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From slave ships to ‘Black Lives Matter’: Nation’s newest Smithsonian to tell story of African Americans

By Edna Kane-Williams In 1955, Mamie Till, the grieving mother of Emmett Till, said she wanted the world to see what had been done to her son.

Sixty years later, the glasstopped coffin that displayed the mutilated body of the 14year-old victim of racial hatred is among thousands of compelling artifacts slated for display in the Smithsonian’s new National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington.

Anticipation builds as the museum, opening in September 2016, prepares to receive visitors from around the world.

It will tell the story of American history like never before from an African-American perspective.

When the doors open, the three-floor, 400,000-squarefoot facility will not only display

Among the exhibits in the new National Museum of African American History and Culture is a collection of glass shards and a shotgun shell collected from the gutter outside the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., after the 1963 bombing that killed four young girls.

Photo credit: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture ancient artifacts but also showcase more current events and

how they fit into the continuum of American history.

“We want to be the place where people come and say, ‘OK, this just happened. What’s the background to this? What preceded this?’” says John Franklin, a museum director.

So items from recent occurrences such as the Black Lives Matter campaign and the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March will be included.

The five-acre museum site, located on Constitution Avenue, between the Washington Monument and the National Museum of American History, will be the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of AfricanAmerican life, art, history and culture. Among the exhibits: * An underground gallery tracing artifacts from a sunken slave ship from the 1500s to the administration of President Barack Obama, America’s first African-American President.

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Being grateful for the stewardship that God has given us “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!”

— Isaiah 52:7 (King James Version)

By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.

Happy Birthday Westside Gazette!

When I use the term ‘I’ in this piece, I am referring to all of the families of the Westside Gazette, those who are here now and those who have crossed over to eternity. We toil every day to do the best that we can with what God has given us and what He has allowed us to do. Carrying on in the footsteps of those that came before us and standing upon their shoulders looking boldly into the future - most humble, grateful and exuberantly proud to accept that honor and most importantly the favor from God. I could only imagine but one thing that could give so much pleasure and pain at the same time, and that is giving birth to a child. Like a hungry baby drawn to full breasts of mother’s milk with love and joy, that’s how we cherish what stewardship God has given to us.

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Young people can impact the world by ‘standing The HIV conversation about PrEP gets heated on the shoulders’ of mentors

By Steve Rothaus, Palette Magazine John Byrne was born in 1981, a few months before the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed a new report about “five young, previously healthy, gay men in Los Angeles” suffering from strange infections that had already killed two of them.

That was on June 5th.

Throughout that summer, doctors across the United States reported similar cases of “GRID” (gay-related immune deficiency) and The New York Times went on to report on a deadly cancer affecting 41 gay men in New York and California in early July. The next year, the CDC named the new plague AIDS, and gay men in San Francisco and New York City began the first community-based efforts to eradicate its cause, human immunodeficiency virus or HIV. Condoms were the only reliable defense against contracting HIV then, and AIDS activists fervently encouraged young gay men not to bareback.

Little Helper More than three decades since those first reports, plenty has improved across the country when it comes to HIV and AIDS. Still, Miami-Dade and

Broward counties currently claim the highest rates of new HIV infections in the United States. Byrne, publisher of RawStory.com, and others throughout South Florida have begun their own communitybased campaigns to address this alarming local trend. And they are dropping the latex in favor of a little blue pill deemed equally effective in preventing the spread of HIV. The pill, Truvada by Gilead Sciences, has been used for about a decade for HIV treatment. As it turns out, it’s been

found to be nearly 100 percent effective in preventing people who are HIV negative from contracting the virus.

I never really liked condoms.

It didn’t feel sexy. It didn’t feel like sex. — John Byrne “Swallow This” is the slogan for a campaign Byrne recently launched. He is advocating something revolutionary: the widespread use of PrEP or preexposure prophylaxis. Byrne’s “I Am PrEP” party held at Hotel Gaythering in mid-November attracted about 100 young and middle-age men. He and many others cheer they can at last enjoy having a healthy, active sex life without having to worry about condoms.

“I never really liked condoms.

It didn’t feel sexy. It didn’t feel like sex,” says Byrne, who came out at 15 and became sexually active in high school at the height of the AIDS crisis.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Broward County Transit Bus Operator Leroy Montgomery was recently recognized for his 30 years of safe driving and service to Broward County. The presentation was made before the County Commission.

Montgomery, (c), is pictured holding award with Bertha W. Henry, County Administrator and Mayor Marty Kiar.

Pleading Our Own Cause

WWW.

Mount Hermon A.M.E. Church’s Greek Unity Day 2016 The Mount Hermon A.M.E. Church Family (Fort Lauderdale), and our dynamic Pastor, Rev. Henry E. Green, Jr., cordially invites the entire community to attend our 22nd Annual Greek Unity Day Observance.

Through this program we annually acknowledge and recognize Black Greek lettered organizations for their numerous contributions and accomplishments. This year, the Rev. Morehouse College student Jajuan Chain and Georgia State University student Samaria Muhammad listen as civil rights veteran Lonnie King explain principles of leadership and organization. Photo credit: Sheila Pree Bright

By Edna Kane-Williams When Jajuan Chain, a history major at Morehouse College in Atlanta, needed to interview someone for a class assignment, he reached out to 1960s civil rights icon Lonnie C. King Jr., a founding member of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and founding chairman of The Committee on Appeal for Human Rights.

After their first encounter, neither King, 79, nor Chain, 22, ever expected that within weeks they would become mentor and protégé working on an organizational project involving Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other universities in Atlanta that Chain believes will impact the rest of his life.

Chain says that King is taking the time to share his experience to train him as a young leader. And their collaboration is working. “We want more than a movement,” Chain says. “We want something that’s going to last for generations, something that’s going to have substance that will not only have a national impact, but an international impact.”

Unlike King and Chain, clarity and understanding between young and older generations has not always been the case during recent uprisings against police killings of unarmed African Americans over the past several years.

Photographer Sheila Pree Bright, who documented recent demonstrations in Ferguson, Mo., and Baltimore, has been an eyewitness to the friction.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

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DR. COUSIN Dr. Michael A. Cousin, Sr., has been invited as the Messenger for the program. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Dr. Cousin currently serves as the pastor of Saint Stephens AME Church in Detroit, Mich., and previously served as pastor of Mount Hermon AME Church (Fort Lauderdale).

During his tenure as our pastor he established and introduced the concept of Greek Unity Day to our church, and to this community.

(Cont'd on Page 11) MEMBER: National Newspaper Publishers Association ( NNPA), and Southeastern African-American Publishers Association (SAAPA) Florida Association of Black Owned Media (FABOM)

Page 2 • February 18 - February 24, 2016

I Ain’t Mad at God!

By Lorenzo C. Robertson God created me to be a caring, compassionate and loving person and I strive to be the person that He created me to be on His earth. Some years ago I was dealt a devastating blow that changed the way I lived my life. That life-altering blow was an AIDS diagnosis.

The day that literally changed the way I viewed this precious life that I have been granted to live. From that day I have asked the Lord to keep me in His arms of protection, but never once questioned or asked Him why me? Instead I asked myself why not me. Obviously, God knew that I could handle the pressures and challenges that ultimately would be ahead for me and my family and my friends.

With prayers and support from people that love and care about me, I have embarked upon this tedious journey as a person living with AIDS. I have opted not to flip the script and pretend that AIDS is living with me. I know that I am living with AIDS, I just have decided that I would not allow AIDS to dictate my life and all that I want to do with it.

AIDS is a devastating disease and many people are afraid to even utter the word, AIDS. I am not one of those people. I have even taken it one step further I also work in the field. You know the one thing I have learned that our people, Black and religious people, are some of the people that are most afraid of AIDS. What I do is try to desensitize Black people about a subject that is many times swept under the rug and never ever spoken about in mixed company; that is anyone that is outside the family.

However, through it all I have learned to lean more and more on the everlasting and ever strong arms of the Lord.

He has held me when there was no one there to hold me.

He has comforted me in my lowest hours when I just didn’t feel that I wanted to go on living my life with AIDS any longer. The Lord has kept me without any opportunistic infections for about many years.

So I know that the Lord has a song for me to sing, he just hasn’t seen fit to give me a voice yet, a sermon to preach nor has he called me to the ministry if he has I am not listening well or there is something I need to do; just to glorify His name that I have not done, yet.

So, I will continue to pray and ask the Lord to keep me in His loving, caring and strong arms of protection from the enemy.

See, I ain’t mad at God for the things He has allowed to happen in my life. I am grateful that I am still here to praise the Lord one more time and to be allowed to glorify His name to the highest. He has kept me here for a purpose and I ain’t mad at God. Amen.

www.thewestsidegazette.com Westside Gazette Why do politicians treat addiction differently in the suburbs?

