onyx magazine july august 2014

>> 1 << ONYX MAGAZINE I JULY/AUGUST 2014

VOLUME 18 I NUMBER 4JULY/AUGUST 2014 I $3.50

ONYXMAGAZINE.COM


Political advertisement paid for and approved by Teresa Jacobs, candidate for Orange County Mayor, a non-partisan election.

Teresa Jacobs

Re-Elect Orange County Mayor

FOR YOUR SUPPORTTHANK YOU

Honest. Effective.Making a Difference.


JULY/AUGUST 2014

PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEFRichard “ Rich” E. Black

MANAGING EDITORDesnee Young

ADVERTISING MANAGERDavid Williams

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

CIRCULATION DIRECTORSAlice Leach and Eugene Leach

MAGAZINE LAYOUT & DESIGNCrawford Designs

www.cdporlando.com

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERSKris L. Anderson

Toyin Cole Ronnie Garman

Lester SeaysXavier Ryan

ONYX ADVISORY COMMITTEEJohnny Rivers, Chairman

FOUNDERS

Lester and Lillian Seays

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 ad-dress or e-mail us at [email protected]. Letters to the editor are encouraged. Copyright 2014 by Onyx Magazine. All right 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 en-velope. The publisher does not assume responsibility for any materials not submitted in manner advised. Unsolicited materials are not subject to payment from Onyx Magazine.

ONYXENTERTAINs, INsPIREs AND INFORMs

2012-2013 MEDIA KIT

Happy Fourth of July. As we move forward, we look back as we continue to celebrate 150 years of Emancipation for the African-American. We are a blessed people and should never forget from whence we came so that we do not hesitate to continue to forge a positive path ahead for our children and their children.

In this issue of ONYX, we look at a partnership in the making. What happens when two multi-million dollar companies work together to make a difference on a global scale?

Our cover story is about two such individuals, Johnny Riv-ers, President of INGLUR and Christopher Miller, President of Associated Grocers.

ONYX takes a look at a few of Florida’s City Commissioners and their agendas and enlightens you on community happenings throughout the State.

As always, Health, Career, and Education are staples of ONYX Magazine as we continue to Entertain, Inspire and Inform our readers.

Enjoy! Rich

RICHARD E. “RICH” BLACK

Deborah Barrs Paul Sharon Fletcher Jones

Elena Kennedy-KunnekeSteven KingLexi Lewis

Daphne Latimore

Dr. Denise MoseKeisha PickettLillian Seays

Cleveland TinkerRoniece WeaverRobert L. Young

Dr. Lavon Wright BracyByron BrooksMable ButlerJames Clark

Keydrum DinkinsBarbara HartleyAlma C. Horne

Dr. Rodney Hurst

Larry Lee, Jr.Christopher RileyZita Steglich Ross

Michelle TatomMargaret Johnson Thompson

Donna WallerHenry Wright

Dr. Samuel Lamar Wright

From the Publisher


ONYX Readers,


35

10

>> DEPARTMENTS ARTS & CULTURE 43 BOOKS 39 CAREER 15 EDUCATION 45 ENTERTAINMENT 40 FASHION 34 HEALTH 26 ONYX ON THE MOVE 47 SPORTS 36 TECHNOLOGY 42 WINE & FOOD 28

>>FLORIDA SCOPE THE 2020 PLAN 18 THE COTTON CLUB 16

>>COMMUNITY VISION OF FLIGHT 17

CHRISTIAN READING TEA SOCIETY ANNUAL YOUTH CONFERENCE 20

>>HEALTH FALL ALLERGIES: BREATHING THROUGH 26

BENEFITS OF GREEN TEA 27

SPICE IT UP 29

>>POLITICS CITY OF GAINESVILLE YVONNE HINSON-RAWLS 22

CITY OF ORLANDO REGINA HILL 23

CITY OF DAYTONA BEACH PAUL REED 24

C ONTENTS

GAINESVILLE, FL

A SLICE OF HISTORY

THE COTTON CLUB

INTERVIEW WITH A TECHIE

38NEW SCIENCE FICTION BY WALTER MOSLEY

JACK STRONG 25

16

CHANGE 4 KIDSIT’S JUST A 1/2 PENNY

COVER STORY

BUSINESS &PARTNERSHIPSINGLUR & ASSOCIATEDGROCERS

PROTECTING YOUR HAIR

THIS SUMMER

19

VOLUME 18 I NUMBER 4JULY/AUGUST 2014


MBPO400097.indd 1 6/12/14 4:45 PM


JULY/AUGUST 2014DESNEE E. YOUNG

MAYA ANGELOURECEIVING HER GIFTThroughout our lives we receive gifts. When we are born, the gift is to our parents, but from then on we receive birthday gifts, graduation gifts, Mother’s and Father’s Day gifts. There are gifts for every occasion. One of the most overlooked gifts is one that we constantly receive, but often goes unnoticed because it is not preceded with pomp and circumstance. It is often a soft whisper, and if one is not in tune with the Universe, it cannot be received.

Maya Angelou was such a gift. I must admit, that over the years, I have watched her make appearances on television. Her works were not required reading when I was in school, but I did own some of her writing, which I passed along to my niece. A few days after her passing, I was talking to this same niece and Maya Angelou’s name came up in the conversation. She said to me, “Auntie, the one thing that Maya Angelou said that I will never forget is that ‘when someone shows you who they are; believe them, the first time.’” Later that same day, I was at home talking to my daughter about Angelou’s passing and she said to me, “Mom, I will always remember that Maya Angelou said that ‘when someone shows you who they are, believe them, the first time.’” I looked at my daughter in silence because I could not believe that both young ladies shared the exact same quote with me on the same day. They both expressed to me the profound impact that this statement has had on their lives. One of them said that they live by this when it comes to their personal relationships.

As for me, I went back and examined the life of Maya Angelou and when I was fin-ished, I felt as if I had received a gift. She was over eighty years old, a little, but not much younger than my late-grandmother. By reading her poetry and her writings, I felt as if a door had been opened into my grandmother’s world. I cannot begin to imagine a life lived during that time, especially one that had to be lived as a black woman. Every day was not bad, I am sure, but the instability of that period of time was one of uncertainty.

There are many things in life that are far worse than death, but there is one thing that reigns triumphant over a life lived filled with trials and tribulations and that is to overcome those things with dignity and humility and to uplift others by paving a path for them to follow that will lead them to inner peace and the knowledge that one can overcome all things through faith and perseverance.

Thank you, Maya Angelou, for the legacy of your truth that you leave behind and the soft whisper in your voice that will remain a roar in our minds for all of eternity.

Desnee

From the Managing Editor


Maya AngelouAPRIL 4, 1928- MAY 28, 2014


BUSINESS &JOHNNY RIVERS President INGLUR

So much has been written about Johnny Rivers. We know that he came from very humble beginnings. His strongest desire as a young man was to be able to decrease the burden of his mother who worked hard to take care of Rivers and his siblings after her divorce from their father. Little did he know that by honoring his mother, the doors to success and celebrity would open for him, and eventually give him the opportunity to make a difference on a global scale.

Johnny Rivers learned very early that hard work was integral in a man’s measurement of his self-worth, the way he was perceived by others, and key to being successful. He was willing to put the work in. He also learned that he had been given a gift. The job that he found while out looking for work as a teenager was that of prep chef. It was during this time that Johnny discovered his ability to turn food into art. Art that would be demanded by the masses and food that he would prepare for presidents. Rivers was hired at Walt Disney World where he would eventu-ally become Corporate Executive Chef. During his tenure, he opened five of Disney’s Resorts. Rivers would go on to open his own restaurants, train and teach numerous employees of not only his companies but at least 150 others. He has helped other popular chains and numerous restaurants develop their brands as well.

Best of show in the World Olympics was one of his best mo-ments. It was then he realized that his outrageous approach to food and his approach to design and display made him “a little” different.” Rivers would go on to win numerous awards in the culinary world.

Rivers strong belief in God and family are his number one priori-ties and he will tell you that without God, his success would not have been possible. He also believes in investing in people and serves on numerous boards and committees.

INGLUR ENTERPRISES

JOHNNY RIVERS

“Success comes from caring. People invest in people and not projects.”

C OVER STORY


GLOBAL EXPANSIONJohnny Rivers International (JRI) is a division of Inglur LLC . The company is multifaceted with Global Development projects in Saudi Arabia, The DRC, Angola, Kenya, South Africa, and the USA, just to name a few. INGLUR also consists of FEDWELL, a certified USDA Food plant. INGLUR also boasts an Exporting Services arm, a Mining Development arm and one that is closest to Mr. River’s heart, Community Development. INGLUR develops and facilitates major infrastructure throughout the US and in third world countries.

Rivers currently employs about 380 employees in his local facil-ity here in Orlando, but the opening of a planned USDA facility in Ocala, Florida, will increase that number to approximately 2200. The target date for the renovation will start early September. The Ocala Facility will take about six to eight months to complete.

One might think that after accomplishing all these things, Mr. Riv-ers has earned a well-deserved break. He has, but that’s just not on his agenda. The saying “I’ll rest when I’m dead” may be a little morbid, but when you enjoy what you do, why stop? Next on the horizon: the formation of a partnership that will allow JRI to con-tinue its mission of giving back while expanding his businesses throughout the world.

CHRISTOPHER MILLERPRESIDENT OF ASSOCIATED GROCERSWith a combined 1.5 million square feet of warehouse space and over 35,000 items to select from, Associated Grocers is a distri-bution company that offers food and foodservice-related busi-nesses a simple, cost-effective way to manage the procurement and distribution needs of their customers, whether they operate a large supermarket chain or a small local neighborhood market.

Associated Grocers is affiliated with over 50 countries and is ce-menting relationships in Central and South America. The compa-ny is over sixty years old and is member-owned. It is headquar-tered in Pompano Beach, Florida with a facility in Ocala, Florida. So who is at the helm of this massive operation?

Choosing Christopher Miller as President of Associated Grocers was a no-brainer. He will tell you that he has been in the industry since he was a boy and has worked in every department of the company he now leads. Within five minutes of meeting him, you are drawn to this charismatic individual and are not surprised at the unanimous vote that made him President of Associated Grocers.

PARTNERSHIPS

CHRISTOPHER MILLER

BY DESNEE E. YOUNGASSOCIATED GROCERS


One can read in print or online all about Associated Grocers. But Miller will tell you that the company’s most important assets are its employees. His philosophy is one of treating people well, promoting from within, equal opportunity and em-ployee training and development.

Kirk George began his career at As-sociated Grocers as a Warehouse Supervisor. In the eleven years that he has worked for Associated Gro-cers he has worked his way up through the ranks from Gro-cery Manager, Op-erations Manager, Distribution Man-ager, Operations Director, Business Development –In-ternational Sales to his current position

as Vice President-Distribution and Busi-ness Development. He is also the first African-American to hold the position of Vice President with the company.

In the two hours that I was in Miller’s company, I found one of his best assets to be his ability to motivate people. He is genuinely interested in the well-being of the employees. “I want to give people the tools they need to make their jobs easier.”

Miller says that it is important to keep his team motivated through team building exercises, rewarding hard work, health programs, training programs and many other incentives that have been imple-mented throughout the organization.

