Miss Smith Goes to Wharton!

I am simply overjoyed to report that Miss Tonjanka Smith has been accepted into the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business. We reported on Miss Smith back in January after she participated in the Sanford MLK Oratorical Contest. She plans to major in Business, specializing in Economics/Finance. She will then go on to earn a master’s degree in Legal Studies, concentrating on nonprofit organizations.

The Wharton School of Business is considered to be the preeminent business school in the world. Many Fortune 500 CEOs, government leaders and billionaires attended Wharton, including Donald Trump, JD Power, Donny Deutsch and Warren Buffett.

This young lady is bound for great things. Many young people will go on to college this year (even prestigious schools like Wharton) and do great things. However, I am so encouraged by this news because Miss Smith is not only going with brilliance, dreams and confidence, she is going with a heart to serve. Because of this, we all will reap the benefits. Let's pray for our young people.

All is Not Fair in the War on Drugs

Unfortunately, I know quite a few brothers locked up in jail. Most of them are there in some way because of crack cocaine. Mostly for the sale of it. Many for the use of it. Some for both. So I’m ecstatic to hear that congress is dealing with the unjust sentences given out for crack.

Crack cocaine has caused severe devastation in my community and family. It would take a book to address the many ways in which crack has affected blacks. In fact, many have been written. One way crack has caused irreparable damage to the community is through depletion of black males who have been sucked into the prison system.

Years ago, the government declared “war on drugs.” Back in the eighties, under President Reagan, a drug czar was established. This sounds great right? Get rid of the drugs. Clean up the neighborhoods.

However, what ended up happening is black males came under attack. They were profiled, targeted, rounded up and locked away. And there was no mercy. In fact, mandatory minimum sentences made sure judges weren't allowed to have mercy on people selling crack.

So imagine 18 year old Tommie. He doesn’t do that great in school. He finds out he’s not going to get a diploma because he doesn’t pass the FCAT. So Tommie looks for another means to make a living. He gets caught with a relatively small amount of crack (but enough to know he’s probably planning to sell it). So when Tommie should be in college, he will be in prison. He gets out of jail in his mid-twenties with a felony conviction. So he can’t get a job. He doesn’t have any skills or education. Now what? Tommie goes back to selling crack. But now he has a kid or two. He gets caught again and winds up in prison during the time when he should be raising his children. His children now have no father and quite likely will end up repeating this cycle.

War is tough huh? Especially when you’re on the losing side. But all is fair in war right? Well maybe not this war. Currently, the minimum sentence for being caught with 5 grams of crack is 5 years. But guess what someone across the tracks would get for carrying 499 grams of powdered cocaine. Maybe just a misdemeanor charge and a maximum of 1 year in jail.

Some would argue this is one reason for the large numbers of black and Hispanic males in prison. They are not the largest users of crack cocaine. However, blacks and Hispanics make up 92% of those incarcerated for crack cocaine under federal guidelines. Is this fair?

The Senate recently passed the Fair Sentencing Act (S.1789) which would reduce the mandatory minimum sentence for possession of crack cocaine from 100 times that of people convicted of carrying powdered cocaine to 18 times the sentence. This could result in 4000 fewer prisoners in 10 years. You can go to www.thomas.gov to find out more about the bill. Also, to make sure this bill becomes a law as soon as possible, contact your representative through the Capitol Switchboard at 202) 224-3121. Or go to www.house.gov to email your representative. Click on “write your representative” and you’ll be directed to the right person.

Black Marriage Day 2010: Why Did I Get Married?

The problems in the black community are complex, even daunting. The negative statistics are endless. Premature death rates, divorce rates, incarceration rates, juvenile delinquency rates. Depressing. But we have always known to look to the hills for hope. And there is hope. There are solutions. One very powerful and attainable solution is marriage. When you add healthy marriage into the equation, all of the above negative rates are significantly improved and even reversed. How refreshing!

The benefits to children are immense. Children in homes with married parents are less delinquent, have fewer behavioral problems, higher self esteem, better educational outcomes and are more likely to delay sex. These benefits are particularly significant among males. However, these benefits can not be attained in any other way, not in single parent homes or with parents who are just cohabitating (shacking).

There are also huge benefits for adults. Married adults have more income, happier and longer lives, better health and greater accumulation of wealth. Contrary to popular myths, married couples also have better sex!

