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VOLUME 27 NO. 30
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Exhibit focuses on Sengalese women, jewelry and fashion See Page B1
JULY 26 – AUGUST 1, 2019
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‘OBAMA PICKED ME’ Is that argument potent enough for Black voters to support Vice President Joe Biden as the Democrats’ pick to beat Donald Trump in 2020? COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS
MANDI WRIGHT/DETROIT FREE PRESS / TNS
Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden spoke during the presidential candidates forum hosted by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on Wednesday in Detroit, Mich.
DETROIT – Joe Biden on Wednesday pointed to his experience as President Barack Obama’s vice president to push back on criticism over positions he took during the civil rights era. Obama “did a significant background check on me for months with 10 people. I doubt he would have picked me if these accusations about my being wrong on civil rights is correct,” Biden told thousands of NAACP delegates gathered here for their annual convention. The presidential candidate was continuing to respond to an attack
RESTORING CITIZENSHIP RIGHTS
South Miami-Dade Alphas, agencies work together
launched last month by his Democratic rival Kamala Harris. The California senator at last month’s debate confronted Biden over his opposition to certain forms of busing four decades ago, as well his recent words about being able to work civilly with segregationist senators with whom he disagreed.
Trump invited Ten presidential candidates, including Trump’s Republican challenger William Weld, addressed the gathering Wednesday. See BIDEN, Page A2
Breast implants recalled Linked to rare, no-symptom cancer BY MARIE MCCULLOUGH THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER / TNS
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following the lead of other countries, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reversed itself Wednesday and asked Allergan to recall textured breast implants that have been linked to a rare form of lymphoma. In response, Allergan on Wednesday announced a global recall of its Biocell line of saline-filled and silicone-filled implants, as well as tissue expanders used in implant surgery. The FDA also updated its worldwide tally of breast implant-associated anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL), noting a “significant increase” since the agency’s last update earlier this year.
Cause and effect
COURTESY OF IOTA PI LAMBDA CHAPTER, ALPHA PHI ALPHA
Last week, the Iota Pi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity hosted a restorative rights resource clinic in Homestead in conjunction with the Miami-Dade Public Defenders’ Office of Carlos J. Martinez and Florida House Representative Kionne McGhee. Nearly 50 Miami-Dade County residents attended, and 24 of them received restorative rights services such as sealing and expunging criminal records and restoration of voting rights.
There are now 573 cases and 33 deaths – a jump of 116 new cases and 24 deaths since the earlier count. Of these, 481 cases and 12 deaths are attributed to Allergan’s rough-surfaced products. “Although the overall incidence of BIA-ALCL appears to be relatively low, once the evidence indicated that a specific manufacturer’s product appeared to be directly linked to significant patient harm, including death, the FDA took action to alert the firm to new evidence indicating a recall is warranted to protect women’s health,” FDA Principal See RECALL, Page A2
SNAPSHOTS
No more bodies found at Dozier school FROM THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
MARIANNA – No additional human remains were discovered as forensic experts completed a review of 27 sites around a shuttered Northwest Florida reform school where the remains of more than 50 people were unearthed in 2015. The first phase of a renewed investigation at the grounds of the former Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna determined the 27 “anomalies” were mostly evidence of tree roots from a previously removed pine tree forest, according to a news release Tuesday from the Florida Department of State. “While the recently reported anomalies
ALSO INSIDE
were found using remote sensing technology above the ground, we were able to look below the surface and clearly determine no graves or human remains are present,” Erin Kimmerle, the University of South Florida forensic anthropologist who oversaw the initial excavation, said in a statement.
Deaths and torture More than 500 former Dozier students have alleged brutal beatings, mental abuse and sexual abuse at the school, which closed in 2011 after 111 years of operation. In 2017, the Florida House and Senate passed resolutions formally apologizing for the abuse of juveniles sent to Dozier
and a related facility in Okeechobee. The resolutions acknowledged that treatment of boys sent to the facilities was cruel, unjust and “a violation of human decency.” The resolutions accompanied a law that required the state to turn over about 360 acres containing the Dozier site’s North Campus, South Campus and Boot Hill Cemetery to Jackson County.
Investigation continues A second phase of the renewed investigation will use Lidar technology – a remote surveying method – to determine if there are other areas that need investigation. Secretary of State Laurel Lee said in a statement that her “department is committed to seeing the entirety of the investigation through.”
FLORIDA | A3
Tampa educator named state’s top teacher
COMMENTARY: AJAMU BARAKA: WHITE SUPREMACY WON’T DEFEAT WHITE SUPREMACY | A4 COMMENTARY: MARGARET KIMBERLEY: THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING FOR KAMALA HARRIS | A5
Kennedy Space Center unveils Apollo 11 statue; visitors center updated NATION | A6
Republicans’ ‘Jihad Squad’ post blasted
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JULY 26 – AUGUST 1, 2019
‘Shame and pride can kill you, girl!’ Almost every woman that wants a man, wants a man that loves them, cares about them, protects them and provides for them. They want all of that, but only in the way that they want it! If everything isn’t done in their way, the woman will seek to end the marriage, relationship or friendship. However, before the collapse, a controlling woman will contact her family, call her girlfriends and alert her coworkers to comment on the man she was once with saying, “I give him a lot of money, sex on demand, and I helped him whenever I want to!”
the man did or what they did together. Diamond rings, personal security, expensive dinners, flowers, cards, employment advice and business assistance and the man’s willingness to eat “cat food,” for instance, means nothing! Any relation is a team! Couples should work together. And if a relation sours, it is the team’s fault.
What about him?
The sin of pride
She neglects to talk about what
LUCIUS GANTT THE GANTT REPORT
Shame and pride, if realized
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wrongly, can hurt women and men. Each one of us struggles with pride in life! Sadly, many of us do not realize the potential that waits for us if we just let go of our pride and move forward in God’s plan. In fact, the Bible goes so far as to warn us that God hates the sin of pride and will discipline the proud! Let us not see ourselves as “wise in our own eyes,” but let us become humble and willing to learn from God and others!
Proverbs 8-13 says, “To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” Proverbs 13-10 says, “Where there is strife, there is pride; but wisdom is found in those who take advice.” And Proverbs 16-18 says, “The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.” I could go on, but I won’t. There are at least 30 verses in the Bible about pride.
Lots of scriptures
Won’t tell others
The Bible talks a lot about pride. In Galatians 6-4, the Bible says, “Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to other people.” Isaiah 2-12 says, “The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled)”.
Spouses, couples and partners will find it difficult to reconcile and atone in relationships when their man or woman is too proud to reconsider and reunite. That’s especially true if one person is too proud to tell their friends and family they changed their mind and are going to try to fix the marriage or relationship. Don’t let your pride stop you from understanding your role in
RECALL from A1 Deputy Commissioner Amy Abernethy said in a statement issued Wednesday. In May, following a meeting of its expert advisory committee, the FDA declined to ban the implants. Meanwhile, at least 38 countries – including Canada, France and Australia – have taken action to get Allergan’s textured products off the market.
FDA action late?
KRISTOFFER TRIPPLAAR / SIPA USA / TNS
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked Allergan, the manufacturer of textured breast implants that have been linked to a rare form of lymphoma, to recall them and take them off the market.
BIDEN from A1 Trump was invited to address the convention, as all sitting presidents are. He declined, telling reporters on Thursday, “I very much wanted to go, but we had a date; the date got changed. And unfortunately, they wanted to do it in the form of a question and answer.”
Changing his tune This week, Biden moved to position himself as an advocate of criminal justice reform, releasing a plan designed, in part, to offset his history of aligning with lawand-order social conservatives, which has complicated his pitch to today’s Democratic voters. The plan Biden’s campaign unveiled for reforming the nation’s system of deterring and punishing criminals does not stand out as unique in a race where his rivals have already been campaigning on many of the same ideas. Like much of the Democratic field, Biden would end the use of private prisons, shift focus from incarceration to prevention and eliminate racial disparities in sentencing. But for Biden, the stakes are higher than for many of his rivals. He faces another Democratic debate next week where opponents may call him to account for supporting laws during his years in the Senate that critics say helped lead to the expansion of mass incarceration. An opponent who will be standing next to Biden on the debate stage, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, immediately challenged the plan as inadequate to erase Biden’s history of championing incarceration. Booker, meanwhile, made clear that he believes Biden is still carrying the baggage of his past on criminal justice issues. “It’s not enough to tell us what you’re going to do for our communities, show us what you’ve done for the last 40 years,” Booker wrote on Twitter. “You created this system. We’ll dismantle it.” He amplified the comment in
Sen. Kamala Harris
Sen. Cory Booker
a statement in which he said that “the proud architect of a failed system is not the right person to fix it.” “The 1994 crime bill accelerated mass incarceration and inflicted immeasurable harm on Black, brown and low-income communities. While it’s encouraging to see Vice President Biden finally come around to supporting many of the ideas I and others have proposed, his plan falls short of the transformative change our broken criminal justice system needs,” Booker said. Booker has already tangled with Biden over the former vice president’s fraught history with race. The New Jersey senator was one of Biden’s first rivals to demand he apologize for talking nostalgically about legislative partnerships with segregationists early in his career. That touched off a difficult and politically bruising period in the campaign during which Biden’s lead in the polls eroded.
championing federal legalization of marijuana, for example. On Tuesday, Harris of California unveiled legislation that would effectively legalize marijuana federally by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act altogether. Under the measure, prior and pending convictions would be expunged and marijuana law would be left entirely to the states. “Times have changed – marijuana should not be a crime,” Harris said in a statement. “As marijuana becomes legal across the country, we must make sure everyone – especially communities of color that have been disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs – has a real opportunity to participate in this growing industry.”
