PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL 33310
PERMIT NO. 1179
VOL. 47 NO. 4 50¢
THURSDAY, MARCH 1 - MARCH 7, 2018
LOCAL
Fifty-One Senators and 233 House Members Flunk on Civil Rights BALTIMORE – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), America’s premier civil rights organization, has released its Civil Rights Federal Legislative Report Card for the first session of the 115th Congress (Jan. 3, 2017 – Dec. 22, 2017). Since 1914, the NAACP has published a report card assessing the voting patterns of each member of Congress on critical civil rights legislation. The 2017 Legislative Report Card assigns each member of Congress a letter grade (on a scale of A to F) for his or her voting record on “bread and butter” civil rights legislation during each session of Congress. Forty-four Senators received an “A” grade, four received (Cont’d on page 10)
“On 02/08/18 my daughter and I attended an event 50 years later commemorating the death of my brother and two other students shot and killed on campus at South Carolina State University. Needless to say-returning six days later on Valentine’s Day hearing the news of students at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas being shot down. Imagining the pain and suffering of the families what they are going through as my family. No family should suffer the loss of a love one by way of gun violence. NO FAMILY SHOULD SEND THEIR LOVE ONE TO SCHOOL AND RECEIVE A CALL THEY ARE DECEASED.” Samuel Hammond of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Zenobbie H. Clark “My thoughts about the MSD Shooting is one of hurt and sadness! No child should have to go to school worrying about whether or not they will return home
GLOVER
LINDO By Candace Montague
SEE VIDEO ON OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.THEWESTSIDEGAZETTE.COM By Byler Henry
Roses were laid around the memorial on the 50th anniversary. because someone decides to “shoot up a school” and no parent should have to bury a child ; as my parents had to, 50 years ago! Why wasn’t there outrage about the three young men that were gunned down on the campus of South Carolina State University in 1968? As with MSD
(Black PR Wire) NEW YORK, N.Y — Leadership development, mentoring, and Rites of Passage are the focuses of the new From the Fire: Leadership Academy for Young Men on July 22-Aug. 3, 2018. Operated by At the Well Conferences, Inc.; a provider of events for teens since 2009. The inaugural two-week boarding program at Princeton University is designed for young men of color in the ninth, tenth or eleventh grades of high school. Danny Glover The Program Chair is the actor and director Delroy Lindo. He has provided memorable performances in films such as The Cider House Rules, Heist, Clockers, Crooklyn, Malcolm X, and Ransom. Lindo’s passion for the plight of minority boys is leading the actor to take an active role in the program’s development. Lindo states, “My hope is that the experience of From the Fire
High School, those three young me and the 27 other students who were injured did nothing to provoke the National Guardsmen. Was it because it was the 60’s and it was during the Civil Rights Era and Dr King wasn’t involved or was it because Black (Cont’d on page 12)
will give students a boost to take the next steps in whatever goals they have planned for their lives.” The keynote speaker is actor, producer, and humanitarian Danny Glover. Glover has been a commanding presence on screen, stage, and television for more than 25 years. Additional speakers include former NBA stars Charlie Ward and Jason Richardson, Honorable Ras J. Baraka, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, artist Hank Willis Thomas, attorney Kevin Harden, and music professor Aaron Dworkin. From the Fire’s curriculum and programming is research-based and designed by educators and leaders with decades of experience in young adult education and social change activism. It is rooted in the spiritual and intellectual traditions forged in the justice struggles of African Americans. The Leadership (Cont’d on page 10)
Y.A.
Black pharmacists from Duval County were among the participants at the Florida PrEP Institute. On Jan. 10, 2018, the Florida Department of health took action to encourage more medical professionals in the state to prescribed pre-exposure pro-phylaxis (PrEP) when it invited experts from San Franciso’s Department of Public Health (SFDPH) to conduct the Florida PrEP Institute -- training about PrEP Ifor state and local health professionals as well as communitybased organizations. (Cont’d on page 5)
By Nichole Richards Pompano Beach, FL - If there is one positive takeaway from the last two weeks it would the undeniable power of youth voice. The tragic shooting at Stoneman Douglas has forced the world to acknowledge it. It would be difficult not to feel convicted by the courage and clarity from these teenagers as they speak truth to power and demand long overdue change. Despite the different serious debates and implications (namely racial) one can justifiable make, one thing is for certain: children can be awe-inspiring. On February 24th, one such inspirational youth graced the stage at Pompano Beach’s Historic Ali Cultural Arts Center, emphasizing that greatness can
On February 14 in one of the deadliest school massacres seventeen people were killed, three staff members and fourteen students. Mt. Hermon AME Church put on a candlelight memorial for the seventeen victims, which also touched on the topic of ending gun violence. There were seventeen candles lit and a moment of silence to remember the victims: Alyssa Alhadeff, 14, Scott Beigel, 35, Martin Duque Anguiano, 14, Nicholas Dworet, 17, Aaron Feis, 37, Jaime Guttenberg, 14, Chris Hixon, 49, Luke Hoyer, 15, Cara Loughran, 14, Gina Montalto, 14, Joaquin Oliver, 17, Alaina Petty, 14, Meadow Pollack, 18, Helena Ramsay, 17, Alex Schachter, 14, Carmen Schentrup, 16, and Peter Wang, 15. Reverend Henry E. Green Jr., was one of the first to speak at the podium. “The students of Stoneman Douglas High School, friends and classmates have been mercilessly murdered. We know senseless gun related tragedies first hand in the AME church, with the loss of life at Emanuel AME Church where several parishioners were killed in a prayer meeting. We mourn the mass murders of worshipers in churches and schools across the nation.” Dylann Roof murdered nine members of the church. Many other reverends from different churches took the podium to speak. Rev. Dr. Brett Opalinski from the United Methodist Church spoke about being tired of having to speak under these circumstances. “I have to tell you I’m tired. I’m tired of speaking at events like this, there’s been too many these last few years, Charleston, Orlando, Parkland.” In 2016, Omar Mateen shot in an Orlando nightclub and murdered 49 people. After a standoff with the Orlando Police (Cont’d on page 5)
84°
Thursday Mar. 1ST
come at any age. For one night only, Matthew Whitaker, the world-renowned teen prodigy from Hackensack, New Jersey, gave a spectacular jazz performance. His second time at The Ali, Matthew is a highly talented, critically acclaimed pianist, percussionist, organist, who has travelled the world performing (Cont’d on page 12)
Sunny
Sunrise: 6:44am
Sunset: 6:22pm
Fri
Sat
Sun
Mon
Tues
85° 64°
76° 59°
74° 60°
75° 62°
78° 65°