Tavis Smiley Sen. Cory Booker Conservative Still Fighting Speaks Out on Judge Rules GayRumors to Get His Against While Mulling Obamacare Career Back Presidential Bid – Now What? Page 11 Page 7 Page 4 PRST STD 75c U.S. Postage Your Body PAID Jacksonville, FL Shape Could Permit No. 662 Be Putting You RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED at Risk for Heart Disease Page 7 75 Cents Calculation Puts Slavery Volume 32 No. 4 Jacksonville, Florida December 20 - 26, 2018 Reparations at $14 trillion The slavery reparations discussion has been reignited thanks to a new Florida Supreme Court Rules: ‘Stand report by University of Connecticut researcher Thomas Craemer, who tallied up just how much it would cost to divvy up 40 acres and a mule and a boatload of money to descendants of enslaved Africans. In the journal Social Science Quarterly, Craemer estimated that it Your Ground’ Law Applies to Cops would cost between $5.9 trillion and $14.2 trillion to give historical Florida police officers who use Stand Your Ground statute, why County sheriff, Peter Peraza, who the decision gives judges too much reparations. According to the report, he figured out the hefty price tag deadly force can assert the state’s didn’t they say so? They certainly killed Jermaine McBean, a Black power to dismiss cases even when a by calculating the slave labor men, women and children contributed to “stand your ground” law to gain had ample opportunity,” said man who he said pointed a weapon grand jury decides cops should be in the United States from its birth in 1776 until 1865, when slavery was immunity from prosecution, the Justice Jorge LaBarga. at him, which turned out to be an charged. Another officer represent- officially abolished. Florida Supreme Court ruled. “Law enforcement officers are unloaded air rifle. ing a cop called the decision Craemer multiplied the amount of time enslaved people worked by In a 7-0 decision, the judges ruled eligible to assert ‘stand your Peraza was indicted on groundbreaking and said police average wage prices at the time, and then a compounding interest rate of that the statute states that “any per- ground’ immunity, even when the manslaughter for McBean’s death, won’t have to worry much about 3 percent per year to work out the new reparations number. sons” who act in self-defense could use of force occurred in the course but a judge granted him pretrial wrongful prosecutions. Craemer, who grew up in Germany, was influenced to do this work get immunity and that a cop is con- of making a lawful arrest,” the court immunity under the state’s stand The ruling further protects law because Germany agreed to pay reparations to Jewish victims of the sidered a “person.” ruled, according to CNN. your ground law. enforcement, which already is pro- Nazis and had paid $89 billion in compensation since 2012. “If the Legislature intended to The ruling stems from a 2013 An attorney in the case who tected under a self-defense law for Union Army General William Tecumseh Sherman promised slaves exclude police officers from the shooting involving a Broward opposed the ruling told CNN that cops. that they’d receive 40 acres and a mule. President Andrew Johnson reneged on that promise. AARP Reaching Jax Black Women Spelman College Receives Historic Through Jazz and Fellowship $30M Gift For Arts Center Atlanta’s Spelman College recently received a major $30 million donation from one of it’s trustees and her husband to push the institu- tion’s educational initiatives forward. The donation, made by Ronda Stryker and William Johnston, is the largest contribution from living donors in the school’s history. It will go towards the creation of Spelman’s new Center for Innovation & the Arts. The facility will serve as a hub for programs related to art, film and pho- tography, digital media, and dance. It will also include a theater, café, and an expansion of the Spelman College Museum of Fine Arts. Stryker—who is an executive at the Fortune 500 Company Stryker Corporation—joined Spelman’s board of trustees in 1997. She’s now the vice chair of the Spelman College Board of Trustees and leads the board’s Arts, Innovation & Technology Committee. Throughout the years she’s made several contributions to the institution; helping it to grow its study abroad program, providing funding for STEM initiatives, helping out with the expansion of the Spelman College Museum of Fine Arts and growing the school’s annual fund. Several donors have been stepping up to further programs at HBCUs. In March, Howard University alumnus Wendell E. Mackey, CFA made Kay Jay, JuCoby Pittman, Lisa Salters, a $250,000 donation to the institution’s business school. Shown is Laura Wright the winner of Michelle Obama's book, Michael Salters ad Royce McGowan "Becoming Michelle Obama," with Jax AARP ‘s Justine Conley. Local Families Gifted Luxe Designer Prada Apologizes