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Broward County's Oldest and Largest African American Owned and Operated Newspaper A Pr oud PPaper aper ffor or a Pr oud PPeople...Sinc eople...Sinc Proud Proud eople...Sincee 1971 THURSDA VOL. 44 NO. 19 50¢ THURSDAYY, JUNE 18 - WEDNESDA WEDNESDAYY, JUNE 24 24,, 2015

Broward County hosts the 2015 Annual Airport Business Diversity Conference

By Charles Moseley Since taking over the helm as Presidency of the National Urban League 12 years ago, one of Marc Morial’s mantras has repeatedly been “JOBS, JOBS, and more JOBS!” He did not stray away from that recurring theme during his keynote address at the Opening Ceremony for the 2015 Annual Airport Business Conference.

Preliminary events and panel discussions at the Conference began on June 12; however, June 13 marked the official start of the Conference, at a reception hosted by the Urban League of Broward County (ULBC), at its local headquarters. This was the first time in the Conference’s 31-year history that the event was held in a community venue, taking place in the heart of Fort Lauderdale’s African American community.

“I want to say thank you and congratulations to all of you, to all of the men and women who I know with the strength and

National Urban League President Marc Morial presented the keynote address during the Conference's opening ceremony for the 2015 Annual Airport Business Conference on June 13, at the Urban League of Broward County, marking the first time in the conference’s 31-year history that such an event was held in a community venue. determination with sacrifice have built businesses- built enterprises, provided jobs, took a risk - fell down-got up; kicked

butt, got their butts kicked, all the above. If one in three small businesses in America created a single job today, we’d be at

full employment in the United States,” said Morial.

Job creation is not a cliché.

It’s not rhetoric. It’s not just a talking point. But if you in your own way make just one drop on the pond to create a single job.

If one in every three small business creates a job then five million more people will be employed,” added Morial.

According to AMAC.org, the Airport Minority Advisory Council(AMAC) is dedicated to the promotion and participation of minority-owned, womenowned and disadvantaged business enterprises (M/W/DBEs) in airport contracting.

As the only national, nonprofit trade association dedicated to this purpose, AMAC has two primary goals: to eliminate the barriers to minority and women participation in the airport industry and to capitalize on the opportunities available in this multi-billion dollar industry.

(Cont'd on Page 3)

No greater pain than burying your murdered child

Mothers of murdered children, (l to r): Constance Wilson, Vanessa Byrd and Andrea Clark.

By Zenobia Jeffries Special to the NNPA DETROIT, MI – Most women say there is no greater pain than to bear a child. I say there

is no greater pain than to bury one. — Andrea Clark, founder, Mothers of Murdered Children (MOMC).

Three Detroit youths were shot in one incident last month.

One died. Two were critically wounded. Their ages range from late teens to early 20s.

According to the Detroit Police Department (DPD): “Three Black males were sitting in a

red Pontiac G6 when an unknown Black male driving an unknown black vehicle pulled up, got out of the vehicle, walked to their vehicle and started firing shots.”

No further information was given. The suspect had not been apprehended at press time.

“No parent should have to bury their child. It’s not the natural order of things,” says Andrea Clark, founder of local organization Mother of Murdered Children.

Yet increasingly, thousands of mothers and fathers across the country have joined the growing number of parents who suffer from losing a child to gun and other physical violence. Many of the victims under 25 years of age have been killed by members of their own communities, others by law enforcement officers sworn to protect and serve them.

(Cont'd on Page 5)

Special find in South Africa for African-American Museum

By Sadijah Wallace From Howard University News Service WASHINGTON — It was the find that Lonnie Bunch III and the new National Museum of African American History and Culture had searched for so desperately – the remains of one of the hundreds of ships that were used to transport millions of Africans into slavery in the Western Hemisphere.

The sunken slave ship, São José-Paquete de Africa, was found late last month off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa. According to Bunch, director of the museum, the Portuguese ship sank in 1794 on its way to Brazil while

carrying more than 400 enslaved Africans from Mozambique. It is estimated about half of those on board perished, and the other remaining were auctioned off into slavery.

The remains were discovered and later brought to Iziko Museums of South Africa. The museum, part of the Smithsonian Institute, will be receiving a permanent loan for the item and its remaining content.

The objects recovered from the ship include iron ballasts used to weigh the ship down and copper fastenings that held the structure of the ship together.

(Cont'd on Page 9)

Pleading Our Own Cause

The sunken slave ship, São José-Paquete de Africa, was found late last month off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa.

Let me be a good father that others might “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.”

-- Psalms 17:15 KJV

By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.

Happy Father’s Day What is so difficult about living your life as an example for others to respect? As this relates to men, I will use an example to mean a real MAN. I think that the hardest part about living as a real man is letting go of the fear of what others may say about you.

Understanding that a man has to go through many things to acquire the knowledge that he needs to become that man; it requires wisdom and instructions.

To be able to use discretion as a working tool to help reach maturity is a start. By listening to your loving and caring parents and using their instructions as stepping stones, you will create a path of fewer heartaches.

(Cont'd on Page 3)

New preventive health services approved for no-cost coverage Hepatitis preventive services

The list continued to grow of preventive services that people are entitled to receive without paying anything out of pocket.

In 2014, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended two new services and tweaked a handful of others that had previously been recommended. Under the health law, preventive care that receives an “A” or “B” recommendation by the nonpartisan group of medical experts must be covered by health plans without charging consumers. Only grandfathered plans are exempt from the requirement.

The new recommended services are: Hepatitis B screening for adolescents and adults at high risk for infection, and lowdose aspirin use for pregnant women who are at high risk for preeclampsia, a condition characterized by an abrupt increase in blood pressure that can lead to serious complications for the woman and baby.

In its Hepatitis B screening recommendation, the task force said there was new evidence that antiviral treatments improved outcomes in people at high risk for the liver infection, including those from countries where the infection is common, people who are HIV-positive and injection drug users.

Although it’s not a big-ticket item from an insurance-cost

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perspective, the March of Dimes welcomes the task force recommendation regarding low-dose aspirin use to prevent preeclampsia in high-risk women, says Dr. Siobhan Dolan, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, who’s a medical adviser to the March of Dimes.

“What’s exciting about this is that now we have something to offer women that’s a low-risk strategy,” says Dolan. Preeclampsia accounts for 15 percent of all pre-term births.

The task force also issued a recommendation for gestational diabetes screening after 24 weeks in asymptomatic pregnant women. That service, however, is already being offered at no cost by health plans following an Institute Of Medicine study commissioned by the Department of Health and Human Services that identified gaps in existing coverage guidelines.

In its review of screening for gestational diabetes, the task force found sufficient evidence that it reduces the risk for complications such as preeclampsia, large birth-weight babies, and shoulder dystocia, when the baby’s shoulders become stuck inside the mother’s body during delivery.

(Cont'd on Page 3) MEMBER: National Newspaper Publishers Association ( NNPA), and Southeastern African-American Publishers Association (SAAPA) Florida Association of Black Owned Media (FABOM)

Page 2 • www.thewestsidegazette.com • June 18 - June 24, 2015

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

100 Black Men of Greater Fort Lauderdale keeps giving back through Leadership Academy Scholarship Program

FORMER 100 LEADERSHIP ACADEMY GRADUATES RECEIVE ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIPS -- Pictured (l to r): Alex Speid, Mentor Norvel Bethel, Christopher Keel, Alexander Page, Julian Deese, Rushayne Shaw, Jarvis Hannah and Mentor Dennis Wright.

(Photos by Rinny Photography) 100 BLACK MEN OF GREATER FORT LAUDERDALE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY 2015 HIGH GRADUATES RECEIVE SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS -- Pictured: (l to r) Kevin Hilton, Angelo Senat, Mentor Norvel Bethel , Rushhard Gaskins, Joshua Davis, Justin Hamilton and Mentor Dennis Wright.

By Charles Moseley The 100 Black Men of Greater Fort Lauderdale held their Sixth Annual Tire Kingdom Golf Tournament & Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau Hello Sunny Scholarship Luncheon, June 13, 2015at the Woodlands Country Club in Tamarac, Fla. The golf tournament and luncheon is the signature fund raising event for the local mentoring organization which provides scholarships for graduating high school seniors who have completed the Leadership Academy, a requirement for all scholarship recipients. In addition, former mentees now enrolled in college also receive scholarship awards annually for the duration of their college careers.

“Today we are having our Sixth Scholarship Golf Tournament & Luncheon. I consider

this event our ROI or Return On Investment. The money that is raised here today through corporate giving and donations, we turn around and give it back to these young men in the form of scholarships,” said 100 President, Dennis Wright.

“The impact of this organization as far as growth is making the community aware that focusing on doing what we do and that is help a group of young men realize their dreams. And one of the dreams is just understanding that they’re capable of being successful and that’s what we do on a daily basis. We let these young men see us being successful and that breeds success. They tell their friends, their moms and dads how successful they plan on being and the next thing you know, the momentum continues to grow and prosper,” added Wright.

This year’s high school graduate scholarship awardees included; Joshua Davis from St. Thomas Aquinas High who will attend the Florida Institute of Technology, Justin Hamilton from Piper High who is pursuing a degree in nursing from Broward College, Kevin Hilton from Dillard High, who plans to attend Bethune Cookman University, Rushhard Gaskins, a graduate of Fort Lauderdale Prep who will attend the Universal Technical Institute, and Angelo Senat, from Dillard High who plans to attend Florida A & M University. Each of these young men received a brand new laptop, $1,000 scholarship award, and will also be tailored for suits as they go off to the next phase of their educational careers.

“The leadership program impacted my life by stressing the importance of education and financial management. They

brought in multiple speakers which spoke on each subject.

The speakers on education only helped me grind harder in school and the speaker on finance shared ways to manage, save and make more money. I am very appreciative and have truly been blessed to be in the Leadership Academy,” said Mentee Hamilton.

“The Leadership Academy has been a valuable, meaningful, memorable and important experience for me because I had the pleasure of establishing great relationships with not only my peers, but with a group of men who volunteer their time weekly and make significant contributions into our lives,” said Mentee Senat.

Former Leadership Academy graduates presently enrolled in college also receive their annual scholarship award. These included; Christopher Keel, Alexander Page, Julian Deese, Rushayne Shaw, and Jarvis Hannah.

100 Mentors Wendell Ford On-Air Gospel Personality WEDR/99 JAMZ was the Master of Ceremony, Attorney Quentin Morgan, chairman of the Golf Tournament & Scholarship Luncheon provided the Welcome; David Reece, Sr. did the Invocation, Jazz Saxophonist Randy Corinthian provided the entertainment, and

Leadership Academy Coordinator Norvel Bethel presented the scholarships.

