The Westside Gazette

Page 1

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID

FT. LAUDERDALE, FL 33310

PERMIT NO. 1179

VOL. 47 NO. 3 50¢

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22 - FEBRUARY 28, 2018

OPINION

Despite barrage of fake news claims aimed at mainstream media “The power of Black-owned media is undeniable,” said Hiram Jackson CEO of Real Times Media who gave the keynote address at the third annual “Get to Know Black Media Symposium”. “Black-owned media not simply “urban” media is as relevant today as it ever was, but it is imperative that Black-owned media shift our thinking about how we connect and engage our audiences and showcase our value to advertisers or we risk getting lost in the sauce.” The Black Owned Media Alliance (BOMA) hosted their annual symposium at the beautiful Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 6, 2018. BOMA Symposium Chairwoman, Debra Toomer of WMBM 1040 AM, started the program by telling guests what an exciting day and more appropriate day to discuss the importance of Black Owned Media. Immediately following this welcome, the symposium began with a frank discussion on how

HIRAM JACKSON

(Photo credit Greggory Reed, MFA)

trusted Black media is in today’s society where fake news claims are prevalent. BOMA President and MIA Media President, Dexter Bridgeman quickly responded “Black-owned media has been that place for generations where the Black community goes to receive their news and information. They know that they can trust us for delivering accurate and truthful documentation of the news. That trust has not changed.” Hiriam challenged the Black Owned Media to be bold and break rules. He warned that mainstream media gets it wrong and sited a quote taken from a 2016 New York Times article. It stated “The influence of Black-owned media companies on Black culture is diminishing.” He went on to point out fact after fact. Black Media owned by Black people is to be considered a gateway to the most influential audience (Cont’d on page 3)

By Joshua Simmons Like many of you, I have spent the last week mourning the tragic loss of life at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, a loss of life that was caused by an assault rifle legally purchased in Coral Springs. This community lost daughters, sons, siblings, husbands, cousins and friends. Feb. 14, 2018, will forever be remembered as the day our collective hearts were shattered by this act of horrific gun violence. But now, it is imperative that the emotions felt on that Wednesday are not forgotten and that the lives lost are not in vain. When the cameras, media attention, tweets and social media stop, the hurt will remain, and we must continue to be there for the families, students, and faculty who have been affected. We must be there to support those who face a long road to recovery, both from physical wounds and the invisible trauma from the horror our young people and their families experienced. Here I am writing, and yet I know that there are absolutely no words that will make these families feel better. No words that will take away their pain. It is crucial that in addition to our sympathies, speeches and platitudes that we also take real, tangible steps to spare another community from experiencing this tragedy. People look to their leaders in times of crisis and (Cont’d on page 9)

By Mitch Perry Florida is poised to make history with the Legislature’s Tuesday passage of a proposal to place a statue of civil-rights leader and educator Mary McLeod Bethune in the National Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol. The statue of Bethune would replace a likeness of Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith, who has represented Florida for decades in the Capitol. The proposal was sponsored by Daytona Beach Democrat Patrick Henry (HB 139) in the House and

Fort Lauderdale Democrat Perry Thurston (SB 472) in the Senate. The House on Tuesday passed the Senate’s version, which passed unanimously last month, sending it to Gov. Rick Scott for approval. The final House vote was 111-1, with Jacksonville Republican (and attorney general candidate) Jay Fant the lone holdout. Fant has previously said that the state should not be in the “statue removal business.” Henry said that Florida was making history by selecting Bethune, the first female African-American to get her own likeness in Statuary Hall in its 154-year history.

Born in July of 1875 in Mayesville, South Carolina, McLeod Bethune was a child of former slaves. Believing that education provided the key to racial advancement, Bethune founded the Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute in 1904, which later became Bethune-Cookman College. She served as the president of the Florida chapter of the National Association of Colored Women for many years. In 1924, Bethune became the organization’s national leader, beating out fellow reformer

Ida B. Wells for the top position. (Cont’d on page 9)

By Erick Johnson (Chicago Crusader/NNPA Member)

AMERICAN COMMUNITY: PROGRESS, BUT OUR WORK IS FAR FROM OVER

By Richard Wolitski We have made great progress in the fight against HIV in the United States. Annual HIV infections and diagnoses have declined in recent years as have HIV-related deaths. But the theme of 2018’s National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day – Stay the Course, the Fight is Not Over! – underscored that we still have important work to do that affects the lives of many Americans. CDC estimates that 1.1 million people are

living with HIV in the United States. Among those, more than 470,000 are African Americans. This includes 74,100 who are unaware of their infection and, thus, are at higher risk of illness and transmitting the virus. African Americans are 43 percent of all people living with HIV in the United States, though African Americans comprise 12 percent of the nation’s total population. When we look at the results (Read the full article online at www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Chicago’s speeding skating world champion Shani Davis, one of America’s most decorated athletes to compete in the Winter Olympics, lost the honor to carry the flag for Team USA during the opening ceremonies on a coin toss. On the coin toss, the honor passed to Erin Hamlin, a four-time Olympic luger, who won a bronze medal at the Winter Olympics in 2014. Davis, the first African American to win an individual gold medal at the Winter Olympics, skipped the opening ceremonies, The Washington Post reported. “One representative from each of the eight U.S. winter sports federations voted, and because Hamlin and Davis each received four votes, the decision was left to a

coin toss, in a process established beforehand by the U.S. Olympic Committee,” according to The Washington Post. The move has raised questions about the standards and criteria that Team USA uses in giving the highest honor to an Olympic athlete. Davis shared his displeasure on social media. “I am an American and when I won the 1000m in 2010 I became the first American to 2-peat in that event,” Davis tweeted. (Read the full story online at www. thewestsidegazette.com)

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