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Trump’s EPA awards Flint $100 million for water crisis By Lauren Victoria Burke (NNPA Newswire Contributor) Buried in the 24-hour news cycle of Russian conspiracies, presidential tweets, and White House nepotism, the Trump Administration found the time to set aside $100 million for the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Mich. According to a press release about the grant, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) $100 million to fund drinking water infrastructure upgrades in Flint. The press release said that “The funding, provided by the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act of 2016, or WIIN, enables Flint to accelerate and expand its work to replace lead service lines and make other critical infrastructure improvements.”
In the statement, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said that the people of Flint and all Americans deserve a more responsive federal government. “EPA will especially focus on helping Michigan improve Flint’s water infrastructure as part of our larger goal of improving America’s water infrastructure,” said Pruitt. During a March 22 meeting at the White House with seven members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.), said that she and President Trump spoke about assistance for Flint. “He said he thought it was awful and criminal…I was surprised he understood how that happened,” said Lawrence, who represents parts of Detroit. The congresswoman added that the president also wanted to know who was responsible for the lead in Flint’s water. (Cont'd on Page 3)
Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said that the EPA grant will help her administration replace 6,000 pipes this year and make other needed infrastructure improvements. (Wikimedia Commons)
Wells Fargo Bank suffers another loss
Following a series of high profile lawsuits and allegations of misconduct, the embattled Wells Fargo Bank just suffered another loss in the form of a rating downgrade. Late last month, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency downgraded Wells Fargo’s rating from an “Outstanding” to a “Needs to Improve” rating.
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is an independent government agency within the U.S. Treasury Department that supervises all banks and federal savings associations. The downgrade comes on the heels of an agreement by Wells Fargo Bank to pay $110 million to settle a class action suit involving customers, who discovered that the bank opened fake accounts in their names. (Cont'd on Page 3)
By Devin Heflin, Orlando Times Staff Writer & Louis C. Ward, Orlando Times Contributing Writer
Hundreds rally at Capitol in support of embattled Aramis Ayala. (Photo credit Florida Politics) Loyd’s initial evasion of capture led to week long manhunt,
Pleading Our Own Cause
I was trying to understand why was it so difficult for me to continue my exercising program when I know how important it is to my health. No one has to tell me not to over indulge on starches or to limit my intake on the consumptions of fried pork chop OR, greasy collard greens with a chunk of cracklin cornbread, all of which can be washed down with some good ole sweet ice tea. I know most of the possible outcomes-and they ain’t all that good either. However, I still find myself wrestling with my obligated duty of staying committed to keeping what little bit I have in some semblance of shape. I would hate to have to depend upon hindsight (the capacity to be aware of, subsequent to something that has come to pass) because I don’t know of anyone who has beaten that six foot hold in the ground other than God-Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and having a conversation with the Trinity is not on my immediate to do list. (Cont'd on Page 5)
Racial bias is a problem in doctors’ offices
Late last month, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency downgraded Wells Fargo’s rating from an “Outstanding” to a “Needs to Improve” rating. (Freddie Allen/AMG/NNPA)
Organizations rally to protest governor at State Capital CENTRAL FLORIDA Organizations across the state of Florida are coming together in Florida’s capital to protest the now two week old removal of State Attorney Aramis Ayala by the state’s Governor, Rick Scott. Scott’s decision to remove Ayala in place of Lake County based State Attorney Brad King has generated debate on both the legality and constitutionality of Scott’s executive powers as Governor. Ayala refused to seek the death penalty for Markeith Loyd, who is alleged to have murdered his pregnant exgirlfriend Sade Dixon and Orlando Police officer Deborah Clayton, in two separate incidents, two months apart.
“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” Colossians 3:23-24 (NASB) By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.
Another one: Wells Fargo Bank just got downgraded By Dr. John E. Warren (San Diego Voice and Viewpoint/NNPA Member)
When commitments work
which culminated in his capture on Jan.16, 2017.
WWW.
State Attorney Ayala has stated in previous interviews that she will not pursue the death penalty for any cases. Ayala, 41, is a former prosecutor with the ninth judicial court and is a former public defender. A Saginaw, Michigan native, Ayala graduated from the University of Central Florida, the University of Michigan and the University of Detroit, Mercy School of Law. She defeated State Attorney Jeff Ashton on Nov.9, 2016 to become the sunshine state’s first Black State Attorney. Florida law at current stipulates that Ayala is within her prosecutorial rights to not decide on a capital punishment for murder. The Florida Constitution leaves the discretion up to the State Attorney. (Cont'd on Page 10)
Black gay men are more likely to distrust the medical establishment — and to have higher rates of undiagnosed infections. Terrance Moore couldn’t breathe — just a few steps left, the 23-year-old struggling for air. His doctor in Washington D.C., had previously diagnosed him with bronchitis, but the problem persisted. When he returned for a follow-up appointment to ask about his shortness of breath, he was told to just keep taking penicillin. Something didn’t seem right, so Moore left the doctor’s office and headed to the ER. There, a full two months after he started showing symptoms, he learned he was HIV positive — and that the virus had damaged his immune symptoms, so much that he had AIDS and pneumonia, an opportunistic infection. A new doctor put him on medication, but it made him sick. And when he complained, he was essentially told to suck it up. Nobody explained there were other drugs on the market that
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he might be able to tolerate, he says. Internal bias isn’t just a problem with the police—it’s also an issue at hospitals. That was in 2001. Moore, a Black gay man, now understands the odds were stacked against him. According to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about half of all Black men who have sex with men will be diagnosed with HIV during their lifetime, compared with one in 11 white men who have sex with men. But Black gay men are less likely to be aware of their HIV status. According to one study, they’re six times more likely to have an undiagnosed HIV infection and 60 percent less likely to receive treatment, which means their condition is more likely to deteriorate and they’re more likely to pass on the virus to other Black men they date. (Cont'd on Page 10) MEMBER: National Newspaper Publishers Association ( NNPA), and Southeastern African-American Publishers Association (SAAPA) Florida Association of Black Owned Media (FABOM)
PAGE 2 • APRIL 13 - APRIL 19, 2017
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Parental Involvement Essential for ESSA Parental engagement key to success for 'Every Student Succeeds Act' By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA Newswire Contributor) According to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), President Barack Obama’s education law, states and local school districts are required to intervene in the lowest-performing schools, including those that serve low-income children and minorities. That requirement has educators, parents and community stakeholders searching for innovative strategies to fulfill the mandate, as the law begins to take effect next school year. “Interventions can be anything from changing the principal or some of the personnel to closing the schools, converting them to charter schools or transferring the students to better schools,” said Marilyn Rhames, a 2016 Surge Institute Fellow, parent of three school-aged
children and an alumni support manager at a K-8 charter school in Chicago. Rhames and other parents, who also work in education and in organizations like the National Black Parents Association (NBPA), said that, historically, school officials tend to make cosmetic changes that don’t necessarily address the problems; parents might find this frustratingly ineffective. Rhames continued: “It’s not clear which path states will take right now but, historically, they’ve not closed many schools.” Further, history has shown that, without pressure from parents, schools don’t always provide the right instruction or atmosphere for children of color and the ESSA law should help to ease that problem, said Andrea Flake, a mother of four K12 students. Flake is a member in the northeast chapter of the
NBPA. “The more we know the truth about what is going on in the classroom, we, as parents, can band together and put the proper pressure on educators to make sure our kids are getting what they need and certainly what they deserve,” Flake said. ESSA promises to advance equity by upholding critical protections for America’s disadvantaged, high-need, and minority students, said Dr. Allen Lipscomb, a professor at the College of Social & Behavioral Science at Cal State University Northridge. “Addressing not only academic needs, but mental health needs and what trauma looks like…these identity markers play a crucial role in students’ ability to succeed,” Lipscomb said. (Cont'd on Page 10)
President Barack Obama signs S. 1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), during a bill a signing ceremony in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building South Court Auditorium on Dec. 10, 2015. (Amanda Lucidon/Official White House Photo)
Ayala’s position on the Death Penalty is death penalty. But, let’s say her views still a hot topic changed. After receiving $1.4 By Rhetta Peoples
Last week, there was a rally supporting Aramis Ayala in Tallahassee and a press conference held by victims of violent crimes and law enforcement. Both were sparked by the State Attorney’s decision to not pursue the death penalty in any case in Orange and Osceola counties which are located in Florida, a state that lawfully uses the death penalty to punish those guilty of heinous crimes. We, as a unit, are fighting about where to fight. Some say we should be standing with Ayala and if you’re not, you’re called a sell-out. Others say we should be following the letter of the law. As Black people, we march and take to the streets, the capitol or anywhere else we see fit. We have that right to be able to peaceably assemble. But what really are supporters of Aramis Ayala marching for? I’ve heard they are marching to protest the death penalty and Ayala’s decision to not enforce it. The fact of the matter is the death penalty is already legal in this state and Ayala’s decision to not enforce it is unlawful. Color of Change was a part of the movement and helped to provide petitions showing Floridians are against the death penalty. Unfortunately, many of those petitions aren’t from Florida residents. Ayala spent over a million dollars pleading her case to a small portion of Orange and Osceola Counties to win the seat of state attorney after she disenfranchised Republicans, Independents, Libertarians and NPAs by dumping a write-in candidate into the race. With all those ad dollars coming in, never once did she use the airwaves, online or print media to tell voters her position on the death penalty. Do you think that was just by happenstance or because no one asked her? On the flip-side, when she was an assistant state attorney, she had no qualms about the death penalty. She was even excited to try her first homicide case.
State Attorney Ayala Prosecutors should be questioned extensively about their position on the death penalty, and I believe most are questioned when they are being interviewed for the position. Someone who is uncomfortable with the death penalty would likely not be suited as a homicide prosecutor nor would they be rising through the ranks as she did in Jeff Ashton’s office if she were anti-
million dollars in campaign money from a billionaire donor named George Soros, who is an anti-death penalty proponent, her decision to not seek the death penalty is being questioned, and rightfully so. Let’s get one thing straight. As state attorney, Ayala does have prosecutorial discretion. She used that when she decided not to seek death against Markeith Loyd, who police say killed his pregnant ex-girlfriend and Officer Debra Clayton. Governor Scott removed her from the Loyd case and assigned State Attorney Brad King from the Fifth Judicial Circuit in Florida. The Governor’s reasoning to do so is absolutely on point. (Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)
Dining Out For Life, international Fundraising and Food Event, to support Broward House locally set for April 27
Help make a difference by simply enjoying a meal with family or friends during Dining Out For Life® hosted by Subaru®, a delicious event to be held Thursday, April 27. The annual event is magnificent in its simplicity: Dine at one of the 3,000 participating restaurants in more than 50 cities across North America and that restaurant will donate a generous portion of the day’s proceeds to fund HIV/AIDS care, prevention, education, testing, counseling and other essential services in their city. 2017 marks the fifth consecutive year that Broward House will be the local host/beneficiary organization. Broward County’s longest-serving and largest HIV/AIDS service organization, Broward House, had more than 8,000 contacts with individuals through their prevention/edu-
Pam Grier cation, testing, case management, assisted and independent living programs and their counseling and substance abuse treatment programs in 2016. Broward House President and CEO Stacy Hyde states, “We invite everyone to go out and eat at one of our generous restaurant partners on April 27th and support our mission to provide care and prevent HIV. We currently have 21 committed and invite more restaurants to participate” Volunteer spokespeople include Ted Allen, host of Food Network’s Chopped, actor Pam Grier (Foxy Brown, Jackie Brown), designer Mondo Guerra, winner of Lifetime’s Project Runway All-Stars, and chef Daisy Martinez from Food Network’s Viva Daisy! “I love working with (Dining Out For Life) because it’s just such a cool, very low overhead operation that raises more than $4 million for American HIV and AIDS service organizations in a single day… It also helps restaurants and chefs get new people coming in to try what they’re doing. It just seems like such a win-win-win for everybody,” says Ted Allen (HIV Plus Magazine, April 2015). “We have been the host sponsor of Dining Out For Life for more than a decade; however, the struggle to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues on. Subaru is proud to be part of an event that spreads awareness for such a worthy cause and also encourages people to support those who need it most in their local communities.” said Alan Bethke, vice president of marketing, Subaru of America, Inc.