In August 2018, American travel, while promoting the reality Association Retired People that American women are thirsting Over Selling ‘Blackface’ Keychains (AARP) launched the newsletter for information about how to live a December to Remember Italian label Prada said it would remove ani- “Sisters: For Black Women By their best life. mal-themed keychains from stores after Black Women,” a new digital Last week, local AARP commu- Tis the season, and the Clara eration as a DTR honoree. receiving criticism online that it depicted newsletter celebrating Black nity representative Justine Conley White Mission (CWM) has consis- Hundreds of radio station person- racist imagery reminiscent of Blackface. women of all ages. hosted a sisters soiree to introduce tently done its part to help families nel, family, friends and community luxury brand featured trinkets that featured The weekly newsletter, reaches the AARP Sisters Network to in Northeast Florida. Last week, organizations celebrated the fami- a brown monkey with large, red lips, called subscribers weekly, and features African-American women in the Mission held its 23rd annual lies with a special luncheon last “Otto Toto.” The keychains were part of the entertaining, informative and inspi- Northeast Florida. In the midst of December to Remember (DTR) Saturday at the Legends Center on Prada’s “Pradamalia” collection,according to rational content created for Black inclement weather, scores of Christmas event for families in Soutel Drive. Fashionista.com. women by Black women. It was women braved the elements to cel- need. Members of the local Greek A lawyer for the Center for Constitutional Rights, Chinyere Ezie, created specifically for Gen X and ebrate themselves, their futures and Five families were selected to organizations participated in the noticed the items at a Prada store in New York City she wrote on Boomer black women to offer fash- next steps for retirement at receive donations courtesy of the event and helped to welcome the Facebook on Thursday. ion, health, career, and relationship Breezy’s Jazz Club located down- local Greek fraternities and sorori- families. CWM also showed off “Today after returning to NYC after a very emotional visit to the advice in a fun, relatable voice that town. ties. Radio Sponsors 93.3 The Beat their culinary program and provid- Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and speaks to them,” said Myrna Blyth, “We wanted to introduce Black shared the heartfelt stories from the ed a buffet meal to attendees. Each Culture including an exhibit on blackface, I walked past Prada’s Soho Senior Vice President and Editorial Women to the Sisters Newsletter recipient families with radio listen- child was provided with their storefront only to be confronted with the very same racist and denigrat- Director, AARP Media. and to celebrate black women and ers for two weeks. Christmas “wish list” items gifted ing #blackface imagery,” she wrote. “History cannot continue to repeat The newsletter is a sign that have fun in an inviting atmosphere This annual event highlights the by their own personal Santa Claus. itself. Black America deserves better. And we demand better.” AARP realizes the power and to make new connections as well as type of impact that CWM has had The afternoon was filled with holi- Prada responded to the controversy, writing on Twitter that it detests uniqueness of Black women. The learn more about next steps for in the community, according to day cheer and a surprise $500.00 racism and that the items would be removed. weekly forum focuses on culture, engaging AARP locally,” said event organizers. Over 60 applica- gift card presented by local bene- beauty, health, current trends and Conley. tions were submitted for the consid- factor McGowan Chiropractic. New School Gun Violence Commission Will Punish Black Students Extraordinary Men Make a Holiday Difference The latest Trump administration reversal of another Obama-era poli- cy appears to be coming from Betsy DeVos and it is aimed at ensuring The holiday season has always zation surpassed last year’s giving don’t know that minority children are unfairly disciplined. been a time for giving and during by donating bicycles and toys to what’s happen- In documents obtained by The New York Times, the administration this time of year many local organ- needy children. Over 200 families ing to people argues that the efforts have eased up on punishment and contributed to izations step up and help those in and youth received gifts. around you. We rising violence in the nation’s schools. need. One of those exceptional According to the group, the are blessed and The decision also appears to be an attempt to blame the Obama admin- organizations is called Extraordinary Men of Jacksonville will continue to istration for February’s massacre at Stoneman Douglas High School in Extraordinary Men.