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THURSDA THURSDAYY, MARCH 10 - WEDNESDA WEDNESDAYY, MARCH 16 16,, 2016

Mothers of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis Denounce Sanders' comments on African Americans, NRA defense of Sanders

FULTON AfAmPress@hillaryclinton.com Today, Sybrina Fulton and Lucia McBath, the mothers of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis, are speaking out about

Senator Bernie Sanders’ comments on guns and African Americans in Sunday’s Democratic primary debate. During the debate, when asked about his racial blind spots, Sanders said white people “don’t know what it’s like to be living in a ghetto.” And on Monday, Sanders went further, saying, “When you talk about ghettos, traditionally what you’re talking about is African American communities.”

In addition, the NRA defended Sanders’ position that gun manufacturers should receive special immunity protections from lawsuits when their guns kill Americans.

“Senator Sanders is wrong to suggest that the concept of the ghetto is inextricably connected to Black America, just as he was wrong to yet again defend his NRA-backed position on guns,” responded Sybrina Fulton, mother of

Frank Smith, Jr. emerged from a Mississippi jail and learned that he was wanted — by Uncle Sam. The 20-year-old civil rights worker had been locked up for

“For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:11-13).

By Bobby R. Henry, Sr. “Jim Crow” laws rigorously limited how African Americans may perhaps partake in the social order in America. Jim Crow laws stretched into almost every aspect of public life.

Many whites at the time thought that as a substitute of developing as a race, Blacks were degenerating with the elimination of slavery. Most Southern churches supported this racist thinking; that gave the Jim Crow laws some strength.

(Cont'd on Page 3) **********

MCBATH Trayvon Martin. “We need a president who understands Black families don’t all live in ghettos – and who has a plan to end the racial violence that too often plagues families like mine – not someone who says that ‘guns from Vermont are not the

same thing as guns in Chicago’ because they are not ‘used for kids in gangs killing other kids or people shooting at police officers.’

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

From Civil War to Civil Rights, Frank Smith lives Black History

By Avis Thomas-Lester, Urban News Service

Black on Black crime: Is this another form of Jim Crowism?

Black owned media in Florida must organize and work together

By Roger Caldwell In the 2016 Florida political campaign, there are millions of advertising dollars available to Black owned media companies if the candidates understand the benefits of the Black market. At the present time, the Republicans in Florida control the legislature, the governorships and the administration. With more Democrats on the voter rolls in the state, it makes no sense the GOP controls everything.

(Cont'd on Page 3)

Ta-Nehisi Coates: A view from the literary top

three weeks in Greenwood for helping Blacks register to vote.

“After I was released from jail, I called my mother at home in Georgia to tell her I was okay,” said Smith, 73, of Washington, D.C. “She told me I had a draft notice to go to Vietnam.”

Six principals announced as finalists for Broward County Public Schools 2016 Principal of the Year Frank Smith, director, African-American Civil War Memorial and Museum.

(Photo by Shakia Anderson)

JOHNSON

FLEMMING Congratulations to the six outstanding Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) principals named as finalists for the District’s 2016 Principal of the Year. The finalists – three elementary school principals, one middle school principal and two high school principals – now compete to

become the District’s top education leader. The winner will be announced during the Centennial Caliber Awards recognizing outstanding employees on Friday, April 1, 2016, at 6 p.m., at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center.

(Cont'd on Page 10)

Pleading Our Own Cause

It was 1963. Draft board officials asked if he’d had any scrapes with the law. Smith said he had three federal cases pending, thanks to his civilrights work.

“They told me they didn’t want me in the Army,” Smith recalled. “I said, ‘Thank you very much!’ and I went back to Mississippi.”

Nevertheless, Smith has always appreciated service members — especially those who shielded rights that they were denied.

Thirty years after he left the South, Smith helped establish the African American Civil War Memorial and Museum on Washington’s V Street, NW. It honors the war’s 209,000 Black fighters. More than 200,000 people visit it annually. Construction will soon begin on a $4-million expansion.

The museum hosts programs and events on the Civil Rights Movement, including last year’s service for Julian Bond. He, like

WWW.

Smith, was a founding member of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Smith said the museum links Civil War heroes with those who stood up after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on that bus. “They were the first civil rights activists,” he said of the soldiers.

From 1962 to 1968, Smith battled on Mississippi’s front lines. He was threatened, beaten and saw friends die.

“You had to be able to function in an environment of terror and not be paralyzed,” said Courtland Cox, 75, of Northwest Washington, who worked with Smith in Mississippi.

Born in 1942 on a Newman, Georgia, peach plantation, Smith’s father farmed and drove a truck. His mother, Flora, now 96, reared their eight children.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

By Leanna Commins, Howard University News Service WASHINGTON – The man who has taken the literary and journalism worlds by storm, authored a New York Times bestseller and is the recipient of a more than half million dollar fellowship in recognition of his literary achievements, was sitting down and doing the one thing that really makes him uncomfortable — talking to the media.

“One of the unfortunate things about the past year is that I’ve spent it answering other people’s questions,” said Ta-Nehisi Coates, winner of the National Book Award, national correspondent for The Atlantic magazine and recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Award.

“You just get uncomfortable with it after a while. You want to go back to asking questions yourself.”

Coates said he is also uncom-

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fortable with being called upon to answer questions about the African-American community, emphasizing he isn’t the “spokesperson” for African Americans.

“Who that is truly interested in African Americans and African-American history and African-American culture would want to go to just one person?” he asked. “At my base, I’m a writer and a journalist, and I go and try to find things out and then I write them down.

“There is nothing spooky happening in my bones. There is nothing mystical happening.

I don’t have answers other people lack.”

Coates had just delivered the keynote address at the University’s 149 th Charter Day Convocation in which he praised the university for its contributions to his success and to the nation.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com) MEMBER: National Newspaper Publishers Association ( NNPA), and Southeastern African-American Publishers Association (SAAPA) Florida Association of Black Owned Media (FABOM)

Page 2 • March 10 - March 16, 2016

www.thewestsidegazette.com Westside Gazette Ohio police officer fired after calling Black Lives Matter activist’s suicide a ‘happy ending’ From Yanan Wang That night, McCarrel stood on the steps of the Ohio statehouse and shot himself dead.

No one — not friends, family or police — could say why he did it. McCarrel was a prominent local activist, having coordinated Black Lives Matter protests following the 2014 police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. He founded a nonprofit called Pursuing Our Dreams, which provided monthly homemade lunches to the homeless.

Days before his apparent suicide, McCarrel had smiled for pictures taken on the red carpet of the NAACP Image Awards.

Activist and organizer Marshawn McCarrel poses in the Columbus Dispatch studios in Columbus, Ohio, for Alive People.

Just as he shared much of his life on social media, on social media too was he mourned, with condolences and tributes flooding into the Black Lives Matter Cincinnati Facebook page.

Not all the responses, however, were kind.

While off duty, Fairborn, Ohio, police officer Lee Cyr reacted to the news of McCarrel’s death with the comment “Love a happy ending.�

According to Dayton Daily News, it appeared alongside unsympathetic responses from others — comments reading “What a hypocrite� and “One less to worry about.�

Cyr was placed on administrative leave after an internal complaint alerted the Fairborn Police Department to the comment last month. He has now been fired, WDTN-TV reported on Monday.

The department said in a

Activist and organizer Marshawn McCarrel poses in the Columbus Dispatch studios in Columbus, Ohio, for Alive People statement that Cyr’s action violated its social media policy.

For local activists, the comment highlighted some of the very issues that the Black Lives Matter movement is trying to combat. “We have received a lot of negative responses,� Tristina Allen, a fellow organizer who knew McCarrel told Dayton Daily News in February. “I think it is completely unacceptable for someone who is supposed to protect and serve to have that comment towards someone who is dead.�

Ship’s Serviceman Seaman Verlinne Sylla was recently named Sailor of the Day aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. Sylla hails from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and is a 2006 graduate of Fort Lauderdale High School. When asked what she did to receive the award Sylla said, “Nothing goes unseen. Hard work will always pay off.� She enlisted in the Navy in June 2013 and is currently the ship store operator for the Ike. Sylla is the son of Francios and Marie Sylla of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

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Westside Gazette

March 10 - March 16, 2016 • Page 3

Clinton captur es critical endorsement of captures Florida Legislative Black Caucus

Black on Black crime: Is this another form of Jim Crowism?

80 African American elected officials and opinion leaders pledge support

Oddly, many Black religious institutions were expected to maintain the Jim Crow laws as white churches did.

Before the civil rights movement became a force, a lot of African American churches bowed down to assisting in crippling their congregations to side with the oppressor instead of trying to end it.

The unrelenting subjugation of one people over another is fundamentally psychosomatic. The overriding individuals use force first to attain their power. Gradually, the people being oppressed commence to feel despondent that the situation can’t change and start to unconsciously believe that the subjugation is their position in life.

Not all laws were enacted in every state, but the Jim Crow laws were dispiriting and far reaching, in order for White superiority to continue.

Recently, I was involved in a town hall meeting about gun violence. Let me offer unapologetically and with my most sincere and heart felt sorrow, my deepest remorseful condolences to those who have been victims and who have lost loved ones to violence by people who share the same skin color.

I am so tired of people using the term Black on Black crime to identify with senseless acts of crimes perpetrated on Black people by Black people, when the same is not extended to other races. It is like we have attached ourselves to something that OTHERS have identified as our own, no matter how wrong or how ugly it is. We just take it as being the law. We never attempted to really understand the origins of such an atrocity asserted upon us. I’m so angry that we as a people have allowed others to continue to fool, use and abuse us by and with our look-a-likes.

There’s violence all over this world. They don’t call violence from a white person on another white person white-on-white crime. They don’t call Hispanic violence on another Hispanic, Hispanic-on-Hispanic crime or any other race on its own race a race crime, they call it what it is- CRIME. When we do this we are setting the stage for people to use their own racial prejudices against other people who don’t look like them; hint, can anybody say “it’s the new Jim Crow”.

There is a psychological dichotomy that goes to work when racist individuals hear our crime identified as Black–onBlack, it allows them to turn their backs on situations that they would normally engage in out of “respect” for humanity.

I might add that for people who try their best to refuse to accept the fact that they are Black, lends this misnomer to their denial.

So many times we as Black people have allowed others to validate our existence of being and we readily except what they are saying as the truth.

