new systems to distribute drugs to HIV/AIDS patients in Mozambique. The country has some of the highest infection rates in the world.
Signs of change Rapid economic growth in Mozambique, where large coal and natural gas deposits have been discovered in recent years, had fueled hopes that the national government would assume responsibility for more of these health services. “We don’t have any politicians talking about health. There are no champions,” said Jorge Martin, an activist for CIP, a local advocacy group that has highlighted Mozambique’s underinvestment in health and its reluctance to sufficiently tax foreign companies. “Oil and gas are changing
things,” he said. “But they are like a poisoned present that only looks beautiful.” Dr. Francisco Mbofana, Mozambique’s public health director, insisted that the country’s leaders are committed to greater investment. “Health care is a priority of the government,” he said, noting plans to deploy thousands of community health workers in coming years. “We are expecting more progress.” Not far from Chokwe, there are some signs of change in Zucula, a village of straw huts in the shade of banana plants and cashew nut trees.
First line of defense Crisaldo Julio Mawelele, a young community health worker who dreams of becoming a doctor, makes regular stops here, working with villagers on hygiene and nutrition and on treating basic illnesses. On one visit, she tended to a listless toddler whose grand-
mother carried him on her back to a clearing at the center of the village. The little boy, who had recently been treated for malaria and anemia, now had severe diarrhea. After examining him carefully as he sat in his grandmother’s lap, Mawelele gave the grandmother a packet of electrolytes and ground up a zinc tablet for him. Mawelele is one of about 3,000 such health workers in the country, part of the system being developed jointly by the Health Ministry and the United Nations Children’s Fund, or UNICEF. The government aims to eventually expand the force to 12,000. In a country where one doctor can have responsibility for tens of thousands of patients, the health workers are a first line of defense against malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea, three of the deadliest threats to young children. Many global health experts believe that such programs can make a huge difference if implemented correctly.
Great challenge Each worker is given basic medical training and outfitted with a green bag with basic diagnostic kits, antibiotics and other drugs to treat the three illnesses. Mawelele, who grew up in this village, said she enjoys the work. She wanted to do something to help her community. But the challenge remains enormous. UNICEF delayed a planned transfer of the healthworker program to the Health Ministry because of concerns that the program wasn’t ready to operate on its own. Mawelele faces her own obstacles. She was without malaria kits for much of this year and had to wait more than six months for a paycheck from last year. Reporting for this story was partially supported by a fellowship from the International Center for Journalists and the United Nations Foundation.
Suicide bomber kills 48 at all-boys school in Nigeria GLOBAL INFORMATIN NETWORK
As Americans honored their veterans in a national day of parades and ceremony, Nigerians were grieving over a war with terrorists, who are now slaughtering children with suicide bombs. Schools have become the frontlines of the war waged by Boko Haram against Nigerian security forces. As Boko Haram occupies more villages in the country’s north, they claim to be building an Islamist state, one in which boys’ education would be limited to Koranic schools and Islamic universities, and girls would stay home and get married. On Nov. 10, in the town of Potiskum in Yobe State, students were lining up at the all-boys Government Comprehensive Senior Science Secondary School. The attacker was disguised as a student in a school uniform. The blast, set off when the youthful bomber was questioned by a teacher, killed 48 people, mostly young children, according to hospital and morgue officials. Two teachers were among the dead, and 79 were injured, some critically. This bombing was only the latest in a se-
ries of attacks on schoolboys and male college students that began in 2013. Newspaper accounts of a massacre in Yobe state told of students locked in their dormitories and burned alive, shot in their beds, blown up or having their throats cut. “We were waiting for the principal to address us, around 7:30 a.m., when we heard a deafening sound and I was blown off my feet,” Musa Ibrahim Yahaya, 17, told the Associated Press from his hospital bed. “People started screaming and running. I saw blood all over my body.” “The explosions flung students at the center of the blast in all directions,” said another student in a telephone interview. “It also sent many of us reeling on the ground. I found myself under the weight of another student who fell over me. I’m certain he was dead.” He added, “It was confusion all over. Everybody was hysterical.”