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APRIL 13 - APRIL 19, 2017 • PAGE 3
New PACs focus on getting more Blacks into politics By Lauren Victoria Burke (NNPA Newswire Contributor) In the aftermath of formerSecretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s crushing defeat last November, a number of groups were launched to encourage greater political participation among young people, women and minorities. Recently, the Milk River PAC hosted a dialogue on the impact of women in politics that featured Rep. Yvette Clarke (DN.Y.) and political commentator Ana Navarro. “PAC” is a common acronym for political action
committee, an independent group that raises money to support candidates and issues related to their constituents. The goal of Milk River PAC is to inspire more African American women to run for Congress. Along with The Collective, Democracy in Color and Higher Heights, the Milk River PAC is another effort focused on galvanizing support behind people of color running for office. Milk River PAC and Higher Heights are specifically focused on Black women. Black women voted at higher rates than any
other demographic group in America during the 2008 presidential election cycle. Harnessing that political power is one of the many challenges that the groups hope to address at a time when Republicans control the United States Congress, the White House and most state legislatures. The specific goal of Higher Heights is to “identify, educate, and engage Black women across the socio-economic spectrum to elect Black women, influence elections and move public policy.”
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Br owar d County in Partnership Browar oward with Buffalo Wild Wings to host Community Day
BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA — On April 19, 2017, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County and Buffalo Wild Wings® invite Broward County community members to visit the restaurant to join in the Community Day celebrations and help raise funds. As a part of the Team Up for Kids® mission, the restaurant will donate 10 percent of total sales that day along with 100 percent of all Guest donations made.
“Thanks to the support of Buffalo Wild Wings, we have the funds and resources needed to bring quality sports based experiences to youth in Broward County.” said Brian Quail, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County. Buffalo Wild Wings’ Team Up for Kids mission and partnership with Boys & Girls Club of America (BGCA) supports youth sports through ALL STARS grants for flag or tackle football, basketball, cheer, dance, step, and soccer teams at Boys & Girls Clubs across the country. In additional to the more than $730,000 raised on Community Day 2016, Buffalo Wild Wings’ partnership enabled over 88,000 youth to participate on teams. The company
Trump’s EPA awards Flint $100 million for to reach our goal of replacing water crisis (Cont'd from FP) After the EPA announced the news, Flint Mayor Karen Weaver expressed appreciation for the funds. “The City of Flint being awarded a grant of this magnitude in such a critical time of need will be a huge benefit,” Weaver said in a statement. “As we prepare to start the next phase of the FAST Start pipe replacement program, these funds will give us what we need
6,000 pipes this year and make other needed infrastructure improvements.” Weaver continued: “We look forward to the continued support of the EPA and federal government.” Additionally on March 28, a U.S. District Court settlement was announced, forcing the state of Michigan to set aside $97 million to replace defective water lines in Flint. The settlement money will cover 18,000 homes in the city by the year 2020.
also awarded grants to hundreds of Clubs across the country. In total, Buffalo Wild Wings, along with its guests, donated more than $4.1 million to BGCA in 2016. “Buffalo Wild Wings is committed to helping bring youth sports into the lives of every kid who wishes to play. Our annual community day allows us to further that mission by supporting local clubs where we do business” said Justin Ellis, GM, Buffalo Wild Wings Coral Springs, Fla Boys & Girls Clubs of America believes that all children and teens deserve a great future. With Partners like Buffalo Wild Wings, Clubs and supporters are working to mobilize communities around the critical issues facing youth in their neighborhood. Thanks to Buffalo Wild Wings, the ALL STARS program motivates kids to lead a healthy lifestyle through team sports while building good sportsmanship and self-esteem for Club kids. To support the Team Up for Kids initiative, visit www.buffalowildwings.com/ giving or BGCA online.
In the wake of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s stunning defeat in the 2016 presidential election, a number of groups were launched to encourage greater political participation among young people, women and minorities. (Freddie Allen/AMG/NNPA) During the discussion hosted by Milk River PAC with Rep. Clarke and Navarro, issues around the changing demographics in America and the impact of Black women in politics were the main focus. According to demographic trends and national poll predictions, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton should have easily defeated real estate mogul Donald Trump. Clinton won the popular vote by 2.8
million votes, but lost the Electoral College vote (227-304), sending Donald Trump to the White House. In the post-Obama era, efforts to advance African Americans into elected office appear to be picking up steam. On March 29, new Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Tom Perez asked for all staffers currently at the DNC to hand in their resignations. A massive re-organization is ex-
pected after Perez barely won the DNC chairmanship over progressive challenger Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.). For years, members of the Congressional Black Caucus and others have challenged the DNC on its lack of hiring of Black vendors and consultants as the party continued to use the same consultants and staff against a backdrop of historic losses over the last ten years. The Indivisible Movement, started by former congressional staffers, has risen to re-energize civic engagement in the wake of President Donald Trump’s election, in the same way the Republican Tea Party rose to power following President Obama’s election in 2008. Town halls focused on health care and the direction President Trump is taking policy have given rise to efforts to focus on the next major set of federal elections in 2018. But there are also several test races coming up that should provide a clue as to whether the recent energy among Democrats and others who oppose President Trump’s agenda is real.
AAHU Fellow Quintin Stroud: We need more trained leaders in Black communities
Another one: Wells Fargo Bank just got downgraded (Cont'd from FP The amount might seem small compared to the revelation last September that the bank had opened over two million fake accounts in customers’ names without their permission. In September 2016, Wells Fargo agreed to pay $185 million in fines and penalties and to refund customers $5 million. The latest settlement covers at least 10 other lawsuits. “These payouts are on top of the $3.2 million Wells Fargo has paid to customers on over 130,000 potentially unauthorized accounts or services,” CNNMoney reported. “That works out to a refund of roughly $25 per account.” The closer one looks at Wells Fargo’s practices, the further back the bank’s problems go. According to a September 2016 article by CNNMoney, “six former Wells Fargo employees filed a class action lawsuit in federal court against the bank seeking $7.2 billion or more for workers who were fired or demoted after refusing to open fake accounts.” CNNMoney article continued: “The federal class action suit accuses Wells Fargo of orchestrating a ‘fraudulent scheme’ to boost its stock price that forced employees to ‘choose between keeping their jobs and opening unauthorized accounts.’” Some of the legal allegations arising from the case include wrongful termination, violations involving the California labor code, and failure to pay wages and other charges. “The suit represents California employees who worked at Wells Fargo in the past 10 years or who continue to work there and were fired, demoted or forced to resign due to not meeting their sales quotas,” CNNMoney reported. Another federal class action involving the beleaguered bank, alleged that Wells Fargo
violated the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and a section of Sarbanes-Oxley Act, that prohibits retaliation against whistleblowers. That lawsuit also alleged that the bank violated the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act covering hours of work. These lawsuits paint a far different picture than the one Wells Fargo offered when it fired more than 5,000 employees, after the bank’s own investigation into the fake accounts. The mass firings suggested that the employees, who were terminated, opened the fake bank accounts on their own and without the bank’s knowledge or participation. The class action lawsuits involving former bank employees shed light on a shadowy pattern of practices that can’t be explained away as a handful of rogue tellers working on their own to defraud customers. In recent years, Wells Fargo has also received fines for misconduct in their mortgage lending division. On April 8, 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a press release citing Wells Fargo’s agreement to pay $1.2 billion for improper mortgage lending practices. According to the press release, Wells Fargo “admitted, acknowledged and accepted responsibility for, among other things, certifying to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), during the period from May 2001 through December 2008, that certain residential home mortgage loans were eligible for FHA insurance when in fact they were not, resulting in the Government having to pay FHA insurance claims when some of those loans defaulted.” The settlement was approved by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on April 8, 2016. In the Justice Department’s press release about Wells Fargo’s $1.2 billion settlement, then-HUD Secretary Julián
Castro said that the Obama Administration was committed to holding lenders accountable for their lending practices. “The $1.2 billion settlement with Wells Fargo is the largest recovery for loan origination violations in FHA’s history,” said Castro. “Yet, this monetary figure can never truly make up for the countless families that lost homes as a result of poor lending practices.” In the same press release, then-U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara for the Southern District of New York, said that Wells Fargo took advantage of the FHA mortgage insurance program that was designed to help millions of Americans realize the dream of home ownership and wrote thousands and thousands of faulty loans. “Driven to maximize profits, Wells Fargo employed shoddy underwriting practices to drive up loan volume at the expense of loan quality,” Bharara said in the Justice Department’s statement. Bharara continued: “Even though Wells Fargo identified through internal quality assurance reviews thousands of problematic loans, the bank decided not to report them to HUD. As a result, while Wells Fargo enjoyed huge profits from its FHA loan business, the government was left holding the bag when the bad loans went bust.” MSN Money reported that “shares of Wells Fargo gained only 2.9 percent in the last two years, significantly underperforming” the 22.8 percent growth expected by some analysts. According to MSN Money, “the primary reason for this underperformance is the substantial plunge in shares following the September lawsuit settlement.” The San Diego Voice and Viewpoint is a member publication of the National Newspaper Publishers Association. Learn more about becoming a member at www.nnpa.org.