How can we allow anything to separate us from being human?

Crime is crime and death is death, violence is violence; no matter who it affects.

Opening his mouth, Peter said: “Most certainly I understand now that God is not one to show partiality [to people as though Gentiles were excluded from God’s blessing], but in every nation the person who fears God and does what is right is acceptable and welcomed by Him. Acts10:34-35(AMP) If we want to continue to allow us as a people to be ostracized, set apart, and labeled for all of their own lies and reasons then we can continue to believe that Black on Black crime is such an atrocity only committed by us for us on us.

Mutually, the Old and New Testaments express that God does not hold any importance to race. God sees all people as one people called “man.” Fleshly physical appearance is not a part of God’s assessment of man “... for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (I Samuel l6:7).

BY THIS ALL MEN WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES, IF YOU HAVE LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER.” JOHN 13:35

Dean of the Florida Black Caucus State Senator Arthenia Joyner reviews Hillary Clinton’s record of commitment to African Americans with colleagues on the steps of the Old Capitol.

TALLAHASSEE, FL Members of the Florida Conference of Black State Legislators stood on the steps of the Old Florida Capitol and pledged their support to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The lawmakers, part of the largest caucus in the Florida legislature, brought the endorsement

total to 80 African American elected officials and influential leaders from the nation’s key battleground state. Lawmakers said Mrs. Clinton has a long and consistent record of commitment to change for African Americans. They said she is a friend, that they trust to deliver on those promises. “Hillary

Clinton is the leader who will always stand and fight for communities of color across Florida" – and we are standing with her,” said Caucus Chairman Rep. Ed Narain of Tampa. “As president, she will end the school to prison pipeline, reform our broken criminal justice system, address gun vio-

lence, and make college affordable so that every student can get an education.”

Senator Arthenia Joyner, also of Tampa, echoed Narian’s support. “Hillary Clinton has been a courageous fighter for civil rights and those without a voice her entire life. Her first job after law school was with the Children’s Defense Fund, where she worked to separate young people incarcerated in adult jails,” Joyner said. “As president, she will stay that course – protecting voting rights, fixing our broken criminal justice system, and building on President Obama‘s progress.”

The endorsement strengthens Clinton’s presence in Florida as Black voters continue to grow and impact election outcomes. Among eligible voters, Hispanics and Blacks are on the rise increase while White voters are declining. According to Patrick Oakford, a senior policy analyst at the Center for American Progress, “It does clearly show that to win key states, like Florida, a candidate will need substantial support among voters of color. Voters of color are becoming a larger share of the electorate,” making up 38 percent of eligible Florida voters in 2016, up from 35 percent in 2012.

'Man gives awards, God gives rewards': An artist’s tribute to football greats

By Lawrence Knight Artist Carl Latimore is a man of faith and has never forgotten those who have helped him along the way.

In the mid-1970’s, a young aspiring artist, Latimore was hired by then Miami Dolphin’s football great Larry Little to paint a legacy portrait. It was Latimore’s first commissioned portrait and to this day still hangs in the living room of Little’s South Miami home.

The portrait of Little helped catapult Latimore into a successful artist career that continues to this day.

Latimore now resides in Long Beach, Calif.; but is in town overseeing the building of a three-part mural called The Liberty City Family Album, which pays tribute to Liberty City pioneers, residents and the Liberty City Square Housing Project. The mural will be built at the Seventh Avenue Transit Building, on 6100 Ave. During his time in Miami, Latimore had planned to visit with Little to present him with a special plaque he designed himself that paid tribute to all the National Football Leagues (NFL) greats who attended Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).

Famed artist CJ Latimore and NFL Hall of Famer Larry Little holding Latimore’s commemorative plaque featuring HBCU players who played in Super Bowls.

Latimore awarded some of the custom made plaques to Hall of Fame players during this year’s Super Bowl special

Canidate Florence Taylor Barner is running for Broward County Court Judge in Group 3. Barner returned to her old neighborhood to speak to fifth graders at Robert B. Ingram Elementary School about what it takes to be a lawyer, during Black History Month. Barner has built a reputation in Broward County as a trial attorney in both civil and criminal courtrooms, and her dedication to the practice of law and the respect with which she treats her colleagues. “County court is the people’s court,” says Barner.

events, however Little wasn’t in attendance.

Latimore later reached out to Little via phone to let him

know that he wanted to present him with a special designed award at his South Miami home.

“When he called me I wondered who was calling me from Long Beach. The only person I know in Long Beach is my former teammate, Marlin Brisco, and that wasn’t his number,” said Little.

Latimore was so happy to be able to present Little with the award at his home, because it was Little’s portrait back in the 1970’s that gave Latimore the idea to portray individual legacy through art. Latimore, a God loving man, sees Little’s portrait as divine revelation in his own life.

The tribute pieces were commissioned by attorney Everett Glenn, who got permission from the NFL and the Super Bowl to do them.

“Once I got the go-ahead, I spent over 100 hours researching each player and the team he played for, even down to the uniforms they wore. So many things have changed over the years,” Latimore said.

Latimore continued, “When we are ready God will reveal our purpose to us, so we must have faith, work hard and be prepared for when that time comes.”

MICHELLE LATEST CELEBRITY TO ENDORSE HILLARY CLINTON -- Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta star K. Michelle has endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The Florida A&M University alumna said, “I will be actively supporting and campaigning for Hillary Clinton throughout this term, she is a woman who you should know. A woman also counted out. I relate to her.

I’m placing my energy in people and things that evoke CHANGE.” Michelle says she supports Mrs. Clinton because they share a commitment to education and HBCU’s in particular. “As a graduate of FAMU, my focus is on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The legacy of these schools has to carry on, and we have to find a method that makes it easier for my people and minority’s to advance.” The star joins a Hillary supporters include John Legend, Uzo Aduba, Kerry Washington, Snoop Dogg, Queen Bey and others. Pictured, Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta star K. Michelle, a FAMU graduate, endorses Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

(Cont'd from FP)

**********

Black owned media in Florida must organize and work together (Cont' from FP) During the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaign, President Obama won the state both times with a Republican governor, and it proves that moderates, women, and minorities can change the color of a state from red to blue. In order to make this happen in 2016, the Democratic Party in Florida must have strong leadership, and be totally committed to win.

Allison Tant is the Chairperson of the Democratic Party, and in 2014, many of the Black candidates running for office felt they received no support from the leadership. Thaddeus Hamilton, a Black man, ran for Commissioner of Agriculture in Florida, received over 2.3 million votes, and never received any financial support from the Florida Democratic Party. He was left off the first statewide Democratic candidate ballot box sheet, and many thought it was not a mistake.

Racism in Florida politics is a reality in both parties, but over 95 percent of Black voters are Democratic. There are two Black owned media associations in Florida, and they must work together. They must develop a united front with a plan to take to the national and statewide Democratic Party.

The Florida Association of Black Owned Media Inc. celebrating its 10th year in December 2015 and the newly formed Black Owned Media Alliance in southern Florida are the two Black owned media associations in Florida. African Americans make up 16 percent of the Florida population, and 2.5 million Blacks are registered to vote in 2016. These Black media organizations should be helping to organize and register another 250,000 Black voters for the 2016 election.

In order to make this happen, the Democratic Party should be spending money with the Black media to educate the Black community in Florida about the different elections, and what they mean. In this critical election year, the Black owned media groups in Florida must collaborate and put pressure on the national and local Democratic Party to not ignore our vote and community.

But, at this time, there are too many Black organizations in Florida such as the Urban League, the NAACP, Nation of Islam, and the Black churches that appear lethargic and not excited about the election. They are not mobilizing and educating our community, and the Black media is not endorsing candidates and holding them accountable to their promises and platforms. As local candidates see the Black media more engaged in the voting process, they will spend more advertising dollars with the Black media in Florida.

Eric Knowles, president of the Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce stated, “That only 3 percent or $2.24 billion out of $75 billions spent on television, magazines, newspapers, and radio advertising was spent on media focused specifically on Black audience. Knowles said, “One reason they don’t care about us is because we’re going to spend our money in their businesses anyway.”

Many of the leaders in the Black owned media groups are beginning to talk about boycotting, if the major advertisers do not spend more advertising dollars in our communities. Black owned media in Florida for the first time are joining forces and are reaching out to the advertising community to get a larger piece of pie as a united front. The same should be done with the Democratic Party, locally and nationally.

Page 4 • March 10 - March 16, 2016

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Community Digest

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Forensic Psychology Day, Saturday, March 19, 2016 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Nova Southeastern University Miami Campus, 8585 S.W. 124 Ave., Miami, Fla. Discover the exciting field to forensic psychology! Join us for a free event including a panelist presentation and breakout sessions.

For more info or to regiter go to http://www.nova.edu/ campuss/miami/events.html

Forum

Chi Psi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated will host “1908 Acts of Green” for the community, Saturday, March 19, 2016, 11 a.m., Tamarac Library, 8701 W. Comm. Blvd., Tamarac Fla.Community participants are encourage to attend this forum to learn about innovative ways of waste disposal.

Festival

The St. Patrick’s Parade & Festival marches into downtown Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, March 12, 2016. Festivities begin at 7:30 a.m. with the Celtic 4 Miler and continue throughout the morning at Huizenga Plaza (Las Olas and Andrews Ave.) with live music and entertainment. The parade starts at noon along Las Olas Boulevard from S.E. Fifth Ave., to Las Olas Riverfront, with more than 100 floats, marching bands, bagpipers, Irish dancers, classic cars, and more. After the parade, stick around for the best Irish celebration in town at the St. Patrick’s Festival which runs until 7 p.m. at Huizenga Plaza, featuring live bands, interactive entertainment, cultural attractions, and a special performance by U2BYUV, the ultimate U2 Tribute Band!