Former mentee and recent Savannah State University graduate with a degree in Marine Science, David Reece, Jr., was the Guest Speaker at the luncheon.

“Today means a lot. I am an original mentee, I just graduated college. It really means a lot because I’ve been through the whole process, since the start of school, it helped me and even at the end my mentors were able to come up to watch me graduate. I plan to work in aquaculture or anything to do with chemistry and the water,” said Reece.

Reece offered the following advice to high school students in preparation of furthering their education at the collegiate level.

“I would strongly urge them to attend the Leadership Academy sessions. The skills, the little things that you learn were huge. I didn’t see how much information I knew until I went to college. The little things like shaking hands and looking people in the eye; networking is key. Sometimes it’s not what you know it’s who you know,” added Reece.

Mentor David Reece, Sr. and his wife Sherry Reece are the proud parents of their son

David, Jr. Mrs. Reece, along with her husband, shared in watching the transformation that took place by their son throughout his Leadership Academy experience and how it benefitted their son. She offered the following on what the event meant to her.

“You know, emotions are something that are sometimes hard to verbalize but I have a deep appreciation for the 100.

They filled in where Mom and Dad left off; we do our part but there’s nothing like that outside influence of men who look like them; that know the struggle and can explain it to them, so I’m grateful to the 100 for preparing our son not only for college life but now that he’s out and entering the profes-sional world it’s going to be his ‘brothers’, the men that help mentor him through that process. I see it as coming full circle.

It started at seventh grade to college graduate, now the men will help him ease into his professional life and then he’ll turn around and do the same thing,” added Reece.

The remaining sponsors for the event included; Vitas Healthcare, Yokohama Tires, Accelerated Learning Solutions, Global Mobility Solutions, Community Education Partners, D&B Tiles, Teamsters Union, and State Farm Alexis Harris Insurance Agency, Inc.

Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson presented the 5000 Role Models graduating Class of 2015 at ‘Academic Signing Day’

From l to r: Fellow Fisk Alum Role Model Ed O’Dell and the president of Fisk Role Model; Dr. H. James Williams, who was inducted into the Role Models recently; Role Model and Booker T. Washington Sr. High graduate Moises Arzu, who is bound for Fisk University; Congresswoman Wilson and Broward County Commissioner Barbara Sharief.

MIAMI, FL — Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson (FL24), hosted “Academic Signing Day” for the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project’s graduating class of 2015 recently in the Treetop Ballroom at Jungle Island in Miami. Eighty-four graduating seniors put pen to paper to sign scholarships to the colleges or universities of their choice. The event marked the unveiling of the newly-designed 5000 Role Models signature tie and exclusive custommade suits donated by the Sean John Collection at Macy’s.

“I am so proud of these young men. This is a momentous occasion and an important day for

them as they look toward the future. These students have been instilled with the academic ideals that the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project was founded upon and I have no doubt that they will be successful as they continue their education.

“In 1992, when I founded the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project, I wanted to give hope, encouragement and the will to succeed to boys and young men of color who were at risk of dropping out of school.

A quarter of a century later, the 5000 Role Models has given out more than $10 million in scholarships and has been transformative in the lives of

thousands of young boys who might not otherwise have had an opportunity to attend college.

“The young men who make up this year’s 5000 Role Models’ graduating class and who are receiving scholarships weren’t even born when the Role Models was conceptualized and founded. This is the true example of preparing for generations of children yet unborn.

“Amid all of the violence, murders and police brutality, these young men represent what could and should be for all young men of color,” said Congresswoman Wilson.

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

Let me be a good father that others might

Hospitals profit from exorbitant markups

(Cont'd from FP) Since Father’s Day is near, I want to focus in on the fathers, so please excuse me while my attention and directions are towards them and me.

I’m sure that our fathers made mistakes and at times did not appear to know everything that we wanted them to.

When I was 10 years old, I remember seeing my father on his knees praying and it startled me. I thought praying was only for church. I asked him what was he doing and he told me he was praying. “For what?” I asked and he said, “us.” I never thought any more about that until I began to write this piece several years ago.

Understanding that being a man means that we have to care about others puts manhood into a whole different arena. We say that we accept our responsibilities and we try to show that we do; but until we see face-to-face and stand stripped of our pride before others for the sake of families, we don’t know what caring about others means.

Even though my father has always been a God-fearing man, he was not always perfect-but who is?

Learning to be a man requires trusting in what you can’t see. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5 KJV I saw my father give up his understanding and lean on God. I saw this with my own eyes as it began to happen. Did I believe it at first? No. But when I saw my father deliver a sermon that he had studied for, prepared and written, I then started paying closer attention to him.

My father has always been his own man, so I thought. I now know why he was and is able to do and become what he is.

Yes, his roads were not always straight, his paths were crooked at times and they were dark to those who could not see the light; but he has been able to travel them free from harm and any demons that may jump from the dark because he trusts in God. I do believe because my earthly teacher, my daddy, has shown me that if we learn to lean on God no matter the circumstances or the hour, we can make a difference.

We can start by shining the light in our families by being the example we want our children to follow. This example must come through the instructions and wisdom of fearing God. None of this will be of any good if it is not real. How can you come to God holding something in one hand while the other is hiding behind your back? Do you think that God can’t see what you are hiding?

This is not such an arduous task if what you do is not contradictory to what you profess to be.

Aside from putting it all out there for others to see and not being committed to what you acknowledge to be about, there is hardly any room for failure, especially if you are guided by the Good Shepherd.

The trials are going to come regardless, but you can be better equipped to live through them and be better for it.

I’ve learned that my daddy is the immediate example to what my Heavenly Father is using for me to follow to get to Him. And my daddy told me that he is trying to emulate Jesus, who is the Son of God. Therefore, if the Son of God is like his Father and my father is trying to be like the Son, then to complete the natural order, I should continue the example for my sons and daughter.

This will not come without trials and tribulations, which I surmise to be nothing more than tests and these tests will lead to my testimony.

Be the father that you have been called to be and let us keep the cycle of fatherhood going. Happy Father’s Day to all!

“CHILDREN’S CHILDREN ARE THE CROWN OF OLD MEN; AND THE GLORY OF CHILDREN ARE THEIR FATHERS.” Proverbs 17:6 (ASV)

Growing movement to curb high medical costs.

(Photo credit: The All-Nite Images/Flickr/CC)

By Jazelle Hunt, NNPA This is the revelation from a Washington Correspondent paper published last week in WASHINGTON, D.C. the Health Affairs medical (NNPA) – Hundreds of Ameri- journal, titled “Extreme Markcan hospitals are turning a pro- up: The Fifty US Hospitals With fit by charging patients exor- The Highest Charge-To-Cost bitant rates for necessary proce- Ratios.”

“These 50 are outliers, they’re dures. And for 50 hospitals in very skewed. But that does not particular, the mark-ups are as mean all the other hospitals are high as 12 times the amount it hidden,” says Ge Bai, assistant costs them to deliver those serprofessor of accounting at Wasvices. hington and Lee University, and co-author of the paper. “It’s very difficult to tell [though].

You’d have to ask the question, when you walk in, at the front desk… about the ownership of the hospital.”

The researchers looked at 2012 hospital price lists for (Cont'd from FP) nearly 5,000 facilities across the The task force recom-men- country, and compared them to dations take effect for the plan the Medicare-allowable costs, year that begins one year after defined as the most reasonable they’re issued so for many con- fees a hospital can expect to sumers, these provisions won’t spend in effectively delivering take effect until 2016. any given service to Medicare patients, as calculated by the

By Michelle Andrews government. They are not inThis article was reprinted tended to guide hospital charges from Kaiser Health News with to patients, and every hospital permission from the Henry J. creates its own price list. These Kaiser Family Foundation.

Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

New Preventive Health Services approved for no-cost coverage

Broward County hosts the 2015 Annual Airport Business Diversity Conference (Cont'd from FP) Courtney Thornton, Airport Minority Advisory Council’s (AMAC) 2015 National Conference Chair, Vice-President Partner Relations & Business Diversity, Hudson Group commented on the purpose of the Conference.

“South Florida is a beautiful venue. Everybody wants to come to this sunny place. I can’t think what would make a more beautiful venue, but make no mistake about it - even though we’re in a beautiful venue, we are still about the business of strategizing and advocating for minorities in airport contracts.”

Sandy McDonald, director, Broward County Commission Office of Economic and Small Business Development elaborated on the importance and impact having AMAC officials here at the Conference to directly interact with small business owners at the Conference in Broward County.

“This Conference is a major opportunity for women and minority businesses particularly here in Broward County.”

“The AMAC has been around 31 years. Last year they hosted their 30 year anniversary in Denver, Colorado. Back in 2010-2011, Broward County was progressive enough to ask them to come to Fort Lauderdale and they agreed so we’re here hosting the 31st year. And the best thing about AMAC in Broward County, it provides an opportunity for us to get upfront information about how minority and women businesses have the opportunity in and around airports across the country. So having all the AMAC representatives here in Broward County-Fort Lauderdale is major for our community.”

Gary Blanchard, Principal Architectural Design Services Unlimited located in Conyers, Georgia a suburb of Atlanta, is among the estimated 5,000 conference participants attending the Conference.

“I’m a new member of AMAC. I’ve been truly impressed from the corporate side where partnership works.

You’re looking for people to partner with which is very important for me to grow my business and so just that opportunity to network has been unbelievable.”

Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness attended the conference’s opening ceremony. He stressed the importance of South Florida being known not just for its beaches.

He noted that the area was a hub for international trade, citing the airport and the port for providing major economic opportunities on a global scale.

He also said South Florida was one of the most ethnically diverse places in the world.

“It’s not just about the beach in South Florida. In South Florida we have 5.5 million peo-ple; more than many states, more than many countries in the world. So we have a huge economy here. We’re connected to the rest of the world with three international airports within one hour from here and three deep port sea ports within one hour of each other. We having one of the top custom’s trading districts in the country, with a surplus over $15 million and that’s because of our connectivity to Latin America and the Caribbean. We want you to look to the rest of the world for opportunities for business.

That’s the major goal for us here in Broward County, for us going forward, and that is to look to international trade with the rest of the world.”

Whether you’re an architect or restaurateur, in public relations or in the transportation business, there just might be an opportunity waiting for your company to do business with an airport in your town or in multiple airports, in cities across the nation.

Airport executives and entrepreneurs presently doing business with airports con-

June 18 - June 24, 2015 • www.thewestsidegazette.com • Page 3

verged upon Broward County for their 2015 Annual Airport Business Diversity Conference scheduled from June 12-16, at the Harbor Beach Marriott Hotel. The theme for this year’s conference was entitled, “Business Beyond the Beach”-Elevating Global Opportunity.

