Volume 23 – Number 8JULY / AUGUST 2016$3.50 onyxmagazine.com

E N T E R T A I N S , I N S P I R E S A N D I N F O R M S

JAXPORTWELCOMES CARNIVAL ELATION

50

INTRODUCING THE 26 FLORIDA

LEGISLATIVE BLACK CAUCUS

MEMBERS

ALITHE GOAT, THE GREATEST

OF ALL TIME

YEARS OF DEMOCRATIC PROGRESS IS IN JEOPARDY

contents

11 Massacre at the Pulse Nightclub

18 Urban Introspective: Abandonment, Lies and Neglect of 5 Pinellas County Schools

20 Politics: Fifty Years of Democratic Progress is in Jeopardy

24 How To Ace Going Back To School: What Every Parent Should Know

26 Talking to Your Children about Mental Illness

27 Girls and Bullying: Pain and Potential PTSD

28 Nutrition & Wellness: Healthy Eating Away from Home

30 Food & Wine: Meditating with Wine

36 Business: Jaxport Welcomes Carnival Elation During National Tourism Week

40 ONYX Black History Master’s Shadow

48 ONYX Educates: A Time Honored Tradition

MUHAMMAD ALIThe Goat, The Greatest of All Time8

18

26

20

36 40

24

COVER STORY

4 ONYX MAGAZINE

INTRODUCING THE 26 FLORIDA LEGISLATIVE

BLACK CAUCUS MEMBERS O N E / F L O R I D A P R I M A R Y

ONYX MAGAZINE 5

FROM THE PUBLISHER

RICHARD E. “RICH” BLACK

Devoted Readers,

Welcome to the July/August issue of ONYX Magazine. First and foremost, I want to express our condolences to all the victims’ families and friends of those who were injured or killed at the Pulse Nightclub located in our hometown, Orlando, FL, as well as the parents and family of two (2) year old Lane Graves of Elk Horn, NE, who was killed in the alligator attack at the Grand Floridian hotel’s Seven Seas Lagoon.

On the cover, we honor the greatest professional boxer of all times who could “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee,” the one and only Muhammad Ali. He was not only an exceptional athlete but also a man who stood strong in what he believed in, especially involving politics and religion. Ali will truly be missed by everyone worldwide.

We also introduced to you the twenty-six (26) Florida Black Legislators as well as recognizing the chair, Senator Geraldine F. Thompson of District 12, who is also running for Congress. Senator Arthenia Joyner, Senator Audrey Gibson, Senator Chris Bullard, and Senator Oscar Braynon, II are also being featured.

As always we remain committed to providing inspiring, informative and entertaining information to you, our readers. Please contact us and share your thoughts and opinions at info@onyxmagazine.com or give us a call at 321.418.7136.

Enjoy!

Rich

JULY/AUGUST 2016

PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEFRichard E. ‘Rich’ Black

MANAGING EDITORTowanna Hogue

ASSOCIATE EDITORGwen Belton

DESIGN DIRECTORVernon Greene

DESIGN EDITORJason Jones

ADVERTISING DIRECTORDavid Williams

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTORMatt deJager

COMMUNITY RELATIONS MANAGERMaria Barnes

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTCynthia Slaughter

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Hannah DrakeWilliam JacksonBernard W.H. JenningsZelda JonesSteven King

Eric A. PettusDr. Delvena ThomasTonyaa WeathersbeeRoniece Weaver

CIRCULATION DIRECTORSEugene Leach and Alice Leach

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERSBud Dorsey

Sean Waddell, Sr.

ONYX ADVISORY COMMITTEEMichelle Tatom, Chairperson

Johnny Rivers, Chairman Emeritus

Bob Berryhill Alma C. Horne Dr. Lavon Bracy Rodney HurstByron Brooks Larry Lee, Jr.Mable Butler Eric KnowlesDr. Cynthia Chesnut Zita Steglich-RossJames Clark Margaret J. ThompsonJohn Crossman Alan WilliamsKeydrum Dinkins Dr. Samuel Lamar Wright

FOUNDERS

Lester and Lillian Seay

ONYX is published by RBlack and Associates, LLC, Address: P.O. Box 555672, Orlando, Florida 32855-5872 Phone (407) 451-2891, or (407) 298-0544. Subscription rate is $19.95 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 2015 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.

Tom JoynerLifetime Achievement Award

Maurice StarrPerforming Arts Award

Coca-Cola Beverages Florida

Business Award

Ribault Girls Basketball TeamONYX Spotlight

Orlando Magic Minority Male Youth Summit

Gino Nicholas Mentoring Award

Derrick BrooksLifetime Achievement

Award-Sports

Mark E. NeJameHumanitarian Award

Alachua County Branch of the NAACP

Community Service Award

Terry PratherPublisher Award

Gayle AndrewsCommunications Award

University of Central Florida

Diversity Award

H O N O R E E S

12TH ANNUAL

ONYX AWARDS 2016

T H E G O A T , T H E G R E A T E S T O F A L L T I M ETowanna Hogue

MUHAMMAD ALI, BORN CASSIUS MARCELLUS CLAY, JR., in Louisville, KY (January 17, 1942 - June 3, 2016) was an Amer-ican gold medalist, three-time world heavyweight boxing cham-pion, philanthropist, activist, devoted husband and father, died of complications from septic shock at the age of 74 in a hospital located in Phoenix, AZ. He also suffered from Parkinson’s disease for more than 30 years.

Muhammad Ali was not just admired for his athletic gift and buoyant personality but also for his political, religious and social stances. In 2005, Ali was awarded the Presidential Medal of Free-dom from President George W. Bush, and in the same year the $60 million Muhammad Ali Center, a nonprofit museum and cultural center focusing on peace and social responsibility, opened in his hometown of Louisville, KY.

AliMUHAMMAD

8 ONYX MAGAZINE

Dee Muldrow said, “Muhammad Ali gave us a lot of great moments in the box-ing ring, but what he may be remembered for just as much is his quick wit and his biting quotes. Ali never shied away from jumping into racial issues and making his opinions known. ‘The Greatest’ was also perhaps the world’s most popular Muslim, and he never stopped defending his reli-gion. Always, Forever “The Greatest.”

Many were in attendance to not only celebrate his life, but to honor and pay their respects to Ali as well as his family. Fifteen thousand (15,000) people attended the funeral and over 100,000 people turned out for the funeral procession. The actual memorial service was about three hours long, and was held at the ‘KFC Yum Center’ in downtown Louisville, KY. Bob Gunnell, a family spokesperson said, “Muhammad wanted this to be a free event, an event that was open to all.”

Muhammad Ali’s current wife Lon-nie Ali said in one of many eulogies, “Muhammad indicated that when the end came for him, he wanted to use his life

and his death as a teaching moment. He wanted to remind people who are suffering that he had seen the face of injustice. He never became bitter enough to quit or engage in violence.”

Ali’s children were in attendance; Laila Ali, Rasheda Ali, Hana Ali, Maryum Ali, Jamillah Ali, Khaliah Ali, Muham-mad Ali Jr., Miya Ali and Asaad Ali. Will Smith, Lennox Lewis, and Mike Tyson were pallbearers. In attendance were Spike Lee, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ambassa-dor Shabazz, Whoopi Goldberg, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Sugar Ray Leonard, Evander Holyfield, David Beckham, Don King, Bernard Hopkins, Former NBA coach Pat Riley, and Martin Luther King III. Bry-ant Gumbel, comedian Billy Crystal and former President Bill Clinton gave a eulogy. Bill Clinton actually gave the final speech, where he talked about Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic torch in Atlanta in 1996.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Jordan’s King Abdullah II were in attendance as well as Jesse Jackson, Yusuf

Islam, Imam Zaid Shakir, Donnie Simp-son, Arsenio Hall, Larry Holmes, George Foreman, Jim Brown, Omari Hardwick, Hamid Karzai, actor/rapper Common, and former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis.

President Barack Obama unfortunately was unable to attend but Valerie Jarrett, one of his advisors read a statement where he said Ali helped inspire him to “believe he could be anything, even President of the United States.” Ali, he said, “I am Amer-ica. I am the part you won’t recognize. But get used to me — black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own. Get used to me.” Obama added that “the Ali I came to know,” was not just “as skilled a poet on the mic as he was a fighter in the ring, but a man who fought for what was right. A man who fought for us. He stood with King and Mandela; stood up when it was hard; spoke out when others wouldn’t.”

Family member Sean Waddell Sr., rem-inisced about his Muhammad Ali and stated, “Basically, Ali instilled self confi-dence in me as a kid. He’d always come to his aunt’s barbershop which is my grand-mother, Eva Clay Waddell, to get fellow-ship and get his haircut. He’d also come to Aunt Coretta’s house which was a local bakery. He later took Aunt Coretta to his Deer Lake, PA training camp as his cook. Ali was always about family and his father, Uncle Cash made sure that we were always together, self-confident and taught us to always walk tall no matter the circum-stances even as a young Black man!”

We will always love and admire you champ! Rest in peace!

ONYX MAGAZINE 9

ONYX Magazine extends our deepest condolences and sympathies to all of the fam-ilies, friends and loved ones

of the people who lost their lives or where injured at the Pulse Nightclub on June 12. It saddens us that such a cowardly act of terrorism continues to stem from fear and hatred because of differences in race, religion or sexual orientation. This massacre is consid-ered the worse mass shooting in U.S. history and unfortunately happened in our beautiful city, Orlando, FL.

The City of Orlando released the fol-lowing names of the 49 victims killed in the shooting: Edward Sotomayor Jr. (34); Stanley Almodovar III (23); Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo (20); Juan Ramon Guerrero (22); Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera (36); Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz (22); Luis S. Vielma (22); Kimberly Morris (37); Eddie Jamoldroy Justice (30); Darryl Roman Burt II (29); Deonka Deidra Drayton (32); Alejandro Barrios Mar-tinez (21); Anthony Luis Laureano-disla Disla (25); Jean Carlos Mendez Perez (35); Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez (50); Amanda Alvear (25); Martin Benitez Torres (33); Luis Daniel

Wilson-Leon (37); Mercedez Marisol Flores (26); Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado (35); Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez (25); Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez (31); Oscar A Aracena-Mon-tero (26); Enrique L. Rios, Jr. (25); Miguel Angel Honorato (30); Javier Jorge-Reyes (40); Joel Rayon Pani-agua (32); Jason Benjamin Josaphat (19); Cory James Connell (21); Juan P. Rivera Velazquez (37); Luis Daniel Conde (39); Shane Evan Tomlinson (33); Juan Chevez-Martinez (25); Jer-ald Arthur Wright (31); Leroy Valentin Fernandez (25); Tevin Eugene Crosby (25); Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega (24); Jean C. Nives Rodriguez (27); Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala (33); Brenda Lee Marquez McCool (49); Yilmary Rodri-guez Solivan (24); Christopher Andrew Leinonen (32); Angel L. Candelar-io-Padro (28); Frank Hernandez (27); Paul Terrell Henry (41); Antonio Davon Brown (29); Akyra Monet Murray (18); Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez (25); Chris-topher Joseph Sanfeliz (24). Please keep their families in your thoughts and prayers.

President Barack Obama said of the horrific shooting that killed 50 people,

“This was an act of terror and an act of hate. Americans have to decide if having easy access to firearms is “the kind of country we want to be.” This marks the 15th time that the President has had to address the nation after a mass shooting. It is time to address and change our country’s lax gun laws especially with people under inves-tigation for terrorism and those who are known to be mentally unstable and mentally ill.

This attack was not just on the gay and lesbian communities but on the country as a whole. All men are cre-ated equal but still there is so much anger, hatred, disrespect and violence displaced on others who are differ-ent than we are. When will it stop? Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., stated, “Dark-ness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” We all need to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We seriously need to think about this especially during the presidential election and other political seats that will be available very soon. We need leaders of peace and love not of anger and hatred.

MASSACRE AT THE PULSE NIGHTCLUB

Towanna Hogue

ONYX MAGAZINE 11

State Senator Geraldine F. Thompson attended Miami Dade Community College and, later, received a John

F. Kennedy/Martin Luther King, Jr. Schol-arship to attend the University of Miami (Coral Gables, Florida). She sought a Mas-ter of Science degree in Communications from Florida State University, where she earned the advanced degree in 1973.