Jeffrey Klausner, M.D., Professor of Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases and the Program in Global Health, UCLA; Ouinton Stroud and Phil Wilson, president and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute. One in a series about recent graduates of the African American HIV University (AAHU) Thirty years ago, Quintin Stroud was fearful. He had just been diagnosed with HIV and was afraid to seek medical treatment because everyone he knew who had taken the antiretroviral medication azidothymidine (AZT) had ended up dead. He didn’t trust the medication at all. It wasn’t until years later, with the encouragement of his friends, that he finally went to see a doctor. Today Stroud is healthy and thriving and urges anyone newly diagnosed with HIV to get medical care immediately. “I tell them that they can live a long, productive life,” he says. “And don’t give up on any of your dreams.” He certainly has not given up on his. Now 53, Stroud has dedicated his life to fighting HIV/AIDS, but the road was far from easy. In addition to being HIV positive, Stroud had been addicted to drugs, and left his job as a millwright at the Ford Motor Co. after 12 years. “I had developed behavioral issues with addiction and tried to figure out what to do next with my life,” he says. Stroud got clean and started volunteering in the infectious-disease clinic at Wayne State University in Detroit. There, he helped develop the community advisory board and the peer navigator program. Eventually Stroud got a fulltime job as a peer navigator at the Wayne State University Physician Group, where he worked in the infectious-disease
clinic, talking both to newly infected HIV patients and people who had been living with HIV longer and were having medication-adherence problems . A Sense of Purpose and Urgency It was during his tenure at Wayne State that Stroud came across information about AAHU and the Black AIDS Institute. “I suggested the training to our clinical supervisor, but at the time we had a funding restriction and we didn’t think we could do it. A few years later, they asked me if I had ever heard of AAHU, and they handed me some literature about it,” he remembers. “I said yes and pulled up the email that I sent to them two years ago about the program. So they decided it was finally a good idea, and I applied.” Completing the training was life-altering for Stroud. “AAHU changed me. It was really amazing. There was so much information in the boot camp about understanding the disease. I got an in-depth look at the systematic problems Blacks have with health disparities,” he says. “We had some concrete evidence-based information to bring back to our communities. We learned how to talk to people when they start spewing off crazy myths and give them the facts! That was really helpful.” Stroud also realized AAHU’s significance. “As I went through it, my sense of purpose and the urgency for more people to go through this program became more evident,” he says. “AAHU is important for the Black community because we do not have
enough trained leaders or people who understand the science and have some type of credential behind them that gives them some validity.” Kick-Starting Conversations In March 2016, after eight years at Wayne State, Stroud left to become a peer-support specialist at Adult Well-Being Services (AWBS), a non-profit whose work enhances the health and wellness of people of all ages by advocating for them and providing comprehensive services, as well as family and community support. AWBS has an integrated-care clinic onsite and helps people with mental-health issues, those who need substance-abuse treatment and the developmentally disabled. Stroud, who is also a certified recovery coach, works on the AWBS Collaborate and Prevent HIV program, where he does testing and counseling and provides information about HIV and hepatitis C. He is thankful for his AAHU training and credentials and plans to advance within the HIV/AIDS field. In five years he hopes to have a local BTAN chapter up and running. “I would like to work on housing needs for people who are HIV positive and provide more education to the community about the truth about HIV and about PrEP [pre-exposure prophylaxis]. We really need to have more conversations about PrEP.” LaShieka Hunter is a freelance writer and editor based on Long Island, N.Y.
PAGE 4 • APRIL 13 - APRIL 19, 2017
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Event
You are cordially invited by Artist Yvette Michele & the resident artists of FAT Village to Inaugural Collector's Night on Thursday, April 13, 2017 from 7 to 10 p.m., at 117 N.W. Fifth St., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Event
First Annual Blooming with Autism Sunglasses 5K promoting Autism Acceptance on Saturday, April 15, 2017 from 7:15 at Dreher Park, 1301 Summit Blvd., West Palm Beach, Fla. Volunteers are needed. Register via groupon. For additional info contact Jodi Davis at (561) 2513964 or (561) 340-9600.
Fest
Voter Drive
Tournament
The Family Christian Association of America (FCAA) will host their 18th Annual Golf Tournament on Thursday, April 27, 2017 at 8 a.m., at the Grand Palms Golf Resort in Pembroke Pines. The award luncheon is immediately following play. To register for the golf tournament or to make a donation to FCAA contact Rosalyn C. Alls at (305) 685-4881 ext.217 or ralls@fcaafamily.org.
Luncheon
Chi Psi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated is hosting Voter Registration Drive, Saturday, April 15, 2017 from 3 to 7 p.m., 701 S.W. 71 Ave., North Lauderdale, Fla. during North Lauderdale Days Celebration. The drive is open to the entire community for new registrations and updates. For additional information, visit www.chipsiomega.org.
TODAY'S BLACK NEWS IS TOMORROW'S BLACK HISTORY
Enjoy reggae? Want to see most of the Marley brothers under one roof? Do you believe in the benefits of cannabis? Then you’ve got to attend Kaya Fest on Saturday, April 22, 2017 at Bayfront Park Amphitheatre in Miami. What is Kaya Fest? Well, it’s a festival to educate the community about the many important uses of cannabis, along with great food and music. This festival upholds unity, encourages education, and is a complete positive event. The whole message of the festival is “Education Before Recreation.” This year, along with The Marley Brothers (who have not been together in Miami in over 20 years), is Lauren Hill, Sean Paul, and Wycliff Jean. What a lineup! You can’t miss this! For more info go to: http://kayafestmiami.com/ ? g c l i d = C N a q m 4 dm9MCFVQHhgodorMMmg
Women 2 Women, Inc. presents their Annual Spring Luncheon, “Let‘s Go Higher” on Saturday, April 29, 2017 at 11 a.m., at Vanguard Village 6350 Brookwood Blvd., Tamarac, Fla. Guest speaker Prophetess Diane Lazare. For more info call (954) 732-1071.
Luncheon Rev. Dr. Carol Nash-Lester and the Bethel Temple Community Development Corporation announce the Third Annual Women of Worth (W.O.W.) Award Luncheon on Saturday, April 29, 2017 at 11:30 a.m. at the Miami Shores Country Club, 10000 Biscayne Blvd., Miami Shores, Fla. For additional info on tickets and table purchase call (305) 6881612 or (305) 454-6139 or via email at adminasst@bethelapostolictemple.org or blonja@gmail.com
Event Celebration kick off of New Visions Community Development Corporation 20th Anniversary with Dr. Donte Hickman Community Developer from Baltimore, Md. and Comedian Felecia Moore at the Educational Happy Hour and Networking. Free food and drinks on Friday, April 28, 2017, 5:30 p.m., held at Floridian Ballroom, 17850 N.W. Second St., Pembroke Pines, Fla. For more information call (754) 301-2750 or to RSVP email rsvp@mtbbc.org
Celebration 24th Annual Miami-Dade County Fair Housing Month Celebration on Friday, April 28, 2017 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Jungle Island, 1111 Parrot Jungle Trail, Miami, Fla. For additional info call (305) 6514673.
Hidden Figures: Life of the legend behind the story. The daughters of Hidden Figures main character, Katherine Johnson, will be present at Broward College, North Campus, Saturday, April 22, 2017; doors open at 2 p.m. The event will be held from 2:30 4:30 p.m. in Omni Auditorium, 1050 Coconut Creek Blvd., Coconut Creek, Fla.
The Miami Chapter, Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc., meet every second Saturday at 10 a.m., at African Heritage Cultural Arts Center (AHCAC), 6161 N.W. 22 Ave., Miami, Fla. For more info call (786) 3202891.
DILLARD HIGH CLASS OF 1967 50 YEAR CLASS REUNION JUNE 1-4, 2017 FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA
Saturday, April 22, 2017 12:00 noon Urban League of Broward 560 N.W. 27th Avenue Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311 Tickets: $40.00 per person Table of 10: $400 Please make checks payable to: Bethune-Cookman College Proceeds will benefit Scholarships and BCU Programs Contact: G. Dudley (954) 309-1496 or J. Shorter (954) 914-9026
Congratulations to Ms. Addie Sanders Owens, president of the Northwest Federated Womans Club on being chosen as a 2017 Senior Hall of Fame honoree. A breakfast will be held Friday, May 19 2017, FROM 9 to 11:30 a.m. at the Renaissance Hotel, Plantation, Fla., where she will be honored along with other nominees. For more information contact Cheryl Morrow @adrcbroward.org; (954) 7459567.
Fundraiser
Event
Meeting
The Broward County Chapter Of the National Alumni Chapter of Bethune-Cookman University cordially invites you to attend the Enter to Learn…. Depart to Serve Annual Awards Luncheon Honoring BCU Alumnus who have exemplified service and ideals of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune.
Events
Calling all Churches to Church Row!!! Relay for Life , the grassroot fundraiser for American Cancer Society, will take place on Friday, May 19 20, 2017 from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., Joseph C. Carter Park in Fort Lauderdale at 1450 W. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Carter Park – Relay for Life community bonds together to hosts an overnight event full of music, food, and entertainment. For more info contact Rosalind Hankerson (954) 667-9025 Rosalind.CarterRelay@gmail.com
Scholarship Program MLK Taskforce and the City of Lauderhill present the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Program. Lauderhill residents that are High School graduating seniors are eligible to apply. Three (3) 500 scholarships are available. Applications must be received on or before April 24, 2017. You may submit your application by email to Jboukhari@lauderhillfl.gov. or visit the website at http://lauderhill-fl.gov/home/ showdocument?id=12214
CALLING ALL CLASSMATES of Dillard Class of 1971: Please Read Carefully. “All things are done by a series of small things brought together and every morning we should prepare our minds to receive the best that life has to give us”. Our historic bus tour of Savannah, GA and surrounding areas is upon us. To make this class trip successful, we need 50 people, which includes friends and family, to commit to this trip. DATE (trip): Friday, May 26-29, 2017 (Memorial Weekend). 4 days/3 Nights DEADLINE TO PAY for bus IS APRIL 28TH. Also, you must make your own hotel reservations. For further info contact Janie at (954) 612-2433. So let’s get started: Escape the ordinary. Live, Travel, Adventure, and be Blessed. “Collect moments, not things”. Class of “71”.
Events
· I Care! I Live! A free workshop for parents (grandparents & friends) of teen drivers on Wednesday, April 19, 2017 from 7 to 7:30 p.m., at ELE USAL Florida 8238 Wiles Road, Coral Springs, Fla. · FREE Community Open House on Thursday, April 20, 2017 at 5 p.m., at the Diplomat Golf & Tennis Club, 501 Diplomat Parkway, Hollywood, Fla. There will be an Easter Egg Hunt, activities for kids, and refreshments. · Autism Speaks to boys and girls ages 5 to 18 with autism are invited to participate in this free event on Saturday, April 22, 2017 from 9 to 11 a.m., at Sunrise Civic Center Aquatic Complex, 10610 W. Oakland Park Blvd., Sunrise, Fla. to promote swimming and water safety. Children of all swimming abilities are welcome. There will be pool games and contests, as well as educational information from various agencies and experts. Participants will receive an event tshirt. · Family Fit Fest, get ready to run, dance, catch, and throw with Baptist Health South Florida and the Miami Dolphins on Saturday, April 22, 2017 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at Nova Southeastern University, 7500 S.W. 30 St., Davie, Fla. · Family Fun and Resource Fair. Come join us for a FREE family fun and resource fair on Saturday, April 22, 2017 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Rev. Samuel Delevoe Memorial Park, 2520 N.W. Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. There will be games, raffles, entertainment, refreshments. · Join us for the 1st Annual Title I Community Health and Wellness Fair on Saturday, April 22, 2017 from 9 a.m. to 12 pm., at Parkway Middle School of the Arts, 3600 N.W. Fifth Ct., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. There will be health screenings for diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol checks for the whole family. There will also be healthy snacks, fun exercises, and resources. · We Love Earth on Saturday, April 22, 2017 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Dania Beach PATCH, 1201 W. Dania Beach Blvd., Dania Beach, Fla. ·Autism Speaks: All boys and girls ages 5 to 18 with autism are invited to participate in this free event on Saturday, April 22, 2017 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., at Sunrise Civic Center Aquatic Complex, 10610 W. Oakland Park Blvd., Sunrise, Fla. to promote swimming and water safety. Children of all swimming abilities are welcome. There will be pool games and contests, as well as educational information from various agencies and experts. Participants will receive an event tshirt. ·Teen Squad Wars on Saturday, April 22, 2017 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Carter Park, 1450 W. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. There will be: • Basketball, Dodgeball, Flag Football Competitions • Track and Field Events • Basketball Shoot-Off • Swim Meet (proper swim attire required) • Teen Art Exhibit • Dance and Step Offs • Game Truck • Breakfast and Lunch • Awards and Prizes ·Family Fit Fest on Saturday, April 22, 2017 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at Nova Southeastern University, 7500 S.W. 30 St., Davie, Fla. Ready to run, dance, catch, and throw with Baptist Health South Florida and the Miami Dolphins. · Tradewinds Micro-Apiary on Saturday, April 29, 2017 at 10 a.m., at Parks and Recreation Divisin, 950 N.W. 38 St., Oakland Park, Fla. The Broward County Commission and the Urban Beekeepers cordially invites you to the Opening Ceremony for the Tradewinds Micro-Apiary. Refreshments courtesy of the Urban Farming Institute.