During one of many panel presentations entitled, “Airport Concessions: How They Work and Is It the Right Opportunity for You executives encouraged perspective airport vendors to think big and be prepared to meet the challenge, if and when they get an opportunity to do business with an airport. They also stressed is one of the key to success; in addition to having a thorough knowledge on the vending process, maximizing your networking opportunities, and making sure your company can meet the demands required to do business as an airport services or goods provider.

Ronald Gomes, vice-president, Strategic Alliances was a panelist during this session. He provided some insight on how to go about being a successful business partner at an airport joint venture. He gave the following advice to those interested in doing business with at an airport facility.

“The biggest mistake I see among small businesses is that they think too small and they focus too much on trying to stay small. And they lessen their opportunities by coming in with that with that mindset.

Gerri Lazarre, a CPA with Tri Merge Certified Public Accountants and Consultants participated in one of the many informative panel discussions.

“I thought the session was very informative. It helped me increase my knowledge base. It also helped me to know what the Primes were looking for and also educated me on the process that I was sort of oblivious too.

I also thought that good getting real live thought processes, thinking aloud what the Primes were thinking in terms of being a partner.”

lists are called chargemasters and are often difficult for patients to access and decipher unless a hospital takes the rare initiative to be transparent.

According to the study, most hospitals charge patients between 1.5 and four times the Medicare allowable cost. A smaller, but sizable number of facilities charge between four and nine times the cost. The 50 outliers – 49 of which were forprofit facilities – were charging patients between 9.2 and 12.6 times the cost they incurred in delivering services.

The top five hospitals with the steepest mark-ups, all charging at least 12 times the Medicare cost, were North Okaloosa Medical Center and Bayfront Health Brooksville in Florida; Carepoint Health-Bayonne Hospital in New Jersey;

Paul B. Hall Regional Medical Center in Kentucky; and Chestnut Hill Hospital in Pennsylvania.

Florida is home to 20 of the 50 high mark-up hospitals identified in the study. The rest are spread across 12 other states – mostly in the South (76 percent are), and mostly in urban areas (84 percent are).

The other states were Alabama (which had five of these facilities), Arizona (one), Arkansas (one), California (three), Kentucky (one), New Jersey (one), Oklahoma (one), Pennsylvania (seven), South Carolina (one), Tennessee (three), Texas (five), and Virginia (one).

Two publicly-traded corporate hospital systems – Community Health Systems and Hospital Corporation of America – own 38 of these facilities.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Representative Bobby Dubose’s bill to honor veterans signed into law Gabriel I. (“Gabe”) Sheffield Legislative Assistant TALLAHASSEE, FL — A bill sponsored by Rep. Bobby DuBose, D-Fort Lauderdale, will honor disabled veterans after it was signed into law recently.

Drivers who are disabled veterans will be exempt from parking fees by local governments under provisions of the bill.

“I’m glad the governor signed my bill into law, but I’m happier that veterans who have paid a steep price for their service will realize a small token of our appreciation,” said Rep. DuBose, serving his first term.

“We do a lot in Florida to make sure veterans know they’re appreciated. I’m proud my bill will allow us to add to all those efforts with a benefit I hope will regularly remind those veterans that we appreciate the sacrifices they’ve made.”

DuBOSE The House passed HB 471 by a 113-0 vote. Rep. DuBose’s bill was unanimously approved in the Senate as well.

A disabled veteran license plate (from Florida or other states) or disabled veteran parking permits will identify those eligible for the parkingfee exemption. The bill is effective July 1.

Page 4 • www.thewestsidegazette.com • June 18 - June 24, 2015

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

Community Digest

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Concert

Rev. Dr. Carol Nash-Lester, Bethel Apostolic Temple and the Bethel Temple Community Development Corporation are proud to announce “Thankful Thursday”, A Black Music Month Concert, Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 7:15 p.m., at 1855 N.W. 119 St., Miami, Fla. For concert tickets and more info call (305) 688-1612 or (305) 454-6139. You can inquire via email at adminasst@bethelapostolictemple.org or blonja@gmail.com

Luncheon

A Plus Foundation, Inc. charitable arm of Chi Psi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. will host its Second Annual Emerald Luncheon to benefit scholarships for deserving graduating seniors in Broward County, Saturday, 11:30 a.m., June 20, 2015, Signature Grand, 6900 State Road 84, Davie, Fla. For more info contact www.chipsiomega@info.org.

Expo Third Fashion & Home Design Expo, presented by LVL Unlimited Productions, Saturday, June 20, 2015 from 1 to 6 p.m., at Sunrise Civic Center, 10610 W. Oakland Park, Blvd., Sunrise, Fla. For booths space and additional info call Veronica Mayo-Smith at (754) 422-3256.

Happenings at African-American Research Library and Cultural Center

African-American Research Library and Cultural Center, 2650 Sistrunk Blvd., Fort Lauderale, Fla. Upcoming Destination Friday events: Sept. 4 Hawaii and Nov. 6 - the Bahamas. For more info call (954) 357-6210. * Teens Matters, teen expressions, What’s on your mind? Saturday, June 20, 2015 from 3 to 5:30 p.m. * Jamaica born Sonia Graham-Chin will be sharing stories and poems of family life from her book Faces of Love, Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at 5 p.m. It consists of 12 short stories about friendships, family, community and relationships.

Conference

Celebration Palm Beach GOP to host Juneteenth National Freedom Day Celebration, Friday, June 19, 2015 at 4 p.m., at Howar Park, 1302 Parker Ave., West Palm Beach, Fla. For more info and to RSVP call (561) 6861616.

Celebration

Rev. Burrell Join Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Pompano Beach as they celebrate the 11th Anniversary of Rev. Anthony Burrell, Wednesday, July 8 and ends on Sunday, July 12, 2015 at 11 a.m., nightly programs begins at 7:30 p.m., at Calvary Baptist Church, 800 N.W. Eight Ave., Pompano Beach, Fla. Get details from Co-Chairs: Bro Perry Thurston, Jr., Sis: Zadie Tyson & Sis. Elizabeth Phillips.

For more info call (954) 9432422.

Yard Sale OTR 2015 Christian Family Conference, Theme is ‘God is Real and Jesus is Alive –Unlocking Secrets to the Kingdom.

Wednesday night, June 24 through Friday night, June 26; and one day only, Saturday, June 27 for workshops, seminars, contests and a special Ordination Service. at New Birth House of Prayer, 2300 N.W. 22nd St., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Special guests include TP9 and Archbishop Dr. Marcia Abrams.

Saturday, June 27 is an Award Banquet. For additional info contact New Birth House of Prayer of All People.

A major yard sale, offering household items and furniture, Saturday, June 27, 2015 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., on the lawn of Unity of Delray Beach Church, 101 N.W. 22 St., Swinton Ave., Delray Beach, Fla. ** All large items such as appliances in working order & furniture must be brought to the west lot on June 27 ONLY before 8 a.m.

For questions call Laurie Durgan at (561) 276-5796.

Community BBQ

In recognition of National HIV Testing Day, Join High Impact Prevention (HIP) for a FREE healthy and fun community BBQ on June 26, from 4- 7 pm at the L.A. Lee YMCA Family Center, 708 NW 14th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 33311. Healthy food, music, games, dancing, raffle prizes, FREE HIV testing, and giveaways.

March Summer Program

New Mount Olive Baptist Men of Valor presents The 100 Man Cancer Awareness March, Saturday, June 27, 2015 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, processions will began at the African American Research Library & Cultural Center, 2650 Sistrunk Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Multiple professional on-site examinations and screenings available. Education and vital information, in conjunction with Mount Olive Health Ministry and the Men Ministry of Mount Bethel, First Piney Grove Church, Mt Hermon AME, Dr. Hamilton’s Foundation, & Community Health Education Alliance Inc. Dr. Marcus D. Davidson, Sr. Pastor.

For additional info call (954) 463-5126.

Event Chistrian Fellowship CDC, a nonprofit organization has partnered with Farm Share and LiL ones Inc Summer Food Feeding Program to provide fresh produce and meals to families and youth in our community.

Families can receive fresh produce and baked goods on the last Saturday of each month. The free food Distribution at Christian Fellowship MBC will be Saturday, June 27, 2015 from 9 a.m. -12 noon. at 8100 N.W. 17 Av., Miami, Fla. Youth from pre-school to 18 years old can receive lunch and a snack Monday through Friday on a day to be announced within the next few days. For additional information call Ms. Anna Jackson at (305) 6268189.

TO HAVE YOUR COMMUNITY EVENTS POSTED CALL -(954) 525-1489 OR FAX -(954) 525-1861 FOR MORE INFO

The NAACP Florida State Conference and Ocwen Fin-ancial Corporation presents “Help & Hope for Homeowners” Saturday, June 20, 2015 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Urban League of Broward County, 560 N.W. 27th Ave., Fort Lau-derdale, Fla. Join us to receive info on down payment assis-tance programs and one-on-one sessions with industry pro-fessionals. For more info or to RSVP, please call (855) 459-2514 or emailinfo@FLNAACP.com.ý

The Parks and Recreation Division’s six neighborhood parks, located in the Broward Municipal Services District (BMSD), will offer the annual Summer Recreation Program, provided Free on weekdays starting Monday, June 15 and ending Friday, Aug. 14, 2015, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with early drop-off available from 8 to 9 a.m. and late pick up from 5 to 6 p.m. This year’s theme is: “Fun ‘n’ Fit”. The program is for ages 6 to 17 at Franklin, Lafayette Hart, Reverend Samuel Delevoe and Roosevelt Gardens parks, for 6 to 10 at Boulevard Gardens Community Center; and for ages 13 to 17 at Sunview Park. Weekly field trip (optional) entails a minimal charge; field-trip participants must also purchase a $5 T-shirt that must be worn on all field trips. Field-trip will be Mondays for Delevoe, Tuesdays for Boulevard Gardens and Sunview, Wednesdays for Franklin, Thursdays for Roosevelt Gardens and Fridays for Lafayette Hart. Note: There will be no program on Friday, July 3, 2015. · Boulevard Gardens Community Center, 313 N.W. 28 Terr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. For more info call (954) 3576867. · Franklin Park, 2501 Franklin Park Dr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. For more info call (954) 357-7080. · Lafayette Hart Park, 2851 N.W. Eighth Rd., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. For more info call (954) 357-7970. · Reverend Samuel Delevoe Park, 2520 N.W. Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. For more info (954) 357-8801. · Roosevelt Gardens Park, 2841 N.W. 11th St., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. For more info (954) 8700. · Sunview Park, 1500 S.W. 42nd Ave., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. For more info call (954) 357-6520.