For more details call (954) 828-5985 www.staptsftl.com

Fundraiser

Happenings at African-American Research Library and Cultural Center Broward County presents The AfricanAmerican Research Library and Culture Center March 2016 Program Highlights “Celebrating Wo-men’s History Month” *Note – Library will be closed Sunday, March 27 in Observance of The Easter Holiday * Prearranged Group Tours – Available during library hours: Call (954) 357-5950. * On Display – Color Outside the Lines: The Art of Women Free Adult Computer Classes Schedule – pre-registration is required for all classes. Call (954) 357-6236 * Due to limited seating, registration begins six days prior to each scheduled class. Pre-registered students are asked to arrive 15 minutes before class to check in. Bring a storage device (such as thumb drive) if you wish to save your work.The following classes are funded by the Broward Public Library Foundation ·Tuesday, March 15 – Microsoft Word I, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. · Tuesday, March 22 – Microsoft Word II, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. · Tuesday, March 29 – Microsoft Word III, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

For additional info for FREE classes being offered at other library locations call (954) 357-6206. · Monday and Wednesday – (Beginning Wednesday, March 16) IRS Tax Assistance, at 6 p.m. ·Wednesday, March 16 – from 6 · Wednesday, March 16 – AARLCC Small Business Resource Center presents Advertising on a Budget from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Call for more (954) 357-6170. · Friday, March 18 – Destination Friday, India: Bollywood, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. You can purchase tickets through Eventbrite or by paying cash or credit card at the door. (This is an (Next Destination Friday will be to Cuba on April 8.) to 7:30 p.m. – AARLCC Small Business Resource Center presents Advertising on a budget.

Call for more info (954) 357-6170.

Garage Sale Kenny Chatman will be hosting a fundraiser for Randal Hill Candidate for congress, Florida District 24 in conjunction with the grand opening of his new drug treatment facility, Sunday, March 13, 2016 from 4 to 7 p.m., at the Reflections Treatment Center 5100 Coconut Creek Parkway Margate, Fla. For more info (561) 777-3736.

The Northwest Federated Club Woman's Club, sell your goods, keep your profits, Saturday, March 19, 2016 at 7 a.m., at 2161 N.W. 19 St., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. To reserve your space call (754) 224-7317 before March 18, 2016.

EDUCATION MATTERS Every Child Deserves a Chance to Succeed.

NOTARY PUBLIC ON PREMISES 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Monday - Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For more info call (954) 525-1489

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Opinion

March 10 - March 16, 2016 • Page 5

Westside Gazette 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.

Are Americans learning the truth about candidates in the debates? mely vulgar with poor decorum. Instead of Trump’s supporters criticizing his statements, he continues to lead his opponents in the polls by double digits.

“To stand there and do junior high school tricks on one another is belittling the country and belittling the office to which they are striving,” says former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

When Trump calls Rubio (Little Marco) and Cruz (Lying Ted), it appears that Trump’s followers think these statements are funny and they want more.

Instead of spending time discussing policy issues, the three front leaders

In the 2015- 2016 presidential election cycle, there have been 11 Republican debates and 7 Democratic debates, and anyone can apply for the job. Running for the office of president takes millions of dollars, and if you want the job, you must figure out a way to secure the funds. Some have inherited the money, some have a PAC, others are con men, and others have a record of achievement in the political arena.

The Republican debates have not been a traditional presidential cam-

paign, because the Republican frontrunner is a billionaire businessman, who at one time was a television celebrity. Donald Trump has never run for a political office before, and he is leading the other three traditional candidates with a non-traditional platform, and frightening rhetoric.

At times the debates have been extremely weird and it appears that Trump will say anything, and it does not matter if he is disrespectful and uses foul language. There are times that the Republican candidates have discussed the size of their body parts during the debates, and this is extre-

Donald Trump is junk

Trump and the mess the GOP created

By Roger Caldwell

By Gus L. Holloway Donald was a duck, he had bad luck and got hit by a truck.

And then here comes the Trump, who looks more like a pile of junk.

So if he gets your vote, you will be the biggest joke.

By Lee A. Daniels George Curry Media Columnist Donald Trump is streaming toward the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, scattering the campaign wreckage of the GOP establishment’s once-celebrated paladins, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and Marco Rubio - and perhaps the GOP itself - in his wake.

And, while he’s at it, he’s vilely trashing the “old-fashioned” conventions of decency of language that once especially characterized contests for the presidency. Now, allegiance to that tradition exists only in the hard-fought Democratic contest between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Trump, on the other hand, has led Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz into ugly verbal brawls better suited for red-light district street corners.

Yet, even the scathing condemnation of his candidacy by the party’s last two presidential nominees, Mitt Romney and John McCain, will almost certainly not stop Trump from marching into this summer’s Republican Party convention in an extremely favorable position. That’s because the fundamental force behind Trump’s takeover of the GOP isn’t Trump but the voters supporting him.

Would it be appropriate at this point to dust off that old metaphor “barbarians at the gate?”

Not really. “Barbarians” have actually been in charge of the GOP for decades. In fact, it’s their trashing of numerous traditions of American poli-

tics, along with several conservative-engineered Supreme Court decisions, that have enabled Trump and his mob, with their far cruder manners, to now be hollering for the old barbarians’ heads.

What the latter didn’t realize these past eight years was that in spending so much energy building an indiscriminate united front against President Obama, they let into their very small “Big Tent” several different forces that began to steadily shred that tent’s canvas walls.

That history was starkly illustrated by four distinct but related events leading up to and including the March 1 Super Tuesday primaries.

Chris Christie’s stunning endorsement of Trump, coming just weeks after Christie was lambasting the “entertainer” on the campaign trail, seemed to bespeak not only his own excruciating humiliation but the party’s weakness, too.

Trump showed just how much things have changed on primary night. Along with the smiles and lighthearted bantering with the media he displayed at a news conference at his palatial Florida estate came unmistakable signs that his meanness and dictator-like impulses are becoming more and more pronounced.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

This is why the GOP can’t win Black votes associated with him [Obama], it’s like without Trump touching a tar baby.”

Raynard Jackson says that Donald Trump is the only presidential candidate that seems to think the Black vote is worth pursuing.

By Raynard Jackson, NNPA News Wire Columnist The party establishment can’t fathom the thought of Trump being our nominee, despite him playing by the very rules that the establishment, who are trying to sabotage his campaign, created. Go figure.

I am stunned that many in the establishment ran over each other to denounce Trump over the David Duke and KKK issue, which I found kind of bizarre.

Most people are criticized for what they say, not for what they didn’t say.

Many of these people that denounced Trump over what some have said was him stoking racial fears among voters all of a sudden became filled with righteous indignation over what they deemed to be a racist act by Trump.

But where were these same people when…

South Carolina congressman Joe Wilson shouted to Obama “you lie” during a joint session of Congress.

Colorado congressman, Doug Lamborn said, “Now I don’t want to be

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.

Sarah Palin once wrote on her Facebook, “President Obama’s shuck and jive shtick with these Benghazi lies must end.”

This feigned righteous indignation over Trump is nothing more than a political stunt, because the Republican establishment is scared crapless of the possibility of a Trump nomination.

The other thing that I noticed was the lack of any Black Republicans representing any of the Republican institutions in the media. This shows once again, how tone deaf the party is when it comes to the Black community and optics.

You rarely, if ever, see the party avail a Black staffer to deal with an issue of race that involves the Black community. Part of the reason is that the few Blacks that work for the party have absolutely no standing or credibility within the Black community when it comes to issues of race.

The other reason is that most Black Republicans constantly tell their superiors that they “don’t” want to speak on issues that pertain to the Black community; they want to be an employee, not a Black employee of the party.

The party is totally oblivious to the optics of only trotting out Whites to speak out on issues perceived to be racists towards the Black community.

Where are Black Republican civil rights icons like Bob Brown or Bob Woodson? Where are people like Shannon Reeves, lifetime member of the NAACP and former board member?

Because Republicans have no Blacks with any type of authority or knowledge of PR and communications, they continue to dig themselves into a deeper hole.

Let me say for the record, there is not one shred of evidence in Trumps body of work that he has any racist tendencies whatsoever.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

are belittling each other, and the Republican debates get stranger.

The Republican and conservative leadership are scrambling in search of any means to stop the Donald Trump’s election train.

There has been open talk of an open convention, where the leadership would steal the no-mination from Trump and Cruz. As the Republicans fight behind closed doors, and at the debates, there appears to be little unity, and no respect for each other.

On the other hand, the two Democratic presidential candidates Ex-Secretary Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders have presented a stark contrast to the Republican debates. At the Democratic debates, there is no name calling, no screaming, no cursing, or vulgar sexual jokes. The discussions are not embarrassing, but are serious and substantive conversations about improving the lives of American citizens.

“Throughout this campaign, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have shown they have the right priorities – priorities that match the values, hopes and dreams of the American people, including in Flint and communities like it across the country. They not only dealt with the issues confronting the people of Flint directly and honestly, but also tackled the concerns of hard-working people across the country,” says Rep. Debbie Wasserman, Chairwomen of the National Democratic Party.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

The Gantt Report Inherited ignorance

By Lucius Gantt One of the reasons that African Americans and many other people of African descent cannot progress at the rate that some ethnic groups do is that we have succumbed to “inherited ignorance”.

Too many Black people are afraid to be knowledgeable, scared to be wise, fearful of being smart and reluctant to do the right things!

We don’t want to determine our own destiny. We don’t like to create our own paths. We lack the confidence to do what we need to do to improve our lives, better our communities or simply do what is necessary to live the lives that we can and should be proud of.

So, what do we do? We do what we think is safe. We do what we think is least troublesome. We do what we are told to do and we act how we are shown to act.

We’ve all heard the phrases “like mother, like daughter” or “like father, like son”.

Sometimes, if Mom and Dad fight each other, sisters and brothers will fight each other. If Mama dresses half naked and promiscuous, daughter will wear low cut and tight dresses also. If Daddy drinks a lot of liquor and consumes a lot of drugs, son may turn into an alcoholic or junkie too.

If parents prefer to bow down, scratch their heads and buck dance every time they interact with a devil, oftentimes the children will behave in the same fashion.

The devil is quick to tell you that you are not qualified, you can’t make it or you can’t do it and too many of us believe that satanic talk when we know very well that we can be better, act better and do things better!

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Sizing up the latest Republican and Democratic Patrick Healy and Jonathan Martin, Debates New York Times

By George E. Curry, George Curry Media Columnist

Republican Presidential Debate: Cathleen Decker, Los Angeles Times “His challengers should know by now that they can’t beat Donald Trump at mockery, although Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz tried anyway in Thursday’s two-hour presidential debate. For the second straight Republican debate, civility swiftly gave way to mayhem.”

Chris Cillizza, Washington Post “...within the first 10 minutes of the debate Trump was insisting that questions about his endowment - not the financial kind - were way off.”

“Trump, as he has in nearly every debate, showed a wafer-thin understanding of policy and, when pressed about that lack of knowledge, reverted to name-calling.”