She and her husband Emerson moved to Orlando where she was employed first as a teacher in area public schools and, later, as Director of the Equal Opportunity Office and Assistant to the President at Valencia Community College – a position she held for 24 years. Among her many accomplish-ments at Valencia was the establishment of the “College Reach Out Program (CROP), which enabled thousands of low-income and disadvantaged students to go to college.

As a historian, her passion for history led to the research and compilation of documents that resulted in the publication of her first book in 2003, “Black Amer-ica Series: Orlando, Florida.” She is also credited with preserving The Well’s Built Hotel, which housed some of America’s most prominent citizens, including Jus-tice Thurgood Marshall, Ray Charles, Ella

Fitzgerald, Jackie Robinson and many more. She helped secure funds to convert the hotel into a museum that is known today as The Wells’ Built Museum of Afri-can-American History.

In November 2006, she was elected to serve as the first African-American woman to represent District 39 in the Florida House of Representatives. She was elected Democratic Leader Pro Tempore for the Florida House in 2008. She was elected to the Florida Senate in November 2012 and currently serves on the following com-mittees: Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation Tourism and Economic Development; Community Affairs; Trans-portation; Ethics and Election; Commerce and Tourism; and, the Joint Administra-tive Procedures Committee.

In December 2012, Senator Thomp-son was elected Chairman of the Orange County Legislative Delegation, becoming the first woman and first African-American to hold the leadership position. In 2014, she was named chair of the Florida Wom-en’s Legislative Caucus.

Senator Thompson has received numer-ous accolades, positions and awards to include the following:

The Florida Education Association’s Mary McLeod Bethune Humanitarian Award; The National Education Associa-tion’s Mary Hatwood Futrell Award; Execu-tive Woman Award; Legislative Award from the American Cancer Society; The Martin Luther King Jr. Award from the Greater Orlando Alliance of Black School Educa-tors; Selected by U.S. Congressman Alan Grayson and honored by the U.S. Congress as one of 50 distinguished local women leaders; Florida Director of the National Foundation for Women Legislators; Execu-tive Board Member of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators; The Florida League of Cities 2014 Legislative Appreci-ation Award; The Florida Developmental Disabilities Council Legislative Apprecia-tion Award (2014);Tri-County League of Cities 2016 Senator of the Year Award; Vice Chair of the Florida Black Legislative Cau-cus (2015-2016); Chair of the Florida Leg-islative Black Caucus (2016-2017).

Senator Thompson is married to the Honorable Emerson R. Thompson, Jr. They have three children (Laurise, Emerson III and Elizabeth) and four grandchildren. On October 12, 2015, she announced her candidacy for the United States Congress.

CHAIR OF THE FLORIDA LEGISLATIVE

BLACK CAUCUS

Florida State Senator Geraldine F. Thompson

District 12

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Florida State Representative Bruce Antone is a native of Mobile, Alabama and a longtime resident of Orlando,

Florida. Representative Antone received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engi-neering from the historic Tuskegee University and was inducted into Eta Kappa Nu, an Electrical Engineering Honor Fraternity. He completed one year of Graduate Studies in Electrical Engineering at Tuskegee Univer-sity and served as the Assistant Track Coach for the men’s and women’s track teams while in Graduate School.

Representative Antone began his pro-fessional career at IBM (International Business Machines) in 1983 in Orlando, Florida. He was an Account Systems Engineer, a Regional Application Devel-opment Specialist and Marketing Rep-resentative during his career with IBM. While employed with IBM, he completed IBM’s Systems Engineering and Marketing School in Dallas, Texas, and earned several One Hundred Percent and Branch Man-ager Awards for outstanding achievement.

Representative Antone began his polit-ical and legislative career in 1992. He was employed by the Florida Legislature and served as the Chief Legislative Aide to State Senator Buddy Dyer for a total of eight

years (1992-1999 and 2001-2002). In 1999, Representative Antone

accepted a two-year position with the-Technological Research and Development Authority (TRDA) in Titusville, Florida. While working at the TRDA, he served as the Director of Education, Director of Energy Programs and Director of Minority and Women-Owned Business Programs.

In 2002, Representative Antone was elected to the Florida House of Represen-tative and served from 2002-2006. During this time, he held several leadership posi-tions. He was Vice-Chair of the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee, one of four Democratic Floor Whips and Vice-Chair of the Florida Conference of Black State Legislators. He served as a member of the Agriculture, Education Appropria-tions, Criminal Justice Subcommittee and the Business Regulation and Telecommu-nications committees.

From 2006-2012, Representative Antone served as the Director of Com-munity and Governmental Relations for a non-profit organization in Central Florida, which is dedicated to providing twenty-four hours a day residential care to children that are considered foster children and wards of the State of Florida.

In 2012, Representative Antone was re-elected to the Florida House of Rep-resentatives. He sits on several com-mittees: he is currently the Ranking Democratic member on the General Government Appropriations Subcom-mittee, and a member of the Trans-portation and Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee, Tourism and Economic Development Commit-tee, Education Committee and K-12 Education Committee. Recently, he was elected as the 2016-2017 Vice Chair-man of the Florida Conference of Black State Legislators and the 2016-2017 Chair-Elect of the Central Florida Cau-cus of Black Elected Officials.

Representative Antone’s public service and community involvement is extensive. He was a founding and longtime mem-ber of the African American Council of Christian Clergy (Ministerial Alliance). He is a former member of: the Orange County Planning and Zoning Commis-sion, the Orange Blossom Trail Devel-opment Board, the NAACP and SCLC. A supporter and member of many civic and local organizations that advocate for those individuals and communities that have no voice.

Florida State Representative Bruce Antone

District 46

ONYX MAGAZINE 13

State Representative Randolph Bracy III was born in Jackson-ville, Florida to Randolph Bracy

Jr., the Pastor of the New Covenant Bap-tist Church of Orlando, and Dr. LaVon Wright Bracy. Representative Randolph Bracy went on to pursue his bachelor’s degree at the College of William and Mary where he graduated with a degree in psychology in 1999, and later graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Master’s in business administration and a Master’s degree in sports adminis-tration in 2006.

Representative Bracy served as a polit-ical consultant and school administrator prior to his election to the Florida Leg-islature for the 45th district in 2012. In 2012, following the reconfiguration of Florida House of Representatives districts, he opted to run in the newly created 45th District, which includes Apopka, Ocoee, and Winter Garden and has a minority-majority population. He faced Shannon Currie, a former legisla-tive aide to retiring State Senator Gary Siplin, in the Democratic primary. The Orlando Sentinel endorsed Bracy, prais-ing his “real-world experience in build-

ing partnerships to entice businesses.” In the end, Bracy narrowly defeated Currie, winning with 54% of the vote and a 562 vote margin of victory.

Representative Bracy faced the Repub-lican nominee, Ronny Oliveira, in the general election, and once again, the Sen-tinel endorsed him for his “better artic-ulated vision for improving the district.” As was to be expected in this heavily Democratic district, Representative Bracy defeated Oliveira in a landslide, receiving 69% of the vote, and was sworn into his first term in the Florida House of Repre-sentatives later that year.

In 2014, Representative Bracy was re-elected to his second term without opposition. He serves on various commit-tees, including Finance & Tax, Regulatory Affairs, Economic Affairs Committee and the Criminal Justice Subcommittee. In 2016, Bracy announced that he would run for the Florida Senate in the 11th District, following incumbent State Sen-ator Geraldine Thompson’s decision to run for Congress. Representative Bracy is a small business owner and currently resides in Ocoee, Florida with his wife Alfrea Bracy and their 2 daughters.

Florida State RepresentativeRandolph Bracy, III

District 45

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State Senator Oscar Braynon, II was elected to the Florida Senate to represent Senate District 35 in

March of 2011. District 35 encompasses the majority of Northeast Miami-Dade County and parts of Southern Broward County. Prior to being elected in his cur-rent position, Senator Braynon served as the State Representative for District 103.

Senator Braynon credits his interest in politics to his parents, Oscar and Patricia, who took him to local government meet-ings as a child. He quickly learned that the only way to make a difference in the lives of others was to be an active participant in the political process. His life-long dream became a reality in July of 2003, when at the age of 26 he was elected to serve as a City Councilman of Miami-Dade Coun-ty’s third-largest populated city (Miami Gardens). He made history by becoming one of the youngest politicians ever elected in Miami-Dade County. On June 27, 2005, he was unanimously appointed Vice Mayor of the City of Miami Gardens.

Constituents of Senate District 35 would describe the Senator as an honest and committed public servant, however, he

has long been recognized as a shining star in South Florida for his efforts in giving back to the community’s most vulnerable citizens. Senator Braynon hosts an annual youth invitational basketball tournament, helping children in his community con-structively enjoy spring break. He has also served as a City of Miami Summer Youth Employment Counselor, providing pre-employment training to disadvantaged youth, and has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, 100 Black Men of America, the United Way and he is a men-tor for the 5000 Role Models.

Senator Braynon is always work-ing hard in and out of the legislature to ensure fairness for not only his constitu-ents but every resident of Florida. When he is not working to improve the lives of the citizens of Senate District 35, Sena-tor Braynon serves as a Governmental Consultant and is a wonderful husband to Melissa Fung Braynon and father to Brandon and Oscar Braynon III. He is a graduate of Florida State University and is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Frater-nity, Incorporated.

Florida State Senator Oscar Braynon, II

District 35

ONYX MAGAZINE 15

State Senator Dwight M. Bullard graduated from Florida A&M Uni-versity where he received his B.S. in

history education. Since 2000, he has been a teacher at Coral Reef Senior High School and was sworn into office as representative of District 118 and has been reelected sub-sequently. He served as a member of the agriculture and natural resources policy committee, the Pre K-12 appropriations committee, Pre K-12 education policy committee and the economic development policy committee during his first term. Representative Bullard was a member of the justice appropriations subcommittee, the K-20 competitiveness subcommittee, the agriculture and natural resources sub-committee, and the criminal justice sub-committee for the 2011 legislative session and a member of higher education appro-priation subcommittee for the 2012 legis-lative session. Representative Bullard was named democratic ranking member of the Pre K-12 education policy committee after his first term and became most recently Democrat ranking member of the educa-tion committee.

In November of 2012 he was elected to the Florida Senate. He’s received numerous awards including the Florida Education Association’s Freshman Friend of Public Edu-cation Award, the Florida Education Associ-ation’s Friend of Education Award, and the Florida Association of School Administra-tors’ Next Generation Leader Award. Senator Bullard is also affiliated with the Miami-Dade Democrats, and hence was awarded the Young Democrat’s of Miami Dade Out-standing Leadership Award. The South Dade Democrat, the Ron Brown Democratic Caucus, and the Richmond-Perrine Alumni Chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated, as well as, the J.L. King Prince Hall Masonic Lodge are just a few more of his affiliations.

Senator Bullard is a member of the Rich-mond Heights Homeowners Association and in January 2010 was named Grand Marshal of the Annual Homestead/Florida City Martin Luther King, Jr. parade. He was recognized as an honorary member of City Year Miami and received their official jacket after keynoting their annual day of service. In addition, Senator Bullard holds

a lifetime membership to the NAACP. During his time in the legislature, Sen-

ator Bullard has been leading the fight on issues such as the School-to-Prison Pipeline that disproportionately affects children of color and online bullying in Florida public schools. He’s brought attention to Florida’s controversial laws and has sponsored legis-lation both in the Florida House and Sen-ate for reform or repeal of the Stand Your Ground law. Senator Bullard has appeared on CNN, NBC, NPR affiliates, and count-less media outlets throughout the country.

Florida A&M University awarded him the National Rattler F. Club Distinguished Alumni Award and the Alumni Inaugural 40 Under 40 Award. When asked why he ran for Senator of District 39, he spoke about the desire to fill a void in leadership and an even stronger desire to give back. He was inspired to do so by not only his mother and father, but also President Obama whom he believes was the right candidate at the right time. In the upcom-ing years, he plans to stay active in the community, saying “the people deserve a voice that identifies with them”.

Florida State SenatorDwight M. Bullard

District 39

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State Representative Daphne D. Campbell is a mother, wife, crit-ical care registered nurse, busi-

nesswoman, community leader and community advocate in District 108 as the voice for the voiceless for her com-munity for the past 23 years. Campbell is sponsoring and co-sponsoring bills from Licensure of Foreign-Trained Physicians, State Minimum Wage, and Police Body Cameras, Music Therapy, and Reinstate-ment of Citizenship for Dominicans of Haitian Descent.

