The Westside Gazette

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Blacks Unemployment Best In Six Y ears Years PAGE 2

The Black Press The V oice Of Voice Black America PAGE 6

Michelle Howard Becomes Navy’ Navy’ss First Female Four -Star Admiral Four-Star PAGE 11

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Concussions a greater problem for Black youth

By Jazelle Hunt Washington Correspondent

Dr. Gary Harris hopes to improve the way the Howard University Bison football team combats concussions, using this “Lilypad” Arduino chip to measure impact during games.

(Photo courtesy Howard University)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (NNPA) – Despite the flurry of news about NFL lawsuits over concussions, the problem affects far more athletes at the high school and junior high school level, according to the federal government statistics.

In 2009 alone, nearly 250,000 youth age 19 or younger were treated in emergency rooms for sports and recreationrelated injuries that included concussions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Between 2001 and 2009, the rate of such visits rose 57 percent.

Concussions occur when the brain is shaken violently against the skull. Although concussions are the most common brain injury, widespread awareness and concern about this issue in the world of student athletics is fairly recent.

But it is especially relevant for Black communities, parti-

cularly young men most likely to die from traumatic brain injuries, according to the CDC. And according to data from research nonprofit, Child Trends, 50 to 60 percent of Black American high schoolers were on a sports team in 2011.

In severe or untreated cases, they can cause brain damage, seizures, emotional distress, and death—in fact the CDC estimates that 5.3 million U.S. citizens are living with disability as a result of a traumatic brain injury (or TBI, an umbrella term that includes concussions).

“From an athletic trainer perspective concussions have always been a big concern. Coaches seemed to think that injuries increased because [athletic trainers] were there, but really it’s that awareness is increased,” says Jennifer Rheeling, a veteran athletic trainer in D.C. Public Schools and chair of the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee for the D.C. State Athletic Association.

(Cont'd on Page 3)

The Gantt Report

Democratic money

By Lucius Gantt This week’s flavor of the day, as far as issues are concerned, are recent reports that national, statewide and local offices of the Democratic Party spend less than 3 percent of billions of dollars in campaign funds with businesses owned by the party’s most loyal base of voters.

Ho hum! To Gantt Report readers this is old news, decades old!

The twist is that I don’t blame the Democratic Party like your favorite TV and radio show hosts.

In the past, yes, but today I blame the politically ignorant, hat-in-hand, handkerchief wearing, boot licking lackeys that knew what was going on for years and were scared to open their mouths and say anything for fear it would upset Democratic politicians and Democratic Party leaders.

Now, newsman Roland Martin and others have been ranting and raving about what a bad thing the underutilization of Black political professionals is.

No disrespect to my media brother, but we should be even more upset with the Toms, Sambos and Jemimas that donate thousands of dollars to Democratic causes and don’t “earmark”, the contributions or expressly state what they want money contributed by Black party supporters to be used for.

(Cont'd on Page 5)

FAMU environmental science student Why I got tested for HIV: Verneda White engaged in research at NOAA Daryl Sibble among first students in the nation to receive 45K scholarship TALLAHASSEE, FL – While many college students are relaxing during the summer, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) doctoral candidate Daryl Sibble is taking a different route. Sibble is spending his summer wrapping up groundbreaking research at an internship with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

A student in the School of the Environment, Sibble is one of only two students to receive NOAA’s first Educational Partnership Program (EPP) Graduate Research and Training Scholarship. This national scholarship program affords him $45,000 to support his participation in extensive research opportunities with NOAA. Sibble’s research focuses on yielding information that will

help develop optimum practices for the application of fertilizer in agriculture, specifically fertilizer that uses ammonium nitrate, which can be a threat to human health. This threat occurs when plants do not use all of the fertilizer added to soil and as a result some of the nitrate is removed with rainwater runoff and some of the ammonium becomes ammonia. The ammonia leaves the soil as a harmful gas and enters the atmosphere.

His internship and the majority of his research is being conducted at the Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division of the NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, Air Resources Laboratory, located in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

SIBBLE

(Cont'd on Page 5)

Birmingham billboard promotes racist ‘mantra’created by white supremacist Reported by Andrew Scot Bolsinger A billboard within the city limits of Birmingham — a city known for its front-line battles between Blacks and whites during the civil rights era of the 1950s and 60s — has drawn the outrage of the mayor of a neighboring city.

The billboard, which is positioned along Interstate 20 headed into Leeds, Ala., reads, “Antiracist is a code word for antiwhite.”

Leeds mayor expressed his outrage earlier this week.

“While this billboard is actually in Birmingham, the impression to passersby is that it is within our city limits,” Leeds Mayor David Miller said in a statement issued to local media. “The City of Leeds is a community with a long history of racial harmony,

and wants to make it clear to all that it has no connection with this sign and categorically and unequivocally denounces the racist message portrayed on this billboard.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center, a leading civil rights le-

Pleading Our Own Cause

gal organization, said the message originated in a 221-word statement written by white supremacist Robert Whitaker.

Whitaker’s “Mantra” has inspired racial slayings, including the 2011 mass slaying of 77 people in Norway.

(Cont'd on Page 3)

To help destigmatize HIV/AIDS testing, commemorate National HIV Testing Day 2014 and remind women about the importance of getting tested, The Black AIDS Institute sat down with blogger Verneda White, 30, to talk about her most recent HIV test, what sparked it and the tricky exchange called condom negotiation.

By Kellee Terrell What made you decide to get tested?

Honestly? I got caught up.

Even though for the past six years I had used condoms 100 percent, I still slipped up this one time.

I am in a new relationship and was struggling with negotiating around protection.

There are a lot of men that don’t want to use condoms, saying that “sex feels better without it” or “You’re not going to get anything” or “I’ll just pull out.”

I was clear that if he didn’t want to use condoms, then we needed to get tested together.

He was giving me pushback, telling me he knew his status.

But the more we spoke about it, the more I realized that he didn’t really know if he was positive or not. So I knew it was time to get tested.

Did your partner get tested as well?

No, he hasn’t, and his apprehension comes from his fear.

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Even though he doesn’t think he is positive, he just hasn’t gone to get tested yet. I am hoping he will do it soon.

What was your experience like? What were your feelings leading up to this test?

I have been tested numerous times in different settings. This time around I actually got tested twice, and both times were good experiences. First, I went to Planned Parenthood to get birth control. I wasn’t planning on getting tested, but I was offered a rapid test and took it for the practice. It came back negative.

But given that my incident of unprotected sex was less than three months ago, I wanted more reliable results, so I had already made plans to get an HIV CD4 test at a different clinic the very next day for peace of mind.

This type of test requires two vials of blood, and you have to wait two weeks to get the results.

I wanted to know as soon as possible if I was positive in order

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to get the treatment that I needed.

Have your experiences getting tested always been this empowering?

No. I had one gynecologist who, every time I would ask to be tested, she would ask all of these questions and try to talk me out of it. It was a constant struggle, and it shouldn’t have been. She was Black and I am Black: We are the face of AIDS. I guess the main part of her medical practice was worrying about pregnancy and not HIV. And that’s a serious problem.

Any advice for women who want to get tested but are getting pushback from their doctor?

Mentally prepare yourself before your appointment that this may happen, so that if it does, you aren’t taken off guard.

Be clear: You want to get tested and insist that it happens. Stand up for yourself and get tested no matter what.

(Cont'd on Page 5) MEMBER: National Newspaper Publishers Association ( NNPA), and Southeastern African-American Publishers Association (SAAPA) Florida Association of Black Owned Media (FABOM)

Page 2 • www.thewestsidegazette.com • July 10 - July 16, 2014

Broward County's Oldest and Largest African American Owned and Operated Newspaper

Blacks unemployment best in six years

By Freddie Allen NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) – The Black unemployment rate hit a six-year low in June, dipping below 11 percent for the first time since August 2008.

Last week, the Labor Department reported that the Black jobless rate was 10.7 percent in June, compared to the white unemployment rate, which was 5.3 percent. The unemployment rate for Black men over 20 years-old fell from 11.5 percent in May to 10.9 percent in June, compared to white men who saw their jobless rate decrease from 5 percent to 4.9 percent over the same period.

The jobless rate for Black women over 20-years-old con-

tinued to improve, dropping one percentage point, from 10 percent in May to 9 percent in June. The unemployment rate for white women ticked down one-tenth of a percentage point from 4.9 percent in May to 4.8 percent in June.

The fall in the Black unemployment rate was accompanied by an increase in the groups labor force participation rate, which measures the share of Black workers holding jobs or looking for jobs. When the labor force rate rises, researchers have found that workers generally have a more positive outlook on the economy. In June, the Black labor force rate rose to 61 percent from 60.8 percent the previous month.

In a blog post on the jobs report, Valerie Wilson, the director

of the Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy at the Economic Policy Institute, said that the increase in the labor force rates for Blacks and Latinos was another indicator that June jobs report was a strong one.

“The share of working age African Americans with a job has increased 1.3 percentage points since January 2014 and the increase for Latinos has been six-tenths of a percent, compared to an increase of onetenth of a percent for whites,” wrote Wilson. “The June employment growth accounts for over half of this increase for African Americans and all of the gains for Latinos and whites.

These gains also bring the Black-white unemployment gap to the lowest level this year at a ratio of 2-to-1.”

Wilson added: “The fact that employment is now growing more strongly for African Americans and Latinos demonstrates how critical continued strong job growth will be to further reducing unemployment for people of color and narrowing racial unemployment gaps.”