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We have more in common with Russia than you think By Raynard Jackson (NNPA Newswire Columnist) Last month I wrote a column titled, “Russia Is Winning the War for American Minds.” In that piece, I discussed how Russia had unleashed a psychological operations program in the U.S. to destabilize our government and our various institutions; they have been phenomenally successful with their operation. As I continued to ponder this Russian operation in the U.S., I have begun to wonder: are we, too, becoming more and more like Russia without even know-
APRIL 13 - APRIL 19, • PAGE 5
Westside Gazette
ing it? Dissent in either country is no longer tolerated. In both countries, the central government wants to control every aspect of life, both private and public. In both countries, the central government wants to control the means of production, i.e. business. So, like in the communist days of old, no dissent, government control, and central planning are the themes of the day. Just think, if you happen to believe that a boy born with male genitalia should actually be expected to go to the boy’s
bathroom, you are considered hateful and discriminatory. If you happen to hold to the “radical” notion that homosexuality is morally wrong, you are forced to kneel before the altar of political correctness (PC) until you recant. When freedom is threatened, anarchy can’t be far behind. In both countries, the government is increasingly controlling more and more of how private companies operate through onerous regulations. Now, some lawmakers want to mandate how much small businesses pay their employees, what products or services you
can make or provide, the type of bathrooms you must provide, and how much profit they will allow you to make via the tax code. In both countries, the government plans your life from cradle to grave. In the U.S., half of all births are paid for by the government through Medicaid. Now the government wants to take over our health insurance, which is one seventh of our economy. The government is far too involved in far too many aspects of our lives. The government has absolutely no business paying for healthy people to have
babies. None. How about this novel concept: if you can’t financially afford to have a child, then keep your legs closed! Yeah, I said it. And I will not recant at the altar of political correctness. Compassion should not be measured by how many government programs we create, but rather by how few Americans actually need them. It’s unsettling that the very people who benefit from the largess of our government have the gall to get angry when Republicans want to mandate that in exchange for the government benefits, they would have to work a certain number of hours per week. Our government has become
After Obama: Blac k Women con vene ann ual summit in Black conv annual the Na tion pital Nation tion’’s Ca Capital By Lauren Victoria Burke (NNPA Newswire Contributor)
Melanie Campbell, the president and CEO of the NCBCP said that her group was deeply concerned about the proposed cuts to after school programs for poor children, Meals on Wheels for our senior citizens, and clean air and water protections for communities across the country. This photo was taken during the 2016 Black Women’s Roundtable Women of Power National Summit in Washington, D.C. (Freddie Allen/AMG/NNPA)
When commitments work (Cont'd from FP) Let me just cut to the chase: it’s all about being dedicated and steadfast to the cause. Yeah, I know there was a saying once that stated something like: “Don’t just do something because...”, but right now I beg differ. I do believe that we should do...because the Word says that we should and that the doing should be enforced by our commitment to wanna do what is right. I think commitment works best when we can comprehend a navigational system that will see us through to the other side of the storm which may endanger our life and the lives of our loved ones. If we are just naturally dependent upon ‘It’ to happen without putting forth our gallant efforts, more than likely the natural thing will happen. For instance, what happens naturally when you don’t eat is you die, and that’s the natural thing that happens. Commitment seems to work best when we put our all and all into it. A friend told me that he could not seem to get his weight under control. So I asked him how committed was he in doing the right thing: eating correctly, exercising, and most importantly was he doing this with a deliberate commitment to lose weight? He was not doing what he needed to do, and there were several reasons why, but the main one was his lack of commitment. This lack of commitment includes jeopardizing our spiritual life as well. If we are not committed to checking ourselves as it relates to sin, we’re really sliding naked on sandpaper into a pool of rubbing alcohol-ouch! I’m reminded of the story about the pig and the chicken. As they were walking through the barn yard, the chicken said to the pig, “You know, I was thinking you and me should open a restaurant!” The pig thought about it and said, “Well, maybe, what would we call it?” The chicken said “How about ‘ham-n-eggs’?” The Pig thinks for a long while and then he says: “Naw thanks but no thanks”. The chicken asked, “Why”? The pig said, “I would be totally committed from the rooter to the tooter, but you would only be involved!” As Christians how committed are we? “Dear Lord, help me to be as committed to You as the waves are to rushing to the shores. In Jesus name Amen.” GOD’S COMMITMENT IS FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE TO ETERNITY.
The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP) and the Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR) recently hosted the Sixth Annual BWR Women of Power National Summit in Washington, D.C. The Black Women’s Roundtable is the women and girls empowerment arm of the NCBCP; BWR is at the forefront of championing just and equitable public policy on behalf of Black women. Several key events took place on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. and at the summit’s hotel, the Crystal City Marriott in Arlington, Virginia. The theme of the gathering was “Invest. Inspire. Unite. Act!” NCBCP is one of the most active civil rights organizations in the U.S. and Melanie Campbell, the president of the NCBCP, is one of the few Black women civil rights leaders who invited to meetings at the White House along with the trio of NAACP, NUL and National Action Network presidents.
Campbell has taken the reigns often held by the late legendary leader Dorothy Height, who passed away in April 2010. NCBCP launched the BWR Summit this year by releasing the Fourth Annual BWR Report titled, “Black Women in the U.S. 2017: Moving Our Agenda Forward in a Post-Obama Era.” The BWR planned to share the report with members of the 115th Congress and the Trump Administration. In a statement about the summit, Campbell said that the group wanted to “educate and share [their] deep concerns about the proposed repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) that cuts Medicare and Medicaid; and federal budget cuts to safety net programs that impact the most vulnerable, such as after school programs for poor children, Meals on Wheels for our senior citizens, clean air and water protections in communities across the country and other issues.” The five-day event focused on advocacy around issues such
as affordable health care, federal budget cuts, criminal justice reform, voting rights and paid family leave. Attendees of all ages attended the annual summit. On the third day of the conference, Linda Brigham, the senior manager for public affairs and communications at the Coca-Cola Company, presented a check for $250,000 to Campbell to support future BWR events. Appearing at the summit were Maureen Bunyan, former news anchor for Washington, D.C.’s WJLA-TV and one of the founders of the National Association of Black Journalists; Vanessa DeLuca, the editor-inchief of Essence magazine; Suzan Johnson Cook, the former U.S. ambassador at-large for International Religious Freedom; and Janaye Ingram, the director of logistics for the Women’s March on Washington. Several members of Congress met with BWR members as well, including Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Terri Sewell (D-Ala.).
Industry insiders say minorities should pursue oil jobs Blacks, Latinos missing out on lucrative jobs in the oil industry
Jack Gerard, API president and CEO, says that the oil and natural gas industry pays wages significantly higher than the national average and can provide tremendous career opportunities for women and minorities. (Erik Christensen/Wikimedia Commons) By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA Newswire Contributor) There are great opportunities for African Americans and Latinos in the oil, natural gas, and petrochemical industries, according to industry insiders, who are calling on minorities to “get in the game.” “IHS Markit projects that there will be nearly 1.9 million job opportunities over the next 20 years at American Petroleum Institute. “These employment projections are based on current and expected trends in factors such as labor force participation rates, population growth rates, and educational attainment rates.” IHS Markit is known as the leading source of information and insight into critical areas that shape today’s business landscape. Spooner noted that opportunities would be available in a wide variety of occupations across the country. Of the 1.9 million new job opportunities, 57 percent are projected to be in blue-collar occupations and 32 percent are
projected to be in management and professional fields, according to IHS Markit. Martha Montoya, the chair of the National Association of Hispanic Publications, said that it’s important for Black and Latino families to have conversations about opportunities in the oil industry that are available for people who aspire to join the middle class. A recent report by IHS Markit noted that Hispanic and African American workers are projected to account for close to 25 percent of new hires in management, business and financial jobs through 2035. Also, of the women projected to be hired in the oil industry, more than half are expected to fill management and professional occupations. The salaries in the oil and gas industry make the jobs very attractive. Currently, the average salary for a financial analyst in the industry is $55,620, while a petroleum engineer makes $82,000 annually. Oil and gas pipeline construction workers average about $76,000 per year and those who drill oil and gas wells typically rake in at least
$98,000 per year, according to several databases. “Experienced engineers are being offered sky-high salaries and are taking regular calls from headhunters as the booming shale gas industry fights for scarce talent, snapping up engineers from other sectors,” reported Alanna Petroff of CNN Money. “There aren’t enough experienced engineers to go around, and global demand for engineers is growing, especially as the U.S. shale gas industry balloons.” In order to take advantage of the oil and gas boom, Spooner said that minorities must get in the game. “Our polling of African Americans and Latinos showed that the vast majority of individuals had never applied for a job in the industry, with 60 percent of those being driven by a basic lack of familiarity with the industry’s opportunities,” Spooner said. As noted in the 2017 State of American Energy report, the American Petroleum Institute (API) continues to work with Hispanics in Energy and the American Association of Blacks in Energy to spread the word
Jackson says that when freedom is threatened, anarchy can’t be far behind. our drug dealer. The government knows we are hooked on the drug of government dependency, and with this knowledge, they seek to manipulate and control us. Isn’t it amazing that the more we come to distrust our institutions, the more the government seems to inject themselves into our lives? The government has absolutely no right mandating family leave, maternity, paternity leave or things of the sort. These things sound good on the surface, but this is not the job of the government. A woman choosing to have a baby is a private matter and if she can’t afford to take time off to raise a child, then maybe she should delay starting a family until such time as she can financially to do so. So, the more the government is involved in our lives, the more control they have over our lives; the more control they have, the more they will attempt to dictate our values by promoting constructs like homosexuality, transsexual entitlements, and secularism. (Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com) about that 707,000 positions are projected to be held by Afri-can American and Hispanic workers, said API spokesman Reid T. Porter. Porter added: “And, we’ve started a Veterans Energy Pipeline program to connect veterans with career opportunities that are compatible with their unique skill sets.” With above-average salaries and an abundance of career opportunities projected over the next two decades, the oil and natural gas industry offers solutions to wage stagnation and income inequality, which remain major concerns in our stillstruggling economy, said Porter. “Capitalizing on energy job opportunities doesn’t require a government program or taxpayer funding,” said Porter. “All it takes are smart energy policies and increased awareness of job opportunities to ensure the ‘Great Crew Change’ is the game changer it can be for America’s workers.” The industry is partnering with schools, labor organizations and the government to increase awareness of energy job opportunities and to promote greater participation in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers. Still, many are surprised to learn that the industry has a great deal of job opportunities in blue collar occupations (57 percent), which require a high school diploma and some postsecondary training, Spooner said. “These are jobs like welders, pipefitters, truck drivers, and construction workers,” said Spooner. “There are also hundreds of thousands of job opportunities projected in management and professional fields as scientists, engineers, architects, communication professionals, business managers, and so much more.” The oil and natural gas industry pays wages significantly higher than the national average and can provide tremendous career opportunities for women and minorities, said Jack Gerard, API president and CEO. Gerard continued: “These careers can help shrink the income inequality gap without spending a dime of taxpayer money.”
