Share on Facebook

Gemini One Films in association with Private Side Media

presents WE REMEMBER RAINES , a documentary about the history and legacy of William M Raines High School, Jacksonville, FL

Exclusive Premiere: WE Remember Raines February 25, 2012 – 7:00p

William M Raines Auditorium Jacksonville, FL

http://www.facebook.com/events/324810967557072/

http://werememberraines.tumblr.com

Director: Emanuel Washington
… Executive Director: Andrew Wright
Narrators: Ben Frazier and GeneDotCom
Photography: Tamica Jackson and Donnell Bennett
Assistant Director/Producer: Diallo Sekou
Film Editor: Maxie Coleman
Music Director: Tony White
Theme Song: Tru.Ski The Transmitter
Graphic Design: E. Street Paperie

For more information contact ewashington@nokturnalescape.com or call (904) 465-6891

sponsored by
Nokturnal Escape Entertainment, LLC http://www.nokturnalescape.com/
Eartha MM White Legacy Fund http://www.jaxcf.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=530
Jacksonville Free Press http://jacksonvillefreepress.com/
“Still Raines”
William M Raines High School National Alumni Association
Blinkvirtualbuzz.com http://blinkvirtualbuzz.com/

Share on Facebook

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama and former first lady Laura Bush will celebrate the groundbreaking for a new national museum showcasing black life, art and history on the National Mall.

The Smithsonian Institution announced Wednesday that Obama will speak at the Feb. 22 groundbreaking for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Actress Phylicia Rashad will host the event.

Early construction work has already begun at the museum site near the Washington Monument. Officials have said the museum is on track to open in 2015. Congress has pledged to provide half the cost of the $500 million museum project.

Designers for the project have been planning a layered bronze structure with a stone base.

Bush serves on the museum’s advisory council with Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones and others.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Share on Facebook

Last week I wrote a column entitled, “Roland Martin Is Not GLAAD.”  In that column, I discussed the unfair treatment of TV personality, Roland Martin.

I thought I was finished writing about this issue and was prepared to move on.  But, after receiving tons of phone calls, voicemails, and emails about Tom Joyner’s “Letter to Roland:  Make It Right,” I feel compelled to make another comment about the Martin affair                                                              

(http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=blog_inner/37029/1573138/The%20Fly%20Jock).

There are so many more important things we should be discussing, but I can’t let Roland be thrown under the bus alone.

In his letter to Roland, Joyner states in part, “his radio show’s goal is to entertain and empower black people.”

Oh, really?  Joyner is the same person who wrote in his blog on July 1. 2011, “About a month ago, I wrote a blog about Tavis Smiley and decided to table it because I said some things I didn’t want to publish. You’re probably thinking I went too hard on him, but no. In reality, I hadn’t gone hard enough – and I knew it. I said I’d wait until something pissed me off so bad that I would have the words harsh enough to express what I was really feeling about him and his side piece [emphasis added]- I mean side kick – Cornel West.  Let me explain this to my non Black readers.

Remember, in my column last week I quoted linguist, S.I. Hayakaw as saying, “meanings are in people, not in words.”

When Joyner called Cornel West Tavis’ “side piece,” it meant they were sexual partners, in other words, they were gay!  GLAAD didn’t utter one word when Joyner made this statement.  Joyner was implying that there was something wrong with this.  Where was the gay outrage at this insinuation?

Let’s cut through all the clutter and get to what this debate is really all about.  This has little to do with Roland Martin—he is just a convenient punching bag.  This is about gays trying to force their views on society.  They have not been able to do it through the law, so they just use good ole fashioned extortion and fear.

They have snookered Black ministers like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton into equating gay rights with civil rights.  They have groups like the NAACP spending more time fighting for gay rights than they do for civil rights.

If this is about understanding, why do we hear so much silence?  Liberal groups like the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) went so far as to issue a press release asking CNN to hire one of their members while Roland is on suspension!  Yes, you heard right!  Roland is a two time national board member and a life member of the group and as opposed to trying to support one of their own, they seek to replace Roland with one of their other members.  According to NABJ’s press release, “In lieu of his presence on CNN, until this matter is resolved, we encourage the network to continue to present a diverse offering of voices in its programming.”  Roland, with friends like these, you definitely don’t need any enemies.

So, in the spirit of understanding, I have a few questions for Joyner and CNN.