Weed tax proposal The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, which she introduced along with Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., also authorizes a 5 percent tax on pot to provide services for communities “most adversely impacted by the war on drugs” and grants for loans to small marijuana businesses operated by “socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.” Biden would push to eliminate the federal death penalty and create incentives to push states to also eliminate capital punishment, reversing a provision of the 1994 crime bill he championed that expanded the federal death penalty.
Big and small plans
Disparity, clemency
Some of the planks in the Biden criminal justice reform proposal are ambitious. It would end cash bail altogether. The plan promises to “reform our pretrial system by putting in place, instead, a system that is fair and does not inject further discrimination or bias into the process.” The plan also aims to end policies that lead to incarceration or the loss of a driver’s license for low-income defendants who don’t have the resources to pay fines. In other areas, the plan is more modest than those of Biden’s rivals. Most of the candidates are
Biden is also pushing to scrap harsher sentences for crack cocaine than powdered cocaine – a disparity that discriminates against low-income and nonWhite drug users – which came about as a result of legislation he co-sponsored in 1986. And Biden vows to use the president’s clemency power to release inmates facing unreasonably long prison sentences, as Obama did. His plan also focuses heavily on juvenile justice reform, promising to invest $1 billion annually in it. Congress, Biden says, has woefully underfunded the Juve-
Jamee Cook, 41, of Dallas, who co-founded a Facebook group dedicated to ALCL patients, emailed that she was “ecstatic” about the announcement. “But the FDA should have stepped in before now,” she added. “Either way, lives will be saved and this will spark questions from breast implant patients about their overall safety. It’s a win-win.” The FDA is not advising women without symptoms of ALCL to remove their textured implants. First recognized in 1997, ALCL is an immune cell cancer – not breast cancer – that typically starts with swelling around the breast implant. Texturing, introduced in the early 1990s by Allergan and some
nile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, which helps protect the rights of child defendants. Like other Democratic candidates, Biden takes aim at private prisons. During the Obama administration, the federal government launched an initiative to end its use of such facilities, which was rescinded by the Trump administration.
Losing ground Biden remains the front-runner in the race, but Harris and others have gained ground in recent polls. A CBS News poll conducted July 9-18 by YouGov Biden had 25 percent support as voters’ first choice for Democratic nominee, with Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts at 20 percent and Harris at 16 percent, gaining ground on the former vice president. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont was fourth in the survey with 15 percent support. No other candidate reached double-digit support in the poll. Biden continued to benefit from his perceived electability against President Trump in the general election, and 85 percent cited his time as Obama’s vice president as a reason for considering him.
Will Biden fight? Still, there’s an enthusiasm gap for Biden among some primary voters, the poll found. A majority of Democrats surveyed, 56 percent, said Warren would fight “a great deal” for people like them, and 54 percent said the same of Sanders. Only 38 percent described Biden that way. The CBS poll sampled 18,550 registered voters polled in 18 states that will hold Democratic primaries or caucuses before and on March 3, known as Super Tuesday. The sample included 8,760 self-identified Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, and the margin of error was about plus or minus 1.5 percentage points.
‘From the right place’ At the NAACP convention, Biden and Harris received the warmest response from the
any problems that occurred in a relationship. According to reggae superstars The Mighty Diamonds, “Shame and pride can kill you, girl!” Pride shown by people who have little or no personal experience in being in a truly loving relationship that had more ups than downs will never understand or try to understand the importance of relationship longevity. They don’t understand how male love and female love are both love, but can’t imagine how love can change, grow or be different. Instead of “ride or die,” too many of us “run and hide!”
Buy Gantt’s latest book, “Beast Too: Dead Man Writing,” on Amazon.com and from bookstores everywhere. “Like” The Gantt Report page on Facebook. Contact Lucius at www. allworldconsultants.net.
other implant makers, is believed to trigger chronic inflammation that activates the immune blood cells that multiply and turn malignant in implant lymphoma.
May not know If promptly treated by removing the implant and surrounding capsule of scar tissue, ALCL is highly curable. However, misdiagnoses and sub-optimal surgery remain common – and some women don’t have symptoms. Terri McGregor, 54, of North Bay, Ontario, who almost died in 2015 of asymptomatic ALCL that spread before it was accidentally detected, said in an email that too many plastic surgeons are still not ordering recommended ALCL lab tests after removing implants. “Our current patient crisis continues,” McGregor emailed. “There is resistance to ALCL testing by too many plastic surgeons who are not following protocols.”
Lawsuits filed Implant makers may also face litigation over ALCL. Philadelphia law firm Ross Feller Casey last year filed what it believed to be the first such lawsuit, on behalf of a woman who developed ALCL eight years after getting Mentor textured implants. The firm says it “is actively pursuing lawsuits across the U.S.”
crowd, with delegates jumping to their feet and holding up phones to snap pictures of the candidates as they spoke. Some voters said they were not bothered by Biden’s positions from four decades ago. “I understand Biden made a lot of decisions in the past that would hurt him today,” said George Mintz, a 72-year-old delegate from Bridgeport, Conn. “But I’m looking at where he’s coming from overall, and I think he’s coming from the right place.” The 2019 NAACP convention takes place as issues of race are roiling the nation’s politics because of Trump’s ongoing attacks on four Democratic congresswomen of color who have criticized him and his policies. Trump urged the freshmen members of the House of Representatives to “go back” to their home countries despite the fact that all are citizens, with three born in the United States and one a naturalized citizen who came to the United States as a refugee from Somalia. When Trump attacked Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota at one of his recent rallies, he paused and looked around at the crowd as supporters chanted, “Send her back!”
‘Going nowhere’ Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, one of the targets of the president’s ire, spoke at the convention Tuesday, welcoming delegates and taunting Trump. “I’m not going nowhere, not until I impeach this president,” she said on the same day the delegates unanimously voted in support of a resolution calling for Trump’s impeachment. The Democrats at the forum largely agreed on issues such as fighting income inequality, supporting historically Black colleges and improving pre-K and K-12 educational opportunities for non-White children.
Evan Halper and Seema Mehta of the Los Angeles Times and Ros Krasny of Bloomberg News (TNS) contributed to this report.
JULY 26 – AUGUST 1, 2019
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Kennedy Space Center unveils Apollo 11 statue After the original tree fell, Roosa donated second-generation seeds, to create what NASA calls half-moon trees, and plant the Moon Tree Garden. A plaque in front of each tree details a different crewed Apollo mission. “Hopefully, these trees can unite the world again through their beauty and their inspiration,” Roosa said. The nearby Apollo/Saturn V Center has also received a facelift in the form of new, interactive exhibits. Unveiled during a public “transformation celebration” last week, the reimagined exhibit floor provides visitors more touch screens and immersive activities than ever before.
Animated tour
PATRICK CONNOLLY/ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS
A bronze statue by Colorado-based sculptors George and Mark Lundeen depicts Apollo 11 astronauts Michael Collins, from left, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in the new Moon Tree Garden at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex’s Apollo/Saturn V Center on July 12.
Astronauts tribute, interactive exhibits part of 50th moon landing anniversary BY PATRICK CONNOLLY ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS
The Florida summer sun shone down on Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins as media and VIPs gathered for an event at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex’s Apollo/Saturn V Center. Or rather a glimmering, bronze, 7-foot-tall rendition of them. The Cape Canaveral center’s new statue was unveiled along with recent updates to the Apollo/Saturn V Center as the Apollo 11 moon landing anniversary approached. Therrin Protze, chief operating officer of Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, said it’s like the bronze astronauts have a perfect view for watching the current rocket launches. “As we were putting this up, we noticed how they perfectly overlook the pad. So as rockets go up, we even have Neil Armstrong
‘Going back’
shading his eyes from the sun as he’s looking up at rockets,” Protze said. “I do hope our future generations will be able to admire this for many, many years.”
Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana, a former NASA astronaut and veteran of four Space Shuttle missions, was among speakers at the Moon Tree Garden opening ceremony. He talked about future trips to space, including those to the moon and Mars. “As great as our last 50 years have been, I believe that our next 50 years are going to be even more phenomenal,” Cabana said. “We’re going back to the moon — not just for a two or three-day camping trip — we’re going back in a sustainable way. But we’re going back to the moon so that we can get to Mars.”
Gazing upward Although Armstrong isn’t alive to witness the present and future of space exploration, his legacy lives on through the statue. The statue, which also depicts Aldrin holding a painted American flag and Collins holding his helmet while proudly gazing upward, was a $750,000 gift from Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans. It was created by Coloradobased sculptors George and Mark Lundeen and made a nearly 2,000-mile road trip to its permanent home. The Apollo 11 astronaut statue is surrounded by a tribute to all of the crewed Apollo missions. The newly opened Moon Tree Garden features 12 trees, one for each of the manned Apollo trips to space.
