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Another Florida Classic win for Wildcats

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NOVEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 5, 2013

VOLUME 21 NO. 48

TOUGH LOVE IN CALI

Ju Hong, 24, of South Korea interrupted President Obama during the president’s speech on immigration reform in San Francisco.

With public approval at an all-time low, Obama looks to rally support in California – and gets heckled before moving on to raise money.

Floridians fight for LGBT workplace rights

er directly behind the president interrupted Obama’s speech. He SAN FRANCISCO – Beset by called for Obama, by administracriticism of the federal health care tive action, to stop deporting unoverhaul and with his public ap- documented immigrants. proval rating at an all-time low, President Barack Obama arrived ‘I don’t’ in California on Monday seeking “I need your help!” said the to shift attention to immigration 24-year-old San Francisco State and the economy, issues around University student, Ju Hong, who which he has traditionally man- was standing behind Obama onaged to rally fellow Democrats. stage, close enough to be in the In a speech at the Betty Ong television camera shot during an Recreation Center in San Francis- event in San Francisco’s Chinaco’s Chinatown, Obama blamed town. Urging the president to give “the unwillingness of certain Re- immediate relief to those separatpublicans in Congress to catch up ed from their families at Thankswith the rest of the country” on giving, he yelled, “You have the immigration. power to stop deportations!” “It’s long past time to fix our bro“Actually, I don’t,” Obama reken immigration system,” he said. sponded, asking security person“We need to make sure Washingnel not to remove the heckler or ton finishes what so many Amerother protesters who joined in icans just like you started. We’ve the shouting. “These guys don’t got to finish the job.” See OBAMA, Page A2 A heckler standing on the ris-

BY PENNY DICKERSON SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS

JIM GENSHEIMER/ BAY AREA NEWS GROUP/ MCT

Still struggling

2013 FLORIDA CLASSIC

‘Cats claw the Rattlers

Gay rights took a leap forward when the U.S. Senate voted 64-32 to approve the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). The Nov. 7 landmark victory bans workplace discrimination against members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) community who have been on the frontlines of workforce protection for the past 17 years. The bill now goes to the Republican-dominated House of Representatives, where it faces an uncertain future. If it does pass the House, chances are that President Obama will sign it. Still, for LGBT Floridians, Senate passage brings optimism that the law will extend their current civil rights and safeguard them from discriminatory employment practices that hinder promotions and sometimes lead to termination.

Seeking acceptance When Sarah Perez left her St. Croix, Virgin Islands hometown in 2006 to live in the United States, her family didn’t know she was a lesbian. They still remain in the dark. Perez was one of many Hispanics forced to live in a shroud of secrecy in the West Indies, where alternative lifestyles are shunned – if not forbidden. “Two women holding hands in St. Croix is something you just never see,” said Perez. At age 19, she moved to Jacksonville with her former lesbian partner and childhood friend. “I also moved to the U.S. because I wanted to be able to be myself,” explained Perez. “Back home, I couldn’t even dress the way I wanted to.” For the past two years, she has been an employee at an AutoZone auto parts retailer in Jacksonville. She started as a part-time sales clerk; she recently was promoted to sales manager.

Ridiculed in workplace KIM GIBSON / FLORIDA COURIER

Bethune-Cookman University cornerback Dion Hanks (#29) fights for an interception as B-CU beat archrival Florida A&M University 29-10 in the annual Florida Classic showdown in Orlando. Read full game coverage on Page B1.

Though her employer has recognized her ability to get the job done, Perez admits she suffers occasional ridicule from co-workers, but she See RIGHTS, Page A2

Deltas urge support of Black businesses on Black Friday

Members of the Palm Coast/Flagler County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. stand by gifts purchased in 2012. The sorority has started a regional initiative to support Black-owned businesses this holiday season.

ALSO INSIDE

Florida, is encouraging sorori- economic survival. BY ASHLEY THOMAS ty members and others to supFLORIDA COURIER port Black-owned businesses Business owner According to a 2012 Nielsen on Nov. 29, the largest shopping encouraged study, Black spending power day of the year – and throughIn Florida, Black-owned is at $931 billion annually and out the holiday season. businesses account for 9 peris projected to hit $1 trillion by cent of all businesses, higher 2015. Vastly than the national average of 7 Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, underrepresented percent, However, Blacks make Inc., flexed its economic musup 17 percent of the Florida Code R.E.D. will procle this summer when the orpopulation and 13 percent namote Black-owned businessganization left millions of doltionwide. es through chapter websites lars in Washington, D.C., durBrian Butler, who owns Visand social media. Chapters ing its centennial celebration tra Communications, a stratehave created directories listand 51st national convention. gic public relations and marThe Southern Region of ing Black-owned businesses in keting agency based in Tampa, their areas. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority is Code R.E.D. addresses the applauded the sorority’s initiacontinuing to show its ecosorority’s 10th component of tive. nomic impact in its commu“As an African-American nities through a new initiative its Financial Fortitude program businesses owner and a retired — entrepreneurship. The so– “Code R.E.D. (Revitalizing Army officer, I am encouraged Economic Development): DST rority encourages entrepreby this program sponsored by neurship as an opportunity to Spends2Win.’’ See DELTAS, Page A2 The region, which includes achieve self-sufficiency and

SNAPSHOTS FLORIDA | A3

Another hurricane season without major hit CULTURE | B2

Word, Shout, Song exhibit in Florida through December FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT | B5

Is a ‘Madea Christmas’ boycott necessary? Meet Tootie

COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4 COMMENTARY: CHERYL PEARSON-MCNEIL: ’TIS THE SEASON FOR SMART SHOPPING | A5

FOCUS

NOVEMBER 29 – DECEMBER 5, 2013

US thumbs its nose at the world on climate change Is there really any place where electing Democrats to the White House really makes a difference? Sometimes, people who call themselves progressives get it twisted, and imagine that environmental affairs are one of those places. But are they, really? The world was shocked when the oil-soaked administration of George W. Bush openly thumbed its nose at the Kyoto Protocol, claimed there was no such thing as man-made climate change and refused even to send representatives to global climate change summits.

Empty rhetoric The current Democrat in the White House ran with vague promises, amplified by his “progressive” surrogates, to rein in the oil companies. But now all that looks like empty campaign rhetoric, the cultural fluff that temporarily dis-

BRUCE A. DIXON BLACK AGENDA REPORT

tinguishes the two parties from each other when they campaign, but vanishes when they govern. Barack Obama was president, with a thumping Democratic majority in both houses of Congress when the Deepwater Horizon exploded and thousands of square miles of the world’s most productive fishing grounds were poisoned. The Obama administration lied to the public about the extent of the leak, used the Coast Guard and US Navy to keep reporters and experts from flying over or visiting into the affected areas, made sure the token settlement didn’t much affect the assets of the guilty

“…internal memos of the U.S. secretary of state’s office demonstrated continued US determination to thumb its nose at the future of humanity in the face of climate change, refusing even to discuss reparations to the poorer countries whose growing deserts, raging storms, rising sea levels and collapsing agriculture are direct results of massive overconsumption of fossil fuels by the wealthier parts of the world.” parties, and passed no law or regulations to make sure it couldn’t happen again. Last week, internal memos of the U.S. secretary of state’s office demonstrated continued US determination to thumb its nose at the future of humanity in the face of climate change,

refusing even to discuss reparations to the poorer countries whose growing deserts, raging storms, rising sea levels and collapsing agriculture are direct results of massive overconsumption of fossil fuels by the wealthier parts of the world.

Why stay? So China joined 133 countries – basically the entire developing world, in walking out of this year’s UN Summit on Climate Change. There was, they concluded, nothing left to talk about with the representatives of wealthy countries like the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia and Britain, who have already burned enough coal and petroleum to make deserts in African and Asia larger, begin to melt large sections of the polar ice cover, decisively changing the world billions of poor people have to live in, while preaching to them about their solemn duty to conserve, and adapt. The developed countries will not “adapt” themselves, will pay no reparations for global damages already inflicted and to come, and led by the world’s greatest environmental scofflaw, the United States of America, refuse to agree to any bind-

RIGHTS doesn’t experience direct employment discrimination. “I told my job I was gay because I knew they suspected after my girlfriend kept coming in the store,” she said. “They make jokes that sometimes hurt my feelings, and the other day a transgendered male came in and one of the employees laughed and said, ‘Did ya’ll see that?’ Transgenders always have it worse, but everyone in the LGBT community gets ridiculed,” she added.

from A1 need to go,” Obama said. “He can stay there. … I respect the passion of these young people.” But the solution to the problem “won’t be as easy as just shouting,” he said to the young man. “If you’re serious about making that happen, then I’m willing to work with you. “The easy way out is to try to yell and pretend like I can do something by violating our laws,” he said. “What I’m proposing is the harder path” of trying to get the law changed.

More pressure As the prospects for immigration legislation in Congress have faded, activists have been putting increasing pressure on Obama to take executive action to reduce the number of deportations. Last year Obama approved a step to shield one group of people from deportation, the so-called DREAM Act youth, who were brought

Democrats or Republicans, environmental promises or none, the corporate elite of the developed world are rogues and outlaws. Suck it up, they tell the poorer countries. Adapt. We’ll give you a loan (at ruinous interest) to do that. Conserve. We’ll audit you. But nobody, the rich countries say, regulates or audits us. No wonder the Chinese, and most of the world decided there was nothing more to talk about.

Bruce Dixon is managing editor of BlackAgendaReport.com. Contact him at bruce.dixon@ blackagendareport.com. Click on this story at www. flcourier.com to write your own response.

Challenges for immigrants

Bipartisan state bill

OBAMA

‘Suck it up’

their lunch break watching her load trucks outside. “I heard them laughing and one said he could tell I was a ‘dyke,’ ” Smith related. “I didn’t want an altercation or to say anything I’d regret, so I asked UPS management to move my work duty inside, and they did.”

from A1

In a March poll conducted by the Bob Graham Center for Public Service in conjunction with the University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research, 73 percent of Floridians support a bill that would protect gay and lesbians against workplace discrimination. On Nov. 5, State Representatives Joe Saunders (D-Orlando) and Holly Raschein (R-Key Largo) pushed for passage of a bipartisan bill to ban discrimination in the state for the LGBT community in employment, public accommodations and housing. An anti-discrimination measure titled HB 239, the Florida Competitive Workforce Act, would amend Florida laws that currently prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicap or marital status. Democrats recognize that 26 municipalities in Florida have implemented ordinances for gay rights – most in the southern portion of the peninsula. Statewide legislation would eliminate limitations to have workplace rights protected in one county, yet denied less than 25 miles down the road. “From the GOP perspective,

ing reduction in the rates and amounts of poison they dump into the planet’s oceans and air.