The national unemployment rate was 6.1 percent and employers added 288,000 jobs in June. The jobs numbers for April and May were revised upwards, combining for an ad-

ditional 29,000 jobs over the two-month period.

Speaking in Washington, D.C. about the latest jobs report, President Barack Obama said that the United States has seen “the fastest job growth in the

United States in the first half of the year since 1999” and “the quickest drop in unemployment in 30 years.”

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Foster care teens and young adults take AT&T ‘Skills to Go’ field trip to learn about career opportunities

L to r: Sandy Thomas, Pat and Denise Caruso and Geoff Ellison.

L to r: Siblings Wilbert Cadet, Fabian St. Hubert and Felixson Beatrice.

PLANTATION, FL. – Teens and young adults in foster care, ages 15 to 21, recently had the opportunity to participate in AT&T’s “Skills to Go” field trip as part of AT&T’s partnership with the Florida Department of Children & Families.

Identified by ChildNet, the

community-based care lead agency in Broward and Palm Beach County, foster care youth interested in the fields of technology and telecommunications took part in AT&T In-teractive customized life skills classes instructed by telecommunications and technology experts and executives at

ChildNet. Following the interactive tour, foster care teens visited a local AT&T store to meet with AT&T “pioneers,” a group of current and retired AT&T executives, staff and volunteers, to talk about careers and learn about educational and employment opportunities, while participating in mock interviews.

Following the tour, foster care youth had the chance to apply

Weekly ad in hand. Coupons in pocket.

BOGO-vision on. It’s time to save. publix.com/save

for jobs.

As the single private nonprofit entity responsible for administration of the local child welfare system, ChildNet brings years of dedication to protecting abused, abandoned and neglected children in the communities it serves. For more information (954) 414-6000.

Visit www.ChildNet.us and www.facebook.com/ChildNet.

July 10 - July 16, 2014 • www.thewestsidegazette.com • Page 3

Broward County's Oldest and Largest African American Owned and Operated Newspaper

U.S. political views not rigidly defined

By Jazelle Hunt Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON, D.C. (NNPA) – Politically, the nation is less sharply divided collection of red and blue states, and more a rainbow patchwork of political ideologies, according to the Pew Center.

The report, “Beyond vs. Blue: The Political Typology” (and its

supplemental reports) breaks American politics down beyond primary colors. Political typology, a system the Pew Center devised 27 years ago, groups people based on their attitudes on key issues as opposed to their limited partisan labels.

“More Americans today hold consistently liberal or consistently conservative values

School Board approves shift from centers to colleges

across a wide range of issues, Democrats and Republicans are further apart ideologically, and more partisans express deeply negative views of the other political party,” the report reads.

“But the typology shows that the center is hardly unified.”

This year’s typology survey revealed eight attitude categories. The highest share of African Americans (accounting for 30 percent of the group) fall into a category called the “faith and family left.”

Religion “is a very important part of life” for 85 percent of

this group’s members. They are, or lean, Democrat, favoring robust social programs, while also holding conservative attitudes on moral and religious issues such as same-sex marriage, marjuana legalization, and abortion. For Republicans looking to draw Black voters from the left, this would be the fount—fully 37 percent of the faith and family left consider themselves conservative.

The faith and family left is the only category that is majority-minority—it also en-compasses the largest share of Latino and foreign-born voters.

And yet, the views on racial issues are murky within this group. While 74 percent support affirmative action, only 28 percent believe the government

should continue making changes to give Blacks equal rights. At the same time, 57 percent believe that “Blacks who are unable to get ahead are responsible for their own condition.”

According to the report, this is now the prevailing attitude in the United States.

“While the public is divided over whether additional societal changes are needed to further

racial equality, most do not believe that discrimination is the main reason why many Blacks can’t get ahead today,” it states.

“By more than two-to-one (63 percent to 27 percent), the public says Blacks who can’t get ahead are mostly responsible for their own condition.”

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Atlantic, McFatter and Sheridan Technical Book Review Centers are now Technical Colleges On June 24, 2014, the School Board of Broward County, Florida, unanimously approved a recommendation to change the names of Atlantic, McFatter and Sheridan Technical Centers to Atlantic, McFatter and Sheridan Technical Colleges.

Broward County Public Schools has long been a leader of Career, Technical and Adult Education in Florida. The decision to change the names to include the college distinction further strengthens and enhances the educational opportunities for adult students and business partners throughout Broward County. It also supports the District’s mission to increase awareness in the community about the many highquality educational options available for adult learners who

Liberation Narratives: New and Collected Poems 1966-2009

are seeking career and technical education programs.

“We are excited by the many new possibilities that come with this name change,” said Superintendent Robert W. Runcie. “We are focusing on providing all students with worldclass career programs – from our youngest learners through our adult learners. Our technical colleges will continue to ensure students are prepared for success.”

Birmingham billboard promotes racist ‘mantra’ (Cont'd from FP) The Mantra’s message, and now the billboard that promotes it, have been heavily promoted

by Timothy Gallaher Murdock, who runs an online community for racists called White Rabbit Radio, according to rawstory.com “The point of the message is when white people are called racist to give them something to say, something to say to defend themselves so they don’t just sit silently keep getting beaten over the head over and over again,” Murdock told

WBRC on Monday. “You know everyone has come to the conclusion that racism is only in white countries, only in white people’s churches, houses and businesses, and white people are generally the only ones who face this charge generally on behalf of white anti-whites as well.”

Over the past year, similar billboards have also appeared in Knoxville, Tenn. and in Arkansas, according to published reports.

Mayor Miller said he was seeking more information about who put up the billboard.

Concussions a greater problem for Black youth

(Cont'd from FP) “In the last five years, particularly with the NFL starting to talk about it, and the lawsuits, has helped immensely now that people get it on a mainstream level. What they thought was just getting their bell rung was really a concussion.”

On the most diligent and wellresourced student teams, players take baseline tests—a battery of motor skill drills and survey questions to record their individual peak cognitive health—and have athletic trainers who check for signs of decline. If a concussion is suspected, a player does another test to compare those results to his or her baseline. The ImPACT Concussion Management program is currently the program of record for these tests among school athletic programs.

But according to Dr. Vernon Williams, neurologist and medical director of the Sports Concussion Institute, a lack of access to care compounds the (now fading) problem of awareness.

ImPACT, for example, costs a minimum of $400 per year for 100 baseline tests and 15 postinjury tests for one school.

By Malik A. Azeez Haki R. Madhubuti is the visionary, griot, revolutionary and independent literary voice that speaks to the Black/African centered poetic tradition of African people in Liberation Narratives.

This book of poetry spans 43 years of his work, highlighting the artistic development of his poetry and the cultural value of a Black literary aesthetic.

This is manifested in the lives of Black men, showing respect for Black women, children, educating the youth and practicing unity in relationships between a man and a woman. Also, there are many seeds of wisdom in his literary ideas which show the power of the Black Arts, African identity, knowing our history, loving family, liberation, honoring women and Meanwhile, many schools and school districts, largely populated by Black and brown children, routinely have to make cuts to balance their budget.

“We have coaches who understand the need, but they have different resources. For example, we know baseline testing for people in contact collision sports can help evaluate when people get injured,” Dr. Williams explains. “But it’s uncommon for people to have access to stateof-the-art baseline testing.

Players, school systems, and parents don’t have access to those funds. But we can still implement treatment using creative measures.”

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Black men being responsible in a family context.

Liberation Narratives is a literary masterpiece that encompasses Madhubuti’s unique style within the great lite-rary context of Black/ African people through conscious struggle in the Black Arts Move-ment (1960’s) to 2009, justice and cultural empowerment.

The sections in the book are the following: Liberation Narratives, 2009; Think Black, 1966; Black Pride, 1968; Don’t Cry, Scream 1969; We Walk The Way of the New World, 1970; Earthquakes and Sunrise Missions, 1984; Black Men, 1991; Claiming Earth, 1994; GroundWork 1991 and Heartlove: Wedding and Love Poems. Two other sections are: Tough Notes, 2002 and Run Toward Fear, 2004. Truly, Madhubuti celebrates his literary briliance coupled with an authentic Black aesthetic; his own conscious development as a people’s poet and the value of honoring our elders, truth, love, family, spirituality, Pan-Africanism and the power of committed Black leadership.

In sum, Madhubuti’s Liberation Narratives deals with

the creative genius of the Black literary tradition personified in his poetry and the nurturing of proactive African-centered poetry to improve the quality of human life. His poetry is culturally and spiritually liberating, revolutionary, transformative ideas and a celebration of the Black Arts, as well as the value of a conscious mind, soul and quality lifestyle.

Equally important, he pays tribute to great Black/African leaders, such as: Gwendolyn Brooks, W.E.B. Dubois, Malcolm X, Paul Robeson, John

Coltrane, John Oliver Killens, Dudley Randall, Kwame Nkrumah, Dr. Frances Welsing, Nelson Mandela, Hoyt Fuller, Yosef ben-Jochannan, Barbara Sizemore and his family-Dr. Safisha Madhubuti, Mariama, Laini, Regina, Don, Bomani and Akili. Beyond this, Madhubuti believes “The literature of a culture is a totality of the definitions, a self-portrait of that culture. Knowledge of a literature, then, yields valuable insight into the culture that produces it.”