Personal connection Rosemary Roosa, president of the Moon Tree Foundation and daughter of Apollo 14 astronaut Stuart Roosa, said she has a per-
One screen displays the site of each Apollo landing mapped out on the moon’s surface. Another takes visitors on an animated tour through the Vehicle Assembly Building and details the rocket-building process. “The younger audience, they actually want to be more part of the display, rather than just reading a plaque,” Protze said. Other changes include moving the Apollo Lunar Module down from its former home on the ceiling and onto the ground for closer viewing alongside 1969 newspaper front pages sharing the good news of a successful moon landing. On a nearby touch-screen panel, guests can learn more about specific features of the module.
ELIOT KLEINBERG/PALMBEACHPOST.COM
On July 20, the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, visitors at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex wait in line for an exhibit next to the “rocket garden.” sonal connection to the trees planted in the garden. “Inside the (Apollo 14) Command Module was a tiny canister of almost 450 tree seeds of five different varieties that represented trees that grew across the United States,” Roosa said. “One such tree was planted here at Kennedy Space Center,
and it lived here happily for 40 years until Hurricane Irma took it out.”
Trees and plaques The original tree was a sycamore planted in 1976 during the United States’ bicentennial celebrations.
Hillsborough teacher named 2020 Florida Teacher of the Year Dr. Dakeyan “Dre” Graham, a music teacher at King High School in Tampa, has been named the 2020 Florida Teacher of the Year. Graham accepted the honor in front of a packed crowd in Orlando on July 18, which included Hillsborough County Superintendent Jeff Eakins, school board members, fellow King High School educators, and Graham’s family and friends. In January, Graham was selected as Hillsborough County’s teacher of the year. He has taught instrumental music at King High School, his alma mater, for the past 10 years. He will now serve as an education ambassador, representing all teachers across the state, addressing the present and future needs of education. Graham is the second educator from Hillsborough County Public Schools to be chosen as Florida’s teacher of the year in the last five Dr. Dakeyan “Dre’’ Graham is shown at a Florida Teacher of the Year gala on July 18 in Orlando. years.
2024 mission He reminded the gathered media and VIPs that, as a part of the Artemis mission, there will be astronauts back on the moon in 2024. “I can’t wait to see that big SLS/Orion lifting off here at the end of 2020, early ‘21 on that first test flight. By 2022, we’re going to be flying with a crew around the moon,” Cabana said. “In 2024, we are going to have the first woman and next man on the moon as Americans. We’re going to make that happen.”
Florida’s unemployment rate remains at 3.4 percent NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
Gov. Ron DeSantis touted private-sector job creation on July 19 as Florida’s unemployment rate held steady from May to June. The 3.4 percent jobless rate for June reflected 349,000 Floridians out of work – down 4,000 from May – from a workforce of 10.3 million, according to numbers released by the state Department of Economic Opportunity. After the monthly numbers were posted, DeSantis issued a statement crediting the state’s “low taxes and reasonable regulations” for “fueling a strong private-sector job growth rate.” DeSantis pointed to year-to-year gains in the categories of education and health services; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; construction; trade, transportation and utilities; and financial activities.
Below national rate The state’s unemployment rate remains below the national rate, which ticked up from 3.6 percent in May to 3.7 percent in June. Among the state’s metropolitan statistical areas, the Crestview-Fort Walton-Destin region had the lowest jobless rate at 2.9 percent in June, while the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford area was at 3.2 percent. The state’s overall rate is seasonally adjusted, while the regional rates are not. The highest rates were found in the metropolitan statistical areas for Homosassa Springs and The Villages, each at 5.2 percent. The Panama City area, which continues to recover from Hurricane Michael, was at 3.9 percent. The storm-battered region started the year with a 6 percent unemployment rate.
EDITORIAL
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JULY 26 – AUGUST 1, 2019
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White supremacy won’t defeat White supremacy The story of Donald Trump’s White nationalist tweets is still the object of intense discussion, with the Democrats denouncing him and the Republicans giving support to his worldview as normal and consistent with “American values.” Even so, Joe Biden refused to condemn Trump’s Department of Justice for not prosecuting the cop who applied a death choke on Eric Garner in New York.
Dem racial opportunists So even before Democrats were able to realize some political advantage by juxtaposing the supposed difference between themselves and the Republicans, Biden upended that by providing a refreshing dose of reality. His endorsement of impunity for killer cops reminded the public of the racial opportunism that the Democrats have turned into a science over the last few decades. Exploiting the less subtle expressions of White supremacist thought and practice from Republicans, the Democrats have pulled off an amazing feat – advancing a neoliberal, White supremacist program of austerity, mass incarceration, economic devastation, gentrification, and generalized state violence against the Black working class, while projecting themselves as the friend of Black people.
AJAMU BARAKA BLACK AGENDA REPORT
ty of its eight-year reign.
So here we are The “Squad” condemns Trump for his White nationalism, not understanding that as a White supremacist settler-colonial state, White nationalism is “American” nationalism. Until there is break with that history and reality – and with Biden, who like Trump either understands that reality better or is more honest than the Squad. Biden as a neoliberal White supremacist imperialist was always clear where he stood. His voting record and policy support for war on Iraq; the dismembering of Syria; the U.S./ NATO attack on Libya that turned the most prosperous nation on the African continent into a real “shithole country;” and support for Trump’s campaign to buttress the White minority oligarchy in Venezuela by implementing a regime change program – was not much different than that from Trump.
One Obama prosecution
With Democratic support
But reality has an inconvenient way of imposing itself, even when the tendency is to try and avoid it. While the new racial warriors running for office in the Democrat Party fell over themselves condemning the Trump administration for not prosecuting Eric Garner’s killer and excoriating Trump for his racist tweets, Biden’s non-condemnation was a sober reminder of the complexities of race and racist politics in the U.S. There is no doubt that the young Black opportunists helping to run Biden’s campaign probably wanted their man to forcefully condemn the Trump administration, but they faced a dilemma. They knew that his condemnation could very well open him up to the charge of hypocrisy by his opponents. They remember that the Obama administration – which Biden was obviously a part of – only prosecuted one killer cop in the entire-
Most of the Democratic Party supported these policies. This all begs the question: how do we then define a “racist” and White nationalist? Is it only through the easy and obvious markers, like the marchers in Charlottesville or Trump’s latest tweet? Or is it also reflected in institutions and structural relationships? There are more White nationalists in the U.S. than folks want to admit. Not acknowledging the U.S. as a White supremacist settler-state translates into a fundamental error. AOC along with other liberals and most of the Eurocentric left are not calling for a break in the history of the U.S. state. They are not calling for authentic de-colonization. By not doing so, they are embracing the perspective of the invader. Really, what is this “America” that the Squad loves and claim to be a part of? AOC’s family is from the colony of Puerto Rico. Tlaib’s Amer-
Dems’ racist chickens come home to roost House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Ca., and House Democrats really have some nerve calling President Trump’s tweets “racist” when she, Democrats, and their media friends have made race-baiting an art form. Democrats have been using race and calling or implying that Republicans and conservatives are racists so long that they have pretty much made the word “racist” an almost meaningless cliché, giving real racists cover.
Nothing new Race-baiting and racist comments are no stranger to Pelosi and her Democrat water carriers. As I have previously written, President Barack Obama and his first attorney general, Eric Holder, elevated identity politics and race-baiting to new levels with no complaints from fellow Democrats or the media. Former Vice President Joe Biden in 2012 told a diverse group, including many Blacks,
CLARENCE V. MCKEE, ESQ. GUEST COMMENTARY
that Mitt Romney and Republicans would “put y’all back in chains.” William McGurn, writing in The Wall Street Journal, referenced Biden appearing with Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNBC saying there was only one reason Republicans support voter-identification laws: “They don’t want Black folks voting.” Pelosi is a master at playing the race card! On the citizenship question on the census, she said that it was an effort to “Make America White Again.» She used the same expression to characterize the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) hat to which President Trump responded,
VISUAL VIEWPOINT: PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP
ica is probably the most Islamophobic country on the planet. Omar’s native land of Somalia became one of the first of the socalled “failed states,” those states where U.S. and Western imperialism plunders and then pretends that the state failed as a result of its internal weaknesses. Pressley, as an African American, is part of a captive population subjected to 243 years of enslavement, 100 years of post-slavery apartheid, and 54 years of benign neglect. These are the practices and policies of a state and society committed to upholding White colonial/capitalist power.
ADAM ZYGLIS, THE BUFFALO NEWS, NY
No begging The Squad must understand that if one’s people are part of the working class and nationally oppressed, you don’t beg to become part of that de-humanizing and degrading machine. You don’t call for integration or for the recognition of your rights, which is not going to happen. No! You fight and struggle for your inherent dignity, understanding that human rights are not going to be granted by the oppressor. They have to be won through ferocious struggle. The Trump forces are laying out the terms of struggle in stark, unambiguous terms. However, the mistake being made by liberals and some left social critics is framing this struggle as a fight between two contending visions of “America”: the White nationalist bad America, versus the mythological liberal trope of the kind, inclusive, tolerant, justice-seeking America. This latter construction is an ideological mystification that only props up liberal hegemony and blunts revolutionary consciousness. From the point of view of the conscious, colonized victims of this state and society, the distance between Trump’s “Make American Great Again” and Obama’s U.S. exceptionalism is minimal. It is the same brutal, violent, oppressive reality that has made the U.S. the enemy of collective humanity on the planet.
‘Ideological consistency’ Absent the sanctimonious moralizing of liberals, there is an ideological consistency from the “doctrine of discovery” to “manifest destiny” to the Monroe Doctrine to the “full spectrum dominance” that justified and ratio-
“That’s a very racist statement.” Democrats were silent!