“The first hour of the debate was an absolute disaster for Republicans hoping to rebrand their party heading into the 2016 general election. It looked more like a high school cafeteria food fight than an even semi-serious conversation about issues.”

Dan Balz, Washington Post “Designed to define candidates’ differences, the debates have become tedious and repetitious rather than enlightening or illuminating. No new information was imparted, no truly new arguments advanced. Even the insults were tiresome.”

“At times, the face-off in Detroit also deteriorated into the kind of junior high school taunts that have startled many Republican elders but have done little to dent Mr. Trump’s broad appeal.”

“Mr. Trump, offered the chance to respond to Mr. Romney with harshness or with substance, chose the former.”

Jenna Johnson, Washington Post “Donald Trump is obsessed with size. Obsessed.

“For months, the Republican frontrunner has endlessly bragged about the size of his crowds, poll results, personal wealth and any other number he can use to measure himself against his rivals. He often exaggerates, although he swears his measurements are precise and verified. At times the 2016 campaign has felt like, well, a measuring contest in a high school boys’ locker room.”

Frank Bruni, New York Times “Trump has succeeded at nothing as fully as he has at infusing the presidential race with a vulgarity that’s absolutely breathtaking. “... We actually witnessed an interchange - in the first 10 minutes, no less - about how well endowed (or not) he is.

“It’s worth stopping for a second, letting that sink in and wondering what it says about our country and political process right now.

Philip Rucker, Ed O’Kefe and John Wagner, Washington Post (Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Where is today’s Madam C.J. Walker?

Julianne Malveaux says that African American women are increasingly likely to take up the mantle of Madam C.J. Walker and start businesses.

By Julianne Malveaux, NNPA News Wire Columnist Women entrepreneurs have a powerful role model when they consider Madam C.J. Walker. One of our nation’s first female self-made millionaires, her story of combining herbs to develop and manufacture a hair pomade, of empowering tens of thousands of women as sales agents for her products, and of establishing a beauty school to teach beauty techniques (and provide economic empowerment for even more women) are the stuff of legend. She was not only an entrepreneur, but also a philanthropist.

She “lived large,” owning two cars and a sprawling estate, Villa Lewaro in Irvington, N.Y., but she shared her wealth (Black millionaire Harold Doley purchased Villa Lewaro in 1993. It is a National Historic Landmark). She was possessed with an amazing self-

confidence that served her well in business and in life.

Madam (as she is called by her greatgranddaughter, A’Lelia Bundles, the keeper of the family history and author of books about her ancestor (On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker), Madam C. J. Walker: Entrepreneur (Chelsea House, 1991; revised 2008), Madam Walker Theatre Center: An Indianapolis Treasure (Arcadia Publishing, 2013)), was a character! She changed her name from Sarah Breedlove to Madam C.J. Walker to provide herself with a “classier” sounding name, and to help prevent white people from calling her “Aunt”, as they called so many African American women.

She didn’t want whites calling her the demeaning “Aunt” (to close to Mammy, for my thinking), nor did she want the patronizing attitudes of Black men to affect the way she went about her business.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Page 6 • March 10 - March 16, 2016

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March 10 - March 16, 2016 • Page 7

Westside Gazette

Why is it still so hard for ex-cons to vote in Florida?

By Francisco Alvarado Desmond Meade’s life unraveled in 1996, three years after he finished a stint in a military prison for drug use and larceny committed while serving in the Army.

“My mom passed away and I dove into drugs big time,” the 48-year-old Miami, Florida, na-

tive tells VICE. “I was addicted to powder and crack cocaine.”

Over the next five years, he says, he racked up felony convictions in his home city for aggravated battery, battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence, cocaine possession, and fraudulently using someone else’s identification. After bouncing in and out of Miami-Dade County jail and probation, Meade was

found guilty of pos-session of a firearm by a convicted felon in 2002, earning him a threeyear state prison sentence.

Today, Meade is clean and sober, hasn’t been arrested since he was released early in 2004, has a law degree from Florida International University and is helping lead a ballot petition drive that would give state voters the opportunity to decide whether an estimated

one-and-a-half million Floridians with felony convictions should have their civil rights restored.

“America is a country of second chances,” Meade says.

“The only way to change things is through a citizen’s initiative that lets voters decide whether an ineligible person should be allowed to vote once they have paid their debt to society.”

Fifty-one years after civil

rights leaders Hosea Williams and John Lewis led voting rights activists on a brutal and bloody march out of Selma, Alabama, toward the state capitol of Montgomery, nearly three-dozen states deny or limit felons’ right to vote. Florida joins Iowa and Kentucky as the only states in the union where a person’s voting rights are banned for life unless restored by the governor or a clemency board. Civil rights

advocates claim barring felons from voting disenfranchises minorities from participating in the Democratic process; according to 2015 data released by the Sentencing Project, one in 13 African Americans nationwide is unable to vote due to felony convictions.

In Florida, 23 percent of the 1.5 million felons ineligible to vote are black—and roughly the same portion of all black

NAACP announces 2016 Convention theme 'Our Lives Matter, Our Votes Count' Recipient of 101st Spingarn Medal is Ohio Native

CINCINNATI, OH – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) today unveiled the theme for its 2016 National Convention to be held in Cincinnati, Ohio, July 16-20. Thousands of NAACP members are expected to attend this year’s convention under the theme “Our Lives Matter, Our Votes Count.” The NAACP’s 107th National Convention will feature workshops, discussions and speakers highlighting voter education, voter protection and voter mobilization.

“When the right of every citizen to vote is under threat in states across the nation, we must join together to respond and be

heard,” said Roslyn M. Brock, chairman of the NAACP’s National Board of Directors. “In towns and cities across this country, we are witnessing a new era of activism as a new generation rises to stand against police brutality and for the right to be heard in our democracy.

We must harness that desire to be heard and mobilize our members to protect the vote and to get out the vote.”

The convention theme was announced Tuesday in Cincinnati with city officials, and marks a return to the city by the NAACP in a presidential election year. The 2008 convention in Cincinnati drew thousands of visitors, as well as

appearances by presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama.

“We are proud to once again have the opportunity to provide the backdrop for the NAACP’s National Convention, especially during such an important election year filled with impassioned political debates that strike at the core of civil rights issues in our country,” said Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley.

“I look forward to being part of what promises to be a memorable convention and a thoughtleading event for the country this year.”

In addition to appearances by presidential candidates and other top national leaders, dele-

gates from the organization’s more than 2,000 branches and chapters will debate resolutions for national action and discuss ways the organization can continue to advocate for criminal justice and economic reforms, protecting the right to vote and other issues.

“The 2008 NAACP National Convention marked a critical turning point in our region’s history,” said Dan Lincoln, president and CEO, CincinnatiUSA. “By working together, we were able to bring important conversations to the table and change our destination’s narrative. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to do that again this summer, espe-

cially during such a critical election year.”

The convention overlaps with the 2016 Republican National Convention scheduled July 1821 in Cleveland.

The NAACP convention will also include celebrity appearances, community-based events and seminars with top activists, as well as the national competition of the NAACP’s AfroAcademic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) program.

NAACP officials also announced Tuesday that Ohio native and retired Judge Nathaniel R. Jones will be the recipient of the 101st Annual Spingarn Medal, recognizing him for his commitment equality and civil rights.

Jones, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, served as general counsel for the NAACP from 1969 to 1979 and later worked with Nelson Mandela and the post-apartheid South African government as they drafted the nation’s new constitution in

1993.

“Judge Jones’ commitment to civil rights and social action embodies the spirit and mission of the NAACP,” said Leon W. Russell, vice chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors. “His efforts to end school segregation, defend affirmative action and his work as a federal judge deserves the NAACP’s highest honor.”

The Spingarn Medal is named for Joel Elias Spingarn, an early founder of the NAACP who served as the chairman, treasurer and president of the organization from 1913 until his death in 1939. The medal is awarded annually to a person of African descent for outstanding achievement. Past awardees have included Sidney Poitier, Colin Powell, Oprah Winfrey, Langston Hughes and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. More information on the NAACP’s 2016 National Convention can be found at www.naacpconvention.org.

Florida NAACP demands Confederate uniform removed from portrait of Robert E. Lee

If members of the Lee County, Florida, branch of the NAACP have their waó, the Confederate uniform would be removed from a portrait of General Robert E. Lee that currently hangs in the county commission chambers, a local NBC affiliate reported Saturday. The move is part of the NAACP’s effort to purge the Confederacy from U.S. history in the wake of the shooting at a Charleston,

1-800-270-9794

South Carolina, church.

“What kind of impact our youngsters have when they go to the courthouse, and they see that symbol of a racist leader there in a public facility?”

Kennix Roó asked. “She shouldn’t have to apologize for saying take it down.” While some are upset over the portrait, others say there are more important issues to be dealt with.

eligibles can’t actually vote because they’re ex-cons.

The latest felon rights restoration effort in Florida comes just a few years after voter identification laws that critics say hurt Democratic candidates gained nationwide traction.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump is on the cusp of winning his party’s presidential nomination in part by fanning the flames of racial and ethnic division in America.

For some perspective, those excons who can’t vote might easily have decided the 2000 presidential race given George W. Bush technically only won Florida by 537 ballots. And they could well have been the difference in the 2014 Florida gubernatorial race in which incumbent Rick Scott narrowly beat Charlie Crist.

“Florida is one of the states with the harshest felon disenfranchisement laws,” says Leah Aden, assistant counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

“Absent federal legis-lation or

courts striking down these laws under the Voting Rights Act, ballot initiatives, state legislatures and gubernatorial executive orders have been the only avenues for restoration of felons’ rights.”

Of course, groups that oppose automatic rights-restoration for felons argue people who commit crimes must show they have redeemed themselves before rejoining the democratic fray.

“You can’t assume people are going to turn over a new leaf the day they walk out of prison,” says Roger Clegg, president and general counsel for the Center for Equal Opportunity, a conservative thinktank. “The unfortunate reality is that some people who walk out of prison walk back in.”

In the last few years, the NAACP, along with the Brennan Center for Justice and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), have worked in various states to challnge laws barring felons from voting. For in-

stance, civil rights groups lobbied Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and his predecessor Bob McConnell to push through executive orders that allowed the state’s non-violent felons and anyone with a felony drug offense to have their voting rights restored at the end of their sentence. Those orders also effectively reduced the waiting period for violent felons from five years to three.

