C E L E B R AT I N G B L AC K AC H I E V E M E N T T H RO U G H O U T F L O R I DA
July/August 2024 VOLUME 27 ISSUE 4
Family Favorites
BLACKOWNED BUSINESSES:
A LOOK AT THEIR STATUS IN AMERICA
From Vacation Spots to School Supplies, We Have it Here
The Black Vote A Focused Lens on the 2024 Election and Young Black Male Voters
BE COOL IN THE POOL
IMPORTANT SAFETY TIPS FOR A HOT SUMMER
$7.99 onyxmagazine.com
CONTENTS 6
From the Publisher
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Elevate – Mid-Year Check In on New Year’s Resolutions
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Black History – Pioneers in Mental Health Advocacy
10 Smart Tips – Affordable Ways to Make the Most of Your Summer 12 Day Tripping – Summer Shopping Hot Spots Across Florida 13 Travel – Secret Getaway in South Carolina 15 Lift Orlando – The Greats of West Lakes: Dr. Alzo Reddick 16 A CALL TO ACTION INSPIRED BY "WE THE PEOPLE" 18 Black Business Month – Support Black Businesses 20 The Quad – What’s Happening on College Campuses 22 Music & Entertainment 23 ONYX Reads – Taking It Easy with Books for the Beach 24 Art & Culture – Smithsonian Acquires Largest Collection of Slave Badges 27 School Supplies – Your entire list here 28 Information on Amendment 3 30 Florida Scope – News from Around Florida 31 Beyond Florida – News from Around the Nation 32 Perspective – College, the Great Equalizer?/ Education Solutions
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35 Real Estate – The Down Payment: Are These Myths Keeping You from Homeownership? 36 ONYX on the Move – ONYX Magazine in the Community 38 Community – News from Florida Communities 39 Family – Be Cool in the Pool, Water Safety 40 Real Estate: The Historical Roots, of the racial wealth gap
COVER STORY
A FOCUSED LENS ON THE 2024 ELECTION AND YOUNG BLACK MALE VOTERS 4 ONYX MAGAZINE
42 SAGE – Seniors Volunteering Together 45 Workplace – How to Build Your Emotional Intelligence 46 Feature – The Black Vote: Focus on the 2024 Election and Black Men 48 Education: Home Base - get the summer camp experience at home 50 Health/Wellness – Childhood Obesity 52 Medically Speaking – Recognizing Minority Mental Health Awareness Month 54 Food & Wine – Fruity Sensation: A Yummy Summer Punch
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FROM THE PUBLISHER
PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Rich Black EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Sade Cole VICE PRESIDENT Deidre “Dee” Parker VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES Nancy Port Schwalb MANAGING EDITOR D. Shenell Reed, M.B.A. ASSOCIATE EDITORS Gayle Andrews Penny Dickerson Sharon Fletcher Jones Nancy Port Schwalb
Dear Family, Thank you for picking up this issue of ONYX Magazine. Without our community, we would not have made it to 27 years! Every year is a milestone for us as we grow our readers and our events. Please continue to support positive Black media and ask five friends to subscribe to ONYX Magazine. We want everyone in our communities to be informed about what’s important, because we have work to do. To start, we have a huge decision to make in just a few months: who will the president of the United States for the next four years? Research shows that the gap at the poles is caused by Black men. According to a Pew Research report, our brothers vote less than any other demographic. Let’s be intentional about making sure Black men are informed and ready to cast their votes on November 5. They could make the difference this nation needs. Also, our community has long turned to friends and family to help with mental health issues. While they are great resources, we must consider leaning on a community of experts. July is BeBe Moore Campbell Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. We can use the tools specialists have provide to help us get healthy. This issue has some easy-to-follow information. Finally, it’s summer and we want to get out of the house. In these pages are places to go and things to do—all as a family. Want to get in some pool time? We show you how to be safe. Want a quaint family getaway? We have just the island for you. Just be sure to get in the fun times before school starts back in the fall. Soon, you’ll be picking up school supplies, but you don’t have to guess. We have a great list to ensure your kids have everything they need. All this and a look at the status of Black businesses in America.
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Micah Barkley MAGAZINE DESIGN TEAM Design2Pro GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Jon Burton Damonic Robertson BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Matt deJager CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Micah Barkley, Joseph Dean, Penny Dickerson, Guenet Giddens-Roberts, Deloris Grant, Faith Katunga, Rebecca Leppert, Pamela Keye, Ph.D., Yolonda D. Tyler CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Mary Maxwell ONYX ADVISORY COMMITTEE Nancy Port Schwalb, Chair Deidre Parker, Immediate Past Chair Ricky Anderson Dick Batchelor Bob Berryhill Dr. Lavon Bracy Bryon Brooks Sherri Brown Marva Brown Johnson Hon. Mable Butler
Yolanda Cash Jackson Dr. Cynthia Chestnut John Crossman Quibulah Graham Gary Hartfield Barbara Hartley Ann Jenkins Eugene Jones
Connie Kinnard Larry Lee, Jr. Brenda March Gail Thomas-DeWitt Hon. Alan Williams Carla Williams Dr. Samuel Wright
FOUNDERS
As always, we aim to entertain, inspire and inform. We hope to see you soon at one of our upcoming events. Until then, enjoy your summer. Sincerely, Lester and Lillian Seays
Rich Black
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ONYX Magazine is published by ONYX Communications and Media Group, Inc., Address: P.O. Box 555672, Orlando, Florida 32855-5872. Phone 321-418-7216. Subscription rate is $22.98 for six issues. For subscriptions and notification of address change, contact ONYX Magazine at the above address or e-mail us at info@onyxmagazine.com. Letters to the editor are encouraged. Copyright 2024 by ONYX Magazine. All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced without written consent of the publisher. Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the writer or interviewee and not necessarily those of the publisher. Manuscripts, photos and art should be submitted with a self-addressed stamped envelope. The publisher does not assume responsibility for any materials not submitted in manner advised. Unsolicited materials are not subject to payment from ONYX Magazine.