An easy target After the bombing, Adamu Ibrahim said he and other students with minor injuries ran home. “When my father, who was sitting outside the house, saw me, he was terrified,” Ibra-
him said. “I didn’t realize my white school uniform was stained with human blood and bits of flesh. I’m all right, except for the pains in my ears from the thunderous blast. My ears hurt and a humming sound persists inside.” He said the school was poorly secured, with no fence, making it an easy target. Education levels in northern Nigeria are lower than in other parts of the country, and state governments have been forced to close schools in some areas because of frequent terrorist attacks. Only 28 percent of children in the northern state of Borno attend school, according to government statistics, and the literacy rate in the north is 32 percent, compared with the 68 percent national average.
U.S. criticized Meanwhile, the U.S. received blistering criticism from Nigeria’s ambassador to the U.S., who condemned Washington for refusing to sell his government “lethal” weapons to fight militant Islamists. Nigeria needed support to deliver the “killer punch,” not “light jabs,” against the Boko Haram group, Adebowale Ibidapo Adefuye told members of the Washington-
The all-boys Government Comprehensive Senior Science Secondary School is located in the town of Potiskum in Yobe State, Nigeria. based Council on Foreign Relations. U.S. laws ban the sale of lethal weapons to countries whose military are accused of gross human rights abuses, and Nigeria’s government soldiers have been accused by rights groups of carrying out many atrocities, including torturing and executing suspects.
B4
HOLIDAYS
NOVEMBER 21 – NOVEMBER 27, 2014
FROM FAMILY FEATURES
A Gift That Keeps Giving
Though it may seem that all of the high-demand gift items this season require batteries and a level of tech savvy only the younger generation can boast, there are actually many great options that let you encourage the kids on your list to get back to basics and get unplugged. According to research by Common Sense Media, kids under eight spend nearly two hours of every day on screen time — that is, using a tablet, computer or mobile device, watching TV, etc. While some of that usage is dedicated to educational games and content, the prevalence of media use among kids is distracting them from one of childhood’s greatest gifts: the freedom to let their imaginations soar. Kids whose imaginative play is fostered and supported show numerous health and developmental advantages, ranging from increased levels of fitness and coordination to higher self-esteem and an improved ability to apply the information they learn.This holiday season, look for gifts that inspire kids to embrace pretend play: Blocks
Books
It doesn’t get much more basic than building blocks when it comes to setting the imagination free. Skip the sets that come with specific instructions and opt instead for blocks that encourage free-form play and construction. Small and mid-sized plastic pieces let kids create miniature versions of nearly anything their minds can conjure. On the flip side, jumbo cardboard blocks let children create environments they can physically engage with, such as life-size playhouses.
Good old-fashioned books help expose kids to new worlds. Choose-your-own-adventure books, in which the reader helps direct the flow of the story line, are a great choice for engaging kids directly as they imagine their way through the story line. More traditional books introduce concepts, characters and scenarios that provide hours of play as kids act out the new ideas they discover.
Figurines There are many figurines and customizable accessories and environments available to tickle kids’ imagination. From auto service stations and race tracks to dollhouses and pet boutiques, little ones can explore and create for hours. For example, the Calico Critters toy line provides hours of wholesome and imaginative play. These adorable, high-quality miniature families of animals are paired with a selection of environments ranging from homes to shops to restaurants, along with complementary furnishings and acces sories. These settings are similar to those in a child’s life, making them more relatable and fun. For more information, visit www.calicocritters.com.
Dress up Whether you assemble a collection of whimsical treasures from thrift shops or rely on the costumes and sets available at retail stores, clothing that allows a child to adopt a new persona is an instant way to encourage the imagination. Costumes depicting familiar characters let kids act out their favorite screen-time scenes in real life, while a unique mish-mash of items lets them create unique scenarios to explore.
Crafting sets From create-your-own jewelry to colorto-complete playhouses and spaceships, crafty gifts let kids explore their artistic side and experiment with creating tangible representations of their imagination. You can choose from prepackaged sets at many retailers, or crafting stores provide a diverse selection of unfinished items to pair with the appropriate tools. Toys and games that encourage pretend play let kids create, explore and imagine in a stress-free environment where they set the rules and boundaries. These gifts, which encourage kids to unplug and embrace a whole new world of wholesome play, are the kind you can feel truly great about giving.