In 2013, Delaware Governor Jack Markell and his state legislature agreed to amend the state Constitution to allow nonviolent offenders who complete their sentences to vote. Last year, approximately 60,000 exfelons in California were granted the right to vote after the state agreed to settle litigation over laws blocking low-level offenders under community supervision from casting ballots.

And just last month, the Maryland legislature overturned Governor Larry Hogan’s veto of a bill that allowed felons to vote before they complete

Florida Senate approves making coding a foreign language

Former State Senator Frederica Wilson calls for ex-felons to have their voting rights restored in Florida in 2003. Well over a decade later, the state remains one of the harshest in America on ex-cons.

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) probation and parole.

In the Sunshine State, progress has been harder to come by. Meade co-founded the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition in 2011, shortly after the state Clemency Board—comprised of Republicans Governor Scott,

2016

Attorney General Pam Bondi, Agriculture Com-missioner Adam Putnam, and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater— eliminated 2007 reforms passed

by Crist, his predecessor. Under Crist, past offenders convicted of less serious felonies could

have their rights restored without a clemency board hearing; more than 150,000 people regained their voting rights while Crist was in office.

Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com

RSVP Today!

Wednesday, April 20, 2016 6:30 p.m.

Broward County Convention Center Hosted by Calvin Hughes, Evening News Anchor, WPLG-TV Local 10

Please join us for a special evening to honor five distinguished leaders at the 24th annual African-American Achievers awards ceremony. Established by automotive legend Jim Moran, the program recognizes everyday heroes whose hard work, commitment and compassion help build a stronger South Florida community.

By Madison Iszler, USA TODAY Florida senators approved a bill allowing high school students to take computer coding classes in place of foreign language requirements.

The bill (SB 468), introduced

by Sen. Jeremy Ring’s (D-Parkland), won by a 35-5 vote. It will take effect during the 2018-19 school year. Technological skills are a necessity “for every industry,” Ring told USA Today.

“It’s ahead of its time, but in reality, it’s in its time,” Ring said. “If you don’t have an understanding of technology, you will be left behind. It’s a basic skill, as much as reading and writing.”

Local groups are not pleased.

The NAACP’s Florida Conference and Miami-Dade branch, the Florida chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the Spanish American League Against Discrimination (SALAD) released a joint statement disputing the bill, reports The Tampa Bay Times.

“Our children need skills in both technology and in foreign languages to compete in today’s global economy,” the statement reads. “However, to define coding and computer science as a foreign language is a misleading and mischievous misnomer that deceives our students, jeopardizes their eligibility to admission to universities, and will result in many losing out on the foreign language skills they de-

sperately need even for entrylevel jobs in South Florida.”

Under the bill, which has undergone several revisions, high schools may offer students the opportunity to take computer coding courses. Originally, the bill said that high schools “must” allow students to do so.

The measure requires Florida College System institutions and state universities to accept two coding credits in place of the current two-credit foreign language requirement, though Florida’s Bright Futures scholarship program is not mentioned. Parents and students must sign a statement indicating that the switch may not meet the requirements of certain colleges and universities, according to the bill.

For school districts without coding courses, students can take classes through Florida Virtual School, a state-funded online school.

In a statement, Ring cited the support of influential tech companies and educational institutions such as the Associated Industries of Florida, Motorola Solutions, the Florida Tech Council, TechNet, and the Florida Parent Teacher Association in creating the bill. Ring called learning to code “the great educational equalizer.” He believes Florida is leading what will soon become a national trend in education, calling the bill “innovative.”

But critics worry that the bill places a financial burden on public schools already lack-

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“What I’m fearful of is ...certain students in certain zip codes may not have access to those kind of classes … how do you foresee this rolling out and being equitable?” said Sen. Dwight Bullard, as reported by The Orlando Sentinel.

Ring called complaints and concerns regarding funding “disingenuous,” citing Florida’s education budget and the option of using Florida Virtual School if schools do not have the resources. “If a school can’t afford instruments, should every school eliminate music classes?”

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Page 8 • March 10 - March 16, 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

New Birth Baptist Church The Cathedral of Faith International Bishop Victor T. Curry, M.Min., D.Div.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dr. Marcus D. Davidson,

WORSHIP SERVICES

911 N.W. 209 Ave., Suite 122 PEMBROKE PINES, FL 33029 (954) 297-9530 ewc@elevatingwordchurch.org www.elevatingwordchurch.org Sunday Prayer -- 10:30 a.m.

Sunday Worship -- 10:45 a.m.

Wednesday Adult & Youth Bible Study -- 7:30 p.m.

MONTHLY EVENTS *Men’s and Women’s Ministry, *Villa Maria Nursing Home *Food Distribution

Pastor McQuaise & Antoinette Hepburn

“Renewing minds, transforming lives, and impacting the world for Christ.”

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

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

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

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

WEDNESDAY

Senior Pastor 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 James C. Boyd Funeral Home

New Birth Missionary Baptist Church with Pastor George Derico officiating. Interment: Forest Lawn Central.

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

ALCEUS Funeral services for the late Mina Aleceus -81 were held March 5 at Eglise Baptiste DeGalille with Pastor Vasquez Jean Jacques officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

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.mtzionmbc1161.com

Dr. James B. Darling, Jr., Pastor/Teacher WORSHIP SERVICES Worship Service ............................................................................................................ 10:15 a.m.

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

Communion Service (1st Sunday) ........................................................................... 10:15 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”

To Have Y our Chur ch Placed on this Page Your Church Chur ch Dir ector oday -- (954) 525-1489 Church Director ectoryy call us TToday

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

2300 N.W. 135th Street Miami, Florida 33167

PASTOR

Elevating Word Church

St. Ruth Missionary Baptist Church

Senior Pastor/Teacher

Reverend Jimmy L. English

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"

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Westside Gazette

FREEMAN Funeral services for the late Willie Sermaine Freeman - 34 were held March 5 at New First Church, Church of God in Christ with Elder Ron Harper officiating. Interment: Westview Community Cemetery.

SUTTON Funeral services for the late Clifford Sutton, Jr. – 68.

McWhite's Funeral Home DAVIS Funeral services for the late Kenneth L. Davis –58 were held March 5 at

LARAMORE Funeral services for the late Bernice Evangeline Laramore –74 were held March 5 at Saint Christopher Episcopal Church with Vicki Brown Flournoy officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

RUMAYOR Funeral services for the late Fredesvinda Rumayor were held March 5 at McWhite’s Funeral Home Chapel.

WILLIAMS Funeral services for the late Elva Daphnie Williams – 88 were held March 5 at Outreach Love Center with Frank A. Lloyd officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

A Family That Prays Together, Stays Together

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 What can we learn from Jesus walking on the water?

By Carey Kinsolving “When I am scared or don’t know what to do. I ask Jesus to give me power to not be afraid,” says Kaleb, 7.

Kaleb, this is a great place to start. When you’re afraid or confused, admit it. Go to the Lord and ask him to give you clarity and peace. Notice what Jesus said to his disciples when they saw him walking on the water: “It is I; do not be afraid” (John 6:20).

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear,” wrote Mark Twain.

The only way to master fear is to abide in the one who is master over every circumstance. Jesus is the one who told his disciples to get into the boat to cross the Sea of Galilee. He wasn’t going to let them perish along the way. Fear is the natural response to circumstances beyond our control. Perhaps the biopsy report shows there is cancer. You lost your job and there are bills to pay. Or, you kept your job and there are bills to pay.

Whatever your circumstance, remember what Jesus said, “It is I; do not be afraid.” If Jesus can walk on water in the midst of a storm, he can walk with you in the midst of your overwhelming problems. This doesn’t mean that Jesus will always change your circumstances. It does mean that when you see him in your storm, faith will replace fear, resulting in peace.

“In our life, we need to focus on Jesus so we don’t sink,” says Joseph, 7.

Joseph is probably thinking of Peter, who sank when he focused on the wind instead of Jesus. It’s so easy to criticize Peter for not keeping his eyes on Jesus, but he was the only disciple who got out of the boat to walk on the water with Jesus (Matthew 14:28-33).

Everyone knows walking on water is impossible. That’s what makes walking with Jesus so exhilarating. He makes the impossible possible.

In our modern world, we have found a way to walk on water.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Come Celebrate with us at Greater Ward Chapel A.M.E. Church Our 114th Church Anniversary Church

March 20, 2016 at 4:00 p.m.

Theme: “Facing Life Changing Challenges While Work Way ay”” Doing God’s W ork God’s W ay N.W.. Sixth A Avenue 900 N.W venue Hallandale, Florida 33009

Preacher of the Hour Rev. George A. Hardy of Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church of Oakland Park IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE IN THE WESTSIDE GAZETTE

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Blackonomics Hypocrites and hucksters—Histrionics and hype James Clingman says that the Black community must stop accepting the hypocrisy of candidates who say one thing and do another.

By James Clingman Aren’t you tired of the rap and clap sessions by political wannabees and their respective contingents?

I know I am. The so-called “debates” are downright insulting and embarrassing, especially on the Repub side, reminiscent of a stand-up comedy show, or “throwing shade” as young folks say.

Over on the Dem stage (Or should I say in their “ring”?), what was a fight has turned into a face-saving swansong for Sanders since he was, in his own words, “decimated” in South Carolina. Black folks strike again!

With all the money these candidates have in the bank this “theater of the absurd” could go on for months, and when it’s all over Black folks will have not moved one inch toward real empowerment. Unless we get serious about our own economic and political future, by establishing our political platform and being willing to promote, support, and leverage it, Blacks will continue to be relegated to the clown ring in this current political three-ring circus. We will be the diversions, the ones who turn the lion’s attention away from the performers, the clowns who turn the bull’s ire away from the bull rider by yelling and then jumping into a barrel.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

FUNdraising Good Times What is your brand? and tidy as a

By Pearl and Mel Shaw Discussions of branding can quickly turn to logos, colors, or your online presence. Are those your brand, or are they expressions of your brand? We believe they are brand expressions and that your brand isn’t as neat

logo. In fact, defining your brand (or story) can be a messy process. It’s emotional, bringing dreams and unanswered questions to the forefront: a group process that engages diverse constituents.

Your brand should be what comes to mind when people think about your organization.