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Opinion
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Westside Gazette 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.
Spreading the word about HIV prevention Dear Editor, My name is John Byrne, and I am the Managing Director of Prevention Access Campaign. I am contacting you on behalf of both Human Rights Campaign and the Prevention Access Campaign (PAC), a health equity initiative focused on ending the dual epidemics of HIV and HIV-related stigma. As you may know, HRC is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. We enjoyed reading your article “Spreading the word about HIV prevention for African American women” published on March 2 and appreciate your work to educate people about the current realities of HIV. That said; we did want bring a potential error/inconsistency to your attention. You write “If the daily pill is taken consistently, it can reduce the risk of HIV infection by up to 92 percent.”
Legalized marijuana : wolf in sheep’s clothing By Kevin Palmer The Bible says the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. Then, the devil said to
Jesus, “All this I will give you, if you bow down and worship me.” Likewise, when it comes to marijuana, the same devil tempts African American entrepreneurs with the promise of tremendous profit if they will, “bow down and worship him.” For this reason, legalized marijuana is a government sanctioned wolf in sheep’s clothing that will eventually consume its share of lives in the Black community. Moreover, the African American being seduced by government lies is nothing new. Legalized marijuana just happens to be the most recent lie. That is why, the term medical marijuana and its legalization campaign, is the type of lie that would be appreciated by Adolph Hitler who said, “Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.” However, the problem is legalization and adding the term medical does not lessen marijuana’s well documented harmful effects to the human body. Nevertheless, naked greed overshadows the negativity of marijuana use. Unfortunately, for the love of money many African Americans will believe the lie and exploit each other by buying and selling a harmful product sanctioned by a corporate controlled government. Thus, what was true of the past is true of the present. For Black people, the words of Malcolm X ring true. He said, “You’ve been deceived, hoodwinked, bamboozled, led astray, run amok.” Only truth and courage will break the cycle.
Good morning Mayor Seiler:
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I’m writing to express my concern, shared by many in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, with the upcoming Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast featuring a keynote address by the anti-LGBT organization Focus on the Family. While I strongly support an individual’s freedom of religion, and the right of all people to peacefully and safely assemble to worship their faith, I’m struggling with Church United’s misguided, implied understanding of diversity in their advertisement which does not affirmatively include representation from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people of Christian faith, or people other faiths. In the promotion of the upcoming Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, the organizers acknowledge division, yet exploited the LGBT community. In Good News Florida, they highlight FOTF’s collaboration on legislation relating to human trafficking, a serious and worthy issue. However, they fail to acknowledge FOTF’s core objection to an individual’s identity as being lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender or the fact that they feel you can pray away the gay to live a life for which they affirm. I highly doubt Church United reached out to LGBT affirming publications to promote the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast. http://goodnewsfl.org/focusfamilys-jim-daly-speak-mayorsprayer-breakfast-april/ If Church United truly desires this Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast to be welcoming of the LGBT-community, they should have considered to include an LGBT-identifying faith leader to be included in their program, especially if they believe Focus on the Family can work with the LGBT community. While you’re not the organizer of the breakfast, you certain could recommend they include Reverend Leslie Rutland-Tipton of Church of the Holy Spirit Spong, an evangelical Christian pastor who identifies as a lesbian and a veteran. As its been explained by many people, in the numerous emails you’ve received, and responded to, among other positions in opposition to LGBT-equality, Focus on Family believes in conver-
While factually accurate, this reflects a lower efficacy rate than has been demonstrated in peer-reviewed scientific studies. Current science and mathematical modeling has consistently demonstrated PrEP to be 99% effective at preventing HIV if taken as prescribed. In studies which showed individuals contracting HIV while taking PrEP, those individuals who seroconverted were later discovered to have not been taking the drug more than four times per week. Scientific modeling shows PrEP’s effectiveness to be 76% at two doses per week, 96% fewer than four doses per week and 99% for four or more doses per week. (http:// stm.sciencemag.org/content/4/151/ 151ra125). A fuller explanation of PrEP failures is available at Dr. Robert Grant’s blog:https:// www.robertmgrant.org/project/hasprep-ever-failed/ (Dr. Robert Grant conducted the iPrEX study under which PrEP was approved by the FDA.)
While this is seemingly a minor issue, patients considering PrEP frequently consult the Internet for research when electing whether or not to take it. For this reason, we’ve partnered with HRC to make sure information about PrEP’s efficacy is current. Confusion about efficacy usually centers on the fact that while there were seroconversions in several of the studies, these were not individuals who were taking PrEP as prescribed. HRC has partnered with PAC to ensure public communications about HIV reflect the latest science and the best thinking we have available. Are you willing to update your article in light of this information? We would be more than happy to hop on the phone with you to discuss in more detail if needed. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to email me. Thank you, John Byrne Managing Director Prevention Access Campaign
Is the attack on Syria an impulsive military two years, to fight ISIS, and some say we are winning. We understood our action? mission and strategy was to defeat By Roger Caldwell “Congress must live up to its Constitutional responsibility to debate an Authorization of the Use of Military Force against a sovereign nation, The American people are owed a comprehensive strategy with clear objectives to keep our brave men and women in uniform safe and avoid collateral damage to innocent civilians in Syria,” Rep. Pelosi wrote in a letter Friday morning. In 48 hours in the Trump administration there was a radical change, in America’s role in enforcing justice in the world, and the only question I ask is why? America under President Obama has been dropping bombs in Syria for sion therapy, also known as reparative therapy, or sexual orientation conversion therapy - a dangerous practice that purports to change a person’s sexual orientation, literally “converting” them from gay to straight. Below is link from Southern Law & Poverty on conversion therapy: https:/ /www.splcenter.org/issues/lgbtrights/conversion-therapy You’ve responded to people noting, “...you will know that my remarks are always inclusive, respectful, and welcoming to all faiths and all attendees.” My question is will you actually discuss the very controversy between Focus on the Family and the LGBT community that Church United saw fit to promote as part of this breakfast? Mayor Seiler, I realize you are not the organizer, despite the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast being promoted with your name, with your image, your attendance and speaking role. There is an implied endorsement with it bearing your name and so forth, so regardless of you having any formal role in organizing the breakfast, the LGBT community is turning to you for leadership to reject Focus on the Family’s anti-LGBT agenda and efforts of preying on the LGBT community and to affirmatively enunciate the importance of LGBT equality in your remarks that morning. Along with many other lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, it is difficult for us to believe this prayerful group with their keynote invitation of anti-LGBT group Focus on the Family actually embraces the very same diversity we celebrate in Broward County. Focus on the Family actively advocates against: marriage equality, LGBT couples adopting children, LGBT civil rights protections and more. They oppose the right for same sex married couples such as my friends Ed and Pedro, Fort Lauderdale residents in Commissioner Romney Rogers’ district, to be a committed, loving, marriage and who are raising two beautiful children. Ironically, Ed previously lived on your block in Wilton Manors just a few houses from your home. He would be happy to meet with you to share his thoughts on how Focus on the Family’s anti-LGBT agenda harms his family’s ability to thrive just like any other family. (Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)
ISIS, and America knew what side we were fighting on. But, now with the missile attack, we have no idea who is the enemy. It is possible there are now four enemies in that country, starting with Syria, Russia. Iran and ISIS. We may have collateral military damage, which could have been handled with diplomacy and the United Nations. On Thursday, Trump proved that he can pull the trigger, and it was a radical departure from what his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was saying last week. Basically, Tillerson said, “the long term status of President Assad will be decided by the Syrian people.” It is unclear what transpired in the next 48 hours, but Trump authorized the attack of a Syrian military airfield with 59 cruise missiles Trump has stepped into some quicksand by throwing the first punch, and everyone is waiting to see what kind of response this bully American aggression will receive. All Americans are hoping that all the countries involved will play nice, and just condemn American aggression, and accept the action violated international law. Many political pundits and experts around the country support Trump’s strike on Syria, and correspondent Brian Williams called it “Beautiful.” “I am tempted to quote the great Lenard Cohen; I am guided by the beauty of our weapons.” It now appears that many of Trump’s ardent opponents have become some of his new supporters, and this action will probably increase his poll numbers positively. Around the world, there was tremendous support for the missile attack on Syria. Some of the countries that supported Trump were Britain, Germany, France, Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Italy, Poland, Japan, and Canada. So Trump is feeling pretty good about his achievements and making America powerful and White again appears to be working. The missile attack was a threat in Trump’s administration to show the world that there is a new sheriff on the world stage, and he will use all the weapons in his arsenal. He will leave nuclear weapons on the table, and he is not afraid to use them. “Another unspoken but honest reason for endorsing these strikes within Washington is to establish U.S. credibility vis-a-vis allies and adversaries. The belief of such proponents today is that this recent use of force will compel the Iranian and North Korean governments to halt activities that the Trump administration opposes. Michael Ledeen and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn authored a book and said, ‘Every ten years or so, the united States needs to pick up some small crappy little country and throw it against the wall, just to show the world we mean business,” said writer Micah Zenko. There is no way Trump and his team have thought through what is their next move, and what they plan to achieve. They are operating from the seat of their pants, and another enemy country is getting ready to challenge Trump and his understaffed administration. The Syrian attack was impulsive, and Trump does not believe in following laws and the constitution. Today, everyone is praising Trump and calling him a humanitarian, but soon the world will start calling him a bully who operates with no values and principles.