STEVEN M. FALK/PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS/MCT

Stevie Martin-Chester, left, with his husband, Arthur Martin-Chester, attend a rally in Philadelphia in support of the U.S. Supreme Court’s gay marriage ruling this year. our main focus is the economy and jobs,” stated Raschein. “And this is what we’re talking about. People’s jobs, people’s livelihoods.”

Supported by company The vocal presence of LGBT women helps the legislative efforts. One of them is Gina Duncan, who ran for Orange County (Orlando-area) commissioner in 2012 as an openly transgendered candidate. She told the Nov. 5 press conference how she worked at Wells Fargo, managing more than 200 people, when

to the country illegally as young children. The administration justified that action as an exercise in prosecutorial discretion, the legal basis being that the executive branch has authority to say that some cases for deportation are less urgent than others. That principle can’t be extended to cover everyone, administration lawyers have said.

Polls down Public confidence in Obama has been dragged down by the administration’s mishandling of the federal health care overhaul, with several national polls putting Obama’s approval ratings at 41 percent or 42 percent in recent days, equaling or surpassing his previous record lows. Even in heavily Democratic California – and even before criticism forced Obama to apologize for a defective health care website – the president’s public approval rating plummeted 10 percentage points this summer, to 52 percent, according to the Field Poll. The poll was conducted after the dis-

she went through a sex change process. The company supported her. “Corporate America is good with Florida’s Competitive Workforce Act,” said Duncan, who is on the board of Equality Florida and joined Saunders and Raschein as a state co-sponsor. “Corporate America wants this bill.”

Advocates for change Willetta “Mamado’’ Smith of Jacksonville said working as an independent musician and club owner has proven to offer more personal freedom and peace than being antagonistically mocked on the job. Smith, 54, has been openly gay

closure of National Security Agency surveillance programs. “He’s at the lowest point in his presidency,” said Jaime Regalado, retired executive director of the Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs at California State University, Los Angeles. “He’s taking a drubbing right now. … He’s in California not only to raise funds, but to raise hopes that he’s still fighting the battles.” In addition to his remarks on immigration Monday, Obama addressed the economy at an event Tuesday in Southern California.

Money swing The policy speeches were folded into a West Coast fundraising swing ahead of next year’s midterm elections, with fundraisers in Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles for the Democratic National Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Obama left the Chinatown speech for fundraisers at the SFJAZZ Center and the home of

Salesforce.com founder Marc Benioff. He flew to Los Angeles on Monday night, where he appeared at three fundraisers before speaking at an event on the economy at DreamWorks Animation in Glendale. The company’s CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg, is a major donor to Obama.

Been there before Obama’s weakened political condition is reminiscent of difficulties he faced two years ago, when he was sliding in the polls and appeared to be vulnerable in his re-election bid. At an event in California that year at which Obama promoted his plan to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans, Doug Edwards, a former Google brand manager and Democratic campaign donor, asked Obama in a crowd-pleasing and widely reported exchange, “Would you please raise my taxes?” Two years later, Edwards said, “it hasn’t gone as smoothly as I or most people would have liked.” In part, he attributed Obama’s difficulties to his inability to “wran-

since she was a teen and is engaged to marry her long-term partner, Universal Recording artist Alea Janee Dennis. The lesbian couple applauded the efforts to defeat the Defense of Marriage Act and efforts to ban gay marriage. But she believes greater advocacy and sensitivity is necessary for ENDA to become law. “In the late 1980s, I worked for UPS and helped stock trucks,” said Smith. “I always felt like they never really wanted me there and I never would have gotten that job, but my father was a 40-year company veteran so that got me in.” In an incident she reported, Smith cites a group of men on gle” with Congress, but mostly he blamed the GOP. “I’ve seen an unprecedented level of personal animosity and obstruction,” Edwards said. “It’s been an absolute refusal to work with him.” Edwards said the administration “clearly underestimated the challenge of putting the (health care) website together” but that once people become more familiar with the program “it will kind of self-right itself and most people, anyway, will be fairly pleased with it.” “Personally I’m pretty happy with the way it’s going,” Edwards said. “But again, I live in California, and California’s probably the only state that’s had a fair amount of success in getting people signed up.” As for Obama’s ability to bounce back politically, Edwards said, “I think it’s possible … but it’s going to take time.”

Christi Parsons of the Tribune Washington Bureau and David Siders of the Sacramento Bee / MCT contributed to this report.

Immigrants on the path to citizenship who also are members of the LGBT community face a unique double jeopardy. They must provide evidence of employment to secure a visa. According to analysis by the Williams Institute, a national thinktank headquartered at the UCLA law school, there are nearly 1 million LGBT adult immigrants living in the United States today. Thirty percent are undocumented. “Both segments of the community living at the intersection of a marginalized population need workforce protection,” Sharita Gruberg, policy analyst for the Center for American Progress, a Washington, D.C.-based independent nonpartisan educational institute, said this week. “They need ENDA to pass and provide a ban against employment discrimination because loss of employment equates to poverty, they lose ties to communities, and it affects their social, economic, and psychological well-being.” Gruberg added, “We have discovered that the passage of ENDA is not just about an LGBT endorsement. People don’t want their government to support discrimination against anyone – whether they are immigrants or gay.”

This article is a contribution to the New America Media’s LGBT Immigration Fellowship, sponsored by the Four Freedoms Fund.

DELTAS from A1 Delta Sigma Theta Sorority,” Butler told the Florida Courier. “We can’t expect others to support our businesses if we don’t take the first step in supporting our own.”

Where are they? The Deltas’ initiative will help people like Priscilla Seaborn of Daytona Beach identify Black businesses. “I would shop at Black-owned businesses, but I don’t know where they are,” Seaborn said. “The only Blackowned businesses I’m familiar with in Daytona Beach are barber shops, beauty salons or car washes and my hair is done and my car is clean. Other than that, there are what, maybe a couple of funeral homes and some people selling incense or pocketbooks?” Lynn Holmes of Mr. Bojacks, based in Orlando, says that tenacity is one of the reasons the business she shares with Bruce Blunt has continued to flourish. “You have to keep going, you have to keep trying even when others tell you to give up,” she told the Florida Courier. The business has grown from bottling sauces and a small catering service to being the primary caterer at at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre. For more information, www.dstsouthernregion.com. Follow on Twitter and use hashtag #CODERED and #DSTSpends2Win.

NOVEMBER 29 – DECEMBER 5, 2013

FLORIDA

Another hurricane season without major hit Combination of atmospheric conditions get credit for quiet storm season BY JIM TURNER NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – Florida is about to sail through another hurricane season – its eighth consecutive – free from a named storm severely pounding the state’s shores. With Nov. 30 the last official day of this year’s hurricane season, credit a combination of atmospheric conditions for keeping down the number of storms that threatened Florida. “Even though the storms could generate some fuel from the ocean, more wind shear came in over the Atlantic than we really thought might happen, and there was a lot of Saharan dust that blew off Africa, so there wasn’t a whole lot of energy for them to really get strong,” state meteorologist Amy Godsey said Monday.

13 named storms The pre-season forecast for the June-through-November storm season for the Atlantic and Caribbean was for 12 to 18 named storms, with between six and 10 reaching hurricane status. The Atlantic and Caribbean region did record 13 named storms this year, of which only two grew into hurricanes, both in September and both category 1. Humberto formed off Cape Verde, while the deadly Ingrid landed in Tamaulipas, Mexico. The number of hurricanes was the lowest for a year in the Atlantic since 1994, Godsey said. Godsey said it’s just a matter of luck for Florida, which has avoided hurricanes since the 2004 and 2005 seasons when seven hit the state. “If the ocean currents

SHANNON KAESTLE/MIAMI HERALD/MCT

Downtown Miami was shrouded in storm clouds as Tropical Storm Karen headed toward Florida’s Panhandle on Oct. 3. and steering currents and the atmosphere were just shifted a little bit, those two hurricanes might have come to the United States,” she said. “So it could have been a very different year for us if just a few things had been tweaked.”

Pretty calm after Andrea The first of the named tropical storms this year did cause some widespread flooding in South Florida, while two other tropical systems provided a few moments of concern for emergency managers. “We started off with tropical storm Andrea and we thought we were in for the long haul, but it turned out to be one of the quietest years on record, which

we’re pleased about,” said Bryan Koon, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. “Every year that Florida doesn’t have a hurricane is better for the citizens of Florida.” Andrea swept through the Big Bend the first week in June, with its outer bands dumping more than 13 inches of rain into areas of South Florida. But afterward, the season was relatively calm for Floridians. In early August, tropical storm Dorian regenerated into a tropical depression just east of Florida, while tropical storm Karen did threaten the Gulf Coast – causing the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Department of Interior to call furloughed workers back from

the federal government shutdown – before breaking up prior to reaching Northwest Florida in early October.

Blessing for property owners The lack of Florida impacts is good news for property owners, as the state’s Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, which provides back-up coverage for insurers, has reached what is considered its bestever fiscal shape. The growth in financial reserves also provides a cushion in the event claims need to be paid in coastal areas by the statebacked Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. If Citizens or the catastrophe fund don’t have enough

Elections division scraps humorous political names BY DARA KAM THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – Bye-Bye, Big Bird. Hello, John Doe. As if filing campaign finance reports wasn’t dry enough already, the Florida Department of State has erased a little humor from the now-monthly practice. In an updated candidate and campaign-finance handbook that went online this week, the department’s Division of Elections has scrapped tongue-incheek examples like “Tweet T. Bird for public defender” sponsored by “Birds of a Feather Political Committee,” in favor of John and Jane Doe. DOS spokeswoman Brittany Lesser said the changes are intended to “streamline” the handbooks and provide consistency. The new handbook went online Monday afternoon, just hours after The News Service of Florida asked about the sardonic names, but has been in the works for at least 10 days, according to a document provided by Lesser.