Helping out during the holidays This holiday season, Calico Critters is giving away $250 in merchandise to 40 lucky winners. Plus, for every dollar of merchandise the company gives away, toys of equivalent value will be donated to Toys for Tots and My Stuff Bags to help children in need. To learn more visit www.calicocrittersclub.com.
Encouraging kids to explore the world and learn through imaginative play has numerous benefits for their overall well-being. Giving gifts that encourage kids to use their imagination helps boost numerous long-term development skills.
Social development Creating characters and scripting scenes, whether alone or through play with others, teaches a child to consider other perspectives and fosters the growth of empathy and understanding.
Language Being allowed to create their own play environment, versus those delivered on a screen, forces children to rely on their vocabulary and practice using the words they’ve learned both informally and formally. Solitary play offers the benefit of allowing a child to practice these skills, while pretend play with peers encourages clear and effective communication with others.
Problem solving It’s never too early for a child to begin developing cognitive thinking skills that allow them to effectively trouble-shoot and resolve problems. Even a simple play activity, such as contemplating what items from the dress-up drawer should be packed for an imaginary vacation, lets a little one begin to understand how to identify a challenge and create meaningful solutions.
Relationships Playing with others is a natural way for kids to forge meaningful bonds with other children, and with the adults in their lives. Imaginary play nurtures and lets children practice critical relationship-building skills such as communication. What’s more, interacting through pretend play gives kids a shared experience that shapes a bond with their partner in play.
STOJ
STOJ
NOVEMBER 21 – NOVEMBER 27, 2014
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.
chantel
cristopher Christopher Gray is an aspiring model from Ormond Beach. He is an exceptional athlete ranking in the nation’s top 20 for the long and high jump. He can be contacted at mistirchris08@aol.com.
Chantel Cherry is an aspiring fashion model from Portsmouth, Va. She is currently an Orlando resident who won the title of 2011 Az 1 Model of the Year. For booking and info, e-mail ccherry1241@gmail.com.
NBC drops Cosby comedy project in wake of rape allegations
Viewers outraged by Lifetime’s tweets during ‘Aaliyah’ biopic EURWEB.COM
A biopic of any nature can be a sensitive subject for some, but for Lifetime, who aired “Aaliyah: Princess of R&B” on Nov. 15, viewers took offense after the network posted several tweets during the airing of the program that are said to have romanticized the illegal relationship between the late singer and singer/producer R. Kelly. The tweets asked questions like “Is Aaliyah too young to know?” and make statements such as “R. Kelly is almost twice Aaliyah’s age. Is that crazy?” They were deleted from Lifetime’s Twitter account, but was captured by blogs. Viewers say the tweets were written in bad taste, and responded to them saying, “WHY ARE YOU ROMANTICIZING PEDOPHILIA?!” and “With a molester grooming his victim?”
Aaliyah secretly married R. Kelly when she was 15 and he, 25, in 1994. The singer lied about her age, claiming she was 18 years old, in order for the marriage to take place. The illegal marriage was annulled in February 1995 by her parents.
TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
Difficult to play The Lifetime biopic’s portrayal of the relationship ends with Aaliyah (Alexandra Shipp) and R. Kelly (Clé Bennett) revealing their marriage to her parents and her father, Michael Haughton (Sterling Jarvis), forces them to end their relationship. Shipp tells TheWrap that the scene was the most difficult for her to play in the movie. “I think that was pretty hard. I think it was hard for everyone,” Shipp, 23, said. “To be able to get to that place and get to that emotion where you think
Alexandra Shipp portrayed Aaliyah in Lifetime’s biopic that debuted this month. Lifetime’s tweets about Aaliyah’s relationship with R. Kelly angered viewers. someone is keeping you from the one person that’s making you the most happy brings up a lot of emotion. And when it comes to
my method, I always try to take things from my own life for the emotion. And so, that was a really hard scene for me.”
Solange does it her way
ROG WALKER
Above: Solange Knowles is shown in the center with her sister Beyonce and mom Tina Knowles by her side. Also smiling in the back on the left is friend Janelle Monae. Right: Solange poses with husband Alan Ferguson.