The Gantt Report Foolish hate By Lucius Gantt Unfortunately, many children at one time or another say they hate one or both of their parents. This behavior is unacceptable but understandable for toddlers, adolescents and even in immature teenagers. Maybe, mama told you not to eat cookies and candy and preferred that you ate fruits and vegetables. Perhaps, daddy told you to be in the house by the time the street lights came on while the other kids were running the street late into the night. Both parents could have told you that you were too young to wear makeup or to turn off the cartoons and get ready for Sunday school. And as a youth, you told them, or thought about telling them, you hated one or both parents. When you become grown, reach your eighteenth birthday and are old enough to vote, join the military, start families and have babies. You can call yourself an adult and you should know that hatred is not the greatest thing to have. We all should have love in our hearts! Everyone should let go and get rid of any hatred you have. If Native Americans can forgive land thieves, colonizers from foreign shores and genocidal cowboys, you should be able to stop the hatred and forgive too. If parents can forgive the killer and killers of their children, then you should be able to forgive also. If African Americans can live side by side and not hate the offspring of bigots, racists and white supremacists that enslaved their ancestors, stole their music, culture, religion, freedom and happiness, you ought to be able to do away with your continued hatred, if that is what you have. You see, most people hate people that they disagree with or they hate people they feel has made a terrible mistake. But people that disagree about one thing can be in total agreement with you about something else. And people that made a mistake can apologize to you and atone in some way and prove to you whatever the mistake was it will never be repeated! So why do some people hate forever and pass their hatred on to any and everybody else too weak to make their own decisions about love and hate? One reason is haters learn how to hate and who to hate at home. If mama, daddy, sister and/or brother hate someone, they may suggest to a person that can’t make their own decisions about love to hate what they hate. Another reason people hate and hate is pride. Once you tell everybody that you hate someone, you can’t, in your mind, turn around the next day, or even the next year, and say now, I love you. What you do is try and explain the hatred. You look for whatever you can to justify the hatred. Instead of looking for positive change in a person, haters look for. “I told you he was no good” moments. You’ll say, “Daddy cheated on mama” even though you don’t know every detail about your parent’s relationship. You don’t know if it was an open relationship and you don’t know if mama did her own share of creeping and side sleeping. You’ll say, “I hate the President” even though all Presidents are the same in one way or many ways and just have different styles in how they govern and even though you were broke, for instance, under one Presidential term, you were just as broke while another person was President. At the end of the day, hatred will get you nowhere. The best thing a religious person that practices any religious faith can do is love God and love their neighbors. If you disagree with someone or don’t like the choices made by someone, you can still be pleasant to them even if you be pleasant from a distance. Usually, the person you hate doesn’t give a damn about how you feel; they just go on with their lives! Hatred for a family member, a former friend, a coworker or business associate does not hurt the hated. Hatred hurts the person doing the hating the most. Jesus forgave the people that spit on him, beat him and nailed him to the cross on purpose and you want to hate someone for a selfish reason. Look at yourself. What kind of foolish hater are you? (Buy Gantt’s latest book, “Beast Too: Dead Man Writing” onAmazon.com and from bookstores everywhere. Contact Lucius at www.allworldconsultants.net. And, if you want to, “Like” The Gantt Report page on Facebook.)
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BUSINESS
Westside Gazette
APRIL 13 - APRIL 19, 2017 • PAGE 7
UNITY IN THE COMMUNITY DIRECTORY
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Bad News for Low Income College Students in Trump’s 2017 Budget
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As President Donald Trump continues to make changes to the nation’s budget, his most recent cut to the U.S. Department of Education is bad news to millions of low-income students and thousands of schools around the country. Trump is planning to drastically reduce the Pell Grant Program, and totally eliminate the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) program.
(FSEOG) program. It will be totally eliminated. This will, according to Trump, “save $732 million.” The FSEOG program is administered directly by the financial aid office at each participating school, and it is for students who have exceptional financial need. The federal government provides up to 75 percent of this money and the school provides the rest. Cutting this program will mean many of the poorest students will not be able to attend college.
Millions of students will be affected
Many schools depend upon grants Both of these programs are part of an overall $9 billion U.S. Education Department cut, with the Pell grants being the largest expense in the U.S. Department of Education. In addition to affecting students, some schools will also be drastically affected. According to The Economist, 88 percent of students at New Mexico State University and 80 percent at Texas A&M received Pell grants in the 2014-15 academic year. The cuts right now are in the form of budget proposals. Congress has the last say and can approve or reject the budget. For more facts about Trump’s proposed budget cuts, visit http://edition.cnn.com/2017/ 03/16/politics/trump-budgetcuts/
Pell Grants are a subsidy the U.S. federal government provides for low-income students who need the financial aid in order to pay for college. Trump plans to reduce funding of Pell grants by $3.9 billion. To put this into perspective, the government spent $28.2 billion on Pell grants in the 2015-2016 academic year. This cut will affect low-income students, including people who lost their jobs and went back to school to gain new skills. Another education grant program that got the ax is the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
PAGE 8 • APRIL 13 - APRIL 19, 2017
AF amily T hat Prays T ogether, Stays T ogether Family That Together, Together
Church Directory
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
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.
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"
Dr. Marcus D. Davidson, 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!
James C. Boyd Funeral Home
Rev. Stanley Melek, M.Div E-MAIL:stanley.melek@flumc.org 2351 N.W. 26th Street Oakland Park, Florida 33311 Church Telephone: (954) 731-0520
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 SUNDAY
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.
"Doing God's Business God's Way, With a Spirit of Excellence"
Mount Hermon A.M.E. Church Rev Henry E. Green, Jr. PASTOR 401 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311 Phone: (954) 463-6309 - FAX 954 522-4113 Office Hours: Tues. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Email: infor@mthermonftl.com
SUNDAY CHURCH SERVICES Worship Service ................................................................................... 10 a.m. Church School ..................................................................................... 9:15 a.m. BIBLE STUDY: Wednesday ................................................................... 10 a.m. Gems & Jewels Ministry Senior Wednesday Wednesday (Bible Study) ............................................... 12 Noon & 7- 8 p.m. Daily Prayer Line ...................................................................................... 6 a.m. (712) 432-1500- Access Code296233#
Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church 1161 NW 29th Terr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33311 (954) 581-0455 ● Fax: (954) 581-4350 www.mtzionmbc1161.com
Dr. James B. Darling, Jr., Pastor/Teacher WORSHIP SERVICES Worship Service ............................................................................................................ 10:15 a.m. Sunday School ................................................................................................................ 9:00 a.m. Communion Service (1st Sunday) ........................................................................... 10:15 a.m. Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting ........................................................................... 6:30 p.m. Wednesday Night Bible Study ................................................................................... 7:00 p.m. Saturday (2nd & 4th) Christian Growth & Orientation ................................... 8:30 a.m.
JACKSON Funeral services for the late Deacon Eric Tyrone Jackson, Sr. - 49 were held April 8 at New Mount Olive Baptist Church with Bishop Clark A. Lazare officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens. LOVETT Funeral services for the late Peggy Ann Lovett – 73 were held April 8 at Mount Nebo Missionary Baptist Church with Dr. Abraham Robinson officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens. MARQUESS Funeral services for the late Claude William Marques - 93 were held April 7 at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs with pastor officiating.. Interment: Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens (Central). NICKSON Funeral services for the late Annie Pearl Nickson - 73 were held April 8 at James C. Boyd’s Memorial Chapel with Bishop Noble Harris officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens. PERRY Funeral services for the late Lillie Ann Perry – 53 were held April 8 at The House of God with Pastor Jose Wells officiating. Interment: Pineview Cemetery. RIOS Funeral services for the late. Scott Mauel Rios - 36 were held April 8 at James C. Boyd’s Memorial Chapel. WEST Funeral services for the late Stephen Stephen West.
But be doers of the Word - James 1:22 nkjv - “A Safe Haven, and you can get to Heaven from here”
Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church, Oakland Park "The Miracle On 33rd Street" 420 N.E. 33rd Street Oakland Park, Florida 33334 Church: (954) 563-3060 Email: mtzion420@gmail.com
Rev. George A. Hardy, Pastor SERVICES Sunday Church School ................................................................... 8:45 a.m. Sunday Morning Worship ........................................................... 10:00 a.m. Tuesday Night (Family Prayer & Bible Study) ........................... 7:00 p.m. Wednesday (Prayer Conference Line) ................................................ 8:00 p.m. (Dail (786) 233-6715 - Acess Code 703513) Oakland Park CDC (Senior Activity Center) Daily ............10 a.m. & 2:00 p.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
Senior Pastor
Obituaries Harris Chapel United Methodist Church
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Westside Gazette
McWhite's Funeral Home BRYAN Funeral services for the late Renel Bryan were held April 6 at McWhite’s Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Gerald Gaillimore. FERGUSON Funeral services for the late Naomi Ruth Sears Ferguson –
90 were held April 8 Greater Providence Church with Dr. W.M. Ramsey officiating Interment: Forest Lawn Cemetery. ODOM Funeral services for the late Hezekiah Odom – 70 were held April 8 at McWhite’s Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Jarvis L. Singleton officiating. ROBERTSON Funeral services for the late David J. Robertson - 60 were held April at Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church with Rev. George Derrico officiating.
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!”
Q & A: What does Reverend Deal say this week!
“Jesus' final week on earth was a thing of beauty” Question: What did Jesus do on His last days on earth? Answer: The Scriptures give us a detailed account of what Jesus did over 2000 years ago. According to the written word Jesus' final week on earth was a thing of beauty. His arrival and His departure has to be the greatest period in mankind. Genesis through Revelation speaks about the ‘Good News’ of Jesus Christ. Listed are the final days of Jesus Christ on earth: Friday – Arrives in Bethany (John 12:1); Saturday – Anointed by a woman (Matthew 26:6-13); Sunday – Triumphal entry (Mt 12:1-11; Mk 11:1-11; Lk 19:28-44; John 12:12-19); Monday – Clears the Temple, overturn the tables (Mt 21:10-17; Mk 11:15-18; Lk 19:45-48); Tuesday – Authority questioned and parables (Mt 21:23-24 & 28-45); Wednesday – Jesus predicted that He would be crucified (Mt 26:1-5; Mk 14:1-2; Luke 22:1-2); Thursday – Passover; The last Supper (Mt 26:17-30; Mk 14:12-26; Lk 22:7-23; John 13:1-30); Friday – Jesus is crucified (Mt 27:166; Mk 15:1-47); Saturday – Body buried in the tomb (Mt 27:61-66; Mk 15:47; Luke 23:55-56); Sunday – He is alive!! Resurrection (Mt 28:1-13; Mk 16:1-20; John 20:1-31). Take the time to read the story about the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This story is what the Gospel is all about. Reverend David Deal is the senior pastor at Every Christian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Reverend Deal can be reached at the Westside Gazette, 545 NW Seventh Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Fla 33311, or by email at David.Deal55@gmail.com
Roy Mizell & Kurtz Funeral Home The Church Row Challenge Hurry! CEASAR Funeral services for the late Phillip A. Ceasar – 79 were held April 8 at New Covenant Deliverance Cathedral with Pastor Delores Staten officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens DACRES Funeral services for the late Rosa Dacres – 75 were held April 8 at Roy Mizell & Kurtz Worship Center with Rev. Donneth Wedderburn officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens. HUGHES Funeral services for the late Margaret Coleman Hughes – 86 were held Lighthouse Worship Center Church of God in Christ with Bishop Jimmie L. Williams officiating. Interment: Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens Central. JACKSON Funeral services for the late Lt. Colonel Clarence “CJ” Jackson, Jr. – 80 were held April 10 at New Mount Olive Baptist Church with Rev. Frank Kennedy, Jr. officiating. Interment; South Florida National Cemetery, Lake Worth, Fla. JUTE Funeral services for the late Ronald C. Jute – 85 were held March 23 at Roy Mizell & Kurtz Worship Center with Pastor Jeffrey Gresham officiating.
The Time is Now! Pastor Davidson & the Congregation of the New Mt. Olive Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale HEARD the CRY and has ANSWERED the Call. They are officially registered as a team for the Relay For Life of Carter Park, Lauderhill, Lauderdale Lakes, & North Lauderdale Event. Join the Fight Against Cancer. Don’t let it be said that New Mt. Olive is the only Church in this area that recognizes “FAITH WITHOUT WORK IS DEAD!” Go to: www.relayforlife.org/
carterparkfl or call Dr. Pamela Beasley-Pittman (954) 4450244.