Got nasty Among the samples ditched by the department: an image of a baby wearing a onesie stamped with “Vote S. Mell” on its rear. The infant now supports “J. Doe.” The department’s use of satirical names mirrored the often-creative handles dreamed up by political consultants who frequently bestow benignsounding labels on committees engaged in the nastiest of campaigns, or whose acronyms elicit a chuckle from those in the know. For example, the now-defunct “People for Integrity in Government,” or “PIG,” and an affiliated committee, “Floridians for Integrity in Government,” or “FIG,” were behind a

series of brutal attacks against former state Rep. Paige Kreegel, who sued for libel over the advertisements. The Punta Gorda Republican lost the case.

Lighthearted approach The state may have opted for a more staid approach after campaign finance laws changed this year – including the elimination of “committees of continuous existence,” or CCEs – which went into effect on Oct. 1. But those behind some of the committees are thus far sticking with the triedand-true. Some offer a light-hearted spin on the occupations of the groups affiliated with the committees, such as “Florida Fire Spigot PC,” backed by the Palm Beach County firefighters and paramedics; “Florida COW PAC,” the Florida Cattlemen’s Association political committee; or the Florida Society of Dermatology and Dermatological Surgery’s “PAC-Y-DERM.” Others, like the Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart law firm’s “Get Unified Now PAC,” is a play on words on the group’s own name. “People United for Medical Marijuana,” or “PUFMM,” the group trying to get a medical marijuana citizens initiative on the 2014 ballot, falls somewhere in between. Many of the committee names clearly reflect the industries or trade organizations behind them.

Common themes But an equal if not greater number divulge little, if anything, about the organization’s purpose or stands on issues or candidates. Take, for example, “Truth is the Daughter of Time,” “Citizens for a Reality Check,” “Creating Possibilities,” or the “Committee Without an Agenda.”

A perusal of the 911 active committees registered with the Division of Elections reveals some common themes such as strength, integrity and responsibility. Floridians are apparently also “for” a variety of goodsounding things, including a better tomorrow, common sense and prosperity and economic liberty. The more obscure names are frequently bequeathed to sometimes shadowy committees that serve as repositories for funds that are later distributed to other committees to be spent on negative campaigns. “The idea always was it made it harder for the average voter to figure out who might be funding that mail piece or that television ad,” said veteran political consultant Wayne Bertsch, who once helped dream up some of the now-defunct, more entertaining committees.

Another removes name from LG list Following the lead of St. Johns County schools Superintendent Joseph Joyner, Seminole County Sheriff Donald Eslinger said Monday he does not want to be considered for the vacant lieutenant governor’s job. The Times-Herald Tallahassee bureau reported that Eslinger sent an email to employees saying he was “flattered and honored” to be considered by Gov. Rick Scott for the job but that he will remain as sheriff. Joyner also removed his name from consideration last week. The Tampa Bay Times reported last week that Eslinger, Joyner, Sen. Tom Lee, R-Brandon, and Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandra Murman were on a “short list” for the job, which has been vacant since former Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll resigned in March.

money in reserves to pay hurricane claims, property owners throughout the state can get hit with extra charges known as assessments. “We are stronger as an overall insurance system, able to quickly handle claims from most hurricanes and without or with lower statewide assessments,” Sam Miller, executive vice president of the Florida Insurance Council, said in an email. “Without healthy cash on hand, there might be assessments from both which would produce significant increase in rates.

Preparations push continues With a focus on other potential disasters befall-

ing the state over the next few months, including the annual threat of wildfires, emergency management officials now head into another off-season trying to remind people not to become complacent about future storm preparations. “There is, however, the potential for the longer you go without hurricanes for people to forget the impacts of hurricanes and tropical storms and the devastating impacts that they can have,” Koon said. “As more and more people move to Florida each year, we need to make sure that we continue to do a good job of educating our citizens about the potential for those storms, because we will have them again.”

Gas tax fuel dispute continues between Florida, Seminoles BYJIM SAUNDERS THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – A federal appeals court is poised to take up a long-running dispute about whether the Seminole Tribe of Florida should have to pay state taxes on fuel it uses on tribal lands. State and federal courts have backed the Florida Department of Revenue in the dispute, which involves vehicles filling up at gas stations that are off Seminole property but using the fuel on tribal lands. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments Dec. 10 in Miami, as the tribe seeks to overturn the dismissal of a case in a lower federal court. The Seminoles contend that federal law bars the state from taxing fuel that the tribe uses on its sovereign lands. But attorneys for the Department of Revenue, in a brief filed in the appeals court, said the crux of taxing fuel is where it is pumped – not where it is used.

‘Indian Commerce Clause’ “The decisive issue in this case is whether the tribe’s offreservation purchases of motor fuel are subject to Florida’s motor fuel tax,’’ the state’s brief said. “The plain language of Florida’s motor fuel tax statute and the explicit jurisprudence of the United States Supreme Court provide that the tribe must pay state motor fuel tax when it places the fuel in the tanks of its vehicles off of its reservation and trust lands.” But attorneys for the tribe argued, in part, that the tax is imposed on the “use” and not the

purchase of fuel. They also argue that part of the U.S. Constitution known as the “Indian Commerce Clause” bars the state from taxing fuel the tribe uses on its reservation. “The department contends, if the tribe’s vehicle is physically located at an off-reservation fueling station when the fuel is placed into its fuel tank, the fuel is deemed to have been ‘used’ off-reservation and, therefore, the Indian Commerce Clause does not apply,’’ a tribe brief says. “The essence of the department’s argument is that a state may avoid the constitutional limitations on its authority to tax on-reservation activities by simply enacting a statute which deems an on-reservation activity to have occurred offreservation.”

2011 ruling against tribe Florida uses fuel taxes to help pay for transportation and road improvements. A state appeals court in 2011 ruled against the tribe, and the Florida Supreme Court later refused to take up the issue. The tribe filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in South Florida that argued the state’s imposition of the tax violated federal laws such as the Indian Commerce Clause. A district judge dismissed the case, finding in part that the claims were essentially a review of the earlier state-court ruling, according to briefs. The tribe then went to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to try to get the dismissal overturned.

EDITORIAL

NOVEMBER 29 – DECEMBER 5, 2013

Kennedy died, but the haters did not win Fifty years ago, on a cold day in Dallas, Nov. 22, 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated. To my mind, what is extraordinary about the Kennedy assassination is that the haters did not win. Instead, crucifixion led to resurrection. As a result, for decades, African-American homes across the nation featured pictures of three people: Jesus Christ, Dr. Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy. JFK was a cautious, pragmatic and stylish politician. He was a moderate in temperament and politics. He was not a leader on civil rights during his one term in the Senate, voting against a weak civil rights bill in 1957. But at the 1960 Democratic convention that nominated him for president, he lobbied forcefully for a strong civil rights plank in the platform. The African-American vote

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

swung strongly for Kennedy after his famous phone call to Coretta Scott King during the campaign, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was clapped in jail after a sit-in protest. When Kennedy became president, segregationist Southern Democrats dominated the committee chairs in both houses of Congress, and blocked any movement on civil rights. But the Civil Rights Movement was forcing America to face the immorality of segregation. Kennedy sent troops to the University of Mississippi when James Meredith’s life was threatened as he

integrated the school. After the horrors of Birmingham, when the country saw women and children beaten and gassed by brutal white police, Dr. King wrote his prophetic letter from the Birmingham jail. On June 11, 1963, Kennedy responded with a major civil rights address. “We are confronted primarily with a moral issue. It is as old as the Scriptures and as clear as the American Constitution,” he said, calling for a civil rights act to end discrimination in employment and public accommodations. He met with congressional leaders in October to press for legislation, despite the opposition of the Southern barons. Not surprisingly, the haters loathed Kennedy. When he traveled to Dallas on the fateful day, the Dallas Morning News featured a hateful ad paid for by a

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: Wal-Mart woes

Steve Sack, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 196 ‘Just suck it up’ – From an article entitled, "The Violence of Organized Forgetting" by Henry Giroux: "The United States has degenerated into a social order that is awash in public stupidity and views critical thought as both a liability and a threat.”    From my perspective, art of the "organized forgetting" Giroux writes about involves attacking anyone who speaks about the disproportionate pain of Black America for "playing the race card" (if the attacker is conservative) or "attacking President Obama" (if the attacker is liberal).    It's as if Black America isn't entitled to complain and expect more than lip service about freedom, justice and democracy in America. "Y'all survived 300 years of slavery. You've had 50 years of the Civil Rights Acts. You've got a Black president, even if his policies don’t always help you. Just suck it up…" ‘Pop, what do these words mean?’ Last Sunday afternoon, I decided to spend 53 minutes watching PBS’ "African Americans" Episode 1 with Wig, 9, and Chayla, 13, instead of pro football.  Wig asked me the meaning of 'decapitation,' 'beheaded,' and 'castrated.' He was shocked that slaves built the U.S. Capitol and the White House,

quick takes from #2: straight, no chaser

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq. PUBLISHER

and that George Washington was a slave owner. He said that White people then were "jerks."   Chayla said, "It irks me when kids say, 'If I was a slave, I would have run away.' They just don't get it."  Our post-show discussion: how could an enslaved African who escaped defend him/herself against a White mob with guns, dogs, horses? "With things found in nature," Wig said.    We were all grateful to be living in America now and not 200 years ago…

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THE CREDO OF THE BLACK PRESS The Black Press believes that Americans can best lead the world away from racism and national antagonism when it accords to every person, regardless of race, color or creed, full human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person. The Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief...that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back.

group led by Dallas oil executive Nelson Bunker Hunt, accusing Kennedy of being a “pawn of communists.” The John Birch Society distributed a pamphlet saying JFK was “wanted for treason,” accusing him of giving “support and encouragement to communist-inspired racial riots.” But Kennedy’s assassination shot him to immortality. In his first address to a joint session of the Congress five days after the assassination, Lyndon Johnson rallied members to act: “No memorial oration or eulogy could more eloquently honor President Kennedy’s memory than the earliest possible passage of the civil rights bill for which he fought so long.” As a Southerner and former Senate Majority leader, Johnson had the capacity to grasp the moment and drive through the legislation. It passed only after overcoming

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Charles W. Cherry, Sr. (1928-2004), Founder Julia T. Cherry, Senior Managing Member, Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Cassandra CherryKittles, Charles W. Cherry II, Managing Members Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Chief Executive Officer Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher Dr. Valerie Rawls-Cherry, Human Resources Jenise Morgan, Senior Editor Linda Fructuoso, Marketing Consultant/Sales, Circulation Angela VanEmmerik, Creative Director Chicago Jones, Eugene Leach, Louis Muhammad, Lisa Rogers-Cherry, Circulation Andreas Butler, Ashley Thomas, Staff Writers Delroy Cole, Kim Gibson, Photojournalists MEMBER National Newspaper Publishers Association Society of Professional Journalists Florida Press Association Associated Press National Newspaper Association

Rev. Jesse Jackson is President/CEO of the Rainbow/ PUSH Coalition. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Too big for one man, or just Obama? After the recent revelation that the National Security Agency monitored cell phone conversations in foreign countries, including the cell phone conversations of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other world leaders, the excuse of President Obama's spokesmen and most ardent defenders was that he didn't know the NSA was conducting such controversial surveillance. Two thoughts immediately come to mind. Neither favor Obama's leadership style. First, it is incredibly ironic that then-Senator Obama's 2008 campaign appearance in Germany was labeled a revival of American foreign policy by the media. Without any idea of what security steps may be required to protect Western Civilization from terrorism, Obama wistfully promised "[t]rue partnership and true progress" predicated on "allies who will listen… and, most of all, trust each other." It is shameful the media fails to circle back and challenge the naiveté that encompassed Obama's campaign speech (not to mention so many other 2008 campaign speeches).