Dem vs. Dem Democrat race-baiting against Republicans had been consistent for at least two decades, until presidential hopeful Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Ca., made a notso-subtle accusation of racism against fellow Democrat Biden on his association with Southern segregationists and opposition to busing. That was not the only racist “chicken coming home to roost” in the Democrats’ “chicken coop” of racial hypocrisy. Another one laying racist eggs in the Democrat nest was Alexandra OcasioCortez, D-N.Y. She accused Pelosi of “explicit singling out of newly elected women of color” for criticism of their tactics. Guess who came to Pelosi’s defense? President Trump, who said that she “was not a racist.” So how did Pelosi return the favor? She sponsored a resolution condemning Trump’s tweet criticizing four non-White congresswomen as racist.
A ‘racist’ list The entire uproar and cries
nalized the naked brutality and genocidal policies of White colonial power. The ideological resonance of the latest incantation of White supremacy in the form of “the responsibility to protect” – the contemporary version of the ‘White man’s burden” – testifies to the resiliency of the inculcated assumptions of White supremacy and lawless privilege. If the Squad really had some politics and a worldview that transcended liberalism, they would have utilized the Trump tweets as a “teachable” moment to highlight this contradictory reality of the U.S. Of course, that did not happen because liberal respectability politics and obsequious pandering is all that we can expect when liberalism is in command. What this latest racial flare-up will be reduced to is the boring trope of racism as an individualized set of psychological dispositions that only decries the bad and obvious racists.
Consistent racist history Unfortunately, the Squad’s embracing of the Obama-like, “we are the world” liberalism obscures and distorts the uninterrupted oppressive nature of the settler-state and its core value of White privilege, institutional violence and belief in the natural superiority of the White West. This will only enhance the ideological power of the Trumpian forces. When Ronald Reagan launched his campaign for president in Philadelphia, Miss., the message was clear: the White counter-revolutionary process of President Nixon against left
of racism over the Trump tweet represent an America where progressives, Democrats, and the media – all birds of a feather flocking together – consider any criticism of policies or people they support to be racist: • If you criticize the political position of a Black, Hispanic, or Asian person you are a racist. • If you oppose open borders, you are a racist. • If you support the men and women of the Border Patrol, many of whom are minorities, you are a racist. • If you oppose reparations for Blacks for slavery, you are a racist. • If you believe a citizenship question should be on the census form, you are a racist. Regardless of his tweets, the president is doing something that most conservatives and Republicans are either afraid or unwilling to do – fight back and give progressives a taste of their own medicine!
Won’t back down In many cases, when accused of being racist, most Republicans fold like wet spaghetti and run like a dog with its tail between
Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher
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forces – and particularly against the Black Liberation Movement – was going to be intensified not only in the U.S. but globally. Unlike under Trump, the message was subtler, but it was still clear: White power was ready to take center stage again. Thanks to concessions from Democrat and Republican administrations all the way through the Obama years, the ideology and strategy has culminated in the Trump administration.
The real solution The radical transformation of the social, political, and economic foundation of the U.S., in short, a social revolution, is the only solution to the disease of White supremacy. The final contours of what the U.S. might be will only result from the horrific fight that must be waged to dislodge the power of the White supremacist, colonial/capitalist patriarchy. What is certain – and what the Squad and all of their supporters must understand – is that appeals to morality and undignified attempts to ingratiate oneself into this barbarism will only further embolden the extreme right represented by Trump and the even more insidious neoliberal White supremacist right of Biden, Obama and Pelosi.
Ajamu Baraka is the national organizer of the Black Alliance for Peace and was the 2016 candidate for vice president on the Green Party ticket. Contact him at www.AjamuBaraka. com. Click on this commentary at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.
its legs looking for the nearest reporter to show they are really not bigots. Regardless of his terminology, the president is telling progressives and his media enemies that he will not turn the other cheek. It’s too bad those so anxious to call Trump a racist over tweets don’t get just as upset and remain silent when an antifa terrorist group allegedly tries to attack an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Tacoma, Wash.; or, when ICE protesters pull down an American flag, raise a Mexican flag and vandalize a Blue Lives Matter banner at an ICE detention facility in Aurora, Col. Some will argue that the reason they are silent is that they sympathize with the perpetrators – not the men and women of ICE and law enforcement.
Clarence V. McKee is a government, political and media relations consultant and president of McKee Communications, Inc., as well as a Newsmax.com contributor. This article originally appeared on Newsmax.com. Click on this commentary at www.flcourier. com to write your own response.
Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC, P.O. Box 48857 Tampa, FL 33646, publishes the Florida Courier on Fridays. Phone: 877-352-4455, toll-free. For all sales inquiries, call 877-352-4455; e-mail sales@flcourier.com. Subscriptions to the print version are $69 per year. Mail check to P.O. Box 48857 Tampa, FL 33646, or log on to www.flcourier.com; click on ‘Subscribe’.
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JULY 26 – AUGUST 1, 2019
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The Russians are coming for Kamala Harris Kamala Harris seems to love the Russiagate narrative more than any of the other Democratic Party presidential candidates. The lightweight senator who made a name for herself as a jailer of Black people has to distract voters from her troubling history. The Russian bogeyman is a perfect fit. She is no different from the rest of the Democratic Party in pushing the phony tale but she seems to have a peculiar predilection for going where others will not. In so doing, she tells outrageous lies about Black people and their experience in this country. In an appearance on The View television show Harris said she advocated the use of paper ballots because, “Russia can’t hack paper.” The comment was particularly bizarre. Even the most ardent of the conspiracy mongers don’t make the claim that the Russian government prevented the casting of ballots or the counting of votes.
Rigged voting system On the other hand, electronic voting systems have stolen millions of votes from Black people. If every vote had been counted in 2016, Hillary Clinton might have been declared the winner instead of Donald Trump. But the woman who uses her biracial identity as a calling card doesn’t mention how Black people’s voting rights have been stolen by a rigged system. In this regard she isn’t much different from the rest of the Democratic Party, who in 2000 and 2016
Not taking action Since its inception, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) mandate was to protect consumers from discriminatory lending as well as to ensure fair access to credit. In addition to violations of the Fair Housing Act, CFPB also has the authority to refer potential violations of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) to the Justice Department. Despite these and other enforcement options, CFPB’s most recent fair lending report to Con-
MARGARET KIMBERLEY BLACK AGENDA REPORT
said nothing about the theft of the presidency from their candidates. Twice they were robbed by the inherently unjust Electoral College but they have made no effort to get rid of the anachronism which can make the winner a loser. The signature nervous giggle and stupid statements didn’t end with fantasies of non-existent Russian vote-hacking. Harris is now negating Black people’s political agency and lived experience regarding a subject that is viewed with the utmost importance. The wanton killing of Black people by the police was met with mass outrage and football player Colin Kaepernick’s very public protest was met with unwavering support among Black people. But in a Breakfast Club radio show interview, Harris claimed that only Russians gave the issue a public platform. “Remember the heat that ended up around the bend-the-knee and Colin Kaepernick. Many smart people have said it actually was not a thing. The Russian bots started taking that on.” “Do you feel you’re being targeted by Russian bots now?” “We already know we are.”
CHARLENE CROWELL NNPA COLUMNIST
Enthusiastic carnivores Of course, Westerners slaughter all kinds of animals to eat. And you’d be hard-pressed to see animal cruelty anywhere in the Far East that is worse than the way they do so. This is why their crusade to get people to stop slaughtering dogs to eat reeks of hypoc-
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VISUAL VIEWPOINT: ‘SEND HER BACK’
It is difficult to know where to begin with that nonsensical statement but let’s start with “actually not a thing.” Lest we forget, Colin Kaepernick taking a knee in lieu of standing for the national anthem was a protest against the rampant police murders of Black people. He took a very public stance and he received support from every segment of Black society. The protest was real and so was the anger and indignation which spawned it. The racist reaction against him was also very real and was personified by Donald Trump who referred to Kaepernick and Not Barack Obama others who followed him as a “son Harris does not have his politiof a bitch” who ought to lose his cal acumen. She was a careerist job. who made being a prosecutor her leg-up in the political world. The Looking for White votes job is one that is inherently hosKamala Harris hopes that Black tile to Black people’s interests, and voters are amnesiacs who will she faces a conundrum. Her name conjures up memsomehow forget an issue which is very important to them. Then ories of sending parents to jail if again, her vapid appeal is prob- their children were truants, and ably meant for White voters, who mocking concerns about prisshe hopes will let her party off the on proliferation. However, she is hook for its failures if the word among the favorites of the Dem“Russia” is repeated often enough. ocratic Party donor class and the Of course they also respond to corporate media may follow suit efforts to diminish issues of im- and ignore her claim that Russian portance to Black people. Much bots are after her. Those of us who aren’t check like Obama’s claim that, “There is no White America. There is no bundlers shouldn’t accept her Black America,” Harris hopes that asinine remarks. If Russian bots her erasure of police brutality as really have targeted her, she an issue will win her friends with should contact the FBI. If she hasn’t done that, she should reWhite people.