Representative Campbell has been a leg-islator for almost six years which is three term serving District 108, received several awards such as Doctorate in Divinity, Pro-fessorship in Theology, Legislator cham-pionship, etc. With her legacy as a leader for the entire community and for the State of Florida, State Representative Daphne Campbell is a true leader of excellence.

As a native of Haiti, Representative Campbell is deeply and personally con-nected with the issues of the Haitian com-munity. It is this connection that she has carried with her throughout her terms in

office and will continue to carry well into her future political career.

Representative Campbell has been awarded the Community Champion Award, awarded by the Haitian American Nurses Association (HANA), also hon-ored with the “Daphne Campbell Nursing Scholarship”, a scholarship in her honor for the tireless work she has done in the nursing community on behalf of the Board of Governors of the Dr. Jose Regueiro Foundation and the Board of Governors of Florida National University Nursing Division. In addition, Solidaridad Sin Fronteras (SSF) has made a special recog-nition to Representative Campbell for her historical work with the Foreign-Trained Physicians Bill, a Bill in which she spon-sored and has passed in the House of Rep-resentatives; and in gratitude for her hard work has renamed their new Exam Train-ing Center located at 3219 W 4th Ave. in Hialeah after her.

Representative Campbell has been an avid supporter and a pillar of excellence in the community, applying herself wherever she is needed. Working intimately with

groups such as HANA, aiding Haitian Nurses in taking the State Board Exam (NCLEX) without legal status, sponsoring law for affordable housing bills to help aid low income families, corresponding with President Obama to continue and allow TPS and extend it to Haitian Families in need, Haiti to be added for the first time to H2A-H2B Visa, sponsoring Law in the state of Florida for Haitian family reuni-fication parole program to help Haitians reunite with families in the US, sponsor-ing law for police officers, correctional officers and state troopers to be recognized as a hall of fame in the capitol, pulling resources to help save several homes from foreclosure and helped to bring millions of dollars in funding for colleges and uni-versities in the district (Miami Dade col-lege, and FIU.)

In addition, she recently helped to restore and rebuild Biscayne Park with a brand new city hall, allocating funding to renovate North Miami library, work along-side countless nonprofit organizations, and continuously fighting for education for low income families, and job creation.

Florida State Representative Daphne Campbell

District 108

ONYX MAGAZINE 17

URBAN INTROSPECTIVE

The beginning of school should be a time of hope and promise for children. For African-American chil-dren, it should be the step toward that better life that so many of them experi-ence only through what they see on television, in films, or in books.

But for far too many black children in Pinellas County, school doesn’t mean stepping towards success as much as it means being stuck in a quagmire of failure.

In its Pulitzer Prize – winning series, “Failure Factories,” The Tampa Bay Times uncovered how five schools in the predominantly black areas of the county deteriorated, in the course of eight years, into the worse schools in the state.

This happened largely through abandonment, lies and neglect – three things that black folks are all too famil-iar with.

According to the series, the aban-donment came when the Pinellas School Board turned its back on inte-gration in 2007. Then came the lies; the

board never came through with prom-ises of resources and money to make up for the access to resources and money that those schools lost by no longer having access to white parents with money and connections.

Then the neglect. After black chil-dren at Campbell Park, Fairmount Park, Lakewood, Maximo and Melrose elementary schools began to fail at obscene rates, they did nothing.

Nothing.Now those schools are, according

to the state Education Department, among the worse in the state. Mel-rose has the lowest standardized test scores of all the elementary schools in Florida, followed by Fairmount Park. Maximo is ranked the 10th worse, while Lakewood came in at 12th and Camp-bell Park came in at 15th.

And what this all reveals are uncom-fortable truths that black people have had to deal with for ages; the main one being that to be black means to become invisible to those who have the power to make decisions that gov-ern our lives.

The invisibility began when, in 2007, many black parents apparently warned

board members that the schools would suffer if they ended integra-tion. At that time, those five schools scored no lower than a C on the stan-dardized tests.

They also warned that if all those schools were to suddenly cater to only the neediest black youths, the coun-selors and specialists would be over-whelmed – compared to in the past, when those students were spread out among all the schools.

So what’s left is a lot of black chil-dren who may wind up in the system, instead of getting the education they need to avoid it.

What’s also left is, at least for me, a lot of anger.

Anger that, according to the series, all of these schools where all these black children are failing lie within six miles of the county’s most affluent neighborhoods.

Anger that in too many places, black people haven’t attained the affluence that they need to not have to rely on white people to ensure that their children have access to educational resources.

Anger at the racism. There’s no way

Abandonment, Lies and Neglect of 5 Pinellas County SchoolsTonyaa Weathersbee

18 ONYX MAGAZINE

that schools filled with white children failing at that rate would have gone neglected for nearly a decade.

That’s infuriating.Here’s what should happen now,

though. The African-American par-ents and citizens who are concerned about those failure factories, or rather, the fate of black children in Pinellas, should borrow a page from Black Lives Matter – because apparently those lives stopped mattering to the Pinellas School Board as soon as they ended integration.

The U.S. Department of Education has opened a civil rights investigation, but the citizens should do more – dis-rupt, sit-in, whatever it takes – to bring

change. Most of all, they should come with some proposed solutions – a policy fix, a dedicated tax – to correct the problem.

What makes this so bad is that, prior to 2007, Pinellas didn’t have this prob-lem. So the board essentially broke what was fixed.

They need to go back and fix it again. Because this is 2016. And this simply won’t do.

Tonyaa J. Weathersbee is a multiple award-winning columnist and multi-media journalist in Jacksonville, Fla. To learn more about her and her work, go to www.tonyaajweathersbee.com or www.facebook.com/tonyaajweathers-bee. Or follow her @tonyaajw.

ONYX MAGAZINE 19

VOTE

This election season is like no other in United States history. This falls’ Presidential Election will prove to

be the most pivotal and most important election in our lifetime. Over fifty (50) years of democratic progress is at stake. The next President of the United States will likely be in a position to name three (3) Supreme Court Justices. Our next Presi-dent will have the opportunity to continue the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and the Homeowner Affordable Mortgage Pro-gram (HAMP), appoint a new Surgeon General, increase funding for Historical Black Colleges and Universities, fund early childhood education, address women’s rights and opportunities, improve veter-ans rights and benefits, preserve the Social Security Trust Fund, initiate efforts to rebuild our transportation infrastructure, lead the nation to a lesser dependence on fossil fuels, and build upon and improve race relations at home and abroad and preserve those fifty (50) years of demo-cratic progress. The world is watching and we have a long way to go for equality but united we stand, divided we fall.

A large focus of the media is now on the mindset of the Delegates and Super-Del-egates. Delegates serve as party loyalists whom are charged with following the popular vote and nominate the candidate of their party who receive the majority of votes in the Presidential Primary Elec-tions. The media is reporting political poll after political poll in an attempt, it seems, to sway the votes of those same delegates. Pundits even go as far as to state their opinions of what delegates should be con-sidering. The Republican Delegates have chosen their nominee. However, Demo-cratic Delegates will converge in Philadel-phia, Pennsylvania the last week in July this summer. Ironically, democrats will hold their Democratic Convention in the same US city where our Nation’s founding

fathers gathered to author the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States and its Preamble, and is the home of the Liberty Bell.

There is much to consider this Elec-tion season. Especially as the Nation and the World witnessed the most contested and divisive Republican contest in United States history. The Republican leadership has been forced to acknowledge and accept a Nominee that they do not agree with and frankly, in their own words feel is not fit to be the next President of the United States. On the Democratic Party side, the candi-date with the highest number of Delegates is still in a contest with a challenge to the nomination from a candidate who mathe-matically cannot win the necessary delegate

votes to cease the Democratic nomination in July. Clearly, it is time for the Demo-cratic Party to come together and prepare to get out the vote (GOTV) in Novem-ber. Each and every vote will be counted. It is paramount that everyone who is able to vote, do so. The Democratic Party faces deep pockets from its Republican chal-lenger. Even with the dissentions within its ranks, the Republican Party has the ability to out-spend the Democratic Party. As far as delegates are concerned, I believe their minds are made up. I’m with her. History will tell the story of just how important this Election Season really is. The question will remain; Will 50 years of democratic progress be preserved or be in peril?

Fifty Years of Democratic Progress is in Jeopardy

It is paramount that everyone who is able to vote, do so. The Democratic Party faces

deep pockets from its Republican challenger.

Bernard W.H. Jennings

POLITICS

20 ONYX MAGAZINE

Representative Gwyndolen “Gwyn” Clarke-Reed was elected to the Florida House of Representatives

in 2008, and reelected subsequently. As of the 2016 Session, she was appointed as the Democratic Ranking Member of the Children, Families & Seniors Subcommit-tee and also serves on the Appropriations Committee, Health & Human Services Committee, and Veteran & Military Affairs Subcommittee.

Representative Clarke-Reed served twelve (12) years on the Deerfield Beach City Commission, serving as the Vice Mayor during her first year. During her time as a Commissioner, she started a sum-mer employment, career development, and mentoring program for youth ages 13 to 15. She has served as President of the Bro-ward League of Cities, the first Deerfield Beach government official ever to hold the post and the first woman of color elected to the position in the forty-five (45) year history of the organization.

Her honors include recognitions as the 2012 Greater Fort Lauderdale Democratic Club Legislator of the Year; 2012 ICABA 100 Most Accomplished Caribbean Amer-icans; 2012 Keynote Speaker Award for

Everest University Spring Commence-ment; and the 2012 Latino Who’s Who. In 2012, she was honored as a Shining Star “Light of the Community” by the Pom-pano Beach Chamber of Commerce and was inducted into the Broward Senior Hall of Fame for the Class of 2013. In 2014 Representative Clarke-Reed was inducted into the Broward County Women’s Hall of Fame and also received The Honorable Carrie P. Meek Servant Leadership Award, Legislator of the Year. She was presented with a Statement of Support for the Guard and Reserve from Chuck Hagel, Secretary of Defense in 2014. In 2015, Representa-tive Clarke-Reed was presented the Presi-dential Humanitarian Service Award by the Broward County Association of Dep-uty Sheriffs and Auxiliary. She was recog-nized by PACE Center for Girls, Broward County, for her commitment to Florida’s girls and young women. In 2016, she received a Certificate of Appreciation for her Dedication and Outstanding Service to the City of Pompano Beach and Cer-tificate of Appreciation from the City of Lauderdale Lakes. She also received the Broward County Public Schools Legisla-tive Appreciation Award in 2016.

Representative Clarke-Reeds’ public service and memberships include the Boys and Girls Club; Kiwanis Club; American Cancer Society; Mango Festi-val; Greater Deerfield Beach Democratic Club; American Association of Univer-sity Women; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; the Common Highlands Home-owners Association; North Broward Hospital District Community Primary Care Committee; Broward Teachers Union-Retirees; St. Laurence Chapel, and the Democratic Women’s Club of Northeast Broward. Gwyn is also a member of The International Women’s Leadership Association and presently serves as 1st Vice President of the Pom-pano Beach Women’s Club and serves as 2016 Broward Days Board Member. She served as the 2014-2015 Vice Chair of the Broward County Legislative Delega-tion, and presently serves as the 2015-2016 Chair of the Broward County Legislative Delegation.

She is a retired educator and holds a bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College and a master’s degree from Adelphi Uni-versity. She is the mother of two, Vincent and Veronica Rose.

Florida State Representative Gwyndolen Clarke-Reed

District 92

22 ONYX MAGAZINE

State Representative Bobby B. DuBose was elected to Florida House of Rep-resentatives on November 4th, 2014.

He was elected to this new position after serv-ing in The Fort Lauderdale City Commission District III seat since March 10th, 2009. On April 5th, 2011 Representative DuBose was appointed as Vice Mayor for one year. He was re-elected unopposed on Novem-ber 22nd, 2011.

Representative DuBose received his Bachelors of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Florida. After graduation, Representative DuBose returned to his hometown neighborhood where he learned the true meaning of “to whom much is given, much is required”. Representative DuBose believes strongly in community ser-vice and has volunteered his time serving in many civic organizations since childhood. He is a life member of the NAACP, Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and of the University of Florida Alumni Association.