For more info call or visit the park of your choice.

Summer Reading Program

The Summer Reading Program June through Aug. 6, 2015 at Tyrone Bryant Library, 2230 N.W. 21 Ave., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Participation earns raffle chances at Amazon and Publix gift cards, raffle entries can be earned by reading or listening to audio books whenever you want. For additional info call (945) 357-8210.

Register online @ www.broward.org/Library/ read or come in to register.

Health Fair MEC Ministries Inc. is sponsoring a community wide Health Fair on July 18, 2015 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 115 N.E. Third St., Pompano Beach, Fla. For more info contact Anita Brown, Health Fair Coordinator @ (954) 540-6356 or via e-mail at anitabrown1965@hotmail.com.

Fundraiser

Dillard Class of '71 Members and supporter our annual scholarship Fundraiser is scheduled for July 25, 2015.

An Elegant Affair “Living Life like Its Golden” at Tropical Acres Restaurant 2500 Griffin Rd., Hollywood, Fla.

Preneed Family Counselor

Isn’t it time to have the Conversation? Although it can be difficult, it’s never too early to discuss the future. Be prepared and help ease the burden on your family. Get peace of mind, knowing things will be taken care of the way you want them.

Celebrate a life well lived, with the significance of preserving memories that transcend generations, with dignity and honor.

For that comprehensive conversation, call Michael Nixon, preneed family counselor (954) 937-1362.

CITY WIDE CLASS OF 1973 60TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

“MADE IN 1955” “AGED TO PERFECTION” FRIDAY, JUNE 26 TO SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2015 DEERFIELD BEACH EMBASSY SUITES 950 S. OCEAN WAY DEERFIELD BEACH, FL 33441 HOTEL RESERVATIONS LINK: embassysuites.hilton.com/ en/es/groups/personalized/ D/DEEFLES-CCB-20150626/ index.jhtml or call (954) 426-0478 FRIDAY, JUNE 26 MEET & GREET - 7 PM TICKETS $40

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“GAYLA” 7 PM to 11 PM TICKETS - $60 COLORS: PURPLE & SILVER OR GRAY (ATTIRE: SEMI-FORMAL) T-SHIRTS S-XL: $10, 2X: $12, 3X-4X: $14, 5X: $18, 6X: $20 SIZES ARE NEEDED ASAP!!!!!

PLEASE CONTACT

NETTIE WILLIAMS (954) 881-3412 OR ALEX BONNER (954) 235-4339

TO ORDER T-SHIRTS & TO PURCHASE TICKETS HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!!

The W estside Gazette

recognize June Is Black Music Month A Celebration of Black Music

June 18 - June 24, 2015 • www.thewestsidegazette.com • Page 5

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

Closing achievement gaps requires more than education reform

By Freddie Allen, NNPA Senior Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON, D.C. (NNPA) – Education reform alone isn’t enough to close achievement gaps between Blacks and whites, according to a new report by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).

The study by EPI, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank focused on the needs of lowand middle-income families, analyzed how key social and class factors work to diminish student achievement. Those characteristics include parenting practices, single parenthood, irregular work schedules, lack of access to primary and preventive health care and lead exposure.

Leila Morsy, a lecturer from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, said that even though politicians understand that family and community characteristics affect student performance, they don’t understand how to address its impact.

“Though not all lower-socialclass families have each of these characteristics, all have many of them,” Morsy said in a statement. “Pushing policies that address these social class characteristics might be a more powerful way to raise the achievement of disadvantaged children

than school improvement strategies.”

Educators should still be encouraged to support strategies such as improving access to early childhood care and education, school-based health centers and after-school and summer opportunities, the report suggested, but those programs must be pursued in conjunction with “macroeconomic policies like full employment, higher wages, and stable work schedules,” that also help to nurture children.

Parental engagement and an educational home environment are critical to fostering student achievement.

According to the Education Department’s Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (Kindergarten Class of 2010–2011), Black parents reported an average of 44 books in the home, less than half the number given by white parents (112). Black parents also spend about 40 percent less time reading to their young children compared to whites and Black mothers are “two-thirds as likely as white mothers to read to toddlers daily,” according to the EPI report.

Parental engagement and home environment can be lifechanging in those preschool years and research shows that poor families, independent of race, can take steps to make sure that their children don’t lose ground to their financiallystable peers.

“Low-income parents of children in Head Start who spend more time reading to their children, visit the library more often, keep more children’s books in the home, and begin reading to their children at an earlier age have children with higher literacy skills,” the report said.

“These children are more ready to read when they reach school age, have better vocabularies, are better able to identify

words and letters, and know more story and print concepts – the title of a book, the author, reading from left to right, understanding characters’ feelings.”

More than half of Black children under the age of 18 live in homes with absent fathers, compared to just 18 percent of white children.

The report said that single parents are more stressed and that single mothers who suffer from depression at higher rates are “more likely to abuse children, causing worse outcomes for children themselves.”

That stress is compounded when parents have irregular or nighttime work schedules.

“For example, for low-income African American mothers of preschool children, each additional nighttime hour of work is associated with a decrease in cognitively stimulating mother– child activities,” the report said.

Even though most poor children can get health care through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), they still face

Men of Destiny impacts Voter Registration for Father’s Day the world of work, attending event vocational, colleges and uni-

No greater pain than burying your murdered child (Cont'd from FP) Detroit topped the list of most dangerous cities for the second year in a row with a violent crime rate of 2,072 per 100,000 and murder rate of 45 per 100,000. And, although overall violent crime numbers are down in the city emerging from bankruptcy, homicides are up 14 percent.

There was nearly a homicide a day in March — more than 20, according to the Detroit Police Commission. There have been 113 homicides in the city so far this year.

More than 80 percent of Detroit’s 700,000 residents are African American. It is joined by cities such as Chicago, Philadelphia, Ferguson, Mo., Baltimore, Md. that have predominately or large numbers of Black citizens, and high crime rates.

According to the Washington Post, U.S. police officers have shot and killed 385 people in the past five months, a rate of more than two people a day.

With the killing of Eric Garner by a New York police officer who choked Garner to death, followed by the shooting-death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, countless other killings of Black males and protests of injustice over their deaths have headlined media broadcasts and publications — as well as flooded social media sites, for nearly a year.

The mission of MOMC is to prevent violence through education and proactive intervention with children, young adults, families and community organizations. Frustrated with the lack of support and resources in their communities, MOMC joined similar organizations nationwide in the nation’s capital recently to lobby for policy to end gun violence (and homicides) in the U.S. The other organizations included Mothers In Charge Inc., WAMD —Women Across America Making a Difference; PEACE — Parents Encouraging Accountability and Closure for Everyone; and Mothers Against Gun Violence), along with residents from their communities will gather at the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool for The Standing for Peace and Justice

Rally calling on lawmakers to declare gun violence/homicide … a public health crisis.

Homicide is the leading cause of death among young African American males between 14 and 25 years of age. Such information is rarely included in the national debate about the epidemic of gun violence in America, says Clark.

Gun violence has claimed the lives of more than 30,000 men, women and children in recent years, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Killers, the CDC reports, used guns to murder 11,000 people in 2010 in the U.S., the latest year for which statistics are available.

Twenty thousand others used guns to commit suicides that year and 73,000 were rushed to hospital emergency rooms for gunshot wounds Clark’s son, Darnell, was killed in April 2011. He was taking pictures for a friend’s birthday at a nightclub in down-town Detroit when a fight broke out.

Clark says the security for the nightclub had everyone exit the building. While attempting to drive away in his vehicle, shots rang out and Darnell was struck. Clark’s grief led her to create the organization, Mothers of Murdered Children, only months later.

“I was just reaching for anything, a lifeline, anything,” she says, explaining the challenges she endured in getting information from the DPD regarding her son’s case. With questions looming, she spoke to a friend about the idea of a group to help mothers who experience her same suffering. MOMC was a vision from God she says.

“Once I started talking to all these different mothers, I just put my (pain) on the back burner. I think I was living through their pain and trying to fix them. And forgot… ” her voice broke, and her eyes watered.

Although Andrea has told the story of her son’s death on multiple occasions she began to cry as she reminisced about the good times, and the irony.

Darnell was an aspiring photographer, and he was a dad — a great dad. “My son didn’t even like going to clubs,” she said.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

hurdles accessing primary and preventive care. Doctors are also in short supply in low-income communities. That means poor children, especially poor Black children, have to wait longer to get treated for common illnesses, including allergies, asthma and dental problems.

Despite strides to eliminate lead in gasoline and in paint for about 40 years, Blacks are still twice as likely as whites to have dangerous levels of the metal in their blood.

“Even very low levels of lead contribute to cognitive impairment, including reductions in IQ and verbal and reading ability, with no identifiable safe bottom threshold,” the report stated. “Childhood lead exposure also appears to be closely linked to young adult criminal behavior. Crime rates fell more rapidly in states where leaded gasoline was banned more quickly.”

Black children from low-income families absorb more lead from their environment, because they have less calcium

BISHOP RUSSELL

By M.C. Brown The Community of Broward County is cordially invited to attend the 2015 Father’s Day Voter Registration Drive on Saturday, June 20, 2015 at 1 p.m., at Bass Park Recreational Center, 2750 N.W. 19 St., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. According to the founder of Men of Destiny Community Outreach, Inc., Bishop Douglas Russell, Jr., expressed that; “We are proud of the fact that there are numerous graduates of Broward County who have graduated from Broward County Public Schools, Charter and private schools. Many of these students will be entering into

versities. Our goal is to make sure that these students are registered to vote.” We are grateful for the Broward County Supervisor of elections Office offering into the local schools, the pre-registration initiative for students, who are about to become the age of 17 and those 18 years of age. However, if students missed the deadline this is an opportunity for recent graduates to register and those members of their households who meet the voting criteria to become a registered voter.

Our goal is to impact the entire family members, those who are of voting age on this coming Saturday.”

We are excited about this great community event and sharing in this event, with the congregates of Every Christian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where Rev. David E. Deal, Jr., will be on site in providing refreshments, music and welcoming graduates and their families to this upcoming festivity of the year. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to be a vital part of having your right to vote in the upcoming elections as your civic duty.

The Supervisor of Elections Community Outreach Services will be available in assisting graduates and their families and addressing any questions that you may have.

For additional information, call MODCO at (954) 527-5609.

THE SCHOOL BOARD OF BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA NOTICE OF MEETINGS MEETINGS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR CANCELLATION Date Meeting Place 7/1/15 QSEC Review of Contractors TSSC - Rm. #323 9a Pre-Qualification/ReCert.