FirstAnnual Back to School Giveway and Community Health Fair

Elijah Bell's Funeral Services presents their First Annual Back to School Giveway and Community Health Fair on Saturday, July 12, 2014 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 3750 N. St. Rd.

7, Lauderdale, Lakes, Fla. There will be over 300 books bags given away; free blood pressure; blood gluscose and vision screenings, chiropractor which include adjustments.

Their will be a representative to speak with you about Estate planning/Will services and a fire truck tour. Free food, drinks and bounce house. Call (954) 714-6080 for more info.

Broward County's Oldest and Largest African American Owned and Operated Newspaper

Page 4 • www.thewestsidegazette.com • July 10 - July 16, 2014

Community Digest

Publix is Proud to Support Community News WHERE SHOPPING IS A PLEASURE

Event

Event

FAMU Broward Alumni Members, to host Fifth annual Rattlers in The Park, Saturday, July 12, 2014, from 2 to 6 p.m., at Central Broward Regional Park, 3700 N.W. 11 Pl., Lauderhill, Fla. Volunteers are to work with event activities.

For additional info (954) 4309760 to sign-up.

Fair

CareerSource Broward, formerly known as WorkForce One Employment Solutions, in conjunction with the CareerSource Broward Council of Elected Officials and the Broward WorkForce Development Board, Inc., will host its second annual Paychecks for Patriots” Veterans Hiring Fair, Wednesday, June 16, 2014 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the 356th Quartermaster Co. National Guard Armory, 400 S.W. 24 St., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Additional info is available at h t t p : / / vets.careersourcebroward.com/ PaychecksforPatriots(P4P).aspx.

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Tournament

On Saturday, July 12, 2014 there will be a Voter’s Registration Campaign at Williams Memorial C.M.E. Church, 646 N.W. 13 Terr., Fort Lauderdale.

You may register or check your voter status from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. Staff from the Supervisor of Elections office will be on site along with staff from State Representative Perry Thurston’s office to answer any questions that you may have.

If you have moved recently, changed your name, or would like to change your party affiliation, be there. The Poll worker applications will be available.

Broward Ebony Golf Association, Inc. (BEGA) Seventh Annual Golf Tournament, Saturday, July 19 and Sunday July 20, 2014 at The Country Club of Coral Springs, 18000 W. Sample Rd., Coral Springs, Fla. For additional info call (954) 753-9000 or (786) 417-5038 (954) 691-6541 www.browardebonygolf.org info@browardebonygolf.org

Festival

Abundant Life Health and Fitness Center, Inc., to host Sixth Annual Battered and Abused Women and Girls conference/luncheon, Saturday, July 19, 2014 at 11 a.m., Cambria Hotel and Suites of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 141 S.W. 19 Ct., Dania Beach, Fla. on Stirling Rd., Dania, Fla. To educate and provide resources for victmis of domestic violence. For more info call Dr. Vera Stevens.

The Boca Black Film Festival has gathered together working local professionals in film TV and cinema arts for their 3-day film fest, Thursday, July 17 19, 2014 at Boca Raton Marriott, 5150 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton, Fla. For time and additional info contact Dhima Days at (561) 235-3028.

BROWARD COUNTY-WIDE CLASS OF ‘74 Invites you to join us for our 40th Year Anniversary August 8 – 10, 2014 For More Information Contact: Linda Bush (754) 244-3178

Conference/ Luncheon

Registration Drive Event

Chi Psi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated will sponsor a Voter Registration Drive, Saturday, July 19, 2014 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Pleasure of Sea Restaurant, 1275 N.W. 31 Ave., Lauderhill, Fla. This public event is for community persons in need of a new voter registration, lost card or updated for addresses, political party affiliations and name changes.

For additional info contact the connection committee at (954) 410-6673 or visit the chapter’s website at chipsomega@info.org or on face book.

Mt. Hermon A.M.E. Church is offering free 8X10 photos as a part of its Outreach Ministry, Thursday thru Saturday, July 24-26, 2014 at 401 N.W. Seventh Terr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in the Henry McNeil Turner Family Life Center, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Rev. Henry E. Green, pastor. This ministry will bring family, friends and community together to document unity. To register on line for your free individual are group photo log on to www.mounthermonftl.org. For time and more info contact Linda Jones at (954) 792-3700.

Event

Reunion

Abundant Life Health and Fitness Center, new community food partnership offers a wider variety to qualified recipients.

Interested participants will be required to take a one (1) hour class each month to maintain their certification. Classes will be held at 3600 S. State Rd. 7 (441), Suite 306, Miramar, Fla. Additional details are available by contacting Vera Stevens, at (954) 964-5477 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more info visit www.abundantlifehealth.com.

Dillard High Class of 1968 members will be celebrating their 45th year call reunion. All classmates are urged and invited to attend all our class meeting every fourth (4th) Monday of each month at The Women’s Federated Bldg. on 19th St., at 7 p.m. For more contact Annett Barnes-Walters at (754) 224-7317 or Jake Walters at (754) 224-7318.

Event Broward County Florida Library to host Leroy Stringer, at the Tyrone Bryant Library, Thursday, July 17, 2014 at 6:30 p.m., at 2230 N.W. 21st Ave., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. For more info call (954) 357-8210.

Event The Crockett Foundation will host its 6th Annual Health Festival in Partnership with Zeta Rho Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2014 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Pompano Citi Centre 1955 N. Fed Hwy. Pompano Beach, Fla. (Vendors needed contact Henri Crockett a t henri@Crockettfoundation.org

ATTENTION RADIO LISTENERS We have Free gifts for everybody who call into the show and share their opinion. Listen every Saturday at 4 p.m. to Spiritual Downloads with Anna Stephenson on WWNN Radio AM 1470. It’s a live Call in talk show that discuss everything from Spiritual Matters to what matters to you. The show can also be heard on the Internet at wwnnradio.com just click on the listen live button. Your voice is the most important part of the show. So call in and let us hear what you have to say. The toll free call in number is 1-888-565-1470. Also email Anna Stephenson at annasmiami@aol.com with a subject you want to hear discussed on the show. The show also interview’s special guest Like Jessica Reedy from Sunday Best. Shelia Raye Charles, Melba Moore and different preachers and gospel musical artist and Politicians.

Event

Speaking Hands presents Camp Hands 2013 registration has began, for ages 8-16, location 127 N. State Rd. 7 Plantation, Fla. For more additional info call (954) 792-7273 office or (305) 970-0054 cell.

Program

Free Meals (for kids and teens 18 and under) Meals will be served at 2161 N.W. 19 St. Breakfast will be served 8-9 a.m., lunch will be served 12-1 p.m. If any questions or concerns call (954) 730-3442.

Summer Camps

Broward Cultural Division a long list of arts camps for you.

For more info you can email us at CulturalDiv@Broward.org. *Coconut Creek: Broward College Kids and Teens Summer College July 7-July 18 * Coral Springs: Coral Springs Center for the Arts Next Stop Broadway now until now until Aug. 15 * Coral Springs Museum of Art: Summer Camp Artshops now until Aug. 15 * Davie: Broward College Kids and Teens Summer College now until July 11 * University Center for the Performing Arts: Children’s Performing Arts Camp now until Aug. 15 * Vista View Park: Learning Goals Academic Camp now until – Aug. 8 * Young At Art Museum: Summer Art Camp - Aug. 22 FORT LAUDERDALE * Ashanti Cultural Arts: Summer Camp now until Aug. 8 * Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theatre: Theatre Camp now until Aug. 1 * JMJ Photographic Services: Photo FUN Summer Camp July 28 – Aug. 1 * Makers Square: Summer Camp Sessions 1 + 2 July 17 * NSU’s Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale: AutoNation Academy of Art + Design June 9 – Aug. 15 * South Florida Ballet Theatre: Gotta Dance Camp II Aug. 5 – 16 HOLLYWOOD * Art and Culture Center of Hollywood: Summer Camps now until Aug. 15 PEMBROKE PINES * Broward College: Kids and Teens Summer College now until July 25 * City of Pembroke Pines: Summer Program now until Aug. 14 POMPANO BEACH * Bailey Contemporary Arts: Bailey Summer Explorers now until Aug. 1 SOUTHWEST RANCHES * Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy High School: Summer Institute now until Aug.1 WESTON * Inside Out Theatre: Performing Arts Summer Conservatory 2014 June 9 – June 27.

July 10 - July 16, 2014 • www.thewestsidegazette.com • Page 5

Broward County's Oldest and Largest African American Owned and Operated Newspaper

All students benefit from minority teachers

By Freddie Allen NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON, D.C. (NNPA) – Despite the cry from people of color for more teachers who look like them, both whites and Blacks benefit from a more diverse teaching force, according to a study by Center of American Progress. “… A study of the relationship between the presence of African American teachers in schools and African American students’ access to equal education in schools found that fewer African Americans were placed in special-education classes, suspended, or expelled when they had more teachers of color, and that more African American students were placed in gifted and talented programs and graduated from high school,” stated the report.

Teachers of color also have, “an affinity for infusing their classrooms with culturally relevant experiences and examples, setting high academic expectations, developing trusting student-teacher relationships, and serving as cultural and linguistic resources—as well as advocates, mentors, and liaisons— for students’ families and communities.”

A study titled, “Teacher Diversity Revisited” reported in May 2014 that learning from and networking with a multicultural teaching staff is also important for preparing white students for a workforce and society where they will no longer make up the majority.