During his term on the Fort Lauderdale City Commission, Representative DuBose was appointed to the Broward County Planning Council where he served as the Vice Chair. He was the City’s representative to the Tourist Development Council. He is currently a member of the Florida League of Cities Board of Directors, a member of the Florida League of Cities Growth Management and Economic Development committee and the Advocacy Committee where he serves as Vice-Chair and a mem-ber of the Broward League of Cities Execu-tive Board, where he is also the Immediate Past President. In addition, Representative DuBose is a member of the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials and the Florida Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials where he served as regional coor-dinator. He is also a member of the Uni-versity of Florida National Alumni Board.

Representative DuBose has received sev-eral honors and awards including: 2013

Broward Education Foundation’s Hall of Fame Outstanding Achievement Award; 2012 American Tennis Association Hall of Fame Chairman’s Award; 2011 South Florida’s 50 Most Powerful Black Profes-sionals by Legacy Magazine; 2011 Ordi-nary People Doing Extra Ordinary Things by Friends of the AARLCC; 2009 Gold Coast Magazine’s, “40 under 40” Broward County Rising Stars; and 2009 Broward Young Democrats – Young Democrat of the Year. In 2011, the City of Fort Lau-derdale’s Centennial Year, Representative DuBose was privileged to serve as Grand Marshall for the Sistrunk Historical Festi-val and Parade and proudly presided over the City’s celebration of the 50th Anniver-sary of the Beach Wade-Ins and the grand opening of the Eula Johnson House.

He is a member of Mount Bethel Bap-tist Church. He is married to the former Yvette Culver and the proud father of Ethan Joshua and Jacob Emmanuel.

Florida State Representative Bobby B. DuBose

District 94

ONYX MAGAZINE 23

1Take advantage of the Back To School Tax-Free Weekend – Typically a few

weeks prior to the beginning of the new school year, many states will waive the sales tax on most clothing items and most school supplies. That tax sav-ings can help your dollars go much further when it comes to getting all of the necessities for a successful school year.

2Begin the school routine two weeks in advance – Kids have a more difficult

time adjusting to a new rou-tine than adults do. Help your child get in the habit of going to bed early and waking up in the morning with an alarm. Together, you and your child can also start getting school supplies organized, selecting school attire, and planning meal options for the week.

3Every day after school, have a discussion with your child about what

they did in school and what assignments were given as homework. Once they are done, be sure to review all homework before your child turns it in. Also be sure to inquire about the high points and low points of their day.

4Purchase a large cal-endar – This will help everyone keep track of

due dates for assignments and projects. You can also notate dates for upcoming school activities, extra curricular activ-ities, and any appointments.

5Limit your child’s tech-nology and television time during school

nights – By doing this, you reduce the amount of distrac-tions they have while trying to

get homework assignments or large projects done. Addition-ally, you’ll have less to contend with when bedtime comes.

6Set up meetings with all of your student’s teach-ers three weeks after

school begins – This will help you establish an open line of communication early on as well as get a preview as to what is in store for your child’s aca-demic progress.

7Have your child set academic goals for the school year – This can

be reading 30 books, getting straight A’s, or improving in a particular subject. Set check-points throughout the year to review their progress and hold them accountable to their goal.

8Start college planning and career planning now – If you child has

expressed interest in a partic-ular profession, capitalize on that interest and ask them to do some research. Make sure they investigate how much that profession pays and what sub-jects in school are considered requirements for that field. Have your child inquire about doing free internships to get experience and determine if that is what they really want to do. In addition, have your child find out what colleges and uni-versities specialize in the field that your child is looking to enter. The most expensive tui-tion is the one that pays for an unused degree.

For additional information please visit www.pdfgi.com.

After a long summer of sun and fun, it can

be difficult for kids and parents to get back

into the school routine. However, with proper

planning, the transition can be less stressful

for everyone. Here are a few tips to help your

family make the grade when the fall arrives:

Eric A. Pettus, Founder/President, Pettus & Dawkins Financial Group

How To Ace Going Back To School:What Every Parent Should Know

24 ONYX MAGAZINE

Discussions about men-tal wellness should be shared with our chil-

dren. Suicide rates among Afri-can American children have doubled in the last two decades. US suicide rates have been higher historically amongst Whites of all ages, but the rates of suicides amongst Black boys and girls continue to rise.

Most Americans are uncom-fortable discussing mental ill-ness, and especially in certain communities. My first expe-rience with mental illness was during junior high school. A very close friend struggled with personal identity and felt she did not fit in. She would avoid attending school on some days by telling her mother that she was sick. She would isolate and

was withdrawn – not attend-ing after school functions and not socializing in popular teen hang out areas. Eventually, she attempted to kill herself by overdosing on medications.

The most difficult years of development is the adolescent period. It is the bridge between childhood and adulthood. The transition to the teenage period is complicated by puberty, further gender development, sexual identity, concern about how one appears to others, cre-ating one’s identity in society. Peer pressure to engage in sex-ual activity or use substances such as cigarettes, alcohol and drugs is common.

Abraham Maslow defined a hierarchy of needs in life starting with basics like food,

shelter, and on a higher level, things like personal, financial security, love, and companion-ship. When these things are unobtainable, mental wellness is compromised. Three out of four people with mental health problems showed signs before age 24. Mental illness includes depression, anxiety, bipolar (“manic-depressive”), schizophrenia, sexual dysfunc-tion, personality disorders, and addictions.

Children are no exception to mental illness. They exhibit signs of mental duress similar to adults. It’s back-to-school for children so some will face new challenges and some of the same challenges as the preced-ing school year. The first day of school can cause butterflies

due to eager anticipation. The excitement of meeting new teachers and greeting may keep students awake. Chil-dren should be monitored and engaged continuously by parents and their educators to ensure they don’t experience mental duress beyond the usual jitters felt the night before the first day of school.

Bullying in schools is a seri-ous problem that has been associated with suicides. It can result in stress and mental ail-ments common in our com-munities, like depression and anxiety. Bullying can lead to drugs, sexual violence and rela-tionship problems. Some signs that your child may be expe-riencing any of these things include irritability, withdraw-ing from family or friends, behavior changes, aggression, intense fear of certain things, difficulty concentrating, weight changes, greater concern about food and/or weight, more headaches and stomachaches, self-harm (cutting or burn-ing themselves), verbalizing thoughts to harm themselves.

If you notice any of these signs, talk with your child and inquire about any con-cerns. Talk with your child’s teachers and the school psy-chologist. Seeing a pediatri-cian is a great beginning to access medical care. If you have insurance, coverage for men-tal health care includes seeing a social worker, psychologist and/or psychiatrist.

Talking to Your Children about Mental IllnessDr. Delvena Thomas

DR. THOMAS

26 ONYX MAGAZINE

Girls of all ages are involved in some form of online communication. They are sharing photos, videos,

emoji’s and other graphical displays of emotions and friendships. The increase of a girl’s social life has transitioned to digital relationships that travel across the digital languages of social media sites. Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, Snapchat and other forms of digital communications are dominated by photographs, videos, words, phrases, acronyms and the occasional use of profanity and sexual dialogue.

Technology has opened a Pandora’s Box to potential vicious Bullying, Cyberbul-lying, Cyberstalking and Sexting. These actions have created a change in digital interactions and etiquette. Girls must be taught how to “talk” digitally to each other and not to bully, or in the case of tech-nology cyberbully. Parents should observe their child’s accounts to see what they are doing as well as to help keep their children safe especially from predators or anyone else that could do them harm.

Too many children especially teens do not value life as it should be valued and their nature is more violent and less com-passionate. Communication with wire-less devices has created a paradigm shift for parents, educators, and even law enforcement in the attempts to monitor, educate and prevent bullying actions by girls and women.

Statistics show that girls will bully using technology more than boys and a girl’s online activity is more vicious. Even tele-

vision media has shown true to life mov-ies about girls bullying in the traditional sense in the school environment and also through digital means. The unfortunate deaths by suicide and attempted suicides are reported weekly on national news sta-tions sows that bullying and cyberbullying creates havoc emotionally and psycholog-ically for girls. Girls as they mature into women have stated that they suffer from PTSD because of the stress resulting from bullying through middle and high school.

Speaking at national conferences to teens and young adults, I have spoken with women in their 30’s and 40’s that carry the emotional scars of bullying from middle and high school. Many parents do not understand or are in denial regarding cyberbullying, (cyberbullying via text mes-sages or online via Internet). The recent deaths of girls being in fights that have made national attention are a result of a child being bullied.

The result of bullying does have serious emotional and psychological consequences that can last a lifetime. Girls who are bul-lied have a greater risk for depression which can lead to drug dependency, alcohol and other substance abuse. Schools cannot be fully blamed for bullying. Students go home, seclude themselves in their rooms and use their digital devices to sometimes make the lives of other girls and boys hell on social media. Parents are accountable and are being held responsible in most cases. It takes parents being active, engaged and involved to stop all forms of bullying.

GIRLS AND BULLYING: Pain and Potential PTSDWilliam Jackson, M.Ed. Edward Waters College@wmjackson – william.jackson@ewc.edu

ONYX MAGAZINE 27

Healthy Eating Away from HomeYou eat in a variety of places, your

home, at work, in restaurants and maybe even in your car. For

some of these places you have more con-trol over what choices are available than at others. Since high calorie foods are every-where, it’s important to take the time to plan ahead to make sure you have healthy options available.

Meals at HomeWhether you are cooking for just yourself, one to two people, or a larger group, plan-ning meals is a good place to start improving your food choices. Taking the time to plan a healthy evening meal can help you avoid a less healthful “drive-through” dinner.

To start, grab a pencil and paper and list your favorite meals. It may help to talk to your family or thumb through a favor-ite cook book. Some of the meals will be healthier than others, but for now, just write them all down.

You might want to use SuperTracker: My Plan. The plan will show you your daily food group targets — what and how much to eat within your calorie allowance. It can help you plan your upcoming meals

to meet your weight goals and suggest ways to improve choices. Once you’ve planned your meals, make a grocery list. Take some time on your visit to the grocery store to choose lower-calorie ingredients.

Here are some ideas that may help: • Many casseroles and meat sauces use

cream soups as a base. Use a low-fat cream soup.

• Substitute a low-fat cheese in casseroles and vegetable sauces.

• When using sharply flavored cheese, such as cheddar and parmesan, you can usually reduce the amount in a recipe to save calories without sacrificing flavor.

• Try a non-stick cooking spray or a small amount of cooking oil for sautéing instead of frying with solid fat.

• If you’re using ground beef for tacos or meat sauce for spaghetti, look for a lower-fat variety such as ground round or ground sirloin or try using skin-less ground turkey breast. Once you’ve browned the meat, drain to remove excess fat.

• Instead of full-fat versions of mayon-naises, butter, and salad dressings, try those that are lower in calories, total fat, saturated fat, and trans fat.

• Check out the frozen food aisles for quick, low-calorie vegetable side dishes. You can find cut green beans, sliced car-rots, and other chopped vegetables in the frozen food section. Avoid the ones with added cream, butter, or cheese sauces as these ingredients can add cal-ories. You can steam these vegetables quickly in the microwave.

• In some soups and entrees, you may also be able to add dry beans to extend the recipe and improve the nutritional

value. This is easy to do in vegeta-ble-based soups and chili. You can just add a cup of canned white beans, kid-ney beans, or pinto beans to the recipe. As another example, if you are making enchiladas, rinse a can of black beans and add these to the ground meat.

Research shows that people get full by the amount of food they eat, not the num-ber of calories they take in. You can cut calories in your favorite foods by lowering the amount of fat and or increasing the amount of fiber-rich ingredients, such as vegetables or fruit. Eating fewer calories doesn’t necessarily mean eating less food.

At first, you may find you only get a lower calorie meal planned for one or two nights a week. Don’t criticize yourself, you’re making steps in the right direction. Over time, you’ll figure out meal-prepara-tion short-cuts and it will become easier to make healthy family meals a regular occurrence.

Meals on the GoFor the places where you might grab a snack or have a meal on the go (such as the car or at your desk), make sure you have nutritious snacks available or at home that you can take with you.

For example: • “Grab-and-go” fruits: apples, oranges,

bananas, canned fruit without added sugars, and raisins.

• Washed and chopped fresh vegetables: celery, carrots, and cucumbers.

• Low-fat and fat-free milk products: yogurt without added sugars, milk, and low-fat cheeses.