Social media has been buzzing all week over the Nov. 16 wedding of Solange Knowles, 28, to video director Alan Ferguson, 51, in New Orleans. The bride wore white – and so did everyone else. For the wedding ceremony, the bride wore a floor-length Humberto Leon for Kenzo gown with an attached cape, The non-traditional all-white wedding portraits have received rave reviews. One shows Solange in the center flanked by sister Beyonce and mother Tina Knowles. Singer friend Janelle Monae also is in the photo taken by Rog Walker. The photos were shared by Beyonce on Instagram. “Everyone I worked with on the wedding are friends who I love,” Solange told Vogue. “Everything was a labor of love.” This is the second marriage for Solange. She married Daniel Smith in 2004 and they have a son, Daniel “Julez” Smith.
NBC has dropped the planned Bill Cosby comedy pilot in wake of increased allegations by several women who claimed that he raped and sexually assaulted them. “We can confirm that that the Cosby project is no longer in development,” said a source close to the network. NBC declined comment. The move came less than a day after Netflix’s decision to postpone a scheduled stand-up special starring the comedian that was supposed to air in late November. That decision came just a few hours after former model and TV host Janice Dickinson said that the comedian raped her in 1982.
Denies allegations The NBC project, which had been in early development, would have starred Cosby as the patriarch of a multigenerational family. Insiders said that a pilot script for the show had not been written and that the show had not even been greenlighted. The comedian has continually denied the allegations. Barbara Bowman, who recently renewed her accusation that Cosby drugged and raped her years ago, had targeted NBC for bringing the comedian back for another sitcom in which he would play the head of a large family. “I think it’s irresponsible to put him back in a position of a patriarchal father, in an authoritative and trusted position,” Bowman said in an inter-
view with The Hollywood Reporter. “I’m very disappointed that he would be endorsed in that [type of role] again.”
‘Insult to the public’ Bowman, who volunteers for advocacy group PAVE (Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment), said that Cosby playing a kindhearted, loving character, much like the one he played on “The Cosby Show” and in Jell-O commercials, is a “lie” and an “insult to the public.” Bowman says she is unsure why it took comedian Hannibal Buress’ onstage evisceration of Cosby last month for a public uproar to arise, although she thinks that social media helped the cause. She commends Buress “for putting his own career on the line and standing up for what he believes in.” Her claims date back to the 1980s, when she alleges she was drugged and raped at the age of 18 by Cosby, whom she considered a trusted mentor. She recently wrote an oped piece for the Washington Post, detailing her experience. In 2006, Cosby settled out of court with another woman who claimed he sexually assaulted her. Cosby’s rep released a statement on Nov. 16, a day after the star refused to respond to questions about the resurfaced allegations during an NPR interview. “The fact that [the claims] are being repeated does not make them true,” the statement read. “Mr. Cosby does not intend to dignify these allegations with any comment.”
F0OD
B6
NOVEMBER 21 – NOVEMBER 27, 2014
TOJ
HELPFUL TIPS FOR THE PERFECT HOLIDAY TURKEY
This holiday, create a
COLORFUL FROM FAMILY FEATURES
As you prepare for this season of celebrations, consider recipes that offer a fresh approach to the traditional holiday menu. With its sweet simplicity and vibrant color, a garnish featuring California grapes can make your meal tion even more enticing. Keep those mealpresenta time traditions intact by serving favorites like Brussels sprouts, but pair them with sweet California grapes in a salad for the perfect balance of flavor and crunchy texture. A beloved side dish, such as cornbread dressing, will exceed all expectations with ingredients like red and green grapes, butternut squash, walnuts and pancetta. Complete the meal with a new twist on a trifle that results in a rich dessert worthy of any gathering for the holidays and beyond. For more ways to increase the freshness and flavor of your holiday meals, visit GrapesfromCalifornia.com, Facebook. com/GrapesfromCalifornia and Pinterest.com/GrapesfromCA.
