Jacksonville, FL Woman He Met the Georgia Star! Jacksonville, FL 32203 Permit No
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NORTHEAST FLORIDA’S OLDEST, LARGEST, MOST-READ AFRICAN-AMERICAN OWNED NEWSPAPER The Florida Star Presorted Standard BLACK HISTORY GOSPEL Man Kidnaps The Florida Star, U.S. Postage Paid CELEBRATION P. O. Box 40629 Jacksonville, FL Woman He Met The Georgia Star! Jacksonville, FL 32203 Permit No. 3617 F e a t u r i n g Online and Her Impact Radio Can’t Get to the Store? YOLANDA ADAMS Three Children AM1360 Free Tickets See (904) 766-8834 Have The Star Delivered! call 904-766-8834 Crime & Justice SINCE 1951 An Award Read The Florida Winning and Georgia Star Newspapers. Publication, Listen to IMPACT serving you Radio Talk Show. since 1951. www.thefloridastar.com Rated “A” by Still the people’s the Better choice, striving to Business Bureau www.thefloridastar.com make a difference. FEBRUARY 18, 2012 - FEBRUARY 24, 2012 VOL. 61 NO. 43 50 CENTS LOVETOWN, USA Florida 1980 Prison By Marsha Dean Phelts, Photos by Sandy Neal and Marsha Phelts Escapee Arrested During A Traffic Stop ple can apply for a mar- by Kevin Kim riage license and get mar- ried in one day. For years as long as memory serves, Florida man, Gerald Floridians young and old Balam, 62, was pulled have rapidly crossed the over for a traffic stop in state lines for a quicky Illington, North marriage when smitten by Carolina. When the the amorous bite of the officer checked Balam's "Love Bug." license, he discovered Clarence Cobb a contest- Oprah Winfrey' TV that Balam was a want- ant looking for love in love Mayor Ken Smith and Network OWN will be ed fugitive out of Oprah Winfrey town. Clara McLaughlin filming the experimental Florida. According to show of eight singles on a reports, Balam had quest to find love over the escaped from a prison next 30 days in Gerald Balam bus, while he was being (Kingsland, Georgia) transferred in 1980. He Lovetown, USA. Winfrey was serving 15 years after being convicted in 1972, challenged all to seize the 1973, and 1976 on charges of burglary, robbery, car- opportunity to set the pace rying a concealed weapon, and grand theft. Balam Sandy Neal and Oprah for the year with a show of went by different aliases including Willie Lee Winfrey kindness, service, love and Jackson, Adam Baham, William Ellis, and David support for one another. James, but had his original name on his license. Lovetown, USA was launched Kingsland/St. Mary's region. She implored upon the hundreds Balam is back in jail after 30 years and is being held from the banks of the St. Mary's Well over one thousand people upon hundreds gathered at the on $200,000 bond. River, Sunday afternoon in St. turned out after church on Sunday, Waterfront Park to become more Mary's, Georgia and The Florida February 12, to welcome Oprah selfless and forgiving. Jacksonville’s Brenda Jackson Star/Georgia Star was there to cap- Winfrey in town. As soon as Ms. After the 30 day experimental Nominated For Image Award ture the events as they unfolded Winfrey came ashore from a Coast search, Winfrey will whisk back to moment by moment. We were Guard Fleet, Mayor Smith present- Kingsland/St. Mary's to throw a She has been recog- warmly greeted by Ken Smith, The ed her with the Key to the City that Big Ball in Lovetown, USA. The nized by the NAACP for Mayor of the City of Kingsland. she dubbed Lovetown, USA. outstanding work in liter- We quickly learned that Mayor Many along the Florida First Coast countdown has begun, 30-29-28- 27-26-25-24-23-22-21...Be there ature. Smith was a Jacksonville native can identify with the Lovetown Jackson and her readers of The Florida/Georgia who though born in Brewester moniker because St. Mary's is the novel, A Silken Thread, Hospital, grew up in the closest municipality where a cou- Star. will be honored at the 43rd Annual NAACP Marvyne "Beach Lady" Betsch Image Awards in Los Angeles. She is one of Community Event five finalists up for the Photo by F.M. Powell III prestigious award. On February 17, Marsha Dean Phelts presented on the colorful With more than 3 million copies of her books in life of the late Marvyne "Beach Lady" Betsch. It was held at the Amelia print, Brenda Jackson has been a trailblazer in Island Museum of History 233 S. 3rd Street, in Downtown Fernandina African-American romance. She is the first African- Beach. Ms. Betsch was the great granddaughter of Abraham Lincoln Lewis, principal founder of American Beach. American romance writer to make USA Today’s and Marvyne took pride in the fact that American Beach was estab- the New York Times’ bestseller lists for the series lished and developed by the Afro American Life Insurance Company in romance genre. The author of more than eighty novels, January 