Hate Crimes Mayor Is Jacksonville Increasing Announces a Place that Enrollment New Probe Young Black Into Atlanta Professionals at HBCUs Child Murders Can Thrive? Page 7 Page 10 Page 4 Johnson PRST STD 75c U.S. Postage PAID Publishing Jacksonville, FL Company Files Permit No. 662 Bankruptcy and RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED - EBONY Magazine is Not Affected Page 2 75 Cents FBI, Louisiana Authorities Volume 32 No. 23 Jacksonville, Florida April 11 - 17, 2018 Investigate ‘Suspicious’ Fires at Raines/Ribault Conflict Par for the Course in Duval Education Three Historically Black Churches by Charles Griggs Once the shine wears off, students Over the years we’ve been intro- Course Exams.” Something no one The FBI, ATF and Louisiana state authorities are working to determine Given the state of Duval are left with the same disparities duced to curriculums like Direct really knows how to score or if the who or what caused three historically Black churches to burn in a local County’s education system, it that seem to motivate the birth of Instruction, Florida Standards, and results really mean anything at all. parish in a span of 10 days. seems like the only thing consistent another great idea. now the controversial Common In 2015, there were boundary On April 4, the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas, is the changing lanes that accompa- The history of changing lanes in Core. change proposals that would reme- Louisiana, was reduced to a pile of smoldering rubble after an overnight ny uncertainty. the Duval County Public School Parents and students endured the dy the imbalance of underutilized fire ripped through the church’s interior, destroying over 140 years of Every four or five years, the system goes back decades. The only Florida Comprehensive Assessment schools. One small whiff of the history. That morning it became the third predominately Black church to Jacksonville community is intro- foundational change that has been Test, better known as the dreaded potential consolidation of a few catch fire in Louisiana’s St. Landry Parish. A blaze struck St. Mary duced to some sort of potential maintained in the past four and half FCAT. The nightmare to follow schools and people went haywire. Baptist Church in Port Barre on Tuesday, March 26, after which flames strategy or initiative that will decades is integration and the build- would be known as the Florida We’ve been interrupted by dis- brought down the Greater Union Baptist Church in Opelousas just seven improve education for the better. ings that came with it. Standards Assessment and “End of trict - Continued on page 3 days later. For many, the fires evoked a dark history of threats and violence against Black houses of worship. The Reconstruction and civil rights eras were rife with instances of Black churches being targeted with fires Miss Proud and Pretty Crowned St. Paul AME Raises $16K and even bombs. “The church is not that building. The church is the people,” said Rev. years. for HBCU Scholarship gerald Toussaint . “If we stay together as a congregation, the church is Thomas, a Jacksonville native, alive and well. “We can rebuild the building as long as we stay togeth- says that the pageant is one of er.” many events that she spearheads – all unique and created to uplift and inspire. In fact, she says the Cory Booker to Introduce Proud and Pretty Pageant is about empowerment and community Reparations Legislation service. Reparations has been a major talking point for the Democratic candi- Not only do the young ladies dates for president. But while most of them appear to be for reparations, compete in traditional pageantry none has created any action. On Monday, Sen. Cory Booker became the disciplines, but contestants spend first one. time giving back to the local com- “I am proud to introduce legislation that will finally address many of munity as well. Young ladies visit- our country’s policies—rooted in a history of slavery and white ed nursing homes and donated supremacy—that continue to erode Black communities, perpetuate much needed items to the teen racism and implicit bias, and widen the racial wealth gap,” Booker girls of the Youth Challenge tweeted. Academy. He also wrote, “I’ve been unapologetic in my belief that this can’t just Little Miss Rylee Parker “These pageants are a lot of be about acknowledging the past. It needs to be about actually con- Tonya Thomas created The hard work, but it’s worth it, “ says fronting racist policy that persists right now in the present. Because if Power of the Tiara Foundation to Thomas. “I want the young ladies we don’t, we cannot guarantee that our future will be any different than give young women in Northeast to grow from their