Tom, in your letter, you said you were “head of the family.”  So, as head of the family, have you had a direct conversation with Roland since this issue surfaced?  Why would you put out your statement on Friday, when Roland had already apologized and agreed to meet with GLAAD?  What was the purpose of the letter after 5 days of silence?  Did it really take you that long to think of a statement, or did GLAAD force your hand like the rest of the liberal Black community?  You further state that Roland should make “a sincere apology.”  Can you tell me what that looks like?  Who will decide if Roland is “sincere?”  I am having a difficult time finding your apology to Tavis and Cornel for calling them gay.  Can you post that on your site for us to read?  Remember, you said in your letter to Roland, “the job of the offender is simply to apologize and learn a lesson about what to say or do going forward.”

CNN, especially Mark Whitaker I have a few questions for you also.  Whitaker is Executive Vice President and managing editor for CNN Worldwide (and is also the highest ranking Black in the network).  In your statement you say, “language that demeans is inconsistent with the values and culture of our organization.”  Can you tell me exactly who Roland demeaned and how?  Can you define for me what the values and culture of your organization is?  Have you given Roland the courtesy of a direct conversation with you before the suspension?  Now that Roland has agreed to meet with GLAAD, can you tell me what will determine when you put Roland back on the air?

Tom’s letter to Roland was signed, “Tom Joyner.”  I wonder if he left the word uncle off on purpose, or maybe he just thought it would be redundant!

In many ways, Joyner and GLAAD are very similar.  Both claim to seek understanding and promote equality among people, but, neither gave it to Roland Martin.  So, in a way, Tom Joyner is GLAAD.

If you want to show your love and support for Roland, I encourage each of you to make three calls and send three emails.  Tom Joyner’s phone number is:  972-789-1058; Mark Whitaker’s number and email are:  212-275-7800 (markwhitaker@turner.com); Jim Walton (president of CNN world wide) 404-827-1500 (jim.walton@turner.com).

Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a D.C.-public relations/government affairs firm.  He is also a contributing editor for ExcellStyle Magazine (www.excellstyle.com), Freedom’s Journal Magazine (www.freedomsjournal.net), and U.S. Africa Magazine (www.usafricaonline.com).

Share on Facebook

Kingsley Heritage Celebration 2012:  The War of Jubilee

Jacksonville, FL:  The National Park Service invites the public to the 14th Annual Kingsley Heritage Celebration.  This year the event focuses on the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which was called by many as the War of Jubilee.  This tumultuous time in our history signaled the end of bondage for more than four million enslaved African Americans.  In this conflict, African Americans fought as soldiers, worked as spies, and spoke out against the horrors of slavery.  This years celebration honors the role of African Americans in the Civil War as our nation remembers this important anniversary.

Special afternoon events will be held on February 18th and 25th, and are sponsored by the National Park Services Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve.  These events are free and open to the public.  The goal of this annual celebration is to allow the local community to explore cultural traditions found in modern American society that originated during the plantation period.

These events are a celebration of the determination and perseverance of the human spirit to survive against incredible odds, explains Superintendent Barbara Goodman.  The goal is to present this history in meaningful ways to our community. The arts have united people through the ages, and it will help us learn more about our shared history through the cultural influences that we hear and see every day.

Surrounded by ancient live oaks and stately palms, Kingsley Plantation overlooks the Fort George River on Fort George Island in the Timucuan Preserve. The rich and diverse history of the plantation includes the story of wealthy English planter Zephaniah Kingsley and his wife Anna Madgigine Jai, who was born in Senegal and purchased by Kingsley as a slave. The history also includes the stories of the men, women, and children who struggled to survive enslavement, in an era when wealth was sometimes measured in human property.

Kingsley Plantation is a unit of the National Park Services Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve in Jacksonville. Zephaniah Kingsley owned and operated a 1,000-acre plantation on the island during the first half of the nineteenth century. In addition to the scheduled events, visitors may also visit the grounds that include the original plantation house, kitchen house, barn, and the remains of 25 tabby slave cabins.  The Plantation house is itself Floridas oldest standing (1798) plantation era structure.

The grounds offer perhaps the most graphic evidence of slave living quarters and daily life experiences in the state, if not the South.

Located off Heckscher Drive/A1A one-half mile north of the St. Johns River ferry landing, Kingsley Plantation is open daily, at no charge, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.  For more information, call 904.251.3537, or go to http://www.nps.gov/timu, where you can access this full text press release and detailed biographies of the presenters and performers.

Details of the events are as follows:

Saturday, February 18:

1:30 p.m. – Rose Person, a Harriet Tubman reenactor, will recite poetry and explain Harriet Tubmans role in the Civil War as a spy, nurse, and occasional laundress, including her role in the Civil War events of Jacksonville.  Ms. Persons performances with the Tubman African American Museum have been lauded as deeply moving.