“How do I ensure and raise my team up to keep them on that high cutting edge of pushing above their limits and hav-ing fun while they are doing it? Year af-ter year, we have broken our company’s records in both top end sales and bot-tom end profits. You need a sustainable effort; find out what makes people tick and facilitate that need to have fun when you are winning.”

Miller credits all of his Vice Presidents who have embraced the company’s ide-als about teamwork and creating a fam-ily environment for its employees.

THE PARTNERSHIP Johnny Rivers International and Asso-ciated Grocers are two companies with like ideals and interests.

Exporting is what they both have in com-mon. JRI currently has business interests in seven countries and looks to expand in some of the countries that Associated Grocers is vested in. Associated Grocers is interested in growing their relation-ships in some of the countries that JRI currently does business with.

Quality of life and economic develop-ment are top priorities in the countries they provide services to and both organi-zations are committed to these causes. The goal of the partnership is to merge and develop and implement a strategic plan to supply the strong demand for quality products in an international mar-ket.

With these two like-minded individuals working together to make a difference, one can be sure the end-result will be one of success and a win-win for every-one involved.

Christopher Miller, Thierry Ngoie, Mike Wilson, Diane Aragon & Peter King, Kirk George, Johnny Rivers

KIRK GEORGEVice President

Distribution and Business

Development


We have long believed that the se-cret to success has been “who you know”, and we have been encour-aged to “fake it until we make it.” While there may be a level of truth to the age old adage, success in today’s work environment requires a toolkit consisting of competency and performance, supported by a network of mentors, coaches and sponsors.

Recently, while attending a dinner party, the conversation veered to-wards our profession. One guest expressed her frustration with the lack of her upward mobility. She shared that she had been hired into the company along with another person of the same gender, who possessed the same education and skills that she had to do the exact same job. Her colleague was en-joying a flourishing career, having received a number of promotions, while her career remained flat. She knew that she was just as capable as her colleague and believed that it was a case of “who you know.” She then asked me if she should “get” a sponsor.

I am often asked this question – should I get a sponsor, primarily be-cause there is confusion between the terms, coach, mentor and spon-sor and the role each has in your professional development. There are distinct differences in the sup-port provided.

FOR PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS?

A mentor is someone you choose that agrees to “talk with you” and serve as a trusted advisor for career advice. A mentor is a valuable resource to assist you in your exploration, development and implementation of your career strategy.

A coach is someone you hire and engage to “assist you” in identifying and attaining specific goals. During the coaching engagement you receive tools, per-spective and structure to accomplish your goals; through the accountability process. The coaching engagement is focused on acquiring or enhancing skills and or making behavioral shifts.

A sponsor chooses you! A sponsor selects you based on your demonstrated competencies, your performance, your abilities and your potential.

A sponsor “talks about you”. A sponsor taps you for developmental opportunities, is your advocate for promotions, and your champion for challenging assignments. A sponsor is a person that can move your career from discussions to pro-gression. Sponsors are persons with seniority, influence and power which can achieve results.

1

2

3

4

BY DB LATIMORE

Have you been Tapped

I encourage you to not ask the question “should I get a sponsor? instead ask “how do I attract a sponsor”

Attracting a sponsor requires that you do the following:

Demonstrate your Competence

Be a strong performer and make significant contributions

Build and Manage your reputation

Develop and Communicate your Career Strategy

Position yourself to be “tapped for professional success”, attract a spon-sor. To learn more about mentor-ing, coaching and sponsorship, sign up for a free consultation @dblati-morepsg.coachesconsole.com

C AREER


F LORIDA SCOPE

BY ELENA KUNNEKE

When you hear the words, “The Cotton Club” what do you think of? The Duke Ellington Orchestra? Cab Calloway singing “Minnie the Moocher?”

A full orchestra of musicians dressed in 1930’s white dinner jackets and black bow ties? Sounds of syncopated jazz being played to a well-heeled audi-ence? The Harlem Renaissance?

The 1.84 acre site is located approxi-mately 2 miles east of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. Lo-cated in Gainesville’s Springhill neigh-borhood, the large wood-frame build-ing was first constructed in 1940-41 as the Post Exchange at Camp Blanding, built by soldiers in Starke, Florida. At the end of World War II, the Perryman family purchased the surplus building, moved it to Gainesville and converted it to a movie theater for African-American patrons. It became The Cotton Club.

According to Gainesville.com, the his-toric site has a hall, grocery store, and four shotgun or “shogun” houses that are being rehabilitated to form a mu-seum and cultural center.

The building now known as the Cotton Club was moved from Camp Blanding after WWII and opened as the Perryman Theatre. It later reopened as the Cotton Club and hosted such legendary musi-cians as James Brown, Bo Diddley, B.B. King and Ray Charles while they per-formed on the Chitlin’ Circuit. This was one of the few venues in North Central Florida for African-American perform-ers during the period of segregation.

The History: The Cotton Club of Gaines-ville (named for its famous namesake of Harlem) was part of a string of night clubs and dance halls (affectionately known as the chitlin’ circuit) where black entertainers could perform during the post WWII era. The reason these clubs became known as the circuit in the south was because they all had nearby

hotels where blacks were allowed to stay overnight. This may sound strange but this was during the era of segrega-tion. The entertainers that came to play here were James Brown, B.B. King and Brook Benton. During this turbulent time of segregation, the Cotton Club de-fied racial barriers by attracting people from all walks of life including University of Florida students and faculty. Addi-tionally, dance bands drew large crowds from as far away as Ocala, Palatka and Jacksonville.

The University of Florida website indi-cated that although African Americans had served on the County Commission and the City council and held elected of-fice during the period of Reconstruction, by the 1940s and 1950s, the govern-ments, civic and business leaders of the city were all white men and women. Nev-ertheless, there was a vibrant and active Black community, the largest concen-tration located in the northwest section of the town.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 44

A Slice of History in Gainesville, Florida“The Cotton Club”

Located at 837 SE 7th Avenue in Gainesville, Florida


Mike McKenzie started Vision of Flight in 2012 as a local nonprofit organization dedicated to providing students with an introduction to ca-reers in aviation and aeronautics. In response to the growing global need for approximately one million aviation specialists by 2020, Mike hopes Vision of Flight will expose students to these untapped fields, as part of the larger ef-fort to encourage STEM careers.

A champion not only of youth education, Mike’s dreams were realized in November when a 14-foot tall monument was erected at the entrance of the Orlando Science Center’s Loch Haven Park to recognize a group of Afri-can American WWII fighter pilots – Tuskegee Airmen Red Tail Pilots.

Although Mike wasn’t involved in WWII com-bat, he was given the honorary Red Tail status by the group of Tuskegee Airmen. They rec-ognize him today as a Red Tail because of his help erecting the Orlando monument in their honor and for his continued partnership with Tuskegee Airmen through Vision of Flight.

During a recent Vision of Flight program, Fly Day, 12 Central Florida students had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to navigate an aircraft from the pilot seat. They received hands-on experience alongside Trax Air flight instructors and were inspired by wartime he-roes, Tuskegee Airmen. The half-day program concluded at a special reception, where stu-dents received their “wings.”

Community Vision of Flight

Vision of Flight aviation students and Mike McKenzie, founder, meet Lt. Cl. Hiram E. Mann, an original Red Tail pilot. (Students left to right: Ezekiel Cousin, Christian Stewart, Marshall Dong and Aiden Voorheis.)

Vision of Flight aviation students receive hands-on experience from Lucca Pazini, TraxAir flight instructor, during Fly Day. (Students left to right: Christi Dilliard, Ezekiel Cousin and Lucca Pazini.)

Left to right: Rhoda Bojilov, Marshall Dong, Lucca Pazini, Christi Dilliard, Mike McKenzie, Vision of Flight founder, Aiden Voorheis, Ronita M. Sanders, Orlando Area Director for Congresswoman Corrine Brown, Ezekiel Cousin, Robert F. Stewart, City of Orlando Dis-trict 3 Commissioner, Jai Dowe, Thomas Duffy, Vision of Flight director of operations, Jonny Hideroa, Christian Stewart, and a parent

F LORIDA SCOPE


F LORIDA SCOPE

Poverty, crime and lack of education are a sure fire combination for de-struction. The three entities are linked in one way or another and all too common among many of our Black communities. Research and reports often depict a dismal portrait for predominately Black neighborhoods, including South St. Petersburg and its Midtown counterpart. South St. Petersburg and Midtown are facing tough times with an increasing per-cent of unemployment, decreasing property value and elevated crime rates. While the average person may be able to see the South side’s value, there is a group that believes in it and all of its rich history.

Known as THE PACT, this collective of professionals and community activists have come together to turn South St. Pete around. The group named the effort, the “2020 Plan”. The 2020 Plan was launched in 2007 with nearly 300 active participants. The main goals of the ef-fort are to increase employment by 5,000 and decrease poverty by 30% by the 2020 Census. The 2020 Plan itself isn’t slated to take flight until October 2014. However, THE PACT has been in action and has met some outlying goals. They successfully implemented the Seven x 7 faith based coalition, the 50-50 Challenge which raised funds for sum-mer jobs for the youth; and Agenda 2010, which approached City of-ficials for investments into unemployment, disease and imprisonment. The 2020 Plan committee believes that they will reach their goal by fo-cusing on families, fathers and jobs. The plan will focus on bringing a whole family out of poverty versus just an individual. If one member of a family does well, they bring their family members along with them. Fathers are another major link in the 2020 Plan.


Keisha Pickett, OwnerPickett Public Relations Group/BlackintheBay.com

office (813)903-9247; [email protected]; www.BlackintheBay.com

Photos courtesy of Tim Kelley Reference: Gypsy Gallardo,

2020 Plan Founder and Taskforce Member

According to the plan’s official informa-tional kit, the top 10 parts of the 2020 Plan include:

COMMERCIAL REDEVELOPMENT 438,000 square feet of developments begun

NEIGHBORHOOD RENEWAL 500 housing units constructed or rehabilitated

BUSINESS GROWTH 500 micro & small businesses accessing training and capital to grow revenue and jobs

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE20+ social enterprises launched or grown to create added jobs

CAPITAL FORMATION$19 million in loan capital invested with businesses, developers and non-profits to support their growth

WEALTH BUILDING The number of banked families increased; $29.4 million in new savings accumulated

EDUCATION School readiness & success improved; graduation rate improved; plus increased enrollment of struggling students into high school career academies

THE FAMILY 2,000 dads & 1,275 moms helped to secure jobs & strengthen their Families

CLOSING THE HEALTH GAPPrimary & preventive care significantly expanded

CAPACITY BUILDINGStaffing the shared operations of the Plan as a whole

The 2020 Plan

lTamika Gunn (PSTA), Charlotte Anderson, Van Nguyen, Vonda Ford, Brenda Chambliss, Linda Ali (all of the Urban League), and Marilyn Turman (PSTA).