NUTRITION & WELLNESS

28 ONYX MAGAZINE

• Whole-grain crackers and breads. • Protein choices such as low-fat deli turkey

slices or almonds and other nuts and seeds

Take the time to make a shopping list and re-stock your cabinets and fridge with healthy options. It’s also a good idea to think about stocking your office cabinet or car glove box with healthy shelf-stable treats if these are places where you snack.

You’ll find it’s easier to make better choices when you have a good variety of nutritious foods available in the places where you eat.

Healthy Lunch Recipe This recipe can be used from leftovers from dinner or can be made ahead for a healthy lunch. This is one of my favorite recipes. Try and let me know how much you enjoyed it.

Water 1 cupBrown rice, parboiled, raw 2 oz Raw ground turkey, no morethan 15 % fat 2 lbs Canned tomato paste 2 oz Frozen egg, thawed 3 oz Garlic, minced 1 Tbsp Canola oil 2 Tbsp Fresh onions, diced 4 oz Fresh celery, diced 7 oz Ground black pepper 1 ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce 2 Tbsp Salt 1½ tsp Fresh spinach, chopped 4 oz Dried craisins 3 oz

Lightly season water with salt. Pour rice in water and bring to a boil on stove. Cook over medium high heat until water evaporates. When water evaporates turn off rice and allow steam to continue cooking. Set aside. In a small skillet, heat oil. Add onions and celery. Sauté until tender. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients, add celery, onions, and cooked rice. Fold in spinach and craisins. Use a scoop (ice-cream scoop) to portion meat evenly. Pan sear and flatten burgers lightly, or bake in oven until turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove from oven. Serve with a whole grain roll, lettuce, tomato and top off with a light ranch dressing. To make a meatloaf, follow the same directions and pour meat mixture into a loaf pan and bake until meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

GREATEST TURKEY BURGER EVER

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ONYX MAGAZINE 29

FOOD & WINE

The kids are heading back to school and you are feeling stressed. Many of you parental types are no doubt setting your children up for success. You are inundated with school, church and social functions that you know will give your darling little angels the edge to become the next major contributor to society. I am not writing this for the kids, I am gearing this message to you... Yes you. Take time for yourself and alleviate stress with a glass of wine. We have heard for years that wine in moderation is healthy. What if we meditated with wine?

Let’s give it a whirl or a swirl in this case.

Pour yourself a glass of wine in the nicest glass you have. You want this beverage to appeal to all your senses.

Carry your glass of wine to a quiet, comfortable spot to sit.

Look at your glass of wine and take into consideration all the people and processes involved in getting it in to your hands. The soil the vines grew in, the sun-shine that ripened the grapes, the farmers that planted and picked

them, the trees that made the barrels, the designer who created the label, the tree that grew the cork… you get the picture.

Experience the feeling of the glass in your hand.

Lift the glass and take a big inhale. What kinds of things can you smell?

Take a sip and let it sit on your tongue for a few moments. What is happening in your body? Close your eyes and really focus on the flavors. Take at least one full inhale and exhale before you swallow.

Once that first sip is down, notice, what has changed in your body? Envision that all pent up stress leaves your body through your extremities.

Repeat until the glass is empty. You might want to start with a small pour, the idea is to make wine meditation so appealing that you actually do it and then feel accomplished. This guided imagery approach will give you another weapon in your arsenal to combat stress.

If you have questions about food and wine, drop me a line: sking@onyxmagazine.com...

Meditatingwith

Wine…

30 ONYX MAGAZINE

State Representative Reggie Full-wood is a native of Jacksonville, FL and was elected to the Florida

State House of Representatives in Novem-ber of 2010. Reelected in 2012 and again in 2015, his legislative priorities include improving public education, job creation, revitalizing urban communities through housing and economic development, and providing healthcare to those in need.

Representative Fullwood is also the Executive Director of Metro North Com-munity Development Corporation, Inc., a Jacksonville-based 501(c)(3) not for profit organization that focuses on real estate and community development.

In 1999, at the age of 24, Representative Fullwood became the youngest person ever elected to the Jacksonville City Council where he represented District 9. He served two terms and held several leadership posi-tions including Floor Leader and Chair of the Finance, Public Services and Utilities and Recreation and Community Develop-ment Committees.

Representative Fullwood is one of only

three Northeast Florida Legislators who earned an “A” grade for the 2013 Legisla-tive Session from the Florida Times Union.

Representative Fullwood writes a weekly political and social editorial column for the Jacksonville Free Press, a Northeast Florida minority-owned newspaper. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with a minor in Political Science from the Univer-sity of North Florida. He is also a graduate of the 2004 class of Leadership Florida and is an alumnus of INROADS. He is an afford-able housing advocate and a member of the Northeast Florida Builders Association.

Public service and volunteerism are essential components of Representative Fullwood’s life. He has been a member of the board of directors for several North-east Florida nonprofits, has coached youth sports in local parks and has been active in numerous community-based organiza-tions. He also serves on the Jacksonville Cultural Council. Representative Fullwood is married to Latasha Garrison-Fullwood, a Jacksonville attorney, and they have three children – Rejenald, Zoie, and Garrison.

Florida State RepresentativeReggie Fullwood

District 13

32 ONYX MAGAZINE

State Senator Audrey Gibson is a native of Jacksonville’s Northside. She attended local schools in Jack-

sonville and graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor’s in Crimi-nology. She is the proud mother of adult children and her leisure interests include sporting events such as, Formula 1 and NASCAR racing, flower gardening, music and period movies.

During her career, Senator Gibson has worked as Congressional District Admin-istrator and as a Business Community Liai-son. Senator Gibson is affiliated with many cause-worthy organizations, such as NCSL Standing Committee on Natural Resources and Infrastructure; Blue Print for Leader-ship (Class of 1999); Jacksonville Commu-nity Council Inc.; Jacksonville Women’s Network (JWN); Women’s Legislators’ Lobby (WiLL); Women’s Action for New Directions(WAND); Citizens for Tree Pro-tection; Save Our Libraries; Community

Hospice of Northeast Florida, Inc.; Com-munities in Schools Jacksonville Advisory Board; Scenic Jacksonville Inc.; Demo-cratic Executive Committee; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.-Jacksonville Alumnae Chapter; and the Northwest Jacksonville Community Development Corporation, among others.

In her current capacity as State Senator for District 9, she is committed to fighting for her constituents as well as all people of the State of Florida. She currently serves on the following committees: Criminal Justice, Vice Chair; Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security, Vice Chair; Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development; Communications, Energy, and Public Utilities; Reapportionment; Rules; Joint Legislative Auditing Commit-tee.

Senator Gibson has testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on

Juvenile Boot Camps and related issues, and is the recipient of many awards and recognitions, including: 2016 recognition from The Delores Barr Weaver Policy Cen-ter; 2015 Florida Smart Justice Alliance Award, 2015 Senator of the Year Award from PACE Center for Girls; 2014 Legis-lator of the Year Award from the Commis-sion for the Transportation Disadvantaged; 2013 Community’s Senator from Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce NE FL, Inc.; 2013 Outstanding Legislative Lead-ership from Florida Insurance Council, Inc.; 2013 Pacesetter from WiLL; 2008 Community Service Award from HOPE, Inc.; 2007 Hall of Fame Inductee, Out-ward Bound Discovery; 2006 Women of Distinction Award Girl Scouts of Gateway Council; 2006 Good Neighbor Award from FCCJ; 2006 Children’s Home Soci-ety Public Official of the Year Award; and 2006 Legislator of the Year Award from Northeast Florida Association of Realtors.

Florida State Senator Audrey Gibson

District 9

ONYX MAGAZINE 33

A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Representative Mia L. Jones is serving in her final term in the

Florida House of Representatives. Prior to her service in the Florida Legislature, she served on the Jacksonville City Council from 2003 to 2008.

Representative Jones is an advocate in the area of Healthcare and has worked diligently to ensure that all Floridians have access to quality affordable health care. Since being elected, Representative Jones has remained true to her platform of promoting economic development in underserved communities, partnering in education to ensure that all students receive a quality education, promoting long-term solutions to infrastructure and health care disparities, and ultimately working to improve the quality of life for the citizens she represents. Recognizing her commitment to these areas, Representative

Jones served as the first Health Commis-sioner for the City of Jacksonville and as the Director of Boards and Commissions under Mayor Alvin Brown. Currently she is the Interim Executive Director of Agape Community Health Network, Inc.

At the state and national levels, Repre-sentative Jones serves as the Florida House of Representatives Democratic Leader pro tempore (2012-2016), former Chair of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus, Regional Director for the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, Treasurer for the National Organization of Black Elected Legisla-tive (NOBEL) Women, former Regional Director for the National Foundation of Women Legislators, former State Director for the National Order of Women Legisla-tors, and former State Director for Women in Government. Locally, she serves on the Board of Directors for Feeding Northeast Florida and the Tiger Academy.

Ever the advocate for professional devel-opment for others as well as for herself, Representative Jones is a graduate of Lead-ership Florida (Class of XXIV), Leadership Florida’s Local Government Leadership Program (Class IX), Leadership Jack-sonville (Class of 2000) and has received numerous awards and honors.

Married to George C. Davis, she is the youngest of three children born to Lawrence and Hannah Jones. Educated in the Duval County Public School System and graduated from William M. Raines Senior High School (Class of 1986), Representative Jones holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and an MBA in Human Resource Management from Florida A & M University (FAMU). She is an active member of Bethel Baptist Insti-tutional Church, Alpha Kappa Alpha Soror-ity, Inc., a National Life Member of FAMU Alumni Association, The Links, Incorporated and ultimately a Community Trustee.

Florida State Representative Mia L. Jones

District 14

34 ONYX MAGAZINE

State Representative Shevrin D. Jones, Florida House District 101, better known as “Shev” was elected

to the Florida House of Representative, unopposed in 2012, and subsequently in 2014. When he’s not serving his con-stituents, Representative Jones works at City Year Miami as the Director of Major Gifts and Strategic Partnerships. Addi-tionally, he is the Founder and CEO of LEAD Nation, one of South Florida’s top youth organizations for leadership devel-opment training. In its ten (10) years of youth empowerment, LEAD Nation still maintains a 100% high school graduation rate among its participants. Through his passion to be a catalyst for education and social change, Representative Jones and the LEAD Nation team instills in every youth that they have a responsibility to serve their communities with honesty, integrity and passion. Jones is also the Founder of the South Florida Youth Summit, the larg-est gathering of young people in South Florida, bringing in more than 2,000 youth over the course of a three (3) day weekend summit.

Representative Jones attended Florida A&M University where he received his Bachelors of Science degree in Biochem-istry/Molecular Biology. Currently, he is attending Florida Atlantic University where he is pursuing his doctoral degree in Educational Leadership – Higher Ed.

Prior to becoming a legislator, Repre-sentative Jones served as an AP Chemistry teacher in the Broward County School sys-tem from 2006-2008, and then went on to teach at Florida Atlantic University High School from 2008-2012. Jones believed that teaching was his calling, and whenever he entered a classroom, it was always with the mindset that “Every child CAN learn.”

Representative Jones is also very involved locally, state-wide, and nationally. He is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, Leadership Flor-ida Connect - Class 32, Leadership Bro-ward Class 27, the South Florida Youth Summit’s Executive Planning Team, and the Council of State Governments TOLLS fellowship program, to name a few. He has been recognized with numerous awards and accolades including a feature in Gold

Coast Magazine’s “Top 40 under 40”, Leg-acy Magazine’s South Florida’s “50 Most Powerful and Influential Black Leaders” of 2016, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Ft. Lauderdale’s Finest, a Congressional Political Institute Honoree, ICABA’s 100 Most Accomplished Caribbean Americans, Florida Young Democrat of the Year, and Broward Parent Teachers Association’s Leg-islator of the Year. September of 2015, he was appointed to sit on President Obama’s College Promise Taskforce. November of 2015, he was also elected as the State Director for the National Young Elected Officials Network.

Representative Jones is the son of Rev. Eric and Mrs. Bloneva Jones, the current mayor of the City of West Park. Jones is passionate about youth, education, equal-ity, diversity and economic development. He desires to leave a legacy that will emu-late dedication and commitment for the lives of future generations. He loves peo-ple, and he is grateful to God for giving him the life of helping others. His number one quote is “I will not die the man that could have been, but never was”.