RAW VEGETABLE AND GRAPE SALAD Servings: 6 Salad: 2 cups shredded or very thinly sliced Brussels sprouts 1 cup shredded carrots 1 cup thinly sliced fennel 1/2 cup cooked, chopped bacon (6 slices) 4 cups green and red seedless California grapes, halved 1/2 cup sliced green onions Dressing: 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper Toss all salad ingredients together in large bowl. Whisk together all dressing ingredients in medium bowl and drizzle over salad. Toss until ingredients are well coated with dressing. Nutrition information per serving: 226 calories; 14 g fat (4 g saturated fat); 55% calories from fat; 8 g protein; 19 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 17 mg cholesterol; 516 mg sodium; 471 mg potassium.
PEANUT BUTTER AND GRAPE TRIFLE Servings: 14 1 (16-ounce) container nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt 8 tablespoons creamy peanut butter 2 tablespoons honey 1 (8-ounce) container lite whipped topping, divided 1 (16-ounce) store-bought pound cake, sliced into 1-inch cubes 3 cups red seedless California grapes, plus more for garnish 3 cups green seedless California grapes, plus more for garnish 1/4 cup honey-roasted peanuts, chopped (optional garnish) In medium bowl, stir together yogurt, peanut butter and honey until well combined. Gently fold in half of whipped topping. Set aside. In clear glass trifle dish or bowl, layer half each of pound cake cubes, peanut butter mixture, red grapes and green grapes. Repeat layers a second time and top with remaining whipped topping. Garnish with additional grapes (sliced in half) if desired, and chopped peanuts, if desired. Nutrition information per serving (with peanuts): 313 calories; 15 g fat (5 g saturated fat); 42% calories from fat; 8 g protein; 38 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 73 mg cholesterol; 197 mg sodium; 206 mg potassium.
FEAST
• When shopping for your turkey, look for one with a pop-up timer. • To thaw your turkey, keep it in the refrigerator based on its weight. For example, it should remain in the refrigerator for 24 hours for every 5 pounds. To thaw quickly, place it in the sink and cover with cold water, changing the water every half hour per pound. • Once the turkey has thawed, always refrigerate or cook immediately. • When you’re ready to cook, baste the bird with extra virgin olive oil. Place turkey with the breast up on a rack in a shallow roasting pan in an oven preheated to 325°F. Loosely cover turkey with foil to prevent over-browning. • The turkey is done cooking when the meat thermometer reads 180°F, or if the red stem on the pop-up timer is up and the drumstick feels soft or moves easily. • Always allow the bird to rest for at least 20 minutes for easy carving. • Present your turkey on a platter with a fresh and colorful garnish, such as California grapes.
A TASTY TRADITION A Spanish custom spanning back to 1895, those who practice “the twelve grapes of luck” are said to be provided with a year of prosperity. Add this festive ritual to your celebration by eating a grape with the ringing of each bell at midnight on New Year’s Eve.
CORNBREAD DRESSING WITH ROASTED GRAPES, WALNUTS AND PANCETTA Servings: 12 2 cups red seedless California grapes 2 cups green seedless California grapes 2 cups cubed butternut squash 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil Salt and pepper, to taste 6 ounces diced pancetta 3/4 cup sliced celery 1 large onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 5 cups coarsely crumbled cornbread (either store-bought or prepared from a mix), toasted 3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth 3 tablespoons butter, melted 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar 1 egg, beaten Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss grapes and squash cubes together in large bowl with oil, salt and pepper, to taste. Spread in single layer on baking sheet and roast for about 20–30
minutes, until grapes have begun to slightly shrivel and squash is tender. Set aside. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook pancetta until it begins to brown slightly. Add celery and onions and cook until tender and onions are translucent, about 5–6 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one minute more. Remove from heat. In large bowl, combine cornbread, pancetta mixture, grapes, squash, walnuts, sage and salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Set aside. In medium bowl, whisk together broth, butter, vinegar and egg. Pour over cornbread mixture and toss well to combine. Spray 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon dressing evenly into dish. (At this point, you can either bake immediately or cover and refrigerate overnight to bake the next day.) Bake, covered with foil, at 350°F for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake another 20 minutes, or until warmed through and golden brown. Nutrition information per serving: 442 calories; 18 g fat (4 g saturated fat); 37% calories from fat; 14 g protein; 54 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 75 mg cholesterol; 1103 mg sodium; 475 mg potassium.