ONYX MAGAZINE SALUTES
INEZ LONG PRESIDENT, BBIF FLORIDA
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business leader and community champion, Inez Long passed away on June 29, 2024. She was president and CEO of BBIF Florida. Started in 1987, the BBIF Florida is a mission driven, not-for-profit, Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that focuses on providing capital to Black, minority and underserved small businesses. BBIF’s mission is to develop and promote Black business enterprises though education, training, loans and advocacy. Long led BBIF through its certification as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), by the US Department of the Treasury in 1994, its statewide expansion of loan services through administration of a $8.5 million loan fund in 2009, its selection as an SBA Community Advantage lender in 2011, its $93.5 million in federal New Markets Tax Credits allocation awards in 2014, 15, 16, 18 and 19, its $3.3 million in FA awards in 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2019, its creation of $12 million in NMTC loan pools for minority businesses, its opening satellite offices in Miami, Jacksonville and most recently Tampa, and its selection as one of three initial CDFI’s to be nationally recognized and received a $1 million Wells Fargo Bank Diverse Community Capital grant. BBIF Florida has provided over $69.6 million in loans to over 516 Black and minority businesses, created and sustained over 14,225 jobs all while maintaining a historical loan loss rate of less than 4 percent; invested in and leveraged over $475 million in community economic development projects. During COVID-19, BBIF processed over 900 applications and provided $14.2 million in SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to 450 minority businesses preserving 2333 jobs and worked with two local governments in Orlando and Miami to process over $4 million in CARES grants and loans to hundreds of small businesses. Long had 35 years of combined experience in the financial services industry. She began her professional career in commercial banking in Credit Management and Commercial Lending
with Florida National Bank, First Union and SunTrust banks in Orlando. Long, a recipient of ONYX Magazine’s Women on the Move Community Leadership Award, also was presented by the Opportunity Finance Network the Ned Gramlich Lifetime Achievement award for Responsible Finance, the CDFI industry’s highest individual honor. She currently served on the national boards of Expanding Black Business Credit (EBBC), Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO), and the National Community Advisory Board for Fifth Third Bank. Mrs. Long has previously served on the national and local boards of the following organizations: the Opportunity
Finance Network (OFN), Community Advisory Committee for TD Bank, Wayne Densch YMCA (Pine Hills), WMFE Public Broadcasting Company, the African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida and the Central Florida Expressway Authority, previously the Orlando Orange County Expressway Authority (a gubernatorial appointment). Long is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting at the University of South Florida and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida. Long married Fitzhugh Long and they have three adult children.
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DR. ALZO J. REDDICK, SR.
A LIFE DEDICATED TO EDUCATION, EQUALITY, AND PROGRESS NEIGHBORHOOD: BUNCHE MANOR/HOLLANDO, ORLANDO, THE COMMUNITIES OF WEST LAKES. BY YOLONDA D. TYLER
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r. Alzo Reddick's life reads like an odyssey of fortitude, resilience, and an unwavering dedication to education and community upliftment. Born in Bartow, Florida, his journey began amid challenges that would shape his profound commitment to making a difference. A resident in The Communities of West Lakes in Orlando, Florida since 1977, and the place where he met his wife at Jones High School, Dr. Reddick has many memories growing up in "Black Orlando" that reflect his humble beginnings and a legacy that transcends his origins. Moving to Orlando in 1944, a first grader at the time, Dr. Reddick became an unwitting protagonist in the struggle against discrimination and academic bias. In an interview reflecting on his life, he vividly recounted how his precociousness in reading as a young boy led to admiration and adversity. His ability to read set him apart from his peers, a circumstance that placed him in a position to help others but also made him a target for ridicule and physical intimidation. Education was his beacon. A young Alzo devoured books from Mrs. Vivian Jackson, Orange County's first Black librarian. Her influence ignited a lifelong passion for learning. Though he struggled with math, football provided opportunities. He played for Jones High School and attended Paul Quinn College in Texas on a football scholarship. Transitioning to an academic scholarship, he excelled in history. With degrees from Florida A&M University and Nova University, Dr. Reddick's remarkable journey stands as a testament to mentorship and the resilience of the human spirit. An Assignment that would further propel his journey, Dr. Reddick served in the 2nd Infantry Division as a medic. There “I was a proper American”
Reddick says. Upon returning to Orlando, he acquired a position with Orange County Public Schools as a history teacher at Phillis Wheatley Elementary which was statistically the worst school in Orange County according to Reddick. Then during segregation, he went on to teach at Winter Park High School which was subsequently predominantly white. Being the first Black man to teach at the school, his knowledge was challenged by his colleagues during this tumultuous time of segregation. From there, he became an assistant dean and adjunct professor at Rollins College. His next journey would take him to The University of Central Florida, where he founded the Defense in Transition (DTS) and Soldiers to Scholars (STS) programs. Simultaneously, he served as a Representative in the House of Representatives of the U.S. state of Florida. While serving as a representative for 18 years, he accomplished significant legislative milestones. Notably, he was pivotal in amending the Florida Constitution, allowing black commissioners to be elected in single-member districts. Dr. Alzo Reddick was a tireless advocate for progress, equality, and education throughout his life. He passionately pursued initiatives like the Juneteenth legislation and visited close custody institutions to engage with incarcerated individuals. He finds joy in witnessing milestones for the Black community. His life's work inspires future generations, urging them to find their talents and contribute to a more equitable and educated society.
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