gal breaches. For example, nearly a year ago, New York’s Suffolk County Federal Credit Union signed a $1 billion settlement rather than go to trial on discriminatory charges. The settlement resolved a case filed two years earlier, in 2016 that alleged Black and Latino consumers were denied mortgage approvals at a higher rate than that of the credit union’s White customers. Later that same year, in a regulatory examination of Citigroup, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) found that consumers of color were not receiving the same mortgage rate discounts reserved for its large-deposit customers. That case was referred to the Justice Department. Another 2018 discriminatory case involved lawsuits with several major banks on behalf of consumers in two Maryland counties, Montgomery and Price George. The case alleged that as early as the mid- 2000s, consumers of color were steered into higher-cost, non-prime mortgages – a violation of the Fair Housing Act.
gress acknowledged a full year without any fair lending enforcement actions. “The Bureau must refer to the Justice Department (DOJ) a matter when it has reason to believe that a creditor has engaged in a pattern or practice of lending discrimination in violation of ECOA,” acknowledged the report. “In 2018, the Bureau did not refer any ECOA violations to the Justice Department…In 2018, the Bureau opened and continued a number of fair-lending-related investigations, however, it did Unfair exemptions not bring fair lending-related enSome might contend that this forcement actions,” the June 2019 sample summary might not be report continued. fair to CFPB and its mission. To such questioning minds, I would Outside pressure add that this June a coalition of While CFPB turned away from 158 state and national advocates fair lending, several 2018 lawsuits filed written comments against were filed mostly by private and another recent deregulatory nonprofit advocates. Their col- move planned by the CFPB. This lective actions realized large set- effort would exempt hundreds of tlements, fair lending reports and lenders from providing vital data continued documentation of ille- that tracks the market and con-
Eating pigs or dogs – What’s the difference? Every so often, a celebrity leads the decades-long Western crusade to stop people in the Far East from eating dog meat. Actress Kim Basinger is the latest to get on this high horse. From the Daily Mail published July 12, 2019: “South Korean dog farmers ate boiled dog meat as they staged a counter-rally during an animal rights protest. The fiery demonstration, on the country’s ‘dog meat day’, took place outside the National Assembly, the nation’s legislative body. …Kim Basinger was among the animal cruelty campaigners and held models of dead dogs.”
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Doesn’t make sense
CFPB refuses fair lending enforcement, reporting More than 50 years ago, this nation enacted legal guarantees that fair housing would be available to all Americans. Despite this federal assurance, however, a disturbing and ongoing stream of reports and lawsuits remind us that we are still on an aspirational journey. Aggressive enforcement of fair housing and other anti-discriminatory laws are supposed to bring punishments for violators, and restitution for those harmed. But as with so many justice issues – either financial or criminal, what really happens in life seems a world away from the African American experience.
EDITORIAL
ANTHONY L. HALL, ESQ. FLORIDA COURIER COLUMNIST
risy laced with arrogance. But I have already written too many commentaries denouncing these newfangled Western crusaders. Therefore, I shall suffice to reprise what I wrote a few years ago when actor Ricky Gervais provoked me to comment. Here, in its entirety, is “First, Save the Whales from the Japanese; Now, the Dogs from the Thais?” posted on October 24, 2014: I was more than a little annoyed yesterday when a well-intentioned friend tried to get me to sign a celebrity-fronted petition, which exhorted me to “Please act immediately to stop thousands
of dogs from being tortured and butchered for their meat. You can save thousands of dogs from unspeakable pain by adding your name to Soi Dog’s global petition. It calls on Thailand’s leaders to crack down hard on the criminals who profit from the agony of animals.” It did not help that the smug face of British comedian Ricky Gervais greeted me on the home page of this online petition. There he was, evincing all the self-righteous indignation his irrepressibly comic face could muster, droning on about the horrors of poor Thais slaughtering dogs for meat to eat. Most annoying of all, however, was his pitch for solidarity: “I had no idea dogs were being skinned alive for their meat. Did you?” In fact I did (and do), Ricky! And here’s why I couldn’t care any less: Truth be told, I see no difference between Japanese hunting whales and Americans slaughtering cows. This is why I find Japan’s indignation towards savethe-whale protesters in the West so warranted. Not to mention that there are many more people on this planet (most notably one billion Hin-
sumer access to credit. Every year, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) report makes public details of the past year’s mortgage market. It is the only national report that includes the race and ethnicity of mortgage applicants, types of loan approvals as well as denials. Most importantly, the actual behavior of lenders – both banks and nonbanks record the total number of loans involved. By exempting so many lenders, the highly anticipated report would lose valuable clarity and irrefutable data. Among the organizations signing these comments were: NAACP, The Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights, the National Fair Housing Alliance, and the Center for Responsible Lending.
‘Distorted view’
DAVE GRANLUND, POLITICALCARTOONS.COM
tract the statement. But so far she has gotten away with spewing foolishness and telling Black people that they didn’t really support Colin Kaepernick as much as they thought. No one has to support her and at the very least, her penchant for stupidity ought to be pointed out. We already lived through a Black president who talked over our heads to White people. There is no need for a Harris repeat. One can only hope that her game is exposed and she becomes little more than an historical footnote.
Margaret Kimberley is a cofounder of BlackAgendaReport.com, and writes a weekly column there. Contact her at Margaret.Kimberley@BlackAgendaReport.com. Click on this commentary at www.flcourier. com to write your own response.
that have occurred since 2017, all with anti-consumer effects: •Failure to issue any violations of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act; •Declared its intent to ignore the Disparate Impact standard, a long-standing legal test that holds the effects of discrimination, not the intent are legal violations; •Publicly praised the repeal of anti-discrimination auto lending guidance; •Sided with payday lenders in their challenge of the Bureau’s payday rule promulgated under the previous director; •Stripped the Bureau’s fair lending office of its supervisory and enforcement powers; and •Relegated the development of regulation on fair lending for minority and women-owned businesses to a low-level concern.
“A large loss of HMDA reporting will create a distorted view of lending trends in these underserved areas and will make it more difficult for stakeholders to determine if revitalization efforts are succeeding,” wrote the housing advocates. “The overall impact of raising the threshold will be to frustrate HMDA’s purposes of determining whether credit needs are being met and whether public investment has succeeded in rejuvenating the housing and lending markets in struggling neighborhoods.”
A current failure
dus) who consider slaughtering cows far more cruel and unethical than slaughtering dogs; or that Muslims and Jews consider slaughtering pigs to eat every bit as immoral and/or disgusting as Christians consider slaughtering dogs to eat. And don’t get me started on the hypocrisy of Western countries having mouths too full of China’s money to voice any condemnation about its people’s penchant for eating dogs. They’d rather pick on the far weaker Thais. Frankly, if Westerners were forced to watch how animals are slaughtered (and in many cases processed) for them to eat, they’d be far less judgmental about the Japanese hunting whales. Which of course raises the question: why target the Thais when the Chinese are slaughtering dogs for meat to eat too? After all, this is rather like making much ado about stopping gun violence in Canada when it would clearly make more sense to target gun violence in America. As for Ricky fronting this savethe-dogs petition, he should try getting his compatriots to stop hunting foxes … just for sport. At least then he might have a little moral authority to pass judgment on the animals
people kill … for food. I gather other celebrities are putting on equally indignant faces for this cause. But unless they are devout vegans, my contempt for their self-righteousness in this context is no less acute. While we’re at it, here is what I had to say about the hypocrisy and carnivore snobbery inherent in indignation over slaughtering horses for meat to eat in another commentary posted on February 22, 2013: Eating horses was (and is becoming again) as commonplace in France, a nation of gastronomes nonpareil, as eating pigs is in the United States. Which makes all of the outrage over eating horse meat akin to barbarians accusing aristocrats of uncivilized behavior. Besides, like hunting foxes, it’s arguably more humane to slaughter horses for food than to gallop them to death for sport.
In many ways, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has failed to live up to its name and reneged on its mission. “This lack of enforcement demonstrates our journey towards fair lending still has miles to travel,” said Melissa Stegman, a CRL Senior Policy Counsel. “CFPB was created to protect consumers without exception.”
Charlene Crowell is the deputy communications director at the Center for Responsible Lending. Contact her at charlene.crowell@responsiblelendAnti-consumer actions ing.org. Click on this commenThe coalition comments also tary at www.flcourier.com to include a litany of CFPB actions write your own response.
Anthony L. Hall is a native of The Bahamas with an international law practice in Washington, D.C. Read his columns and daily weblog at www.theipinionsjournal.com. Click on this commentary at www.flcourier. com to write your own response.
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dia post broadcast “bigoted rhetoric” and issued a statement to the Tribune condemning it. “The recent social media post coming from the IRCCA does not reflect my values or the Illinois Republican Party’s values,” Schneider said. “I urge everyone who opposes them to keep the rhetoric focused on policy and ideology.”
An old tactic
CAROL GUZY/ZUMA WIRE/TNS
Rep. Ilhan Omar speaks at a July 15 press conference while Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley look on.
Republicans apologize for ‘Jihad Squad’ post Illinois groups images smear congresswomen BY EMILY KOPP CQ-ROLL CALL/TNS
WASHINGTON – Republican Party leaders in Illinois have apologized for a Facebook post that smeared the four congresswomen
at the center of President Donald Trump’s recent verbal attacks as the “Jihad Squad.” An image shared by the Republican County Chairmen’s Association of Illinois on July 19 depicts the first-term lawmakers, all women of color, as gun-toting vigilantes in a mock movie poster. In doctored images, Rep. Ayanna S. Pressley aims a handgun at the viewer while Rep. Rashi-
da Tlaib contorts her face in a scream. Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez wears a red dress that resembles a Bond movie costume, an explosion burning at her feet. Rep. Ilhan Omar hovers over the trio, a firearm at her side.