Auto dealers charge Blacks, Hispanics higher interest rates on loans

By Charlene Crowell, NNPA News Wire Columnist In recent months, this column has reported on a series of settlements reached between banks and finance companies with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). All of the actions were taken to resolve claims of discrimination in auto lending.

To date, over $200 million in fines and restitution have been made to car buyers of color who paid higher interest rates than white borrowers – a violation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. Additionally and as a condition of the settlements, defendants were required to change their lending practices by significantly reducing the amount of additional interest dealers can add to car loans for compenThe simplest way to get there is to ask yourself, “what is our story?”

We start our clients with a series of exercises that include defining their unique niche and projected impact to what it would cost to truly implement their mission and vision. The conversations start slowly but eventually get heated. The greatest challenge: defining the niche. No one wants to “close

sation.

Despite these developments, discriminatory practices in auto finance persist with some lenders and dealers. While law enforcement comes after discriminatory acts have already been committed, a new advocacy effort appeals for dealers to change their practices to prevent further discrimination in auto lending.

A group of consumer advocates and civil rights groups recently wrote Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, to stop this discriminatory practice at his dealerships. Last year, Berkshire Hathaway acquired the Van Tuyl Group, the largest privately-held dealership group in the nation.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com) the doors” to opportunity. But you need to know your niche in order to tell your story – and at its heart, that’s what brand is all about.

A colleague of ours, David Riemer, shared his perspective on how to think of your brand as a story. “Any good story begins with a protagonist; so an organization has to first identify who it serves.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Page 10 • March 10 - March 16, 2016

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Westside Gazette

JM Family, Southeast Toyota and JM Lexus announce the 2016 African-American Achievers $40,000 to be donated on behalf of this year’s honorees

By Christie Caliendo

DAVIS

HEDRINGTON-MILLER

RAIFORD

Trailblaz ers to punctuate chur ches on railblazers churches memorial statue

By Lillian E. Small The Trailblazers’ Memorial Legacy to be unveiled on March 26, 2016 at Sistrunk Park, will highlight the community churches that were important to the building of the African American community in Fort Lauderdale. Those who came here from various other places brought with them their desire to practice their religious faith as they found those among them of the same religious persuasions. Many of these “houses of worship” started in very meager places, but did not deter the residents in their service to the God who had directed their paths here for a better life.

Our faith-based community was nourished in fertile soils and has always served to provide that spiritual service and awakening that was needed. In the earlier years, the churches not only served to the edification of our souls, but like the one school (Dillard) we had, it provided a wholesome social

New Mount Olive Baptist Church1967 outlet for parents and children.

The churches also provided additional learning opportunities to the children who would participate in competitive academics within their church, as well as compete with children of other churches.

There were adult church activities that brought members of the churches together that today are non-existent. The Choir’s Union is one such activi-

ty that is brought to mind. The choirs from different churches came together once each month to sing, praise and socialize in a spirit of community unity.

The churches that were organized to serve the spiritual needs of the community started with the Piney Grove Missionary Baptist Church in 1904 and was incorporated as First Baptist Church Piney Grove in 1968. The church celebrated its

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E D U C A T I O N.

WIGGINS 111th church anniversary in May 2015, several miles away from the place of its birth. The first edifice was located at northwest second street and Brickell Avenue, a bush arbor.

A new edifice and home was erected and dedicated in 1951 at Northwest 11th Avenue and Fourth Street. The present site of this church (in Lauderdale Lakes) became its home in April 2005. Ironically, First Baptist Church Piney Grove is the only church borne from our community that is no longer in the community. However, the families and descendants of its early members are still very much involved and worship at First Baptist Church Piney Grove. We will always recognize this church as a beacon for its many years of service in the community, and the great job it continues to do in our sister city.

The Trailblazers and Sankofa hail the churches that developed in our community following First Baptist Piney Grove. Not particularly in order of their establishment, these are the early churches in the northwest community that we salute for their longevity and service to its residents: Mount Hermon AME Church, St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, St. John United Methodist Church, Mount Olive Baptist Church, St. Luke Baptist Church, Fifth Avenue Church of God, New Hope Baptist Church, Williams Memorial CME Church.

Four inspiring community leaders will be honored for their contributions to South Florida at the 24th annual African-American Achievers awards ceremony on Wednesday, April 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Broward County Convention Center.

The 2016 African-American Achievers are: Dixie Lee Hedrington-Miller - Arts & Culture; Jaret L. Davis - Business & Entrepreneurism; Gilbert Lancelot Raiford, Ph.D. - Community Service and Ricky Wiggins – Education.

In recognition of this year’s Achievers and their efforts to improve the quality of life in our community, JM Family and subsidiaries Southeast Toyota Distributors and JM Lexus will make a contribution of $10,000 in each Achiever’s name to the

charity(ies) of his or her choice, totaling $40,000. Including the contributions to be made this year, JM Family has donated nearly $450,000 to charitable organizations in the names of its African-American Achievers.

The 2016 honorees were selected by an independent panel of community leaders, including former Achievers, from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. The selection committee reviewed more than 250 nominations received from around South Florida after an extensive public outreach campaign.

“Our company’s founder Jim Moran created this program to recognize unsung heroes for the accomplishments and contributions they make in South Florida,” said Colin Brown, president and CEO of JM Family.

“This year’s Achievers are role models in our community with stories of hardship, perseverance and selfless giving. We look forward to honoring them and celebrating the impact they have made.”

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Gold Coast J azz Society Jazz

By Don Valentine This is our last week of Black History month let’s reflect on our rich and original tradition of Jazz. It was createdfrom our ancestry in New Orleans during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Jazz emerged in the form of independent traditional and popular musical styles, all linked by the common bonds of the African American gumbo.

Jazz spans a period of over a hundred years, encompassing a very wide range of music, making it difficult to define.

Jazz makes heavy use of improvisation, poly-rhythms, syncopation and the swing note, as well as aspects of European harmony, American popular music, and the brass band tradition.

The foundation of jazz is enveloped within the Black experience of the United States, but, different cultures have contributed their own experience to the music as well.

Most notably the influence of the Caribbean Islands.

Intellectuals around the world have hailed jazz as “one of America’s original art forms”.

In a recent interview Gold Coast Jazz Society Executive Director Pam Deardon commented “Jazz originated from the Black community and then spread globally but, we are challenged here in Miami getting an audience from that base.”

She speculates that it might be from the dearth of radio options and other outlets to hear the music. The Gold Coast Jazz Society is one path to find a placation for your Jazz needs. This organization is coming up to it’s “Silver Anniversary”. They annually hold a 7 concert series of some of the world’s most profound jazz artist from November thru May at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.

If you love live traditional jazz take advantage of their calendar. Next up is the Ed Calle Latin jazz big band on March 9.

If you can’t make that date, another alternative to find local jazz is to check this link www.southfloridajazzlist.com.

This is a great resource for local mostly free events at restaurants in the area. Take advantage of the Jazz melting pot in South Florida. You will not regret it.

Six principals announced as finalists for Broward County Public Schools 2016 Principal of the Year have increased significantly.

(Cont'd from FP) The Centennial Caliber Awards presenting and title sponsor is BrightStar Credit Union. Also supporting the Centennial Caliber Awards are platinum sponsor Bank of America, gold sponsor After School Programs, Inc., silver sponsors Pearson and Sunshine Child Care, copper sponsors Grand Canyon University and JC White, and bronze sponsor Catapult Learning.

Congratulations to Broward County Public Schools 2016 Principal of the Year finalists: Dr. Jermaine Fleming, Principal, Nova Middle School As a leader, Jermaine Fleming’s priority is building capacity. He believes that finding and developing the best teachers and administrators are critical components of the academic culture. Fleming also believes that middle school students can benefit from more rigorous courses and high school credit courses, such as law studies, debate, industry certification in Adobe Photoshop, and a variety of enrichment courses, which are part of his school’s offerings.

In four years as principal at Nova Middle, Fleming has used his leadership skills to recruit and develop other educators and administrators.

Dr. Lewis Jackson, Principal, Dania Elementary School An advocate for students, Lewis Jackson views the role of principal as instrumental to the culture of education and student achievement. When he became principal of Dania Elementary, his primary challenge was to rebuild staff morale and stakeholder involvement, while striving for greater achievement for all students.

Jackson believes high-quality personnel almost always trump programs. In addition to developing a strong team at Dania Elementary, he shares his passion and professionalism by teaching aspiring leaders, and serves as a mentor and coach to other principals.

Dr. Karlton Johnson, Principal, Blanche Ely High School When Karlton Johnson arrived at Blanche Ely High eight years ago, enrollment was declining, the physical facility was in poor condition and students were not engaged. His goal was to transform the school to create a stronger community, and to help students embrace their educational opportunities.

Since 2010, the school has improved its state letter grade from a C to an A. Enrollment has increased and dual enrollment has grown, as well. The overall graduation rate at Blanche Ely High is now the highest in school’s history at 90 percent, and the graduation rate for black male students is the second highest in the District.

Ninety-six percent of Blanche Ely High magnet students attend four-year colleges and universities, and many earn scholarships.

Ernie Lozano, Principal, James S. Hunt Elementary School Recognizing school grade data was on a downward trend, Ernie Lozano introduced a new leadership style to James S. Hunt Elementary where topdown management, desks lined in rows and teachers using worksheets directed student learning. Over a four-year period, teachers today collaboratively facilitate leadership and student learning.

Reading, writing, math and science scores and proficiencies

Visible and involved with teachers, students and families, Lozano also leads by example among his peers. He serves as a mentor and shares best practices with District programs.

Jon Marlow, Principal, Deerfield Beach High School A visible and trustworthy visionary, Jon Marlow’s focus is on the future of Deerfield Beach High. He created a climate for academic excellence and social development. Marlow implements programs that foster emotional, physical and academic well-being for all students. He has achieved this at Deerfield Beach High by reversing poor performance and finding solutions for problems associated with student behavior. The school has improved its state letter grade from a C to an A in 2015, and its graduation rate has increased significantly.

Elaine L. Saef, Principal, Panther Run Elementary School Elaine Saef views her role as principal as one of removing barriers and providing essentials, while leading and inspiring teachers to teach and students to learn. During her tenure at Panther Run Elementary, she created two signature programs: Pay it Forward and What I Am Makes A Difference. These award-winning innovations are unique school strengths and are effective in developing a caring culture in the school and community. She has developed a positive school culture that effectively puts students first, emphasizes academics, and builds teacher trust and adaptability.