2:00 p.m. – Sparky and Rhonda Rucker, folk musicians, will present their poignant performance  The Blue and Gray in Black and White,  the story of the Civil War told through music and song. In over forty years of performing, Sparky and Rhonda have performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival as well as NPR’s On Point, Prairie Home Companion, Mountain Stage, and Morning Edition.

Kids Corner:  Throughout the day, park staff will present childrens activities relating to the Civil War and the Underground Railroad.  Kids will be able to design their own drums, make a rag doll to take home and even send secret messages like Civil War spies.

The Kingsley Plantation Main House will be open for viewing from 10 am until 1:30 pm.

Saturday, February 25:

1:00 p.m. -54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the first all-black regiment of the Civil War, a group of soldiers that paved the way for other black men to join the Union army, in the form of the United States Colored Troops (USCT), will be the topic of the day.

Volunteers from the local reenacting group, which portrays the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, will be on hand to discuss the experiences of the first all-black regiment of the Civil War.  The original regiment spent time in Northeast Florida during the Civil War.

Park rangers and volunteers in period costumes will demonstrate various tasks involved in the operation of a large plantation.  Demonstrations will include cooking, spinning, weaving, dyeing with indigo, woodworking, and gardening.

For more information, please call Kingsley Plantation at (904) 251-3537 or visit http://www.nps.gov/timu.

Like us on Facebook at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve and follow us on Twitter @TimucuanNPS.

Best Wishes,
Emily Palmer, Park Guide
Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve Kingsley Plantation
11676 Palmetto Ave.
Jacksonville, FL 32226
(904) 251-3537-office
(904) 251-3577-fax
Emily_Palmer@nps.gov

Share on Facebook

Share on Facebook

The Solution

Share on Facebook

Proud mother: Oprah Winfrey joins her ‘daughters’ at their graduation ceremony in South African on Saturday

She complemented the design by wearing striking eyeshadow and teased her hair into soft waves along with a pair of avocado coloured drop earrings.

Oprah, 57, described herself as a proud mother during the momentous occasion which involved classes of singing and dancing young ladies celebrating their success dressed in demure white frocks.



People in high places: The philanthropist did her best to hold back tears as the Nelson Mandela’s wife Graca Machel embraced her

She said: ‘I have never been more proud to know, to grow, and to call myself Mam Oprah to you girls.’

Listing the blows they have experienced: ‘Divorce. Violence. Molestation. The loss of one parent. The loss of another parent. Sorrow. Sadness. Grief,’ Winfrey also praised the teachers, administrators, social workers, psychologists and family members she said had ensured the students succeeded by starting early and staying late.


Fighting back tears through the applause, one of her 72 students graduating out of 75 who started, took to the podium to speak which prompted more reaction from the star who has been dubbed the richest African American of the 20th Century.

Mashadi Kekana said: “Mam Oprah, thank you for showing us that we’re not just girls, but girls with greater purpose in this world.”

Founded in 2007 with $40 million from Oprah, the school has faced criticism for focusing on a select few in a country that struggles to meet basic education needs.

Momentous day: The star was joined by Nelson Mandela’s wife, Graca Machel, for the ceremony in Henley-on-Klep

Looking gorgeous: The 57-year-old wore a Grecian green gown to celebrate

The American television personality added: ‘When you invest in the leadership of girls, you invest in the leadership of a nation.


‘Because every one of these girls will serve herself, her family, her community and this country, in ways that are yet to amaze you. Just wait to be amazed by these girls.’

Today Oprah also welcomed a special guest in the form of Graca Machel, wife of former South Africa president, Nelson Mandela.

The pair hugged and beamed at each other as families and the world’s media observed their union.

Winfrey told reporters after the ceremony that her girls would continue to be able to rely on her support. A counseling unit had been set up to help all the graduates budget time, money and priorities while in university.

The Class of 2011: Her girls were decked out in angelic white uniforms

Friday was more of a light-hearted day on the educational premises.

She was seen laughing, joking and dancing with the young women, whom she apparently teaches in classes via satellite.

Her graduating students are all headed to universities across South Africa and the United States, undergoing courses in various subjects including medicine, law, engineering and economics.

Oprah says she is cut out for the job because she hasn’t forgotten her roots.

So proud: The world’s media watched on as the TV personality spoke about all 72 girls’ achievements

Across South Africa, more than half a million members of the class of 2011 disappeared before the 496,000 remaining took their final exams, and only a quarter of those who graduated did well enough to qualify for university study, according to government figures.


She said: ‘I know what it’s like to be a poor girl with your heart’s desire to do well in the world. I chose to use my philanthropy to do what I know.’

While the venture has proved rewarding and fruitful, it has not always been an easy ride for founder Oprah.