Deleted after inquiries “POLITICAL JIHAD IS THEIR GAME,” the tagline reads next to the association’s logo.
The state Republican group deleted the image after facing questions from the Chicago Tribune, which first reported the story. The organization apologized in a statement the night of July 21. “I condemn this unauthorized posting and it has been deleted. I am sorry if anyone who saw the image was offended by the contents,” Mark Shaw, president of the chairmen’s association, said in a statement.
‘Bigoted rhetoric’ The association plans to review its “multi-stage” internal review process for the page’s content, he said. The chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, Tim Schneider, acknowledged the social me-
Scorn for the post comes amid fallout from Trump’s racist call for four first-term progressive members of Congress to “go back” to “the crime infested countries from which they came,” which Republicans in the House voted against condemning last week. The “Jihad Squad” attacks echoes a conspiracy theory that has been amplified by Trump: The president has repeatedly accused Omar of sympathizing with terrorists, a gross distortion of a 2013 interview and Islamophobic rhetoric used to tar other high-profile Muslim politicians. As Republicans have begun formulating their strategy for the 2020 elections, they have already frequently invoked the names and images of the four freshman lawmakers.
Re-election strategy GOP operatives expect the Democratic congresswomen will remain a key focus of Trump’s reelection strategy, at least until the party formally picks a presidential nominee next summer. In down-ballot races, the women have already been the focus of television ads and campaigns by the National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee and some Republican candidates. Republicans in Congress scrambled last week to reframe the president’s opposition to the “Squad” as a statement about their policy agenda, including the Green New Deal, a plan to rapidly decarbonize the economy, and “Medicare for All,” which would scrap private insurance companies, not their non-White ancestry.
Study: Kids in foster care because of parents’ drug use has soared BY RITA GIORDANO PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER/TNS
As the opioid epidemic has ravaged U.S. communities, the national rate of children removed from their homes due to parental drug use soared, too, according to a new study. The research published online in the Journal of American Medical Association — Pediatrics found that more than 36% of children who went into foster care in 2017 were removed from their homes at least in part due to parental drug use. That was compared to the less than 15% of children whose parents’ drug use played a role in their foster care placement in 2000. During that period from 2000 to 2017, nearly 5 million children were removed from their homes. Of those youngsters, nearly 1.2 million or a little over 23%, were removed because of parental drug use.
Longer placement Underlying these numbers, wrote the authors, is the trauma likely experienced by these children, both before they were removed from their homes and after. Children removed from their homes because of their parents’ drug use were more likely to be younger than children removed for other reasons, said the researchers who were affiliated with Cornell and Harvard’s medical schools and Boston Children’s Hospital. In addition, they noted previous research has shown that children who enter foster care because their parents used drugs tend to remain in placement longer than other children in foster care and are less likely to be reunited with their parents. “This is of special concern because of the large proportion of children experiencing entry before age 5 years, a critical period for forming stable attachments,” the authors wrote.
Numbers rising Nationally, the number of children in foster care has risen since 2012, after a decade of decline. The study set out to see whether part of that increase might be attributed to the opioid crisis that has swept much of the nation. But these numbers may understate the real problem. “It’s very possible that the number of children who lived with a parent who did drugs is much higher,” said coauthor Angelica Meinhofer, a health-care policy and research instructor with Weill Cornell Medical. The researchers hope this study will spark a deeper look into causes and consequences of their findings as well as “greater resource allocation to this vulnerable population,” said Meinhofer.
OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/TNS
Rick Smith, Equifax’s former chief executive, testifies during a U.S. House hearing to examine the Equifax Data Breach on Oct. 5, 2017, in Washington, D.C. He retired from the company shortly after the data breach was announced, albeit with a large compensation package.
Equifax to pay at least $600M to settle data breach complaints BY GREG BLUESTEIN ATLANTA JOURNALCONSTITUTION/TNS
The Atlanta-based credit reporting agency Equifax will pay at least $600 million to settle litigation over a 2017 data breach that exposed the personal details of nearly 150 million people, said Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. Most of the settlement announced Monday would go toward a $425 million restitution fund to repay consumers for costs linked to the breach. Another $175 million payment will go to state authorities. Carr’s office said it was the largest ever data breach enforcement action, and listed a series of steps Equifax agreed to take to toughen
up its data. Still, it’s less than other recent corporate penalties, including the record $1 billion fine that Wells Fargo agreed to pay.
Company shakeup The breach, one of the largest of its kind, exposed the Social Security numbers and driver’s license data of roughly 148 million people. The company didn’t discover it for 76 days and it was not revealed to the public until September 2017. Those revelations set off a political outcry that led to the departure of several top company officials, including chief executive officer Richard Smith, who was also grilled in a Congressional hearing. Several other Equifax executives have been charged
with insider training, and two pleaded guilty. A recent company filing revealed Equifax has spent about $1.25 billion to shore up its network, and set aside about $700 million to cover litigation and fines.
Settlement requirements Carr and other state attorneys general led an investigation that found Equifax failed to update critical vulnerabilities in its software and did not properly replace systems that monitored the network for suspicious activity. It’s still not clear who stole the data, which affected nearly half of all adult Americans. As part of the settlement, Equifax agreed to make
it easier for consumers to freeze and thaw their credit, hire more staff to help people who are victims of identity theft, reorganize its data security team, minimize its use of sensitive data and overhaul its cybersecurity policies.
‘Strong progress’ cited The company, one of the nation’s three main credit-reporting agencies, also must offer people whose data was swiped credit monitoring services for 10 years. The settlement comes as the new chief executive, Mark Begor, has tried to improve the company’s reputation and boost its security. He’s touted the firm’s “strong progress” on bolstering its IT network. Carr called it a “fair and appropriate settlement, ensuring substantial consumer relief and requiring the implementation of robust security measures to protect against future exposure of consumers’ private data.”
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1. Oumou Sy— Senegal’s “Queen of Couture” was commissioned by the National Museum of African Art and created this elaborate, new haute couture ensemble inspired by the strength and savoir-faire of Senegalese women. 2. This necklace was created by a Wolof artist in the mid-20th century. A key theme of the exhibit is the concept of sañse (Wolof for “dressing up” or looking and feeling good).
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IMAGE BY FRANKO KHOURY, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE
3. A butterfly necklace/pendant was created by a Wolof or Tukulor artist (1930s-1950s). IMAGE BY FRANKO KHOURY, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE
4. The exhibit’s signature print is by Fabrice Monteiro, born in 1972 in Namur Belgium. COURTESY OF MARIANE IBRAHIM GALLERY
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GOOD AS GOLD Smithsonian exhibit shows how Sengalese women have historically used jewelry as a means of fashioning an identify of power and prestige.
BY PENNY DICKERSON SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER
Pride abounds
T
he measure of a woman’s worth has historically been associated with her appearance. An arguable Western society bias, the latter conceptually crosses the African Diaspora to the coast of Dakar – the cosmopolitan capital of Senegal where aesthetics both define and convey more than an affinity for fashion but transcend wealth, aristocracy, prestige and preference. Beyond exquisite attire tailored from vibrant Dutch wax fabrics and textiles, the complementary adornment of gold as a fashion statement serves as the foundation for “Good as Gold,” curated to “engage, captivate and invite” patrons to indulge a relevant, yet underrepresented sector of West African culture.
Gift of gold Generosity with a capital “G” aptly personifies Marian Ashby Johnson, an art historian who bestowed 250 private collection pieces to the National Museum of African Art in 2012. Johnson trekked the globe for numerous decades including Senegal in her travels to observe goldsmith techniques from jewelers, or teugues, whose contributions ultimately help compile a collection supplemented by nearly 2,000 field and archival photographs. Her research “highlights the delicate and refined work of Wolof and Tukulor goldsmiths and the spectacular jewelry designs commissioned by Senegalese women.” The exhibition contains 120 objects from Johnson’s collection and is enhanced with a selection of loans, photographs and related jewelry items from private lenders and public institutions in
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Marian Ashby Johnson (left) is shown with artist Habibou Sissoko and his assistants at his atelier in Dakar, Senegal. She bestowed 250 private collection pieces to the National Museum of African art in 2012. the U.S. and overseas. “Connecting Dr. Johnson’s generosity with the work of our curatorial, archival and conservation researchers, the ‘Good as Gold’ project demonstrates and celebrates the National Museum of African Art’s commitment to leadership in the collection, care, scholarship and display of excellence in the full range of Africa’s visual arts,” offered Kevin D. Dumouchelle, Ph.D., who joined the Smithsonian in 2016 as in-house curator of the National Museum of African Art.
“Breathtaking” is the singular word that former U.S. Ambassador to Senegal Harriet Elam-Thomas emoted following her summer visit to the exhibit. A subjective voice of authority, Elam-Thomas completed two tours of duty in Senegal over a 40-year career as a U.S. diplomat. “I am proud that another woman made it her life’s work to discover gold’s relevance and further bestowed it to the Harriett Elam- Smithsonian so the pubThoma lic can learn what gold meant to the country,” said Elam-Thomas. “While serving as an assistant cultural attaché` from 1975-77, I noticed an innate sense of pride exuded by Senegalese women. I was 32 years old and even at that young age, it reminded me of women going to church in their Sunday best…” explained Elam-Thomas who added the following: “When I returned 28 years later as U.S. ambassador, my White colleagues said I always dressed like an ambassador…Well, you go to work looking a certain way, and you dress for the occasion. Senegalese women have mastered that concept. Even on the Ivory Coast, I never saw women look as good as they did in Senegal. They could be poor as dirt, but still walked down the street with pride, head held high.”