P ROFILE

Interview with a TechieBY SHARON FLETCHER JONES

Inman Breaux is the Chief Operating Officer at Los Ange-les-based AirPush, a mobile advertising platform used to monetize mobile applications. Breaux was recently ap-pointed to the Board of Directors of Dropbox and named one of the most important Black persons in technology, ranking ahead of former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. AirPush, a bootstrapped startup, was founded in 2010. The company purchased Hubbl, the world’s first truly native mobile monetization solution for publishers, for 15 million dollars last year and is slated to reach be-tween $130 and $150 million in revenue this year. Using their opt-in, push notification-based ad in the notifica-tion bar of Android devices, AirPush became the sole provider of applications such as wallpapers, themes, and launchers whereby users traded demographic data for free ringtones and other content while developers were provided ad-based options for monetizing these apps.

Breaux, whose father is a physician and whose mother is also in healthcare, developed an affinity for technology at age 5 or 6. Raised in Oakland, California, he credits his father with introducing him and his younger brother to Prodigy, educational games, and early internet through Saturday visits to Egghead, a computer store. Breaux readily admits that he “cleaned up” with academic awards in middle school and high school and that he became “good at the game, the politics [of business]” very early on. When asked to describe a typical workday, Breaux of-fers that each day is different. “I may have a plan but then it’s quickly disrupted by 200-300 emails that I quickly audit after getting my rocket fuel – coffee. I then deal with the pro-active stuff; the process, meetings, etc. and then move on to the re-active.” He has come to expect controlled chaos and views it as opportunity.

Breaux’s first foray into business happened while he was still in school. He and two other “kids” developed a fi-nancial web application to help young people pay back debt and budget their monies. Breaux added, “Other start-ups couldn’t compliment me enough in failing.” The COO counts it as an invaluable learning experience. He sees AirPush as the incumbent; the one to beat. Breaux expects to leverage the company’s momentum over the next two years to double its size in revenue and in market share, while acting as an advisor to other projects.



BJ Adams & Associates

• Tax Returns• Corporate Income Tax Returns• Partnership Income Tax Returns• Individual Income Tax Returns• Federal and State Payroll Tax Returns• Sales Tax Returns• IRS correspondence• Electronicfiling

• Financial Statements• Audits• Balance Sheets• QuickBooksTraining• IRS Representation• 501c3Filings• FinancialPlanning• Financial Statements

BJ Adams & Associates provides clients with professional and quality services that will enhance their businesses to be knowledgeable, aware of, and in compliancewith taxlaws and business procedures. BJ Adams & Associates performsallserviceswithintegrityandhonestyandinthebest interest of our clients.

ACCOUNTING SERVICES

ATLANTA OFFICE1675CumberlandParkway,Ste.206Smyrna,GA30080Office:(770)432-1040Fax:(770)432-6725

ORLANDO OFFICEAtRegionsBankBldg5401S.KirkmanRd,Ste.310Orlando,FL32819Office:(407)926-0229Fax:(407)926-0230

Visit Us Online: www.bjadams.org

Barbara J AdamsFounder

TAXCONSULTINGSERVICES

The Christian Reading Tea Society was founded in 2001 and is a non-profit organiza-tion with a two-fold mission; assisting families and indi-viduals dealing with cancer and to help young people, ages 12-18 navigate the chal-lenges they face during their teen years.

Make no mistake about it, the Society believes in the power of prayer. It is what the organization was founded on. Yes, the tools and support that are given to these two missions may include health information, health assistance, but the premise for all they do lies in prayer and it healing power.

Myrtice Robinson is the Di-

rector of the Society and wants people to know that there are people who care and are there to assist in times of great need. Cancer not only affects the diag-nosed individual, but those that serve as caregivers as well. The Society offers workshops to organizations, churches and other entities interested in learning how to assist their loved ones during this difficult time in their lives. Those volunteer-ing their services are trained counselors.

The Society also heeds the call to support the youth of the community through classes that deal with peer pressure, the importance

of communication between parents and teens, and many other issues that arise throughout the teen years. The result: a well-rounded teen with high self-esteem and one who is certain of what he or she must do to become a successful adult.

On August 8-9, 2014, the Society will host its annual Youth Conference. Dr. Fa-lecia Williams, Pastor and President of Valencia Com-munity College will address the youth as Guest Speak-er for the Conference. For more information about this event, and to learn more about the Christian Read-ing Tea Society, please visit www.ministryonthego.com.

C OMMUNITYChristian Reading Tea Society will host

Annual Youth Conference

Dr. Falecia WilliamsPastor and PresidentValencia Community College


CLIENT: BBDO InternalPRODUCT: Eye Contact MagazineJOB#: P35133ASPACE: Full Page 4/CBLEED: NoneTRIM: 7” x 10”SAFETY: NoneGUTTER: NonePUBS: NoneISSUE: NoneTRAFFIC: Donna MendiettaART BUYER: Cali CapodiciACCOUNT: Amy BrodyRETOUCH: NonePRODUCTION: Len RappaportART DIRECTOR: NoneCOPYWRITER: None

This advertisement was prepared by BBDO New York

FontsGotham (Medium, Book), Archer (Semibold), Helvetica Neue (47 Light Condensed), Minion Pro (Regular)Graphic Name Color Space Eff. Res.Madison_Martinez_056.psd (CMYK; 357 ppi), adcouncillogo_WHITE.psd (CMYK; 301 ppi), AS_12_FLogo_STK_cmyk_www.EPS

Filename: P35133_A_BBD_GEN_V13.inddProof #: 13 Path: Studio:Volumes:Studio:MECHANIC...hani-cals:P35133_A_BBD_GEN_V13.indd Operators: Susalis, Tracie / Danna, Sherry

Ink Names Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Created: 2-7-2013 4:10 PM Saved: 5-17-2013 9:26 AMPrinted: 5-17-2013 4:56 PMPrint Scale: None

Avoiding eye contact is one early sign of autism.

Learn the others today at autismspeaks.org/signs.

Early diagnosis can make a lifetime of difference.

YOU THINK SOMETHINGMAY BE WRONG.THE ANSWER IS NOTSTARING YOU IN THE FACE.

© 2013 Autism Speaks Inc. “Autism Speaks” and “It’s time to listen” & design are trademarks owned by Autism Speaks Inc. All rights reserved. The child depicted has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

MadisonEye Contact

T:7”T:10”

P OLITICS

BY C. MICHAEL TINKER

As a retired educator with more than 40 years of experience, Gainesville City Commissioner Yvonne Hinson-Rawls has a keen understand-ing of the importance academic success and the role parents play in that success.

Fueled with a great passion to see all children and families live wholesome lives, Hinson-Raw-ls, elected in 2012, has spent the first years of her three-year term advocating for and organiz-ing programs that help families.

Commissioner Hinson-Rawls is the brainchild behind the Parent Emissary Program that is be-ing operated by Gainesville Home Instruction for Parents of Pre-school Youngsters (HIPPY). She coordinated efforts that brought together sever-al community stakeholders, including Dan Boyd, former superintendent of Alachua County Public Schools, Alachua County branch NAACP and several non-profit organizations.

“Hippy joined this program at the cusp of the project after partnering for a grant opportunity,” Hinson-Rawls said. “So, after promoting the pro-gram around the community, I asked the Com-mission for $30,000 for one year to fund a coor-dinator to build and operate the program.”

HIPPY became the benefactor of the funding, and Hinson-Rawls said the program is designed to pair a volunteer (emissary) with a parent who needs help navigating the school system and social service resources.

“We want to empower parents to help their chil-dren be more successful in school,” Hinson-Rawls said.

The program chose to only serve 15 families this, its first year, to make sure the families received the most “tender loving care we could provide to ensure we maximize the effectiveness of the program” says Deanna Acosta, Coordinator of the program.


Gainesville CityCommissioner Yvonne Hinson-Rawls



P OLITICS

Regina Hill Orlando’s New City Commissioner - District 5On June 2, 2014 Regina Hill was sworn in as City Commis-sioner for District 5 in Orlando, Florida. Commissioner Hill will represent the constituents of former City Commissioner Daisy Lynum, who served the community for over sixteen years. This is the district’s first new commissioner-elect since 1998.

Commissioner Hill’s District includes approximately 41,000 residents and encompasses portions of Downtown Orlando, to Hiawassee Road. It also includes historic Jones High School, Nikki’s Place Restaurant, the Amway Events Center, the Flori-da Citrus Bowl and the new Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center that is currently under construction.

The Commissioner is new to politics, but is not unaware of the difficulties that a number of her constituents deal with on a day-to-day basis, from unemployment to meeting their basic human needs. She will be the first to say that she has walked in the shoes of many of the people she will serve. Her con-stituency is very diverse with income levels that would be con-sidered poverty levels to those levels exceeding Orlando’s me-dium income.

Commissioner Hill has pledged to work to build a future that all could share and be proud of. She also said that she would work with businesses, city leaders, churches and other organi-zations to improve the lives of those in her district. Jobs, Hous-ing and Homelessness are her top priorities.

Welcome, Commissioner Hill!


P OLITICS

BY DESNEE E. YOUNG

Everyone has that friend that you think of more as a brother or a sister. The one that is at your house all the time and even calls your parents Mom and Dad. Paula Reed was that person to me and my siblings growing up. When I learned that she tossed her hat into the ring for Commissioner, I was surprised at first, but a few minutes later I thought about the person that I grew up with and what she would offer to the City of Daytona Beach. The qualities that she brings to the table are ones that she has always had, even as a child. Kindness and consideration of others. Not quick to make decisions or jump to conclusions. Willing to do the work to get the desired end result and last but definitely not least, she is honest. It is an honor to call her “friend.”

OM: What led to your decision to run for office?

Commissioner Reed: I was encouraged by citizens to run for office. Having held leadership positions on both governmen-tal and community boards, my neighbors, friends and family thought I was an excellent candidate for the commission. Af-ter much prayer and deliberation, I concluded to whom much is given much is required. I have truly been blessed, and I con-cluded that I had a responsibility as a citizen to be engaged.

OM: What was your platform for the election and have you been successful in accomplishing these things?

Commissioner Reed: I used my name as my platform.

Revitalization – Restore Zone 6 to her glory.

Economic Development. Our Midtown Plan has been ad-opted and we’ve selected a reputable company to guide us through the process of identifying the businesses to fulfill our objectives. Local business owners are inquiring about busi-ness opportunities in our zone. We will create an entertain-ment agenda to provide citizens with a social outlet in their zone, donate proceeds to a selected 5013c in the zone (i.e. Community Unity Festival).

Infrastructure. Orange Avenue is getting a complete 2 year infrastructure makeover; (Including paving MLK from ISB to Orange Avenue). MLK will paved in the next 90 days from Orange Ave to Shady Place.

Education. Provide programming to enhance the lives of the adults and children of my zone.

Partnership with Donna Banks of BookF.R.E.S.H. Book Festi-val for an annual event that welcomes a host of authors and features a special guest author (2 years).


City of Daytona Beach CommissionerPaula Reed



What are the needs? Why does this tax need to be continued?An extensive facilities condition assessment de-termined that OCPS would have more than $2 billion in unmet facility needs over the next de-cade. By the time the sales tax sunsets, there will be 39 schools left in need of renovation from the 2002 list, and another 20 that were not on the list of 136 schools.

