King Family Draws Fees From DC Mall's National Memorial Project Page 2 Why Can't I Lose Weight Could ethnicity have anything to do with it? Page 10 Condi Rice Commands Same Speakers Fee as Pres. Bush Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is charging the same fee $150,000 per speech as does former President George W. Bush. So, as Bush emerges again into the public eye, he's finding that he's not the biggest star of his own administration. Information about the speech fees Rice and Bush charge comes from a corporate political adviser who asked the Washington Speakers Bureau about their speaking fees. Rice last month addressed the NFL's annual owners meeting. She is scheduled to speak to the Economic Club of Southwestern Michigan on April 30. The Washington Speakers Bureau represents Bush and Rice as well as former first lady Laura Bush and dozens of other political celebrities. U.S. Mulls Asylum for Haitians US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last week the United States was considering granting temporary asylum to. illegal Haitian immi- grants, thousands of whom face imminent expulsion. The United States is set to deport more than 30,000 Haitians back to their Caribbean homeland, the poorest country in the Americas which has been hit hard in recent months by a series of hurricanes and natural dis- asters. Any changes to temporary protected status (TPS) to allow illegal Haitian immigrants to stay in the United States would be retroactive to before the start of President Barack Obama's administration in January, Clinton said. Immigrants from Burundi, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Somalia and Sudan are currently protected under the policN. The Secretar) of State also announced $57 million in extra aid mainly for roads and other infrastructure projects needed to boost the economy as well as for food and counter-narcotics efforts. FEC Fines Sharpton $285,000 The Rev. Al Sharpton has been fined $285,000 for violating federal election rules during his 2004 Democratic campaign for U.S. president. A Federal Elections Commission report obtained by the New York Post contends Sharpton accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in contri- butions from private sources, commingled campaign funds with those of his civil rights group, National Action Network, and kept poor records. The newspaper said Sharpton and former campaign manager Andrew River signed an agreement with the FEC this month to pay the fine, which was triggered by a complaint from the National Legal and Policy Center, a conservative watchdog group. A statement from Sharpton's camp accused the Post of engaging in a "rush to smear" Sharpton, pointing out that "the settlement makes clear that there is no evidence of criminality or intentional wrongdoing by National Action Network, Sharpton or his campaign." Black Journalists Cut from Newsrooms at Alarming Rates Newsroom jobs held by black journalists were cut by an alarming 13.5 percent in 2008, making African-Americans the single most targeted group for job losses in newsrooms across the country according to a study released by ASNE, the American Society of News Editors. In all, nearly 400 black journalists lost their jobs in 2008, representing the largest drop in all minority employment and scaling back progress toward diversity in newsrooms to 1998 census levels. Furthermore, 458 newspapers still have no minorities in their newsrooms and only 111 out of 633 newspapers surveyed have achieved parity with the minority population in their communities. The decrease in minority representation in newsrooms runs counter to general population trends, which project the United States will become a "majority minority" country by mid-century. Well-known Reparations Activist Dies The man who inspired Democratic Congressman John Conyers to pro- pose reparations bills, has died at 88. Ray "Reparations Ray" Jenkins, a former Detroit real estate agent, was among the nation's first individuals to devote his life to calling for the American government to pay the descendants of slavery for their ances- tors' labor. Affectionately called "Reparations Ray," Jenkins began his activism in the 1960s when reparations was pushed by the Nation of Islam and only a few other organizations as part of their larger Black liberation strate- gies. But without major support or resources for his commitment to see- ing Blacks compensated, Jenkins was a sort of voice in the wilderness. He was ridiculed, even in his own community, as he tirelessly wrote let- ters and carried out a mostly one-man campaign that garnered more seri- ous attention decades later. Today, the debate around reparations earns consideration at new levels: Influenced by Jenkins' continued passion, Conyers has proposed a law each year that would explore reparations. First discussed over a century ago, reparations supporters have argued that slavery injured and continues to injure Black Americans by leaving them economically disadvantaged. Centuries of free, forced labor left Blacks collectively less wealthy, less educated and less powerful than other races, they argue.Money and land are often the focus of activist dis- cussions. ; 4 LibrarN of IFla. H~ktk-'rv .205 SMIA INIV P.O Box 1.7007.OU (jair%'l le F L '(~ Ala--.' kLORIVLA'S kIiSI CL)ASI