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SISTRUNK A-FAIR
WRAPS UP WITH ART WARZ
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL 33310
PERMIT NO. 1179
South Florida artist JDrawtalent Louis is the 2019 Art Warz grand champion! He will be competing at Art Warz: North Carolina on May 18th presented by Art n Soul & Our Gems. (Photo credit: Gary McDonald)
View more photos and videos of Sistrunk A-Fair online at www.thewestsidegazette.com
VOL. 47 NO. 52 50¢
THURSDAY, JANUARY 31 - FEBRUARY 6, 2019
GROWING THE VOICE OF OUR FUTURE: Youth Photojournalists Five BCPS Teacher of the Year finalists are this year’s standouts Winner to be announced at 2019 Caliber Awards
PAGE 2
Government shutdown cost U.S. economy $11 billion, budget office says
By Dareh Gregorian
Satoko Fisher
Sheldon Jordan Catherine Lozada
Kristen Murphy Lisa Clara Mabour
From serving as an autism coach and teaching biology and global perspectives – to teaching the Japanese language and culture, five outstanding teachers are finalists for the Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) Teacher of the Year. Two elementary school teachers, a middle school teacher, a high school teacher and a virtual school teacher, with more than 75 years of combined classroom experience, are vying for the coveted award. The BCPS Teacher of the Year will be named at the 2019 Caliber Awards Ceremony, recognizing the District’s outstanding teachers,
principals, assistant principals and schoolrelated/District employees. The ceremony takes place on Thursday, February 21, 2019, at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center. Congratulations to BCPS Teacher of the Year finalists: Satoko Fisher, Broward Virtual School: Fisher is a 26-year veteran teacher, who teaches the Japanese language and culture to students in first through 12th grade. “Japanese is a challenging subject for American students, as they must
(Cont’d on page 5)
Federal employees went back to work Monday after the longest shutdown in government history — but the economic effects will be felt for a long time. A report released Monday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that the economy took an $11 billion hit, including $3 billion that’s gone forever, in the 35 days
Photo credit: themarysue.com
that parts of the federal government went unfunded. “Among those who experienced the largest and most direct negative effects are federal workers who faced delayed compensation and private-sector entities that lost business. Some of those private-
sector entities will never recoup that lost income,” the report said. “In CBO’s estimation, the shutdown dampened economic activity mainly because of the loss of furloughed federal (Cont’d on page 5)
Civil Rights Org, Muslim Advocates, Settles Pool Discrimination Lawsuit Wilmington, Delaware Revises Dress Code Policy By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent The national civil rights organization, Muslim Advocates, and its co-counsel announced a settlement of a lawsuit against the city of Wilmington, Delaware. The lawsuit alleged that Muslim children were repeatedly harassed at city pools last year because of clothing worn for religious reasons. According to court documents, the city will revise its dress code policies for city-operated aquatic facilities to ensure access
for all. The new policy will expressly state that the dress code accommodates clothing worn for religious reasons or financial hardship. The settlement comes following a lawsuit brought by Wilmington-based Muslim Youth Center, Darul Amaanah Academy, and certain families associated with the center. Some of the children attending Darul Amaanah’s summer camp, consistent with their religious beliefs, wear headscarves, t-shirts or leggings while in public. Despite wearing such clothing at city pools for years without incident, pool staff harassed the children this past summer and
repeatedly denied them access to the pool simply because of their religious beliefs, according to Darul Amaanah. Despite numerous complaints, including a cease and desist letter from Muslim Advocates and an acknowledgement from the mayor’s office that the city used “poor judgment” and “should be held accountable,” the city failed to take meaningful
action, forcing the plaintiffs to file this lawsuit in August 2018, according to attorneys for the center. “I was born and raised in Wilmington, which is why it broke my heart to see our children face this kind of discrimination and humiliation from the city,” said Tahsiyn Ismaa’eel, founding director of (Cont’d on page 11)
Andrew Gillum Addresses Future, Importance of Black Press By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia
Gillum at 2019 NNPA MidWinter Training Conference
Former Tallahassee Mayor and Florida Gubernatorial Candidate Andrew Gillum didn’t break the kind of news that many publishers, editors and journalists may have wanted at the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) annual Midwinter Training Conference in Orlando, but the HBCU graduate did provide the Black Press of America some newsworthy tidbits about what he’s doing now and what the future might hold. “Beginning in about two weeks I will be teaching a fellowship at Harvard University,” Gillum said in
The Westside Gazette Newspaper
an exclusive tidbit from a fireside chat conducted by NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. during a luncheon at the Hilton Orlando Hotel on Thursday, Jan. 24. The luncheon was sponsored by General Motors and Wells Fargo – both companies sent representatives to talk about their commitment to the Black Press. Gillum, who lost a tight and controversial race to Republican Ron De Santis by just 30,000 votes, said he’s also been spending time with his family. “Right now, I’m planning to date my wife,” the former Tallahassee mayor said. With a wife and three children and a new teaching job, Gillum also hasn’t lost
@_WestsideGazett
focus on the political task at hand – the 2020 presidential election. “My grandmother says ‘know better, do better,’” Gillum said. “I learned something about the gap that exists in my state and that there are road barriers for the Democrats. The young voters turned out at a higher rate in the history of the state of Florida,” he said, noting that his goal is to help register 1 million voters by the 2020 election. For those seeking to win in 2020, Gillum said it’s paramount that they engage the Black Press. “Anybody trying to win in 2020, specifically if they are trying to win off the backs of black folk, those investments have to be made and they have to be made early,”
TheWestsideGazetteNewspaper
Gillum said. “There’s always a lot of lip service, but those investments need to be made.” Gillum made note of the partnership between the Black Press and corporations like Wells Fargo and General Motors. He called relationships like (Cont’d on page 9)
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WESTSIDE GAZETTE IS A MEMBER: National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Southeastern African-American Publishers Association (SAAPA) Florida Association of Black Owned Media (FABOM)