Volume 97 Number 8 | OCTOBER 9-15, 2019 | MiamiTimesOnline.com | Ninety-Three Cents MARK STALLWORTH Miami Times Contributor From amazing food, football games, Greek events and marching bands to and endless hours of tailgating, a Historically Black College or University homecoming More than celebration gives you a taste of Black college life. $2M in Florida A&M University, the festivities began on Miss Florida A&M University donations founded on Oct. 3, 1887 in Sunday, Sept. 29. and Crenel Francis is the Tallahassee, recently cele- Students, alumni, faculty, 20th Mister Florida A&M presented brated its 132 birthday staff, and friends of FAMU University. during its 2019 home- gathered in an age-old On Saturday morning, to the public coming week. Dubbed tradition among HBCUs Thousands lined up and The Experience on to watch the Florida A&M down Wanish Way for the HBCU the highest of 7 University Royal FAMU homecoming parade. Hills, Rattlers young Court crowned. Later that day, The Florida and old flocked to Kyra Freeman A&M Rattlers, playing in the Tallahassee before is the 113th SEE FAMU 6A Miami-Dade residents back Commissioner Gelin Tamarac Commission declines to His father, an 82-year-old Jett Street, during a search support of Gelin at a hearing civil rights activist and a 21- warrant execution. on Monday, Oct. 7. reprimand the lawmaker after rant year former law enforcement The younger Beasley said Supporters from Miami’s officer, didn’t take it sitting his father is having flashbacks Black professional and cler- CAROL PORTER izens can be treated by police. down. He made a few phone of his time served in the Viet- gy communities spoke on Miami Times Contributor Beasley said two days after calls and eventually received nam War. He said his father behalf of Gelin, who, at a Tamarac City Commissioner an apology from the Atlanta is lucky that the officer didn’t Sept. awards ceremony, chas- During public comments Michael Gelin publicly dis- Police Department. use his weapon, and that peo- tised a Broward Sheriff’s Of- at the Tamarac City Commis- closed a false arrest and what Atlanta news station 11 ple need to know what to do ficer who he said arrested sion meeting Monday, Career- he called rogue police behav- ALIVE reported that body when officers abuse their pow- him under false pretenses. Source South Florida Exec- ior, a police officer drew a gun camera footage showed an of- er. You probably don't remem- utive Director Rick Beasley on his father, Joe Beasley, in ficer drew his gun when Beas- It was heartfelt stories such ber me, but you're the police underscored how ordinary cit- Atlanta. E. Mike Gelin ley in a white car turned down as Beasley’s that was told in SEE GELIN 6A BUSINESS ................................................. 8B FAITH & FAMILY ...................................... 7D Today CLASSIFIED ............................................. 11B FAITH CALENDAR ................................... 8D Miami heat’s 86° IN GOOD TASTE ......................................... 1C HEALTH & WELLNESS ............................. 9D next chapter LIFESTYLE HAPPENINGS ....................... 5C OBITUARIES ............................................. 12D 8 90158 00100 0 INSIDE with Jimmy 9B Editorials Cartoons Opinions Letters VIEWPOINT BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN DESTINY | OCTOBER 9-15, 2019 | MiamiTimesOnline.com MEMBER: National Newspaper Periodicals Postage Credo Of The Black Press Publisher Association paid at Miami, Florida Watch out, America — (ISSN 0739-0319) The Black Press believes that America MEMBER: The Newspaper POSTMASTER: Published Weekly at 900 NW 54th Street, can best lead the world from racial and Association of America Send address changes to Miami, Florida 33127-1818 national antagonism when it accords Subscription Rates: One Year THE MIAMI TIMES, the Supreme Court is Post Office Box 270200 to every person, regardless of race, $65.00 – Two Year $120.00 P.O. Box 270200 Buena Vista Station, Miami, Florida 33127 creed or color, his or her human and Foreign $75.00 Buena Vista Station, Miami, FL Phone 305-694-6210 legal rights. Hating no person, fearing 7 percent sales tax for Florida residents 33127-0200 • 305-694-6210 back in session H.E. SIGISMUND REEVES Founder, 1923-1968 no person, the Black Press strives to GARTH C. REEVES JR. Editor, 1972-1982 help every person in the firm belief that GARTH C. REEVES SR. Publisher Emeritus all persons are hurt as long as anyone RACHEL J. REEVES Publisher 1992-2019 is held back. n Monday, the Supreme Court began hearing CAROLYN GUNISS Executive Editor cases in its first complete term since the retire- Oment of Justice Anthony Kennedy, and the con- firmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, gave the court a new- Hamer didn’t have to die from cancer ly emboldened right-wing