Students to interact with people who look and act differently than they do in order to build social trust and create a wider sense of community,” stated the

Democratic money (Cont'd from FP) Money raised and contributed by Black individuals and Black groups to the Democratic and the Republican Parties could be earmarked to be spent on Black owned media, spent with Black political researchers, spent with Black direct mailers, spent with Black pollsters, spend with Black campaign consultants, spent with Black call centers, spent with Black owned printing companies, spent with Black sign printers and other Black professionals.

Everybody in the game knows that organized labor groups demand that politicians receiving union contributions are required to use “union” print shops!

So, why are modern day Jezebels and Fiddlers afraid to tell political parties to spend the money that Black people donate with professional Black vendors?

I expect white Democrats to spend political money with white vendors. I expect Jewish politicians and Cuban politicians to spend money with Jews and Cubans.

I don’t have to tell you who the African American politicians and elected officials that you love and you contribute money to spend most of their campaign dollars with. Look at their campaign expense reports and you tell me the name of the Black political vendors getting paid by the elected officials that you love.

And, the big man that you love, the Black man that is the head of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the leader of the free world, the Commander in Chief and the man that can control hundreds of millions of dollars in political spending spends more money with white political consultants and vendors than almost any Black political figure in the world!

And you want to be mad at some faceless, nebulous “Democratic Party”.

Nobody in politics is spending money with Black political professionals because Black voters and Black businesses don’t make politicians spend money with Black professionals!

Henry Crespo, head of the Democratic Black Caucus of Florida is trying to put together a fundraising political group that can fund political efforts in Florida’s Black communities.

All of Florida’s Black trial lawyers, Black doctors, Black contractors, Black engineers and others that make political contributions should give to groups like DBCF before that give to the organizations that refuse to patronize us.

Unions like the Longshoremen and AFSCME should finance groups like the DBCF before they dump tons of union workers union dues on contributions to political bigots that won’t use Black vendors under any circumstance.

The Gantt Report told you twenty years ago that politicians you love hated to spend money with you and now that radio comedians are cracking jokes about the disparity in spending, you want to be upset!

When you go to political forums at Black churches and other places you should demand to know how many Black employees and how many Black vendors does the politician have before you contribute a dime to his campaign and certainly well before you vote for the closet klansman that masquerades as your political savior.

One last thing, Democratic consultants that make thousands and millions of dollars each political cycle even though Democratic candidates keep losing and losing should be fired and replaced by Black consultants any way!(Buy Gantt’s latest book “Beast Too: Dead Man Writing” online or at any bookstore and contact Lucius at www.allworldconsultants.net)

report. “In other words, the benefits of diversity are not just for students of color.”

CAP researchers said that male teachers of color are more than twice as likely to ditch the classroom for another career than female teachers of color.

Black male teachers also told researchers that feelings of isolation or being the only Black male on the faculty increased there, “desire to leave their current schools.” When male minority teachers get certified in their main subject, they “are only half as likely to leave the field as are other teachers.”

In an effort to address the lack of minority teachers and to retain the ones currently in our nation’s classrooms, CAP report suggested states should “develop innovative approaches to teacher preparation in both university-based and alternativecertification programs.”

Researchers also proposed higher benchmarks for teachertraining programs.

The CAP report also cited the Education Department’s recruitment campaign aimed at preparing 80,000 Black teachers for classrooms across the country by 2015 to provide students not only with high-quality educational experiences, but also to present them with role models with a variety of cultural experiences, as well.

“There is a need for more teacher-preparation programs to embrace calls for higher quality and candidate expectations—indeed, to marry the call for quality and diversity,” stated the report. “Improved preparation will go a long way toward minimizing the number of new teachers that enter our schools ill-equipped and quickly exit through the revolving door.”

The report concluded that policymakers needed to shift their focus to retaining effective minority teachers, while supporting the efforts of minority professionals seeking to enter the field.

“States and school districts have the power to remove bar-

riers to the retention and success of teachers of color. Those that do not address these barriers—by, for example, supporting high-quality teaching and reforming school conditions—will continue to face high turnover, destabilized facul-ties, and unsatisfactory student achievement levels,” the report stated. “Communities of color must advocate for effective teaching and encourage their children to prepare to enter a rigorous and demanding profession.”

The report calls for “access to not only high-quality education opportunities, but also a highquality and an equally diverse teaching force.”

testing experience?

That I’m human; I am fallible. You know, I’ve spent so much time beating myself up, saying that I should know better.

I am an advocate that tells others to use condoms and get

we all can have a slipup. And the key is to make changes for the future. So moving forward, I am going to be smarter and use protection because I am not willing to go against what I believe in again.

FAMU environmental Why I got tested for HIV: Verneda White science student tested, so I definitely felt like a (Cont'd from FP) engaged in hypocrite. Plus, I lost my cousin What have you learned to AIDS, and I didn’t feel like I research at NOAA from this most recent was honoring his legacy. But (Cont'd from FP) He also spent time measuring weather and ammonia flux data at the University of Illinois’ energy farm As a result of his research, Sibble recently co-authored the article, “Understanding the Role of Ammonia in Air Quality” in the Southern Climate Monitor with his NOAA advisor LaToya Myles, Ph.D., a FAMU alumna and physical scientist at NOAA’s Air Resources Laboratory and fellow FAMU student Jason Caldwell.

Sibble describes his experience as “priceless” and attributes his success at NOAA to the mentorship of Myles and to the foundation laid for him at FAMU, the lead institution of NOAA’s Environmental Cooperative Science Center (ECSC).

“FAMU prepared me for this internship in multiple ways,” said Sibble. “My advisor Dr. Elijah Johnson, who is very proficient in environmental computer modeling and conducted research at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is using his academic and work experience to advise me on multiple facets of this internship.”

Sibble also credits FAMU Professor Marcia Owens, Ph.D., and ECSC Director Michael Abazinge, Ph.D., for supporting his application and helping him develop as a research professional.

“FAMU and the ECSC faculty have helped me develop in many ways, such as teaching me the key to building strong professional relationships and working as a team to conduct research,” he said.

Sibble also uses the knowledge he has gained to help others. He recently provided training to Oak Ridge teachers at the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) Center for Science Education on how to use Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to enhance the classroom setting.

“I knew from looking at his application that he was the kind of student who would do really well in the School of the Environment,” said Johnson.

“Since he arrived at FAMU, his work has basically confirmed what I saw from his application.

He was very well-trained, and with his current experiences, should have a very good career.”

Sibble is a native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and received his bachelor’s degree in meteorology in 2011 from Florida State University. He will return to FAMU, from the 11-month internship at NOAA, in the fall.

The CAP report said that effective teachers play a pivotal role in producing high performance students, and conversely that less experienced teachers of-ten contribute to achievement gaps between whites and non-whites.

Minorities account for nearly half of the students in public schools in the United States, but less than 20 percent of teachers are non-white.

According to a 2011 study

by The National Center for Education Information (NCEI), more than 80 percent of teachers are white and less than 10 percent are Black. At 70 percent, white females account for the majority of all teachers. Only 2 percent of all teachers are Black men, underscoring the paucity of Black male role models in U.S. public schools.

A 2014 report by the Children’s Defense Fund said that more than 80 percent of Black students can’t read at grade level and in 2010 less than 70 percent were graduat-ing from high school in four years. Black students also re-ceived one in six out-of-school suspensions, compared to their white peers who received one in 20 out-ofschool suspensions.

Broward County's Oldest and Largest African American Owned and Operated Newspaper

Page 6 • www.thewestsidegazette.com • July 10 - July 16, 2014

Opinion

The Westside Gazette, under the Management of BI-ADs, Inc., reserves the right to publish Views and Opinions by Contributing Writers may not necessarily reflect those of the Staff and Management of The Westside Gazette Newspaper and are solely the product of the responsible individual(s) who submit comments published in this newspaper.

From Sheriff Scott Israel

Black Press:The voice of Black America

By Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. NNPA Columnist Part 2 The June unemployment rate is was down to 6.1 percent. Yet, for the vast majority of more than 45 million Black Americans, the persistent unemployment rate in our communities is still way too high. It was 10.7 percent in June, down from 11.5 percent in May 2014.

This is the lowest Black unemployment rate since September 2008. For Black women, the unemployment rate fell in June to a single digit at 9 percent. If these unemployment trends continue, poverty in Black America may decline.

The Black Press of America not only reports the news, but we are also responsible to share perspectives about how to further improve the economic condition of Black America. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employers across the United States added 288,000 jobs last month. This figure was significantly higher than the 215,000 new jobs that leading economists had predicted.

An analysis of these latest labor statistics reveals that the “business sector” led as the largest growth creation over the past 30 days, with 67,000 jobs, compared to the retail and food services sector adding 40,000 and 33,000 jobs, respectively. Health care and manufacturing sectors added 21,000 and 16,000 jobs, respectively.

Social progress unveils the politics of political chicanery

By Derek Joy Isn’t it interesting how the Fourth of July came and went amid so much political turmoil in America?

People of color mulled JOY over the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“This landmark piece of legislation, outlawing racial discrimination and segregation, broke down barriers and opened doors of opportunity for all Americans, said Congresswoman Fredericka Wilson (Dem., Dist. 24).