7720 W. Oklnd Pk Blvd., Sunrise 7/29/15 QSEC Review of Contractors TSSC - Rm. #323 9a Pre-Qualification/ReCert.

7720 W. Oklnd Pk Blvd., Sunrise 7/1/15 Parent/Community Involvement Ramblewood Middle School 10a-12p Task Force- Media 8505 W Atlantic Blvd, Coral Springs Subcommittee 7/22/15 Parent/Community Involvement United Way 10a-12p Task Force- Media 1300 S Andrews Ave, Ft. Lauderdale Subcommittee The School Board of Broward County, Florida, prohibits any policy or procedure, which results in discrimination on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, marital status, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. Individuals who wish to file a discrimination and/or harassment complaint may call the Director, Equal Educational Opportunities/ADA Compliance Department, at 754-321-2150 or Teletype Machine (TTY) 754-321-2158. Individuals with disabilities requesting accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA), may call Equal Educational Opportunities/ADA Compliance Department, at 754-321-2150 or Teletype Machine (TTY) 754-321-2158.

Notice is hereby given that two or more Board Members of The School Board of Broward County, Florida, may be participating.

in their diets, negatively affecting brain development.

The report noted that discrimination in the criminal justice system leads to higher incarceration rates for young, Black men. Prison convictions make it harder for Black fathers to find gainful employment to support their families, which can also affect the academic success of their children.

“Reforming drug laws, ending imprisonment of non-violent offenders, and curtailing racial profiling in urban policing can result in fewer young African American men disqualified from employment because they report criminal records,” the EPI report suggested.

The report also recommended curbing “just-in-time” work schedules; expanding full-service school-based health centers and protecting children from lead exposure can have a positive impact in the lives of children from low-income families.

Richard Rothstein, a research associate with the EPI and co-author of the report, said closing the education achievement gap is going to take social reform for low-income families and their children.

“Policymakers should focus on improving the living conditions of these children and their families,” said Rothstein.

“That is likely to have a palpable impact on closing the achievement gap.”

Bernie Kemp, elected to serve on the Florida Education Association Executive Cabinet

By Staff writer Congratulations to Bernie J. Kemp, vice president of Education Support Professional (ESP) with the Broward Teachers Union (BTU). Bernie has been elected to the executive cabinet of Florida Education Association (FEA) to service as one of two education support professionals’ directors on May 16 in Orlando, Fla. The Florida Education Association (FEA) is a statewide federation of teachers and education workers’ labor unions in the state of Florida in the United States. Its 137,000 members make it the largest union in the state.

“I am so very proud that Bernie will now represent all ESPs (Education Support Professionals) for the state of Florida. He has done a stellar job as the vice president of Broward’s ESP and I know he will continue to advocate for our children, parents and educators in his new role.

Kemp was elected almost three years ago as the vice president of ESPs for the BTUs. He has worked tirelessly to have ESP’s recognized for who they are and for what they do every day for the children and families of Broward. Bernie has been a strong advocate for his mem-

KEMP bers. The education support professional are comprised of teachers assistants, classroom assistant, community liaisons, BRACE advisors, vocational and career advisor, ,job coaches, parent educators, behaviors technicians, home service educators, and other program assistants.

He is a National Education Association (NEA) 2015 Leaders for Tomorrow graduate and a past-president (first male) of the Broward County Council of PTAs/PTSAs. He is looking forward to leading his fellow ESPs into a better tomorrow.

THE SCHOOL BOARD OF BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA NOTICE OF MEETINGS 7/21/15 KCW Bldg., 600 SE 3 rd Ave., Ft. Laud.

5:00 p.m.

6SHFLDO 6FKRRO %RDUG 0HHWLQJ- Approval of 5:30 p.m.

Budget Ad First Public Hearing- DEFP 7/28/15 10:00 a.m.

10:15 a.m.

5:30 p.m.

KCW Bldg., 600 SE 3 rd Ave., Ft. Laud.

6SHFLDO 6FKRRO %RDUG 0HHWLQJ- Expulsions 5HJXODU 6FKRRO %RDUG 0HHWLQJ First Public Hearing- Budget

Regular School Board Meeting ± Public speakers listed on the agenda will be heard at 12 p.m. or as close to that time as possible.

Workshops ± Public speakers will be permitted three minutes each to address a topic at the conclusion of Board Members' discussion on the topic. The times for items on the agenda are only estimates.

The actual start times for these topics may vary up to an hour or more depending on the nature of the items and the length of the Board discussions and public comments.

The School Board of Broward County, Florida, prohibits any policy or procedure, which results in discrimination on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, marital status, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. Individuals who wish to file a discrimination and/or harassment complaint may call the Director, Equal Educational Opportunities/ADA Compliance Department, at 754-321-2150 or Teletype Machine (TTY) 754-321-2158.

Individuals with disabilities requesting accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA), may call Equal Educational Opportunities/ADA Compliance Department, at 754-321-2150 or Teletype Machine (TTY) 754-321-2158.

Telephone conferencing or other telecommunications technology may be used in conducting this public meeting to permit absent Board Members to participate in discussions, to be heard by other School Board Members and the public, and to hear discussions taking place during the meeting.

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

Page 6 • www.thewestsidegazette.com • June 18 - June 24, 2015

Opinion

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

Statement from One Hundred Black Men, Inc. of New “Observations” York on Commissioner Bratton’s remarks on hiring By Pastor Rasheed Z Baaith police officers of color “Lying lips are an June 15, 2015 On June 10, 2015, NYC Police Commissioner William Bratton released a statement concluding that, ‘It is hard to hire Black cops because too many have criminal histories.’ This unfortunate statement made by the commissioner of the largest police department in the country sends the wrong message to the African American community. The One Hundred Black Men of New York have worked for more than a half century developing Black leaders who focus on providing solutions. We are calling on the Commissioner to establish and maintain an ongoing dialogue with the Black community in NYPD’s efforts to recruit officers of color. That would be a meaningful step toward identifying a pool of candidates who DO qualify for NYPD employment.

society. Today, we’re not asking for crumbs, we are demanding youth liberation. For so long, the young and vulnerable have been oppressed and exploited; by both those we’ve trusted, and our government. Rated by MANLEY many as the most oppressed human group on earth, the mistreatment of youth is completely legal. Absolutely.

From the unjust mass incarceration, to the unconstitutional detention. We the youth, and I myself, have repeatedly been told that we are not old enough to do things, ineligible, or incompetent; that we’re not competent to lead the world.

That’s the basis of my decision to run. Along with all these other oppressions, I’ve decided that I am running for President of the United States, with regard to the age restrictions. Let me tell you why once more. Age restrictions have become extremely unjust and have limited our very involvement in this system. I’m going to restore that and through my Presidential bid, we’re going to become better than these restrictions. Through my bid for The White House, I will turn out the Youth Vote that has been so long low. I definitely expect the words “Too Young” and plenty of ageism and personal attacks against myself.

BAAITH There is much our community needs to be concerned with and discussing.

There are the ever present issues of poverty, racism, the miseducation of our children; the under employment of our people, and the disregard of those elected to represent us. There is the new scourge of Flakka, and the encouraging of our children to believe that God make a mistake when He created them a male or a female. Much we need to be concerned with. Much we should be talking about.

But instead, our time is being taken up conversing about someone who believes God was in error when she was made white. She wants to be recognized as being African-American, has declared herself so, was once married to a Black man and has adopted a Black parent.

To my mind, none of this would be worth remarking on because all my life, I (and you) have known white people who acted, talked, and moved, as if they were Black. Some of them we appreciated and some we did not. Often we found the context of their behavior acceptable. Not this time however.

This is not a challenge to the construct of race as Rachel Dolezal, the woman in question and NAACP chapter president in Spokane, Wash., would have us believe. Nor is it a desire to utilize racial identification as “a qualifying or disqualifying characteristic for leadership or membership within the NAACP,” as NAACP National President Cornell William Brooks is trying to make us think. This is about an unnecessary lie and the harm it has caused.

The controversy is not because Dolezal is white and is an officer of the NAACP. There have been and remain white leaders and white members of that organization. It’s been that way since the days of the Niagara Movement from which the NAACP was born.

So that ain’t it.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

One Hundred Black Men, Inc. of New York

Why I’m running for President Elijah D. Manley I have always stressed the importance of youth rights in all portions of

abomination to the LORD but they that deal truly are his delight.”

(Proverbs 12:22)

Will Florida lawmakers GOP candidates must make the budget deadline? condemn ‘War on Police’

By Roger Caldwell

By Clarence V. McKee

There is one more week in the Florida Legislature’s Special Session, and the biggest piece of the puzzle has fallen into place. Florida has the CALDWELL second highest number of uninsured residents of any state, and the two Houses could not agree on how to divide less money to the low income hospitals. The federal government had decided to cut the low income pool (LIP) allocation in Florida, and the Senate and the House had different ideas to solve the problem.

The Senate wanted to expand Medicaid, and receive an additional two billion dollars from the federal government. On the other hand, the governor and the House did not trust the federal government, and they decided that the state could handle its own healthcare problems and expenses.

Initially, the two Houses could not talk to each other, but now there has been progress on many fronts.

Healthcare expenses were the biggest hurdle to get over if there was going to be a balanced budget. The two Houses have agreed on principle to divvy up two billion dollars to hospitals for the cost of treating millions of people with no health insurance. The lawmakers have split up a pot of federal, state, and local tax money to 134 hospitals for the low income pool.

What an opportunity!

Pastor Corey Brooks, a prominent Black Chicago pastor believes the Black community has been forsaken by the Democratic Party and has invited Republican presidential candidates to the visit his neighborhood to inform voters and make them more aware of the political landscape.

So why is Brooks doing this. In his own words: “We have a large, disproportionate number of people who are impoverished. We have a disproportionate number of people who are incarcerated, we have a disproportionate number of people who are unemployed, the educational system has totally failed, and all of this primarily has been under Democratic regimes in our neighborhoods.

“How can our neighborhoods be doing so awful and so bad when we’re so loyal to this party? It’s a matter of them taking complete advantage of our vote . . . Our communities are suffering.”

He added that some of “our communities are some of the worst in the country. Most of the major cities are run by the Democrats.”

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Statement on House passage of African Growth of work from the and Opportunity Act years African Diplomatic LETTERS TO THE EDITOR GUIDELINES The Westside Gazette welcomes your letters. Letters must be signed with name clearly legible along with a phone number and complete address. No unsigned or anonymous letters will be considered for publication. The Westside Gazette reserves the right to edit letters. The letters should be 500 words or less.

Congresswoman Karen Bass (DCalif.), Ranking Member of the Africa Subcommittee, issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 1295, the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015, which would extend the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA): “Today, the House of Representatives demonstrated the very best of bipartisanship by voting for a 10-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act. I look forward to the Senate quickly taking up this legislation so President Obama can sign it.