A teachable moment The second point is not so straightforward, but nonetheless incredibly critical. In late 2010, liberal publications such as Newsweek and Vanity Fair began asking if the presidency was too big for one man. Conservatives bemoaned the fact that media formerly fairly friend-

HUGHEY NEWSOME PROJECT 21

ly to Obama suddenly decided the presidency was too big once he was more or less unsuccessful in improving the economy, cutting the budget deficit in half, ending international terrorism or so many of the other many lofty goals he set for himself during the 2008 election. To borrow a phrase from our President's playbook, this reveals a "teachable moment" upon which conservatives should pounce.

Dishonesty or necessity? Either President Obama knew about the NSA's monitoring program or he did not. One possibility is that he knew and realized it was necessary for national security, demanded it and was not honest with the American people or our nation's allies. If that's the case, Obama's present dishonesty and past naiveté should definitely be questioned. At the very least, it makes his words from his 2008 visit to Berlin — including "Look at Berlin, where Germans and Americans learned to work together and trust each other…" — ring hollow. For the sake of argument, however, perhaps President Obama did not know about the program — or chose to ignore its scope. This may be a more likely scenario as

there are so many things a president must manage at any given moment, but it also exemplifies the root of the problem. This problem is that the Executive Branch is too big as the federal government takes on more and more responsibility. Has Obama simply put these people in charge of America while he goes golfing? Is this why he feels he can say that "we did not know how big the problem was" when it comes to his failed stimulus spending? Is that why he was reportedly unaware of the mismanagement of diplomatic security leading up to the Benghazi disaster? It's more plausible as to how a simple website, which is supposed to be the conduit to his signature health care overhaul, devolved into the late-night TV show punch-line it now is. President taking on too much? If President Barack Obama is as great and smart as his supporters say he is and even he is caught offguard when actions within his own administration are unknown to him, is that not a clear sign that he is taking on too much? If the plate government serves is too big, why constantly pile more on it?

Hughey Newsome is a business consultant in the D.C. area, and a member of the national advisory council of the black leadership network Project 21. Click on this story at www. flcourier.com to write your own response.

We must win the war on Black women My good friend Dick Gregory says that when America suffers an "economic cold," Black folks suffer economic pneumonia. So it is in every major facet of life here in our country. We’ve heard a great deal about the "War on Women." This conflict features government intrusion in the affairs of women and their doctors, such as legislated invasive medical procedures, pay-inequality and a host of other inequalities that tilt the scales of fairness against women.

Despite our efforts W W W.FLCOURIER.COM

a Senate filibuster of over 50 days, the first civil rights legislation ever to survive a cloture vote. In death, Kennedy ascended in popular memory and regard. Now, hilariously, conservatives even vie to claim him as their own. But don’t be misled. The right-wing haters who now accuse Obama of treason and call him a Muslim were indicting Kennedy as a communist handing the government to the pope 50 years ago. And today as then, only powerful citizen movements that open up space for courageous leaders will overcome that hatred and prejudice.

The facts of this war are irrefutable. I don't minimize the impact of this violent campaign on my white sisters, but think of how much greater the impact of this war has on Black women. Too often, despite our best efforts, the good we do goes unrecognized, and the negative things we experience from society are often trivialized. We are rarely seen as the victims of wrongdoing. In recent weeks we’ve had dramatic examples of the War on Black Women that transcend any harshness meted out on white women or discussed on local news.

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

dent and, in her desperation, sought help. She was profiled as a threat and, for no acceptable reason, was shot in her face. Similar to the Trayvon Martin murder, Renisha's murderer was not arrested for several days, and then only after a major public outcry. Marissa Alexander, an "on the record" victim of spousal abuse, attempted to protect herself from physical harm and the stated threat to murder her. Instead of taking the life of her abuser, she fired a warning shot into the ceiling that ended the assault. For the compassion shown by her to her abuser, she was arrested, convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison! In contrast, Mary Winkler, a white woman who killed her abuser by shooting him in the back, only served a few months. She’s out. Marissa who injured no one has been in prison 3 years, had her case overturned by a Court of Appeals, and is still in prison!

Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis. Sabrina Fulton has had to watch the psychotic bully who killed her son escape punishment and, then, proceed to flaunt his perceived invincibility while violating laws and abusing others. Jordan Davis' mom, Lucy McBath, has not yet seen the murderer of her son have his day in court. Sadly, no outcome will return their sons to them. In DC, without the benefit of due process, JC Hayward was denied an opportunity to practice her craft by WUSA-9. Instead of being able to demonstrate her expertise developed in a distinguished 40+year TV career, WUSA-9 has allowed rumor and innuendo to serve as the basis for her absence from the airwaves. Black women come out strongly in favor of our party’s candidates every election, but others get credit for the victories--with a rare mention that it was the strong support of Black women who help candidates cross the finish line. What do we have to do to end this war and receive justice? We must never give up – never stop fighting until victory is finally won.

Dr. E. Faye Williams is Chair of the National ConMothers suffer also gress of Black Women, Inc. Suffering in their grief for Click on this story at www. In Dearborn Heights, Michigan, Renisha McBride the unjust killing of their flcourier.com to write your had an automobile acci- sons are the mothers of own response.

Renisha, Marissa and Mary

NOVEMBER 29 – DECEMBER 5, 2013

EDITORIAL

Two-legged snakes spending Floridians' tax dollars The water moccasin is a poisonous, venomous, a species of pit viper, found in the southeastern United States. Adults are large and capable of delivering a painful and potentially fatal bite. When antagonized, they will stand their ground by coiling their bodies and displaying their fangs. Although their aggression has been exaggerated, on rare occasions territorial males will approach intruders in an aggressive manner. This is the world's only semi-aquatic viper, usually found in or near water, particularly in slow-moving and shallow lakes, streams, and marshes. Near water is where you find human moccasins, two-legged snakes that spend taxpayer dollars on anything that they want to with no regard to equal rights, justice, fairness or Florida law! According to Broward county’s “New Times” newspaper and other media sources, the South Florida Water Management District “has no qualms about squandering our money when politics are in play.”

Questions lead to attacks It is not unusual to see Florida’s five water management districts in cahoots with big political campaign contributors and

Lucius Gantt THE GANTT REPORT

greedy contractors when billions of tax dollars are being spent. And just like the reptilian version, the two-legged water snakes will attack anyone that questions the way that they do business. How would you like to spend millions of dollars on worthless swamp land to help your buddies and cohorts? Maybe you’d like to spend billions of dollars with your business friends by ignoring Florida’s, and sometimes Federal, small and minority business participation laws. Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe members on Florida’s Water Management District boards are appointed. If all Florida citizens are taxed to provide funding for water management districts and about 15% of Florida residents are African American, it would seem fair to have about 15% of advisory members on water management districts to be African American citizens. But Blacks in the Sunshine State can’t go to sleep and dream about

Visual Viewpoint: Thanksgiving

being a decision maker in any of Florida’s five water management districts because those positions are reserved for people that will do whatever they are told to do by big politicians and big business people. OK, why should The Gantt Report care about what goes on in Florida’s Water Management Districts? Well, The Gantt Report, The NAACP, The SCLC, The Urban League, Florida’s Black Chambers of Commerce, Florida’s Black contractors, Florida’s Black engineers, Florida’s Black media companies and everybody else concerned about the use and misuse of Florida’s tax dollars should be concerned when money is flowing like a river and only white snakes can participate in water management purchasing transactions. You tell me. How many Black companies are making money on the cleanup of the Everglades? What about beach safety, water recreation, land preservation, wastewater operation, and other areas? Do you know any Black people with state contracts to do work in those places? Well, the South Florida Water Management District is seeking to hire engineers and others to do restoration work on some of South

Adam Zyglis, The Buffalo News

Florida's water and sewer sys- more Black companies have extems and they have over a billion pressed interest in suing the govdollars to spend on it. ernment agency to get the courts to stop the water and sewer resLawsuits on the way toration until the water manageWhat are the water management districts spends some of the ment districts plans in regards to money it collects from Black citicomplying with Florida’s laws re- zens with Black businesses. From my perspective, a lawsuit garding minority business participation in such spending proj- against Florida’s water manageects? Their plans are to do what ment districts would be a good they always do, ignore state laws lawsuit! regarding Black and minoriBuy Gantt's book "Beast Too: ty businesses and to give all of the money they can to their pet Dead Man Writing.” Click on this story at www.flcourier.com snakes! Rumors suggest that one or to write your own response.

‘Tis the season for smart shopping I’ve spent the last three years of this column sharing important facts about African-Americans’ consumer power. And, I know those of us who are certified blackbelts in the time-honored martial art of shopping, are fired up for the Black Friday super sales with our artillery of cash and/or credit cards in hand. But first, let’s breathe deeply and think about this, especially in light of recent allegations of retail establishments questioning purchases made by Blacks, which have brought the very essence of our purchasing power under assault. Now, more than ever, it’s important for us to understand what it means to be a Conscious Consumer – particularly during the busiest shopping season of the year.