Westside Gazette Florida Association of Black Owned Media (FABOM) Bobby R. Henry, Sr. - PUBLISHER Pamela D. Henry - SENIOR EDITOR Sonia M. Henry Robinson COMPTROLLER Elizabeth D. Henry CIRCULATION MANAGER Carma L. Henry - DATA ENTRY Charles Moseley MARKETING DIRECTOR Tarrence Crawford & Ron Lyons PHOTOGRAPHER Levi Henry Jr. - CHAIRMAN Yvonne F. Henry EDITOR (Emeritus)

Broward County's Oldest and Largest African American Owned and Operated Newspaper

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“While we have come a long way since the days of segregation and Jim Crow, the vestiges of injustice still linger. Young minority men are being disproportionately incarcerated, income inequality continues to grow and hard fought voting rights are under attack.”

The holiday gave me the opportunity to forget all of that, yet ponder it all as I joined my brother-in-law - Fred Reaser and my sister, Mamie - at the Reaser Family Reunion.

You see, Fred and Mamie’s grandchildren didn’t experience the hardships of segregation and discrimination. Crystal graduated from F.I.U., Brittni just graduated from New York University Law School, Keith II, a graduate of F.A.U., was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, and Khairi is about to enter college.

Obviously, they all benefitted from those gains resulting from the Civil Rights Act of 1964. And so have others in the family who came from as far away as Detroit, Mich., Rochelle, N.Y., New Jersey, Alabama and Georgia.

Yes, each of those states, and many others, see the all out onslaught against voting rights that Republicans are waging. They foolishly down play the value of the right to vote.

“If voting is really nothing, then why are so many Republicans trying to suppress your right to vote,” Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (Dem., Fort Lauderdale) told an audience at gubernatorial forum at New Birth Cathedral of Faith recently.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

BlackVoices: Can we leverage digital technology to end the HIV epidemic?

By Meico Whitlock, Senior Manager, Communications, National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) WHITLOCK Barack Obama’s campaign success in 2008 and 2012 was fueled, in part, by harnessing the power of digital technology and social networks. His team weaved rich social data culled from websites such as Twitter and Facebook to build profiles of supporters and “persuadables.”

He leveraged predictive analytics to predict the behavior of potential voters. He used data to tailor messages based on demographics, issues of importance, and a host of other factors. He leveraged the power of online ad networks, email lists, and offline social networks to reach, engage, and change the behavior of potential supporters with clear objectives in mind: get them to donate, vote, volunteer and get their friends and family to do the same.

What if we marshaled the same resources and innovation to end the domestic HIV epidemic?

The HIV epidemic continues to impact thousands of Americans each year and exacts a disproportionate burden on the Black community, especially our young men and boys.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR GUIDELINES The Westside Gazette welcomes your letters. Letters must be signed with name clearly legible along with a phone number and complete address. No unsigned or anonymous letters will be considered for publication. The Westside Gazette reserves the right to edit letters. The letters should be 500 words or less.

Sheriff Scott Israel: Helping our children navigate from childhood to adulthood

What does this mean for Black America?

First, we have to see ourselves beyond solely being trillion dollar annual consumers in the U.S. economy. Yes, we want more jobs. Yes, want more economic deCHAVIS velopment, equity and expanded wealth in our communities.

We would like to end poverty in America. Yet, clearly the latest jobs report reveals that in order to create more jobs, we have to create more businesses.

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) is a national trade association of nearly 200 Blackowned newspapers. We are employers. If we expand our businesses, we will be able to hire more people. The more people we hire, the stronger the U.S. economy.

More than 45 million Black Americans and more than 45 million Latino Americans hunger for consistent and trustworthy news, relevant information, business development opportunities, career options, youth business and vocational apprenticeships. We must articulate a strategic plan for advancing the socioeconomic, political, cultural and spiritual interests of our respective communities.

Corporate America should understand that with rapidly changing demographics, it is its best interest to support the economic development of our businesses and communities.

The truth is that every inch of socioeconomic or political progress that we have made in America has only come as a consequence of a long protracted struggle for freedom, justice and equality. “The Voice of Black America” is, therefore, the resolute voice of empowerment. The Black Press is the voice that articulates the clear interests of Black America without apology or cow towering to the forces of oppression and division. The Black Press has a proud and valiant history of being the standard bearer of news and information distribution that advances the causes for freedom, inclusiveness, democracy and prosperity.

Even in this growing digital age there is a vital role that the Black Press of America must continue to play. Digital media should complement – not replace – print media. Social media should also complement the printed press and give extended distribution outlets to our newspapers on mobile devices around the world. The “Voice of Black America” will not be silenced nor erased. We will continue to stand. We will continue to print and be active on our digital platforms. We will continue to distribute the news and information yearned for by millions of people every day. The future of the Black Press of America is bright and there are many new opportunities on the horizon.

Democrats ‘ain’t loyal’

By George E. Curry NNPA Columnist Rev. Jamal Bryant of Baltimore was widely criticized recently for quoting a line from a popular Chris CURRY Brown’s song: “H!@'s Ain’t Loyal.” Bryant could have avoided controversy – and been on point – if he had instead said, “Democrats ain’t loyal.”

They ain’t, to borrow the vernacular.

Although people of color comprised 45 percent of Democratic voters in 2012, less than 2 percent of the $1.1 billion collected over a four-year period by the three primary Democratic fundraising committees went to people of color – defined as U.S. residents who are African American, Latino, Asian American or Pacific Islander, or Native American – according to the “2014 Fannie Lou Hamer Report” by PowerPAC+, a national advocacy organization that helps elect progressives to office by building on the political power of the multiracial majority in America.

Actually, the Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) figures are even smaller than reported because the study counted any firm that had a person of color as a principal owner, not the more commonly accepted definition requiring that they be the majority owner.

The research was compiled from Federal Election Commission reports filed by the three largest Democratic fundraising committees: the National Democratic Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

“The politics of murdering children”

By Pastor Rasheed Z Baaith “He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent” (Psalm 10:8) BAAITH A new politics has emerged that is having an impact all over the world, a politics born out of fanaticism, unfiltered anger and homicidal beliefs. It is the killing of children and the decision by some to view them as targets of opportunity to gain revenge, notoriety and money.

In the Middle East, already a cauldron of nationalistic irrationality, Israeli teen agers were kidnapped and murdered by Palestinian extremists and in turn a Palestinian teen was kidnapped and murdered by Jewish extremists. It seems it is not enough that children are killed on both sides in what is viewed as collateral damage by bombings and shootings, the adults in their blood lusts are now attacking children in the most direct and violent ways possible. How anyone can view the murders and kidnapping of children as acceptable political and/or war strategy is way past my comprehension level?

I understand the Middle East is a war zone and it is a sad fact that children die in war. But to target them directly is barbaric and vicious. And those labels apply to both the Israelis and the Palestinians responsible for these crimes. Neither party can voice the mantra of “We’re just trying to survive” with any real conviction. Murdering children is not about survival, it is about sanctioned terrorism on the softest of targets. In a word, it is reprehensible.

In Nigeria Boko Haram has been murdering Nigerian boys for at least the past five years. In February of this year, Boko Haram killed 40 – 60 boys by shooting them as they attempted to escape from the attack on their school.

Others had their throats cut or were burned alive as the buildings were set on fire. I’m willing to bet most of us didn’t know of that mindless atrocity. That brings us to another point: what does it take for the global press to bring attention to these kinds of inhumane behaviors? Is it the location, the language spoken by the victims, the color of their skin or their gender? How can the kidnapping of girls bring global attention that the burning alive of boy children does not?

Speaking of which, how many of us are still praying for our Nigerien daughters kidnapped by Abubakar Shekau and his henchman? I hope all of us.

Prayer works, 63 woman and girls recently escaped and returned to their burnt village where 30 men had been killed by Shekau’s orders.

With him, it’s not just the politics, “There is a market for selling humans,” Shekau said. Yes, I imagine there is.

Of course, it’s not just terrorists and governments who have targeted children, here in America, young people are using guns as a way of controlling people, events and territory like never before. In Chicago over the holiday week end, 60 people were shot and seven killed; and it seems Miami is as deadly as the streets of Iraq.

I think the Bible sums it up best: “Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.” (Genesis 49:7)

“Mandy Dawson” “God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1) There was a picture of and a story about Mandy Dawson in one of the local papers this week. The story was about her being held in jail until August because of a parole violation. The initial charge was due to her drug addiction. Even though one can get high in jail, it still may help her.

The picture was one in which the photographer captured her in full stride, her face set purposeful but tinged with sadness, one hand in her purse with her coat billowing behind her. The image stirred me and I thought no doubt as she was thinking, of how her life seems to be in tatters. I wondered how many of us would just look at her and shake our heads or mumble something unpleasant.

Like so many, I had watched over the years as she fell from one mountain of trouble onto another but I never forgot what she once had accomplished or what her life seemed to promise. When I met her she was in the Florida Legislature. She was willing to help just about anyone, doing her best to be accessible to those she represented and was occupied with our com-

A large part of growing up is learning from our mistakes. The lessons we learn when we are young help to build the strong ISRAEL moral character of our adulthood. As sheriff, I have taken steps to ensure the positive development of many of our county’s youth by mandating civil citations for first-time juvenile offenders. A civil citation in lieu of an arrest provides a much-needed opportunity for a minor who has made a mistake to learn from that mistake. Putting vulnerable adolescents in jail is only teaching them to become career criminals, and arrest records impede employment opportunities and access to credit. After being issued a citation, a child can accept responsibility, obtain appropriate counseling and be diverted away from the criminal court system.