Showcasing history Amid quiet lighting, the installation displays pristine cases showcasing jeweled objects intricately detailed, technically complex, and culturally distinct.
According to Dumouchelle, each case has an inner liner of dessicants, composed of silica gels, that serve to stabilize the relative humidity inside. The results are a “micro-climate’’ that helps to prevent corrosion and other adverse environmental reactions to metalbased works. “Good as Gold” inspires awe as patrons tour a relaxed labyrinth unique to museum settings. The visual journey is edifying, and plentiful are educational insights gained from storyboards mounted along walls offering brief narratives of adjacent jewelry. Amanda Maples, Ph.D., served as guest curator and lead author of the exhibit’s catalog, “Good as Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women.’’ An African art expert, Maples worked closely with Dumouchelle and the two traveled to Senegal in 2017 conducting related research. “While most of the objects in the exhibition were made by men, the designs, styles and names of such works are by women and “Good as Gold’ reveals the ways in which Senegalese women have historically used jewelry as a means of fashioning a cosmopolitan identity of power and prestige,” Maples related.
Exalting women and fashion Described within Smithsonian confines as “complex and women-driven,” the exhibit embodies a contextual reference extending from urban designers in Senegal who utilize contemporary fashion to define what is traditional, international, and chic. “This is primarily a story about women. It was of course a story about fashion, and I looked at fashion a lot around the city as an urban center and as a way of offering a sort of platform for women to use jewelry and sartorial expression to get by,” explained Maples in Smithsonian.com. To further amplify Senegal’s stature and fashion contributions to an industry dominated by American and European designers, the National Museum of African Art commissioned Oumou Sy – Senegal’s “Queen of Couture” and its most celebrated fashion designer— to create a new haute couture ensemble inspired by the strength and savoir-faire of Senegalese women. “My greatest delight with this show has been twofold. On the one hand, it has been inspiring to see the wonder, delight, and pride that so many of our visitors have taken away from their engagement with these objects, and the histories and stories that they represent,” summated Dumouchelle.
IF YOU GO: The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It’s closed on Christmas Day. Admission is free. The museum is located at 950 Independence Ave. S.W., near the Smithsonian. For more information, call 202-633-4600 or visit the National Museum of African Art’s website at https://africa.si.edu.
ENTERTAINMENT & FINEST
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TYLER, THE CREATOR
JULY 26 – AUGUST 1, 2019
STOJ
Got these cards?
The rapper performs Sept. 27 in Orlando, Sept. 28 in Tampa and Sept. 29 in Miami.
Get more. TROMBONE SHORTY
JONAS BROTHERS
Their Happiness Tour stops in Miami on Aug. 7, Orlando on Aug. 9 and Tampa on Aug. 10.
FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR
rus.org/audition Fort Lauderdale: Lionel Richie performs July 27 at Hard Rock Live and July 28 at Tampa’s Amalie Arena.
Aventura: The Motowners will be at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center on Aug. 10. Fort Lauderdale: Tickets are on sale for The Whispers and Stephanie Mills for an Oct. 4 concert at the Broward Center. Tampa: Mayor Jane Castor’s back-to-school swim challenge at city pools is underway for children. Details: www.tampagov.net/pools. Jacksonville: Auditions are being scheduled for the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus for grades 2-12. More info: www.jaxchildrenscho-
Tampa: Lil Wayne will be at the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre on July 26 and July 29 at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. Orlando: Catch Beres Hammond on Aug. 24 at Hard Rock Live Orlando and Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center on Aug. 25. Miami Gardens: Join Mayor Oliver Gilbert for a free hands-only CPR course from 10 a.m. to noon on July 26 at the Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex. Sign up at the complex. Orlando: Khalid performs
Catch him on Oct. 18 at the Clearwater Jazz Holiday. Details: Clearwaterjazz.com
at Amway Center on Aug. 16 and Aug. 17 at Miami’s AmericanAirlinesArena. Fort Lauderdale: Iyanla Vanzant’s Acts of Faith Remix Tour stops at the Broward Center on Aug. 1 and Jacksonville’s Florida Theatre on Aug. 2. Details: iyanlavanzantlive.com Coconut Creek: Catch Kool & the Gang on Aug. 15 at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek. Tampa: The Tampa Bay Chapter of the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College will host its first golf tournament on Sept. 29 at Top Golf. Sponsorships and more info about the scholarship fundraiser: www. naasctampa@gmail.com
FLORIDA’S
finest
Think you’re one of Florida’s Finest?
E-mail your high-resolution (200 dpi) digital photo in casual wear or bathing suit taken in front of a plain background with few distractions, to news@flcourier.com with a short biography of yourself and your contact information. (No nude/glamour/ fashion photography, please!) In order to be considered, you must be at least 18 years of age. Acceptance of the photographs submitted is in the sole and absolute discretion of Florida Courier editors. We reserve the right to retain your photograph even if it is not published. If you are selected, you will be contacted by e-mail and further instructions will be given.
Get more benefits than you’re currently getting from Original Medicare with a UnitedHealthcare Dual Complete® RP (Regional PPO SNP) plan. It combines your doctor, hospital and prescription drug coverage into one plan — for a $0 plan premium. Additional benefits may include: Health Products Card Up to $880 loaded onto your card to buy health products you may need. Dental Coverage $2,500 toward dental services. Hearing Coverage Annual exam and $2,500 credit every 2 years for hearing devices. Personal Emergency Response System Get connected to a trained operator quickly in any emergency situation 24 hours a day at no extra cost.
Call today to enroll or get answers to your questions. 1-855-357-9340, TTY 711 UHCCommunityPlan.com/FL
Thousands of Caribbean culture lovers converge on South Florida every year before and during the Columbus Day weekend to attend the annual Miami Broward Carnival, a series of concerts, pageants, parades, and competitions. On Carnival Day, “mas” (masquerade) bands of thousands of revelers dance and march behind 18-wheel tractor-trailer trucks with booming sound systems from morning until nightfall while competing for honors. Here are some of the “Finest” we’ve seen over the years. Click on www.flcourier to see hundreds of pictures from previous Carnivals. Go to www.miamibrowardcarnival.com for more information on Carnival events in South Florida. CHARLES W. CHERRY II / FLORIDA COURIER
Plans are insured through UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company or one of its affiliated companies, a Medicare Advantage organization with a Medicare contract and a contract with the State Medicaid program. Enrollment in the plan depends on the plan’s contract renewal with Medicare. R7444_190213_013820_M
CST26464
JULY 26 – AUGUST 1, 2019
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PERSONAL FINANCE
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES
Keeping your finances fresh throughout the year FROM FAMILY FEATURES
EARN REWARDS WHERE YOU SPEND MOST
For many Americans, reaching and maintaining financial stability is a goal that tops their checklists. However, the strategies necessary for achieving that goal can quickly fall by the wayside. Consider these tips from Bank of America Credit Cards Executive Jason Gaughan that you can put in place to help keep your finances in check throughout the year.
According to the spending analysis of more than 50 million Bank of America credit and debit cardholders, the average cardholder spent $3,174 on groceries, $2,430 on dining, $2,319 on travel and $1,627 on gas last year. “Regardless of whether your spending priorities change frequently or remain steady, you should consider a flexible card that allows you to earn cash back across multiple categories that align with your spending patterns,” Gaughan said.
Make financial goals more attainable The key to achieving financial goals is to make them measurable. Try to focus on achievable outcomes that slowly push you in the right direction financially. For example, if you are planning to make a large purchase, give yourself a specific, short-term goal like saving $50 from a paycheck so you can effectively measure your progress and build toward your purchase over time. Redeeming your credit card rewards wisely can also help you more seamlessly reach your financial goals. Some cards allow you to redeem cash rewards directly into a checking or savings account or to apply to your credit card balance. In some cases, rewards can also be applied into longer-term investments like 529 accounts for college savings or a retirement fund, letting your everyday spending help fuel your future goals. “Earning cash back on everyday purchases can provide extra funds to invest, splurge on a family vacation or put a down payment on a new car,” Gaughan said. “Whatever your financial goals are, a rewards card can help you get closer to achieving them.”
Reduce the number of credit cards in your wallet A Bank of America survey found 52% of Americans weigh down their wallets with multiple cards to earn rewards across different categories. By choosing a flexible credit card that allows you to earn benefits across vari-
Those using their bank’s application on their computer or phone can typically manage their rewards, deals and benefits across multiple rewards programs. ous categories, you can consolidate and eliminate the need to juggle a variety of rewards cards. One flexible card option is the Bank of America Cash Rewards credit card, which allows you to choose from one of six categories – gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores or home improvement – to earn 3% cash back on purchases each month along with 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs, up to $2,500 each quarter. Cardholders also earn 1% cash back on all other purchases. Cards such as this reward all your purchases, especially those in the places where you spend most frequently so you can maximize your cash back.