Shortly after the school was opened, a dormitory matron was accused of abusing teenagers.

The former chat show host, who has spoken out about being abused as a child, said she was ‘profoundly’ disappointed when the woman was acquitted in 2010.

Happy days: Yesterday was less emotional as she sang and danced with her students

Five years ago, 11-and 12-year-old girls arrived who had never used a computer before. They went  to primary schools that lacked enough desks and chairs and were raised by grandmothers or older siblings after losing parents to AIDS or cancer. 

Winfrey notes the graduates were born in 1994, the year apartheid ended…she stated “You are free. You are free to rise. You are free to soar.” Later, Oprah Winfrey was in tears as she is joined by Nelson Mandela’s wife at her South African girls’ school graduation.

Share on Facebook

Purchase Tickets
http://theatrer.org/ResultsTicket.aspx?evtid=1794657&event=Gladys+Knight&ppcsrc=9147468147&nid=1

Share on Facebook

”Bonding is one of the ways we’ve avoided facing the consequences of mass incarceration in our state,”  said April Young, the Collins Center’s Vice President for Justice Initiatives, “but we simply cannot afford this.”

Florida’s prison population has increased significantly over the past three decades.  The number of inmates grew from just under 20,000 in 1980 to more than 102,000 in 2010.  This growth was accompanied by a spike in public spending on prisons.  In 1980, the Corrections budget was $169 million. In FY2010-11, it jumped to nearly $2.4 billion.

To fund the cost of prison construction while meeting the constitutional requirement to balance the state budget, Florida – like many states – resorted to a complicated system of borrowing through the issuing of lease revenue bonds – a type of certificate of debt issued by government or other public entities to raise money. Lease revenue bonding has become a common means to achieve a balanced state budget. However, it is not well understood by the general public even as it obligates them to considerable debt well into the future.

“Florida’s taxpayers owe more than $1 billion, or about $200 per household, to pay for recently built state prisons,” said Dominic M. Calabro, President and CEO of Florida TaxWatch.  “Borrowing to build more prisons is not the way Florida should be addressing public safety.  Florida needs to enact comprehensive smart justice reforms that keep us safe while saving us money.”

Among the findings detailed in the report:

Ø  There is currently $721.7 million in prison bonding debt outstanding requiring future payments of approximately $1 billion when debt service and interest payments are included.

Ø  The exponential increase in the prison population in recent years cannot be explained by increasing crime rates, since crime rates have steadily declined in the past 20 years.

Ø  Florida leads the nation in incarceration rates and stringency in law and sentencing, making its criminal justice system among the most punitive of the 50 states as measured by more than 40 variables, including average prison sentences, life imprisonment, and prison conditions.

Ø  43 percent of the total cost of prison construction and expansion between 2006 and 2010 was paid for by issuing lease revenue bonds.

The report outlines some of the policy choices in Florida that have led to the increases in the prison population.  It describes the wide range of criminal justice reforms undertaken in other states that are successfully reducing prison populations and saving significant money without endangering public safety. It recommends:

Ø   A moratorium on any new bonding to build prisons until the Governor and Legislature fully disclose to the public the all costs created by the use of prison bonding and give citizens voice in determining whether they want to pay for criminal justice policies that result in the growth of the prison system without increasing public safety.

Ø  Florida legislators seriously review the criminal justice policies and practices which have contributed to the growth of the prison system over the past two decades and have financially strangled the state.

Ø  Florida join the growing number of states that are undertaking a broad range of criminal justice policy reforms led predominantly by conservatives who understand that highly punitive and incarceration-heavy penalties even for minor, non-violent crimes are unsustainable.

To read the report, visit www.CollinsCenter.org. Named after Florida Gov. LeRoy Collins, the nonprofit Collins Center is independent, nonpartisan and dedicated to advancing the understanding of important public policy issues.

Florida TaxWatch is a statewide non-partisan, non-profit research institute that over its 31 year history has become widely recognized as the watchdog of citizens’ hard-earned tax dollars.  Its mission is to provide the citizens of Florida and public officials with high quality, independent research and education on government revenues, expenditures, taxation, public policies and programs and to increase the productivity and accountability of Florida state and local government. Its support comes from homeowners and retirees, small and large businesses, philanthropic foundations, and professional associations. On the web atwww.FloridaTaxWatch.org.

# # #

Tracey Lowe

Tallahassee Communications Manager

Tallahassee Operations Manager

tlowe@collinscenter.org
www.CollinsCenter.org

2630 Centennial Place, Suite 2

Tallahassee, FL  32308
Office: 850-219-0082, ext. 1413
Fax: 850-219-0491

Share on Facebook