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VOLUME 113 ISSUE 72
MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2019 Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida
Not officially associated with the University of Florida
UF connects students to African American history with sound By Mikayla Carroll Alligator Staff Writer
Joel Buchanan’s voice flooded students ears as he discussed the hardships of segregation on Thursday. But the civil rights activist wasn’t there in person. He died in 2014. Students listened to an audio clip from the first UF African American Oral History Symposium, a three-day gathering to unveil
the Joel Buchanan Archive of African American Oral History. Buchanan was a longtime member of the community, a civil rights activist and a librarian at UF, said Paul Ortiz, the director of the UF Samuel Proctor Oral History Program. He is well known for being the first African American male student to integrate Gainesville High School in 1964. Buchanan died in May 2014 at the age of 65. “Joel was an icon in the African Ameri-
can community,” Ortiz said. “People loved him. He brought people in our community together across lines of race and class.” UF President Kent Fuchs helped welcome those in attendance Thursday morning. He said he believed it was one of the largest and most significant events dedicated to African American history ever held at UF. “There’s no better inspiration for our continued civic engagement or active participation in democracy than the account of the African American pioneers in the Bu-
chanan archive,” Fuchs said in his opening remarks. This year also marks the 10th Anniversary of the African American History Project, Ortiz said. The project is an archive of more than 600 oral interviews with African American residents of Gainesville and from across Florida in the form of audio clips and accompanying transcriptions detailing black life in Florida, Ortiz said. These interviews were conducted in The
SEE SYMPOSIUM, PAGE 5
Former city employee prepares for theft trial
Police said she misused more than $91,000 By Josephine Fuller Alligator Staff Writer
Chris King / Alligator Staff
Night with Noah Noah Cyrus entertains hundreds Friday during the Big Orange Festival on the Reitz North Lawn. The festival included amusement rides, cotton candy, snow cones and an opening performance by Ocean Park Standoff. The Reitz Programming Board paid Cyrus $65,000 to perform.
More money, more problems became the reality for Natwaina Clark, who allegedly spent stolen city funds on a Brazilian butt lift. Clark, 36, of Gainesville, was arrested in 2017 after she was accused of misusing more than $91,000 from at least three City of Gainesville Clark credit cards when she was a Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs employee. Clark will go to court in May after rejecting to sign a deal to plead guilty, according to court records. Jury selection is set for May 6. Almost two years after her arrest, Clark faces seven felony grand theft charges, which have a maximum of 35 years in prison upon conviction, the report said.
She has pleaded not guilty. City officials told Clark verbally and in writing that the credit card was only for business purposes, according to court records. From 2015 to 2017, Clark made 169 fraudulent purchases using three separate cards, the report said. Some of her other purchases included a a Brazilian butt lift, plane tickets to Houston, Texas, gift cards to various stores and multiple fruit arrangements. During an audit, two city employees in the department noticed it was over budget, the report said. After further investigation, the employees found unapproved credit card purchases made by Clark. She was arrested after city officials found she was using city-issued credit cards for unauthorized purchases, the report said. Clark could not immediately be reached for comment. @JoFuller24 jfuller@alligator.org
How Gainesville tries to help feed those in need 50,880 PEOPLE IN ALACHUA COUNTY ARE FOOD INSECURE Alligator Staff Report Mary Ewing’s car overflowed as she loaded it with blue reusable bags filled with green apples, lettuce and chips. She had just finished shopping
at Bread of the Mighty Food Bank for the nonprofit CHAMP, which she and her husband are involved with. The charity distributes food to individual, local families. Bread of the Mighty Food Bank distributes and sells food based on weight to local charities. Walking down the aisles of the showcase area, one could quickly mistake the bank for a grocery store. “This is about poverty and
UF gymnastics eighth in NCAA on vault
Trinity Thomas was the only Gator to score more than 9.9 in vault at the SEC Championships, pg. 14
working people,” said Karen Woolfstead, the spokesperson and a director of development for the food bank. “One of the biggest things I’ve learned here is there is no face of hunger.” Bread of the Mighty Food Bank is used by 190 agencies to shop and distribute the food directly to the hungry in and around Gainesville, Woolfstead said. Although there are about 900
Saving Gainesville’s history
homeless children in Alachua County, there are 10,000 food insecure children and 50,880 food insecure people as of 2018 out of the county’s 266,944 residents, she said. In 2018, Bread of the Mighty Food Bank distributed 7.9 million pounds of food, with 5.2 million going to Alachua County, Woolfstead said.
Some Gainesville residents are trying to preserve Gainesville’s historical buildings, pg. 8
Local Cubana culture
Dominos, cigars and music were in Gainesville, pg. 3
Food insecurity is defined as an experience where individuals or households don’t have access to healthy, affordable food, said Nicole Owens, a state specialized agent with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. This insecurity relates to food deserts, low-income areas which are located more than one mile
SEE FOOD DESERT, PAGE 4
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