What is the difference between the original tax and now?Essentially, the same thing is being asked. The one difference is using some of the funds on technology in our schools, which is critical to preparing students to compete at the global level since that’s how the workplace operates today. Some money from the 2002 initiative was used for technology in that it is part of the infrastruc-ture in newer schools. School facilities must be able to support those things, such as the use of computers and digital projectors. Adequate electrical supply, fiber optic backbone and wire-less drops are now part of school design. How-ever, OCPS is considering using some proceeds from the sales tax extension on devices, which of course would also increase wireless needs, thus the need to improve that infrastructure.

How much money is estimated to be raised from renewing the tax?It depends on the final needs assessment that will be made just before the referendum. The length of the levy will be designed to generate sufficient revenue to cover the identified needs.

How much money has the 2002 tax raised?The half-penny sales tax generated $1,658,917,189 through the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013. The current estimate is that $2.1 billion will be raised through the life of the program ending 2015.

What did Orange County taxpayers get for that amount?With proceeds from the 2002 sales tax, 94 schools on the list of 136 will have been renovat-ed or replaced. One new school – Wekiva High School – was also built with sales tax proceeds. Another 43 brand new relief schools will have been built since 2002 with other funds.

What other funds are used for school construction?A state-required portion of property taxes (1.5 mils) and impact fees on new construction are the main sources of funding for relief schools. There are other small federal and state sources, but these constitute a fraction of available funding.


P OLITICS

Change 4 Kids What’s The Big Deal It’s Just A ½ Penny?


SYMPTOMS: • Runny nose• Watery eyes• Sneezing• Coughing• Itchy eyes and nose

SOME THINGS YOU CAN DO TO HELP AT HOME• Use a hepa filter• Clean your heating vents• Use a humidifier• You may want to keep small children inside especially

when the pollen counts are high (usually in the morn-ing)

SEEK MEDICAL HELP• See your physician – He/She can administer the right

medicines for your symptoms• The Doctor can perform allergy tests to determine what

you are allergic to. A skin test is effective and some-times a blood test can determine allergies as well.

H EALTH

FALL ALLERGIES Breathing Through!

“STOP THE SILENCE”

I would love to tell you how I maintain my health. I work out doing Zumba and I have re-cently added a

personal trainer. I also wrap with It Works wraps along with watching what I eat and increasing my water intake. These are things that are helping me get back to my pre surgery weight.

— Tarcia

10 YEARS WITH LUPUS

In order to main-tain my health, I have embraced a gluten-free diet. I was diagnosed with Lupus over ten years ago. I

also take vitamins, one of which is bioten. Lupus often causes hair loss and Bioten helps with this. I make sure I get enough rest.

— Tamika

We asked you to write in and tell us how you managed your health issues. Here’s what you had to say. ONYX wishes each of you the best and is pleased to see that you are getting it done! Congratulations and we wish you many more years of good health!WE ASKED!

SURVIVING BREAST CANCER

Hello. I am a survivor of breast cancer. What I have done and will continue to do is to make sure I get my mammogram yearly, do my self exams and try to eat better. I am also a dedi-cated member of a local organization called Sisters Network, which is a national organiza-tion whose mission statement is Sister Net-work Inc. is committed to increasing local and

national attention to the devastating impact that breast cancer has in the African American community.

Each day I pray for myself and all black women to overcome and to be able to learn more about breast cancer. Black women have breast cancer less but, we have a higher rate of death due to our not being educated on this issue. I wear something pink everyday to remind me of this issue and to help me encourage other women on this issue.

— Jackie


BY KRIS GUNNERS

Everybody’s getting involved in the Tea movement….even Oprah is producing teas. What’s the fuss and why now? Our heath-Q is increasing and as it peaks so does our interest in the tea industry. This is because studies show that various teas are healthy for us and contribute to overall well-being. Green Tea is at the top of the list. Here are the Top 10 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Green Tea. Green tea is the healthiest beverage on the planet. It is loaded with antioxidants and nutrients that have powerful effects on the body. This in-cludes improved brain function, fat loss, a lower risk of cancer and many other in-credible benefits.

Green Tea Contains Various Bioactive Compounds That Can Improve HealthGreen tea is more than just green liquid. Many of the bioactive compounds in the tea leaves do make it into the final drink, which contains large amounts of impor-tant nutrients. It is loaded with polyphe-nols like flavonoids and catechins, which function as powerful antioxidants. These substances can reduce the formation of free radicals in the body, protecting cells and molecules from damage. These free radicals are known to play a role in ag-ing and all sorts of diseases. One of the more powerful compounds in green tea is the antioxidant Epigallocatechin Gal-late (EGCG), which has been studied to treat various diseases and may be one of the main reasons green tea has such powerful medicinal properties. Green tea also has small amounts of minerals that are important for health.

Try to choose a higher quality brand of

green tea, because some of the lower quality brands can contain excessive levels of fluoride . That being said, even if you choose a lower quality brand, the benefits still far outweigh any risk.

Compounds in Green Tea Can Improve Brain Functionand Make You SmarterGreen tea contains less caffeine than coffee, but enough to produce an ef-fect. It also contains the amino acid L-theanine, which can work synergistically with caffeine to improve brain function.

Green Tea Increases Fat Burning and Improves Physical PerformanceGreen tea has been shown to boost the metabolic rate and increase fat burning in the short term, although not all stud-ies agree.

Antioxidants in Green Tea May Lower Your Risk of Various Types of CancerCancer is caused by uncontrolled growth of cells. It is one of the world’s leading causes of death. It is well known that ox-idative damage contributes to the devel-opment of cancer and that antioxidants can have a protective effect.

Green tea is an excellent source of pow-erful antioxidants, so it makes perfect sense that it could reduce your risk of cancer, which it appears to do:• Breast cancer: A meta-analysis of ob-

servational studies found that who-men who drank the most green tea had a 22% lower risk of developing breast cancer, the most common can-cer in women .

• Prostate cancer: One study found that men drinking green tea had a 48%

lower risk of developing prostate can-cer, which is the most common cancer in men.

• Colorectal cancer: A study of 69,710 Chinese women found that green tea drinkers had a 57% lower risk of colorectal cancer.

Multiple other observational studies show that green tea drinkers are signifi-cantly less likely to get various types of cancer. It is important to keep in mind that it may be a bad idea to put milk in your tea, because it can reduce the an-tioxidant value . Green tea has powerful antioxidants that may protect against cancer. Multiple studies show that green tea drinkers have a lower risk of various types of cancer.

Green Tea May Protect Your Brain in Old Age, Lowering Your Risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’sThe bioactive compounds in green tea can have various protective effects on neurons and may reduce the risk of both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, the two most common neurodegenerative dis-orders.

Take Home MessageIf you want to feel better, lose weight and lower your risk of chronic diseases, then you might want to consider making green tea a regular part of your life.

KRIS GUNNERS is a medical student and per-sonal trainer. Visit authoritynutrition.com for information on healthy living.

LOG ON TO ONYXMAGAZINE.COM FOR MORE ABOUT GREEN TEA

Top 10 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Green Tea


W INE & FOOD

Summertime WineKeep it light and bright!

When it is cold outside, dishes involve more meats and heavy stews that require fuller bod-ied wines like reds. As we welcome the summer heat, people are enjoying lighter fare, which begs for crisper white wines higher in citric acid.

My favorite wine for the summer is a Sauvignon Blanc. It’s fresh citrus flavors of lemon and grape-fruit are reminiscent of a sip of lemonade. If you must drink a red wine, steer clear of the heavier wines such as Cabernets and Burgundies and opt for the light finish of a Pinot Noir. The Pinot is a great choice because the raspberry and cherry undertones make it perfect for summer. Rose colored wines offer a refreshing strawberry finish.

As you can tell, the recommended wines for the summer are fruit forward. You must take care not to lose the fruit when you serve. People tend to serve their reds too warm and their whites too cold, which loses the fruit. For best results, put red wine into the refrigerator 15 minutes before you’ll be drinking it and, by contrast, keep white wine refrigerated and take it out 15 minutes be-fore serving it to bring out the fruit.

In the summer, stick to wines with a lower alco-hol content (10 to 12 percent), because they are typically lighter and make for easier drinking. For summertime celebrations, I suggest Prosecco, because it’s light, bubbly, a little fruity and cham-pagne-like but not nearly as dry or expensive. Remember to stay hydrated during the summer. I drink one glass of water along with every glass of wine to beat the heat.

BY STEVEN KING



H EALTH

Its summer time and it’s time to go outside and heat up the grill. Grilling is one of the healthiest ways to cook meats and vege-tables compared to deep frying. The key to grilling is FLAVOR!

To get that solid foundation of taste and flavors in your food, you must develop healthy ways to prepare that fantastic meal at home. We tend to rely on more than adequate amounts of fat, salt and sugar for taste, but we tend to forget to add the spice.

Seasonings and flavorings are important to healthy cooking because they help replace the missing ingredients such as the fat and salt. We must remem-ber that seasonings are used to bring out the flavor that’s al-ready present in the dish, where-as flavorings add a new flavor or modifies the original one.

HERBS AND SPICESHerbs and spices are the key to flavoring menus and reci-pes. It’s helpful to know when you are trying to modify the fat, cholesterol and sugars, you can use spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, vanilla beans, ginger fennel, star anise, juniper and cardamom. These provide a sweet satisfaction as well as a bold character to recipes.

Herbs change the flavor direc-tion of the recipe to whichever herb is prominent in the dish. For example, basil, oregano, and thyme in a tomato vinaigrette creates the Italian flair that you are looking for. If you take that same dish and add cilantro and lime juice, now you have gone South on me, perhaps Miami, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. If you add tarragon and shallots, we have gone abroad to France! What a great way to escape to places of the world, and you are at the dinner table.

WHAT IS A HERB?A herb is the leafy part of certain plants that grow in certain cli-mates. Fresh herbs as opposed to dry are far superior and more versatile for cooking. Some ex-amples of herbs include parsley, cilantro, basil, dill, chives, tarra-gon, thyme, and oregano. Fresh herbs are great when you need a crisp clean taste and maxi-mum flavor. Fresh herbs can only withstand about 30 min-utes of cooking, so they work best when you add them last to the dish. If you can’t get your hands on some fresh herbs, dried will always work. Dried herbs work well in longer cook-ing times such as stocks, stews and sauces. You can also com-bine fresh and dried to get richer and cleaner flavor. For fun, plant a herb garden so you can have the fresh herbs readily avail-able. Currently, I’m growing ba-sil, rosemary and mint right now. It’s very refreshing in a dish!

Roniece Weaver MS RD LDRegistered Dietitian

Foundations of Healthy Cooking:


WHAT IS A SPICE?A spice comes from the roots, bark, seeds, flowers, buds and fruits of certain tropical plants. Learning to identify the spice requires a keen sense of taste and smell. You can’t judge the spice by just looking at them. To find a vari-ety of spices, check out the local Indian market or Hispanic market in your area. You will find an abundance to choose from. When you cook with more spices, you are adding flavor as it is eaten but it heightens the anticipation of the dinner as food is being cooked and served. The most important thing is you have begun to reduce the things that harm us needlessly: FAT, SALT, and EXCESSIVE SUGAR!

JUICESHave you ever tried marinating meats in juices? For the holidays I grilled chicken and marinated the chicken parts in Mojo (Hispanic marinade), and I added a lime juice marinate to this. Ooh la la!!