“The vote today was the result of

Corps, African heads of state, members of African governments, and countless African Diaspora who organized and spoke with a powerful voice that AGOA BASS needed to be reauthorized. I want to thank them for attending the many ‘Africa Policy Breakfasts’ that I hosted where Africans discussed not only AGOA’s importance, but also how we can work with African nations as America’s partner.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Related to the struggle: Masking these things as the fault of the people

By Andravious Shaw-Corretjer, Student at FIU How can a minority in America relate to the struggle in 2015? This is a question that be answered when one observes that many of the obstacles ancestors of the black youth fought to overcome have come back in a new form. We’ve gone from slavery to the school to prison pipeline, separate but equal to ghettos and suburbs, and from lynchings to police brutality and stand your ground inequality.

One can easily find the correlation between slavery and the way that the prison system is set up in today’s America. Schools in minority neighborhoods are usually the underfunded schools with less resources which result in overcrowded classrooms and insufficient services for student. These schools often tend to have lower test scores than their counterparts in the white neighborhoods. These test scores are often used in estimating prison populations.

These schools also often encourage students with low test scores and behavior challenges to dropout rather than providing alternative solutions for them. Black males who dropout of high school end up incarcerated at a rate of one in every four and the black female is the fastest growing prison population in recent years.

This all gets back to slavery because penal labor an easy way for companies to get cheap labor and for the private prison companies to make money off of the companies using these inmates for the purposes of their labor while paying the laborers themselves little to no pay because of their status as a ‘criminal’.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

The Gantt Report White woman in the NAACP

By Lucius Gantt I am so tired of the Negro haters and morning radio clowns criticizing the white woman who is active in a West GANTT Coast NAACP Chapter!

One white woman that acts Black could never ever compare to the millions and millions of Black people in America and around the world that “act white” everyday!

Most of the people of color you know not only love a race other than their own; they hate Black African oriented things more than anything else!

They hate African names, they hate African languages, they hate African history, they hate African culture and they hate African style!

Most African Americans love what their exploiters want them to love and they hate what their oppressors want them to hate!

The white NAACP woman was just fine until the white newspapers made an issue of her afro-centric behavior.

Dumb a** Twitter tweets and stupid Facebook posts talk about how bad it is to be a white NAACP woman.

If the haters would pick up a d*mn book sometimes they would know The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has had white women members since the day it was founded!

The Race Riot of 1908 in Abraham Lincoln’s hometown of Springfield, Ill., had highlighted the urgent need for an effective civil rights organization in the U.S. This event is often cited as the catalyst for the formation of the NAACP. Mary White Ovington, journalist William English Walling and Henry Moskowitz met in New York City in January 1909 and the NAACP was born. Solicitations for support went out to more than 60 prominent Americans, and a meeting date was set for Feb. 12, 1909.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Fox News and AP also What part of democracy are Republicans afraid of? abused Black youth

By George E. Curry, NNPA Columnist

By Lee A. Daniels, NNPA Columnist

Fox News blowhards will never admit that in covering the racially-charged swimming pool incident in McKinney, Tex., they CURRY blew it. But that’s exactly what they did. And rather than acknowledge that they went overboard in defending the misconduct of the police officer involved – conduct that the chief police later described as “out of control” – some of the network’s personalities are attacking those who pointed out that they messed up.

Fortunately, there was videotape of the unfortunate June 5 incident at a swimming pool in Craig Ranch, a predominantly white subdivision in McKinney, Tex., about 30 miles north of Dallas.

The YouTube Video: YouTube.com/ w a t c h ? v = R 4 6 XTqXkzE;feature=youtu.be”>video, which has received more than 11 million views on YouTube, shows a police officer identified as Cpl. Eric Casebolt attempting to throw Dajerria Becton, a slim, 15-year-old, bikini-clad African American, to the sidewalk.

“He told me to walk away and I did,” Becton told KDFW-TV. “Next thing I know I’m on the ground.”

The video, shot by a white teenager, shows Casebolt throwing Becton to the ground as she starts to walk away, yelling to her, “On your face.”

He is seen grabbing her by the hair and placing his knee in her back while she was pinned to the ground under the weight of his body.

It’s not too soon to ask a critical question of citizens of voting age who tend to vote for Democratic candidates: Do you think you’ll be allowed to vote in 2016? DANIELS The Republican Party in numerous states across the country has been working hard to ensure that for many voters who fit that profile, the answer will be “no.”

A half century ago the Civil Rights Movement’s ultimate legislative victory – the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – guaranteed Black Americans’ right to vote. Blacks’ subsequent dedication to a democracy’s fundamental expression of responsible citizenship – voting – led directly to President Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 electoral victories.

In the latter, President Obama won 93 percent of Blacks’ votes, 73 percent of Asian-Americans’ votes, 71 percent of Hispanic-Americans’ votes, and the majority of votes from women as a group and voters age 18 to 29. That support, along with gaining 39 percent of votes cast by whites, gave him a 4.7 million popular-vote and 332-to206 Electoral College margin of victory.

Since then, American voters’ access to the ballot box has once again been threatened: by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 striking down the key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and the resulting blizzard of enacted and proposed acts in Republican-dominated state legislatures intended to suppress voting by those groups whose majorities vote for Democratic candidates.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

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Are you heroic if you take the easy path?

By Don Valentine Let me posit a huge complaint by the masses that are idolizing the Jenner transformation. There are several thousand people in the U.S. that would go through the same metamorphous if they had the resources. The financially fortunate that have done it previously are relatively anonymous. This is how Jenner should have made the transition. Numerous people have had breast augmentation or face lifts without the notoriety.

Hence my annoyance with the millions of gawkers that are treating this augmentation as a heroic chapter.

The fascination with this now “has been” celebrity is cluttering up the news cycle. Jenner was famous 41

years ago as an Olympian. Now Jenner is famous for being a side character in the Kardashian reality show. That is not exactly a seminal program like a Seinfeld or M.A.S.H. (Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

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

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

Church Directory

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

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

Reverend Jimmy L. English PASTOR

June 19 - June 24, 2015 • www.thewestsidegazette.com • Page 7

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

Faith United Church of Christ 6201 NW 57 Street Tamarac, FL 33319 954-721-1232 uccfaith@bellsouth.net faithbroward.org "Historically the First Church in the City of Tamarac!”

Rev. Dr. Ileana Bosenbark, Senior Pastor WEEKLY SERVICES & EVENTS SUNDAY Worship Service (Communion 1st & 3rd Sunday) ........................................................... 10 a.m.

F.A.I.T.H. Academy for Children (Spiritual Formation) K-12 ................................ 10 a.m.

TUESDAY F.A.I.T.H. Academy for Adults (Spiritual Formation) - Office Complex ...... 10:30 a.m.

WEDNESDAY Worship & Arts Ministry Rehearsals (Open Auditions) - Sanctuary .............................. 7 p.m.

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

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

WORSHIP SERVICES Sunday Worship Service .............................................................................. 8:00 & 11:00 a.m.

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

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

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

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

Saturday (2nd & 4th) Christian Growth & Orientation .................................. 8:30 a.m.

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

St. Ruth Missionary Baptist Church 145 NW 5th Ave., Dania Beach, FL 33004 (954) 922-2529 WORSHIP SERVICES Wednesday (NOON DAY PRAYER) ............................................. 12 -1 p.m.

Wednesday (PRAYER MEETING & BIBLE STUDY) .................... 645 p.m.

Sunday Worship Service ................................................................. 10 a.m.

Fifth Sunday Worhip Service ............................................................ 8 a.m.

Obituaries ElIJAH BELL'S Funeral Services FULSOM Funeral Services for the late Vernell Fulsom.

NATTY Funeral Services for the late Paul Natty.

VIXAMAR Funeral Services for the late Mazilus Vixamar.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mount Calvary Baptist Church

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

Reverend Anthony Burrell, Pastor SCHEDULE OF SERVICES 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"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dr. Marcus D. Davidson, Senior Pastor

“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

Dr. James B. Darling, Jr., Pastor/Teacher

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"

Williams Memorial CME

James C. Boyd Funeral Home BODIFORD Funeral services for the late Fannie Mae Bodiford - 81 were held June 13 at Boyd’s Memorial Chapel with Dr. Elder Rev. Dr. Calvin Williams Haralson officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

MCINTOSH Funeral services for the late Delilah Diana McIntosh - 41 were held June 13 at James C. Boyd’s Memorial Chapel with Elder Jeffery Gibbons officiating.

MILTON Funeral services for the late Sister Gloria D. Green – Milton – 53 were held June 11 at Mount Bethel Baptist Church with Bishop C.E. Glover officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

THOMAS Funeral services for the late Almaz Lucille Mesret Thomas - 24 were held June 13 at James C. Boyd’s Memorial Chapel with Min. Eugene Thomas officiating.

TONEY Funeral services for the late Deacon Elton Dawson Toney - 84 were held June 13 at Bethel United Church of Jesus Christ (Apostolic), with Elder Delton McDonald officiating. Interment: Forest Lawn Cemetery.

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!

McWhite's Funeral Home

WORSHIP THIS AND EVERY SUNDAY AT THE CHURCH OF YOUR CHOICE

COOK Funeral services for the late Bishop Joe H. Cook – 82 were held June 13 at The Spiritual Israel Church with Bishop Bobbie Joe Davis officiating. Interment: Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens Central.

FERGUSON Funeral services for the late Leroy Edward Ferguson - 69 were held June 13 at McWhite’s Funeral Home Chapel with Kwaun Felton officiating. Interment: Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens – Central.

MCCLOUD Funeral services for the late James McCloud – 56 were held June 13 at McWhite’s Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. S. Wilcox officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

PLUMMER Funeral services for the late Myrtle Plummer - 100 were held June 13 at McWhite’s Funeral Home with Min. Claudette Daley officiating. Interment: Forest Lawn Central.

Roy Mizell & Kurtz Funeral Home CAIN Funeral services for the late William James Cain - 86 were held June 13 at First Baptist Church Piney Grove with Dr. Derrick J. Hughes officiating. Interment: South Florida VA National Cemetery, Lake Worth Fl. JAMES Funeral services for the late Thelma Wilkerson James - 90 were held June 13 at First

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!”

KIDS TALK ABOUT GOD

What is the most important promise God ever made?

By Carey Kinsolving and Friends “God promised he would never flood the Earth again,” says Katie, age 7. “He put a rainbow in the sky. God told Joseph to build an ark. It was hard for Joseph, but he did it.”