QALITY BLACK WEtKLY 5OCent Volume 23 No. 30 Jacksonville, Florida April 23-29, 2009 First 100 Days: Key Civil Rights Leaders Give Obama 'A', With 'Incompletes' on Grassroots Economics by H.T. Edney This Sunday, April 26, will mark the 100th full day since the inaugu- ration of America's first Black pres- ident. January 20 was a day marked with tears of joy and painful remi- niscing. But it will be most remem- bered for the overwhelming glory of the historic moment. President Barack Obama's initial accomplishments have included: His immediate confrontation to the nation's failing economy amidst which he now sees "glimmers of hope"; The reversal of a string of anti- union executive orders issued by the Bush Administration; The establishment of the Middle during the G-20 economic confer- Class Working Families Task ence; Force; His trip to Mexico with hopes of The closing of the controversial stopping violent drug cartels and Guantanamo Bay lockup for preventing them from entering the alleged terrorists; U. S. His tour of Europe with First His reaching out to Cuba for the Lady Michelle Obama, which renewed relationship, supported by raised good will for America abroad Continued on page 9 Pastor John Guns and Mayor John Peyton Public/private Partnerships Develop ATOSS Centers to Battle Growing Truancy Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton joined Pastor John E. Guns at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church of Jacksonville and other community leaders to celebrate the official opening of the five Jacksonville Journey-funded Duval County Alternative to Out-of-School Suspension (ATOSS) centers. The new ATOSS centers will pro- vide an alternative to the current out of school suspension model and truancy centers, and help to keep truant and suspended juveniles in a structured environment. Dr. Cornel West to Keynote NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet Shown above is American Beach property owner Jeanette McDonald Legendary "Beach Lady" Immortalized with American Beach Historical Marker The American Beach Property Owners' Association unveiled an histori- cal marker in commemoration of the preservation efforts of the late Marvyne "Beach Lady" Betsch last weekend .Held at high noon on Saturday, April 18, 2009 on American Beach across from the former Evans' Ocean Rendezvous, the marker rests at the base of the dune so dubbed "NaNa" by the Beach Lady years ago. FMP Photo The Jacksonville Chapter of the NAACP has announced that acclaimed author, scholar, professor and cultural intel- West lectual Dr. Cornel West, will be the guest speaker for the 44th Freedom Fund Dinner. The dinner will be held on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. The event is part of the Jacksonville Branch's celebration of the NAACP'S 100th Anniversary. It will begin at 7:00 p.m. Call 764-1753 for more informa- tion. City Sponsors a "Passport to Housing" in a County Where Foreclosures Exceed State and National Rates According to RealtyTrac.com, the nation's leading online foreclo- sure marketplace, Jacksonville's March 2009 foreclosure rate exceeded state and national aver- ages. In an effort to address this growing problem in Duval County, the City of Jacksonville and a num- ber of public sector organizations joined forces and hosted "Passport to Fair Housing" at the Schultz Center last Saturday. Agencies including Jacksonville Area Legal Aid (JALA), Jacksonville Housing Authority (JHA), Human Rights Commission, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and a host of area community development cor- porations (CDCs) presented work- shops on foreclosures, predatory lending, reverse mortgages, afford- able housing and more. Paul Tutwiler, president of the Northwest Jacksonville CDC, said his organization participated in the event to educate Jacksonville resi- dents and enco urage reinvestment Pictured at the 7th Annual Fair Housing Symposium at the Schultz Center are (L-R): Northwest Jacksonville CDC executive director Paul Tutwiler, Kathy Wilson, Wanda Williams and Jax Housing Authority senior service coordinator Terra Shaw. Shaw and Tutwiler are agency volunteers who assisted Williams and Wilson in their quests for affordable, quality housing. M Latimer photo and story in communities. "Foreclosures they lead to a host of social ills. indicate economic distress, and They can destroy neighborhoods," he said. Tutwiler has seen the effects of the nation's weakened economy. He has observed decline in the urban core for years, only to see it worsen in the last twenty-four months. Tutwiler is, however, opti- mistic and encourages people remain hopeful. "My organization stabilizes communities through home ownership and affordable, accessible housing. We've enjoyed considerable success with revitaliz- ing the city's Northwest quadrant," he said. Tutwiler refers to the area sur- rounding the intersection of Golfair Boulevard and 1-95. Since 2003, there has been a 40% reduction in crime, and property values have doubled all through the efforts of the Northwest Jacksonville CDC. "A 1400-square-foot model home sold for $70,000 in 2003. That same model sold for $130,000 in December 2008," he said. Continued on page 5 ISlllslllllC3111111llll~lllllsB~ I_ - PRST STD U.S. Postage PAID - JadlmQnville, FL rm 662 2"