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March 10 - March 16, 2016 • Page 11

Westside Gazette

Florida Department of Health in Broward County and Artserve announce finalists for Art to End AIDS mural project Local artists looking to support the Campaign to Raise Awareness for Broward County residents on the importance of being tested and knowing your HIV/AIDS status

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – The Florida Department of Health in Broward County (DOH-Broward) and ArtServe announce the finalists for the

“Art to End AIDS” public mural project, a component of the broader HIV Ends With Me and Broward Greater Than AIDS campaigns.

DOH-Broward is working with ArtServe to create a public mural in Broward County that will depict images and messages that promote the HIV Ends

With Me themes of being tested and knowing your HIV/AIDS status. The mural will be revealed in conjunction with the annual United States Con-

Afra-Retroism: African-American women and the American South

By Wilhelmina G. King, Ed.D.

Lt. Colonel Thaddeus Hamilton making presentation to Shirley Sherrod in Lee Hall.

How do you begin to share such an awakening and inspiring experience as the FAMU 8th Annual Spring Literary Forum?

“Afra-Retroism: African-American Women and the American South” was their theme this year.

This year’s program featured Evelyn Coleman, Chanta Haywood, Ph.D., Shirley Sherrod, Bree Newsome, and Nikky Finney. The two-day forum focused on the contributions of these and other Black women of the American South in the areas of literature, culture, history, film, spirituality, and social activism.

Evelyn Coleman was a psychotherapist who began her writing career later in life and is best known for her American Girl publications like Shadows on Society Hill: An Addy Mystery.

Chanta Haywood, Ph.D. serves as a Vice President at Albany State and is a FAMU alumna. Her presentation was on Black women’s spiritualty.

Shirley Sherrod’s history includes growing up on a farm in southwest Georgia and becoming Georgia’s first Black director of rural development with the U.S.D.A.. Her book, The Courage to Hope, was written after she was accused of discriminating against a white farmer who in reality was helped by her. She was forced to resign from her position but

was later found to be innocent of the accusation. She and her husband, Charles Sherrod, are also known for their civil rights activism and projects to provide aid and assistance to Black farmers. Bree Newsome is best known for her courageous act of climbing the flagpole and taking down the Confederate flag in South Carolina after the massacre at Mother Emanuel Baptist Church. Her short film, Wake, was screened at this event.

Nikky Finney is an internationally known and respected poet who was a recipient of the 2011 National Book Award in Poetry for her collection of poetry, Head Off & Split. Her poems give a prospective on life in South Carolina through centuries of slavery, oppression, Jim Crow, and after.

Other presenters were Larry Rivers, Ph.D., distinguished historian and author of Slavery in Florida; Patrick Mason, Ph.D., who gave statistical data on African-American women from the Jim Crow era through the recent recession; and Charles Magee, Ph.D. who spoke on our need for AfricanAmerican farmers and Black owned farmland. Panel discussions were given by the College of Agriculture and Food Services and the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

South Miami-Dade County Alphas honor MLK through Community Service

Mission Accomplished - Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity members Mario Lewis, Vernon Smith, Bryan Jones and youth participants pose for a picture outside the residence they painted.

The Iota Pi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated participated in the fourth annual SoMi Lights MLK Service Day Project on January 18, 2016.

Over 100 volunteers took part in the event hosted by Branches South Miami to revitalize four homes in the community, landscape a children’s playground, and build butterfly gardens at the Branches satellite location and in the surrounding area.

Volunteers were assigned to teams to paint, perform general home maintenance, housing restoration, and manicure property within the community.

The Alphas adopted the task of repainting the home of an ill resident in the neighborhood.

CORRECTIONS: The caption for the photo (l) in last week's edition should have read: South Florida Stylist Jo Ann “Silky” Rolle joins Emmy nominated Camille Friend: Head hairstylist for “Dream Girls,” “Hunger Games”: Mocking Jay and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The caption for the photo on the (r) is South Florida stylist Jo Ann “Silky” Rolle and daughter Shynice Ashley, an aspiring stylist, join local beauty school student Dwayne Kyng Perryvilla for a break from class, during the recent Bronner Brothers International Beauty Show, in Atlanta, Ga. on Feb. 20-22, 2016.

The event was sponsored by Gem Water, AmeriCorps and Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church. Branches is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate community members on opportunities that can improve their social condition.

For over 40 years, Branches has been a vehicle to advocate and tackle social injustices on behalf of disadvantaged citizens.

ference on AIDS to be held in Fort Lauderdale in fall 2016.

A panel of distinguished jurors including members from the arts community, public art officials, and healthcare professionals reviewed dozens of art submissions by local artists, and evaluated each submission to select as finalists those works that held true to the HIV Ends With Me theme and met with high standards of artistic excellence. The artists selected as

finalists are: Annie Chaskalson, Georgeta Fondos, Teri Forero, Charlotte Maloney, Shernett Muhammad, Lori Pratico, Kevin Santana, and Ruben Ubiera.

“The interest by the arts community in the Art to End AIDS mural project as well as the quality of the art submissions has been so impressive,” said Evelyn Ullah, Director, HIV/AIDS and Viral Hepatitis Program, DOH-Broward. “The artists who were selected as finalists represent the very best, and I am enthusiastic about the potential for this new public mural to promote the important message of HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness for the citizens of Broward County.”

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Miami Jackson holds inaugural Hall of Fame Induction

By Derek Joy The Miami Jackson High School Alumni Association (MJHSAA) held its inaugural Hall of Fame ceremony in the school’s gymnasium on March 5.

“We welcome you today. We welcome you in the future,” Miami Jackson High School Alumni Association, Inc. told the audience to kick off the induction ceremony for the first 14 members of its Hall of Fame.

More than 350 people attended the fundraising induction ceremony where two of the inductees - Althea E. Tate (1969) and Dr. Fedrick C. Ingram (1991) - provided house raising entertainment beyond that of the music world of the deejays on hand.

The inaugural classes of 14 inductees were chosen from six categories - Athletics, Community Involvement/Public Service, Education, Health Awareness, Political Awareness and Religion.

“It’s so nice to see so many old Generals in the house tonight,” said Miami Jackson Principal Carlos Rios, Jr. “When I say old, I don’t mean age. I mean years since you graduated.

“There’s a lot to be proud of at Miami Jackson. The last four years we have haf one of the highest ranked schools in the area. I want Andrew Jackson High School to be a school where learning is first.

“When I came to Miami Jackson four years ago, it had been a D school for the 13 previous years. Now, we’ve been an A school for the last four years,” added Rios.

And, yes, what many outsiders may not know is that Miami Jackson was named after the seventh President of the United States of America, General Andrew Jackson, who won fame in winning the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Page 12 • March 10 - March 16, 2016

Could Miami get to the East Finals?

Miami Hurricanes:They might win the NCAA Tournament

By D’Joumbarey A. Moreau Oh, what a difference a year makes.

The Miami Hurricanes last year wrapped up their season with a win against Virginia Tech. This year they’ll also do the same, wrapping up their ACC regular season going against the Hokies. However, the biggest difference between last year and this year’s game is that Miami last season was the hunter. The Hurricanes didn’t know if their NCAA Tournament resume was good enough to get invited to the big dance.

This season they are on the VIP guest list for the NCAA

By D’Joumbarey A. Moreau This season the Miami Heat have been on a topsy-turvy roller-coaster ride, to say the least.

We’ve seen Miami deal with a number of different situations that most organizations haven’t had to go through. Some of these situations they’ve had to deal with were a potential seasonending injury to Chris Bosh.

We’ve seen Hassan Whiteside and Goran Dragic in the middle of trade rumors all year. We’ve also seen Pat Riley make moves that upset the overall fan base such as trading Mario Chalmers and Chris Anderson to the Memphis Grizzlies. But guess what?

In spite of all of the turmoil and the drama that this team has dealt with, Miami still looks like one of the teams whose ready to compete for the Eastern Conference Championship.

Right now the Heat sit near the top of the Eastern Conference as they are in fourth place overall. However, because

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of the fact that Miami recently signed Joe Johnson from the Brooklyn Nets, it’s now expected that this team compete in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Could the Miami Heat really make it to the Eastern Conference Finals without Chris Bosh?

7-2.

That’s the record the Miami Heat have posted since the AllStar break.

Since the annual midseason classic, the Heat have been playing on fire capturing wins against strong teams they could potentially see in the playoffs such as the Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls.

What makes it more impressive is that they’ve done it all without their leading scorer, Chris Bosh.

“It’s great everyone is getting an opportunity to be themselves at the same time. Especially adding a player like Joe [Johnson], guys coming out of the All-Star break having to play without Chris [Bosh], having to play without me for those first two games really built that confidence in everyone. It’s all coming together,” said Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade.

One of their blemishes since the All-Star break that Miami got in the losing column came at the hands of the Golden State Warriors. Miami led most of the game and they pushed Golden State to their limit as they narrowly escaped Miami with a five point 115-110 win. Just think about it like this, Miami was one Stephen Curry missed three-pointer away from giving Golden State their sixth loss of the season. The other was a tough road loss to another playoff bound team in the Boston Celtics.

Missing a three-time champion and a 11-time NBA Allstar from the starting lineup would hurt most NBA franchises but Miami was never built around a singular player.

One of the big beliefs that Pat Riley has is that a team is and has to have 12 players that all van contribute and play in a given situation. So when Miami missed Dwyane Wade from the beginning of the All-Star break they never missed a beat.

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Tournament because this season they are the hunted.

If you ask anyone from Miami or the South Florida area they’ll be the first people to tell you that the University of Miami is an academic institution that is known around the city as a

football school. In South Florida football is king and Miami’s football program is the living proof of it. For as much as the prestige of the school was created from football, there’s another sport that the University of Miami should also start being synonymous with and that’s basketball.

The University of Miami basketball program which is spearheaded by head coach Jim Larranaga is ranked as the No. 7 team in college basketball.

With the 73-65 home win over No. 11 Louisville this season, it also marked Miami having an undefeated home record in the regular season.

What made the win that much more impressive was the coaching behind the players.

Miami was out without one of their best players, the sophomore sixth man point guard Ja’Quan Newton. Additionally, Miami has been playing without Newton for the last three games and they’ve still been making mincemeat of their opponents.