experiences and Bethune Cookman University alumna Dr. Brenda Simmons-Hutchins our past.” Florida an opportunity to show- know that community service is an went above and beyond the call of duty as fund raising chair for St. Paul USA Today reported that Booker would “file a bill in the Senate that case their talents, build self esteem important foundation for their suc- AME Church. Her pastor recently tasked her with raising scholarship would form a commission to explore reparations proposals for African- and learn altruism. cess.” funds for her beloved alma mater which she did with the help of the American descendants of slavery, according to a statement. The bill is a As a nonprofit organization, Although the young ladies pag- HBCU’s acclaimed concert choir. During an afternoon concert, the stu- dents warmed attendees hearts raising over $16,000 in scholarships for companion version of a House bill introduced by Rep. Sheila Jackson Thomas says the focus is simply eant in over for 2019 and was a the school – far exceeding the $10,000 goal. Shown is Dr. Brenda Lee, D-Texas. The bill was first introduced in 1989 by former Rep. John on making a difference and using success, Thomas says that she Simmons-Hutchins and Choir Director Terrence Lane at the check pres- Conyers.” pageantry as a platform and doesn’t have time to rest with her entation. change agent – one tiara at a time. Miss Fabulous Woman Pageant Nanny Files Lawsuit Alleging Recently, the organization hosted coming up in a few months at the its annual Miss Proud and Pretty end of July. This event is geared She was Treated “like a slave” Pageant, a competition for young towards women ages 35 to 60 ladies between the ages 4 to 17 A former nanny has filed a lawsuit against her New York employer for years old. allegedly subjecting her to live in a “modern-day indentured servitude,” where she was treated “like a slave,” according to Legal Reader. Bold City Links Put the Fun in In the lawsuit, Cindy Carter said she formerly worked as a nanny for James Ragonese, who manages the Upper East Side eatery, Scarpetta, Funds at Old/New School Gala but that while there, Ragonese treated her like property and forced Carter, 44, to refer to him as boss man and “sleep in the pool shed.” Carter added, in the suit, that she was underpaid and is seeking unpaid wages to cover the overtime hours she routinely worked. According to Carter’s 16-page lawsuit, although she worked between 70 and 120 hours each week, she only received $300 a week payment during the entire three-year duration of her employment, which ended in February 2019, when she was reportedly fired. Carter is now living in a homeless shelter. The suit alleges the family “violated state and federal wage provisions and noncompliance with notice/record-keeping requirements, among other things.” Shown at the marker is Dr. Eugene W. Diamond, 50 year church NYPD Determines Eric Garner’s member Fannie Morton and Lois Diamond, widow of the honoree Police Chokehold Wasn’t Deadly In July, it will be five years since Eric Garner was killed. Now the The Late Rev. Tom Diamond NYPD has a new defense for the New York Police Department officer who was caught on video using an illegal chokehold to kill Garner for Honored with Street Marker a nonviolent offense: that he didn’t put Garner in a chokehold. In honor of his dedication and person to receive such a distin- According to the New York Daily News, Daniel Pantaleo‘s defense extraordinary accomplishments, the guished honor than Bishop Tom attorney Stu London said NYPD Chief Surgeon Eli Kleinman deter- late Bishop Tom E. Diamond, for- Diamond,” said Ken Stokes, mined Garner was never in a chokehold. The surgeon cited obesity, asth- mer pastor of Abyssinia Missionary Chairperson of the event. ma, hypertension and diabetes as causes of his death. Baptist Church, received an hon- Dr. Diamond became Pastor of The Garner family hired their own medical expert who determined a orary street designation last week. the Abyssinia Missionary Baptist chokehold killed 43-year-old Garner. The churched used the occasion Church in 1984 at its location on Garner was approached by undercover NYPD officers in 2014, for the as the kickoff to its 100th year Kings Road and later moved to its alleged offense of selling untaxed loose cigarettes. When officers failed anniversary and celebration of min- new 35,000 square foot sanctuary at handcuffing him for the nonviolent misdemeanor, Pantaleo was istry to the community. Hundreds located on Interstate Center Drive caught on video with his arms wrapped tightly around Garner’s neck Gala attendees Charles Griggs, Anthony Barlow, Reggie Fullwood attended the event to see the hon- in 2005. His son Dr. Eugene W. from behind.