Juices can add lots of flavor to your foods. You can also boil or simmer a juice until it reduces in volume to get a more intense flavor, vibrant color or syrupy texture. Reduced juices make excellent sauces and flavoring. For example, orange juice can be reduced to an orange oil, which is great for a summer salad dressing, marinade or sauce. Beet juice can enhance your stocks, glazes and sauces. If you reduce the beet juice down you can put it in a squirt bottle and use it lightly on plates for decora-tion and flavor. I promise you will look like a pro in the kitchen.

FLARE SPICE

Italian Garlic, onion, basil, oregano

Asian Ginger, five spices, garlic , scallion

French Tarragon, mustard, chive, chervil, shallot

South American

Chili peppers, lime juice, garlic, cilantro

Indian Ground nutmeg, fennel, coriander, cinnamon, fenugreek, curry

Mediterranean Oregano, marjoram, thyme, pepper, coriander, onion, garlic

SPICE FORM USED AS

Allspice Whole, ground Braised meats, curries, baked goods, puddings, cooked fruit

Anise (spice) Whole, ground Baked foods, fish , shellfish, soups , sauces

Basil (herb) Fresh, dried, crushed Tomatoes, eggplant, squash, carrots, peas, soups, stews, poultry, red sauces

Bay Leaves (herb) Whole , ground Stocks, sauces, soups, braised dishes, stews, marinades

Cardamon (spice) Whole, pod, ground Poultry, curries, breads and pastries, puddings, fruit

Cloves (spice) Whole, ground Stocks , marinades, sauces, braised meats, ham, baked goods, fruits

Coriander Whole, ground Pork, pickling, soups, sauces, chutney ,

Ginger Fresh, whole, dried, ground

Asian dishes, baked goods, fruits, beverages

Juniper berries Whole Venison , game meats, pork lamb , marinades

Mint Fresh, dried Lamb, fruits, vegetables, tea

Mace Whole blades, ground

Baked products, fruit, pork, poultry, some vegetables

Lemongrass(herb) Fresh stalks, dried-chopped

Soups , marinades, stir-fry, curries, salad, Asian cooking

Rosemary Fresh, dried Roasted and grilled meats, lamb, sauces such as tomato, soup

To make a tender herb oil, quickly blanch the herbs and shock in an ice water bath. Drain and dry the herbs, then puree them with oil. Let sit for several hours at room temperature, and then strain through a fine filter. Keep in the refrigerator for several days, or freeze for a longer shelf life.

Herbs like rosemary can be chopped and mixed in a food processor with oil. Let it sit for several days and then strain. Keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.

To make an oil with vegetables and fruit juices, reduce the juice to a thick syrup, and then blend in a food pro-cessor with a little oil, Dijon mustard, a touch of honey and some fresh thyme.

Bon Apetite! Roniece

TRY THIS NEXT TIME YOU’RE IN THE KITCHEN:

FLARE SPICE

Italian Garlic, onion, basil, oregano

Asian Ginger, five spices, garlic , scallion

French Tarragon, mustard, chive, chervil, shallot

South American

Chili peppers, lime juice, garlic, cilantro

Indian Ground nutmeg, fennel, coriander, cinnamon, fenugreek, curry

Mediterranean Oregano, marjoram, thyme, pepper, coriander, onion, garlic

SPICE FORM USED AS

Allspice Whole, ground Braised meats, curries, baked goods, puddings, cooked fruit

Anise (spice) Whole, ground Baked foods, fish , shellfish, soups , sauces

Basil (herb) Fresh, dried, crushed Tomatoes, eggplant, squash, carrots, peas, soups, stews, poultry, red sauces

Bay Leaves (herb) Whole , ground Stocks, sauces, soups, braised dishes, stews, marinades

Cardamon (spice) Whole, pod, ground Poultry, curries, breads and pastries, puddings, fruit

Cloves (spice) Whole, ground Stocks , marinades, sauces, braised meats, ham, baked goods, fruits

Coriander Whole, ground Pork, pickling, soups, sauces, chutney ,

Ginger Fresh, whole, dried, ground

Asian dishes, baked goods, fruits, beverages

Juniper berries Whole Venison , game meats, pork lamb , marinades

Mint Fresh, dried Lamb, fruits, vegetables, tea

Mace Whole blades, ground

Baked products, fruit, pork, poultry, some vegetables

Lemongrass(herb) Fresh stalks, dried-chopped

Soups , marinades, stir-fry, curries, salad, Asian cooking

Rosemary Fresh, dried Roasted and grilled meats, lamb, sauces such as tomato, soup

TRY A FEW OF THE BLENDS TO ENHANCE THE FLAVORS OF YOUR FOOD.


Every Sunday at 10:00 AMMidweek Service: Thursdays at 7:00 PM

Spanish Service: Sundays at 1:00 PM

Two Services, English and SpanishChristian Family Worship Center

4365 Kennedy Ave, Orlando FL, 32812 - (407) 281-0160

C H R I S T I A N F A M I L Y W O R S H I P C E N T E RC H R I S T I A N F A M I L Y W O R S H I P C E N T E R

Pastor Jerry Q. ParriesSenior Pastor

Pastor Eunice A. Parries

Co-Pastor

Pastor Freddy Banos

Associate Pastor

Pastor Banny Banos

Associate Pastor

4365 Kennedy Ave, Orlando FL, 32812 - (407) 281-0160#Connect With Us!

facebook.com/CFWCOrlando

Twitter.com/CFWCOrlando

instagram.com/cfwcorl

join us for

worship

Come let us love on YOU!

Pastor Jerry Q. Parries, Senior PastorPastor Eunice A. Parries, Co-Pastor

www.cfwcorlando.com


F ASHION

Haute’ Couturein Hot Climates...BY DR. DENISE MOSE

Springtime brings pretty flowers, wedding invitations and hot weather! This time of year also brings outdoor activities! That being said, let’s talk about Haute’ Couture in Hot Climates! More than anything, I see extroverted leggy looks as the number one trend for summer music festival fashions. From the Kentucky Derby, San Diego and the very popular Coachella Music Festival, you can still stay fashionable. Dr. D has the diagnosis for your summer outdoor wardrobe! Here we go:

1. LEGS. Yes, be sure to get those toned tanned legs because you will need them this sum-mer. High waist short shorts and mini swing skirts demand legs.

2. FLOWERS IN THE HAIR are a throw-back to 1967 Summer of Love Music Festival in San Francisco. Flowers symbolize the innocence of summer, the celebratory spirit of love and friendship. I’ve seen guys do this, too. Fashion is all attitude: never forget that!

3. TRIBAL (GLOBAL) PRINTS and a feathered tribal headdress remixed means you will use geometric prints, stripes and heads in a big way. Yes, head prints, eyes and other body parts are used in tribal prints -- bold, bright and sort of shocking.

4. RED!!! BUY RED! It looks good as a dress, flowing pant suit, and... well just wear red. This is my twin’s favorite color! Now I know why! Thanks Nell!

5. ALL AMERICAN DENIM ROCKS!!! Just throw it over anything and I prom-ise you it works!

6. CHANGE YOUR HAIR! I am killing an awesome flipped-up style thanks to the amazing Chonda Hawkins! Mohawks get you attention! Go purchase a black leather jacket, plaid boyfriend shirt and sneakers. Oh, yeah, don’t forget your Willie Nelson bandana. Willie is a legend!! Do it!

7. WESTERN COWGIRL BOOTS, SHORT DRESSES AND TRIBAL FEATHERS. This look made Taylor Swift famous. Need I say more?

8. SWIMWEAR AND SHORTS. Don’t forget the flowers in your hair.

9. JUMPSUITS OR ROMPERS! Romper wear is all the rage this summer. Long, short, solid, striped or a print romper spells relaxed and comfy style. I’ve just got 4 in various colors!

10: SHOES. Straw boaters are a trend due to The Great Gatsby being re-leased last year! It still works this season!

Ok! Dr. D’s top ten tips on outside wear is here! Make me proud! Dr. D is here for you: One Wardrobe at a Time!!!

Listen Up!


New York based licensed hair & skin care expert Gregorie Guillaume offers care & product tips on Protecting Your Hair From The Sun’s Harmful Rays.

Just when we got used to the idea of lathering on the sunscreen from our faces down to maybe our ankles, there’s one area we don’t readily in-clude - our hair. As the weather heats up, our precious strands are exposed to the same Ultra Violet Aging and Ul-tra Violet Burning sun rays as our skin, wreaking all sorts of havoc like deplet-ing it of moisture eventually breaking them.

Head off the summer dry hair assault by trying Alterna Hair Care CC Cream, which does a multitude of things, but most importantly provides sunscreen protection and Rene Furterer Paris Protective Summer Oil with sunscreen - easy-to-use and off to the beach you go.

BEWARE OF HEATING HAIR TOOLS Limit the use of hair tools like blow dri-ers, flat irons and curlers as much as possible. As with the sun, it can exac-erbate dryness and if done in excess, can make hair weak and break. Search for heat-alternative styles like roller-setting for volume, styles that involve the use of pomades, gels and mousses and hair accessories - anything that puts the emphasis on using traditional tools like a comb, brush and your own fingers to create an awesome summer style.

INCORPORATE DEEP CONDITIONING TREATMENTS Moisturizing is nothing new, but dur-ing the summer months especially, a deep conditioning treatment should be brought into the mix and done weekly.

TREATMENTS FOR DIFFERENT HAIR TYPESIf your hair is on the dry/frizzy end of the spectrum and may even be color-treated - let your strands get the most out of a deep conditioning treatment - one that contains shea butter, pref-erably, by sitting beneath a condition-ing heat cap for at least 15 minutes. Done on a routine basis will encourage elasticity and reduce breakage. Sally Beauty has a fabulous supply of these types of products. The use of a heavy conditioner would be counter-intuitive for other types of hair: fine, normal, oily because it would weigh the hair down, so err on the side of caution.


F ASHION & HAIR


S PORTS

Let’s Go Fishin’How about it? If you are interested in the thrill of the sport, the Florida Keys will host some great competitions from July through the end of 2014. Registration fees might apply to compete in some of these tournaments. During the first week of July, the IFC Junior Dolphin Tournament will be held in Islamorada. This tournament is one which is organized for Juniors up to the age of 18. The winning team is determined by the combined weight of three fish. Someone from each age group has an opportunity to win based on the largest fish caught.

Into Fly Fishing? Another competition will be hosted dur-ing the third week of July in Key West. The Del Brown Invi-tational Permit Tournament, held in memory of Del Brown, angling pioneer.

If you want to fish with the big boys, try the Drambuie Key West Marlin Championship. Held on the third week of July, this event is hosted in conjunction with the annual Ernest Hemingway celebrations. The grand prize is $50,000.00.

Visit www.florida-keys-experience.com for more information.

NFL Draft Day Full of Surprises

BY ROBERT L. YOUNG

To some it was just another day, but to those of us who live, sleep and breathe the game, the NFL Draft is a highly anticipated event, worthy of all the trimmings that come with the Superbowl. After all, this is were the rub-ber meets the road. Will your team make the right deci-sion in choosing a player who can take the team all the way to the big show?