The civil citation initiative has been successful in helping the children and teenagers of our county keep their records clean and their focus clear. In the year prior to my mandating civil citations to eligible juveniles, only 68 were referred to the program. In the 14 months since I made it mandatory, Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies have referred 376 juveniles, more than five times the previous number. That’s 376 children with the opportunity to stay in school and out of jail. That’s 376 second chances. That’s thousands of tax dollars saved. That’s hundreds of lives regained. I am also thrilled to report that approximately 96 percent of the youths who complete the civil citation program do not reoffend.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Supreme Court seeks to gut labor unions

By Bill Fletcher NNPA Columnist The Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Harris v Quinn essentially means that personal care attendants FLETCHER who are represented by a union do not need to pay a service fee that would cover the cost of representing and advocating on their behalf. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority justified this decision purportedly on the basis of freedom of speech.

What is clear is that the Supreme Court’s conservative majority has a sniper’s scope trained on workers and unions. They will soon aim to eliminate the ability of labor unions to collect service fees from non-members to cover representation. The implications of this are profound but a little context is necessary.

In the public sector, there are many states, counties and municipalities that permit union membership and collective bargaining, but do not require that employees in a given agency join the union. While they may join the union, they are obligated — if there is such an agreement– to pay a service or agency fee. The idea here is that regardless of whether one is a union member or not, the union is obligated by law to represent fairly and fully all workers in what is called a “bargaining unit,” which is a recognized body of workers who share similar interests.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com) munity. She participated in a number of community projects I was part of and never hesitated to speak up when asked or needed. I thought her then and still think of her as good people.

DAWSON And good people can really make some bad mistakes. Mandy made some bad mistakes. Some might say stupid or unforgiveable mistakes but don’t count me in that number. Stupid perhaps, unforgiveable? No. All of us have done things or said things that have cost us more than we ever anticipated they would and all of us have disappointed people. We may not have done it to the degree or had the notoriety of Mandy Dawson but we‘ve all done it. And I would posit Mandy Dawson has hurt and disappointed herself more than anyone else.

This is not to suggest that we pity Mandy Dawson or commiserate with her. She doesn’t need that but she could use our prayers.

Not pity but compassion, not blame but empathy, not accusation but kindness.

I know it would be easier to point fingers at her or just stay angry with her or pretend we never knew her or wallow in our let down but those of us who claim to follow Christ don’t have those options.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Broward County's Oldest and Largest African American Owned and Operated Newspaper

AF amily T hat Prays T ogether, Stays T ogether Family That Together, Together

Church Directory

July 10 - July 16, 2014 • www.thewestsidegazette.com • Page 7

St. Ruth Missionary Baptist Church 145 NW 5th Avenue Dania Beach, FL 33004 Office: (954) 922-2529

Bishop Victor T. Curry Senior Pastor/Teacher

Worship T his and Every Sunday at the Church of Your Choice This

Bethel Missionary Baptist Church 2211 N.W. 7th Street, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33061 Church: (954) 583-9368 Email: bethelmbchurchfl@att.net

Reverend Jimmy L. English PASTOR WORSHIP SERVICES Sunday Worship ............................................................. 8 a.m. & 11 a.m.

Sunday School ........................................................................... 9:30 a.m.

Wednesday (Prayer Service & Bible Study) ............................... 7:30 a.m.

Saturday (Women Bible Study) ............................................................ 8 a.m.

"Baptized Believers working together to do the will of God"

First Baptist Church Piney Grove, Inc. 4699 West Oakland Park Blvd.

Lauderdale Lakes, FL 33313 Office: (954) 735-1500 Fax: (954) 735-1939 fbcpg@bellsouth.net

Rev. Dr. Derrick J. Hughes, Pastor SUNDAY SERVICES Worship Services .......................................................... 7:30 & 10:45 a.m.

Children's Church ........................................................ 7:30 & 10:45 a.m.

Communion (First Sunday) ......................................... 7:30 & 10:45 a.m.

New Members' Class .................................................................... 9:30 a.m.

Church School .............................................................................. 9:30 a.m.

Baptist Training Union (BTU) .................................................... 1:00 p.m.

Wednesday (Bible Study) ...................................... 11:15 a.m.. & 7:00 p.m.

Harris Chapel United Methodist Church Rev. Juana Jordan, M.Div E-MAIL:juana.jordan@flumc.org 2351 N.W. 26th Street Oakland Park, Florida 33311 Church Telephone: (954) 731-0520 Church Fax: (954) 731-6290

SERVICES Sunday Worship ................................................. 7:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.

Sunday School .............................................................................. 9:00 a.m.

Wednesday (Bible Study) ........................................... 11a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Mount Calvary Baptist Church

800 N.W. 8th Avenue Pompano Beach, Florida 33060 Church Telephone: (954) 943-2422 Church Fax: (954) 943-2186 E-mail Address: Mtcalvarypompano@bellsouth.net

Reverend Anthony Burrell, Pastor SCHEDULE OF SERVICES New Member Orientation ........................... 9:30 a.m.

Sunday School ................................................ 9:30 a.m.

Worship Service ........................................ 11:00 a.m.

WEDNESDAY Prayer Meeting ............................................... 6:00 p.m.

Bible Study ..................................................... 7:00 p.m.

WORSHIP SERVICES Bible Study (Wednesday Night) ...................................................... 6:45 p.m.

Sunday School .............................................................................. 8:45 a.m.

Sunday Morning Service ............................................................. 10:00 a.m.

Williams Memorial CME “PRAYER IS THE ANSWER” 644-646 NW 13th Terrace Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 (954) 462-5711(Ministry Office Line) (954) 462-8222(Pastor’s Direct Line) Email: wm_cme@bellsouth.net (Church} pastorCal50@yahoo.com (Pastor)

Rev. Cal Hopkins.

M.Div) Senior Pastor/Teacher

The WITNESS of “The WILL” Sunday Worship Experiences ................................................................ 7:45 and 11:00 a.m.

Sunday School ................................................................................................................. 9:30 a.m.

Tuesday Night Triumph {Prayer, Praise and Power} Prayer Meeting ................................................................................................................ 7:00 p.m.

Bible Study ........................................................................................................................ 7:30 p.m.

We STRIVE to PROVIDE Ministries that matter TODAY to Whole Body of Christ, not only the Believers, but also for those stranded on the “Jericho Road”!

“Celebrating over 85 Years of FAITH and FAVOR! Come to the WILL ... We’ll show You the WAY: Jesus the Christ!”

Obituaries Elijah Bell's Funeral Services ANDERSON Funeral services for the late Joseph Anderson.

FERIER Funeral services for the late Saul Ferier.

HARDAT Funeral services for the late Virginia Hardat.

LOUIS Funeral services for the late Jeanite Louis.

LUBIN Funeral service for the late Violet Lubin.

RICHARDSON Funeral service for the late Willie Richardson.

SCARLETT Funeral service for the late Alexander Scarlett.

SMITH Funeral service for the late Edgar Evington Smith.

SUNDAY

"Doing God's Business God's Way, With a Spirit of Excellence"

New Birth Baptist Church The Cathedral of Faith International Bishop Victor T. Curry, M.Min., D.Div. Senior Pastor/Teacher 2300 N.W. 135th Street Miami, Florida 33167

ORDER OF SERVICES Sunday Worship ........................................................ 7:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. & 7:00 p.m.

Sunday School ....................................................................................................... 9:30 a.m.

Tuesday (Bible Study) ......................................................................................... 6:45 p.m.

Wednesday (Bible Study) ............................................................................... 10:45 a.m.

1-800-254-NBBC * (305) 685-3700 (o) *(305) 685-0705 (f) www.newbirthbaptistmiami.org

New Mount Olive Baptist Church 400 N.W. 9th Ave., Ft. Lauderdale 33311 (954) 463-5126 ● Fax: (954) 525-9454 CHURCH OFFICE HOURS Monday - Friday 8:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Dr. Marcus D. Davidson, Senior Pastor WORSHIP SERVICES & BIBLE STUDY Sunday .................................................... 7:15 a.m. 9:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.

Sunday School ............................................................................ 10:00 a.m.

Wednesday Noonday Service .................................. 12:00-12:30 p.m.

Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting ............................................ 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday Night Bible Study ................................................... 7:00 p.m.

Where the kingdom of God is increased through Fellowship.

Leadership, Ownership and Worship F.L.O.W. To Greatness!

Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church 1161 NW 29th Terr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33311 (954) 581-0455 ● Fax: (954) 581-4350 www.mtzionmissionarybapt.com

Rev. Dr. James B. Darling, Senior Pastor WORSHIP SERVICES Sunday Worship Service .............................................................................. 8:00 & 11:00 a.m.

Sunday School ............................................................................................................... 10:00 a.m.

Communion Service (1st Sunday) ......................................................................... 11:00 a.m.

Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting ........................................................................... 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday Night Bible Study ................................................................................... 7:00 p.m.

Saturday (2nd & 4th) Growth & Orientation ........................................................... 9 a.m.

But be doers of the Word - James 1:22 nkjv - “A Safe Haven, and you can get to Heaven from here”

Local resident John Broome succumbs

James C. Boyd Funeral Home CURTIS Funeral services for the late Harry Curtis, Sr. - 65 were held July 5 at James C. Boyd’s Memorial Chapel with Bishop Dr. Joseph B. Hunter officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

GONZALEZ Funeral services for the late Enrique A. Gonzales - 53.