Katie, you left out the part about Joseph painting the ark many colors. Actually, it was Joseph’s coat that was many colors and Noah who built the ark. You might forget who built the ark, but it’s easy to remember God’s promise when you see a beautiful rainbow.

We live in a time when promises are easily broken. That’s why attorneys do so well. A promise is no better than the character of the promise maker.

God has perfect integrity and the power to carry out all his promises.

I like the way Ashlyn, 5, Baptist Church Piney Grove with Dr. Derrick J. Hughes officiating.

Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

JARRETT Funeral services for the late Akilah Shanic Jarrett - 26 were held June 11 at Roy Mizell and Kurtz Worship Center with Bishop Russell E. Tomlinson officiating.

MORELAND Funeral services for the late Deborah Moreland - 84 were held June 13 at Roy Mizell & Kurtz Worship Center with Pastor James B. Darling, Jr officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

WIMBERLY Funeral services for the late Mary Jane Wimberly - 61 were held June 13 at Holy Temple Restoration Ministries with Bishop Dr. Joseph B. Hunter officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

YOUNG Funeral services for the late Haley Young, Jr - 78 were held June 11 at Roy Mizell and Kurtz Worship Center with Pastor Al Scavone officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

described God’s promise after the flood: “God promised to never let the Earth suck into water again.” Ashlyn, you probably meant “sink,” but I don’t doubt that the ark passengers heard many sucking sounds as the huge vessel lifted and began its voyage. God started afresh with one righteous man, his family and a boat full of animals.

“I think the most important promise God ever made was that when the time comes, if you are a Christian, God will come and take you to live your life in heaven with him,” says Haley, 11.

One of the most amazing promises Jesus ever made came during the Passover meal with his disciples on the evening be-fore his crucifixion. As he stared a cruel death in the face, he comforted his disciples with these words: “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3).

Few things are more comforting than knowing a home exists where you’re loved and welcomed. Several years ago, I followed my friend Pat into a homeless hotel in New York City where she conducted a Bible club. Pat said some of these children were so traumatized from living around drug dealers and wacko parents that they couldn’t speak when she first began to teach them.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

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Page 8 • www.thewestsidegazette.com • June 18 - June 24, 2015

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By Harry C. Alford, NNPA Columnist

How do we stop using excuses as a conversation starter, or icebreaker when starting a meeting? We all know people who start conversations by making excuses for why they are late, unprepared, and haven’t completed what they Pearl and Mel Shaw committed to do. First comes the excuse; then comes a focus on the content of the excuse. A meeting to review fundraising progress can turn into a discussion of traffic, construction, family illnesses, the weather, and before you know it 15 minutes have passed.

Excuses send the wrong message to people who are serious about meeting. They have come prepared and are ready to work.

These could be staff, board members or volunteers. One thing is certain: they didn’t show up for excuses. The fact that your organization is a nonprofit doesn’t mean that excuses should be tolerated. Excuses cannot be a part of our culture. We have to rethink how we communicate.

Here’s why: excuses turn people off. When you invite someone to work with you on your fundraising, they are giving their valuable time. They assume you are serious about fundraising and want to get things done. You will run people off is you spend 10 minutes trying to remember what people committed to at the last meeting, and another 10 minutes discussing why those things didn’t get done.

We are telling you the truth. Organizations large and small are always seeking talented people to join their fundraising campaigns.

What many don’t know is that disorganization and excuses can keep all but the most dedicated of people away from the table.

They don’t have the time to waste.

These words may sound harsh, but they are the truth that is not told. If you want to grow from one level of fundraising to another look at how you conduct meetings, how you hold each other accountable, and the extent to which excuses dominate the meeting.

What do we mean by accountability? Doing what you say you’re going to do, and doing it by the time you committed. Oh, did we mention doing a good job?

If you lead with excuses you can stop. Set realistic timeframes. Make commitments you can keep. Get support for developing better time management skills. Whatever it takes, stop leading with excuses. Make your word your bond.

Recently, a writer from USA Today wanted to know if the National Black Chamber of Commerce receives money from fossil fuel companies (coal, oil, ALFORD natural gas, petrochemicals, etc.). That is a “no brainer.” Of course we do – it is only natural.

The legacy of Blacks in this nation has been tied to the miraculous history of fossil fuel and the economic growth in communities because of the successful harvest of fossil fuels. Consistent with the emergence of the Industrial Revolution and the availability of the Homestead Act for freed slaves, fossil fuels have been our economic friend.

My family (both sides) and fossil fuels have been “hand and glove” since the late 1800s. It was during this time that my great grandfathers, who were freed slaves, were receiving land grants through the Homestead Act. They were coming in 160 acre sections. As we received the land and started to farm it, oil companies and other related industries would approach and offer to buy mineral rights that would be on the land.

As kids, I, my brother and the countless amounts of cousins didn’t actually know what was going on but one thing was certainly clear. Fossil fuels companies were natural allies to our family members. I can reflect on hoeing cotton, picking cotton, collecting the apples for harvest time and walking around an active natural gas well or an oil rig right amongst the crops. As our parents grew old and retired, the land would be assigned to us and then we got into the business side of things.

The last activity my brother and I had on our 45 acres was a few years ago. We leased it to a Wyoming company that performed “fracking” on the land. The revenue was sweet. My brother bought a new fishing boat and Kay and I bought a Lexus. We can’t wait for the next cycle. If we become lucky like some of my cousins who have actually struck oil/gas, we can enjoy monthly revenue checks. I have one cousin who has been receiving $12,000 in monthly royalties for about the last 15 years. The partnership we have with fossil fuel companies is a very productive one.

Now, the environmental activists hate this cozy, productive relationship we have with the fossil fuel corporations. Besides revenue sharing, these companies are the number one employer of Blacks in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama and throughout the rest of the nation. What certain wealthy groups are trying to do is poison the historical relationship we have. They want to brainwash those of us in poverty who do not understand the historical and productive relationship we have with fossil fuel companies. They claim that fossil fuel companies want to poison our neighborhoods, kill our land and bring illness to our communities. That is bunk!

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

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By Pearl and Mel Shaw

Freeman - R.L. Macon Funeral Home

Beyond the Rhetoric Fossil fuels and African Americans

June 18 - June 24, 2015 • www.thewestsidegazette.com • Page 9

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

That their lives might be described as ‘Victorious’

By Staff Writer The Victorious Boys Symposium (VBS) is a three-night empowerment workshop for middle school and high school children ages 11-19 aimed at impacting the way they think, live and interact with their community and the world in which they live.

Youth needs more than harsh words; they need help not just condemnation of bad behaviors. We know that they aren’t all lost and many are doing positive things. Yes, they have hurdles and challenges at home, many of whom come from single-parent households. Their televisions depict violence and criminal activity and sometimes injustice toward youth that look just like them.

Seeing such, VBS has turned to God and has launched this three-day nightly workshop aimed at helping youth with knowledge to help them make better choices.

Based on the current world and the events circling around communities, VBS has chosen the following themes to address some of the issues.

Themes: • Fatherlessness (So many of our minority youth are without father figures. This can manifest itself in many different ways.) • Complications & Contradictions of Criminal Justice System (Blacks and Latinos are increasingly discriminatory and still disproportionally incarcerated and charged youth for crimes and renders harsher punishments.) • Violence and the Impact on Home and School (with an inordinate amount of violence in their daily lives, it is unreasonable to think that what they see and experience has no effect on them and their progress.)

VBS Symposium is aimed at ‘turning boys to men.’ Their focus group will be middle school and high school boys they will show them alternatives that will correct destructive mindsets. However their overall function will be to show them absolutely love and care so as that they won’t feel alone. With the help of partnerships with Florida Memorial University who has graciously offered their campus as a host site and the 100 Black Men of South Florida who are working with us to empower our children.

VBS has been organized by a group of faith-based pastors and community leaders, all with a common goal of raising the station of the young Black and Latino men in South Florida.

The 2015 Miami VBS will be held at Florida Memorial University, running nightly from 6-8 pm at the Lou Rawls Auditorium.

VBS hopes to give children the confidence that there is a brighter tomorrow and show them what a future can look like. The aim is to give the kids

something to strive for, beyond just a future as an athlete, but also different career paths that may focus their drive toward a brighter tomorrow.

“Those who talk about the problem but don’t do anything are complicit. We’ve decided to light a candle rather than curse the Dark. There are two sides of the challenge. Our youth must adjust how they see themselves and then demand that others see and respect them for who they are,” said Minister Alvin L. Daniels of the Pembroke Park Church of Christ.

Bunch said in a statement that the ship “represents one of the earliest attempts to bring East Africans into the transAtlantic slave trade.”

“This discovery is significant because there has never been archaeological documentation of a vessel that foundered and was lost while carrying a cargo of enslaved persons,” he said.

The remains of the slave ship are the latest addition to the museum, which is scheduled to open 2016. The museum, which will be the 19th in the Smithsonian collection of museums, has collected a wide array of African-American history memorabilia, ranging from the trumpet of legendary jazz musician Louis Armstrong, to the boxing headgear of former heavyweight champion and human rights icon Muhammad Ali. Currently, the Smithsonian is offering a preview of what is to come at the National Museum of American History.

Selections from the permanent collection are displayed in a temporary exhibition.

“The exhibition showcases the personal and intimate narratives of various families, organizations and individuals spanning the Revolutionary era

By Curtis Bunn Some 50,000 Blacks in Georgia are barred by law from working in 20 occupations that require a professional license because of their prior criminal convictions. They cannot apply for government approval to cut hair, mow lawns or even unclog drains.

For Black men who have been incarcerated, completing their penance and walking into the sunshine of freedom presents countless challenges, especially returning to the work force. The label “ex-convict,” for instance, frightens many private-sector employers. But the public sector creates its own obstacles with a truly confounding Catch-22: Many jobs require government licenses, but convicted felons are forbidden to hold these permits. This conundrum gives many former inmates little choice but to work off the books. This, in turn, means they sometimes are lured to breaking the law in order to escape their former lives of lawlessness.

Barry Upshaw, 42, understands this situation all too well.

After being imprisoned for drug possession for almost four years, he now regularly stands at the entrance of the Home Depot shopping plaza on Atlanta’s Ponce de Leon Avenue. Six days a week, Upshaw waits patiently and hopes that someone will ask him to assemble a new product, mow a lawn or perform some other odd job.

Upshaw calls himself a handyman who can fix anything. And yet he cannot repair the state laws that require him and other Georgians to secure government licenses before they can apply themselves as engineers, dental assistants and funeral directors, among other positions. Some might argue that licenses prevent buildings from collapsing due to faulty work by sub-par engineers. Certified dental assistants very well may be less likely to infect their patients. But it seems harder to justify licensing requirements for barbers, lawn care technicians, massage therapists, plumbers, pipe fitters, auto mec-

hanics, insurance agents and other positions with lower safety and health concerns.