By Julianne Malveaux, NNPA News Wire Columnist Nick Cocchi would like to be the sheriff of Hampden County, an Eastern Massachusetts county of half a million people.

Springfield, Mass., a city that is about 22 percent African American, is the county seat. Eastern Massachusetts (and indeed, much of New England) is experiencing the devastating fallout from the heroin and opioid abuse epidemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that deaths from heroin overdoses have quadrupled in the past decade, and that heroin use has doubled among whites.

Thus, it is entirely appropriate that Cocchi’s candidate website includes a page that talks about opioid abuse in Hampden County.

Far less appropriate, and indeed, repugnant, was a statement that Cocchi made when he testified at a November hearing before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse. According to Victoria Kim, a writer for The Fix, a newspaper that reports on addiction and recovery issues, Cocchi said as part of his testimony, “What was once the heroin junkie in the dark inner-city back alley has now become brother, sister, mom, dad, son and daughter. It’s hit suburbia U.S.A.” Should the issue of addiction be treated more compassionately and humanely now that it has “hit suburbia U.S.A.?” Wasn’t that “heroin junkie in the dark inner-city back alley” somebody’s brother, sister, mother, dad, son or daughter?

This is why it is so important to lift up the Black Lives Matter movement. Cocchi has, implicitly, said that he values the person in suburbia U.S.A. more than the person in the inner city. And his characterization of the inner-city drug abuser as someone in a back alley reeks of his biases.

Bishop Talbert Swan II, the president of the Springfield NAACP and pastor of Spirit of Hope Church of God in Christ, strongly objected to the racially coded language that Cocchi used to talk about the problem of addiction. He is not the only person who has noticed the increasingly humane way addiction is being managed as the epidemic devastates the white community, in contrast to the way addiction has been managed in the past (consider the language around the crack epidemic) or even now, when African Americans are addicts.

Even Cocchi’s use of is term “junkie” lacks humanity. To call someone a “junkie” is far less humane than calling them an addict.

Before voters support Cocchi in his quest for sheriff, they might push him to get some sensitivity training. They might also ask if he would treat the inner city addict differently than he would treat one from a Hampden suburb.

The larger question, though, is why there is such sudden empathy for addicts, an empathy that was utterly lacking when the increase in crack addiction devastated the African American community, and when zero tolerance policies and mandatory drug sentencing placed people who were seriously ill behind bars for decades. Addiction, after all, is more an illness than a crime.

In Gloucester, a city about 40 miles north from Boston, heroin and opioid addicts who voluntarily turn themselves in at the police station are provided with treatment services, and not charged with any crime.

The program has gotten national attention.

Some addicts from outside Massachusetts have come to Gloucester because they can’t find affordable drug treatment where they live. Imagine that there were such a program for

Malveaux says that irreparable damage was done to the African American community, especially the inner city community, because of the draconian and racist “War on Drugs.” crack addicts when the inhumane “war on drugs” was little more than a war on Black people.

Even as I applaud the new empathy toward addicts, I mourn the years that so many have spent behind bars, denied of the kinds of “innovative” treatment options available in Gloucester.

Irreparable damage was done to the African American community, especially the inner city community, because of the draconian and racist “War on Drugs.” Now, because the face of addiction has changed, so has public policy, and treatment options are preferred to incarceration options.

Even as today’s addicts are being treated more humanely, where is the compassion for the addicts of two decades ago, many who remain incarcerated?

President Obama’s efforts to pardon nonviolent drug offenders are a step in the right direction toward repairing individual lives. Is there a step our nation might take to repair the lives of these individuals and their communities?

The Roland Family announces with great sadness the loss of a beloved daughter, sister, and aunt

Virginia Roland-Smith On January 8, 2016 A Memorial Service, will be held on Saturday February 20, 2016, at 1:00 P.M. 440 NW Sistrunk Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33311

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Westside Gazette

February 18 - February 24, 2016 • Page 3

Despite progress, persistent disparities prolong HIV epidemic among present 12 percent of the U.S. CDC and its partners are African Americans population but accounted for pursuing a high-impact preFrom Blackaids.org African Americans living with HIV are less likely than white or Latino Americans to receive consistent, ongoing medical care, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report published last week in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). Despite the promising sign of declining HIV diagnoses over the past decade, these findings demonstrate yet another persistent disparity that prolongs the epidemic among African Americans.

Only 38 percent of African Americans got consistent HIV care from 2011 – 2013, compared with about half of whites and Latinos, according to the report. Additionally, African American males were less likely to receive consistent medical care than African American females (35 percent and 44 percent, respectively). Among African Americans, receiving consistent HIV care was highest among those whose HIV infections were attributable to heterosexual contact. Those who got consistent HIV medical care for three years were considered consistently retained in care.

People living with HIV who receive ongoing care and treatment not only remain healthier than those who do not, they also dramatically reduce their risk of transmitting the virus to others. According to a separate CDC report published last year and recently updated, it is likely that at least 90 percent of HIV transmission currently comes from people with diagnosed infection who are not retained in care (69 percent) and people whose infection has not been diagnosed (23 percent).

“Consistent care matters. It enables people with HIV to live longer, healthier lives, and it prevents new infections,” said Jonathan Mermin, M.D., director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis,

STD, and TB Prevention. “And closing this gap in care will be essential if we are to see the narrowing racial divide in HIV diagnoses close completely.”

African Americans Remain Most Disproportionately Affected by HIV Roughly 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV, and about 40,000 diagnoses occur each year, according to the most recent CDC data.

But there are signs of progress. Annual HIV diagnoses declined 19 percent from 2005 to 2014. The largest decreases occurred among African American women, with a 42 percent decline since 2005 and a 25

New CDC reports illustrates disparities in HIV care. percent decline in the most recent five-year period. And although diagnoses among Black men who have sex with men (MSM) increased 22 percent over the decade, they have

stabilized in recent years.

Still, African Americans more than any other racial or ethnic group continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV. African Americans re-

almost 50 percent of HIV diagnoses in 2014.

“CDC has been working for many years to eliminate the HIV disparities that exist within the Black community,” said Eugene McCray, M.D., director of CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. “While we are seeing signs of success, we must continue our focus on prevention strategies that will have the greatest impact on African American communities and the nation overall. A key area of focus is ensuring that people living with HIV are diagnosed early, quickly linked to care and receive consistent care that improves their lives and protects the health of their partners.”

Ongoing CDC Efforts

vention approach that advances the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and maximizes highly effective, scalable HIV prevention methods. CDC provides targeted support to organizations across the country to prevent HIV – and to ensure African Americans who are diagnosed with HIV are promptly connected to ongoing medical care.

Activities include: · Developing new strategies that leverage HIV surveillance data and other information to link and re-engage people in HIV care.

that exposure to the virus is multiplied by many times.

Now, as a result, MiamiDade and Broward account for 38 percent of the new infections—last year totaling 6,240 infections—the highest increase since 2002.

It is a reality that the reactionary state government has moved to dismantle public health services for the people of Florida. The state health de-

partment which functions on the county level (or in some cases for more rural counties, one health department for several counties) have slashed staff—not only those who provide key services, but also the vital behind the scenes work of surveillance and infrastructure building that can detect shifts in the spread of disease and quickly address them.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Miami, Broward highest in new HIV infections

By John McDevitt The author is a former infectious disease health worker and leader in the Florida state worker’s union, AFSCME. On Jan. 22, the Miami Herald published an article entitled “Florida leads U.S. in new HIV cases after years of cuts in Public Health.” The title, although accurate in its assessment of the growing crisis in South Florida in the sheer number of new HIV infections, fails to account for the concerted effort between private health care and its public managers to dismantle a system that could have lead the nation in addressing and preventing the spread of HIV. New HIV infections in Miami have risen each year since 2012 while rates dropped everywhere else in the country. A significant number of these infections were never detected before, meaning

that large numbers of those infected with HIV have been living untreated for long periods of time. If these individuals had been found through early intervention (testing) and prevention efforts, the current epidemic could have been stopped. However, the profit system and its managing partners in government took the opposite approach, dismantling the state’s public health system and turning it over to private and semi-non-profit hands as well as channeling funding into initiatives that have been proven time and again to not be effective in reaching those disenfranchised from health systems altogether.