Florida State Representative Shevrin D. Jones

District 101

ONYX MAGAZINE 35

JAXPORT Board Chairman Dr. John Newman and CEO Brian Taylor for-mally welcomed Captain Salvatore

Messina and the Carnival Elation to Jack-sonville on Monday with a commemora-tive plaque presentation at the JAXPORT Cruise Terminal in North Jacksonville on May 2, 2016. Representatives from Visit Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Zoo were also on hand celebrating National Tourism Week and inviting Elation passengers to enjoy local attractions.

JAXPORT is a full-service, international trade seaport situated at the crossroads of the nation’s rail and highway network. The port owns, maintains and markets three cargo terminals and one passenger cruise terminal along the St. Johns River: Blount Island Marine Terminal, Dames Point Marine Terminal, Talleyrand Marine Ter-minal and the JAXPORT Cruise Terminal.

JAXPORT has invested $600 million in recent infrastructure improvements in everything from cranes to docks to rail and a newly authorized project to deepen the federal shipping channel. Cargo activity through Jacksonville’s seaport positively impacts tens of thousands of jobs and supports nearly $27 billion in annual eco-

nomic output for the region and state each year. The vision of JAXPORT’s Strategic Master Plan is for Northeast Florida to be a principal hub of the nation’s global logis-

tics, trade and transportation network. The Carnival Elation, which carries

2,054 passengers, is now sailing year-round out of JAXPORT’s cruise terminal. Elation is a newer ship than the previous home-ported ship, the Carnival Fascina-tion, which has shifted to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Elation offers four-day cruises to Freeport and Nassau in the Bahamas and five-day voyages to Nassau and the private Bahamian island of Half Moon Cay.

Carnival offers a wide array of quality cruises, and pride themselves on deliver-ing memorable vacations to each guest. A Carnival cruise offers not only outstanding value for the money, but most importantly, fun! A “Fun Ship” cruise features day and nighttime entertainment like stage shows, musical performances, casinos and more. “We make our guests feel right at home, too — think comfy stateroom accommo-dations, attentive service, delicious food and drink.” Reservations are currently being accepted for all of these cruise pro-grams. For additional information and reservations contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com.

For more information on cruising from Jacksonville, visit JAXPORT.com/cruise.

JAXPORTWelcomes Carnival Elation During National Tourism Week

JAXPORT Board Chairman Dr. John Newman and CEO Brian Taylor formally welcomed Captain Salvatore Messina and the Carnival Elation to Jacksonville on Monday with a commemorative plaque presentation at the JAXPORT Cruise Terminal in North Jacksonville.

BUSINESS

36 ONYX MAGAZINE

State Senator Arthenia L. Joyner, lawyer, public servant, civil and women’s rights advocate and com-

munity leader is a dynamic individual who has not just lived history, she made it. When faced with segregation and dis-crimination, she participated in the first civil rights demonstrations in Tampa in the 1960s. She was arrested twice while attending FAMU for her efforts to deseg-regate movie theaters. As President of the National Bar Association (1984-1985), she was arrested in an anti-apartheid pro-test outside the South African Embassy in Washington, D.C.

The first African-American female attor-ney in Polk and Hillsborough Counties, Senator Joyner has been in private practice for forty-six (46) years – longer than any other African-American woman in the his-tory of the State of Florida. Her election to the Florida House of Representatives in 2000 and The Florida Senate in 2006 made her the first black female State Rep-resentative and State Senator from Tampa. Most recently, she was elected by her peers

to serve as the Florida Senate Democratic Leader in 2014-2016, making her the first black woman and the second woman to hold the position. Senator Joyner was the first black appointed to the Hillsbor-ough County Aviation Authority and the first black female to serve on the Board of Directors of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce and its executive committee. She also served as National Legal Advisor to Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., National Par-liamentarian of the Links, Inc., National Legal Counsel to the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, and the Chair of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus.

Becoming widely recognized for her leadership on women’s and human rights, President Clinton appointed her to the U.S. Delegation to the Population Con-ference (Cairo, 1994) and the U.S. Del-egation to the United Nations 4th World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995). In the FL legislature Senator Joyner passed legislation that protects pregnant women in prison, victims of human trafficking and relationship violence, and any female

younger than 18 from genital mutilation. She also passed a measure addressing higher black infant mortality rates. She passed legislation to compensate Floridi-ans who were wrongfully incarcerated, and continues to spearhead efforts to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in Florida.

Most recently, Senator Joyner has been an advocate for expanding health care, overhauling unfair mandatory minimum sentencing laws, automatically restoring civil rights to certain ex-offenders and increasing legislative pay to encourage more working class Floridians to run for office. She has filed a bill that would reim-burse the families for burial expenses of children interred on the grounds of the former Dozier School for Boys and the establishment of a memorial to the vic-tims, initiated the removal of the Con-federate flag from the Senate seal, and successfully sued the Florida House of Representatives for its abrupt adjourn-ment of the 2015 legislative session. The Florida Supreme Court agreed, finding the departure unconstitutional.

Florida State Representative Arthenia L. Joyner

District 19

38 ONYX MAGAZINE

State Representative Larry Lee, Jr. was born in Statesboro, Georgia to Mary and the late Larry “Bobby”

Lee, Sr. He grew up in Ft. Pierce, FL and graduated from Ft. Pierce Central High School in 1972. He graduated from Liv-ingstone College (Salisbury, NC) in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science degree. Upon graduating from Livingstone he signed a professional football contract with the Denver Broncos. He later taught school and coached football and track at Screven County High in Sylvania, Georgia. He later married his college sweetheart Alice and they are the proud parents of one daughter, LaTasha.

He has been employed by Indian River State College as a job placement counselor and has also taught at Ft. Pierce Central High School. In 1988 he opened his own State Farm Insurance Agency

Representative Lee is a member of

Mount Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Fort Pierce, FL. He has served on the Board of Directors of the former Barnett Bank and Nations Bank. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the former Harbor Federal Savings Bank. Larry is a member of the Board of Trustees for the United Way of St. Lucie County. He is also a Board Member of The Parent Academy of St. Lucie County. He is co-founder of the Fort Pierce Jazz Society, co-founder of Avenue D Boys Choir. Larry’s passion for helping youth and senior citizens led him to found the Lighthouse Foundation (www.thelighthouseway.org) to serve these popu-lations on Florida’s Treasure Coast and later created the Restoring the Village Initiative to help improve communities on the Trea-sure Coast. Larry is a driving force behind the formation of the Boy Scout Troop 772.

He is currently serving in the Florida House of Representatives, District 84.

Florida State Representative Larry Lee, Jr.

District 84

ONYX MAGAZINE 39

It was a moment in the hit television drama, Scandal, that rang true for me as an African- American female. It was the

“twice as good” speech that many of my fel-low friends and I had heard growing up. It was not just enough to be good, we knew that we had to be better than good. We were raised with the inherent understanding that we would have to work harder, run faster, jump higher, excel more and do more just to have an opportunity to sit at the table to have half of what they had.

When I read that Harriet Tubman was selected to have her image grace the twen-ty-dollar bill ousting Andrew Hamilton, the “twice as good” speech ran through my mind. Instantly, my social media exploded with the news. There were memes and hashtags galore celebrating this momen-tous occasion. This feat, appeared like another moment to celebrate.

However, once I read the full details I understood that Harriet Tubman would not grace the twenty-dollar bill alone. In fact, an image of Andrew Hamilton, would be on the reverse side. Immediately my sense of victory was diminished. Even at this moment, Harriet was not enough. Harriet Tubman, was an African-American abolitionist, humanitarian, an armed scout and spy for the U.S. Army during the Civil War. She was a woman that bravely escaped slavery and selflessly continued to return to free slaves not once, not twice, but thirteen

times on record. She was the first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war and guided a raid which liberated more than 700 slaves. She is revered amongst scholars, hailed as a hero in history books, and her life of liberating those enslaved is taught to students around the world.

Still, she could not grace the twenty-dollar bill alone. Adding insult to injury, they place Andrew Jackson on the back of the bill with her. Andrew Jackson, is widely known for his role in slavery. At his death it is said that Jack-son owned 150 slaves. He is also noted for his involvement in The Trail of Tears. It seems almost unbelievable that this is the person

they have chosen to adorn the twenty-dollar bill with Harriet Tubman. Two people who were on opposite sides of justice still reside on opposite sides of the twenty-dollar bill.

With Harriet Tubman’s humanitarian-ism and courage, still, former President and slave master, Andrew Jackson, lin-gers in the shadows. If one day, this world decides that an African-American woman can stand alone, courageously, proudly, and heroically, on her own, then I will cel-ebrate. Until that day I will not feel victori-ous, until we as African American women can stand alone with no remnants of mas-ter lingering in the shadows.

Rowan: Did I not raise you for better? How many times have I told you? You have to be what?

Olivia: Twice as good.

Rowan: You have to be twice as good as them to get half of what they have.

Hannah L. Drake

ONYX BLACK HISTORY

SHADOW Master’s

40 ONYX MAGAZINE

State Representative Kionne L. McGhee was born and raised in Miami, FL in a tough community.

As the oldest of six brothers and sisters, he grew up quickly, and assumed many responsibilities to help his single mother.

Representative McGhee did not ini-tially realize his determination to make a difference in his community from the start, however. With the encouragement of his mother, he attended Howard Uni-versity, and graduated with his bachelor’s degree of political science in 2000. He went on to earn his Juris Doctor degree from Texas Southern University Thur-good Marshall School of Law in 2004.

Representative McGhee is also a pub-lished author, writing about his personal story in A Mere I CAN Is AMERICAN: A Story of Hope, Determination, and Second Chances Through the Power of I CAN, in 2009.

In 2012, Representative McGhee saw the pressing need for a strong voice in the South Miami community that would strive for change, and ran for the Florida

House of Representatives, District 117. He won with an overwhelming majority, and serves the South Miami-Dade area today. Much of his key legislation has focused on the specific issues affecting his community, most notably gun violence.

He has received numerous commu-nity awards and recognitions from great leaders such as Governor Charlie Crist, Chief Judge Joseph Farina, Senior Judge Tom Petersen, Judge Mary Jo Francis and many others for his dedication and hard work. Now, a respected author, State Representative, and revered profes-sor, Representative McGhee has become a role model for people of all ages whose stories are similar to his own as well as a trailblazer for justice and a motivator for success.

Today, Representative McGhee con-tinues to live in Miami with his lovely wife, Stacy, and their three beautiful children - Kionne II, Hayley, and Hayes. He plans to continue to Represent South Miami-Dade in the near future, and give a voice to those less fortunate.

Florida State Representative Kionne McGhee

District 117

42 ONYX MAGAZINE

State Representative Edwin “Ed” Narain is a dedicated member of the Tampa Bay community who

has served in various civic leadership roles more than two decades. The oldest of three sons born to Aubron and Yvonne Narain (Fort Lauderdale, FL), Ed moved to Tampa in 1994 to attend the University of South Florida. There he was elected Presi-dent of the Student Body (1997-98) and was voted USF’s First Fall Homecoming King. While at South Florida, he partnered with the United Way to develop the first Student driven United Way campaign and received the Department of Student Affairs first Student Leadership Award. In 2015, he received the USF President’s African American Advisory Committee’s Ike Trib-ble Kente Alumni Award.

Representative Narain has worked with several organizations that are committed to helping children and the working poor. He is a member of the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, and served for

several years on the Hillsborough County Head Start Policy Council and the Hill-sborough County Community Action Board.

A Life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fra-ternity, Inc. in 2008 Representative Narain was honored as the Tampa Alumni Chap-ter’s Man of the Year. In 2010, he earned the alumni chapter’s Leadership Award for guid-ing the chapter to its first Southern Province Chapter of the Year Award as President.

Professionally, Representative Narain is a Regional Director with AT&T and is a three-time Florida Top Performance Man-ager of the Year (2009, 2010 & 2013). He has also earned two AT&T Summit Awards given to performers within the top two percent of the company (2005, 2013).

A member of Leadership Florida’s Col-lege Leadership Florida (Class I) and Con-nect Florida (Class IV) statewide leadership programs, Ed earned a BA degree in Psy-chology and a Master’s in Business Admin-istration from Saint Leo University. In

2013, he completed a Leadership Certifi-cate and earned a Jurist Doctorate degree from Stetson University College of Law where he also received the Dean’s Award for outstanding service to the law school.