This could be revolutionary for our communities. Good marriage equals higher property values, lower crime and better schools. Because improving marriage can have such a positive effect on communities, many faith-based and community groups participate in Black Marriage Day. The National Pan Hellenic Council in association with the Masonic Lodge Brothers of Jupiter Lodge #22 and Mocha Moms of Orlando, Inc. have decided to bring Black Marriage Day to Central Florida.

Black Marriage Day 2010 will be held Sunday, March 28 at 5 pm. The community is welcome to come out and Celebrate the Joy of Marriage at Jupiter Lodge located at 420 S. Tampa Ave. in Orlando. The theme is Real Love vs. Puppy Love. There will be refreshments, door prizes and fun and healthy discussion about marriage. The groups will also collect medical supplies for Haitian relief. All are welcome, married, divorced, single or in a relationship.

For information about the Central Florida event, send email to nphcorlando@live.com. To find out about the purpose and origin of this nationally celebrated event, go to www.blackmarriageday.com.

Glenn Beck Should be Ashamed of Himself

Last night, I was watching Glenn Beck (shame on me). He was standing at a chalk board like some kind of professor teaching a course on crazy right wing conspiracies. So I kept watching (shame on me). As I watched, I heard him say things like "If Obama isn't a socialist, he sure does hang around a lot of them." Then he proceeded to explain how passage of the health care reform bill is the beginning of the end for America and a sure sign of Armageddon (shame on him). When I first saw Beck years ago, I thought he was a little loony. Then I figured he was a savvy talk show host who knows how to get good ratings. Now I'm sure Beck is an irresponsible demagogue, taking advantage of loose canons without regard to the potential hazard. Sure he might be crazy like a fox. But many of his fans are crazy like "go get your shotguns and form militias" crazy. Shame...shame....shame!

Bill McCollum Doesn't Represent Me

The Attorney General of Florida, Bill McCollum moved to stop health care reform just as the President signed the bill to pass it. McCollum and attorneys general from South Carolina, Nebraska, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Michigan, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington, Idaho and South Dakota filed federal lawsuits against the bill. How sad. How cruel. I'm sure McCollum has great health insurance. He'll never have to worry about getting sick and not getting to get treatment. I'm sure his family members don't have to choose between meals and perscriptions. He doesn't have to worry about coming down with a catasrophic illness, being dropped from a plan, and losing his life savings. But he is running for Governor in the upcoming elections. This is his way to make a name for himself. Never mind all the people who need health care. These lawsuits are a ridiculous waste of tax dollars. Bill McCollum does not represent me or most Floridians. He should not get to spend my money this way. Floridians can call him and let him know how you feel at 1-866-966-7226.

The President Makes History Again

President Obama will sign the historic health care reform legislation today. Many have tried for decades to make health care a benefit of American citizenship. Obama was able to make it happen. This achievement will certainly be noted in the history books.

Some changes will take place immediately. Seniors will get $250 rebates for the Medicare drug coverage gap. Also, young adults will be allowed to stay on their parents' plans until age 26.

In the short term, insurance companies can't deny coverage to children because they are already sick or had a sickness in the past.

Also, insurance companies won't be able to cancel people because they get sick. This is one of the biggest insurance company abuses. People pay premiums for years. Then when they get sick and need a return on their investment, the insurance companies drop them. This happened to my mom. She worked, paid for insurance, then got cancer and got dropped. Imagine the emotional distress this causes to someone who is already facing a life-threatening illness. Now this person will have to worry about how he or she will pay for treatment and hospitalization. My mother was lucky. I've seen many who were not so lucky, who died unnecessarily because of lack of medical care.

By 2014 no one will be denied because of preexisting conditions. People will be able to get tax credits to help pay for insurance. Medicaid will be expanded to cover more people. For example, a family of 4 with a household income of $88,000 will be eligible for some benefits.

Eventually, the number of uninsured will drop by more than half.
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Call Your Representative Before the Vote

It is so important for regular everyday American citizens like you and me to get in the debate over Health Care reform. Let Congress know if you support the President. If you don't speak up, politicians and insurance companies will make the decision based on their interests. You can quickly call your representative before Congress votes this weekend by dialing 1-866-783-2462.