A significant portion of funding that goes to Metropolitan Statistical Areas like Miami and Fort Lauderdale from the federal government—$34 million for the entire state—ends up, for example, in bus advertisements. These have never

demonstrated any effect in identifying undiagnosed people living with HIV. Left unfunded is the seemingly counterintuitive yet effective method of social networking testing approaches that recruit those who test HIV negative by assisting in finding possibly infected partners based on practices that put individuals at risk for HIV. Florida lacks any centralized system to monitor care of those who are HIV positive. The existing decentralized system does not assure that those infected with HIV are receiving the care they need, but a systemic approach could have stopped infection rates. HIV infected individuals in treatment are shown to be extremely unlikely to infect others. All of this creates what is called a high “community viral load.” In other words, there are so many untreated individuals with HIV

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Page 4 • February 18 - February 24, 2016

Westside Gazette

Community Digest

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Conference

South Broward Alumnae Chapter presents Delta GEMS Conference 2016, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Broward College 7200 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines, Fla. Open to the public, high school students ages 14-18.

There will be games, prizes, workshops, activities and Scholarship Available. For more info call Yolanda Brown at (954) 5 2 9 - 9 8 3 5 info@dstouthbroward.org

Rally

Celebration

Lauderhill 6-12 hosts Teen Dating Violence Awareness Rally, Lauderhill STEM-MED students, Women in Distress, Lauderhill Police Department, Broward County Public Schools, Staff, Volunteers and Business Partners, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at Lauderhill 6-12, 1901 N.W. 49 Ave., Lauderhill, Fla.

Join us as we celebrate our 25th Anniversary of being listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Old Dillard Museum, 1009 N.W. Fourth St., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. We pay tribute to Mary Laramore Smith and others whose vision and hard work resulted in the creation and preservation of the Old Dillard Museum, food, refreshments; museum exhibit; film screening.

Luncheon

Fair

Greek Unity Day Program

The Mount Hermon A.M.E. Church Family (Fort Lauderdale), Pastor, Rev. Henry E. Green, Jr., cordially invites the entire community to attend our 22nd Annual Greek Unity Day Observance, 10:15 A.M. on Sunday Feb. 21, 2016 at 10:45 a.m., at Mount Hermon A.M.E. Church, at 401 N.W. 7th Terr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. For additional information please contact Committee Chairperson Dr. Sylvia Sloane Jones at (954) 701-0744.

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., South Broward Alumnae Chapter (SBAC) presents the Seventh Annual Red Shoe Luncheon on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016, at Tatiana’s Restaurant and Club, 1710 E. Hallandale Beach Blvd, Hallandale Beach. Doors open at 10:30 am.

Tickets may be purchased by visiting http:// www.dstsouthbroward.org. For more information call (954) 303-3585 or info@dstsouthbroward.org.

ALL UP IN MY BUSINESS VENDOR SHEET The Pride Center at Equality Park’s Kiki Project Schubert Building-Main Hall Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Name:___________ E-Mail Address:_______________ Telephone:____________ Cell:_________ Name of Business: Business Type: _______________ For more information contact (954) 463-9005, 308 or 309 Please Email completed form to kikiproject@pridecenterflorida.org Please contact us with any special requests.

Domestic Violence Workshop & Resource Fair, No More Broken Hearts, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016 at 9 a.m., at Georgia JonesAyers Middle School, 1331 N.W. 46 St., Miami, Fla. For more info contact the Office of Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall at (305) 995-2311 or District2@dadeschools.net

Luncheon

Zeta D.O.V.E. Foundation of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated Fort Lauderdale Chapter Luncheon Celebrating Finer Womanhood, theme: “Honoring High Achieving Women” in education, politics, community action, women’s health and the world of Zeta on Saturday, March 5, 2016, from 12 noon to 3 p.m. at Sheraton Hotel (Griffin Road/1-95) . For more info or tickets call (954) 2583903.

Happenings at African-American Research Library and Cultural Center

Second Annual Black Empowerment Summit presented

by Fort Lauderdale Community Center. All events at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center · Economics – Thursday, Feb. 18 – from 11 a.m. 5 p.m. ·Network FUNdraiser: The Hope Band “Private Club” Pop-Up Concert! from 7 to 10 p.m., for tickets info contact www.eventbrite.com/fleefundraiser-the-hope-bandsprivate-club-tickets21041221861 ·Social – Tuesday, Feb. 23 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Empowered” book talk at AARLCC featuring Rasheda Jackson, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016 from 2 to 6 p.m., author Rasheda Jackson will discuss her book, Empowered

by His Purpose. Call the welcome desk at (954) 357-6210.

Forum 2016 Americas Forum, Sunday, Feb. 28 thru Tuesday, March 1, 2016 in Miami Fla. Register Now: https://[protectus.mimecast.com/s/ LL2NBXix2JNuY EDUCATION MATTERS Every Child Deserves a Chance to Succeed.

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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.

All eyes on the Black vote

By George E. Curry, George Curry Media Columnist Now that we have gotten the first two political anomalies out of the way en route to electing a new president mostly White Iowa and New Hampshire - the primaries and caucuses are moving to states that are more representative of a diverse America and the outcomes will be heavily influenced by the Black vote.

Black voters will make up half or nearly half of all Democratic voters in North Carolina, Georgia and Louisiana.

Super Tuesday, March 1, has also been billed as the SEC Primary. Six southern states - Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia - will hold a primary or caucus that day.

that the Court’s rulings will likely be moot because a split vote renders the lower court ruling affir-med.

Historically a new Justice is confirmed in 90 - 100 days. The current Administration will be in office for 330 more days. The framers of the Constitution, most notably Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, wanted to prevent the union from ever becoming a monarchy. That is why we have a tertiary division of power.

The founding fathers wanted to set up a paradigm that no one portion of government Legislative, Executive or Judicial would have more power.

Republican’s could navigate a temporary elimination of this balance of government until a new President is sworn into office.

Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan quickly came out to say that whatever candidate President Obama nominates would be rejected so the next President could make the decision. Lawrence Tribe, acclaimed Harvard Law professor, stated in a C.N.B.C. article that “The Republican’s would make an unprecedented misstep on their job if they refused to review a nominee by President Obama even though it is in his last year. The Constitution states that the President should submit a recommendation to fill a vacant seat on the Supreme Court in a timely fashion and it is up to Congress to review said candidate.

Let me answer your question about why this is important to our community. The replacement for Justice Scalia will be the swing vote five - four on College Affirmative Action challenge, voting district challenge, and Immigration challenges facing the court.

The Republican Party is rolling an interesting “Pitch of the Dice”. If Mr. Trump gets selected by their party and the country decides we do not want a “Game Show” host to represent our country then the alternative would be corrosive to the Republicans. Hillary Clinton is on record as saying she would consider Constitutional Scholar and former President Barack Obama for Supreme Court Justice.

2012, African-American voters accounted for Obama’s entire margin of victory in seven states: Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia,” according to the Cook Political Report. “Without these states’ 112 electoral votes, Obama would have lost decisively. African-Americans also accounted for almost all of Obama’s margin in Wisconsin. All of these states, except Maryland, will be crucial 2016 battlegrounds.”

The Black vote will also be important in determining whether Blacks gain a stronger foothold in elective politics.

The Joint Center report noted, “Based on the most recent data, African Americans are 12.5% of the citizen voting age population, but they make up a smaller share of the U.S. House (10%), state legislatures (8.5%), city councils (5.7%), and the U.S. Senate (2%).”

That same pattern holds true for other people of color.

“Latinos make up 11% of the citizen voting age population, but they are a smaller share of the U.S. House (7%), state legislatures (5%), the U.S. Senate (4%), and city councils (3.3%),” the report stated. “Asian Americans are 3.8% of the citizen voting age population but a smaller share of the U.S. House (2%),state legislatures (2%), the U.S. Senate (1%), and city councils (0.4%).”

Because Blacks vote at a higher rate than Latinos at this point and are more diverse geographically, the major attention is being paid to them.

The contest between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton is an intense one, splitting families, pitting friends against one another and, unfortunately, are characterized by attacks that misrepresent the record of the opposing side.

Firmly lined up in the Clinton camp are most members of the Congressional Black Caucus, who through the CBC PAC, endorsed her candidacy.

She is also supported by many other Black elected officials, former Attorney General Eric Holder, and Lucy McBath, whose son, Jordan Davis, was killed in Florida in 2013 for allegedly playing his music too loud.

In the Sanders corner are entertainer and long-time civil rights activist Harry Belafonte, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Professor Cornell West, former NAACP President Benjamin Jealous and writer Ta-Nehesi Coates.

In endorsing Clinton, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) said in response to a reporter’s question, “I never saw him. I never met him [Sanders]. “I was chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee for three years, from 1963 to 1966,” Lewis said.

“I was involved with the sit-ins, the Freedom Rides, the March on Washington, the march from Selma to Montgomery [Alabama] and directed [the] voter education project for six years.

But I met Hillary Clinton. I met President [Bill] Clinton.”

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is being attacked for policies of her husband that expanded the incarceration rate of African Americans, especially Black males.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

More than half of all African Americans live in the South and they will play a crucial role in determining whether Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders gets the Democratic nomination and whether a Democrat or a Republican succeeds Barack Obama, the first Black U.S. president.