In November 2014, Representative Narain was elected to the Florida House of Representatives as the State Represen-tative for District 61. As a freshman leg-islator, Ed was elected Chairman of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus, received the 2015 Florida Counties Association County Champion Award, the 2016 Legis-lative Appreciation Award from the Florida League of Cities and earned two coveted Distinguished Advocate Awards from the Florida Chamber of Commerce in 2015 and 2016.

Representative Narain is married to Monica, a public school teacher and together they have two young daughters. In his spare time, he enjoys watching mov-ies with his family, reading, volunteering and mentoring young people.

Florida State Representative Edwin “Ed” Narain

District 61

ONYX MAGAZINE 43

State Representative Bobby Powell Jr., was re-elected to a second term as State Representative to Florida

House District 88 in November 2014. He is also a professional planner who works as a Project Manager for the firm Urban Design Kilday Studios. Representative Powell is the first, and only, American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) member to serve in the Florida Legislature.

Representative Powell takes his role as a State Representative seriously and he can be counted on to bring a high level of pro-fessionalism and expertise to the Commit-tees and Subcommittees that he serves on in Tallahassee. As a Representative, he is known for being extremely thorough and paying close attention to legislation that could become law and affect the citizens of Florida and his district.

He has indicated that his number one goal as an individual who was chosen to represent a select group of citizens in the State of Florida is to serve the public inter-est by focusing on safe neighborhoods, eco-nomic development and attainable public education. He loves to serve his commu-nity and strives to think of innovative ways

to reach residents who have become dis-connected with politics, and those who fail to see the purpose of elections or elected officials. Representative Powell takes the words from his relative, former Bureau Chief of the Florida Department of Edu-cation Dr. James Barge, “A life of service is a life that counts.”

Representative Powell is a former track & field athlete at Florida A&M University where he received numerous athletic and academic awards. He graduated Magna Cum Laude, from Florida A&M Univer-sity, with a degree in Journalism (public relations) in 2003. He subsequently earned a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University in 2006. He is a 2011 graduate of Lead-ership Palm Beach County, and serves on the LPBC Alumni Relations Committee. Additionally, he has coached football, track & field, and served as a mentor to many of our next generation of leaders.

Representative Powell is a member of Christian Temple A.M.E, and as one of the most highly recruited speakers for many spe-cial events, and he is an inspiration to many people throughout the State of Florida.

Florida State Representative Bobby Powell Jr.

District 88

44 ONYX MAGAZINE

State Representative Sharon Pritchett was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, representing Dis-

trict 102, in 2012. Representative Pritch-ett was appointed by the House Speaker to serve on several Committees of note:

• Local and Federal Affairs Committee:• Children, Families and Seniors

Subcommittee • Criminal Justice Subcommittee• Justice Appropriations Subcommittee• Rules, Calendars, and Ethics

Subcommittee

During the 2016 Legislative Session, Representative Pritchett sponsored HB 293, a PUBLIC RECORDS/JUVENILE HIS-TORY RECORD Bill, which requires per-sonal information obtained during juvenile

arrest be exempt from the public record. This Legislation received Bi-Partisan sup-port. it passed in both the House and Senate and was signed into Law by the Governor.

Representative Pritchett was among eighteen members of the State Legislature to be recognized by Progress Florida, as “Middle Class Champions,” who “stood up to protect and expand Florida’s mid-dle class 100% of the time on critical Bill” The Florida League of Cities also honored Representative Pritchett with a 2016 Leg-islative Appreciation Award for her “tireless efforts to protect the Home Rule powers of Florida’s cities.”

Representative Pritchett continues to work to empower and create opportunities for others. She has made INTERGRITY the hallmark of her service and looks forward to continuing in service to her community.

Florida State RepresentativeSharon Pritchett

District 102

ONYX MAGAZINE 45

State Representative Hazelle P. Rog-ers began her political career in 1996, when she was elected to office

in the City of Lauderdale Lakes, where she served for twelve (12) years, making her the first person from the English-speak-ing Caribbean American community to be elected to office in the southeastern United States. She also served as president of the Broward League of Cities in 2004.

Representative Rogers was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2008, making her the first Jamaican and second person from the English-speaking Caribbean American community to be elected to the House, she was reelected subsequently. She first served as a Demo-cratic Deputy Whip from 2010-2012, and again for 2012-2016. Representative Rog-ers has served as the Democratic Ranking Member on the House Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee since 2012. She was instru-mental in receiving $2 million in funding for the Urban League of Broward County for the second consecutive year.

As a freshman legislator, she was suc-cessful in having two bills passed in her

first session; a bill that governs the transfer of motor vehicle titles in a person-to-per-son sales transaction, the other makes sub-stantive changes with regard to substance abuse and mental health deliverables. In 2014, she passed a bill that exempts school districts from liability for donating food to local charities, and was also a strong advo-cate for in-state tuition for undocumented students which earned her the Broward College 2014 Award for support of the ‘Florida Dreamers’ Legislation.

In 2009, she initiated the Caribbean Her-itage Month Celebrations at the Capitol honoring the many contributions of Caribbe-an-Americans to the fabric of our nation. In 2010, she was appointed by former Governor Charlie Crist as a member of the Sunshine Census Statewide Complete Count Commit-tee and in 2011 she served as a member of the House Redistricting Committee.

She has been the recipient of numer-ous community awards, among them, the 2000 YMCA Volunteer Award; 2000 Lau-derdale Lakes Democratic Club Leadership Award; and the T. J Reddick Bar Presi-dential Award; 2001 Induction into the Broward County’s Women Hall of Fame,

2005 Blue Cross Blue Shield Orange Bowl Thurgood Marshall Award; 2006 Success Magazine People’s Choice Award; 2008 JM Family Enterprise African-American Achievers Award; 2009 Caribbean Amer-ican Democratic Club Democracy Award and the Democratic Women’s Club of Northeast Broward Exceptional Freshman Year Award; 2011 Broward Black Elected Leadership and Commitment Award; 2012 Jamaica Diaspora Honors Award and ICABA’s 100 most Accomplished Carib-bean Americans in South Florida; 2014 Honorary Doctorate of Humanities, City College; 2015 Harmony Development Center Outstanding Achievement Award.

Representative Rogers has been a recipi-ent of the Florida Association of Counties’ Champion Award for 2014 and 2015; the Jamaican American Bar Association Legis-lative Award, 2015, and the Florida League of Cities’ Legislative Appreciation Award for four consecutive years 2013-2016.

She is committed to supporting the United Negro College Fund. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business from the University of Phoenix and has been married to Clifton Rogers since 1974.

Florida State Representative Hazelle P. Rogers

District 95

46 ONYX MAGAZINE

State Representative Darryl Rouson has earned a reputation as a trail-blazer in business and the commu-

nity. In 1981, he became the first African American prosecutor in Pinellas County. In 2003, he was appointed the first chairman of the newly formed Substance Abuse and Addictions Task Force for The National Bar Association.

Representative Rouson also served as president of the St. Petersburg NAACP from 2000 to 2005 and served on the Tax-ation and Budget Reform Commission in 2007. In April 2008 his years of activism, bold leadership and community service culminated in his being elected to repre-sent Tampa Bay in the Florida House of Representatives. He is currently serving his last term as a state representative due to term limits.

Over the years, Representative Rou-son has been honored with several awards recognizing him for his leadership roles. Florida Partners in Crisis, Legislative Lead-

ership Award, 2012; Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association, Legislator of the Year, 2010, 2011; PACE Center of Pinel-las, Legislator of the Year, 2011; University of South Florida - St. Petersburg, Chancel-lor’s Award for Civic Leadership, 2010.

Representative Rouson’s district covers portions of Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota and Hillsborough counties. His last session was this past March; he worked on com-prehensive driver license reform and passed legislation regulating back yard gun ranges. Since he began his tenure as a state repre-sentative, Rouson has been regularly listed as one of Tampa Bay’s most influential pol-iticians.

Representative Rouson received a col-lege degree in 1977 from Xavier Univer-sity in New Orleans and graduated from law school at the University of Florida in 1980. He is married to Angela Rouson and is proudly raising five boys while practicing law in the Tampa Bay area with the Dol-man Law Group.

Florida State Representative Darryl Ervin Rouson

District 70

ONYX MAGAZINE 47

ONYX EDUCATES

Several of you are anticipating the hustle and bustle of Back-to-School. You are probably wondering who

your child’s teacher will be, what types of nutritious food will be served during lunches, or what mode of transportation is most suitable for you and your child’s needs. You are probably thinking about Back-to-School sales on clothing, shoes, school supplies, and digital devices, such as tablets, laptops, and iPads. Some of you are thinking about physicals, immunizations, eye exams, and dental check-ups. Several of you may be considering which after-school program or extra-curricular activity is most likely to meet your child’s needs and satisfy their curiosity as well as their interests. No matter where your thought processes lead you, Back-to-School is a time honored tra-dition in which families and communities prepare to send their children off to school.

Once school has begun, you probably start to think of ways to be involved in your child’s education that will be mean-ingful and memorable for both of you. You probably will attend open-house, meet-and-greet, and any of the other ini-tial events designed by schools to start the school year off to establish relationships between teachers, administrators, par-ents, and students. You find this appealing because you want a relationship with your child’s school, but your time may be lim-

ited due to other obligations such as work and you wonder if there really is a way to engage in the educational experience effec-tively as a parent.

Actually there is. Research shows that parental involvement in our schools has a very significant effect on student achieve-ment and academic success. Consider join-ing organizations, school-based councils, or volunteering as plausible possibilities. There are a few organizations out there that espouse advocacy for children, support for schools, and fundraising to help schools develop or sustain programs. Such orga-

nizations are the Parent Teacher Associa-tion (PTA) and booster clubs. PTAs are on most elementary, middle, and some high school campuses whereas booster clubs are more than likely on middle and high school campuses. There is usually a min-imal membership fee required by both of these organizations and the members meet once a month. Meetings are normally held in the evenings and last approximately 45 minutes to an hour. The PTA is a national organization whereas booster clubs are usually school-based.

Another school-based group is the School Advisory Council (SAC), which annually assists in the development and evaluation of the School Improvement Plan. Unlike the PTA and booster clubs, there is no membership fee for its mem-bers. In fact, school districts ensure that there is a SAC on each of its campuses by Florida statute. The SAC meets monthly and is responsible for decision-making pertaining to school improvement that will promote student achievement and school-wide academic success.

Then there is also volunteering. Any questions regarding specific guidelines for volunteering should be directed to your school district. Regardless of how you are involved as a parent, the most important thing is that you are involved. It’s time. Let’ make parental involvement a tradition.

A Time Honored Tradition

Research shows that

parental involvement in

our schools has a very

significant effect on

student achievement

and academic success.

48 ONYX MAGAZINE

State Senator Christopher L. Smith began his public service by serving on local boards within the City of

Fort Lauderdale. In 1995 he was appointed to the City’s Planning and Zoning Board. At a time of tremendous development within the City of Fort Lauderdale, Sena-tor Smith fought seeking a balance between the need for economic development and the rights of existing property and homeowners.

In 1998, Senator Smith was elected to the Florida House of Representative serv-ing the City of Fort Lauderdale and six surrounding municipalities. He quickly became a strong advocate for Smart Jus-tice. While in the House of Representa-tives, Senator Smith led the charge against the “tough on crime” policies of the then Governor, Jeb Bush administration. After the election fiasco of 2000 in which Flor-ida votes were ultimately decided by the Supreme Court, Senator Smith co-au-thored the states’ election reform package of 2000 which became a model for the

rest of the nation. In his final term in the Florida House of Representatives, Senator Smith was elected by his peers to be the youngest ever Democratic Leader in Flor-ida Legislature.

After being term limited out of the House of Representatives, Senator Smith was elected to the Florida Senate in 2008, representing Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Due to redistricting Senator Smith now represents 14 municipalities in Central Broward County. In only the third year of his first Senate term, Senator Smith was once again elected Democratic Leader of his chamber for the 2012-2014 Term. As Democratic Leader he led the caucus and set Democratic policy on statewide issues once again.

In 2005 Senator Smith fought against the Stand Your Ground law when it was first introduced in the Florida House of Representatives. After the tragic death of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida, Sen-ator Smith called upon the Governor and the Legislature for action. Due to their

inaction, Senator Smith formed his own Task Force to discuss the controversial Stand Your Ground law in the State of Flor-ida. He has now authored bills on revising the Stand Your Ground law and has been used as an expert nationwide on the effects of Stand Your Ground legislation. He has recently discussed the ramifications of the law on CNN, MSNBC, FOX News, NPR and numerous other media outlets. He is currently drafting a new Senate Bill which is a revision of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law that is scheduled to be filed this legisla-tive session in the Florida Senate.