1935, the same year and month of her birth in Jacksonville's she is the recipient of countless awards, including Sugar Hill neighborhood. numerous Romance in Color Reviewers’ Choice Marsha Dean Phelts, author of acclaimed books on American Awards, Emma Awards, and e-Harlequin Reader’s Beach discusses the legendary life of Marvyne Betsch, a multi-talented Choice Awards. icon who in her career morphed from an opera singer in Europe to a much regarded preservationist and unofficial Mayor of American Beach. With no sign of slowing down, Brenda has taken on the world of romance by storm with her grace, Black History Month Founder A First Look At Beyonce intelligence, and most of all- with her passion. Woodson (December 19, And Jay-Z's Daughter Whitney Houston's 1875 – April 3, 1950). It became a month-long cele- funeral set for Saturday bration in 1976. The month of February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Whitney Houston Frederick Douglass and one of the greatest Abraham Lincoln. Woodson female artists of all was a noted African time, recently passed American historian, scholar, away on February 11, educator, publisher, and the 2012 at age 48. She was founder of the Association an inspiration to people for the Study of African all around the world Carter G. Woodson American Life and History. and her funeral will be He was also one of the first Meet baby Blue Ivy Carter. The first photos of Beyonce and Jay-Z's daughter Blue Ivy surfaced on streaming live on Black History Month scholars to study African began as "Negro History Tumblr, revealing a beaming first-time mother hold- February 18 at noon (EST). It will be provided by the American history and has ing her bundle of joy. Week" and was created in been cited as the father of Associated Press at www.livestream.com/aplive and 1926 by Carter Godwin There's no doubt that Blue is the spitting image of black history. her famous mom and dad. other news media outlets. Opinion/Editorial............A-2 I Church...........................A-3 Looking for customers to patronize your Wish to give us a News Story? Talk of the Town...............A-4 Call (904) 766-8834 or Send it to: N Around the Area............A-6 business or utilize your services? If you Caribbean News.............A-7 [email protected] S Local..........................B-1 answered YES, then you need to place an ad I Columns........................B-2 in The Florida Star or Georgia Star! [email protected] Sports...........................B-4 D Crime & Justice..(A).C&J-1-4 CALL 904/766-8834 to place your ad TODAY!! Prep Rap...........(B).PR-1-4 E Classified & Business...B-7 Check, Money Order, or Credit Cards Accepted PAGE A-2 THE STAR FEBRUARY 18, 2012 Black History Month: A Time to Reflect By Diana Hoffman Words are powerful. They define. Definitions ascribe images to people, places and things. Ultimately, they determine how people are treated by others. The Founder of Black History Month, Carter G. Woodson, certainly knew that. That said, Black History Month is a time to reflect on pet peeve words that are used to describe Black people, especially those born in America. Take the word “blacks.” It is dehu- manizing. The word “blacks” subconsciously describes Black people as less than and, com- paratively speaking, not as human as. Here’s why. The word “”blacks” is a plural noun that rhymes with words that describe a collective of animals such as cats, rats, bats, snakes and dogs. Or, things such as hats, slats, vats, mats, etc. In a subtle way, “blacks” is used in the same way as animals and things. Yet, the term “blacks” rolls off tongues so easily and comfortably. Each utterance has an accumulative effect, which more firmly entrenches the underlying association with animals and things and with the undercurrent of comparative inferiority of Black people, especially of African Americans. Every expression of “blacks” creates a subconscious association and a collec- tive mindset of “blacks” as those things. Recently, conservative Caucasian pundit, Ann Coulter, in discussing liberals and conservatives and making a point on a television show said, “our blacks are better than your blacks.” Some might argue that saying the word, “whites,” is the same. Not so. “Whites,” as a derivative of “white” has a culturally inherent association with positive concepts such as good , pure and universal concepts such as people, woman, man and child. The word “whites” doesn’t have the same meaning for two other reasons. One, it doesn’t rhyme with the plurals for animals and things. And, secondly, the term is seldom used, especially in media. Media use is most important because media impacts image which dictates a public collective mindset for a group of people and how they are treated or mistreated in our soci- ety.