PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID FT. LAUDERDALE, FL 33310
PERMIT NO. 1179
Westside Gazette Broward County's Oldest and Largest African American Owned and Operated Newspaper VOL. 46 NO.4
50¢
A Pr oud PPaper aper ffor or a Pr oud PPeople...Sinc eople...Sinc Proud Proud eople...Sincee 1971 THURSDA Y, MARCH 2 - WEDNESDA Y, MARCH 8, 2017 THURSDAY WEDNESDAY
The Black Press played vital role in 'Hidden Figures' By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA Newswire Contributor) In her book, “Hidden Figures,” author Margot Lee Shetterly pays homage to the African-American women who worked as human computers in the space program. It’s a book that’s spawned an Academy Award-nominated movie and has brought to the fore the accomplishments of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, the brilliant Black women who worked at NASA serving as the brains behind
America’s nascent space program starting in the 1950s. Inside the book, Shetterly also pays homage to where she first got the notion to write such a historical masterpiece. “In the first week of May 1942, the ‘Norfolk Journal and Guide’ published an article that would…be like a signpost for the road not taken,” Shetterly said. She even recalled the headline that accompanied the piece in one of the nation’s oldest African-American-owned newspapers. (Cont'd on Page 3)
Will the Historic Sistrunk Corridor (Community) be given a Trojan Horse Bobby R. Henry, Sr. After surrounding the walls of Troy for ten years, the Greeks constructed a beautiful giant, hollow wooden horse, covertly filled it with armed soldiers, and offered it to the Trojans as a gift for the goddess Athena, and the Trojans took the horse inside the city’s walls. That night, the Greek soldiers sneaked out of the belly of the horse, torched and took the city over. A Trojan horse is thus anything that appears to be innocent but, once received, has influence to wipe out or terminate—for example,… Some want to save our historic “blighted” community by demolishing our buildings and replacing them with ones that will make Fort Lauderdale’s Historic Sistrunk Community lose its authentic cultural character. One of the endangered buildings in the Sistrunk Community is The Mizell Center located on the site that encompasses a portion of the historic Provident Hospital.
“Hidden Figures” author Margot Lee Shetterly (l) poses for a photo with New Journal and Guide publisher Brenda Andrews. (Ernest Lowery/New Journal and Guide)
Minority leaders feel Muslims are unfairly targeted
Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne (c) speaks at the summit entitled, “Defending Against Radical Islamic Terrorism in Texas” in Austin, Texas. (David Wilfong/North Dallas Gazette) By Audrey A. Lundy (North Dallas Gazette/NNPA Member) Muslims have lived in Texas since 1854. They have established mosques, schools and other institutions that serve the greater community. Like most residents, they are proud Texans and Americans,
according to Omar Suleiman, who serves as the Resident Scholar of the Valley Ranch Islamic Center in Irving, Texas. “In the over 150 years that this community has been here, never has there been a problem with the Muslim community trying to overthrow the system,” he said. “Not once has there
been a Muslim promoting anything unconstitutional that infringes on the rights of our friends and neighbors. These aren’t alternate facts; they’re just facts.” Last Wednesday, Suleiman with a group of interfaith and civil rights leaders, held a press conference at Irving City Hall
Louisville native gives back to the Black community By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA Newswire Contributor) Alan “AP” Powell is one of the nation’s greatest unsung African-American heroes. Powell is a member of the Phoenix Aviation Advisory Board and the chairman of the Airport Subcommittee, he believes that he’s the only African-American to currently hold that position. The board meets each month to review airport policies and make recommendations on major airport projects, concession contracts and leases. Oftentimes, it’s Powell who’ll say ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ to a
AP Powell says that he always knew that he could make a difference. (Official Photo/AP Powell)
Pleading Our Own Cause
billion-dollar deal with companies like Uber or Lyft or new concession stands for one of three Arizona airports. People that know Powell call him a “serial entrepreneur,” who has developed vital relationships with Fortune 500 companies. “I’ve been able to turn contacts into contracts,” he said. Born in the inner cities of Louisville, Ky., a short walk from the home of the legendary boxing champ Muhammad Ali, Powell graduated from Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Mo., to become one of the country’s foremost authorities on multicultural content and leveraging brand connections with multicultural audiences. (Cont'd on Page 10)
WWW.
to oppose a summit spearheaded by Texas State Representative Kyle Biedermann and supported by Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne. The summit entitled, “Defending Against Radical Islamic Terrorism in Texas”, took place at the state capitol last week. Community leaders in attendance at the press conference believe the summit unfairly targeted Muslims. However, Rep. Biedermann disagrees with the community leaders. The North Dallas Gazette sent Rep. Biedermann’s office questions related to this story. Even though staffers at Biedermann’s office acknowledged receipt of the questions, they went unanswered; staffers instead sent a press release about the summit. “With the rise of radical Islamic terrorism throughout the world, our homeland security must be our top priority. When I took office, I assembled a Law Enforcement and Homeland Security Advisory Council,” Rep. Biedermann stated in the press release. “We have a responsibility as Texans to secure our border and to protect against the serious, and growing, threats of terrorism.” (Cont'd on Page 3)
Marie Saulsby retires from the Mount Olive Baptist Church choir after 67 years of singing. (Read story on Page 8)
(Cont'd on Page 10)
Spreading the word about HIV prevention for African American women
PrEP can be effective for women, too! African American women are more likely to be infected with HIV than other women, and many don’t know it. So public health officials and advocates are trying to get the word out about PrEP, pre-exposure prophylaxis. It’s a daily medication that helps prevent HIV infection. “This is all about empowering women, especially Black women, by giving them sexual health options and also embarking on a path of research,” says Linda Blout, president of Black Women’s Health Imperative, a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. The organization is helping to launch the capital’s first citywide program to promote use of PrEP among women. The medication, which is sold under the brand name Truvada, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2012 to prevent HIV infection. Research conducted in Africa, where HIV transmission in heterosexual couples is common, found that it is effective in preventing HIV infection when one partner is HIV positive. If the daily pill is taken consistently, it can reduce the risk of HIV infection by up to 92 percent. In the U.S., the first priority was to get Truvada to men who have sex with men, who accounted for 83 percent of new HIV diagnoses in 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the drug isn’t just for men, says Dr. Eugene McCray, director of the CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. African American women represent the highest percentage of HIV infections among women, McCray says. “That is alarming, and we at the CDC are working to address the issue by spreading knowledge. But in order for us to do that, we also need to encourage African-American women to get tested.” (Cont'd on Page 3)
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