majority. The current five-member bloc has already started over- JULIANNE MALVEAUX, NNPA Newswire contributor turning decades-old precedents and remaking the law in October is Breast Cancer the medical field is not only ways that align remarkably well with conservative policy Awareness Month, and the real, but also life-threatening. preferences. proliferation of pink ribbons We must be mindful and has started. It’s a mixed bless- aware of the risks of breast The new term offers no shortage of opportunities for the ing, this awareness, because cancer. We must talk about conservative justices to block or roll back rights for certain too many will make this both breast care with our sisters groups — for example, women, LGBT — while bolstering a marketing and a profit-mak- and our young ‘uns. We must rights for others, like gun owners and those who would ing opportunity, while others engage in a policy conversa- knock down the crumbling wall between church and state. will wonder how they can tion about the ways health use their health insurance to insurance can support our In one of the most hotly anticipated cases, to be argued afford a mammogram. Health breast health. Too often, Tuesday, the justices will consider whether employers may equity is a major issue, and health insurance covers fire employees for being gay or transgender. there is a gap in health care some, but not all, of the cost The arguments will cover three separate cases — two in- and health access. It is espe- of screening. We must en- cially sharp when we address gage our civic organizations volving gay men who said they were fired because of their Photo: Warren K. Leffler, U.S. News & World Report Magazine; Restored by Adam Cuerden/Wikimedia Commons the issue of breast cancer. in breast health education. sexual orientation and one involving a transgender wom- While Black women get Fannie Lou Hamer, American civil rights leader, at We must remember Hamer, an who was fired after telling her employer that she was breast cancer at a lower rate the Democratic National Convention, Atlantic City, New who said she was “sick and transitioning from male to female. than white women, we are Jersey, August 1964. This image is available from the tired of being sick and tired.” 42 percent more likely to That means as tired as we are Such discrimination is a daily fact of life for gay, lesbi- United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photo- die from it. And young Black graphs division. of being tired, we must also an and transgender people across the country. Some states women, those under 35, are be committed to taking care have laws barring it, but most don’t. For people in states twice as likely as white wom- the first collision she experi- Hamer was poor and vo- of ourselves. Too many stud- without their own legal protections, the only hope is feder- en to get breast cancer, and enced with our racist health cally Black in the South. ies say that Black women ig- al law — specifically, Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, three times as likely to die care system. At 44, she had Serena Williams is wealthy, nore self-care for the care of from it. Black women are also surgery to remove a tumor, Black and an international others. which bars employers from firing, harassing or discriminat- three times as likely as white and the hospital also gave her superstar. Despite her priv- Hamer was a leader and ing against an employee “because of” that person’s “sex.” women to get triple-negative a hysterectomy without her ilege, Williams also experi- an icon. She was also a Black The plaintiffs in these three cases argue that the plain lan- breast cancer, an especial- consent. These un-consent- enced the differential way woman who gave voice to guage of Title VII applies to them, because they would not ly aggressive form of breast ed sterilizations happened to the health care system treats her tiredness and the way cancer. it impacted her. In saying have been fired but for their sex — after all, if the gay men lots of Black women in south- Black women. Serena might Our civil rights icon, Fannie ern states. It eroded the trust have died giving birth to her that she was “sick and tired had been women, their attraction to men would not have Lou Hamer, died of untreated that many Black women had daughter, Alexandra. Be- of being sick and tired, she been an issue for their employers. breast cancer. She was just in our health care system. cause Williams was gracious challenged us all to be less The transgender woman before the court, Aimee Ste- 59 when she died, and one Had Hamer noticed a lump, enough to share her story, sick, less tired and more self- phens, also argues that she was fired because she did not can only speculate about why would she be inclined to re- we are reminded that Black aware.