In its report, “50 Years of the Voting Rights Act: The State of Race in Politics,” the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies pointed out, “Turnout among black Southerners exceeded that of their white counterparts in four of the twelve presidential elections since 1965, and nationwide Black turnout clearly exceeded white turnout in presidential elections in 2012 and perhaps in 2008.”

Black political clout will not be limited to the South.

“Deconstructing exit poll data from

Supreme Court Justice Obama?

By Don Valentine Justice Anthony Scalia passed away this weekend leaving a split on the Supreme Court. The court now stands four conservative votes to four liberal votes. Concisely put, it means

February 18- February 24, 2016 • Page 5

Westside Gazette

The Republican Primary’s Poisonous Legacy

By Lee A. Daniels, George Curry Media Columnist With last week’s primary in New Hampshire, this year’s momentous presidential contest has now begun in earnest. At last, the political world has actual votes in actual ballot boxes to focus on.

But looming behind all the critical issues of policy and process that are — and are not - going to be discussed is an ominous, multi-part question: What are the American people going to do about Donald Trump’s poisonous political legacy?

There’s no question he’s already left one that’s unprecedented in presi-

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.

dential-campaign politics: a combination of carnival-barker bluster, street-hustler shiftiness, and a deliberate embracing of ignorance of even simple policy matters, along with overt racism and the crudest public language possible this side of outright profanity.

That’s Donald Trump’s political platform. No political extremist has ever before attempted to show all those “qualities” simultaneously at the national level. Nor have we ever had such dramatic evidence that apparently so many White conservatives are eager to participate in such a degrading hustle.

The latest proof there’s no brake on Trump’s-and his mob of supporters’ — slide to deeper levels of cesspool politics came the day before the primary.

Then, at a rally in Salem, N.H., Trump took up the disgusting insult of Ted Cruz a woman shouted from the audience.

According to the account of it in the Washington Post, after the women shouted the insult, Trump said to the audience, “She just said a terrible thing. You know what she said?” before turning to the woman and commanding her to “Shout it out.”

What makes a person want to be President ofAmerica?

By Roger Caldwell As the candidates for president step up to the plate, and explain their qualifications for the most challenging and toughest job on the planet, maybe they all are lying. Nevertheless, every presidential election cycle, there are always a group of men and women who are willing to pursue the office. Presidents have always confronted colossal challenges; therefore it is necessary to have a huge ego and extremely thick skin, when you start the process.

2016 is a presidential election year, and the Republicans have a field of 17 candidates with diverse opinions and plans to make America great again.

Obviously, these 17 candidates believe that they can do the job, and they are ready to tackle the formidable and frightening problems in America. The Democrats started with five candidates and it took only four or five months to get the number down to two candidates. After nine months the Republican candidates are down to six candidates, and still the question is why do all the candidates want the job?

Today with the ever present media and the 24 hour news cycle, any candidate running for the office of president is under intense scrutiny and pressure. Their life is an open book, and every news reporter is looking for dirt that they can expose to the public.

Nothing in their life is private, and everything that happens to the candidate is put on display for the world to see.

Most candidates probably never sleep, because they spend most of the day and night putting out fires, which will not be important tomorrow. Each campaign is like a long distance race, where you stop along the way to have a gladiator fight with one or two of your opponents. Some of these gladiator fights are to your death and other fights will just leave you bloody.

But once you decide to run for president, you will start to age and there will always be a group that will call you an incompetent buffoon.

As a presidential candidate, you are expected to participate in the presidential debates. The presidential debates are verbal boxing matches where your opponent tries to make you appear uninformed and you have no idea what you are talking about. Depending on the host/moderators, the debate can turn into a spectacle of foolishness or an intelligent discourse of knowledge and information. Even though at times the debates are silly and no one is telling the truth, at the end of each event the candidates can put a big check in their campaign bank account.

Every candidate likes to talk about their sense of duty to the country, and how they will improve the lives of the citizens, but everyone is making a deal with a Super PAC. “Before Super PACs became super, they were just PACs or Political Action Committees.

The group could support a candidate or a cause, but were heavily regulated under the terms of the campaign finance laws, and allowed to give candidates $2,500.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com) The woman did so, but, the Post account went on, her voice “still couldn’t be heard throughout the cavernous arena. ‘Okay, you’re not allowed to say and I never expect to hear that from you again,’ Trump said with mock seriousness, like a father reprimanding a child. ‘She said-I never ex-pect to hear that from you again! She said: “He’s a p——.” That’s terrible.”

The Post story noted that at this point “The crowd of several thousand burst into cheers, applause and laughter, while reporters asked one another if they had heard that right.” Later, it stated that Trump “made a show of distancing himself from the insult he had just repeated: ‘You’re reprimanded, okay?’ Smiling, he then polled the audience: Can she stay? Can she stay?

The answer: A roaring yes.”

This is the character of the frontrunner for the Republican Party nomination for the presidency. And of the people who support him.

One online reader of the Post article responded: “This is why the most awful thing some Republicans can call you is “politically correct.” They want to cuss and snicker like teenagers in a locker room. It felt cool once, didn’t it?”

Of course, there’s something more sinister than juvenile dirty hijinks at work here.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

The Gantt Report Pulling the puppet strings

By Lucius Gantt I wonder what the members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and the members of various Conferences of Black State Legislators and other Black elected officials are getting for their steadfast, early and comprehensive support of the Hillary Clinton Presidential Campaign.

What has Hillary Clinton done to generate this widespread political support in America’s Black communities?

Perhaps she has hired large numbers of Black campaign workers or Black political professionals. Maybe she has stood up and spoken out about the evils of police brutality and courtroom injustice.

Clinton’s massive Black political support could be the result of her pulling a few strings!

The politicians that represent you, represent your communities and neighborhoods and those that consisently get in excess of 90 percent of all Black votes cast in United States elections may be controlled by the Democratic Party!

Pinocchio, Lamb Chop, Ernie, Cookie Monster and Howdy Doody are famous American puppets but none of them are better than some of America’s Black community politicians!

I know you don’t like for me to write like this but it’s true. Our elected officials seem to suffer from Democratiphobia, a fear of the Democratic Party!

They are afraid to disagree with the Democratic Party, afraid to stand up to the Democratic Party and scared to death to question the Democratic Party, the Party leadership, the Party’s expenditures and contributions and the Party’s chosen ones for national offices.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Americans must stand up to disrespect to U.S. Presidency Louis C. Ward says that when the presidency is disrespected at home, it sows seeds for foreign countries to disrespect our president as well.

By Louis C. Ward, NNPA Guest Columnist Recently, retired Lt. Col Ralph Peters and Stacey Dash, both contributors on Fox News shows, blatantly disrespected President Obama on different news shows on national television. Lt. Col. Peters called our President a “total p**sy,” and actress Stacey Dash blurted “our President doesn’t give a sh*t about terrorism.”

Bill Slieve, senior vice president of programming for both networks, announced, “Earlier today, Fox contributors Lt. Col. Ralph Peters and Stacey Dash made comments on different programs that were completely inappropriate and unacceptable for our air.”

Thanks for the acknowledgement, but the damage has been done. And for me, it wasn’t enough that the contributors were suspended for two weeks. They should have been fired permanently.

First, it was bumper stickers, then road signs and memorabilia disrespecting President Obama, now its lawmakers, news commentators, and even candidates seeking the Republican nomination for president being discourteous to my President, your President and our President on national television and radio.

America, when will we stand up to those who disrespect for President Barack Obama, the first African American President of United States? Freedom of speech is a constitutional right in America, but defamation of character and disrespect is not. We must speak out against impertinence to the United States presidency.

When the presidency is disrespected at home, it sows seeds for foreign countries to disrespect our President as well. Look at what China and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel said to and about our President.

When he was first elected in 2008 on the platform for “Change in America,” television screens across the nation showed people, representing different ethnic groups, crying because an African American had been elected President. Most anticipated a new day with a better life for African Americans in the most powerful country in the world.

A new time for all people of America to come together to make America, not only the most powerful country in the world, but the greatest country in the world, where people will be able to live in harmony and, hopefully, achieve prosperity on economic and social levels.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Page 6 • February 18 - February 24, 2016

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February 18 - February 24, 2016 • Page 7

Hundreds of Black men show their support for students in Seattle

By Chris B. Bennett, Special to the NNPA News Wire from The Seattle Medium

FIVE WAYS TO UP YOUR ENTREPRENEURIAL GAME THIS YEAR IN BROWARD COUNTY -- A New Year means a new business strategy. Get your business blueprint in gear at the 2016 Capacity Building Conference, running from Friday, March 4 to 5, 2016 at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center. This premier event promises new insights and an inclusive opportunity to connection with business experts and promising ventures.