For those of you who don’t know, the first day you have the sure fire, can’t miss players in the house. You have never seen a more serious bunch, even though they know they are as good as in. They are sitting there with all the relatives who played a role in getting them there; mom, the agent. Unfortunately, often missing from the equation is dad. But no matter who is there, the impor-tant thing is what happens next.

You also have those players who have for whatever rea-son decided to wait it out at home, surrounded by family and friends. This is sometimes a smart decision. There is nothing more painful than being one of the last few in the green room, then being the last player in the green room as we have all seen over the years and shared the isolation and despair of the last man sitting.

This year did not disappoint. I watched for three days anxiously waiting to hear my team’s selection. For the sake of objectivity, I won’t reveal the name of my team but will say I am looking forward to seeing how their choices affect the team.

Speaking of choices, the NFL made the decision to em-brace its first openly gay player. Michael Sams was se-lected by the St. Louis Rams as a 7th round draft pick. May his journey through the NFL be one of true accep-tance and good fortune.

See you on the gridiron!

Dive InWe’ve all seen those tone bodies that emerge from the pool, water drops glistening in the sunlight, big smiles and almost 0 percent body fat. Wish that we could all look like that? Well, you can, but consider the overall benefits of swimming. We’ve created a short-list of what swimming can do for your health. So Dive In and enjoy!

1. Improved Flexibility2. Weight Control3. Lower stress levels4. Healthy Heart5. Increased Strength

6. Increased Muscle Tone7. Swimming lowers risk of diabetes8. Improves cholesterol

ROBERT YOUNG

Robert Young is employed by the US Post Of-fice and is a sports fan. He referees various basketball leagues, both youth and adult.


B OOKS

In a Las Vegas hotel room, a man awakes to confront his destiny.

Dreaming, Jack hears voices: a fright-ened child in a hospital, a woman cheat-ing on her husband, a death row inmate. When he wakes, the voices recede, but they do not vanish. He is in a luxurious hotel room on the Vegas strip, and his body is covered in scars.

Jack Strong is a patchwork man, his flesh melded together from dozens of men and women, and his mind is the same way.

Countless lifetimes are contained with-in him: people whose lives were cut short, and who see their place in Jack as a chance to make things right. On be-half of one of them, Jack reignites a feud with some corrupt casino bosses.

Drawing on the skills of another, he beats the life out of two bodyguards. Jack fights for control as he lurches from impulse to impulse, certain that somewhere within him lies a soul.

The answer may lie with whoever is tail-ing him in a sleek black car--if Jack can somehow confront him.

JACK STRONG New Science Fiction by Walter Mosley

Publication Date: July 29, 2014

“Jack Strong is a receptacle of

dozens, maybe hundreds of

questions that were unanswered in people’s lives.Even though he

has his own identity to work through,

he also finds that he needs to

solve these riddles.”

—Walter Mosley on JACK STRONG


Sing in the Morning, Cry at NightA page-turning debut novel set in Scranton, Pennsylvania, during the height of coal mining, vaudeville, and evange-lism. Forthcoming: 7/1/14 . The latest novel in Akashic’s Kaylie Jones Books imprint.

Sing in the Morning, Cry at Night a debut novel by Barbara J. Taylor

“An earnest, well-done historical novel that skillfully blends fact and fiction.”

--Publishers Weekly

Almost everyone in town blames eight-year-old Violet Mor-gan for the death of her nine-year-old sister, Daisy. Sing in the Morning, Cry at Night opens on September 4, 1913, two months after the Fourth of July tragedy. Owen, the girls’ father, “turns to drink” and abandons his family. Their mother Grace falls victim to the seductive powers of Grief, an imagined figure who has seduced her off-and-on since childhood. Violet forms an unlikely friendship with Stanley Adamski, a motherless outcast who works in the mines as a breaker boy. During an unexpected blizzard, Grace goes into premature labor at home and is forced to rely on Violet, while Owen is “off being saved” at a Billy Sunday Revival.

Inspired by a haunting family story, Sing in the Morning, Cry at Night blends real life incidents with fiction to show how grace can be found in the midst of tragedy.

B OOKS

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN A CAREER IN SALES, HAVE AN OUTGOING PERSONALITY AND POSSESS

EXCELLENT WRITTEN AND ORAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS, ONYX IS THE PLACE FOR YOU.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT US AT [email protected]

WRITERS WANTEDSHARE YOUR STORIES WITH ONYX.

ONYX IS LOOKING FOR CONTRIBUTING WRITERS. PLEASE EMAIL:

[email protected] TO INQUIRE.

ONYXENTERTAINs, INsPIREs AND INFORMs

2012-2013 MEDIA KIT

WWW.ONYXMAGAZINE.COM

SALES REPRESENTATIVES WANTED


Lexi Lewis is the Senior Editor of Entertainment for Onyx Magazine.

E NTERTAINMENT

Ohio is known for producing many talented and famous artists/groups but Dayton, Ohio is also what I will call a “birthplace of funk music” in the United States. It bore one of the legendary Funk bands of all time - The Ohio Players. Hold-ing down the beat on drums after Greg Webster and in the group for more than four decades is James “Diamond” Williams. The distinct vocal sound, I recall, of the Ohio Players came from the guitarist and eventual front man whom we know as Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner after he joined the group in the 1960’s. His voice, Dia-mond on drums and the rest of the group made many memorable hits many of us fondly recall. Diamond and I had a candid conversation about the group and he shared a little about himself. I hope you enjoy a snippet of who James “Dia-mond” Williams is in the following interview.

OM: Talk to me about Sugarfoot’s legacy as it relates to the Ohio Players.

DIAMOND: First of all, we lost two other mem-bers. Clarence “Satch” Satchell in 1995 and Ralph “Pee Wee” Middlebrooks in 1997 so we don’t want to be remiss in talking and think-ing about those guys but our recent member lost was Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner and we lost him in January 2013. All of the individuals that I talked about were very important and very prominent in the Ohio Players being the Ohio Players without a doubt. All of them and their importance were very invaluable to the group. Sugarfoot was very unusual, charismatic, origi-nal, inventive, clever, intelligent, artistic and a vi-sionary kind of guy. I used to tell everybody he was our Mick Jagger of the band. We will always miss him as we do miss the other members.

There are four of us in the band today that’ve been with the Ohio Players for over 30 years or so writing and producing music with him and along side of him and we were very blessed to be a part of his life.

OM: Thank you for sharing that about him. Now let’s go back to 1974 when “Fire” and “Love Roll-ercoaster” were number one hits. What were your thoughts, at that time, about the group having a number one hit?

DIAMOND: Slightly before then, “Skin Tight” was the number one hit too and it was our first platinum album then “Fire” and subsequently “Rollercoaster” were the follow ups. I always thought, Lexi, I’m a young kid out of college, at that time, I’m between 22 and 24 years old, have a wife, a child and a family and I didn’t have any idea what those things really meant. I think you know it takes time to realize and Lexi, it has been some 40 years afterwards and I’m still realizing how major of an important factor that those songs have been to me in my life.

OM: Have you written for other artists and if you have, who have you written for and what songs or song?

DIAMOND: We have written for a lot of other artists. For example, we wrote for the group Faze-O and we wrote for Leon Ware who used to be one of the producers and writers for Mar-vin Gaye. He likewise wrote some things for us. We’ve written songs for artist that possibly no-body will recognize but we are constantly writ-ing and in fact, Lexi, we are going back into the studio and starting another Ohio Players album.

James “Diamond” Williams

The Beat


OM: Fantastic! Oh I can’t wait! Now, The Red Hot Chili Peppers did a ver-sion of “Love Rollercoaster” and you know I’m talking about “Love Roller-coaster” because I’ve already shared with you that it is one of my favorite songs of all time. I want know what you think of the version they did?

DIAMOND: I kinda liked it! When their management spoke with me about the idea, I told them anytime the Red Hot Chili Peppers want to use anything of ours it’s good okay! It was used in the Beavis and Butt-Head movie. Other artists like Snoop and more have used our songs and it’s been a wonderful thing publishing and otherwise. It has been great!

OM: Let’s talk about that for a sec-ond. I noticed the Ohio Players have

several IMDB’s credits. So talk to me about what it means to you to still have your music playing in recent films and such?

DIAMOND: First of all I’m glad I’m around to be able to hear and see it!

OM: Amen!

DIAMOND: They waited a long time for me, Lexi, and perhaps too long for some of us but I’m still around to shout the glory! Listen, I’m sitting right here at the table right now with my wife who I’ve been married to for 46 years and my two grandsons; one is Mason who is nine years old and the other is DJ. And for these two guys to hear me do this interview right here and for them to have been on my stage as they have been this year at Hershey Park dancing

or whatever, girl, it don’t get no better than this! I have two granddaughters in New York and for them to know that Poppa D’s music and see the influence that I’ve had in the music business is absolutely wonderful! To be around, to understand, to realize and take part of it on my behalf is truly a Blessing!

OM: If you were given one option and one option only to do one thing over in your life, what would that be?

DIAMOND: To marry my wife again be-cause that started everything. As I’ve told her before, and not just because she’s sitting in front of my boys here, but I’ve told her many times, Lexi, that I would not be here today if she wasn’t praying for me every day.


From left to right -Billy Beck, Odeen Mays, James “Diamond” Williams, Johnny Cotton, Clarence “Chet” Willis, Michael Turner, Darwin Dortch, Kenny Anderson, Robert Kuumba.

Goes On!


T ECHNOLOGY

Grab the attention of Recruiting Coaches, Agents, Scouts with a professionally customized Per-sonal Profile from one of the most popular and comprehen-sive Mobile Apps Websites.

Recruiting can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. Paper pro-files, and DVD’s have become obsolete, but we have a proven solution. Our Athletic Profile will provide you a quicker and more efficient way to find and communicate with coaches. It’s the right platform for those aspiring athletes looking to be recruited! Fact is, we have sim-plified Sports Recruiting through mobile technology. All we have to do is create an Athlete Profile App and scan the QR code to promote it. It’s that EASY!!

Not only will your Athletic Pro-file make you stand out, but ultimately it will become your formal letter of introduction to coaches.

It shows them a lot about you and provides significant advan-tages over your competition. Al-ways at the forefront of recruit-ing, it gains results quicker. It’s web-based so it will work on all mobile devices including tabletsIt’s user friendly capabilities al-lows us to do more! We will sup-port and keep your information updated with the latest stats, game videos, news articles and social media platform. A voice-over tutorial will be added to help you navigate through your custom app.

When you create an athletic profile with us, you save a tre-mendous amount of time, Get noticed and you avoid most of the frustration associated with collegiate sports recruitment! It’s time to unlock your potential and take control of your future, by paving your way to success by ordering your personal ath-letic profile app. It maybe the best investment you ever make. Show coaches who you are by enrolling now before it’s too late!

Our Athletic apps are currently being utilized by Top-ranked High School Athletes Nation-wide.

Go to www.MaxMobileApps.com and click the “Demo” link or call 813-403-7271 to order your Ath-letic Profile App.

Connect with Collegiate Coaches, Agents, Recruiters NOW!