Don Rickles, Legendary Insult Comic, dies at 90 By Richard Natale Abrasive comic Don Rickles, the honorary Rat Pack member and celebrity roast guest whose career spanned six decades, has died. He was 90. Rickles died Thursday morning at his home in Los Angeles from kidney failure, his longtime publicist Paul Shefrin confirmed. He would have turned 91 on May 8. Though he appeared in films and on television, Rickles’ mainstay was always nightclub performances, appearing in Las Vegas and elsewhere into his late 80s. He also found late success as the voice of Mr. Potato Head in the “Toy Story” films, which were exceptional box office performers, and popped up frequently on latenight talkshows. Rickles’ career had its ups and downs as comedic tastes changed, and his curmudgeonly persona was sometimes out of kilter with audience tastes, but he survived long after many of his contemporaries had disappeared into retirement. And when he was hot, he was a potent club headliner, insulting his audience with his two key signature phrases “dummy” and “hockey puck.”
Rickles His attempts at series TV did not succeed because of the astringency of Rickles’ personality. His serious side, however, was occasionally put to good use in guest starring roles in episodic TV and the occasional dramatic role in movies such as his first, “Run Silent, Run Deep,” and Martin Scorsese’s 1995 film “Casino.” Donald Jay Rickles was born in Manhattan and studied acting at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York after serving in the Navy during WWII. (Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)
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Stranahan Alumni host first annual Orange & Blue Family Fun Track & Field Invitational This First Annual Orange & Blue Family Fun Invitational is an event that will help gain exposure for Stranahan High School, the oldest school in Broward County, which is in drastic need of renovations. This event will allow school boards leaders to see that the community rallies behind Stranahan, thus illuminating to Broward School Board members and the community at-large the imperative to make Stranahan a number one priority on their lists of schools that badly need renovation. This event is being organized by Joshauwa L. Brown, SHS alumni - C/O '01. Our inaugural invitational will be managed by Split Second
MISCELLEANOUS Timing, an organization with over 39 years of event management/ planning in south Florida. The event will take place on Saturday, May 13, 2017 at the Orange Bowl Recreational Sports Complex Carter Park. You can register at www.splitsecondtiming.com Should you have any questions about this event, feel free to contact Event Organizer Joshauwa L. Brown at info@Joshauwa.com or (954) 478-9117.
From NFL To Neurosurgeon: Former football player will soon be a doctor
When Myron Rolle started his football career in the NFL, sports was not his ultimate goal. He has always wanted to be a doctor, and now he has his
LEGAL NOTICES PUBLICATION OF BID SOLICITATIONS Broward County Board of County Commissioners is soliciting bids for a variety of goods and services, construction and architectural/engineering services. Interested bidders are requested to view and download the notifications of bid documents via the Broward County Purchasing website at: www.broward.org/purchasing. April 6, 13, 20, 27, 2017
INVITATION TO BID New Mount Olive Baptist Church is seeking Invitation to Bid from qualified CM/GC firms to construct the approx. 31,200 SF New Sanctuary and associated site work. ITB packages will be available for pickup at the church located at 400 NW 9th Ave, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33311 or via email on 4/4/17. If you have any questions please call at (954) 4635126, please reference job. April 6, 13, 2017
chance. Rolle has been chosen for a neurosurgery residency at Harvard. He is excited about spending the next 7 years learning to be a doctor. From football to medicine Rolle played for the Titans and also for the Steelers. He said the game taught him how to be a leader and a philanthropist, but it was not his passion as a career. He once told his father that he was going to be a football player and a doctor, although his father told him he couldn’t do both. But he did. The opportunity to be a doctor is something he has waited for a long time. Rolle will soon complete his education at the Florida State University College of Medicine, then start his residency at Harvard Medical School on July 1. The former Florida State football All-American and Rhodes Scholar is excited about starting this next chapter in his life. He spent a year studying at Oxford between the end of his Florida State career and the start of his NFL career, and a couple years in the NFL, but his primary goal has always been to become a doctor. Why a doctor? “Saving lives and helping people live a better life,” Rolle said, “that’s going to make life worth living.” (Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)
APRIL 6 - APRIL 12 2107 • PAGE 9
PAGE 10 • APRIL 13 - APRIL 19, 2017
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Organizations rally to protest governor at State Capital (Cont'd from FP) Brief timeline of removal of State Attorney Ayala: Nov.9, 2016 - Aramis Ayala is elected as the new state Attorney, representing Orange and Osceola County, defeating longtime Prosecutor and Orlando attorney Jeff Ashton. March 13, 2017 - Senate Bill
280 is signed into law by Governor Rick Scott, authorizing the requirement of unanimous juries for death penalty sentencing. Mach 16, 2017 - State Attorney Aramis Ayala reiterates a campaign promise, that she will not pursue the death penalty in any cases.
Parental involvement essential for ESSA (Cont'd from Page 2) Rhames said that parents need the truth, which should include student testing data, parental surveys and discipline reports. “Schools need to listen to parents,” Rhames added. A report released in March by the Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute in Washington, D.C., revealed that 90 percent of African-American community leaders believe that they have a strong responsibility to help improve the education that Black students receive. Researchers offered four recommendations to improve the education of Black students including expanding community networks to further advocacy efforts; providing leaders with the tools to advocate for Black youth; championing the message of positive African-American community engagement in education; and being involved. “As the ESSA implementation moves forward, there are various ways that Black leaders can help shape education reform at the local and state levels,” Brian Bridges, a co-author of the new report, said in a statement. “[This] is a call to action for Black leaders to use their influence to not only highlight the crisis in education for Black youth, but to also find tangible ways to get involved. Bridges said that, when it comes to the implementation of
ESSA, parents need to get involved immediately and not wait. So, where should parents go for more information about the ESSA law? “There are organizations like Education Trust, as well as civil rights organizations like Leadership Council for Civil Rights that are paying more and more attention to the educational quality for children of color,” Rhames said. “But the truth is, our local schools need to work harder to engage parents. At the same time, some parents also need to engage more.” Rhames continued: “Parents should spend time with their children and teachers and ask as many questions as they can. And, they should not go away until the answers satisfy them.” Regulations to implement the data reporting requirements should promote universal access to cross-tabulated data and expand on the availability of data disaggregated by categories, Education Trust officials said, adding that technical assistance should also encourage districts and states to collect and report data in this further disaggregated manner. “The biggest impact on children is that the current law, like the old law, requires annual testing in math and reading so we know how the kids are doing,” Rhames said. “But, the new law could make it harder for parents to understand whet-
March 16, 2017 at 2:01 p.m. - Florida Governor Rick Scott asks the state attorney to recuse herself from the Markeith Loyd case. March 16, 2017 - Governor Scott has removed State Attorney Ayala from the Loyd case. March 17, 2017 - Governor Scott appoints State Attorney her the school is really doing its job. Some states are making it more complicated than it needs to be by eliminating summative ratings.” Rhames added: “A lot of states are getting rid of the A-F rating system, which some people criticize as simplistic, but at least you get it. How schools are rated needs to be simple and clear so that parents understand it and can act accordingly.”
Brad King, who represents Alachua, Bradford, Marion and Lake Counties to replace Ayala. King has stated he will pursue the death penalty. March 21, 2017 - State Attorney filed a motion to stay the execution of Markeith Loyd. The principal duties of the state’s attorney are usually mandated by law and include representing the State in all criminal trials for crimes which occurred in the state’s attorney’s geographical jurisdiction. The geographical jurisdiction of a state’s attorney may be delineated by the boundaries of a county, judicial circuit, or judicial district. State prosecutor duties generally include charging crimes through information and/or grand jury indictments. After levying criminal charges, the state’s attorney will then prosecute those charged with a
Scott’s decision to remove Ayala in place of Lake county based State Attorney Brad King has generated debate on both the legality and constitutionality of Scott’s executive powers as Governor. crime. This includes conducting discovery, plea bargaining, and trial. In some jurisdictions, the state’s attorney may act as chief counsel for city police, county police, state police and all state law enforcement agencies with-
Racial bias is a problem in doctors’ offices (Cont'd from FP) The problem isn’t riskier behavior, says Greg Millett, an epidemiologist who has worked on HIV policy for the White House and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In fact, studies have shown that Black gay men are more likely to use condoms than white gay men, and they tend to have fewer sexual partners. But they face certain barriers to health care. They’re less likely than their white counterparts to have a decent-paying job, health insurance, or stable housing, and they’re much more likely to experience discrimination at the doctor’s office. Because internal bias isn’t just a problem with the police— it’s also an issue at hospitals. Several studies have shown that physicians don’t treat pain
in Black patients as aggressively as they do in white patients. A study last year at the University of Virginia found bias may be to blame, noting that many medical students and residents hold false beliefs about physical differences between Blacks and whites—thinking, for instance, that Black people literally have thicker skin. A 2016 study in China showed that doctors’ brains actually respond differently to patients in pain depending on the patient’s race. Now 38 years old, Moore is pushing back against these prejudices. The Chicago native—who as a post-grad worked for the ACLU’s prison project and as a legislative aide to Sens. Chuck Schumer and Christopher Dodd—turned his professional sights to HIV policy a couple of years after his diagnosis, while he was still battling a triple cocktail of meds that left him weak. “It wasn’t until I was working at the National Association of State and Territorial AIDS Directors that I realized having HIV didn’t mean I actually had to be sick—that the virus was controllable and that there is a whole world of better medications and care for me out there,” he explains. Today, Moore serves as deputy executive director of NASTAD, a DC-based organization that represents health officials from every state who work on HIV and hepatitis. With about $2.4 million in funding from the Department of Health and Human Services, NASTAD last year launched an online training program called His Health that helps doctors “become more culturally humble and aware of Black gay men,” Moore explains. The program includes free accredited courses that let health care providers brush up on their knowledge of HIV—a stunning one in three docs don’t know about preexposure prophylaxis, a drug that prevents HIV-negative people from acquiring the virus from their sexual partners. And it also dives into the unique challenges that Black gay patients face, including the racism and homophobia that might make them wary of heading to the doctor in the first place. In a survey of 544 Black men who have sex with men, nearly half said they don’t trust medical establishments, while almost a third had experienced stigma from their health care providers over their race or sexual orientation. A related program, called Well Versed, teaches Black men and providers how to push forward with uncomfortable conversations about sex and health. Sixty percent of Black men who have sex with men have never discussed their sexuality with their doctor, according to one survey in New York, compared with 19 percent of white respondents. In a survey of 544 black men who have sex with men, nearly half said they don’t trust medical establishments. Though these programs are new, Moore hopes they’ll catch on. His organization is reaching out to medical schools and to groups like the HIV Medicine Association and the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, which have about 4,500 health care practitioners in their networks. Meanwhile, he’s taking every chance he can to talk with young Black men about their health. “I almost wish there had been someone to talk to my 20-year-old self,” he says, thinking back to his own HIV diagnosis. We’ve advanced since then—with better, simpler drugs, and pre-exposure prophylaxis. But while the number of new infections each year has dropped among white gay and bisexual men—the CDC noted an estimated 18 percent decrease from 2008 to 2014—it was pretty stable for Black gay men during that period, after years of troubling increases. While former President Barack Obama expressed sympathy for these problems—”We need to do more to show them that their lives matter,” he said of black gay men in 2011 on World AIDS Day—it’s not clear how much help they’ll get from the Trump administration. In his proposed budget, President Donald Trump suggested cutting a whopping $1.2 billion from the National Institutes of Health and $50 million from CDC HIV research programs, along with hundreds of millions in funding for global HIV and AIDS treatment. “Unfortunately, progress remains uneven across communities and populations,” Dr. Eugene McCray, director of the CDC’s division of HIV prevention, stated in a recent press release. While Black gay men are far more likely to acquire the virus, they’re still much less likely to receive therapy for it. “There’s still a lot of stigma,” Moore says. “We still have a lot of work to do.”