Featuring local a nationally celebrate experts, this event is perfect for establishing business owners and current Broward County venders. Be sure to get registered as a sponsor, an exhibitor or attendee at CapacityBuilding.Broward.org.

“Intelligence plus character – that is that true goal of education.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In one of the most dynamic displays of civic engagement seen in Seattle in some time, over 200 Black men gathered at South Shore Pre-K – Eighth School to welcome students to school last Monday morning as part of the school’s Eighth Annual celebration of National African American Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID).

NAAPID was founded 20 years ago by Joe Dulin, a retired educator, in response to a call to action (from the Million Man March) by then 12-year-old Ayinde Jean-Baptiste. The day is centered on African American students, but is not exclusive to African American families. Parents, administrators and volunteers at South Shore PreK-Eight have participated in the NAAPID since 2007.

This year’s event took an interesting twist as Anthony Shoecraft, a parent and one of the event organizers, had an

idea that would change the course of this year’s celebration.

That idea was to have 100 Black men show up at the school and engage with the kids. It was both a “what if” moment that took place in a planning meeting and a challenge to see if they could actually pull it off.

For Shoecraft, the vision was simple. It was an unapologetic promotion of positive Black male imagery: 100 men of African descent — who are in and from the community — representing a diversity of hues, professions and stories enthusiastically high fiving students as they enter the building to start their day.

“I just said, ‘what if?’” said Shoecraft. “What if 100 Black men were the ones that greeted children on this day?”

Shoecraft and the members of the planning committee took up the challenge and put out the call for 100 Black men to show up for the event. The response was overwhelming, to organizers and participants alike, as over 200 Black men showed up at the school (most of them wearing business attire), ready and willing to stand up and be counted.

“My unofficial count was 204,” said Shoecraft. “To those

Over 200 Black men gathered to celebrate education and greet students at the South Shore PK-8 School in Seattle, Wash. as part of the National African American Parent Involvement Day. (Chris Bennett/The Seattle Medium)

that think that Black men aren’t in this community, this is a rejection to that narrative. We can show up, and we’re in this community.”

The goal of the event was to reframe the social and racial narrative concerning Black men by displaying and exposing students to the diversity of Black male excellence, affirm the importance of educational equity by celebrating children and families of African descent, and catalyzing the regional adoption of NAAPID at other schools and school districts and communities throughout the region. By most accounts, mission accomplished.

“This is the best day ever,” said Shawn Davis, whose husband and son both participated in the event. “This is so beautiful to see.”

The men began gathering inside the school at 7 a.m., then they formed two lines outside the building where buses and parents dropped students off for school that stretched inside to the building’s rotunda.

As the kids made their way between the lines they were greeted with high fives, words of encouragement and cheers to the sounds of an African drum line. The event became so emotional that parents and the participants got caught up in the moment as they saw faces of the children light up as they made their way into the school like “rock stars.”

This is an amazing event,” said LaCretiah Claytor, the parent of a 7th grade student at the school. “To have a young student, especially young men come in here and be greeted with such smiles, high fives, words of encouragement to start their day off.. this could really change someone’s life right now.”

“I wish they could do this every day,” added Claytor. “I walked through the line myself and it gave me chills. It’s just a beautiful thing that these young men are doing and I really appreciate them for doing it.”

The event drew Black men from all walks of life including Seattle City Council President Bruce Harrell, Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins, police officers, fraternity members, former athletes, white collar workers, blue collar workers and even some people who work graveyard shifts who came to the event after they got off work.

“This is a great event with positive energy, where these kids know that the community is behind them

Broward W ater partnership launches Neighborhood W ater Challenge Water Water Contestants can win $1000 cash or a new water-conserving irrigation system for W ater Conservation and Outr each Water Outreach

By Honey Rand BROWARD COUNTY, FL — Residents in participating Partnership communities are eligible to participate in the Neighborhood Water Challenge. There are two categories to compete. In the conservation category teams of neighbors (two – five) can get together to conserve water. The second category is outreach and education. Contestants will develop and implement an outreach program to help their neighbors

understand that conservation and reuse are more than saving water; it’s about using all of our water resources wisely.

First place winners will receive $1000 cash. The second place prize is a state-of-the-art water-conserving irrigation system. The contest is open to organizations, nonprofits, associations and others. The only criteria is that each team member must live in a Partnership community. The contest is sponsored by Broward Water Partnership, WateReuse Florida and

WaterOptimizer. Program details are available at ConservationPays.com.

WATER CONSERVATION In the water conservation competition neighbors will work together to save water over a two-month period. Water savings will be determined by comparing 2015 water bills to 2016 water bills. An average savings for each team will be calculated. The team that saves the most win. Each participant in the winning team will receive $1000 cash. Each neighbor on the second place team

will receive a state-of-the-art Waterptimizer irrigation system.

OUTREACH AND EDUCATION Teams aren’t necessary for the outreach and education competition. A single resident or family can sign up to create an outreach and education plan to help their neighbors understand that conservation and reuse is more than saving water—it’s about valuing and using all of our water resources (the right water for the right purpose) and the various ways we can do

that—including storm water and recycled water. Details on the judging criteria are available at ConservationPays.com.

Contestants can register for the Neighborhood Water Challenge online at ConservationPays.com or download and mail or email the form.

ABOUT CONSERVATIONPAYS.COM Broward Water Partnership is a collaboration of Broward County and 18 utilities and local governments. In addition to

the Neighborhood Water Challenge, some members of the Partnership offer toilet rebates (for WaterSense low flow devices) and other conservation devices like aerators and lowflow showerheads.

In the past four years, Broward residents, nonprofits and businesses have total savings to date of 775,514,764 gallons or 2.12 gallons of water per day through the ConservationPays program from Broward Water Partnership.

Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue announcing PulsePoint Respond

We are pleased to announce the launch of PulsePoint Respond. PulsePoint Respond is a pre-arrival smartphone app designed to support public safety agencies working to improve cardiac arrest survival rates through improved bystander performance and active citizenship.

PulsePoint Respond empowers everyday citizens to provide life-saving assistance to victims of sudden cardiac arrest. Application users who have indicated they are trained in CPR and willing to assist in case of an emergency can now be notified if someone nearby is having a cardiac emergency and may require CPR. If the cardiac emergency is in a public place, the location-aware application will alert trained citizens in the vicinity of the need for bystander CPR simultaneous with the dispatch

1-800-270-9794

of our crews to the medical emergency. The appli-cation also directs these citizen rescuers to the exact location of the closest publicly accessible Automated External Defibrilla-

tor (AED). Note: User notification only occurs after the 9-1-1 system has been activated.

You can download the app in either the Apple App Store or on Google Play by simply searching

for “PulsePoint”. Once the app is downloaded, select Fort Lauderdale (there are two options, either one will work).

We believe PulsePoint will be a powerful tool in our efforts to in-

crease survival rates in our community.

In addition to the life-saving CPR notifications, the application provides a complete

New stronger effort to prevent drowning among little children Does your homeowner association know how to keep the swimming pool safe for children?

The pool store? Do city inspectors and paramedics recognize a dangerous pool when they see one?

The Florida Department of Health in Broward County has launched a new project to teach pool safety to those groups. The effort is funded by a $250,000 federal grant, one of just five in the nation from the Consumer Products Safety Commission’s “Pool Safely” initiative.

“This grant will do a lot more to make our swimming pools safer and our families more aware about water safety,” says Dr. Paula Thaqi, Director of DOH-Broward. “Every drown-

ing is a tragedy that is 100 percent preventable.”

Drowning is the leading accidental cause of death for children under age 5, especially in Broward, with its 130,000 swimming pools and miles of beaches and waterways. In 2015, six kids ages one to four died by water, says Cassie McGovern, Drowning Prevention Coordinator.

The best ways to prevent drowning are simple: Have a swim-capable adult watch children every second they are around water. Install fences, alarms and other barriers to block children from the water. Maintain a safe pool. Learn to swim.

The Pool Safely project is doing three things:

1. Educate paramedics, other first responders and code enforcement inspectors about pool safety problems, such as broken gate locks, dangerous filter drains and missing safety equipment.

In some drowning tragedies, pool safety protections were not there. The goal is to raise the likelihood that someone will notice and report unsafe conditions before a tragedy occurs.

DOH-Broward inspects all public pools in the county.

2. Educate public pool owners, including homeowner asso-ciations, about safety protections pools should have – even if their pools are older and covered by looser rules. The information also is being shared

with pool builders, installers, maintenance firms and supply stores.

The goal is to encourage everyone to bring unsafe pools up to standards. For the first time, pool stores will be asked to help promote drowning prevention to families.

