How to Choose a Power of Attorney Page 2 All Black All Male High School has 100% Graduation Rate for Third Straight Year Page 10 N.C. Removing Confederate Flag From Old State Capitol RALEIGH, N.C. -- A Confederate battle flag hung inside the old North Carolina State Capitol to mark the sesquicentennial of the Civil War is being taken down after civil rights leaders raised concerns. The flag was part of an historical display intended to replicate how the antebellum building appeared in 1863. The flag had been planned to hang in the House chamber until April 2015, the 150th anniversary of the arrival of federal troops in Raleigh. The exhibit that includes the Confederate battle flag will be relocat- ed, possibly across the street to the N.C. Museum of History. The presentation of the Confederate battle flag at state government buildings has long been an issue of debate throughout the South. For more than a decade, the NAACP has urged its members to boycott South Carolina because of that state's display of the flag on the State House grounds. Judge Denies Bond for Kilpatrick DETROIT, MI- A federal judge has denied a request by ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to be released on bond while he awaits sen- tencing. U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds made the bond denial decision on Wednesday. She cited Kilpatrick's criminal record and history of problems adhering to parole conditions. A lawyer for Kilpatrick had argued that his client isn't a flight risk or a danger to the public. Kilpatrick also has complained that he needs to leave prison so he can receive treatment for a knee injury. Kilpatrick's mother, former U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, had offered her Detroit home as collateral to ensure her son shows up to court for sentencing. A federal jury on March 11 found Kilpatrick and his friend Bobby Ferguson guilty on multiple counts, including racketeering conspiracy. Former Steubenville NAACP President Blames Rape Victim Former Steubenville NAACP President Blames Rape Victim The outrageous victim blaming continues in the Steubenville rape case that shook the small Ohio town. Former Steubenville NAACP President Royal Mayo has added himself to the list of people who need to re-evaluate their flawed thought process on rape that excuses the rapists' behavior. Mayo placed blame on the 16-year-old girl who was raped by Trent Mays and Ma'Lik Richmond and said she was drunk and willing to partake in the incident, according to the International Business Times. The two Steubenville High School students, Mays and Richmond, were sentence to at least a year in juvenile jail on March 17. Mayo also believes there were other teens involved in the incident that got off because they were "well-connected." Gun Violence Determined by Race When it comes to gun violence in the United States, there are some patterns that have emerged that are shaped by race, according to an analysis by the Washington Post. A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indi- cates that African-Americans are likelier to be shot by another person and that white Americans are more likely to shoot themselves. The data revealed that a white person is five times as likely to com- mit suicide with a gun as to be shot with a gun. On the other hand, for every Black American who uses a gun to commit suicide, five are killed by other people with guns. The analysis also reveals that gun violence in urban areas most often results in homicide and that suicide by firearms is more common in rural areas of the country. It also said that the states with the most guns per capital, like Montana and Wyoming, are most likely to have high- er suicide rates. The analysis also revealed that there are strong differences in views regarding gun control by race. African-Americans 75 percent of those surveyed are more likely to support stringent gun control measures. That compares with about 50 percent of white respondents. Serena and Tiger are Both No. 1 Serena Williams and Tiger Woods are back in a place familiar to them. Both Williams and Woods have reclaimed their status in their respective worlds of tennis and golf. Both athletes have reclaimed their No. 1 global rankings in their sports. For Woods, it's been an uphill battle for the past few years, as he's had to carry the weight of domestic problems. For Williams, it was a series of injuries that took her down. But now, both Williams and Woods are back at the top. Williams, the best ten- nis player in the world. Woods, the best golfer in his world. The journey back to the top was not an easy one. Woods, who has won three tournaments this year, reached No.1 with his win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Now it's on to the Masters next month at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. Williams reached the semi-finals at the Sony Open in Key Biscayne, Fla. She overcame Li Na with a win as she reached the semi-finals of a tournament she has already won five times. So as Woods continues his preparation for the Masters, Serena will want to make sure she doesn't duplicate the men's No. 1 in the world, Novak Djokovic, who was stunningly upset in the fourth round. 