CHERYL PEARSONMCNEIL NNPA COLUMNIST

consumer decision: 1. Did I find this service or product in my neighborhood? 2. Does this company, network or business hire people who look like me? 3. Do I see positive images of myself reflected in the content this company or program promotes? 4. Does this company have a history of supporting causes that better my community? 5. Am I still willing to spend my limited time or hard earned dollars with this company if the answer to any of the above quesQuestions to consider tions is no? These are a few important With that in mind, Nielsquestions you should ask en’s Holiday Spending yourself before making any Forecast expects this shop-

ping season to be financially stronger than last year, with dollar sales up about 2 percent. Even though an increase in sales is predicted, 68 percent of shoppers who responded to the survey still feel as though they’re in a recession. Twenty percent of U.S. consumers say they have no cash to spare. Forty-eight percent report living comfortably or spending freely. Fifty-two percent of consumers are only buying on the basics.

Where does the money go?

are expected to enjoy a banner season, with 12 percent of consumers in households earning $50,000 or less, reporting plans to shop in these channels, versus 4 percent of consumers in households earning $100,000 and up. Twenty percent of those consumers in the $100,000+ category say they will be shopping more online, compared to 15 percent of consumers in households earning less than $50,000. The 10 hottest holiday items for 2013 are: • Gift cards • Tech products • Toys • Food • Apparel • Video games • Cookware • Sporting goods • Jewelry • Alcoholic beverages

Thirty percent of us across all income ranges say we’ll spend between $250 – $500 on gifts this year. Twenty percent of consumers estimate they will spend between $500 – $1,000, with just 6 percent predicting that they’ll drop more than $1,000. How, where and on what Surveys hold true are we expected to spend Nielsen has traditionalour money? Dollar stores ly been on point with holi-

CEO pay just reflection of America’s economic apartheid I wrote a college paper almost 32 years ago on the growing gap between rich and poor in America. It was replete with all kinds of warnings about the social, political and economic consequences of this gap, almost all of which have come to pass. Conspicuously missing, however, was any reference to CEO-to-worker pay. I hasten to clarify that this was not due to my failure, or to my thesis advisor’s oversight. It’s just that this ratio did not figure as prominently back then (as other factors like technology, regressive taxation, and offshoring did) in driving the growing gap between rich and poor. My how things have changed.

How much can I get? The ratio of CEO-to-worker pay has increased 1,000 percent since 1950, according to data from Bloomberg. Today Fortune 500 CEOs make 204 times regular workers on average … up from 120-to-1 in 2000, 42to-1 in 1980 and 20-to-1 in 1950. ‘When CEOs switched from asking the question of ‘how much is enough’ to ‘how much can I get,’ investor capital and executive talent started scrapping like hyenas for every morsel,’ Roger Martin, dean of the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, told Bloomberg. (Bloomberg April 30, 2013)

ANTHONY L. HALL, ESQ. GUESTCOLUMNIST

1950s when CEOs had vested interests not only in the welfare of their workers but that of the communities in which they lived as well, to today when they have vested interests only in the bottom line and share value … because these provide the economic pretext for their exorbitant pay. This let-them-eat-cake mindset has misled Walmart to pay its CEO, Michael Duke, over 1,000 times more than the average worker and still insist, with nary a pang of guilt or hypocrisy, that it makes no business sense to pay its workers a fair minimum wage. Hell, J. C. Penny thought nothing of paying Ron Johnson a CEO-to-worker ratio of 1,755-to-1. And Johnson, in turn, thought nothing of firing 19,000 workers (according to March 1, 2013 edition of Business Insider) in a mercenary bid to increase share value … and justify his pay. As it happened, despite using his workers as sacrificial lambs to Wall-Street speculators, J.C. Penny lost half its share value, which is why Johnson lasted only 17 months as CEO.

For a little perspective, it might be helpful to know that CEO-to-work pay in Germany, the country with the largest economy in Europe and third largest in the world behind the United States and China, is 12-to1. But nothing betrayed the mindset behind America’s growing economic apartheid quite like Republican candidate Mitt Romney notoriously lambasting 47 percent of Americans during last year’s presidential campaign as lazy, entitled people just looking for government handouts. He did this simply because they earn so little that even this country’s regressive tax system deemed it unconscionable to require them to pay income tax (on top of payroll, state, local and other taxes they’re still required to pay). And bear in mind that his audience of “one percenters” nodded amen to his expression of utter contempt for America’s poor, notwithstanding that: Anthony L. Hall is a BaBut I digress. hamian native with an international law practice in Let them eat cake Washington, D.C. Read his The point is that this ratio columns and daily weblog of CEO-to-worker pay mere- at www.theipinionsjourly compounds a profound nal.com. Click on this stonormative shift in America. ry at www.flcourier.com to For we have gone from the write your own response.

day spending projections, successfully predicting five out of five category trends last year. The information is gathered from consumer surveys of more than 22,000 households of all demographic groups across the country and an analysis of 92 product categories with over $99 billion in sales. Lots of us enjoy making putting smiles on faces with a little “holiday cheer,” so beer, liquor and wine sales are expected to contribute between $60 million and $70 million to the bottom line this season. Snacks and candy are expected to bring in $199 million and $95 million in sales, respectively. Sales of holiday treats such as cheese, jams and jellies are also expected to jump. We love our canine-American and felineAmerican family members; so, pet care is expected to grow by 5.3 percent and pet food 1.4 percent.

Be a conscious consumer African-Americans

frequent shoppers, savvy digital users, high volume owners of smartphones and users of social media and voracious consumers of media – in other words, powerful consumers. We cannot expect different results if our consumption patterns and habits don’t change. It’s just that simple; no matter what time of year it is. So, happy holiday shopping, but remember, the final decision to be a conscious consumer is yours to make. As always, I encourage you to choose wisely. And, don’t forget to chat with us on Twitter or Facebook so we can keep the conversation going.

Cheryl Pearson-McNeil is senior vice president of Public Affairs and Government Relations for Nielsen. For more information and studies go to www.nielsen.com. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your are own response.

‘12 Years a Slave’: A harsh truth we dare not forget “I read ’Twelve Years a Slave’ and thought, this is the Anne Frank diary of America.” – Steve McQueen, director of the movie, ‘12 Years a Slave.’ There have been a handful of books recounting the first-hand experiences of 17th and 18th century North American slaves. These include, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an Autobiography, first published in 1845; The Kidnapped Prince, the Life of Olaudah Equiano, 1789; and The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave,1849. While not a first-person account, I would add to that list Alex Haley’s ground-breaking 1977 historical novel, Roots: The Saga of an American Family. All of these books offer personal accounts of the immoral capture, selling, enslavement and mistreatment of human beings of African ancestry here in America. But, a recently re-discovered autobiography, Twelve Years a Slave, by Solomon Northup describes a particularly heinous aspect of the slavetrade – the 1841 kidnapping and selling into captivity of Northup, a free Black man who had been living with his wife and children in relative comfort in New York. The book has become a highly-acclaimed movie that

MARC H. MORIAL TRICE EDNEY WIRE

has left both audiences and critics shaken by its unflinching depiction of the physical and psychological cruelties of slavery. I saw the movie during a premiere screening (during which several people were so disturbed that they walked out of the theater), was similarly moved and feel compelled to offer some thoughts on both the historical and present-day relevance of the film.

Legacy left behind Many may feel that there is no longer a need to revisit a time in our history that was so full of brutal hatred. But by looking the viciousness of slavery squarely in the eye, “12 Years a Slave” reveals much about the legacy it left behind and the resilience and humanity of the Black and White heirs of this awful crime against humanity.

Lingering fear Could it be that some of the fear of slave rebellions that overseers and plantation owners had in the time of Solomon Northup laid the founda-

tion for a lingering fear of Blacks held by some throughout our nation’s history? Is that fear at the root of racial profiling or police brutality against Black males? Is that fear behind the 2012 killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin or the November 2 killing of 19-year-old Renisha McBride, who was shot in the face by a White suburban Detroit homeowner after she knocked on his door early in the morning seeking help after a car crash? This attack against Renisha McBride recalls the heart-breaking indignities endured by Black women slaves as shown in the movie, from routine rapes and beatings at the hands of their “masters” to auction-block separations from their children. “12 Years a Slave” is a raw and real depiction of what life was like for American slaves. It is a brutal and uncomfortable, look at a part of our nation’s history that has had an incalculable impact on our socialization as a country. Students, journalists and anyone seriously interested in American history should see this movie.

Marc H. Morial, former mayor of New Orleans, is president and CEO of the National Urban League. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

TOj A6

NATION

NOVEMBER 29 – DECEMBER 5, 2013

Social Security denied to many ethnic elders African-Americans getting paid cash or under the table won’t be able to draw check later BY PAUL KLEYMAN TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

Even in this period of intense national debate over the national debt, Americans fiercely want to protect Social Security from benefit cuts. But while 40 million seniors received retirement support from the program in 2012, about one in 10 seniors in the United States don’t qualify for Social Security, leaving many without a safety net. Of the approximately four million U.S. seniors not receiving Social Security old-age support, a disproportionate one-third are ethnic elders. In fact, according to the U.S. Census, one-in-six African-American, one fifth of Latino—and nearly one-in-three (29 percent) Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) seniors cannot draw on the national retirement pension program to make financial ends meet.

Blacks ‘under the radar’ Many older African-Americans who don’t qualify for Social Security “have lived under the radar because they have worked in domestic roles and been paid cash for their labors” with no contributions going to the program, said Karyne Jones, president and CEO of the National Caucus and Center on Black Aging (NCBA) based in Washington, D.C.

Frances McCready listens as other senior citizens discuss a possible increase in the cost of living allowance in Social Security during an event in 2011 at the Allen Senior Center in Baltimore, Md.

Jones continued, “With most women, it’s the child rearing and caregiving years that don’t rake up any credit towards Social Security.” She added, “Let us not forget chronic unemployment.” Also affecting access to Social Security support, she and other experts said, may be the high incarceration level among Black men. As they get released at older ages, many will end up with little or no Social Security benefits. This would leave their spouses with inadequate incomes later in life.