in the state’s attorney’s jurisdiction. The coincidental timing of Aramis removal arrives after the coronation of Senate Bill 280, which stipulates that a unanimous jury is required in all Florida death penalty sentences. “This legislation satisfies the constitutional requirements announced by the Court in the Hurst and Perry opinions, and is consistent with the position the Senate took last year when we considered legislation requiring a unanimous jury verdict in capital cases.” Senate President Joe Negron said. “This bill will make certain that death penalty cases in Florida precede in a timely manner.” Florida lawmakers also passed a bill last year requiring a 10-2 vote by juries for capital punishment sentences but the Florida Supreme Court ruled in October that unanimous juries are required. Some legislators, however, are concerned they’ll have to return to clear up confusion surrounding the death penalty again next year. The Florida Supreme Court’s ruling only applies to cases dating after 2002, the date of an important U.S. Supreme Court decision requiring juries, not judges, to issue death sentences. “We’re sending a message to this Governor that we will not stop. We will not support unlawful politics”, Beverly Colson Neal said. Neal serves as president of the Orange County Branch NAACP and joins other county NAACP branches as well as the state Branch NAACP on Thursday to protest Scott and the legislators who support his policies. The Seminole County, Osceola County, Lake County, Brevard County and Flagler County branches of the NAACP will also join the Orange County Branch on their ride to Tallahassee, Fla. The bus rides are free for anyone that wishes to ride and food will be provided. “We stand with Aramis and we stand against Scott. If we show that we can be easily turned by this decision, what other decisions and abuse of power will we allow?” Neal said. “The Seminole County Branch NAACP stands fully behind Orlando County State Attorney Aramis Ayala’s decision not to seek the death penalty in future cases. The overwhelming evidence shows that the pursuit of the death penalty results in community resources being spent on a costly, unnecessary, fallible, and racially-biased punishment.” Marvin Carroll, President of the Seminole County Branch NAACP said. “We stand with Aramis”, said Adora Nweze, state NAACP President. Dubbed, the “Rally in Tally”, the “Freedom Ride” to the state’s capital on Thursday is hosted by Orange County Black Voice and Let Your Voice be Heard, Inc. They are offering free bus rides to any who wish to attend. Those who would like to ride as a passenger for Thursday’s protest are to meet at the WalMart Neighborhood Market, located at 1101 S. Goldwyn Ave., Orlando, Fla., next door to the Hope Church. The buses will depart at 7 a.m. that morning for Tallahassee. “This overreach and abuse of power will not be tolerated, and we the voters, will travel to Tallahassee to address Governor Scott and other elected officials over this occurrence, among members of the national press who will be there exclusively to hear our voices! “We will show that there is strength in numbers and together anything can be changed. We voted for, and elected State Attorney Aramis Ayala for a reason; let’s show the community has her back.”
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APRIL 13 - APRIL 19, 2017 • PAGE 11 Westside Gazette Justice Department settles with public school district to resolve HIV-related discrimination findings The Justice Department recently announced that it has reached an agreement with the Pea Ridge School District (PRSD) of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, to remedy alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Title II of the ADA prohibits discrimination by public entities, including school districts, against individuals who have disabilities; individuals regarded as having disabilities; and individuals associated with people with disabilities. Based on its investigation, the Department previously issued a Letter of Findings outlining how the District excluded three students after reviewing a document referencing the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status of the students’ family member. The District initially concluded that the students were not to be allowed back into the school district until they underwent HIV testing
and the results were returned to the District. Following the students’ exclusion from school and extracurricular activities for multiple days, the District changed its position, readmitting the students prior to its receipt of their HIV test results. The Settlement Agreement requires the District to adopt and implement a written nondiscrimination policy that makes clear that PRSD does not discriminate on the basis of disability and that those individuals who are “regarded as disabled” or are associated with a person with a disability are covered by the ADA’s protections. PRSD has also agreed to revise its “Communicable Diseases and Parasites” policy to state that HIV is not considered to be a condition requiring a student’s exclusion from school under that policy; to provide ADA training to PRSD instructors and administrators; to report on its compliance with the
Rights Division. “We commend the Pea Ridge School District for its commitment, reflected in this agreement, to ensure the ADA’s nondiscrimination promise for all students.” To read the Settlement Agreement or for more informa-
tion on the ADA and HIV discrimination, visit www.ada.gov/hiv. For more information about the ADA, including how to file a complaint, call the Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383) or access
Congratulations to the Broward SECME-STEM Olympiad winners! Approximately 1,000 students participated in the annual competitions Acting Assistant Attorney General Tom Wheeler of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division agreement; and to pay $15,000 in compensatory damages. “No child should be kept from attending school based on unfounded fears about HIV,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Tom Wheeler of the Justice Department’s Civil
Floranada Elementary School
And the Winner is… BCPS honors top teacher, principal, assistant principal and School-Related/ District Employee atAnnual CaliberAwards Ceremony Apollo Middle School
HURST, SAEF, BROWN and CIANELLI (Read story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)
Observance of AKA International “Pink Goes Red” Community Impact Day
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Zeta Rho Omega Chapter and the Health Promotions Committee, doing a healthy activity, Hip Hop Zumba. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Zeta Rho Omega Chapter and the Health Promotions Committee in partnership with L.O.S. Fitness, recently participated in the “Pink Goes Red Day” in observance of Alpha Kappa Alpha’s International Community Impact Day and Heart Health Month. February was tagged as Heart Health Month by the international program, so the Health Promotions committee coordinated a phenomenally healthy heart activity, Hip Hop Zumba. The purpose of the activity was twofold: How to maintain a healthy heart rate and ways to prevent heart disease. The event was held on Feb. 3, 2017 at the New River Civic Center, there were a record number of 82 participants in attendance at the New River Civic Center with 100% membership participation from each of the sorority’s five international targets: Educational Enrichment, Health Promotions, Family Strengthening, Economic Ownership and Global Impact. Members of each target not only took part in Hip Hop Zumba, but contributed significantly in the following ways: High school members of the signature program ASCEND served as hostesses for the event; Health Promotions members provided healthy snacks and tips on healthy living to the participants; members of the Family Strengthening target distributed gorgeous red face towels complemented with a bar of soap; Environmental Owner-
ship members provided environmental cups/napkins in addition to removal of trash from the facility; and the Global Impact target gave beautifully decorated water bottles to the hard working attendees. Many community participants and chapter members expressed how excited they were to be so positively affected by
the ADA website at www.ada.gov. By Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs Cross-posted from Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs From AIDS.gov
the various activities and services provided during this Community Impact Day! President, Jeannie B. Floyd and First Vice President, Tracy Lockhart-Talley agreed that while being of service to all mankind, the goal to educate and make a positive impact in the area of a healthy heart and healthy living was certainly achieved.
Western High School students who participated in By Cathleen G. Brennan the annual Broward SECMEBroward County Public STEM Olympiad, which took Schools congratulates all of the place on March 18, 2017, at
Blanche Ely High School. The following schools were the overall first place winners for each level: · Elementary School – Floranada Elementary School · Middle School – Apollo Middle School · High School – Western High School Approximately 1,000 students put their science, technology, engineering and math skills to the test in the daylong SECME-STEM Olympiad. Events included racing specially built race cars made out of mousetraps, launching water bottle rockets high into the sky and “load testing” custom made wooden bridges. Students also participated in bionic/robotic hand events, VEX robotic games, generator building events with FPL, team challenges sponsored by the Florida Panthers, an App Challenge sponsored by Magic Leap, poster contests and essay competitions. In addition to being the overall middle school SECMESTEM Olympiad champion, Apollo Middle School won first place in the mousetrap race car competition. The school’s mousetrap race team will now travel to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for the national SECME competition this summer! The District’s SECME-STEM Olympiad prize patrol traveled to each of the overall school winners to present them with their championship trophies!
PAGE 12 • APRIL 13 - APRIL 19, 2017
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Westside Gazette
The Making of a Champion
Bryce listens to and follows Coach Mace's instructions to victory. (Inset: Bobby Henry, III) By Byler E. Henry What does it take to be on top of the mountain or to be a champion? Does it take wishing, hoping, or waiting? The answer is none of these. It takes hard work, dedication, and patience. When you are willing to put in the time and effort, and have a little patience, it is gratifying to see the results that you seek, results that come with hardwork and sweat . To be good at anything takes hours of practice and patience. I got to see this firsthand in Davie when young talented, boxers, who practice day in and day out in the gym, display their skills in the ring. These young talents are seeing at an early age that nothing is going to come to you just by sitting and waiting. Although, many people only see the polished finished result, there are some who don’t understand all the hard work and sweat that it takes to get the finished product. It isn't easy and does not happen overnight, Young up and coming 90 lb. weight class boxer, Justice Henry, has been boxing for about four years. “ I saw my dad coaching, and I wanted to see if it might be fun,” he says. Introduced to boxing through his
Justice Henry dad, you could see the love for the sport and the talent. Those four years of dedication have been paid off. I also saw the love of the sport and the talent when Bryce Henry, coached by Mace, of Bang Boxing Camp, went into the ring for his match. In this match he was more polished, and agile and I saw a marked improvement from his earlier fights. He was moving better, waiting for his opportunity, and striking when he saw an opening. For those rounds, I did not see someone just going in there and recklessly throwing punches. I saw a decision maker playing chess instead of checkers. I could see someone continually climbing to reach the top. Those hours of practicing
in the gym were paying off. I anticipate his next fight, looking for growth and improvement. Bryce, boxing at132lb., is in his second year and has compiled a 5-2 record. “I wasn’t nervous at all, during the fight,” Bryce says. He got into boxing one summer, because it looked like fun and there was nothing else to do. He didn’t look anxious in the ring ; he looked cool, calm, and collected. As a proud father, Bobby Henry, Jr., was more than willing to let his boys box since it is what they wanted to do. “I always loved the sport and I always watched it, so if my sons wanted to box, I was all for it.” Bobby, Jr. continued, “Both my sons box and right now they are at the same weight.” When asked what would happen if they had to fight against each other, he stated very seriously; “I would NEVER allow them to fight each other. They are brothers and love rules over all. Boxing could possibly destroy that love. So no matter what I would not allow them to fight each other.” Bobby III (Tre), is the 2016 State Pal Champion with a 33 record. Even though Tre is very competitive, he and his brother have been involved with sports together all their lives, and Tre says that the thought of fighting his brother is something that does not enter his mind. “It feels good to have a brother who boxes with me because we both can guide each other. My dad always taught us to never fight family and I was also taught to love anyone who guides you to be better: love yourself and others.” If there is something in life that you really want to do, boxing trainer and former boxer Tony Bradham has some good advice. “Start early; start while you’re young. I wish I would have started earlier,” Bradham said. When you start early, you have a chance to grow and succeed in whatever it is when you get a head start. I saw a lot of young talent in that ring when I was there, and if they stick with it, some of them can climb and reach the mountain top. However, it won’t be easy but no one ever said it was going to be easy. To reach the finish line, you will have to leave a trail of sweat along the way.