3. Increase education for families, child care providers, health care organizations and social service agencies about pool safety and drowning prevention.

Also, the project will include giving out door alarms and promoting free and reduced-price swim lessons for children and adults.

For more information call (954) 467-5695 or Cassie.McGovern@flhealth.gov.

Save Water.

Win $1000.

Register Today.

Funeral service for the late Arlander Kennedy 92 will be held Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016 at 1 p.m. at New Mount Olive Baptist Church with Dr. Marcus Davidson, Sr. Pastor.

Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

virtual window into our emergency communication center.

We have included several tools to help you get better acquainted with PulsePoint.

There is a PulsePoint video and information on Channel 78.

If you’re interested in learning hands-only CPR or inquiring about CPR classes, e m a i l : handsonlycpr@fortlauderdale.gov.

PulsePoint AED (yellow icon) can be downloaded to your smartphone and lets you report and update AED locations within the City.

PulsePoint http:// www.pulsepoint.org/ · Resources > How- to · PulsePoint Respond > FAQS PulsePoint News Stories and Saves http:// www.pulsepoint.org/category/ video/ Recent News from PulsePoint Agencies http:// www.pulsepoint.org/category/ highlights/

A Collaboration of Local Governments.

Don’t forget: $100 rebates for WaterSense® toilets.

Homes. Businesses. Nonprofits.

Pre-approval required.

Page 8 • February 18 - February 24, 2016

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 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"

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.

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!

St Paul United Methodist Church 244 S.E. Second Avenue Deerfield Beach, Florida 33341 (954) 427-9407 EMAIL EMAIL:: Stpaulmeth@bellsouth.net WEBSITE WEBSITE:: saintpauldeerfield.com

Rev. Dr. Jimmie L. Brown Senior Pastor

SERVICES

Sunday School .................................................................................... 10 a.m.

Sunday Worship ................................................................................ 11 a.m.

Bible Study (Tuesday) ....................................................... 11 a.m. & 7.p.m.

Obituaries

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.

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

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"

Mount Hermon A.M.E. Church Reverend Henry E. Green, Jr., Pastor 401 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311 Phone: (954) 463-6309 FAX 954 522-4113 Office Hours: Tuesday - Friday 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Email infor@mthermonftl.com

SUNDAY CHURCH SERVICES Worship Service ..................................................................... 7:30 & 10:30 a.m.

Fifth Sunday ONLY .................................................................................... 10 a.m.

Church School ........................................................................................ 9:15 a.m.

BIBLE STUDY: Wednesday ....................................................................... 10 a.m.

Gems & Jewels Ministry Senior Wednesday Wednesday (Bible Study) .................................................... 12 Noon & 7 - 8 p.m.

Daily Prayer Line ...................................................................................... 6 a.m.

(712)432-1500 Access Code296233#

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

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

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

To Have Y our Chur ch placed in our Your Church Church Directory call us TToday oday -- (954) 525-1489

145 NW 5th Ave., Dania Beach, FL 33004 (954) 922-2529

Senior Pastor

"Historically the First Church in the City of Tamarac!”

TUESDAY

St. Ruth Missionary Baptist Church

Dr. Marcus D. Davidson,

Faith United Church of Christ 6201 NW 57 Street Tamarac, FL 33319 954-721-1232 uccfaith@bellsouth.net faithbroward.org

www.thewestsidegazette.com

Westside Gazette

James C. Boyd Funeral Home GRAHAM Funeral services for the late Arthur Louis Graham, Sr. – 64 were held Feb. 13 at New Mount Olive Baptist Church with Rev. Dr. Cyrus Pettis officiating.

Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

TIMA Funeral services for the late Elivane Tima – 75 were held Feb.13 at Concord Evangelical Church with Pasteur Covin Jean-Mary officiating. Interment: Lauderdale Memorial Park.

McWhite's Funeral Home HALL Funeral services for the late Corey Allen Hall -38 were held Feb. 13 at First Baptist Church Piney Grove with Rev. Derrick J. Hughes officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

HENLEY Funeral services for the late Mary Ruth Henley – 85 were held Feb. 13 at National Church of God with Rev. W.J. Gaston officiating..

Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

OUTLAW

Funeral services for the late Ethel L. Outlaw –77 were held Feb. 13 at McWhite’s Funeral Home Chapel with Brother Gregory Brown officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

ROBINSON Funeral services for the late Harry Robinson -54 were held Feb.13 at McWhite’s Funeral Home Chapel.

WILKES Funeral services for the late Min. John Lee Wilkes -50 were held Feb.13 at Mount Zion AME Church with Sr. Pastor Leartis Kelly officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

Roy Mizell & Kurtz Funeral Home CUYLER Funeral services for the late Lottie Cuyler - 82 were held Feb 13 at Holy Tabernacle United Church of God, Florida with Bishop J.L. Williams officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

WEEMS Funeral services for the late Rosa Bell Weems – 75 were held Feb. 13 at Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church with Rev. R.S. Moncrief officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

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.

Williams Memorial CME “PRAYER IS THE ANSWER” 644-646 NW 13th Terrace Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 (954) 462-5711(Ministry Office Line) (954) 462-8222(Pastor’s Direct Line) Email: wm_cme@bellsouth.net (Church} pastorCal50@yahoo.com (Pastor)

Rev. Cal Hopkins.

M.Div) Senior Pastor/Teacher

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

Why did God command us not to covet?

By Carey Kinsolving and friends As Abraham Lincoln paced the floor amid the crying of his two young sons, a passing neighbor asked, “What’s the matter with the boys?”

“Just what’s the matter with the whole world,” answered Lincoln. “I have three walnuts, and each boy wants two.”

Lincoln’s boys were stricken by a bug, says Avery, age 8: “God commanded us not to covet because sometimes if you can’t get it out of your head, it might bug you.”

As Honest Abe discovered, the coveting bug disturbs the peace. “If everyone in the whole world coveted, there would be no peace nor kindness throughout the world,” says Sika, 9.

Everyone would be “whining and complaining about what other people have,” adds Laura, 9.

“You aren’t cool if you don’t have this” is the motivation behind a lot of coveting, says Taylor, 10.

Colton, 8, illustrates a better response to advertising: “If you see a cool skateboard on television, you should not be mean to someone who has it.”

This is easier said than done. Advertisers spend millions trying to convince us that we can’t live without their products.

Courtney, 11, has the remedy. Instead of focusing on what we don’t have, “we should reflect on what we do have and be thankful for what Christ has given us.”

Offering thanks to God is a major antidote against the coveting bug. Remember what the Apostle Paul wrote: “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thessalonians 5:18).

In addition to being thankful, Christine, 11, recommends another remedy: “God told us not to covet because he will provide us with what we mostly need, not junk that we don’t even use.”

We would do well to listen to Jesus’ stern warning: “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15).

Jesus constantly pointed to the inner reality of his life with his Father. Once when his disciples offered him food, he told them he had bread about which they knew nothing. His food, the thing that really mattered, was to do the will of his Father.

“You shouldn’t set your sights on things on the Earth, but things above,” says John, 11.

Many people misquote the Bible by saying money is the root of all evil. Rather, it’s the “love of money” that’s the root of all kinds of evil.

If money calls the shots in your life, you’re worshipping a false god. “No one can serve two masters at the same time,” Jesus said. “You will hate one and love the other, or you will be loyal to one and not care about the other. You cannot serve God and money at the same time” (Matthew 6:24 ERV).

Ouch!

If you seek meaning and significance from things, you’ll never know the overflowing joy and inner peace Jesus provides.

When you ask God to fill you with godly desires, he will. The glitter of money and things will dim because you’ll be enjoying an exciting relationship with him.

Kendal, 11, has been drinking from the eternal spring: (Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

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Page 10 • February 18 - February 24, 2016

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Miami Heat: How will they respond after All-Star break?

By D’Joumbarey A. Moreau There aren’t many events that are more exciting and more entertaining to watch than NBA All-Star weekend.

This year the game was held in Toronto, Canada for the first time in All-Star game history and the stars were all over the building. Drake was all over the scene during the weekend, as was Kevin Hart, Shaquille O’Neal and the biggest headline of the weekend, Kobe Bryant. Out of all of the stars on both rosters, and all of the celebrities in attendance, there was one particular player who we kept an eye on, Dwyane Wade. The 13-year veteran in

the league made his 12th AllStar game in his career. To think that Wade only missed the All-Star game once his career is a feat within itself. It also speaks to the longevity and consistency that he’s had during his professional career.

Wade, even at his advanced basketball age of 34, had a decent outing in front of his elite peers. Wade had a grand time as he finished with eight points, six rebounds and four assists on the night in a 196-173 loss.

It was also enjoyable to see him throw alley-oops to his former Miami Heat teammate LeBron James.