Thanks to these rules, Upshaw and several other former felons stand around much of the day and hope that someone informally hires them at discounted rates to perform laborintensive duties.

“It’s humiliating, to be honest,” says Upshaw, who laments that he has lived with three different friends in the last year. “But the things I can really do, they won’t let me get a license for it. And no license, no job.”

Upshaw, who is from Augusta and has a 13-year-old daughter, said he can make up to $50 a day — occasionally $100, when everything goes right — by being “hired” to work as a mover or help put together furniture. Those who recruit him need things done, but don’t want to pay the oftensteep wages that full-blown companies charge. Many days, Upshaw says, he makes nothing, especially in winter.

“I made a mistake, and I

By Jazelle Hunt, NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON, D.C. (NNPA) –It was a typical Friday night when journalist, author, and political analyst, Sophia A. Nelson did what she typically does: She posted a photo on her Twitter account. It wasn’t a typical photo and it did not draw a typical response.

Nelson posted a satirical photo of three injured soldiers saying, “PLEASE EXCUSE US. WE ARE ON OUR WAY TO THANK BRUCE JENNER FOR BEING SO COURAGEOUS.” A devout Christian, Nelson called Bruce Jenner’s transition to a woman now known as Caitlyn Jenner as “detestable,” “distasteful,” and “confused,” and proposed that Jenner’s Olympic medals be revoked because “Caitlyn Jenner did not earn them.”

And in case anyone missed the point, Nelson wrote, “Bottom line: Caitlyn Jenner is a man biologically and based on her DNA. No surgery can change that. Calling a man a woman is an insult.”

With that, Nelson became an active target of insults.

Among the Tweeted comments: “You are absolute garbage” and “You’re disgusting, please drown.” One person called her a “c—t” in a Tweet that has since been deleted.

Hundreds of responses poured in over the next several days, some in support, but many sharply critical.

“The anger! When did everybody get so angry? That’s what shocked me so much,” she said.

“I would ask my fellow Americans in the LGBT community – if you want people to respect-

museum and a preview of its rich collection,” according to the museum’s site.

Included in the display are James Brown’s organ, rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry’s Cadillac, abolitionist Harriet Tubman’s hymn book, civil rights activist Rosa Parks’ dress, revolutionary slave leader Nat Turner’s Bible, “King of Pop” Michael Jackson’s fedora and an airplane used by the World War II Tuskegee Airmen.

The items are symbols of transition from slavery to freedom, to civil rights, to woman’s rights. In efforts to encompass every aspect of African Americans since their initial arrival on slave ships from Africa in 1619, the museum spans every era in history—even the stories still unfolding, according of museum officials.

The stories of the deaths of unarmed Black men by police in places like Ferguson, Mo., and Baltimore and the unrest are being collected by the museum.

Curators have collected a gas mask worn in Ferguson and a hoodie worn during the protests following the death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teenager slain by a white security guard in Florida.

NELSON fully engage with you and treat you the same, then you have to be willing to extend that to others who don’t think the way you do. We’ve got to get to a place where we can be civil in our discourse.”

Civil discourse around LGBT issues is Rev. Cedric Harmon’s work. An ordained pastor, Harmon is co-director of Many Voices, a Washington, D.C.based organization that helps create LGBT-safe, inclusive conversations within Black churches and communities.

“I think that some of the negative backlash comes from the very sincere hurt and harm visited on trans folks every day,” he explained. “On the other hand, the transgender experience is just now getting a full public hearing. So people are coming at this with a whole lot of questions.”

Kylar W. Broadus, lawyer, educator, activist, and director of the Transgender Civil Rights Project of the National LGBTQ Task Force, the nation’s oldest LGBTQ advocacy group, also has trying to mend fences between the straight and LGBTQ community.

“Words are very harmful, particularly when you’re dealing with marginalized communities. Trans communities are hugely impacted by violence, particularly trans communities of color,” he says. “So if we allow people to say what they want, those words roll into bigger hate.

And if we don’t dis-pel the notion immediately, it ramps up.”

The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs finds that trans women of color accounted for 72 percent of all LGBTQ people murdered in 2013. At the start of 2015, a Black trans woman was murdered every week for six consecutive weeks. The National Center for Transgender Equality finds that almost half of all Black trans women have been incarcerated at some point, and several groups report that the rate of suicide/suicidal thoughts and attempts among transgender people is around 40 percent.

Ronald Moore serves as president and co-founder of the LGBT Faith Leaders of African Descent, said. “You can have a different opinions; that’s just the reality. When you start to act on those feelings or say things that impact other people, that’s when it becomes problematic.”

The political conversation around LGBTQ issues has advanced dramatically over the past three decades. One by one, states have been grappling with same-sex marriage. A Supreme Court decision on the matter is imminent.

Nelson recalled, “Back in 2012 when I was covering the White House… the President switched his position. It caused uproar in a lot of communities, the Black community, the faith community. Like a lot of people of faith, [I said] don’t believe that marriage between two men or marriage between two women is Biblical and allowable under God’s law.”

Professor Michael Eric Dyson referred to Nelson and others as “sexual rednecks.”

Later, MSNBC hosted a televised debate between the two, during which Dyson apo-

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logized. But some people on social media weren’t so amicable.

Nelson said she has received written threats, even at her home.

Nelson, who also holds a law degree, has always felt that LGBT Americans should enjoy a range of civil and human rights, from living and worshipping in peace to adopting children.

“If I were on the Supreme Court I would vote for same sex marriage even though I don’t agree with it, because under the law… I believe the Supreme Court has no other outcome,” she said, adding that an exception should be made for clergy who do not wish to officiate same-sex marriages, and that the law should define marriage as just two adults.

thought I paid for it when I was incarcerated,” he says. “I didn’t know I would be paying for it now, a year later.”

Upshaw’s is an all-too-common story around the United States. Organizations and legislators want to improve this situation in Georgia — the state that has garnered praise for leading the country in prison reform. The Peach State’s Black citizens also want an alternative to the status quo. Many of them are painfully familiar with the devastating numbers: Blacks constitute 13 percent of the U.S. population but 48 percent of the 2.3 million people in prison.

In the state, Blacks make up 62 percent of inmates but only 31 percent of citizens.

This issue has united activists and thinkers on the Left and Right.

“It’s a travesty that we can no longer afford to let continue,” says Francys Johnson, president of the liberal Georgia NAACP. “Our focus has to be on helping these individuals who have completed their requirements in the penal system reenter the work force, provide for their families, and be productive citizens. Employment is vital to that, and having restrictions on gaining licenses does not help.”

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Journalist discovers fourth rail of politics: The LGBT debate

Special find in South Africa for Africanthe present. It also offers an American Museum to overall introduction to the new (Cont'd from FP)

Peach state’s permit rules keep ex-cons jobless

Page 10 • www.thewestsidegazette.com • June 18 - June 24, 2015

Florida Memorial University and In America with James Earl Jones partner for nationally distributed documentary and commercial

Dr. Roslyn Artis and James Earl Jones.

(BLACK PR WIRE) - Florida Memorial University partners with the award winning team at In America with James Earl Jones to produce a documentary on FMU. Jones will interview Florida Memorial University President, Dr. Roslyn Artis on student life and the HBCU experience this summer at Florida Memorial University, 15800 N.W. 42 Avenue, Miami Gardens.

In America is hosted by industry veteran James Earl Jones and will provide an indepth look into student life at Florida Memorial University.

This documentary will be dis-

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.

June 4, 11, 18, 25, 2015 IN THE COUNTY COURT OF THE 11TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO: 295-10179 DIVISION: FC-04 ROSE GALLOWAY, Petitioner and JOHN GALLOWAY, Respondent

NOTICE OF ACTION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE (NO CHILD OR FINANCIAL SUPPORT) TO: JOHN GALLOWAY Address/Residence Unknown YOU ARE NOTIFIED that a action for dissolution of marriage has been filed against you and that you are required to serve a copy of your written defense, if any, to it on Deborah Pino, Esq., whose address is 2701 West Oakland Park Blvd., Suite 410-15, Oakland Park Florida, 33311 on or before June 16, 2015, and file the original with the clerk of this Court at 175 Northwest First Avenue, Miami Florida, Florida 33128 before service on Petitioner or immediately thereafter. If you fail to do so, a default may be entered against you for the relief demanded in the petition.

Copies of all court documents in this case, including orders, are available at the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office. You may review these documents upon request.

You must keep the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office notified of your current address: (You may file Notice of Current Address, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.915.) Future papers in this lawsuit will be mailed to the address on record at the clerk’s office.

WARNING: Rule 12.285, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure, requires certain automatic disclosure of documents and information. Failure to comply can result in sanctions, including dismissal or striking of pleadings. Dated May 4, 2015.

tributed to public television stations in all 50 states, airing for one year, for unlimited broadcast. In addition, a separate educational commercial will be serviced for primetime television on national television networks.

About Florida Memorial University: Located in the City of Miami Gardens, Florida Memorial University is a private, historically Black institution that offers 42 undergraduate degree programs and four graduate degree programs to a culturally diverse student body.

Since its inception in 1879, the University has upheld a commitment to provide a solid foundation for thousands of young people and to open doors to educational opportunities that may have otherwise been closed to them. As South Florida’s only Historically Black College or University (HBCU), it is widely recognized as the birthplace of the Negro National Anthem, Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing. For more information, call (305) 626-3600 or visit www.fmuniv.edu.

About In America TV: In America is hosted by industry veteran James Earl Jones and boasts award winning producers, writers, videographers, and editors with over 100 years of cumulative production experience. By capturing the true essence of each short form documentary, the program is able to effectively educate and communicate the most crucial stories to a wide audience- both through Public Television distribution. For more information, visit www.InAmericaTV.com.

Michelle Jerez, Deputy Clerk June 11, 18, 25, July 2, 2015

City of Fort Lauderdale Annual Water Quality Report Now Available The City of Fort Lauderdale’s 2014 Water Quality Report is now available online at www.fortlauderdale.gov/2014wqr. This annual report contains important information about the City’s water source, treatment process, test results, and overall drinking water quality.

In an effort to maximize sustainability, the City is distributing the report electronically. However, the City will provide a paper copy of the report to those who prefer one, or to those who may not have access to the electronic version.

To request a paper copy, please contact the 24-hour Customer Service Center at (954) 828-8000 or online at www.fortlauderdale.gov/wqr.

The City of Fort Lauderdale routinely monitors for drinking water contaminants according to federal and state laws, rules, and regulations.

For more information or questions, please call (954) 828-8000.

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