The Athletic Profile App pro-duced by Max Mobile Apps has been a great addition to our pro-gram here at 1G2R. It allows our athletes to help further advertise themselves in the recruiting process for scouts anywhere they go. Some of our top football athletes, such as Buck Watkins (Edgewater H.S.) and Zander Zimmer (Bishop Moore H.S,) have added the app and have used it to promote at various football camps. This technol-ogy is going to be big for our athletes and we are happy to be in partnership with Max Mobile Apps. I just wish I had this for when I was in high school and college!

— Coach Josh Ferguson Lead Trainer at 1G2R Sports & Fitness Training ‘03-07 Purdue Univeristy Linebacker ’08 Green Bay Packer Free Agent

As a high school athlete attending camps and visiting colleges I was always asked for game film from coaches to review. It was sometimes hard to “always” have film “on hand” and never failed that I wouldn’t realize that I was out of film until someone asked for one. It has made it really easy for me to give my link and have anyone access my information, game schedule, game film and a lot of other information about me. In my opinion, any athlete trying to get college exposure could benefit from this set up. The Max Mobile Athletic App can open a lot of doors for me because at any given time I’m prepared to show schools who I am and that I’m ready for the next level.

— Tyler Sims, QB/DB, Tampa Catholic High School, Class of 2016

At Virginia Tech I was a candidate for both the Outland and Lombardi awards given to the top lineman in college football. The mobile athletic app is the wave of the future. It’s a whole recruiting process wrap up in a single app. It combines stats, personal info, training info and a lot more. To actually see a player and find out everything about that player from a single app can help a lot of student athletes that go unnoticed in the recruiting process. I highly recommend the Max Mobile athletic app which is currently being used by the #2 top-ranked DE High School player in the country (Shavar Manuel) who I have been training for the past two years.

— Anthony (AD) Davis. NFL Career: 7 years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33 consecutive starts at left tackle.

www.MaxMobileapps.com designed my own athletic app linked to a QR code so coaches from colleges and universities could instantly look up my profile while they were watching me play. My profile includes my stats, grades training video, game footage and my game schedule. I would recommend this product to anyone that wants to stand out. Even by sending you the link to a coach they are more curious because it is something different. When they open it and realize it is your complete profile they can’t help but look. In trying to be recruited and getting the coaches to see you is most of the challenge.

— Ashley Butler, Wesley Chapel Florida

What Our Clients Are Saying...


BY SHARON FLETCHER JONES

Paris L. Wilson is simply divine. The Vir-ginia native was born with the ability to translate any subject into a near perfect work of art by hand painting on canvas with brushstrokes or by using a digital pen and a computer like the ones used by Disney animators. When asked how he does it, without hesitation the self-taught commercial artist says “It’s a gift from God”.

Wilson was born at Louise Obici Hospi-tal in Suffolk, Virginia with multiple birth defects and was not expected to live beyond three weeks. His mother was among thousands of women given tha-lidomide; an experimental drug for the relief of prenatal cramps in the 1950’s causing severe birth defects and great-ly impacting infant mortality. Wilson has no left hand or leg, his right hand is webbed with two smaller than aver-age sized fingers, and because he was born without one, his left jawbone is ar-tificial. Also born with a heart murmur, Wilson spent most of his early years in the (Richmond) Virginia Hospital for Crippled Children. Under constant care and only allowed to visit home occa-sionally, Wilson remembers, “Me and a whole lot of other children were used as laboratory testing tools.”

Wilson says he was no less loved and nurtured as a child. However, his broth-

er Tony was particularly caring and pro-tective. “Tony was very active with me. He was more forgetful of my disabil-ity. He would challenge me. We would wrestle, do karate, and even get into fights with other kids.” Wilson admits he was perhaps a little too inspired by his brother and broke many prostheses trying to do the things his brother and other kids did. “As a child, I got caught up in being a kid and easily forgot the limitations of not having the body parts that other kids had. But, as I got older, I began to understand my condition and realize my purpose.”

Wilson recounts the story of his birth. Dr. Reid, a head physician, encouraged euthanasia because he thought that the baby boy’s condition would present too many medical obstacles for him to survive. Wilson’s mother wouldn’t agree and left him in the hospital’s care. One Christmas, a nurse gave him a sketch pad and pencils and Wilson began to draw and paint. “Every day and every night, that’s all I did was draw and paint. When the nurses cut the lights off for bedtime, I painted under my covers with a night light,” he said.

At five years old, Wilson was released from the Hospital for Crippled Children. Shortly thereafter, his brother taught him how to ride a bicycle. “God Bless him [Tony], I got on that bike one day and road it ten miles to the doctor’s

house and rang the doorbell. When I told him who I was; Mrs. Sadie’s son, the one he said would be dead in three weeks, he couldn’t believe it was me. He was so amazed that he fainted right there in his doorway!” Wilson was in junior high school when someone else called him an artist and he believed it. He loves music and poetry and is now an aspiring filmmaker. He greatly ad-mires Michelangelo because of his con-viction to portray the Gospel through his art, Christian Lassiter for his use of vibrant colors, and Thomas Kincaid for “everything”. He is also impressed with and inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s ar-chitecture, Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty,” and the first movie he ever saw, “Ben Hur.” While Wilson has plenty of ‘swag’, he declares that his work is both wife and mistress. His words of advice to anyone who will listen are, “No matter how crazy some people may think you are, if you feel it, you’ve got to obey the orders from inside. God just gives ‘it’ to us and we have to prove Him right.”

Wilson’s most recently completed proj-ects include a rendering of R. Kelly and design and architectural renderings for a new Brevard County building.

Click on Paris’ Photos at Paris L. Wilson on Facebook to view a sampling of his works. To commission the artist, con-tact Free-Will Custom Designs at 407-721-9331.

A RTS & CULTURE

Paris L. Wilson is Simply Divine

Paris L. Wilson Self Portrait


COTTON CLUBFROM PAGE 16

Two movie theatres, the Lincoln and the Rose, drew film fans and there were a number of social halls and nightclubs such as Wabash Hall (which is still standing) and Sarah’s club which featured such well known entertainers as Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington and others who regularly toured a circuit of clubs that catered to a African Americans throughout the country. A popular booking might draw from as far away as Jacksonville, Ocala, or Palatka. Most of these entertainers stayed at the Dunbar Hotel, located in what is now the Pleasant Street Historic District.

According to the University of Florida’s research, the Gainesville city directories fail to list the Cotton Club between 1953 and 1959, when the building at this address was listed as the Blue Note, described as a Ballroom. The Blue Note, which had a jukebox and sold beer never gained the popularity of the Cotton Club. A very faded Blue Note sign can still be seen on the front façade. The building was purchased in the late 1950s by Kenneth Gibbs and was used as a warehouse for the Babcock Furniture Com-pany until 1970.

The Mt. Olive A.M.E. Church has since purchased the building and surrounding property and proposes to restore the building for use as a cultural and historical center for the Springhill neigh-borhood. A Board of Directors chaired by Mrs. Vivian Filer was established. The Board of Directors of the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center are answering the call for the establishment of an African-American museum in Gainesville and invite the community to join in the already established effort to create a museum. Mrs. Vivian Filer is the Chairperson of the Board of Directors.

The effort to create an African-American museum and cultural center began in 1997 with the founding of the Cotton Club Board of Directors. Since that time, the Board has worked to restore the old Cotton Club building — along with the other buildings on the site located at 837 SE 7th Ave. in Gainesville — in order to build a museum and cultural center. According to Mrs. Filer, progress has been made toward restoring the old Cotton Club building, including the stabilization of its foundation, the restoration and painting of its exterior and the installation of a new roof. Some of this has been made possible through grants from the City of Gainesville’ Community Redevelopment Agency as well as as-sistance from the city’s Historic Preservation Board. Mrs. Filer has tried to broaden the outreach efforts of The Cotton Club by inviting neighboring elementary school children to the building site and telling them stories of Black History and how the Cotton club came to be part of the City of Gainesville. Mrs. Filer says there is no central place for the black history of Gainesville to be stored and memorialized. The Cotton Club Museum will be that place. She hopes that this will once again become a place to archive the history, provide a venue for entertainment with a soundstage and an auditorium for 300, as well as a place for family reunions and other civic gatherings to celebrate the his-tory of black Americans in Gainesville, Florida.

Sources include: Gainesville.com, UF site - http://www.cce.ufl.edu/projects/the-cotton-club/

http://www.ncncf.org/2012/01/31/the-cotton-club/, http://www.gainesvillecra.com/projects/eastside/eastside_proj-ect1.php

2020 PLANFROM PAGE 18

The role and presence of fathers in the Black communities have continuously been highlighted. The absence of the “heads of the household” is disappointing and is linked to several community issues including school delinquency, crime and teen pregnancies. One answer to some of these concerns is increased employment. The 2020 Plan will work to invest dollars into community businesses, career readiness programs and economic development initiatives.

THE PACT is working hard to prepare for the release of the 2020 Plan. The plan’s leaders are anxious to get moving and have enlisted the help of some of the city and county’s most powerful leaders. THE PACT has gained extraordinary momentum over the years, attracting more than 2,000 sup-porters. The Plan is one of the City’s highly anticipated ef-forts and has the support of Mayor Rick Kriseman and his staff. “It was heartwarming to honor so many of the people who’ve been pillars and cornerstones of this effort over the past 7 years. The 2020 Plan has a possibility of becoming reality because of them,” says Gypsy Gallardo, lead designer of the 2020 Plan.

THE PACT recently hosted a 7th Anniversary reception at the Historic Manhattan Casino. The event welcomed more than 200 attendees, elected officials and special guests. The re-ception recognized those who set the standard and have carried the torch. The reception also spotlighted those who are rising stars and will carry the torch for the 2020 Plan.

TECHIEFROM PAGE 19

The young COO recognizes the need for balance and, in down time, enjoys working out and LA’s entertainment. Nineties Hip Hop and Eighties Rock are his favorite music genres and when asked if he can sing or rap he confidently replies, “I think I can!” Breaux says his brother Barry is his biggest inspiration because of his “impressive work ethic”. “He’s now in residency at Columbia and he’s going to be a ‘beast’”, he adds.

Breaux also states he is highly competitive, loves sports, and is a huge fan of ‘’all Oakland teams.” He considers ‘don’t bite off more than you can chew’ as bad advice and asks, “How else are you going to be challenged?” “From Asher (Delug, Founder/CEO of AirPush), I’ve learned there are no such things as rules-just fake constructs to keep you from facing challenges,” Breaux reiterates. He shared the best advice he was given, “Don’t fight the tape, pay at-tention to the trends, ask yourself where the world will be in 5-10-15-20 years, don’t take the present for granted. “I try to put myself in front of the world.”

His legacy will be empowerment. “I want people to have the opportunity for success”, he says. When asked about his mantra, Inman Breaux replies, “Invictus – the entire poem”. And he recites, “I am the master of my fate…”


The Professional Opportunities Pro-gram for Students, Inc. (POPS) hosted their first Leadership Teen Summit in Orlando, Florida on June 10th to 12th. The theme for the Summit was Lead, Exceed, and Dream. More than 500 students gathered at the Orlando Dou-ble Tree by Hilton at Sea World to devel-op their social, professional, and leader-ship skills. Professionals from around the state of Florida presented character building, college and career explora-tion, and civic responsibility workshops to prepare students for future success. Students from throughout the state of Florida (Orlando, Tallahassee, Jackson-ville, Bartow, Fort Lauderdale, and Pa-hokee,) experienced a conference full of educational workshops, luncheons, and cultural activities. Promoting Com-munity Service, the students packed the pantry of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida by donating more than 2,000 non-perishable food items. The summit concluded with a trip to the SeaWorld Theme Park to explore the STEM (Science, Technology, Engi-neering, and Math) fields.