MAY Funeral services for the late Missionary Eugenia May will be held July 12 at Lighthouse Worship Center. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

McWhite's Funeral Home HUFF Funeral services for the late Rickey Lee Huff, Sr. - 51 were held July 7 at Greater Trinity Missionary Baptist Church with Rev. Arthur Huff officiating. Interment: South Florida National Cemetery Lake Worth, Fla. HUMES Funeral services for the late Jalaya Humes were held July 5 at McWhite’s Funeral Home Chapel. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

LASHLEY Funeral services for the late Jennifer Davies-Lashley61 were held July 3 at McWhite’s Funeral Home Chapel.

O’NEAL Funeral services for the late Timothy Michael O’Neal 48 were held July 5 at McWhite’s Funeral Home Chapel with Min. Reggie Cross, Jr. officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

WRIGHT Funeral services for the late Winston Everard Wright –88 were held July 6 at Lauderhill Seventh Day Adventist Church.

John L. Broome, 85 of Lauderhill passed away on Monday, June 30, 2014 after a short illness. John grew up in Alachua County, Florida where he graduated from Alachua County Training School in 1948. He attended Bethune Cookman University (BC-U) where he was drafted into the Army. Within two years he was July 5 at Christian Community Church of God with Bishop Christopher Lewis officiating.

Interment: Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens (Central).

GITTENS Funeral services for the late Georgiana Louise Gittens 74 were held July 5 at Roy Mizell & Kurtz Worship Center.

Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

MERRIWEATHER Funeral services for the late Maltion Merriweather – 74 were held July 5 at New Hope Baptist Church with Pastor Rickey Scott officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

Casey Myers Funeral Services CARTER Funeral services for the late Andrew Carter.

FOSTER Funeral services for the late Neta Foster.

MCNAIR Funeral services for the late Tuarus McNair - 27 were held July 5 at Agape Worship Center. Apostle Darnell Mack officiating.

Roy Mizell & Kurtz Funeral Home

MITCHELL Funeral services for the late Roshunda Mitchell.

DAWKINS Funeral services for the late Emanuel Dawkins - 91were held

MORGAN Funeral services for the late Clifton Morgan.

released and he returned to Bethune Cookman University where he sang in the chorus and was Cookman’s first Marching Band Drum Major.

He graduated in 1956 and came to Broward County to teach.

Broome began his 40 year teaching chorus in August of 1956. He taught at Braithwaite, Larkdale and Lauderdale Manors Elementary Schools and served as a Graphic Specialist with the Federally Funded Title 1 Reading Center. John also served as president of the Broward County Reading Association and as Chaplain of the Association of Classroom Teachers.

He became a member of Second Presbyterian Church in 1964 where he was a featured baritone soloist for many years.

He was a member of the Nova Singers and performed with them in Europe, Carnegie Hall in New York City and the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. Mr. Broome were always willing to sing for local, state and national programs where he was often asked to sing Negro Spirituals. In his professional musical career he recorded three CD’s of Broadway and Negro Spiritual songs.

Visitation will be Friday, July11 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Roy Mizell & Kurtz Funeral Home, Fort Lauderdale. Funeral Service will be held Saturday, July 12 at 12 noon at First Presbyterian Church of Fort Lauderdale, 401 S.E. 15 Ave.

KIDS TALK ABOUT GOD

How do you entertain an Angel?

By Carey Kinsolving and Friends “Make sure the house is clean and a pot of potatoes is in the oven,” says Alex, 6.

I’m sure Idaho potato farmers will be glad to know that spuds are finally getting the respect they deserve. Alex, you were probably thinking of their white, flaky texture when you selected potatoes as the cuisine of choice for celestial visitors.

The Bible speaks of instances where people entertained strangers who were really angels in human form (Genesis 18, 19 & Hebrews 13:2).

When an angel comes to visit, get out those dancing shoes, says Anissa, 7: “I would dance and dance until I had no more dances to do. Then I would sing the angel’s favorite song.”

King David danced before the ark when it was brought into Jerusalem. His wife was embarrassed, but David didn’t care because he loved the Lord.

“I would let the angel stay the night with me and let him sleep in my bed,” says Erica, 9.

“I would sleep on the floor. I would let him watch whatever show he would like even if I didn’t like it. I would ask him, ‘What is it like in heaven? Is it pretty or fun? What is God like?’”

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Broward County's Oldest and Largest African American Owned and Operated Newspaper

Page 8 • www.thewestsidegazette.com • July 10 - July 16, 2014

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Fundraising Good Times

Grow your talent pool:Recruit people over 55

Freeman - R.L. Macon Funeral Home

Part One of a Two-Part Series

"AN INSTITUTION WITH A SOUL"

By Pearl and Mel Shaw

RICHARD L. MACON

Are you overlooking a valuable pool of prospective employees and volunteers? Are Pearl and Mel Shaw you unknowingly operating from out-dated stereotypes of “senior citizens” and leaving talent sitting on the sidelines?

In today’s lexicon “talent” means college educated individuals ages 25 – 35. Maybe 40. But in our experience that’s a limited definition. Here’s what we know. There are many talented individuals over 55 years old who are unengaged, their talent untapped all to the detriment of the communities they live in, and employers seeking a diverse and experienced workforce. Think about it for a moment: early retirement, buy-outs, downsizing, layoffs, corporate restructuring.These all result in skilled, experienced and well-connected individuals who are no longer part of the work-force. Many have proven themselves over-andover again in the course of their careers. They are up-to-date on technology (despite rampant jokes to the contrary), understand corporate culture, know how to work-to-deadline, mentor, strategize, and innovate. They have been doing it for years!

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

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Debt settlement programs are misleading

rjfl@aol.com

By Charlene Crowell NNPA Columnist

CALL AND HAVE YOUR AD PLACED ON THIS PAGE FOR A DISCOUNTED PRICE, FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES IN THE COMMUNITY CALL -- (954) 525-1489

IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE IN THE WESTSIDE GAZETTE CALL -- (954) 525-1489

You’ve probably heard the advertisements on urban radio urging consumers with at least CROWELL $10,000 in debt to call a number right away for a financial rescue. Promising to end debt troubles by getting creditors to somehow accept less money than what is owed can sound really appealing. In reality, however, consumers mired in debt may often find debt settlement programs to be costly, misleading, and far less helpful than the radio ad promises.

In the newest chapter in the research series titled The State of Lending, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) finds that debt settlement is a risky strategy that can leave consumers more financially vulnerable and still laden with debt years after they enroll in such programs.

Regardless of how well consumers follow the instructions of their debt settlement firm, they may ultimately be unsuccessful because many creditors simply refuse to deal with debt settlement companies.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

July 10 - July 16, 2014 • www.thewestsidegazette.com • Page 9

Broward County's Oldest and Largest African American Owned and Operated Newspaper

Black farmer lobbyist wants piece of Indian deal

John W. Boyd Jr., founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association.

By Matt Volz The president of the National Black Farmers Association says he’s being stiffed by the attorneys behind a $3.4 billion government settlement with Native American landowners who asked him to lobby Con-

gress to fund the payout.

John Boyd, who spent years championing the discrimination claims of tens of thousands of Black farmers, said he took on the task of pressing reluctant lawmakers to pass appropriations legislation in 2010 that included both the Indians’

settlement and the farmers’ own $1.15 billion deal.

He said he did so at the request of the attorneys representing hundreds of thousands Native Americans who said they were swindled out of the royalties owed to them for more than a century of development on land parcels they owned and the government held in trust.

The lawsuit was filed in 1996

by Elouise Cobell of Browning, Montana, who died in 2011.

Boyd complained that the attorneys for the Native American plaintiffs received $99 million from the settlement, but he never saw a dime.

“Email after email they’re asking me to do this work,” Boyd told The Associated Press. “Who in their right mind is going to do all of this work for free? Nobody. This is America.”

Boyd filed an $8 million lawsuit in Superior Court of District Columbia claiming attorney Dennis Gingold and Gingold’s former law firm, Kilpatrick Townsend, unjustly enriched themselves from Boyd’s work and that they breached an implied contract with him.

The Cobell attorneys have

Alphas third annual 'White Party Charity Fundraiser' to benefit Kids in Distress, Inc.

By Ricky Stuart Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. invites you to join them for their Third Annual “White Party Charity Fundraiser” benefiting KID (Kids in Distress, Inc.) on Saturday, Aug. 2 at 8 p.m.

This year’s event will be at 110 Tower’s 7th Floor Outdoor Terrace and Ballroom with a spectacular nighttime view of the Fort Lauderdale skyline.

And it’ll be the first time the Outdoor Terrace has been opened to the public since the 2010 renovation of 110 Tower.

Enjoy complimentary gourmet food and top-shelf beverage service, live entertainment outdoors on the terrace, 50/50 raf-

fle, indoor DJ, a silent auction and great company.

Your donations will go to a most worthy purpose — raising money to help KID prevent child abuse, preserve families, and treat children who’ve been abused, neglected or abandoned in South Florida.

You can get more information and purchase your tickets online by going to “ZetaAlphaLambda.org or e m a i l i n g TheWhiteParty@ZetaAlphaLambda.org.

“Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., develops leaders, promotes brotherhood and academic excellence, while providing service and advocacy for our communities. The Zeta Alpha Lambda Chapter recognizes

that many of the children who receive the services of Kids In Distress are African-American boys. So in furtherance of our mission, the Zeta Alpha Lambda Chapter has partnered with Kids In Distress to help meet the needs of our community and help the at-risk youth in South Florida.