JED KIRSCHBAUM/BALTIMORE SUN/ MCT

Often too late Because the Social Security Administration calculates retirement benefits based on credits people receive for at least 40 quarters of covered work—10 years’ worth during one’s working life, she said, many AfricanAmericans paid cash or under the table don’t realize they benefit from the program “until it’s too late.” Ineligibility for Social Security is particularly high for immigrants. Many who arrive at age 50 or older end up with very low coverage or none at all. About half of Hispanic seniors in the U.S. and 80 percent of older Asian Americans who receive no Social Security support are either naturalized citizens or immigrants. While undocumented immigrants are flatly ineligible for U.S. benefits, many legally present immigrants do not have enough documented years of work to quality for eligibility.

Nothing for retirement Financial security for the grow-

ing number of Black and other ethnic elders is a looming issue. A poll released in September by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies found, “Nearly half of Black Americans (46 percent) — and about a third of White Americans (36 percent) — say they would ‘like to save for retirement, but don’t seem to have enough money to do so.’” Wilhelmina Leigh, who coauthored the survey report, stated in an earlier study, “Modifying the Social Security system must include voices of African-Americans and other racial/ethnic subpopulations whose dependence on the system is great, but whose patterns of usage may differ from the norm.”

Barriers facing immigrants Making ends meet is especially difficult for Asian retirees. Those who do get Social Security checks average $2,000 a year ($13,066)

less than the total for all U.S. retirees, says a 2011 report from the Insight Center. Pacific Islanders receive even smaller benefits—if any at all—says the study. For instance, Native Hawaiian seniors, because so many had low-wage jobs, average Social Security benefits of less than half that of other Hawaiian elders, including other Asians. The Insight Center report’s author Meizhu Lui noted cultural and other barriers to assistance for Asian and other immigrants. “Language barriers lead to a lack of knowledge about the Social Security program,” she wrote. Among other barriers to Social Security that Asian elders encounter, says Lui, are “cultural aversions to large bureaucracies, pride in being independent and a fear of government based on home-country experiences can make eligible foreign-born Asian seniors hesitant to apply.”

Can’t collect benefits A University of Southern California analysis of Latino retirement cites another reason for many low-income immigrants. It calls agricultural labor “a telling example of sub-minimum wage employment where salaries and Social Security contributions for workers often go unreported.” Ironically, the Social Security Administration has estimated that unauthorized immigrants contributed more than $12 billion alone to the program’s trust fund in 2010 more than the $1 billion the agency says it paid out in fraudulent benefits to undocumented residents. Many undocumented immigrants pay into the system through jobs they got using fake Social Security cards. But they can never collect benefits when they need them.

This story is special to the Trice Edney News Wire from New America Media.

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HEALTH FOOD || HEALTH TRAVEL | |MONEY SCIENCE | BOOKS | MOVIES | TV | AUTOS LIFE | FAITH | EVENTS | CLASSIFIEDS | ENTERTAINMENT | SPORTS | FOOD COURIER

IFE/FAITH

Festival to include Pieces of a Dream See page B5

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE www.flcourier.com

November 29 - December 5, 2013

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

Holiday crafts with global focus See page B4

SECTION

Another Classic win for Wildcats

B-CU defeats FAMU for third time in row; heading to Carolina for FCS playoffs BY QUINNE LOWE SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

he 14th-ranked Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU) Wildcats went into the 34th Florida Classic Saturday against the Florida A&M University (FAMU) Rattlers ranked eighth in the nation in rushing, averaging 255.4 yards per game. The Daytona Beach team used a 194-yard output to help defeat FAMU 29-10 in front of a crowd of 45,321 at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando. Junior quarterback Quentin Williams led the Wildcats offense going seven of 10 for 95 yards while also adding 70 yards rushing with two touchdowns on 15 carries. However, he did have two fumbles that led to the 10 FAMU points. The first fumble resulted in a 41-yard field goal by kicker Chase Varnadore to make the score 3-0 early in the first quarter and the second was a 45 yards by safety Jonathan Pillow that cut the deficit to 21-10 midway through the third quarter.

Williams out after fumble It was initially thought that Williams had been injured on a big hit by cornerback DeVonte Johnson that caused the fumble, but later it was discovered that he was benched due to questionable decision-making on the play. “I was disappointed in him not carrying out what we coach him to do,” said BCU Coach Brian Jenkins. About Williams’ injury, the head football coach said, “I knew he was OK because he is a tough cat.” While the offense had its struggles in the second half, Jenkins was satisfied with play from his defense. Led by senior defensive end Dyron Dye’s seven tackles, 1.5 sacks and 10 yards in tackles for loss, the B-CU defense only allowed 89 total yards, eight first downs and only allowed the Rattlers to convert two of its 12 thirddown opportunities.

Plenty of penalties “We have to find a way to keep the plays going,” said FAMU Coach Earl Holmes, who is in his first season as head coach of the Rattlers program that he led as a line-

backer from 1992-95 “We’ve got to find a way to keep it thirdand-short so the guy can feel comfortable completing or continuing the drive.” That guy is redshirt freshman quarterback Carson Royals, who was limited to only 17 yards passing on three of 19 attempts for the game. This was the Jacksonville native’s first Florida Classic, and while he had his struggles his Rattler teammates did not help him either by committing eight penalties for 68 yards. “That’s pretty much been our Achilles’ heel during the whole year,” said Holmes “No, I’m not criticizing the officiating, but it’s just the fact that you get accustomed to seeing that and you try to look at what you are doing and you are asking your kids to go out and play hard… Those are judgment calls… At the end of the day, you can’t let the officials dictate the game.”

Playoffs for B-CU The Most Valuable players for each team were Quentin Williams of B-CU and senior running back James Owens of FAMU. Owens rushed for 32 yards on 10 carries and had 54 kick return yards on three attempts. This was the third consecutive victory for the Wildcats over the Rattlers in the series. The win gives B-CU 10 for the season and helped the team earn a share of the 2013 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) title. They will play Coastal Carolina University in the first round of the 2013 FCS playoffs on Nov. 30 at 1 p.m. The contest will take place at Coastal Carolina’s Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C. While the play of the football team did not give Rattler fans in the stands much to cheer about, this year’s classic marked the return of the famed FAMU Marching 100 band after a two-year hiatus.

PHOTOS BY JERMAINE HANKERSON/SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

Top: Colby Blanton (36) and Patrick Aiken (5) of the FAMU football team have their eyes on Wildcat defensive back Tim Burke (21) as he barrels through the line. The two teams faced off on Nov. 23 at the annual Florida Blue Florida Classic in Orlando. Above: BethuneCookman University Coach Brian Jenkins, right, shows off his MEAC 2013 belt. Next to him is Pat Geraghty, chairman and CEO of Florida Blue. At left is B-CU President Dr. Edison Jackson. Left: Rattler running back James Owens, earned Most Valuable Player honors for FAMU.

CULTURE

NOVEMBER 29 – DECEMBER 5, 2013

Stoj

“Ring Shouters, 1930’’ is part of the “Word, Shout, Song: Lorenzo Dow Turner “Connecting Communities through Language’’ exhibit on display at the Ritz Theatre and Museum in Jacksonville.

Word, Shout, Song exhibit in Florida through December Collection documents three interconnected cultures across three continents

earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees respectively. His illustrious, 53-year career as a professor is explored including posts at Howard and Fisk Universities and “in 1946 he became the first African-American professor to be hired by an allWhite university: Roosevelt College in Chicago where he additionally earned a Ph.D. from Chicago University. Among his most famous students is folklorist, anthropologist, and novelist Zora Neale Hurston whose life’s work continues to be annually celebrated with a namesake festival in her historic hometown of Eatonville. Turner’s research is delicately chronicled including his Gullah language fascination and the famed “one hundred-pound recording machine” he utilized to interview and preserve factual presentations of widely deemed unintelligible utterances.

BY PENNY DICKERSON SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

The historical contributions to language by Lorenzo Dow Turner debuted on Sept. 12 at the Ritz Theatre and Museum in Jacksonville in a traveling art exhibit that invites public view through Dec. 31. “Word, Shout, Song: Lorenzo Dow Turner Connecting Communities through Language’’ is a vibrant offering representative of one distinguished scholar’s unwavering commitment to “innovative research in comparative linguistics and Creole studies.” The collection includes an inimitable compilation of artifacts, photographs, and text covering three interconnected cultures across three continents: the Gullah/Geechee communities of South Carolina and Georgia; the Afro-Brazilian community of Bahia Brazil; and the West African cultures from which the aforementioned two derived.

Journey for truth A Florida presence is relevant to the exhibit as the congressionally sanctioned Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor (GGCHC) now extends from North Carolina’s eastern coast and in 2012 broadened its southern-half to include Jacksonville and St. Augustine. “This exhibit is about the journey of one man to know the truth, to seek truth and share truth with the world,” said Michael Allen, Community Partnership Specialist with the National Park Service who organized the Corridor’s first public meeting at the Ritz Theatre and Museum in 2000. The museum is working with the staff at the U.S. Embassy Brasilia to develop a Portuguese language version of the exhibition for travel to cities in Brazil beginning in June 2014. “The fact that this exhibit is in Jacksonville is an excellent family holiday gift that will inspire everyone to learn about their Gullah Geechee Heritage.” The local community is invited to attend the next GGCHC public business meeting to be held Feb. 21, 2014 in Fernandina Beach.

Language pioneer It is apt and appropriate that a cultural statement offering homage to Turner – the first AfricanAmerican linguist – is nationally established. The vanguard scholar dedicated his life to “crack a

A touch of glass

A vibrant collection covering the Gullah/Geechee communities of South Carolina and Georgia; the Afro-Brazilian community of Bahia Brazil; and the West African are on display at the museum. linguistic code” and asserts that “despite slavery, African heritage, had retained and passed on their cultural identity through words, music, and story wherever they landed in the Americas.” While slave descendents from the Carolina coasts and Georgia were and remain embarrassed and ashamed by the misunderstood dialect(s) and “Geechie speak” of their ancestors, Turner’s research and legacy substantiates its crucial preservation as a fundamental part of AfricanAmerican history and the scholarly study of language as defined by his numerous published works and travel to both Africa and Brazil. Originally housed at the Anacostia Community Museum of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., from August 2010 through July 2011, the exhibit was “made possible by the James E. and Emily E. Clyburn Endowment for Archives & History at South Carolina State University.”