What’s even sweeter about this season is that Miami will finish second in the ACC, just missing out on their ACC regular season championship title. Instead, the North Carolina Tar Heels, one of the most prestigious basketball schools in the country to the glory.

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March 10 - March 16, 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ Page 13 Westside Gazette National Book Critics Circle AAward-winning ward-winning author author,, Edwidge Danticat shares the Haitian-American experience for Black Histor Historyy Month

by Artist Yvette Michele Booth

Series of events punctuate Black History Month at Florida Memorial University

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - Augusta Savage, a leading artist of the Harlem Renaissance, was born in Florida just outside of Jacksonville in 1892.

From a very early age Savage would create clay ÂżJXUHV RI VPDOO DQLPDOV 6KH ZRXOG KLGH WKHP IRU fear of being beat by her father. Her father believed that sculpture was a sinful practice, based upon his interpretation of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;graven imagesâ&#x20AC;? portion of the Bible. He later changed his mind when Savage created a sculpture of the Virgin Mary and had regret for the previous punishment he had given Savage.

It was in 1907 that Savage won the Palm Beach &RXQW\ )DLU IRU KHU VFXOSWXUHV 7KH LQLWLDOO\ DSSUH KHQVLYH IDLU RIÂżFLDOV ended up awarding her $25 7he sales of her art totaled $175; a sigQLÂżFDQW VXP EDFN WKHQ. This event prompted Savage to consider art as a career In 1921 at the age of 39, she applied to the Cooper Union(art school) in New York. She excelled in all of her art classes and was able to bypass the foundational classes because of her already established talent. The staff and faculty at Cooper was impressed by Savage and awarded her with funds for room and board, with tuition being already covered for all Cooper students. She completed her degree in three years.

This grant allowed her to travel to other European countries.

She returned to the United States during the *UHDW 'HSUHVVLRQ 7KLV WLPH ZDV YHU\ GLIÂżFXOW IRU an artist, so she began teaching art and established the Savage Studio of Arts and Crafts in 1932. In PLG GHFDGH VKH EHFDPH WKH ÂżUVW %ODFN DUWLVW WR join what was then known as the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors. Savage assisted many burgeoning African-American artists, including Jacob Lawrence and Norman Lewis, and lobbied the Works Projects Administration :3$ WR KHOS RWKHU \RXQJ DUWLVWV ÂżQG ZRUN GXULQJ WKLV WLPH RI ÂżQDQFLDO FULVLV 6KH DOVR KHOSHG IRXQG the Harlem Artistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Guild, which led to a directorial position at the WPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Harlem Community Center.

She had many hardships in her life, which put her art career on hold. Her family lost their home in a hurricane in )ORULGD DQG WKH\ DOO came to live with her in KHU WLQ\ DSDUWPHQW LQ 1HZ York.

+HU ÂżUVW FRPPLVsion from the Harlem Library was for a bust of W. E. B. Du Bois. The Du Bois sculpture brought her many more commissions, including one for a bust of Marcus Garvey and William Pickens, Sr., a key ÂżJXUH LQ WKH 1$$&3 The Pickens sculpture earned her praise for depicting an African-American in a humane way as opposed to stereotypes of the time.

In 1923, Savage applied for a summer art program sponsored by the French government. It was cited that although she was more than qualLÂżHG WKH LQWHUQDWLRQDO MXGJLQJ FRPPLWWHH WXUQHG her down solely because she was Black. This action deeply saddened Savage and ignited a spark LQ KHU WR EH WKH ÂżUVW RI PDQ\ SXEOLF ÂżJKWV IRU HTXDO rights in her life. The incident got press coverage on both sides of the Atlantic, and eventually the only supportive committee member, sculptor Hermon Atkins MacNeil, invited her to study with him.

In 1929, she was awarded a Julius Rosenwald fellowship, based in part on a bust of her nephew. Her work abroad gave her the opportunity to spend time in Paris, where she exhibited her work at the Grand Palais. She earned a second Rosenwald fellowship to continue her studies for another year, and a separate Carnegie Foundation grant.

Artists of all ages have a message to share in helping eradicate this epidemic that is affecting our community.

Broward County has the highest AIDS Rates in the USA!

Eazy-E (September 7, 1964 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; March 26, 1995)

ART ON AIDS/HIV Âł,Q UDS DUWLVW (D]\ ( D PDMRU ÂżJXUH LQ WKH FRPmercial development of â&#x20AC;&#x153;gangstaâ&#x20AC;? rap and co-founder of the group N.W. A. announced that he had AIDS and was in dire condition. AIDS would be the disease the eventually took his life only a few weeks after making the announcement. While HIV/AIDS was still relatively taboo in the Black community, instead of quietly going away, Eazy made the decision to courageously make the announcement to share with the world in hopes of helping others to know the truthâ&#x20AC;?.SOURCE: Blackdoctor.org Photography Credits: Westside Gazette Stock Photography, Augusta Savage and Eazy-E public domain. Press releases send to arts@thewestsidegazette.com. Advertising call (954)-525-1489

MIAMI GARDENS, FL â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The students and faculty at Florida Memorial University (FMU) provided an increased number of cultural offerings on campus to help commemorate this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Black History month celebration. The goal was to ensure that the students took away an impactful learning experience. Award-winning novelist, Edwidge Dandicat talked to over 100 students and community members about the Haitian Revolution and the Haitian-American experience.

FMU continues to make great strides to have critical conversations about issues affecting the campus and surrounding community. The school screened three films that provided the platform for those conversations. A screening and conversation of the documentaries held on campus. Ron Davis, father of Jordan Davis and Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin spoke about the state of Black America at the screening of three and a half minutes, 10 Bullets. They both encouraged students to take their studies seriously because their sons were robbed of that opportunity. 3½ Minutes, 10 Bullets, chronicles the murder trial of Michael Dunn, who fired

Dandicat talked with students. gunshots into a car of four Black teenagers in Jacksonville, Fla., killing Jordan Davis.

Papa Machete explored the Haitian Martial art form that transcended from the Haitian revolution. The documentary received recognition at the prestigious Toronto Internal Film Festival, as well as the Sundance Film Festival. LATINEGRAS dissected being Afro-Latina in society. The Q&A session after the film was hear-tfelt, enlightening and at times pain-

ful as people discussed the intersectionality of identity, race, class and gender.

This year, the annual PanAfrican Food Festival added an African Fashion Show. The African Fashion Show was cosponsored by Samuels Call, a local non-profit that supports the education of girls all over the world. Their sponsorship provided traditional African clothing that were modeled by FMU students.

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Seventy-five Black men and women were exonerated in 2015 A record 149 individuals exonerated; the majority were Black

By Frederick H. Lowe Seventy-five Black men and Black women were exonerated in 2015 for crimes they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t commit.

The National Registry of Exonerations at the University of Michigan Law School reported that 71 black men and four Black women were exonerated in 2015 for crimes they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t commit.

Last year, a record 149 individuals from 29 states, the District of Columbia, the federal court and Guam were exonerated, reported the white paper â&#x20AC;&#x153;The National Registry of Exonerations: Exonerations in 2015.â&#x20AC;?

Since 1989, 1,733 individuals have been exonerated as of Jan. 27, 2016.

The paper reported that 58 defendants were exonerated for

homicide cases in 2015.

The exonerees came from 25 states and the District of Columbia. More than two-thirds of the homicide exonerees were minorities, including half who were who were African American.

The study reported 47 defendants were exonerated in 2015 for drug possession. A record 42 of those exonerated had pled guilty in Harris County, which includes Houston.

Twenty-seven exonerations last year were for convictions based on false confessions, also a record. More than 80 percent of these false confessions were in homicide cases, mostly by defendants who were under 18 or developmentally disabled or both.

Official misconduct played a role in 65 exonerations, another record number. Three-

quarters of homicide exonerations in 2015 included known official misconduct.

Some of the officers who commit official misconduct are African American, according to Samuel R. Gross, editor of the National Registry of Exonerations.

The story reported that 65 exonerations were convictions based on guilty pleas. The majority were for drug cases and eight were homicide convictions based on guilty pleas that turned out to be false convictions.

Finally, a record 75 exonerations in 2015 were based on confessions in which no crime had been committed.

Gross noted the nation averages three exonerations per week, but most get little attention.

Page 14 • March 10 - March 16, 2016

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Star-studded lineup hits the stage for the 11th annual Jazz in the Gardens From Usher to Aretha Franklin, Babyface to Janelle Monae – Jazz in the Gardens hits all the right notes

MONAE USHER

FRANKLIN

BABYFACE

MIAMI GARDENS, FL – The City of Miami Gardens is proud to announce the com-

plete lineup of the 11th Annual Jazz in the Gardens Music Festival (JITG) taking place on

March 19 and 20, 2016, at Sun Life Stadium, 347 Don Shula Dr., Miami Gardens, Fla. This year’s lineup features Usher, Aretha Franklin, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Janelle Monae, Brian Culbertson, Michael McDonald, Kool and The Gang, Fred Hammond, The Average White Band, and The Jazz in the Gardens All-Stars featuring Regina Belle, Najee & Alex Bugnon, along with local artists CriStyle Renae, April Raquel and Kouture Band, and LaVie. Returning to the stage as host is comedian and nationally-syndicated radio personality, Rickey Smiley.

“This is our signature annual event that people from all over the world look forward to attending every year,” said City of Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert. “Last year’s event took Jazz in the Gardens to the next level, and with this year’s lineup of top-notch musical talent, we expect this year will continue the trend,” he continued.

Last year’s 10th Annual JITG broke box office records with more than 73,000 people

attending. Approximately 42,000 festival-goers attended Saturday’s show, the first soldout day in the history of the event. Fans from all across the nation and abroad enjoyed performances from Maxwell, Erykah Badu, R. Kelly, Toni Braxton, Run D.M.C., and Brian Culbertson, just to name a few.

Comedians and nationally-syndicated radio personalities D.L. Hugley and Rickey Smiley cohosted the festival. Last year’s JITG event also drew surprise celebrities including actors Bryshere Y. Gray and Jussie Smollett, who star as Hakeem and Jamal, respectively, on the redhot, Fox television series Empire.

For more information about 2016’s 11th annual JITG, visit www.jazzinthegardens.com,www.facebook.com/ jazzinthegardens, twitter.com/ jazzgardens and http:// instagram.com/jitg11.

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