We believe the funds raised by the White Party allow us to help a large group of children in the community. The White Party is a festive atmosphere where people who care about protecting children can gather and support Kids In Distress,” said Keathan B. Frink, Esq., President, Zeta Al-pha Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

moved the case to federal court, where they filed a motion asking a judge to dismiss it. They said Boyd was lobbying for the funding bill’s passage on behalf of the Black farmers, and they had no agreement with Boyd to work for them.

“He claims as an unregistered lobbyist he should be paid for lobbying. As our motion says, we never asked him to do something specific. We asked him

to relay what he was hearing,” said Kilpatrick Townsend general counsel Susan Cahoon.

Boyd’s claims also come too late under the three-year statute of limitations, the Cobell attorneys said in their motion.

The farmers’ claims of discrimination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture were settled around the time an agreement was reached in the Cobell case.

But reaching a deal was only the first step. Congress had to appropriate funding for the settlements, and court documents said White House officials de-

cided to combine the two settlements and other settled claims into one funding bill.

Boyd said Cobell representatives initiated contact with him to lobby on their behalf and then directed him throughout the process to keep up his lobbying efforts. He documented dozens of meetings he had with individual lawmakers, their staffs and White House officials before the Claims Resolution Act passed in December 2010.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

July 10 - July 16, 2014 • www.thewestsidegazette.com • Page 11

Broward County's Oldest and Largest African American Owned and Operated Newspaper

Michelle Howard becomes Navy’s first female four-star admiral

By James Wright The Navy made history recently when it promoted Michelle Howard, an African-American, to be its first female four-star admiral. Howard received the promotion in a ceremony presided over by U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at the Arlington National Cemetery. Howard, 54, a 1982 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, is the first Black

woman to command a ship, the USS Rushmore.

In her acceptance speech, she said that “willingness to step up and contribute to a noble cause in your life is a sign of true selflessness.” “Our sailors and Marines are this legacy,” Howard said. “They are volunteers, and with every mission, they demonstrated our core values, values our founders would have understood — courage, honor, commitment.”

Howard, who received her master’s degree in Military Arts

and Sciences from the Army’s Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is the first black woman to achieve three-star rank in the U.S. Armed Forces and is the first woman to achieve the rank of admiral in the Navy.

She is also the first black and first female vice chief for Naval Operations. NAACP board chair Roslyn Brock, who honored Howard last year with the organization’s Chairman’s Award, lauded the promotion.

“As the first female four-star

NNPA presents Willie Brown with LegacyAward

HOWARD officer in the Navy’s 236-yearhistory, Admiral Howard inspires us all,” Brock said. “Her accomplishments over a 30year career in the military are a testament to the power of strategic thinking, deep knowledge and hard work... It is a distinct pleasure to again recognize Admiral Howard for her leadership and service to our nation.”

Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and Sun-Reporter Publisher Amelia AshleyWard shares a laugh with Brown as NNPA Chairman Cloves Campbell looks on.

(Photo by Worsom Robinson) PORTLAND, OR (NNPA) – Former San Francis-co mayor and Democratic pow-erbroker Willie Brown received the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) prestigious Legacy Award last week for his distinguished public service.

The award was presented to Brown at the NNPA’s annual convention here.

After recounting his days as a paperboy for the Bay area’ s Sun-Reporter, Brown said, “Your role in the African American community is unparalleled.”

He said today, as in the past, Black readers rely on the Black Press more than white-owned publications. He said discussions in local barber and beauty shops center on what was published in that week’s Black newspapers.

“They don’t read the other papers first – they don’t believe them,” said Brown, who served 15 years as speaker of the California Assembly before serving as mayor. “You represent the source of inspiration, the sense of accuracy.”

Even though he is out of office, Brown is helping avert a transit strike in San Francisco and returned there shortly after accepting the award.

“Mayor Willie Brown’s name is synonymous with excellence,” NNPA Chairman Cloves Campbell, publisher of the Arizona Informant, said prior to the ceremony. “He spent three decades in the California State Assembly – half of that time as speaker – forging coalitions and working tirelessly on behalf of Blacks and other disadvantaged groups.”

Born in the small East Texas town of Mineola in 1934 during the Jim Crow era, Brown moved to California at the age of 17 to live with an uncle. He worked his way through San Francisco State University, graduating with a degree in liberal studies and earned a law degree from the University of California. Along the way, he held a variety of jobs, including working as a janitor and as a doorman to pay for his education.

He was elected to the California Assembly in 1964 and rose to speaker in 1980, a position he maintained until 1995.

No speaker served as long before Brown and thanks to a 1990 term limitations law, none are likely to serve as long in the future. In 1996, Brown won the first of two terms as mayor of San Francisco.

Brown was one of the most powerful speakers in the history of California, nicknaming himself the “Ayatollah of the Assembly.” But even the “Ayatollah” was not invincible. While a state lawmaker, he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a heredity disease characterized by a gradual loss of peripheral vision, sometimes resulting in blindness.

He has not let the disease limit his activities, working as a radio host and making several

cameo movie appearances. His reputation extended far beyond California. He was as wellknown for his flamboyant style of dress as his political clout.

Some days he would change

clothes three or four times. Many of his tailored suits were made in Europe and he capped off his fastidious dress with hats. He was a target of several FBI stings, none of them successful.

HIV / AIDS - A perspective

By Mehjabeen Poonawala, Ph D AIDS is caused by the Human immunode ficiency virus (HIV), which damages the body’s defense system. People infected with HIV usually live for years without any signs of the disease. They may look and feel healthy, but they can still pass on the virus to others.

HIV is a retrovirus with two primary types: HIV1 and HIV2. There are many strains of both types and all mutate rapidly, which has made it particularly difficult for researchers to find an effective vaccine or treatment for the virus. HIV infection is often mostly or entirely asymptomatic (without symptoms) and the most common signs, which include fever, fatigue, rash, and lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes), are often mistaken for mononucleosis, flu, or similar, comparatively harmless diseases.

AIDS is the late stage of HIV infection. People who have AIDS grow weaker because their bodies lose the ability to fight off illness. In adults, AIDS develops seven to 10 years after infection, on an average. In young children, it usually develops much faster.

It is not possible to get HIV /AIDS from touching those who are infected. Hugging, shaking hands, coughing and sneezing will not spread the disease. HIV /AIDS cannot be transmitted through toilet seats, telephones, plates, glasses, eating utensils, towels, bed linen, swimming pools or public baths.

AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is an incurable but preventable disease. HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), the virus that cause AIDS, spreads through unprotected sex (intercourse without a condom), transfusions of unscreened blood, contaminated needles and syringes (most often those used for injecting drugs) and from an infected woman to her child during pregnancy, childbirth and breast feeding.

All people, including children, are at a risk for HIV/AIDS. Everyone needs information and education about the disease and access to condoms to reduce this risk.

Anyone who suspects that he or she might be infected with HIV should contact a health worker or an HIV/AIDS center to receive confidential counseling and testing.

The risk of getting HIV through sex can be reduced if people don’t have sex, if they reduce the number of sex partners, if uninfected partners have sex only with each other, or if people have safer sex- sex without penetration or while using a condom. Correct and consistent use of condoms can save lives by preventing the spread of HIV. Girls are especially vulnerable to HIV infection and need support to protect against unwanted and unsafe sex.

Parents and teachers can help young people protect themselves from HIV /AIDS by talking with them about how to avoid getting and spreading the disease, including the correct and consistent use of male or female condoms.

HIV infection can be passed from a mother to her child during pregnancy or childbirth or through breastfeeding. Pregnant women or new mothers who are infected with HIV, or suspect that they are infected, should consult a qualified health worker to seek testing and counseling.

Unsterilized needles or syringes, most often those used for injecting drugs, can spread HIV. Used razor blades, knives or tools that cut or pierce the skin also carry some risk of spreading HIV. People who have a sexually transmitted infection (STI) are at a greater risk of getting HIV and of spreading HIV to others. People with STIs should seek prompt treatment and avoid sexual intercourse or practice safer sex.

NUTRITION AND AIDS Consuming a balanced diet lessens the impact but does not cure the disease, whereas poor nutritional status definitely contributes to onset of symptoms such as body wasting and fever.

All persons with HIV infections and AIDS need early ongoing medical nutrition therapy. The goal should be to educate individuals about the importance of consuming a well- balanced diet, to provide adequate nutrition for maintenance or improvement in the nutritional status and to prevent protein-energy malnutrition and vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

A royal diadem in the hands of the Lord 8:15 a.m., during our Early Morning Worship Service, to honor this great servant of God. Our very special guest for this service will be Mayor Barbara Sharief, Mayor of Broward County. Other clergymen and local politicians will also be in

Dr. Willett L. Mitchell, Senior Pastor Come enjoy a time of jubilation with the Judah Worship Word Ministries International church family, 4441 W. Sunrise Blvd., Plantation, Fla., as we show appreciation to our Senior Pastor and God’s anointed vessel, Dr. Willett L.

Mayor Barbara Sharief Mitchell, who has been teaching kingdom principles for 41 years.

An uplifting service has been planned for Sunday, July 20 at

attendance at this celebration.

You don’t want to miss this great event.

Everyone is cordially invited to attend. Refreshments will be served after the service. For more information contact the church office at (954) 791-2999.

Page 12 • www.thewestsidegazette.com • July 10 - July 16, 2014

Broward County's Oldest and Largest African American Owned and Operated Newspaper