Putting on the Ritz Lydia Stewart, curator of the Ritz Theatre and Museum eagerly accepted the challenge to bring “Word, Shout, Song” to Jacksonville as the exclusive Florida venue. “I think Jacksonville has a rich and appreciative museum culture and more than 2,000 patrons have indulged the embodiment of heritage since its Sep-

Lorenzo Dow Turner was a professor at Howard and Fisk Universities.

Ritz Theatre and Museum Curator Lydia Stewart is shown with exhibit.

tember opening,” said Stewart. An estimated $25,000 contribution by SMG Management (City of Jacksonville) secured the exhibit and with the assistance of a Smithsonian registrar, Stewart’s “magical crew,” mounted the 2-300 square-foot collection in three days – their most expedient timeframe to date. “We are delighted that Florida residents will have the opportunity to explore this part of their history,” said Sharon Reinckens, Deputy Director of the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum who further confirmed that Turner’s research contradicted that language of Gullah

Geechee communities was “baby talk” or “bad English.” “The Gullah spoke a Creole language and still possessed parts of the language and culture of their captive ancestors,” Reinckens added.

Turner through time A scholastic story of Turner’s success told in eight-parts and includes three original DVD productions titled “Weight Words;” “African Roots: Word Connections” and “How Drums Talk.” The exhibit’s journey begins in 1906-1917 with Howard and Harvard University where Turner

Brilliant and colorful quilts, illustrated folk tales and remarkable artwork complement the exhibit’s framed black and white photographs of slaves demonstrating “Ring Shout” along with the audio story of a Sierra Leone song that survived a 300 ancestral passage titled “The Song that Made the Roundtrip.’’ Stewart has served as the museum’s cultural and community conduit since its1999 construction on the original site of the Ritz Theatre movie house in Jacksonville’s historic African-American community of LaVilla known as the “Harlem of the South” for a 40-year span beginning in 1920. Now a 13-year, veteran curator, Stewart demonstrates an affinity for the symbolic “Bottle Trees” and conceptualized a colorful structure of iridescent glass vessels as a Jacksonville exhibit addition. “The bottle trees represent so much whimsy and history that I wanted to portray that,” offered Stewart. “Their legendary mystique and belief to ward off evil spirits is an integral cultural inclusion and educational offering.” An array of public programming and events has further enhanced community connections including a Sweet grass Basket Demonstration and Workshop presented by Charleston artisan Henrietta Snype. A Gullah Food Festival and Book signing is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 14. Museum admission is $8.00 for adults and $5.00 for students and senior citizens. For additional information visit www.ritzjacksonville.com.

NOVEMBER 29 – DECEMBER 5, 2013

FOOD Montasio Cheese Thumbprint Biscuits Yield: 8 biscuits 1 package store bought ready-made biscuit dough 1 cup coarsely grated Montasio cheese Preheat oven to 400°F. Separate biscuits onto a parchment lined or lightly greased baking sheet. With your thumb, press into center of each biscuit to form a small well. Fill each well with 2 tablespoons of the grated Montasio. Bake until tops are golden, about 8 minutes. Serve immediately.

Family Features

holiday celebration at home should be as much fun for the hosts as for friends and family. With a little advance planning, the goal of effortless entertaining is suddenly within reach. First, make it brunch, typically lighter and simpler to prepare than dinner. Buffet style is another smart choice — just arrange the dishes on pretty holiday linens and invite guests to serve themselves. Half of the work is done when you go with fullflavored imported Italian cheeses like Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano and Montasio, and aircured hams like Prosciutto di Parma and Prosciutto di San Daniele. As PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) products, they belong to a special group of high-quality European foods that can be made only in specific geographical regions. Four dishes that add up to a no-stress brunch buffet: • A frittata with the deeply savory flavors of Prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. It’s equally delicious warm or at room temperature, whichever is more convenient. • Thumbprint biscuits featuring melted Montasio cheese in the indentations on top — a clever touch for biscuits made with ready-made dough. • Another brilliant

Prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano Reggiano Frittata Yield: 4 to 6 portions 8 large eggs 1/2 cup whole milk 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 3 ounces thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma, torn into 1-inch pieces 6 scallions, thinly sliced 1/2 cup (2 ounces) coarsely grated Parmigiano Reggiano 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk with an electric beater until frothy; add pepper. Stir in the Prosciutto di Parma, scallions and cheese. Heat oil in an 8-inch oven proof skillet; add egg mixture and cook over medium heat until edges are set, about 8 to 10 minutes. Place in oven and bake until firm, 15 to 20 minutes. Eggs Baked in Prosciutto di San Daniele Cups Yield: 12 portions 12 slices Prosciutto di San Daniele 12 large eggs Preheat oven to 400°F. Fold one slice of Prosciutto di San Daniele in half crosswise to make a rectangle. Fit into a muffin cup. Crack egg into lined cup. Repeat with remaining ham and eggs. Bake 10 to 12 minutes to desired doneness.

two-ingredient recipe consists of eggs baked in Prosciutto di San Daniele “cups.” They are crisp, creamy and irresistible.

Kale Salad with Grana Padano and Citrus Dressing Yield: 5 cups 1/2 pound kale 1 large Anjou or Bartlett pear, sliced 1/2 cup Grana Padano shards 1/4 cup pine nuts or sliced almonds, toasted 2 tablespoons orange juice 2 tablespoons white wine or balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper Remove ribs from kale and cut into 1-inch ribbons; place in a large salad bowl. Add pear, cheese and nuts. Whisk together orange juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour over salad and toss.

• Festive garnishes for a salad of deep green kale leaves, tossed with orange vinaigrette, include Grana Padano shards, pears and pine nuts. For more information on the PDO system and holiday recipes using these legendary cheeses and hams, visit www. legendsfromeurope.com.

Join us for a WellCare Medicare Advantage event in your area. JACKSONVILLE More from your Medicare Golden Corral 7043 Normandy Blvd Dec 3, 4, 5, 6 10:00 AM

JACKSONVILLE More from your Medicare Golden Corral 11470 San Jose Blvd Dec 4 2:00 PM

JACKSONVILLE More from your Medicare Red Apple Buffet 6733 103rd St #28 Dec 4 11:00 AM

JACKSONVILLE More from your Medicare Golden Corral 4250 Southside Blvd Dec 5 2:00 PM

JACKSONVILLE More from your Medicare Red Apple Buffet 6733 103rd St #28 Dec 6 2:00 PM

Don’t forget Medicare’s Annual Election Period ends December 7, 2013

1-877-855-6621 | TTY 711

8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week www.WellCareNow.com 55485 73131

WellCare (HMO) is a Medicare Advantage organization with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in WellCare (HMO) depends on contract renewal. A sales person will be present with information and applications. For accommodation of persons with special needs at sales meetings, call 1-877-855-6621 (TTY 711). A variety of Medicare Advantage, Part D and Special Needs plans may be discussed. There is no obligation to enroll. Please contact WellCare for details. Y0070_NA023698_WCM_ADF_ENG CMS Accepted 08262013 ©WellCare 2013 SE05 FL031_DUVAL 11/29/2013 NA_08_13_WC

NOVEMBER 29 – DECEMBER 5, 2013

Importance of supporting Small Business Saturday SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

municipalities to host local activities leading up to and on the day. Small business owners have been very active and creative with their promotions. American Express is helping amplify those efforts with free digital and in-store marketing tools to help small business owners expand their local footprint. These tools can be found at smallbusinesssaturday.com. The success of Small Business Saturday is due to the small businesses across the country that have incorporated it into their holiday plans and made the day their own.

Trim: 9.89"

Trim: 9.89”

Small Business Saturday has become a permanent fixture on the holiday shopping calendar. Large national retailers have Black Friday. Online retailers have Cyber Monday. And now small businesses finally have a day of their own during the critical holiday season in Small Business Saturday. Black Friday and CyberMonday are about thrill of the hunt. Small Business Saturday is about the thrill of discovery. Last year, we saw small businesses take ownership of the day with heavy promotional activity where independent retailers are showcasing great deals, incredible customer service and an amazing selection of unique merchandise. This year, we are seeing neighborhoods come together to make the day even bigger. To help encourage this trend, American Express created a Neighborhood Champions program, working with business groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA), the U.S. Black Chamber and the Latino Coalition to organize Small Business Saturday events in communities throughout the country. To date more than 1000 Neighborhood Champions have united businesses in their

Last year, elected officials in all 50 states and Washington D.C. championed Small Business Saturday – including President Obama, who took his daughters on a shopping trip to an independent bookstore in Arlington, VA.

*Source: American Booksellers Association Indie Impact Study Series survey of independent, locally-owned business owners, conducted by Civic Economics, July 2012–Sept. 2013 © 2013 American Express Company.

HOW TO BUILD

PARKS WITH STUFFED ANIMALS

When you shop small and local, more than half the money you spend stays in the community, helping to support all sorts of local services, like the parks department.* It’s part of building a stronger, more vibrant neighborhood.

ShopSmall.com

FOUNDING PARTNER

TOj B4

StOJ

NOVEMBER 29 – DECEMBER 5, 2013

Hand-Painted Holiday Luminaries Skill Level: No experience necessary Crafting Time: 1 to 2 hours It’s an Irish tradition to place lit candles in windows. Let this quaint holiday custom add warmth and joy to your home. Glass containers with hand-painted designs and flameless candles look welcoming in windows or on a table. Supplies and tools: Black marker White computer paper Computer and printer Provided templates Scissors Square and rectangular glass containers Tape Enamel paint: red, green and white Flat brush Detail brush Flameless or wax candles Create templates using a black marker to draw snowflakes and other decorative holiday motifs on paper. Visit www.joann.com/luminarytemplate to print out additional templates. Cut the templates to fit inside the desired glass containers. Tape templates securely to the inside of glass container with design facing out. This will act as a guide when painting. Using enamel paint colors, paint over template designs on glass surface. Create snowflakes, trees, words, deer, etc. It may take several coats of paint to attain desired coverage. Let paint dry between coats. When finished, let the painted design dry completely. Remove templates from the inside of containers. Fill the con tainer with flameless or wax candles to display. Note: If using wax candles, do not leave burning candles unattended.