4 4 Dionne Warwick A true story of how a world class entertainer went from riches to rags Page o Reality TV and the Changing Image of the African- American Leading Lady Page 4 1'1 I-~NNW M FLA LIBRARY HISTORY 205 SMA UN1V p.O. Bo\ 7 S o.., n Ga Ie 1 Ie L e 2( i C/ FLO RIDA'b -IRS COASI QUALITY BLACK WEI KLY 50 Cents Volume 26 No. 23 Jacksonville, Florida April 4-10, 2013 America's Promise: School to Prison j _Pipeline Strangling Our Children THE SCIOL TO PRISON PIPELINE Two students set off fire alarms in the same school district. One of them, an African-American kinder- gartner, is suspended for five days; the other, a white ninth-grader, is suspended for one day. An African-American high- schooler is suspended for a day for using a cellphone and an iPod in class. In the same school, a white student with a similar dis- ciplinary history gets detention for using head- phones. Two middle-schoolers S push each other; the white student receives a three- day, in-school suspension, S while the Native American student is arrested and sus- pended, for 10 days. Civil rights groups have been saying for years that school disci- pline is not meted out fairly, citing examples like these reported last year from around the country by the US Department of Education. High rates of suspensions and expulsions for certain groups par- ticularly African-Americans, Hispanics, and those with disabili- ties are evident in national data from the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Data from 72,000 American pub- lic schools in the 2009-10 school year, for example, show that while African-Americans make up 18 percent of the students in this large sample, they account for 46 percent of students suspended more than once, 39 percent of students expelled, and 36 percent of students arrested on campus. White students, by contrast, rep- resent 29 percent of multiple sus- pensions and 33 percent of expul- sions but 51 percent of the stu- dents. School leaders have to maintain a safe environment for learning, and about 4 in 10 teachers and adminis- trators surveyed recently by Education Week said out-of-school suspensions and expulsions are an effective way to do that. Some expulsions have even been mandat- ed by law, particularly when a stu- dent brings a gun to school. Yet increasingly, "we're seeing suspensions for things that used to be considered typical adolescent behavior and were dealt with in less harsh ways within the school sys- tem," says Jim Eichner, managing director of programs for the Advancement Project, a national civil rights group in Washington. Continued on page 5 Author Shares Intimate Details to Help Others 'Walk Through Pain' book details her trying story of molestation, child abuse, love and ., family in a self help format to assist others. Allen, a graduate of Andrew Jackson High School takes you on S :' an intimate journey leaving you feeling the burden of pain that has weighed her down while embracing the empowering spirit that renewed her. The up-close and personal book signing took place at The Peak Center on San Jose blvd. Guests / were feted with a dinner from Chef Mo of One Taste Catering and a door prize raffle. Attendees listened to the author read excerpts from the book and experience an interactive atmosphere followed by supporters and family members who spoke regarding her journey and the ...7 impact of her book. Mentor Marie Heath remarked from the podium, "Sheryl is a very smart lady. I've help Sheryl in many ways. Now it's time for Sheryl to let go to receive her bless- ings." Allen stated, "I wrote down my pain to release my past and to help heal my future. I know by sharing Seated is Author Sheryl Allen, 1-r Glorious Johnson, Jacqueline Wade-Donatien, Tangie McCray, Elder my life story, I will help to make Wayne Williams, Nathan L. Devoe and Shawn Mitchell-Devoe. another person whole." Author Sheryl Allen unveiled her new book, "Walking Through Your Pain" at a book signing dinner. The Lawyer: Official Regrets Involvement in Baby Case BRUNSWICK, Ga. A city official charged with interfering with the police investigation of a baby's slaying in coastal Georgia made a mistake when he tried to help a teen suspect's mother but believes he committed no crimes, his defense attorney said. The arrest of Brunswick city commissioner James Henry Brooks added another wrinkle to a case that was already tough to fathom. Authorities say a teenage gunman and his younger accomplice on March 21 tried to rob a woman pushing her 13-month-old baby in a stroller near their home. When Sherry West refused to give them money, police say, the gunman shot her in the leg before shooting her child in the face. Brooks, who serves as mayor pro tem on the four-member city com- mission, was arrested last week on charges of obstructing a police offi- cer and interfering with a witness. Brooks attorney Alan David Tucker said both charges stemmed from a single encounter. Brooks had attended a court hearing for 17- year-old De'Marquise Elkins, the murder suspect accused of shooting the baby, and was accompanying the teen's mother. When a police officer tried to talk to Karimah Elkins after the hearing, Brooks stepped in between them, Tucker said. "He told her, 'Don't make any statements until you have an attor- ney,'" Tucker said. "That's what he did. I tell clients all the time don't talk to the police without a lawyer and it's not a crime." Ajudge granted him $5,000 bond after a night in jail. Elkins' family rushed to the sus- pect after he and another teen, 15- year-old Dominique Lang, were charged the day after the slaying. Elkins' aunt insisted he was having breakfast at her house when the shooting occurred. Tucker said the commissioner at first believed the family that police were rushing to prosecute Elkins and wanted to help. That was before the mom and De'Marquise Elkins' older sister, Sabrina Elkins, were charged with evidence tampering. Prosecutors say they tried to dis- pose of a .22-caliber revolver, which police suspect was used to shoot the baby, by dumping it in a saltwater pond where investigators found the weapon. Elkins' mother and his aunt, Katrina Elkins, have also been charged with making false state- ments to police. Prosecutors say the women gave false and conflict- ing alibis for the suspect. "They're constituents of Commissioner Brooks' and he went to bat for them" before the women were charged, Tucker said. "Unfortunately he picked the wrong ones to go to bat for." 17 year old Demarquise Elkins The commissioner has other legal problems that aren't connected to the baby killing. Last week Camden County indicted Brooks on racket- eering and other charges saying he abused his elected office by getting applicants for police jobs, liquor licenses and permits to pay him in exchange for his help influencing other officials. Tucker said Brooks did nothing illegal. Attorneys for De'Marquise Elkins and Lang say have both said their clients are innocent. L ~r I I LI -I' II I I ----V