Senator Smith is a graduate of Johnson C Smith University, in Charlotte North Carolina and obtained his law degree from Florida State University College of Law. He is a partner with the firm of Johnson, Anselmo et al. He has been married for 15 years to Desorae Giles-Smith, a NFBPA member and current Assistant City Man-ager for the City of Lauderhill. He is the proud father of two, Christopher age 14 and Christian age 9.

Florida State Senator Christopher L. Smith

District 31

50 ONYX MAGAZINE

State Representative Cynthia A. Staf-ford represents Florida’s 109th Leg-islative District. First elected to the

Florida House in 2010 and subsequently re-elected to a third term in 2014, Rep-resentative Stafford currently serves on the Appropriations Committee, Choice and Innovation Subcommittee, Civil Jus-tice Subcommittee, Health Quality Sub-committee and Joint Legislative Auditing Committee. As a freshman Legislator, she was selected by the Speaker of the House in 2011 to serve as a member of the 2012 Presidential Primary Preference Selection Committee.

Representative Stafford has sponsored legislation to repeal the controversial Stand Your Ground law in the State of Florida. She believes this law is dangerous, often deadly, applied unequally, and leads to outrageous results. In addition, she has also sponsored legislation to increase the state’s minimum wage. She believes increasing the minimum wage will strengthen our economy and help lift working people out of poverty.

Representative Stafford has served in the

community for more than 25 years. She is an Attorney and Adjunct College Pro-fessor. For several years, she worked with the Dade County Bar Legal Aid Society where she represented victims of domes-tic violence. She was also a Congressional Aide with Former Congresswoman Carrie P. Meek, Development Director for the Family Christian Association of America, and Assoc. VP/Communications Director at Sonshine Communications.

Representative Stafford’s past and pres-ent volunteer and community service includes: Casa Valentina Advisory Board Member, Inner City Children’s Touring Dance Company Advisory Board Mem-ber, and the Family Christian Association of America Advisory Board Member. Rep-resentative Stafford was also a mentor to young girls who had aged out of foster care as well as, a Miami Dade County Teen Court Judge for first time juvenile defen-dants who had committed nonviolent mis-demeanor offenses.

Representative Stafford awards and honors includes: Emerging Leader, Wom-

en’s History Month Honoree, Rising Star Award, and Outstanding Service in Polit-ical Awareness and Involvement. Also in 2012, the Mary Kay Foundation awarded a grant in recognition of Representative Stafford to the Miami Rescue Mission to support housing and services for domes-tic violence victims and their children. In 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, she was recognized as a Champion of Florida’s Middle Class. In 2013, the Family Law Section of the Florida Bar honored Rep-resentative Stafford with the Legislator Award for her efforts on behalf of Florida’s families throughout the legislative session. Also in 2013, she received The National Black Police Association’s Lifetime Mem-bership Award.

Representative Stafford is a native Miamian, born and raised in Liberty City. She earned a BA in Communication Arts from St. Thomas University and a Juris Doctor from St. Thomas University School of Law. Representative Stafford is a mem-ber of the Florida Bar and licensed to prac-tice in the State of Florida.

Florida State Representative Cynthia A. Stafford

District 109

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State Representative Dwayne Taylor is a native Floridian who was edu-cated in the local public schools

of Volusia County. He is a graduate of Mainland High School and has earned five college degrees, including a Master’s in Public Administration from the Uni-versity of Central Florida. He also studied the Fundamentals of Money Management at the University of Pennsylvania’s Whar-ton School of Business. He is married to Ekecia Grayson Taylor, Esq. and the proud father of four.

Representative Taylor first held elected office as a City Commissioner for the City of Daytona Beach in 2003. He was re-elected in 2005 to a four year term. He has previously held many positions including: Vice Mayor of the City of Day-tona Beach, Chairman of the East Volusia Regional Water Authority, Vice Chairman of the Volusia/Flagler Metropolitan Plan-ning Organization, and was the first Vice President of the Florida Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials. He is a former member of the National League of Cit-ies, Florida League of Cities, Advocacy

Committee, Legislative Committee, Fis-cal Stewardship, and a Trustee of Daytona Beach Police and Fire Pension Fund. He has over 18 years of pension experience and is currently utilizing his expertise on the State Affairs Committee.

Representative Taylor was elected to the Florida House of Representatives on November 4, 2008 and subsequently re-elected thereafter, and is currently serving on the: State Affairs Committee, Education Appropriations Subcommittee, Govern-ment Operation Appropriations, Insurance and Banking Subcommittee, Joint Select Committee on Collective Bargaining, and Government Operations Subcommittee.

Representative Taylor is a recipient of the Jefferson Award for Public Service and the NAACP Community Service Award, American Cancer Society Legislative Award, Founding Member of the Florida Fire Service Caucus, Florida Police Benev-olent Association Representative of the Year, along with numerous others. Repre-sentative Taylor is a writer and producer and has authored a murder mystery enti-tled “Forced to Defend”.

Florida State RepresentativeDwayne Taylor

District 26

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Prior to becoming a Member of the Florida Legislature, Florida State Representative Barbara Watson

demonstrated the tenacity to lead while serving in her community as President of the Andover Civic Association. She is the founder of Watson Antique and Classic Cars, the largest black owned Limousine business serving Florida’s southeast coast. She also founded the Clover Leaf Royals Senior Group.

Answering the call to service Represen-tative Watson ran for public office and was elected to the Miami Gardens City Coun-cil, serving from 2003-2010. She held the position of Vice Mayor from 2007-2009. In 2011, an unexpected vacancy in House District 103 prompted a State legislative special election. Representative Watson entered the race and won, thus becoming State Representative of House District 103. She was sworn into office on the first day

of the 2011 Regular Legislative Session and has been subsequently re-elected. After Redis-tricting, the district was redrawn and became House District 107. During her tenure, Rep-resentative Watson has sponsored numerous bills in the Legislature that sought to protect the interests of her constituents.

In her effort to protect the public at large from gun violence, Representative Watson consulted with numerous state and government agencies. After intense meet-ings with the Florida Supreme Court Men-tal Health Task Force, the National Rifle Association and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Watson garnered their support in sponsoring HB 1355, closing the gap in the Baker Act process. The bill proposed to allow the state to place a pro-hibition on mentally ill persons that are an imminent danger to themselves and oth-ers, prohibiting them from purchasing a firearm. HB 1355 passed unanimously in

both the House and Senate and was signed by the Governor.

After years of fighting to include Fire-fighters among the list of officials that are prohibited from being falsely personated, Representative Watson filed HB 117 / SB 1010. This legislation prohibiting false per-sonation of a Firefighter successfully passed all committees of reference and was signed by the Governor. Representative Watson also co-sponsored legislation that supports our veterans, children, and cancer treatment.

Representative Watson remains a consis-tent advocate for the citizens of the State of Florida and is honored to represent House District 107, which includes portions of the Cities of Miami Gardens, North Miami Beach, North Miami and parts of unincorporated Miami-Dade County.

Representative Watson resides in the beautiful City of Miami Gardens with her husband Alvin.

Florida State RepresentativeBarbara Watson

District 107

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State Representative Clovis Watson, Jr., earned a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts Degree, two

Master’s degrees; one in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Public Administration and the second in Business Administration (MBA). He is a PhD doc-toral candidate in Business Administration, and is also a graduate of Harvard Univer-sity John F. Kennedy Graduate School of Government Executive Education Lead-ership for the 21st Century program. He also serves as an adjunct professor, and is a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta Honorary Society, the Pinnacle Honor Society and Delta Mu Delta International Honor Society. In the spring of 2015, he was inducted into the prestigious Florida Blue Key.

He was the first African American Ser-geant, Deputy Chief for the Alachua Police Department, and later the first African American City Manager for the City of Alachua. He hired the first African Amer-ican Chief of Police for the Alachua Police Department, and was the first to hire two women Assistant City Managers, both of

whom are now respected City Managers themselves. He is a former member of the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross North Central Florida Chap-ter. He sat on the Board of Directors for the Alachua County United Way, Juvenile Justice Council, Police Executive Council, Alachua County Task Force of Adminis-trators and the Police Executive Training Committee. Representative Watson served on the steering committee for the Ala-chua County Child Advocacy Center in its infancy, and is a former member of the Florida City and County Managers’ Asso-ciation and the International City Manag-ers’ Association.

He was awarded the Governor’s Peace at Home Award by the late Governor Lawton Chiles for his efforts to curb and educate others about domestic violence. In 2006, he received the Public Servant of the Year award by the Florida Democratic Black Caucus. The Gainesville Lodge of Frater-nal Order of Police presented him with the Administrator of the Year award in 2008, and in 2009 the Alachua Chamber of Commerce presented him with the Life-

time Achievement Award. He was recog-nized with awards by Kappa Alpha Psi on several occasions for Community Service, Achievement and Outstanding Leadership and Service. The Department of Veteran Affairs of North Florida/Southern Georgia presented him with a Certificate of Appre-ciation for volunteerism for our veterans and was awarded the Rev. Dr. T. A. Wright Award from the NAACP.

Representative Watson was presented an Outstanding Leadership Award by the Gainesville African American & Cultural Society. The University of Alabama recog-nized him with the Alice Parker Award for Outstanding Work in the Humanities. In 2012, he received the Democrat of the Year award from the Alachua County Demo-cratic Black Caucus.

Representative Watson was elected in November 2012 to the office of State Repre-sentative for District 20. He is currently serv-ing on the State Affairs committee and the Agriculture and Natural Resources Appro-priations, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Economic Development and Tourism and Health Quality subcommittees.

Florida State Representative Clovis Watson, Jr.

District 20

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State Representative Alan Williams is recognized as one of the nation’s rising political leaders and consis-

tently uses that platform to be a voice for the voiceless. Representative Williams has been successful in striking a balance for fighting for civil rights and a proponent for job creation and economic develop-ment. Alan B. Williams is a fifth genera-tion Floridian, an unabashed servant of the people, a proud family man, small business owner and a trailblazer in his own right. He has been featured in publications such as the Washington Post, The New York Times, USA Today, Huffington Post, Politico and Ebony Magazine. In February 2003, he was featured in Ebony Magazine as a Young Leader of the Future. He has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, FOX and other Florida news outlets speaking on var-ies political issues impacting the State of Florida and the nation as a whole. In 2013, Representative Williams was invited to the White House by President Barack Obama to meet with him and other civil rights lead-ers and elected officials to discuss the reautho-

rization of the voting rights act. He has served on several statewide and national policy panel sessions on education, voting rights, stand your ground laws, and affordable healthcare.

Never forgetting the monumental impact that service and leadership made on the lives of those around him, Alan ran for the Florida House of Representatives to represent District 8 (Leon and Gads-den counties) and was elected in Novem-ber 2008. He has a record of championing legislation relating to green jobs, economic development, ethics and elections.

A leader amongst his colleagues, Rep-resentative Williams also served as Demo-cratic Whip (2012-2014), and Chairman of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus (2014-2015). His tireless efforts have resulted in Alan successfully passing leg-islation creating the Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame that recognizes and honor those persons who have made significant contributions to the ever expanding strug-gle for civil rights in the State of Florida.

Over the years, Representative Williams has been recognized for his legislative con-

tributions. He serves on the Florida Public Service Commission Nominating Council, the Florida Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys, the National Con-ference of Black State Legislators Executive Board, the Board of Directors for Second Harvest of the Big Bend, Gadsden Arts Center and Guardian Ad Litem.

Representative Williams is a third gen-eration FAMUAN and is the youngest in a family of three children. He is a recipient of both a B.S. and M.B.A. from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, prestigious School of Business and Indus-try. Just as family was a great influence in the beginning of his life, it continues to impact him now with his own family. Rep-resentative Williams is married to Attorney Opal McKinney-Williams and they work together to instill those same characteris-tics in their two children, Adrianna and Alan-Louis. He is committed to the people he serves and his life affirms Dr. Martin Luther King’s powerful conviction that, “Everybody can be great, because every-body can serve.”

Florida State RepresentativeAlan B. Williams

District 8

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