FROM Family Features

ring the joy and celebration of holiday traditions from around the world to your home this season. From the quaint custom of placing handpainted luminaries in windows throughout Ireland to the beautiful embroidery folk art found in Scandinavia, Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores has created craft projects inspired by traditions from around the world to share with your loved ones. For more crafting inspiration, project guides and supplies, visit www.joann.com. Bavarian Nutcracker Wreath Skill Level: Some experience necessary Crafting Time: Weekend project From humble beginnings in Germany to worldwide fame today, the nutcracker is a beloved symbol of the holidays. Hand-painted miniature nutcrackers glisten with glitter on a wreath that’s completely covered in nuts. Definitely a tradition with a twist. Supplies and tools: Acrylic paint in various shades of white Paintbrushes 2 to 3 pounds walnuts with shells Approximately 1 pound hazelnuts with shells 3 to 5 wood nutcrackers, various sizes

Festive Poinsettia Piñata Skill Level: No experience necessary Crafting Time: Weekend project On Christmas Day in Mexico, children commonly take turns hitting a star-shaped piñata to release the avalanche of toys and treats hidden inside. Your little ones and maybe even grown-ups will enjoy trying to break open this poinsettia-covered version. Supplies and tools: Newspaper strips Water and flour paper mache mix Mylar balloon

Mod Podge decoupage glue

Paintbrush

White glitter

Mod Podge decoupage glue

1/2 yard off-white fabric

Red tissue streamers

Straw wreath form

Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Glue gun and glue sticks

Variety of floral poinsettias

1 spool 1-inch wide organza ribbon Paint all nuts different shades of white. Let dry. Apply another coat of paint if necessary. Paint nutcrackers white. Let dry. Apply another coat of paint if necessary. Apply a coat of Mod Podge to nutcrackers. Sprinkle with glitter. Let dry. Cut white fabric into 2-inch strips and wrap around wreath form until completely covered. Glue in place. Glue nuts on fabric-covered wreath, starting with walnuts and filling in with hazelnuts. Let dry. Glue nutcrackers on top of nuts. Refer to photo for placement. Glue loops of ribbon into the gaps between nuts along bottom portion of wreath.

Scissors Ribbon Candy or toys Dip newspaper strips into paper mache mix. Remove excess mix to allow for quicker drying. Place strips over inflated Mylar balloon until surface is completely covered. Let dry. Repeat process for three layers. Paint a line of Mod Podge onto piñata and immediately adhere a strip of red tissue streamer over glued area. Repeat process until entire piñata is covered with tissue streamer. Let dry. Add a top layer of Mod Podge over tissue streamer layer. Let dry. Glue floral poinsettias onto piñata surface. Tightly overlap flowers for best coverage. Let dry. Cut ribbon to desired length for hanging. Glue end of each strip of ribbon to piñata. Note: Cut small opening in top of piñata and fill with candy or toys. Make sure the piñata opening is at the top so candy or toys don’t fall out. Fill piñata with candy or toys.

Scandinavian Tree Skirt Skill Level: Some experience necessary Crafting Time: 3 to 5 hours Artists from Scandinavia are famous for beautiful embroidery. Simple stitching and folk art patterns influence their style. A felt tree skirt showcasing these colorful Nordic designs offers a fresh look for your tree. It’s simple to make since it requires minimal sewing. Supplies and tools: 1 1/3 yards 72-inch wide cranberry felt for skirt Scissors Glass or mug, 3 inches in diameter Provided design patterns 1/4 yard each felt for designs: olive green, green, red, dark maroon, gold, black, white Embroidery floss in the same colors as felt designs Hand embroidery needles Tacky glue Three 1-inch buttons and thread Fold cranberry felt into quarters and mark for the center tree circle, 23 inches from corner. Cut out circle. Mark and cut 1 1/2 inch from corner for trunk. Cut through only one fold from center to edge for opening. With skirt folded in half, mark scallops 1 inch from edge using mug or glass as template. Cut scallops. Visit www.joann.com/treeskirttemplate to print pattern pieces. Enlarge pattern pieces to sizes indicated. Following pattern pieces, cut each design as pictured. Layer colors. Add as many design elements as desired around skirt edge. Embroider the felt shapes with simple stitches: running, blanket, French knot, daisy. Divide skirt into sections and lay out finished pieces as desired. Glue in place. Let dry. Overlap back edge 3 inches. Cut three 1-inch buttonholes and sew on buttons.

TOJ

NOVEMBER 29 – DECEMBER 5, 2013

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

Meet some of

FLORIDA'S

finest

Nineteen-yearold Chantay of Tuscawilla, Ala., goes by the name of Tootie Sweets. She is pursuing a career in modeling.

submitted for your approval

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.

jeff

tootie

Miami native Jeff Cosmo, an actor and model of Haitian descent, is a graduate of the University of Florida. He is pursing a long-term goal of acting and modeling, He can be reached at http://facebook.com/jeff.cosmo.

WYNTON MARSALIS

PIECES OF A DREAM

The Ohio Players and Pieces of a Dream will give free performances during the Tampa Black Heritage Festival. The event is Jan. 16-25. See schedule at www. tampablackheritage.org.

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR Tampa: The African Ambassadors will host its 10th Annual SanFest dance celebration on Nov. 30 at the Crowne Plaza Westshore. Tickets are $25. More information at tickets: www.africanambassadors.org. African Ambassadors is a local, non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to providing free medical services to the underprivileged in the community. Lakeland: The Mu Zeta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. will host its annual Founders Day celebration and scholarship banquet on Dec. 6 at the Magnolia Building. For tickets and more information, call 863-834-6566 or email muzetalambda@yahoo.com. Tickets can also be purchased online at www. polkcountyalphas.com. Jacksonville: A Night in Paris is scheduled Dec. 8 at the Knights of Columbus, 1509 Hendricks Ave. It will be hosted by V101.5’s Jo-Jo. More information: Call 904-2943397 or 904-401-5421. Tampa: The Metropolitan Alumnae

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of MiamiDade County will present Jazz Roots: A Larry Rosen Jazz Series – Big Band Holidays featuring Wynton Marsalis and Cecile Mclorin Salvant on Dec. 20. More information: www. arshtcenter.org.

Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority will host its Sixth Poinsettia Ball – Dancing through the Decades on Dec. 7 at the Tampa Airport Hilton Westshore, 2225 Lois Ave. Cocktail hour begins at 6 p.m. More information: www.tampametrodst.org, call 813-778-5212 or email poinsettiaball@tampametrodst.org. Tampa: Kanye West’s The Yeezus Tour with Kendrick Lamar makes a stop at the Tampa Bay Times forum on Nov. 30. St. Petersburg: “The Chocolate Nutcracker’’ is now “The Nutcracker Twist.’’ The performance is Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at The Mahaffey Theater. Jacksonville: The Kinfolks’ Seventh Annual Soul Food Festival will be held in Jacksonville on Nov. 30 at Metropolitan Park. Visit ilovesoulfood.com for more information or call 888-695-0888. Orlando: Commissioner Samuel B. Ings will host his fourth annual District 6 Seniors Thanksgiving Concert Nov. 29 at 6 p.m. at El Bethel Temple of Jesus of Orlando, 3000 Bruton Blvd. Performers at the free concert will include Vickie Winans, Charlyce Simmons, Charles Curry and The Mime Boyz.

Tyler Perry’s “A Madea Christmas’ debuts Dec. 13.

Is a ‘Madea Christmas’ boycott necessary? EURWEB.COM

It appears the success of recent Black-themed films like “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” “12 Years A Slave” and now, “The Best Man Holiday” have made Tyler Perry’s Madea franchise the target of an online boycott, according to Uptown magazine. A petition wants to encourage audiences to stay away from the Dec. 13 opening of “A Madea Christmas.” Now you know how one-dimensional folks can be. A movie has got to be this way or that way and no in-between. In this case, because the aforementioned films are well made, cinematically beautiful, offer intelligent characters, and accurate historical references, it makes a movie like “A Madea Christmas” – which is unabashedly obnoxious; overweight with full-blown stereotypical characters, and themes that epitomize the ridiculous – stand out like a pink elephant in the room. It’s like comparing raisins to succulent red grapes. But does it have to mean we should boycott a movie like “Madea?” Is it fair to say that a movie like this has no place here, no right to be made? Can’t we be satisfied with more of a bal-

COMMENTARY ance instead? After all, the reason why Tyler Perry keeps making these movies is because his audience pays to go see them. “Madea Goes to Jail” brought in $41 million.

Remember ‘Temptation’? But this is an old, boring argument for Perry. Remember fans petitioned for Kim Kardashian‘s removal from the Jurnee Smollett-Bell led “Temptation?” Even though it wasn’t a Madea movie or a sequel of any kind, it still brought in $22.3 million. Nothing to sneeze at. This newest boycott is an attempt to get Hollywood to greenlight more high-brow Black films. Good luck with that. It probably won’t make much of a dent in the psyche of those Hollywood execs who only see the bottom line. The moolah. The dinero. If it makes money, the investors are happy; they are not in the business to uplift a race. Lee Daniels said Hollywood wouldn’t give him a dime for his movie, and “The Best Man Holiday” director Malcolm D. Lee struggled to receive a green light for the sequel. So there is no guarantee that the execs can be swayed by boycotting a movie like “Madea.” If you recall, Perry actually attempted serious subject matter by adapting Ntozake Shange‘s Tony Award-nominated choreopoem “For Colored Girls” into a film. Remember the negative press for that choice? But Tyler’s got his own studio. He can bypass Lionsgate and the others. He doesn’t need them to

get his films made.

Support filmmakers It’s a new day and 2014 will see Perry continue to expand beyond Madea. “Single Moms Clubs” starring Nia Long, will tell the story of a group of single mothers who band together after an incident at their children’s school. Face it, Perry’s movies may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he keeps Black actors working and employs a diverse crew of people to make these films. Black audiences might consider looking beyond mainstream movies for images that promote and tell our stories in a different way. Director Ava Duvernay’s African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement (AFFRM) gives Black independent filmmakers theatrical distribution. Supporting independent releases and crowd-funding movies that present tri-dimensional Black characters is yet another way to place these images in the eye of those that will appreciate them. Duvernay directed episode eight of the Kerry Washingtonled drama Scandal, and released “The Door,” a short film starring Alfre Woodard and Gabrielle Union. Without the support from Black moviegoers, her work may have gone unnoticed. Our hard-earned dollars have the power to determine the movies that are produced and images that feed our mind and soul. Instead of a boycott Madea campaign, why not support filmmakers making quality films that include non-stereotypical Black characters? There is room for both.

TOj B6

NOVEMBER 29 – DECEMBER 5, 2013

STOJ