Cut unnecessary spending and tackle debts If you’re dreaming of financial freedom, a budget is one of the first steps toward getting there. Start by reviewing bank and credit card statements from at least the past three months to
gain a better understanding of your spending habits and identify areas you could improve. While cutting back on non-essentials is typically a good place to start, this is also an opportunity to identify areas you can get better deals by switching providers for things like car or homeowner’s insurance as well as your cellphone, internet and other home services. Once you’ve addressed your expenses, consider tackling your debts. To determine which debts need to be prioritized, look at the interest rates and principal costs of each and focus on paying off debts with higher interest rates first. Reducing your debt should take priority over most savings goals.
Discover new ways to be rewarded You may be eligible to enroll in a banking rewards program like Bank of America Preferred Rewards, which gives members access to a variety of everyday
banking benefits including credit card rewards bonuses on eligible cards from 25-75%, home and auto loan discounts, free stock trades, ATM fee waivers and more. Layering your banking rewards program together with airline, hotel, credit card, dining and shopping rewards programs can help boost your financial rewards earnings to the highest level.
Use digital banking tools to gain full visibilityinto your finances When using a combination of multiple rewards and savings strategies, it can be hard to keep track of where and how much you’re earning and saving at a given time. Your bank may offer digital tools that provide assistance and resources to simplify your banking experience. For example, some digital dashboards allow cardholders to track their rewards earnings and redemptions, and discover additional benefits.
Keep tabs on your credit reports and scores A numeric representation of your credit, your credit score signifies to lenders what kind of borrower you are. Because it influences everything from mortgage and auto loan rates to credit card approvals, keeping an eye on where you stand can be important in achieving your financial goals. It’s smart to periodically check your credit score to make sure everything is accurate and know where you stand. You can check your score through the major credit bureaus, and some credit card issuers even allow you to view your score for free through online or mobile banking. The key to keeping your finances fresh is to create a simple strategy that allows you to push toward your financial goals all year long. By consolidating your wallet, creating realistic goals and budgeting, you can set yourself up for financial success. Find more solutions at BankofAmerica.com.
FOOD
B4
JULY 26 – AUGUST 1, 2019
STOJ
10 tips to help you grill burgers to perfection BY SUSAN SELASKY DETROIT FREE PRESS/TNS
Americans consume some 50 billion hamburgers a year. What’s so hard about shaping some ground meat into a patty and cooking it? Meat experts, cookbook authors and chefs say plenty. We use the wrong grind of beef. We handle the meat and shape them wrong. We cook them wrong. People need to realize burgers need fat, says Bill Hoemke, meat manager at Royal Oak, Michigan’s Hollywood Market. That’s why he and most experts strongly recommend ground chuck that’s 80% lean and 20% fat. “That fat gives you the most flavorful burger,” Hoemke said. Other leaner options, he said, are ground beef that is labeled 85% lean and 15% fat or ground sirloin, which is 90% lean and 10% fat. “With those leaner grinds the burgers will be drier,” he said.
Don’t overwork it In “Weber’s Ultimate Grilling: A Step-byStep Guide to Barbecue Genius,” author Jamie Purviance writes that the ground meat shouldn’t be overworked. “Super-squashed, packed-down patties lack the minuscule air bubbles necessary for creating food burger texture and collecting the sublime melting fat and juices,” he writes. Burgers need to be meaty and mighty. We want flavorful and seasoned blends to pair with flavorful toppings. Speaking of toppings, cheese is the most popular topping for a burger. It’s followed by lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle according to nationaltoday.com. And when it comes to cheeses, Americans love American cheese on a burger. But cheddar is a close second followed by Swiss, pepper jack and provolone. And so, here’s our guide to grilling burgers to perfection.
What kind of beef should I use? Choose beef with fat in it. Most cookbooks and burger aficionados say the ideal choice is 80/20 beef chuck. This means it’s 80% lean and has 20% fat. You can go somewhat leaner if you like with ground beef labeled 85/15. Any leaner be sure to add some moisture like Worcestershire sauce or wine to prevent the burger from drying out. And if you can, grind your beef.
How do I grind it? without a grinder? You can come close using a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Choose the cut of meat you want — chuck, round, brisket, short rib, sirloin — and make sure it’s super cold. Cut it into
DREAMSTIME/TNS
Choose beef with fat in it. Most cookbooks and burger aficionados say the ideal choice is 80/20 beef chuck. This means it’s 80% lean and has 20% fat. 1-inch pieces. Add to the bowl of the food processor and pulse a few times to get chop into smaller pieces. Don’t process it too much or the meat will get mushy.
How should I mix the ground meat?
cooking. Use a scale if you have one make sure burgers are all an equal size. That 6-ounce burger is an ample size for serving as your main dish. But you can make them any size.
What’s the best size for patty?
Make sure it’s cold and always mix the meat gently so it just comes together. Do not over mix. If you over mix the meat (the same holds true when you make meatballs and meatloaf ) the meat will be more compact and not as tender.
You want to match the size of the patty with the bun. Figure there will be shrinkage, so shape the patty about ½-inch larger than the bun. Generally, a 4-inch in diameter patty, with a dimple in the center, that is at least ¾-inch thick will suffice.
Should I season it?
Why make a dimple in the center?
You can, but don’t let the seasoned meat sit too long. According to Weber’s Purviance, allow 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper for each 1½ pound of ground beef. You can mix it in the meat or sprinkle on the outside of the formed patties. If you do the latter, Purviance advises to refrigerate the patties for 30 minutes or less to allow the seasoning to distribute. If you let it sit longer the salt will draw moisture out of the meat, he writes.
What’s an ideal amount of beef? Plan on a burger that is 6-ounces before
If you don’t do this, the burgers will end up more of a round shape and puff up like a tennis ball. The burgers won’t fit the bun and you end up with a top bun that slides off. That also means that you’ll be eating more bun than burger with each bite.
How do you make the dimple? This is an easy and not to be skipped. Once the patty is formed, use the back of a soup or teaspoon or your thumb to make an indentation, about 1/3-inch deep and
1-inch wide in the center of the patty. When the burgers cook, the indentation slowly rise and you get a nice, flat even top.
What’s the best way to grill?
Burgers like high heat. This helps form that exterior crust. Cook them on the nondimpled side first over direct heat. Once a crust develops, flip them over and cook on the other side. Do not press down on the burger. When you do this, you’re beating up that poor burger and pressing all the juices out.
How long should burgers be grilled?
That depends on how you like them done. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) safe internal cooking temperature for ground beef is 160 degrees. That means it’s well done. And the cooking time will depend on the thickness of the burger — but generally at least 5 minutes per side. If you like it at less done than that and depending on the thickness, figure about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare or 130135 degrees and 150-155 degrees for medium-well.
How the Haitian spirit clairin is more like mezcal than rum BY LISA FUTTERMAN CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS
Experiencing Haiti’s roughhewn culture can resemble time travel, and the culture around clairin, the local spirit, is no exception. Clairin, known as the rum of the people, is an un-aged clear cane spirit produced by 500 to 600 micro distilleries that dot the countryside, each with its own taste and terroir, where locals drop by with plastic jugs to fill for their households. Haiti’s distinct culture is due, in no small part, to the 1791-1804 slave rebellion and subsequent independence from France. Sugar cane was brought by Columbus, and the non-monoculture style of agriculture — where mango trees, corn stalks, banana bushes and manioc plants grow right next to sugar — results in super-rich soil. The cane is cut by hand, and no chemical fertilizers are used.
Secret to taste Undiluted cane juice ferments naturally in the hot tropical climate — the open tanks attract natural yeasts. A trick Haitian distillers have learned to lengthen fermenta-
tion time in such hot weather is to control the pH with the addition of acidic ingredients, such as lemongrass or citrus, which add complexity and their own specific hints of flavor. The distillate is also left unfiltered, resulting in even more complexity of taste. Often compared to the rhums agricoles of Martinique, in many ways this wild spirit is more similar to mezcal, with its use of archaic production methods, indigenous yeasts, wild cane (instead of agave) and pot stills, created region by region based on local tastes and traditions.
Examples in U.S. In 2017, the first clairin was officially exported to the U.S., and in April 2018, Slow Food launched a presidium in Haiti to protect and promote the traditions around its production. You can now find several examples of this spirit here in the States. Vaval, on the southern Haitian coast, has been made the same way since 1940, using French methods similar to cognac production. The distillery’s location by the sea imparts briny seaweed notes, but the spirit’s taste is distinctly floral with slate minerality.
Le Rocher, a distillery at a higher elevation, makes clairin from syrup produced by boiling the wild cane juice, in a more Jamaican single pot “dunder” style. Bottled at still proof of 47.2% alcohol, like all clairin it is high in alcohol, but it offers an undiluted taste of the region’s terroir, showing aromas of cooked banana and spice.
Add vermouth, juice Kevin Beary, beverage director at Chicago’s Three Dots and a Dash, first tried clairin about four years ago when mixologist Kate Perry (now a representative for clairin importers La Maison & Velier) had a stash behind the bar where she worked. “It was so exciting to me, to be able to taste the diversity in rums from Haiti. The fact that they come from mom-and-pop operations allows for so many variables in production, from distillation to fermentation.” Beary likes to play with clairin in stirred cocktails, especially in an inverted martini style. He mixes 1 ounce Vaval clairin with 2 ounces of blanc vermouth and adds just a teaspoon of sweetened rhubarb or pomegranate juice for a lift of acidity, plus a drop of saline. He serves the pale pink drink straight up.
ABEL URIBE/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS
Clairin is made from fermenting cane juice. The brands available in the U.S. include Vaval, left, made on the southern Haitian coast, and Le Rocher, made in a distillery at a higher elevation.