Speaking of teammates, Wade’s teammate, Chris Bosh

Miami Hurricanes: Five players invited to NFL combine

By D’Joumbarey A. Moreau It looks like things are starting to turn back around in South Florida when it comes to football.

The Miami Dolphins might have disappointed last season with their 6-10 finish but the Miami Hurricanes had themselves a wonderful season last year as they finished with an 85 record. Many people doubted this team because they didn’t think enough talent was on the roster but oh boy were they wrong. For the people who need a bit of a refresher course, the Miami Hurricanes used to put so many players in the NFL Draft they should’ve called it the annual Miami draft.

Last season the NFL got put on notice about the Miami Hurricanes once again after having two players in Ereck Flowers of the New York Giants, and Phillip Dorsett of the Indianapolis Colts get selected in the first round. Furthermore, Miami also had players such as Duke Johnson, Clive Walford and Denzel Perryman who all became starters or signifcant players in their rookie season.

Last season even in the middle of a losing year it raised the bar for the upcoming Miami Hurricanes draft class.

Artie BurnsThese group of Hurricanes entering the NFL might not enter as first rounders but it doesn’t diminish the quality of talent which is coming into the league. The Hurricanes have five players in this year’s NFL Draft who all could become starters in the league like their predecessors in due time.

The list of the invited Hurricanes in the NFL combine is cornerback Artie Burns, safety Deon Bush, inside linebacker Raphael Kirby, defensive end Ufomba Kamalu and wide receiver Rashawn Scott. The combine is normally reserved for the best athletes in the NFL Draft, so the fact that those five got the invitation already shows that their talent is coveted by NFL franchises. It also shows that Miami’s program is in good straits.

D’Joumbarey A. Moreau covers sports in Miami-Dade & Broward County. You can follow him on Twitter @DJoumbarey.

Miami Dolphins: Why they should sign Matt Forte

By D’Joumbarey A. Moreau Prayers get answered.

If you look diligently for something then you need to get prepared when it’s right in front of your face.

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.

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The Miami Dolphins have been attempting to find ways to make their offense click for the last three years. This year though was the final straw for many of their fans. The philosophy and the game plan of their former head coach Joe Philbin was to let quarterback Ryan Tannehill throw his way into the playoffs. After a 6-10 finish, another missed year out of playoff contention, and two more fired coaches later, we’ve seen that the evidence shows that having Tannehill air it out all the time won’t work. Instead, in the second half of the season, the Dolphins were a much better team when they let their ground game be the catalyst for their offense.

The fact that Miami finished with a 6-10 record is terrible.

There’s no other way to say it.

The Dolphins should’ve had a better result for all of the investments they put inside of the stadium, coaching staff, and roster.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

was also selected to the roster.

However, Bosh’s spot on the team was taken by Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford because of an injured calf strain.

For as good as it was seeing Wade play in the All-Star game, what can his teammates expect during the second half of their season?

Before the beginning of the year if you knew the Miami Heat would have two All-Stars on their team but would have the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference, would you believe in them?

The Heat this season got to see Wade play out of his mind setting his teammates up in his 12th All-Star game. That type of consistency that he’s been playing with his entire career is the reason Miami has three

championships and multiple appearances in the Eastern Conference Championship game.

For as good as Wade has been this season, the final stretch for his team strictly relies on the consistency of his teammates. Wade can only do so much and it’s going to take an all hands on deck type of attitude if Miami wants to take their team to the next level.

“We’ve said we’re not there (championship contending level) yet, we know that...We’re not in that upper echelon yet...We’ve made strides but we have to continue to make strides” said Dwyane Wade.

In order to make better strides, Miami will need Hassan Whiteside. He’s arguably one of the most important players on the team and Miami will

need him on his best behavior if they want to win. Whiteside’s been dealing with immaturity, and anger issues since he’s entered the league but his teammates now more than ever need him to dial in and focus.

The playoffs are only 30 games away and Miami needs his defense to galvanize them in the second half of their season.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

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Westside Gazette Mount Hermon A.M.E. Church’s Greek Unity Day 2016 (Cont'd from FP) Dr. Cousin is the fourth son born to Bishop Philip Robert

Cousin, Sr. and to Dr. Margaret Joan Cousin. A native of North Carolina, he spent his formative years attending the

public schools in Durham, N.C. In May 1980, he received an academic scholarship to attend Alabama State University in

Montgomery, Ala., earning a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Political Science, with a minor in English. While attending Ala-

February 18 - February 24, 2016 • Page 11 bama State University, he was involved in the Student Government Association, Alpha Kappa Mu National Honor Society, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.

In 1987, Dr. Cousin was awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Fellowship to attend Boston University School of Theology in Boston, Mass., earning a Masters of Divinity Degree. While attending seminary, he served as the pastor to the Youth at Charles Street AME Church located in Roxbury, Mass. In May 2009, Dr. Cousin earned his Doctorate of Ministry from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois.

Over the course of 34 years of pastoral ministry, he has been blessed to serve nine congregations from Troy, Alabama to Detroit, Mich. Since his appointment as the pastor of St. Stephen AME Church in Detroit, Mich., the church has witnessed an increase in attendance during the Sunday Morning Worship Experience! St. Stephen has once again opened

its doors to its neighbors through its weekly activities.

He presently serves as the chair of the Fourth Year Class on Ministry of the Board of Examiners of the Michigan Conference as well as Chair of the Finance Committee for both the Michigan Conference and the Fourth Episcopal District. He is the proud parent of two sons: Michael Alphonso Cousin, Jr. and Timothy Charles Cousin.

The Mount Hermon Church family extends its sincere thanks and gratitude to all of the fraternities and sororities for your support of this event.

We know that it is because of your continued participation and support that Greek Unity Day has been successful for 22 years.

Greek Unity Day 2016 will begin at 10:15 a.m., Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016 at Mount Hermon A.M.E. Church, 401 N.W. Seventh Terr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. For additional information contact Committee Chairperson Dr. Sylvia Sloane Jones at (954) 701-0744.

ONE MILLION CONSCIOUS BLACK VOTERS & CONTRIBUTORS HOLDS NATIONAL NEWS CONFERENCE On Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016, 9 a.m. to 12 noon, press conference begins promptly at 10 a.m.

African-American Civil War Memorial & Museum 1925 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 667-2667 To introduce the One Million Conscious Black Voters & Contributors and our Platform Planks to the National African-American community; to challenge the rights of states to pass laws that contradict the United States’ Constitution (especially ‘laws of attainder’); to lay claim to being the nation’s preeminent “Black Constitutional Patriots;” to remove the clause ‘...except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted...’ from the 13th Amendment to the U.S, Constitution; and to call on all like-minded believers in Black self-reliance to join our movement to empower African-Americans economically and politically!

Page 12 • February 18 - February 24, 2016

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Westside Gazette

100 years of Black T ennis History Tennis in Fort Lauder dale Lauderdale

Althea Gibson

Serena and Venus Williams

By Dr. Kitty Oliver The American Tennis Association (ATA), the oldest Black sports organization in the U.S., is preparing for celebration of its landmark 100th anniversary in 2016 in alliance with the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau (GFLCVB).

For 100 years the ATA has provided a social network for

amateur players and training and experience for young talent before turning pro. The organization has produced some of the country’s top Black tennis talent on the court and as celebrated coaches, while also opening the door for contemporary young Black stars such as Serena and Venus Williams.

Throughout its 100-year history, the ATA has been closely aligned with prominent

Being grateful for the stewardship that God has given us (Cont'd from FP) It is with this love that I/we passionately put our shoulders to the grinding stone every day to carry on the legacy of the Black Press.

For 45 years, the Westside Gazette has tried to hold fast to the precepts and fundamental strengths and tenets of the Black Press while standing in the gap, “Pleading our own cause.”

That gap will forever increase as long as our readers, political leaders and clergy allow corporations to take from our readers their hard earned dollars and spend those dollars to advertise with the ‘Other’ non-Black owned media.

That gap increases when our own try to destroy us through defamation of character. That gap continues to increase as long as the church and the Black Press fail to communicate on the common ground of truth.

That gap will increase every time we allow businesses to use us for placing their press releases, but do not spend their advertising dollars with us.

That gap will increase as long as we allow our own organizations to disrespect us.

But like David, we understand all that we have belongs to God. We know that everything is divinely provided; it is incumbent upon us then to practice proper stewardship by giving back in all areas of our lives.

We continue as the Credo for the Negro Press states: “I Shall Be A Crusader... I Shall Be An Advocate... I Shall Be A Herald... I Shall Be A Mirror And A Record... I Shall Have Integrity... I Shall be a crusader and an advocate, a mirror and a record, a herald and a spotlight, and I Shall not falter.