The summit proved to be very success-ful because all of the students gained a better understanding of what it takes to be a professional leader.

POPS is a non-profit organization that started twelve years ago in Orlando. This year-round program consists of a collaboration of students, parents, schools, community, business leaders,

and an advisory boards. The mission of POPS is to provide personal and profes-sional development for teenagers who face social and economic barriers that impact the quality of their lives. The primary goal of the POPS program is to prepare students for future success by encouraging them to pursue accel-erated, educational, and advantageous career opportunities.

POPS LEADership Teen Summit

500 POPS Statewide students attend POPS Teen Leadership Summit Luncheon at SeaWorld. Wanda Graham District Manager Jack-sonville, Ghenet Sequar Board Treasurer, Barbara Newton President and CEO, Dr. Regina Bryant Senior District Manager Statewide, Gwen Rees District Manager St. Petersburg.

Corey Lamb Board Member, POPS Outstanding Seniors, Senator Gary Siplin Founder, Victoria Siplin , Barbara Newton President and CEO

E DUCATION


HINSON-RAWLSFROM PAGE 22

Yolanda Hagley, President and Executive Director of Gainesville HIPPY, states that although the 2013-2014 school year was the pilot year of the program, Hinson-Rawls spent a year developing a Parent Empowerment Task Force to create the program.

“This is Commissioner Hinson-Rawls’ baby,” Hagley said, adding the program will grow as grant funding grows. Besides being very concerned about the aca-demic success of children, Hinson-Rawls is also very concerned about the success of parents. Organizing and coordinating a job fair was one of the first things Hinson-Rawls did after being elected. In fact, the City of Gainesville Job Fair that has been held the past two years at the Martin Luther King Jr. Multi-Purpose Cen-ter in east Gainesville in the heart of the District 1 seat on the Gainesville City Commission that Hinson-Rawls represents, have been two of the most successful job fairs the city of Gainesville has ever sponsored.

While on the Commission, Hinson-Rawls has also been a staunch supporter for the Gainesville Empowerment Center, which is located in her district and provides a wealth of services to the homeless and needy in the community. Furthermore, though the idea had been around for a long time, Hinson-Rawls joined fellow Commissioner Todd Chase in getting improved and more frequent service in predominantly African-Amer-ican east Gainesville by Regional Transit System, the city-owned bus service.

Hinson-Rawls, 66, graduated in 1965 from the former Lincoln High School in Gainesville, the second African-American high school behind Palatka Central Acade-my to be awarded accreditation from the state of Flor-ida Department of Education in the early 1920s. She earned degrees from Santa Fe Community College and the University of Florida, both in Gainesville, before em-barking upon a long career in education that ended in 2004 when she retired as the principal at Robert Russa Moten Elementary School of the Arts in West Perrine in Dade County.

She has two children, Kamelya Hinson and Ivan Hin-son. Her goals entering the last year of her first term, include fighting for more economic development in her district and to help improve the quality of life for all Gainesville residents. “She has done an excellent job, and she is totally committed to the African American community and making their lives better,” Foxx said. She has a heart for all people, but especially her own.” ….Evelyn Fox, NAACP President Alachua County

REEDFROM PAGE 24

A spin off of the Book Festival, a 5 month literacy workshop for those inspired to write.

Boys and Girls Club of Volusia & Flagler Counties moved out of a small project housing apartment into the John H. Dickerson Center.

Partnership with the Y.M.C.A. to provide programming for Senior Citizens at the Midtown Educational & Cultural Center.

Partner with local colleges and universities to offer program-ming that improves the quality of life of the Midtown citizenry .

Support from Dr. Jackson, President of Bethune-Cookman Uni-versity for our Community Unity Festival.

Enthusiasm. To be engaged in the activities of my Zone and our City.

I have been the keynote speaker, mistress of ceremonies, greet-er and volunteer for local community programs and activities.

To respectfully represent my constituents .

Make appearances when asked, provide proclamations for citi-zen accomplishments.

Dedication. To be committed to my position and Determined to make a difference in the lives of those I serve.

OM: What are your long-term goals?

COMMISSIONER REED: To enable the citizens of Zone 6 to sit at the table with all citizenry in the City of Daytona Beach and to be a contributing factor to the development of our city.

OM: What are the needs in your district and how are they being addressed by the City?

COMMISSIONER REED: Infrastructure – two major thorough-fares, Orange Avenue & MLK are being addressed beginning this fiscal year. With the Midtown Plan, our zoning and land development code is being approved to align with the Compre-hensive Plan of the City. We will address the vacant lots, aban-doned properties, dilapidated structures and sidewalks.

New family housing to attract middle class families and in-crease the Ad Valorem Taxes. Although I represent Zone 6, I also represent the entire City of Daytona Beach. I am honored to sit in a seat that makes a difference in my city. However I can’t do it alone. I need the citizens to get involved, particularly those of us who have been blessed to acquire an education. We have a responsibility to return be involved and to help those less fortunate than ourselves.

If you’re not a part of the solution, you’re a part of the problem. It’s easy to go to work, go to our various churches, and attend our social and community service organization meetings and think we’ve made a contribution. The real difference begins with local government. If not you, then who? If not now, then when? Begin by serving on a local board. Often times the deci-sions make at City Hall effect and affect us more than we real-ize. Let’s make a difference, together!


1. Eatonville Mayor Bruce Mount and Attendees

2. City of Orlando Commissioner Samuel Ings, Bob Berryhill, General Manager Mercedes Benz

3. Florida Highwaymen4. Florida Highwaymen Walter Reagan

and Annetta Wilson5. Jazz Musician Robert Harris6. Reverend Leroy and Pam Powell7. Johnny Rivers, President INGLUR,

Marcia Hope-Goodwin and Allie Braswell8. Gary Monroe Author Florida Highwaymen speaks with guests.9. Event Organizers and Supporters

2

4

5 6

7

8

1

9

3

O NYX ON THE MOVEMercedes Benz presents The Original Florida Highwaymen


1. Band “Ocean Breeze)2. Richard Black and Yolanda Clark Cade

National Managing Director Public Rela-tions AAA

3. Comedian and Host Rod Z4. Val Demings

5. Cynthia-Butler McIntyre – Speaker and immediate past National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

1. Terry Prather President of Sea World and Guests2. Mayor Theresa Jacobs3. Sheriff Jerry Demings & Val Demings

4. City of Orlando Commissioner Samuel Ings, Kat Gordon, Orange County School Board, Barbara Newton, CEO of POPS, Terry Prather, President Sea World

1

3

53

4

1

4

3

3

Delta Sigma Theta Annual Spring Jazz Brunch and Fundraiser

NAACPFreedom Fund Dinner


CHANGE 4 KIDSFROM PAGE 25

Why weren’t the total of 136 schools completed?The big factors were the downturn in the economy and the Class Size Amendment. The passage of the Constitutional Class Size Amendment created an unfunded need of ap-proximately $600 million. The economic downturn is ex-pected to cause total collections to be approximately $600 million short of original estimates.

Will there be a reprioritizing of the unfinished schools on the “136 list?”The school board has decided to stick with the order of the remaining schools.

Are new schools really needed? Hasn’t growth slowed enough to make do with what there is and add portables?That is not the case in Orange County. During the 2012-2013 school year, the school district welcomed 2,000 new students, which is equivalent to more than two new ele-mentary schools or one and a half middle schools. For the 2013-2014 school year, OCPS added another 3,000 stu-dents. So yes, our communities need these schools.

Why doesn’t OCPS rezone the district to maximize capacity?Allowing voluntary transfers from overcrowded schools to under-capacity schools is already doing some of that. How-ever, even with voluntary transfers, schools are overcrowd-ed, and with a few thousand new students per year, it will only get worse if we don’t act now. On October 15, 2013, for traditional schools, the number of students and the capac-ity for the total district was over by 5,126 students.

When exactly would the original sales tax end?December 31, 2015.

ENTERTAINMENTFROM PAGE 41

I know that in my heart because I know who I am.

OM: What advice would you give to musicians today?

DIAMOND: Stay in school, learn how to read contracts, learn what this business is all about before you step into it and not trust any man, the Bible will tell you that. Don’t be foolish in this business to only want peripheral things; there’s more out of life than money and take advantage of every opportunity and when I mean advantage I don’t mean take somebody but take advantage of every opportunity that this business has to offer.

OM: You told me a little bit earlier that the Ohio Players are going back into the studio. When is the target release date?

DIAMOND: The goal is to have something released by fall 2014.

OM: So, what’s next for Diamond?

DIAMOND: Aw, are you kidding me? You know Lexi, I try to stay busy, so in staying busy I mention the fact that I have these two grandsons here. They keep me busy ev-ery day, even on the weekends sometimes. In the mean-time, I volunteer tutoring math students at the elementary school, which these boys attend, and I tutor math students between the ages of the fourth grade and the seventh grade. I do that a couple of days a week so that keeps me pretty busy along with the music end of it going in and out of town. I love visiting my daughter and son-in-law n New York and my two granddaughters up there also. My calen-dar is full and that’s a good thing too.

For more information about the Ohio Players go to www.loverollercoaster.com.

HAIR FROM PAGE 35

Using her expertise as a New York-based licensed skin care expert, Gre-gorie gives the scoop on the newest

must-have products for the face, hair and body.

The twist - she gives women insider tips and tricks for applying great celeb beauty looks, establishing innovative beauty regimes, and interjecting new trends into their existing beauty rou-tines.

When HueKnewIt.com launched in 2008 by co-founder Gregorie Guil-laume and her sister, the website an-swered the nagging question - “so what about us?”

Gregorie is beyond qualified to answer the burning beauty questions of her

very curious audience because she is a former professional makeup artist and is a currently licensed skin care thera-pist. Gregorie also lends her voice to the hugely popular website HelloBeautiful.com as a beauty contributor and as a Pretty Committee Member skin care contributor to YourBeautyAdvsior.com.

She has also been on the the voting panel for the annual Ebony Magazine Beauty Awards and was just tapped to be a Blogger Ambassador for AMBI Skin Care.

For more information about Gregorie, please visit www.gregorieguillaume.com


Opening our eyes and our hearts to the needs of our community.

Youth Leadership Development ProgramMentoring students at Englewood High School

Expanding Your HorizonsTeaching girls about science, technology, engineering & math careers

JDRF WalkFunding research to cure diabetes

At Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, we help people see more clearly every day—but it’s equally important that we take a clear view of the challenges facing our community. So we’ve made a singular commitment to help make Jacksonville a better place for all who live in it. We’re committed to supporting one another in our personal public service pursuits as well as coming together, with resolve, when strength in numbers is needed. It’s a collective effort, but a singular goal: one vision of a better community.

onyx magazine july august 2014

Documents