So help me God.” The Credo, written by Journal and Guide editor P. Bernard Young, Jr., exemplifies a declaration to deliver validity, straightforwardness, and service to the Black people.

At the time the Credo was written, the Black Press was the sole “Voice of the Negro.” As a supporter, the Black Press struggles devotedly for the Rights of Black people in particular and all people in general. As an advocate, the Black Press is a movement to terminate “by any means necessary” the motivations that mean to regulate Black people to second class citizenry. As a herald, the Black Press will continue to allow our cries from joys and pains to be a clarion call loud and clear and not just a muffled whimper that some may try to discard.

From being the “Voice of the Negro” in the premature days of segregation and reprehensible prejudice, the Black Press is still the source that validates the fact that Black life matters.

Because African Americans are repeatedly negatively represented in the other media the Black Press mission will continue to be one of advocacy.

In the early period of the Black existence in America, admission to the white press was without to the “Negro.” As an outcome, African Americans started their own newspapers.

Out of the vastness of a seemingly hopeless situation, the voice of a people resounded and reverberated in the pages of the Black Press. In 1827, Samuel Cornish and John B. Russwurm established the first Black newspaper, Freedom’s Journal.

“We wish to plead our own cause. Too long have others spoken for us. Too long has the public been deceived by misrepresentations in the things which concern us dearly.” — Editorial from Freedom’s Journal It is with this spirit and the belief in God that we carry on in the tradition of those that have gone before us; as we continue to “Plead our own cause”, we shall not equivocate, nor shall we fear, we shall march on!

Happy Birthday Westside Gazette!

Arthur Ashe African American Greek organizations. Pioneer Althea Gibson who broke racial barriers in the sport, was a Soror of Alpha Kappa Alpha. Arthur Ashe, Grand Slam winner and Wimbledon and U.S. Open Champion, was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi. The relationship is continuing into the second 100 years. The CVB and the ATA have engaged the National Pan-Hellenic Council in a tennis tourism initiative supported by local chapters. African American Greek sororities and fraternities in the U.S are pledging support for the ATA’s youth development programs and the plan for a permanent home in Greater Fort Lauderdale, a center for training and for preservation of the history of Blacks in tennis.

The 100th anniversary will be celebrated at the 99th National Championships in Fort Lauderdale July 31-Aug. 7, 2016. The annual competition, started a year after the ATA’s founding, has become a signature event in the area, heralded as a Black Tennis Summer Family Reunion event promoting fun and togetherness.

The tournaments and special activities for adults and youth will draw thousands of tennis players and enthusiasts from major cities around the U.S. and the Caribbean.

Discover 100 years of Black sports history and help kick off the next century in Greater Fort Lauderdale, the top destination for multicultural travelers. Plan your next family reunion, group meeting or vacation during the upcoming ATA National Championships in 2016 in Greater Fort Lauderdale. For more information, visit www.sunny.org.

Khadeeja Dooling, daughter of Mary & Vernon Dooling, was awarded the coveted Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar Award for outstanding academic and sports achievement.

Khadeeja is a junior at the University of South Florida. She is a member of Harris Chapel UMC.

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Louder than a bomb Florida 2016

By Aimee Adler FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – United Way of Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse (UWBCCSA) is proud to announce that it has partnered with the Jason Taylor Foundation to support Louder Than A Bomb Florida 2016 (LTABFLA) presented by Nova Southeastern University.

LTAB Florida utilizes the art of spoken word to help provide teens from diverse backgrounds with a common vehicle for written and performance-based

self-expression, empowering and uniting both the youth and their respective communities.

With the partnership, United Way of Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse, along with its major funder Broward Behavioral Health Coalition (BBHC), have joined the football hero’s efforts to enrich the lives of young artists through this innovative program and provides United Way of Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse with an opportunity to engage directly with teens in the com-

munity and communicate its message to help prevent substance abuse and build healthier communities.

LTABFLA provides a forum where United Way of Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse will have a captive audience to promote its youth advocacy programs such as its Broward Youth Coalition (BYC). BYC is a group of young leaders who work to become youth advocates for substance abuse prevention and mental health promotion in their communities. BYC Members are

'Alive and Kicking'

Film review by Lawrence Knight The power to inspire the human will to overcome adversity is on full display in the documentary film, “Alive and Kicking”. Shot in Nkowankowa Limpopo, South Africa, “Alive and Kicking” tells the story of an all granny soccer league.

Mama Beka, founder of the soccer league, came up with the idea to use the sport of soccer as a way to combat health issues

February 18 - February 24, 2016 • Page 13

Westside Gazette

she was experiencing throughout her entire life. Mama Beka stated that the traditional medicine she was given was unable to cure her of her lifelong health issues, so she came up with the idea to use aerobic exercise as a way to remove all harmful chemicals from her body. Mama Beka noticed that a consistent routine of aerobic exercise relieved her of stress and allowed her the ability to sleep the entire night. Mama Beka also noticed

that there were other grannies dealing with some of the same health and life issues she was experiencing, while receiving treatment at the local hospital.

So one day Mama Beka decided to take all the grannies in her village to the local playground to exercise, but when they arrived they found young boys already there playing soccer. One of the boys passed them the ball and Mama Beka instructed one of the grannies

trained to lead youth coalitions and participate in drug-education workshops. BYC chapters work throughout the year to develop anti-drug and mental health promotion campaigns that are then carried out by the members in their school or community. Other United Way of Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse youth oriented initiatives include Alternative Spring Break (March 21st-25th) and the Youth Leadership Institute taking place this summer.

“We are so pleased to partner with the Jason Taylor Foundation to help bring Louder Than A Bomb Florida to the youth in our community,” said to run and kick it, after one failed attempt and laughter from the boys’ granny tried again and successfully kicked the ball; thus the league was born. Mama Beka with the help of Coach Jack organized an aerobic based soccer program that allowed the grannies to meet twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, to maintain a healthy outlet for the grannies to combat stress and health issues they were experiencing in their daily lives. Coach Jack stated that once the grannies take the field to exercise they become his children and his nurturing style of coaching is evident throughout the film.

Director and producer LaraAnn de Wet did an outstanding job telling the individual stories of each of the grannies as they deal with poverty, domestic violence and the raising of grandchildren whose parents have died from HIV. The filmography is simplistic in nature, but sets a tone of realism that can’t be denied. The documentary has a perfect cinematic rhythm and beat that maintains the underlining idea that there is always hope in the face of adversity with an ending that highlights the grannies cultural triumph through song and dance. After reviewing, “Alive and Kicking” I give the film four out of four stars; because triumph is always a story worth telling and I personally recommend this film to anyone with a beating heart.

Students performing at Louder Than A Bomb Florida 2015.

Maria Hernandez, Vice President of Program Operations at United Way of Broward County.

“The partnership provides us with a fantastic forum where we can communicate to the youth in our community the

risks of underage drinking and substance use/abuse, how to avoid peer pressure and how to advocate for healthier communities.”

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

From Slave Ships to ‘Black Lives Matter’ (Cont'd from FP) * Slave artifacts, including items that belonged to Harriet Tubman. * Segregation artifacts, including a railroad car showing Colored-only and White-only quarters. * Black incarceration, illustrated by a guard tower and a cell from Louisiana’s Angola Prison, formerly a slave facility named for the African country. * A section called the power of place, illustrating the unique experiences of African Americans in the United States. * Two performance spaces, including the Oprah Winfrey Theatre, named for the media mogul who gave $21 million to the museum.

“Military history, sports history, the history of AfricanAmerican organizations and institutions - from schools that our ancestors built to colleges and universities that our reli-

gious organizations constructed - to the political and social and economic organizations that we’ve created from slavery right up to today” will have their place among the exhibits, Franklin says. “It’s just been very exciting working on this project and seeing a very diverse team come together with all kinds of skills.”

For more than 164 years, people of all ages have traveled to Washington to explore the Smithsonian’s 19 museums, plus the National Zoo. But the new museum will have something for everyone.

In the words of the museum’s founding director Lonnie Bunch, “I want people to realize this is who we are as Americans. I’m not creating an African-American museum just for African Americans.”

Edna Kane-Williams is senior vice president for multicultural leadership at AARP.

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Westside Gazette

Celebrate diversity under the warm embrace of the sun.

With a rich African American heritage, Greater Fort Lauderdale proudly supports Black History Month. Explore our colorful past at area museums, libraries and community centers that highlight our culturally diverse foundation.

Visit sunny.org/blackhistory Is it your turn to host the next family reunion? With an amazing blend of hotels, parks and fun things to do, Greater Fort Lauderdale is the perfect place to reunite with loved ones. And, we are here to help you with the planning. To learn more about our destination and what we can offer your family reunion, meeting or conference, contact Albert Tucker at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau 954-767-2456, or visit sunny.org/multicultural

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